Archive

PlayStation

BioWare to Change Mass Effect 3′s Ending?

March 23, 2012
PC, PlayStation, Update, Xbox
2 Comments

For the past two weeks upon completing the Mass Effect trilogy, I just let the apparently very controversial ending to the epic space-opera sit with me until I could fully comprehend how I should react to it. According to an enlightening movement on the internet, I should be outraged at developer BioWare for not providing me with an ending that my (USD) $60 entitles me to.

Don’t worry, for those still in the midst of stemming the Reaper invasion, I will try to keep this post spoiler free.

In an unprecedented announcement, BioWare intends to satiate unrelenting fans with additional in-game content that may provide an alternate ending to the many branching outcomes of the Shepard arc. Developers describe it as “incredibly painful” seeing heavily devout fans of the series unhappy with the outcome of their 5 year endeavour. It’s not exactly clear whether BioWare will address the ending completely or just add some additional context to give players a greater sense of closure to the established ending.

To BioWare’s credit, in a statement provided by Dr. Ray Muzyka (co-founder of BioWare), this is not a move incited by any of the overtly negative feedback attacking their creation and its creators, instead taking only constructive criticisms about the game in order to give closure to players who are disconcerted with their Mass Effects ending. It’s something that as a fan and consumer can appreciate from a company. To BioWare’s discredit, I have lost a little bit of faith in the developers for even entertaining the idea that altering established fiction under pressure is the correct decision. What about the fans who enjoyed the ending and wouldn’t want it to change – which I’d wager outnumber those who are actively trying to alter ME3’s ending.

This is not a move I’m particularly fond of and quite a dangerous move on their behalf – dare I say a ‘dangerous precedent’ set.  I can also sympathise with the developers as they’ve been acquiesced into a compromising predicament.  The Mass Effect fiction is their intellectual property and gamers (I posit only a minority of gamers out of millions of copies sold, who have actively signed petitions and even alerted the Federal Trade Commission) need to accept that. However this may be an archaic perspective, as the evolution of the social network brings developers and consumers closer, these kinds of moves may seem more pertinent from the developer’s stand-point.

This truly is a multi-faceted debate. It’s great to see developers read, interact and are willing to accept constructive criticism by the community, but it’s really a shame to see a veteran games developer bend to the will of public opinion so easily. It almost suggests that BioWare was fully aware of the possible negative effects that the ending could cause and opted to ship the game regardless – there seems to be a distinct lack of commitment and support of the artists’ integrity that is seething with the possibility of an unethical business model (day one DLC, common!?).

You could also consider that this is BioWare’s game, they can do, change, and manipulate it post-release as much as they want through DLC and as the consumer it’s your decision whether or not to support their decision. Sales figures speak much louder to developers and publishers than any single ranting blog post can.

The most dangerous outcome of this announcement is a precedence set for fans of other titles to pressure game developers to change their story – compromise their artistic integrity. A common argument that will be put henceforth is ‘BioWare did it, so why can’t you?’

Generally when the conversation between developers and gamers hits this level of criticism, developers can address these issues in a subsequently released title – the disadvantage BioWare has is that this is a condemning finality to the Mass Effect fiction (at least for Shepard).

If nothing else, it just shows how devoted fans are to the much beloved series, but consumers need to accept the fact that they are just that, consumers. This is an intricately woven narrative spanning 6 years from a professional games developer, not a fanfic that some obnoxious adolescent mashed together in a darkened basement (I apologise for the stereotype).  ‘Haters-gonna-hate,’ and BioWare too needs to man-up and defend their artistic vision.

I’m in no way stating that additional information that will enrich the Mass Effect lore is a bad thing, however I will not be support this action through purchasing additional DLC (unless it also comes with some really cool armour and/or weapon). It’s near impossible to judge BioWare’s future endeavours to rectify this nonplussed issue with any amendments however I’d like to suggest that they don’t stray too far from the Mass Effects roots, or else you’ll feel the furore of the majority of fans raging against developers for tampering with their game.

Despite your philosophical and ideological stance on the issue at hand, come April we will have our concerns answered. For a full review of the controversial title, see my Mass Effect 3 Review.

