“Free at last, free at last – Thank god I’m free at last” (no, I’m not intentionally channelling Martin Luther King Jr.) My two summer intensives have mercifully come to a close. Although it’s a bittersweet feeling to know this joyous news is marred by the looming 2012 academic calender; semester 1 commences next week - sigh* – Ohh well, at least I’ve only got 2 subjects to contend with this semester.
Anyway, looking toward happier aspects of my existance – in just over a months time we have the inaugural OZ Comic-Con coming to Australian shores with exhibitions held in Adelaide and Melbourne respectively. You can visit the official webpage to see which special guests will be attending which city.
Huge news for Melbourne attendee’s; Stan Lee … I mean ‘The Stan Lee’ will be joining in the festivities. Its good to see how excited the Australian Comic community is with news of his coming, and here’s a video of the man himself regaling fans with his excitement to check out Australia.
Oz Comic Con Adelaide: Goyder Pavilion – March 31st – April 1st Oz Comic Con Melbourne: Melbourne Exhibition Centre – June 30th – July 1st
28-02-12; is predicted to be the next Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC to features Afro’s (featuring a storyline with the noticeably absent Sazh and Dajh), Casino Card Games (at your favourite Serendipity Casino) and Bikini’s (Beach Resort Style!)
06-03-12; gives closure to your Commander Shepard’s story – the release of Mass Effect 3 with one final mission – to “Take Earth Back”
15-03-12; sees the mid-season hiatus come to a close with our favourite “most coincidentally-diverse (Hispanics not withstanding) study group” from Greendale Community College – Community returning to NBC
31-03-12 – 01-04-12; kicks off with the inaugural OZ Comic-Con at Adelaide’s Goyder Paviliion. Watch this space for Daily Coverage
Currently:
Finishing up Final Fantasy XIII-2 , collecting Fragments, CP, Gil as well as Monster Crafting and Trophy Hunting
Before the slated release of Mass Effect 3 in March, I will endeavour to create my perfect Mass Effect 2 run – forcibly trying to have Jack and Jacob killed in the suicide mission, unless of course their deaths put Tali in danger – she’s just too precious. How well your did your Shepard fair, looking at the possible deaths in Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2?
Playing through Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, trying to see whether the fates declare my divine skills more towards Finesse and Sorcery, or Finesse and Might
Reading the Hunger Games Trilogy – for some reason this series has been on my wishlist for ages and I’ve never really had a driving impetus to start reading them. However with the imminent release of the feature film, I’m definitely excited and need to start reading these novels ASAP
To Cap things off, I present an crucial PSA from Dorkly – Video Game Humour. A clip of nostalgia and tragedy, we learn the horrible fate befallen the unlucky third started from the Pokémon franchise. The sadistic and satirical video will undoubtedly force audiences to lament over innocence lost as a significant portion of your inner child slowly dies inside.
Another article written for Castle Co-Op, a website dedicated to Film, TV, Music and Culture – Published 20-02-2012
I was very blessed to have a short stint with the new entry into the handheld market; the Japanese model of the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) – unfortunately I’m still relatively uninitiated to receive a sample of the hardware for full-review – but I do what I can.
The PS Vita is the successor to Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) and its second foray into the handheld market. The original PSP – to be generous – was mildly successful in Western Markets that was dominated by the Nintendo DS. Despite this, the PSP had its share of the glory in Japan thanks in part to the Monster Hunter Franchise.
Vita means ‘life’ and Sony has attempted to make an extraordinary all-in-one device to be synonymous with everyday habits akin to your iPhone or Smartphone; seeing the device as a necessity rather than an accessory.
Being an early adopter of the PSP, I definitely noticed through its lifecycle, I was continually disappointed with the static nature of the device in the marketplace. Titles such as Monster Hunter, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep were the only real draw-cards that dissuaded me from listing my PSP on eBay. The console isn’t without its merits, but the lack of support was indeed frustrating, thankfully salvaged by the incredible stagnant trickle of titles that was just reason enough to justify keeping my PSP.
Throughout this preview I won’t be chiming in on the debate surround the existence of dedicated handheld gaming in this age – but instead evaluate this existing console for its innovative merits and few unfortunate flaws.
Hardware and Design:
Compared to its predecessor, the Vita is noticeably larger; approximately 20% its size and possesses just a slight heft – compared to the later generation PSP – that shouldn’t induce fatigue after hours of gameplay. The original PSP was never the ideal ‘pocketable’ device, generously titled as a portable system (I mean, yeah – it has a battery). Proudly, the Vita continues that legacy with its overall size and dual analog sticks that protrude out (albeit not by much), betraying the overall sleek aesthetics of the Vita’s body; a sacrifice any gamer would make to get rid of the PSP’s nub. That being said, the grandeur of this device doesn’t end with its size.