___

In completely unrelated news that I found hilarious is that Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be getting the N7 armour as downloadable costumes. FFXIII-2 has already received Assassin’s Creed costumes and I welcome the Mass Effect cross-over no matter how ridiculous Noel and Serah appear.

___

Edit: BioWare has announced that will be be providing players with FREE DLC to expand on the Mass Effect 3 ending. This is not a new new ending, but expanding on the existing fiction. This was probably the only logical solution to satiate all interested parties – those who loved the ending, hated it, or wanted more in terms of closure should be pleased with BioWare’s efforts. This doesn’t necessarily break their regard for artistic integrity (bending to the whims of die-hard fanboys) and change the overall ending, but it’d be interesting to see how the petitioning fans react to this news; happy to have their voices heard or simply insulted as this is a poor effort, patronising the haters?

Mass Effect 3 Review

March 11, 2012
Castle Co-Op, PC, PlayStation, Review, Xbox
1 Comment

A review article written for Castle Co-Op, a website dedicated to Film, TV, Music and Culture – Published  12-03-2012

Fulfilling a 6 year promise to gamers, BioWare has concluded its three part space-opera with the release of Mass Effect 3 (ME3) – an ambitious production where choice and consequence permeate each title release.  Tasked with the near impossible goal, developers aim to satiate die-hard fans with an endearing ending to the brilliant series steeped in rich lore and tethered emotion to the Commander Shepard story – Your Commander Shepard.

ME3 picks up back on Earth, a first in the Mass Effect series, being able to explore this beautiful blue marble. A bittersweet introduction as the 50,000 year purported Reaper ritual provides the perfect cadence for the plot, with the invading Reaper armies bombarding the globe, eager to start extinguishing all organic life in the Milky Way.

Your mission sends you galaxy-trotting the known universe in search of War Assets to potentially boost your Galactic Readiness as zero-hour fast approaches to face the Reapers head-on. These diplomatic endeavours are critical factors in the war and have players engaging in the age old socio-political grudges amongst the alien races known in the Mass Effect universe.

Wether over the Krogan Genophage or the Quarian-Geth rebellion cum exile to the Flotila, your duty as the heroic peacekeeper (paragon) or ruthless warmonger (renegade) is to navigate these tricky – albeit superficial (in light of an existential galactic genocide) – differences to form a united armada against the Reapers. This unusual dissonance is also echoed with the numerous side-missions encountered in the game that doesn’t reflect the immanency of the crisis, instead focusing on simple ancillary tasks. Even when faced with ominous death and destruction, folks in the Citadel still squander over petty crimes and simple fetch requests despite the ongoing catastrophe.

The story ends the Shepard trilogy and wraps up a lot of peripheral stories from former teammates aboard the Normandy – even if they didn’t survive the suicide mission at the end of Mass Effect 2, scene’s still play out regardless, sans the actual characters effect over the sequence.

Achieving galactic readiness through diplomacy is the driving force behind missions in ME3, with a host of dialogue options and actions heavily influence the story as you careen towards the end-game. For the best and most personal experience, players are urged to import their Shepard from ME2 not only for aesthetics, but for a character you’ve engaged with for 5 years – a familiar face to guide you through the inevitable battle ahead.

Claiming any emotional attachment to a save file is a weird and difficult thing to admit – but an immensely gratifying felling when you’ve been swept up in the vast Mass Effect fiction – hence an emotional investment is more likely inevitable. Especially when BioWare seems determined in its Mass Effect finale to emphasise consequence with the potency of death lingering over every choice made. In ME3, people will die. Because there are no more decisions to carry-over, the burden of each decision weighs much heavier on Shepard. Lives will be lost with their blood on your hands – ultimately what is the price you’re willing to pay for the greater good?

The moral dilemmas faced throughout ME3 are increasingly relevant and navigating these decisions will drastically alter the plots course and outcome. Seemingly inconsequential decisions made hours ago can often haunt players wishing they’d chosen the second dialogue option. The triumph of Mass Effect comes with the seemingly innocuous butterfly effect that ripples through each Mass Effect title. Each event culminates organically as you approach the stories climax with the sum of all parts, each decision made intricately woven into the story to provide the appropriate ending to your Shepard’s journey.