Despite its plastic build, when held, the device feels solid with an intuitive User Interface (UI). The buttons and triggers are well tuned and responsive that depress with a satisfying click. It’s obvious the design team at PlayStation were conscious of the build, minimising its profile without sacrificing power or visual appeal with its high gloss finish. Looking back though, it’d be nice to have a portable PlayStation that didn’t collect all those damn fingerprints (any CSI crew would love this device though).
On paper it’s truly astonishing how much raw power is generated with its quad-core processor. However the device itself is suffering from an identity crisis. Trying to meld aspects of other popular devices to the point where the Vita doesn’t know exactly what it wants to be; a gaming console, a social media hub, a touch-screen MP3 player, a pseudo Smartphone – excluding gaming, it’s the jack-of-all-trades, but master of none.
Without trying to decipher the philosophical nature of the device you can easily claim the greatest element of the PS Vita is its gorgeous 5” AMOLED (960 x 544) screen providing crisp visuals and vibrant colours with a solid frame-rate just shy of the PS3 or Xbox 360 – just don’t linger too long on the screen or else the difference becomes more apparent. This is an amazing feat when you consider using the device for high-end gaming with stunning visuals whilst simultaneously downloading a game from the improved PSN store and have multiple applications running in the background.
Actually in transit with a high-end device like this, I wouldn’t want it to rattling around my pocket with my keys, spare change and all matter of sharp paraphernalia lying in wait to desecrate that beautiful screen – so the wide 5” screen is more of a blessing in disguise, assuming Sony warrants this notion and are fully aware the PSP/PS Vita was never intended to be carried in a your pocket.
Controls and Touch-Input:
The front-touch screen is an absolute pleasure to view. It’s almost a shame that it is a touch-screen consolidating my hesitance to smudge that pristine panel. The screen of the Vita (which I think is plastic) is eerily similar to the Gorilla Glass of the iPhone which isn’t a bad thing, however post-first generation touch-screens have all come to a high industry standard.
The dual analog sticks are something PSP owners have been crying about since the original’s release. Playing the with dual stick makes you often forget your using a hand-held; Nintendo’s 3DS requires a proprietary add-on to use a second stick. The D-Pad and face buttons have been reduced in size and have a solid feedback, as do the L and R shoulder buttons – yet I feel as if the unit’s ergonomic design needs to come into questions.
The dual analog sticks sit under the face buttons and have a comfortable range of motion – however you won’t experience the same precision like the DualShock and 360 Controller. I doubt there would be any issue of cramping since the device calls for continuously changing grip; hand placement shift with touch and motion enabled functions on the front and rear panels. So in summary, if you’re comfortable with the PSP, you’ll be content with handling the Vita.
The UI is a clear example of Sony observing the current Smartphone environment and set out to develop a simple and intuitive navigation and menu for the Vita. The PlayStation Vita does this to a fault. The XMB interface seen in the PSP and PS3 is gone in favour of pages filled with bubble icons. The navigation is touch only, rendering those reflexive buttons and analog sticks moot. The concept behind the bubble icons and their preview pages were intended as innovative ideas that unfortunately seem more gimmicky than intuitive (like peeling the pages back).
This is more apparent when using the rear touch panel – the unique interactive medium used by the Vita. It’s an interactive method implemented throughout most, if not all of the Vita’s launch titles, but there hasn’t been an instance of it being used effectively. The hardware works, but considering the nature of the input, precision becomes an issue as you can only ‘feel’ the panel and see its progress on the screen. It’s an interesting development that’s yet to prove its excellence.
Gone are the UMD’s instead opting for direct digital download or having games loaded on proprietary memory cards new and unique to the Vita (the former the more economic option). These small memory cards are one of the deceptive price points on the Vita somewhat unbeknownst to the general consumer. The Vita has no internal memory and requires the memory card for game data, save files and any additional media you wish to play on the Vita. For the entry level WiFi model – expect to pay approximately USD $250 with the 3G model slightly higher at USD $300. The value of the 3G isn’t justified on launch unless of course WiFi clouds are scarce in your area or you just have to be on top of any social media that’s preloaded onto the Vita.
PS Vita Launch Guide:
The launch roster for the Vita cannot be faulted. The diverse selection of games will keep fans of any genre satisfied on release with titles such as Uncharted: Golden Abyss for action adventure fans, WipeOut 2048 for seizure inducing racing, Super Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 for fighting fans, Lumines Electronic Symphony for rhythm puzzle junkies, Raymam Origin for side-scrolling platformer gamer, Hot Shots Golf and FIFA Soccer for the weird people who like to play sports games (see the irony there?) and Super StarDust Delta for fans of blowing shit up.
The Vita also has access to the new PSN store that also offers a decent library of back catalogue PSP games and potential PS1 titles to come. The digital PSP titles look amazing on the Vita when compared to the PSP. The only problem I have is only about 50% of PSP titles are available for download, and what I dub as the ‘real PSP’ games aren’t available (Crisis Core: FFVII and KH: Birth By Sleep; not ports but actual games developed for the PSP). It’s here where we open the proverbial Pandora’s Box on the UMD passport conundrum that was promised in North America.
Negatives:
Despite there being backward compatibility with the Vita, it’s disappointing to not see some semblance of a UMD Passport conversion service that was available for PSP in owners in Japanwishing to update their current hardware. This isn’t a tragic loss, but a real nuisance considering PlayStation’s previous attempt to transition from UMD to digital distribution in the same generation life-cycle that subsequently lead to the failure of the PSP Go (yes, I did purchase but then immediately resold my PSP Go).
Both Camera’s suck. Seriously. Save for Skyping (to be implemented soon) or taking advantage of augmented reality, both the front and rear VGA cameras are woefully subpar considering Sony’s long pedigree with digital point-and-shoot cameras. But nobody really uses the camera on their hand-held gaming device – however with Sony’s ambitious device this is a disappointing omission. The Vita may be on the verge of an on-going identity crisis, so I guess it doesn’t have to consider itself a high-end digital camera too.
Battery life is decent when weighing the performance and small profile of the device. The 4-5 hours of continuous play is on par with the PSP and the 3DS. Unexpectedly the idle stand-by time is quite impressive. Overall the battery could be improved, but it is expected.
Bottom Line:
Barely scratching the surface of the Vita’s hardware and software, it is by far the most powerful dedicated gaming system and well-rounded portable handheld on the market. The launch line-up is impressive with first-party titles that are supplemented with a respectable back catalogue of PSP games. Costs associated with the unit is deceptive with the need for propriety memory sticks unique to the Vita, however it seems reasonably priced considering its hardware specs. This would be the perfect all-round device. If only there were an app to turn the Vita into a phone – in addition to an improved battery life and useable camera.
As it stands I probably won’t be an earlier adopter of this new hardware. The current trends don’t paint a positive picture of the devices longevity in today’s 0.99 cent app market. That said, the Vita could be the redefining catalyst for change. The defining positives of the device are its sheer power and potential, which the Vita has plenty of. What it comes down to is investment by the community and industry at large as to whether or not they will support this new platform or see it remain static like the original PSP. It will be interesting to see how the unit progresses in both Western and Japanese markets – hence I see no impetus for me to put down my DualShock in lieu of a Vita – well not yet anyway.
This was the Red Carpet Coverage/Interview of the Melbourne Première of ‘Any Questions for Ben?’ for Castle Co-Op - a website dedicated to Film, TV, Music and Culture – Published 06-02-2012
Co-Written and Directed by: Rob Sitch
Co-Written by: Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro
Starring: Josh Lawson, Rachael Taylor, Daniel Henshall, Felicity Ward, Lachy Hulme, Rob Carlton, Ed Kavalee, Jodie Gordon, Christian Clarke
‘Any Questions for Ben?’ is the latest Australian Film from Working Dog productions (The Castle, The Dish) brings an all-star Australian ensemble cast revolving around our protagonist, the carefree and cocksure Ben (Josh Lawson) and our leading lady Alex (Rachael Taylor) the accomplished U.N ambassador cast as the unwitting catalyst leading audiences through the social phenomenon of the quarter-life crisis. Melbourne City is portrayed as a playground for the affluent and privileged that makes me think ‘damn, where in Melbourne is that?’
Below is an abstract summation of the Red Carpet event as well as the Image Gallery coverage of the event:
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“Arriving an hour late, we were underdressed and unprepared for the glamour of the evening to come. With colleague in tow we adorned our personalised media passes; the shiny laminated tag granted access to the trail paved in luxurious crimson.
Entering the bull-pen, a quartered-off square encased the media-elite, reserved for only those with legitimate accreditation in the Australian media-circles. Why were we here? The media personalities performed convincingly for the cameras, the collective experience simply oozed from the reporters sent out to cover the event.