The combat mechanics are fluid and familiar to Mass Effect veterans, and widely accessible to newer players with some minor platforming additions. Unfortunately with familiarity come the usual problems associated with the hit-and-miss cover system. The ‘take-cover’ and new ‘dive-roll’ commands are mapped to the same button hence it can lead to some unwanted response during an intense fire-fight. Overall, while decent enough, ME3 falls short of some more recent standout third-person cover-shooters like Gears of War and Vanquish.

The elegant myriad of weapons, skills and abilities are more customisable with progressive upgrades, custom mods, and branching skill-trees for each class and weapon to tailor your Shepard to your liking. The variance in each distinct class (adept, engineer, infiltrator, sentinel, soldier, and vanguard) can lead to some very distinct custom builds. This streamlining is also noted with the omission of any dedicated hacking sequence, clumsy vehicular missions and planetary scanning for minerals; instead, scanning may lead to further War Assets, fuel and supplies, or trigger your known whereabouts to the roaming Reaper scouts.

The brutally difficult enemies are more attributed to enumeration rather than an intuitive AI. Enemies flood the narrow battlefields in seemingly endless waves constantly converging on your position; punishing players who aren’t aware of their surroundings. Gratefully the new Omni-Blade (unique to each class) sees a much welcomed melee option for the overly frisky AI. But tactical squad-based combat is the name of the game.

Squad-mates available in ME3 come in a more manageable 6-pack (with more possible through additional DLC) instead of the cast of 12 from ME2 – to me it’s a mixed reaction. While I appreciate the familiar faces and cherish a more intimate relationship, a few more familiar faces wouldn’t go astray. Continuing in fashion with ME1 and ME2, romancing ship-mates and crew-members makes a return with the inclusion (or re-inclusion) of a same-sex outcome. The system seems ostensibly more complex this time around with some romantic interests may only be possible with a prior ME2 save import.

In a Mass Effect first, multiplayer will be included in this release. While its inclusion is arguably unnecessary, the multiplayer experience does interconnect with the plot, offering a robust experience to complement the Single Player; each mission acting as more of a primer to give some context to the N7 side-missions. Apart from the Shepard arc, multi-player offers another perspective on the galactic war – fighting on every front.

An experience best endeavoured by players who’ve played the previous titles in succession (albeit difficult for PlayStation owners), ME3’s does well that every decision distinctly shapes my Shepard; my experience.  That my efforts in shaping the universe manifest such because of my choice, my decision, my humility, my selfishness – it’s all about my choice, consequence, and contribution over the course of the entire Mass Effect trilogy.

It’s truly a shame that this near pristine masterpiece of story-telling is marred with frustratingly common technical issues such as lip-syncing, texture drop-ins, mandatory disc-swapping on more than one occasion (Xbox users) and the shameful framerate (especially noticeable on the PS3 version), dipping well below 30 fps when the action really heats up. What’s unacceptable – in a game that prioritises your efforts in past titles – is the import function from ME2 to ME3 is not fully functional, but is promised to be addressed in a future patch.  Disappointing as these are the exact same complaints inherited from its predecessor.

Mass Effect 3 is truly a wonderfully melancholic experience through a masterfully told story bringing an end to one of this generation’s best sci-fi saga’s – with an ending that Mass Effect fans will be discussing long after the credits roll. I’m still not quite sure how I’m supposed to feel with the trilogies conclusion. Now let’s see how badly Hollywood can botch up this superb story through a videogame-to-screen adaptation.

DISCLAIMER: This was a PlayStation 3 review and didn’t use the Kinect feature. But have heard from trusted sources it’s a neat construct – but ultimately fails to be practical when barking commands ensue instances of delayed reaction in lieu of a more immediate and simpler process is to just use the face buttons. 

___

DEVELOPER: Bioware

PLATFORM(S): PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review

March 9, 2012
Castle Co-Op, PC, PlayStation, Review, Xbox
Leave a Comment

A review article written for Castle Co-Op, a website dedicated to Film, TV, Music and Culture – Published  12-03-2012

When you think ‘Indie Game’, you think about the plethora of 99 cent apps available for your Smartphone and Tablets. Never would you imagine the massive open world that is Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the debut title from the upstart independent game developer 38 Studios. Founded by ex-pro league Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling, and backed with the incredible creative minds of R.A. Salvatore (New York Times best-selling fantasy author), Ken Rolston (executive game designer from the Elder Scrolls series) and Tod McFarlane (the comic book genius behind the Spawn series) – a celebrated team with an illustrious pedigree to breathe life into this fantasy realm.