The bright flooding lights strobe as familiar faces quietly sneak through the scramble of iPhone’s outstretched, hoping to record any marketable sound-byte; deviously listening to every step, every word, and every breath.
The Red Carpet quickly filled with the icons of Australian Film, Television and Sport; while I stood slightly dumbfounded trying to decipher the name behind the familiar face. Flashes from imposing DSLR cameras were flaring all around as my only conscious concern was to somehow conceal our woefully archaic point-and-shoot camera in fear of humiliation and ridicule from the others.
Here I stand, at the very heart of the publicity, ignoring the ubiquitous stares of the on-looking crowd and feeling comfortably out of my depth.
Armed with BlackBerry and a unassured self-awareness our designated targets approach – the films Co-Writer Tom Gleisner and Co-Writer/director Rob Sitch approach, followed closely by the stars Felicity Ward, Josh Lawson and Rachael Taylor”
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See Gallery for Full Coverage (photographs by Nathan Lai)
Another article written for Castle Co-Op, a website dedicated to Film, TV, Music and Culture – Published 12-02-2012
Cracking open my brand-new copy of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a startling discovery makes itself present; a seemingly innocent insert containing a PSN code to access the ‘House of Valor’ DLC Pack featuring seven additional Single Player quests. This thinly veiled attempt to rebrand the Online Pass as day one DLC has ignited my otherwise placid view on the debate surrounding the pre-owned Video Games market. This aggravated response isn’t necessarily targeting the existence of the Online Pass, but its necessity for offline Single Player content – it just stinks of corporate greed.
The Online Pass is a system that enables publishers to restrict the online content or online multiplayer components of a game. This is basically a non-issue for those who purchase the game new from retail establishments (an online pass is provided for free); however this requires players with pre-owned or second-hand copies to purchase a new code in order to access this material.
The reasoning behind this initiative is justified as publishers and distributors – not the creators or developers – claim its primary purpose is to make back the money supposedly lost to piracy and the second-hand games market. The additional revenue is also used to keep the servers maintained and operational. Any player purchasing a pre-owned game hasn’t attributed any revenue toward the publisher and is therefore using their service for free. This is how publishers claim the used-games market is ‘robbing them blind.’ Therefore an Online Pass is used as a detrimental disincentive to the used-game market especially with a popular game like Battlefield 3, a largely online experience.
The Online Pass isn’t a new phenomenon as it was used with the PlayStation 3 release of Mass Effect 2. It was widely advertised as the ‘Complete Edition’ of Mass Effect 2, however this is only achieved through downloading additional content using the Cerberus Network, an Online Pass only available with an activation code for the PlayStation Network (again, available free with new purchase). Hence the product is not as advertised with the ‘complete’ experience closed off for some players without PSN access.
This issue was also sparked late last year with Batman: Arkam City’s necessity of an Online Pass to access some of the Catwoman DLC. The outrage was aimed toward its necessity due to the original nature of an Online Pass; to access online content and multiplayer functions. However Arkham City is an offline Single Player Game.
You can be in two camps about this current issue; satisfied that the justification of purchasing the product new grants you additional content for free because the developers deserve the money, or that you are sick and tired of paying for content that should be available on the disc upon release as advertised.
It’s a mystery seeing publishers creating ill-will and unneeded animosity towards their supposed target demographic. Instead of blaming a service like GameStop (Electronic Beautique/EB Games in Australia) why not compete with them by providing a superior means of service, i.e. offering consumers with a trade-in or buy-back system toward ensuring future patronage from consumers. Better yet, with the vast library of used-games collected vis-à-vis this service, you can sell them back to the public with an advantage no other service can provide; packaged DLC content with used-games. Odds are consumers are more likely to purchase from the certified publisher considering the value is reasonably competitive.
Publishers curse the used market because they don’t see profit in the resale of their product. The aforementioned scenarios seem a more advantageous way to profit from the used-games market; a more elegant solution than an Online Pass.
The validation of the Online Pass is somehow unfairly attributed to piracy. By definition, piracy takes a single ‘game’ either leaked or purchased illegally and replicates it multiple times. However every used game sitting on a shelf at your local retailer represents a sale each. Despite other allegations, the used-game market exists legally within the same capitalist regime in which their original publishers operate and continue to profit to the tune of millions per year.
To be blunt, I actually am impressed with some developers who charge for DLC available the same day as the games release; they truly have steely nerve to put a price-tag on what I see as cut content from the retail release. I mean they are already collecting revenue from the sale, coupled with fans buying the ‘additional’ content as DLC from the online store. Then we see publishers make a complete 180 and demand to take a $10 cut from a used-game sale in order to keep the game or servers running; fundamentally telling the world “we still need more money.”
Impressive. Yes. It is also by and far the most grotesquely greedy exploit publishers have to close off the single avenue and advantage we can get as customers (reselling an undesired game) because that’s the one aspect of the sale they cannot profit from.
On the opposite end of the spectrum other will argue the used-game market is damaging to the industry as a whole and a result of the retail sector trying to combat the growth (and inevitable domination) of digital distribution.
The reason digital downloads has not fully encapsulated the market is that ownership of the physical media is vastly superior for a number of reasons. Not only is there a slight romanticism about owning a physical object, but you can then sell the item and use the revenue to fund your next purchase.
The majority of profits generated from the sale of ‘new products’ go to the publisher and developers to contribute to a continuing improved service. Opposed to 100% of the sales generated from a used game going to the seller, a party that has no influence on the product at all.
With all said and done – here comes the hypothetical. What if you purchased a game brand new at retail and hated it. What else could you do with it? Could you return it to the store? Perhaps. Would you throw it away along with your $60 ($100 in Australia) investment plus tax? Absolutely Not. Give it back to the publisher? If only. It’s not like you can return the product direct to the publishers if you’re not satisfied but in their minds, if you’re not purchasing games new at full price, you are a thief.
Often I cannot personally justify buying full price retail (especially in Australia) for a game when I know my obscure value to enjoyment ratio wouldn’t be satisfied. However I generally import games brand new anyway, so this debate really doesn’t revolve around me – and to be frank, as long as developers are worthy of my hard earned cash, I’m happy to pay for the continual service and promise of future releases.
In its current state, I see the both the value and corrosive nature of the used-game market that’s focused on maximising their own profits. To me, I fall under the category where the whole Online Pass debacle is a non-issue. The only exception would be back catalogue games, but to date, no title so far is yet to hold any Online Pass. To top it off, the rise of digital distribution will render this controversial topic moot.
The only reason I would sway my vote against the use of Online Passes in favour of a free used-game market is because used-games is the only functioning avenue that supports our rights as gamers. The capitalists are merely looking to extend their revenue beyond their legal right; seeing as how each individual product sold is now under the ownership of the consumer (disregarding warranty policies), and s/he is welcome to do whatever they like with their property.
The facts are used-games still have value despite the absence of publisher approval. The inclusion of an Online Pass devalues the product as soon as it’s paid and played – especially for a Single Player Experience like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning with day one DLC content; purposefully cut content. Publishers need to resolve the dichotomy between themselves and their consumers. Stop screwing around with your customers, compete and grow within the gaming-industry instead of whining about it, and try to create a win-win situation for all parties.
Despite not having the most immense readership of genuinely popular blogs; I’d still like to use this space to update those who bother to peruse my posts.
This also acts as a reminder to myself to take a step back from my current academic work and demolish the never ending pile of unread novels, unwatched film/television series and unplayed games currently accumulating a second layer of dust on my bookshelf.
News:
07-02-12; will most likely be spent watching the day one release of the Action RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning via the Day[9] live ’Day of Reckoning’ stream-a-thon. Tune in to glimpse the first few hours of Reckoning with Day[9] and a bevy of hosts simultaneously streaming on Twitch.Tv. My copy has been pre-ordered, but I’ll definitely need my Reckoning fix. Thank god for live streaming
07-02-12; sees the release of the Jak and Daxter HD Collection from one of my favourite veteran developers Naughty Dog and remastered by Mass Media Inc.
10 -02-12 – 12-02-12; marks the commencement of 2012′s annual DICE (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) summit, taking the industry heads of top video game designers and developers from around the glove to discuss the state of the industry, future trends and to celebrate the art that is Video Games
14-02-12; brings back vehicular ‘car-nage’ to the PlayStation with the release of Twisted Metal
Currently:
I am playing through Final Fantasy XIII-2 and will be providing an in-depth review of the JRPG – Note the first incoming DLC on 07-02-12; the first Coliseum Battle DLC Pack containing FFXIII Lightning and Master Sergeant Amoda
Hopefully by the end of this week my copies of Sherlock Series 1 and 2 will arrive from the UK and I will be endeavouring to provide my first Blu-Ray review
To cap it all off, I’d like to direct your attention to a little image that simply put a smile on my face. Showcasing what a little imagination and Photoshopping can do – ‘Kids Make the ‘Best Street Fighters’