This ambitious game offers players the perfect blend of an expansive fantasy world with an incredibly satisfying combat system other Western RPGs have been severely lacking. This noticeably absent element is felt in The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series that are fully capable of building a superb narrative and universe, only to stumble with clumsy and unappealing gameplay mechanics. Reckoning aims to rectify this with an in-depth and intuitive combat system combined with an immersive narrative that could be the makings of a new first-class RPG series.

In the world of Amalur, fate defines all. It’s not something you can escape, and the residents of the world seem contempt to their condemned fate. This is the catalyst that justifies your characters presence in the world. Newly resurrected from the Well of Souls, unbound by fate you begin your journey – the only being in the Faelands capable of shaping the fate of the world.

Powered by the creative writing of fantasy novelist R.A. Salvatore, there is an impressive 10,000 year history of Amalur that the game tends to emphasise – the vast lore and compelling historical backstory is interesting yet somehow takes precedence over your interactions with the world.

Now despite this free and unbound premise, how you engage with the inhabitants of the world is deceptively linear. Different dialogue options and moral choices give the illusion of choice, yet no real consequence manifests from your decisions or actions (ala Mass Effect) – just different responses invoke a preordained reaction that feels more obligatory than necessary. Reckoning contains a wide array of well scripted conversations that unfortunately has little difference in its impact on the story as a whole.


Be forewarned, exploring Amalur can be a costly endeavour. The main quest can occupy roughly 30 – 40 hours, but aiming to see and do everything in Amalur will have players sinking well over a hundred hours of gameplay – and being an EA publication, I wholeheartedly expect more of the world to be expanded via upcoming DLC.

The world is set up with a distinctive MMO structure rather than a traditional RPG, with areas divided into clusters that are free to roam at any time, considering you can survive long enough to enjoy its splendour.

The environment varies from dense forestation and arid deserts, to a bustling medieval metropolis populated by gnomes. There is an intrinsic endearing aspect to each locale and some of the NPCs that despite my adoration for the lush environmental design and stunning artistic styles, the world feels empty and somewhat forgettable. While there are townsfolk to converse with, enemies to slay, and the dungeons to explore do well occupy the open realm, there is an understated lack of dimension for players to invest.

The amount of task and quests initiated through Amalur are vast yet not varied. They conform to the familiar tropes of the sandbox RPG; hunting the hidden nasties in a cave to fetching particular items from the clutches of bandits. These quests serve as a welcome distraction and a provision for players to explore the lovingly crafted world of Amalur.


Customisation and preference is at the heart of everything you do in Amalur. The levelling system lets you tailor your character to suit your personal play style. Skill points can be distributed amongst Might (strength and defence), Finesse (speed and stealth), and Sorcery (magic and support) as well as a set of peripheral abilities ranging from lock-picking and potion-alchemy to blacksmithing and improved stealth.

While investment solely into the Might, Finesse and Sorcery skill trees grant players to a bevy of powerful skills unique to that discipline, players can instead mix and match skills from each discipline with the diversity not providing any real disadvantage for players. The skill-point allocations unlock different destinies that confer unique bonuses to your character.

In these instances I generally choose the stealth, ranged type character – so my time with Reckoning saw a pretty nifty fast-striking magical-nuke, spending my points to master Finesse and Sorcery skills. Even if you make a mistake or find yourself wanting to experiment with different combinations of weapons, skills or ability preferences, you can always visit your local Fateweaver to have all stats and skills reset to be redistribute points as you like – this takes away some of the pressure of building your perfect hero as your never tied down to any one particular play style.


Choice, customisation and preference aren’t limited to the plot but naturally lend itself to the immersive dynamic combat mechanics. Combat is fast and the controls are very responsive, allowing the seamless switch between weapons and a range of magical skills that feels fluid and organic – allowing for a satisfyingly string of attacks for a devastating combo.

The range of weapons isn’t diverse, yet each fulfils a unique role in your arsenal and caters toward any preference. Your standard hack-and-slash Sword for close-ranged moderate damage; for speed, players can master the Daggers and Faeblades; Bows and Sceptres for players with an affinity for ranged attacks; Chakrams and Staffs for devastating magical AoE and the mighty Hammer for crushing damage at an insanely slow speed.

On the surface, combat seems shallow with the single button execution of attacks, but I’d define it more of a delicately choreographed dance against an innately aggressive AI – a flurry of metal, raging magic, dexterous dodges and well-timed blocks and parries complete the dynamic combat mechanics necessary for survival. Reckoning mode is the another unique battle mechanic introduced that grants players a tactical time slow-down, increased power, and abilities whilst reaping the benefits of better loot drops and increased experience.

Animation and sound effects from art director Todd McFarlane is superb, especially the Quake animation and the crushing Ice AoE sound effect from the staff. You can feel the distinguished weight and power of the hammer and the speed and swiftness of the daggers (especially when you achieve a stealth kill) with the obsessive detail apparent in the animation and sound design, matched perfectly to reflect the reality of the world.

It’s disappointing to see the usual pitfalls of the massive open world RPG ubiquitous in Reckoning considering the immense scope and ambition of the game. The minor technical performance issues (occasional framerate drops, overlapping dialogue and texture drop-ins) can easily be forgiven, and the lack of investment in a vast and empty world can be tolerated, simply because the combat, story, and RPG elements are superb. Not since Diablo II have I enjoyed combat in an Action RPG.

It cannot be understated how amazing this debut game from an upstart studio is. It has all the staples and the makings of an amazing Action RPG with an incredibly satisfying combat. Mix in the amazing talent and experience of R.A Salvatore, Ken Rolston and Todd McFarlane, you can bet this will be a contender to 2012’s Game of the Year.

___

DEVELOPER: 38 Studios, Big Huge Games

PLATFORM(S): PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360
PUBLISHER: 38 Studios, Electronic Arts

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review

February 28, 2012
Castle Co-Op, PlayStation, Review, Xbox
Leave a Comment

A review article written for Castle Co-Op, a website dedicated to Film, TV, Music and Culture – Published 28-02-2012

With Orphan defeated and the fal’Cie gods thwarted, the levitation systems supporting Cocoon are failing. Cocoon’s path of devastation is clear as it plummets towards Pulse. Fleeing the crumbling remnants of Eden Hall, Vanille and Fang accept their fate, fulfilling their 500 year long focus and transform into the true form of Ragnorak. Becoming the ’destroyer of worlds’ in order to save it. A noble sacrifice made, forming a pillar to crystallise the plunging Cocoon. Lightning, Snow, Hope and Sazh reunite with Serah and Dajh as they awake from their crystalline slumber. With l’Cie brands removed, their focus fulfilled and the world saved.

Ohh, did I not mention this review contained some serious spoilers?

Final Fantasy XIII-2 (FFXIII-2) is set 3 years after the events of Final Fantasy XIII (FFXIII) and is developer Square-Enix’s second direct sequel to a Final Fantasy game since its all girl power predecessor Final Fantasy X-2. It seems Square has taken it upon themselves to peruse the mass criticisms of FFXIII and use this sequel almost as an apology; FFXIII-2 attempting to disperse any preconceived notion that this juggernaut JRPG franchise is waning, whilst attempting to mend its broken relationship with disheartened fans.

The story’s opening scenes begin very epic with a lofty premise and an arbitrary introduction of Valhalla, a realm unbound by time. A familiar face; Lightning – guardian of Valhalla – is pitted against our new antagonist Caius for reasons unknown. A mysterious stranger; Noel – a young man from a dying world travelling through the Historia-Crux – drops in during the battle. Saved by Lightning, he is sent on a mission to change the past and protect the future. To save the cheerleader, save the … (ohh wait) – I mean, to find Lightning’s younger sister Serah and bring her to Valhalla.

The basic premise of the plot has Serah, Noel, and their mascot Mog (the moogle) travelling through time via the Historia-Crux. Borrowing the time-travelling mechanic from a Square classic, Chrono Trigger, instead of roaming an open world traversing town to town, players use the Historia-Crux to travel through time, visit relevant locales to save the world one paradox at a time.

It’s unfortunate that the intertwining time travelling plot don’t lead to a cohesive narrative despite successfully building on FFXIII’s plot. The dissonance between character and plot isn’t tethered with any emotional weightand the dialogue too needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Expressions and mannerisms can be lost in translation, but that used to be one of the joys of a JRPG, the minor nuances in dialogue often proved hilarious. Not the case with the bubbly and scantily-clad merchant Chocolina who seems to unexplainably follow your journey through history who I guess was designed to audibly irritate players into purchasing her sundries.

Whilst Chocolina represents the pinnacle of terrible audio in this game, the soundtrack is definitely a mixed bag. Why they didn’t approach veteran Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu is beyond me. The elegant sweeping harmonies are replaced with a vocal intensive track that’s hauntingly beautiful at best, but a cacophony of screeching banshees at its worst, especially during boss battles. The sound design simply doesn’t work in concert with the rest of the games audio. The sound-track often is a smorgasbord of overlapping vocal harmonies, NPC dialogue and sound effects that’s overwhelming and infuriating when you’re trying to decipher pertinent story dialogue.

The battle system is relatively the same as its predecessor with some minor tweaks. Players still conform to the shifting Paradigm deck which personally feels underwhelming. The Auto-Battle function is a god-send to the lazy gamer, but it fails to deliver the same sense of strategy and satisfaction of commanding your party to victory through manual input and vast contemplation like other JRPG titles.

In battle, the most players can interact with is the shifting paradigms system. Thankfully changing roles no longer require a dramatic camera cut away. Instead streamlining the process with an immediate paradigm shift to maintain fluidity in an intense battle – to which there aren’t many. It seems the battle system has been reduced to a habitual mashing of the Auto-Attack button, occasionally shifting paradigms to defend, heal or to dish out a shit-tonne of damage.

Cinematic actions make an appearance during boss battles. This dynamic brings a little cinematic flair to an otherwise mundane battle; however this feature can be ignored as a glorified QTE (quick time event). Less so is the Live Trigger Dialogue events that seem inconsequential at first but prove to be valuable for collectors hunting for Monster Adornments.

Speaking of which, as Serah and Noel are the only 2 playable protagonists throughout the game, the third slot in your party is occupied by a tamed Monster. This brilliant albeit labour intensive system is one of the games highlights and the most confusingly addictive function of the game. Especially if you’re like me and enjoy grinding party members to inflict godly damage with every blow (maxed out sphere-grid anyone?).

Monsters are ‘caught’ by defeating them in battle, with a chance they’ll leave behind their crystal soul. Each Monster is tasked with an inherent role (Commando, Ravager, Saboteur, Synergist, Sentinel or Medic) and evolves on the Crysatrium alongside our human protagonists with consumable items instead of CP (crystogen points). Monsters also can be sacrificed through infusion in favour of unlocking skills and abilities in another. Catching and training Monsters, this addictive new system gives me a nostalgic ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ vibe from another popular Japanese franchise – especially with Mog constantly spouting ‘kupo!’

Final Fantasy XIII-2 proves the better approach to a JRPG, but not necessarily the better game. On one hand it’s apparent where the game has improved on its predecessor. However the open world, NPCs, side-quests, mini-games and puzzles were all staples of the JRPG 20 years ago – but it’s easy to see how players would treat them as brilliant innovations compared with FFXIII. It’s a comfort to know Square-Enix is actively listening to the community at large, yet equally disappointed at how easily susceptible developers bend to public opinion.

Famitsu, the Japanese gaming-gospel, has already given their local release the coveted perfect score of 40. My personal equivocation puts FFXIII-2 on par with its predecessor despite the vast improvements and an addictive monster system. It seems the Final Fantasy XIII-2 has taken two promising steps forward from FFXIII, yet remains barely on par with JRPG’s from the 90′s.

___

DEVELOPER: Square Enix

PLATFORM(S): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
PUBLISHER: Square Enix

PlayStation Vita – The Handheld Powerhouse Preview

February 20, 2012
PlayStation, Preview
1 Comment

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 slow 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 Japan wishing 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.