New Year, New Tech

It has been several months since I last posted anything here and for any regular readers I apologize.  I've been busy with real world work, but I've also become a regular contributor to VGBlogger.com.  But since it is a new year I wanted to take a moment and write about some of the new tech I've recently started using as well as some of the new gaming goodness that will be available next month.

First off Christmas was a pretty good time for all the gamers in my house.  My kids got iPods and Just Dance 3 for the Wii (which is something that I find enjoyable to watch, but almost impossible to play with my own "white man" sense of coordination) and I got Skyrim.  The other big game-friendly tech that showed up at Christmas time was Sony's new PlayStation 3D Display.  All I can say is wow.  The image on the display is absolutely amazing.

I typically have my PS3 hooked up to a 42" Westinghouse, which is sadly showing inevitable signs of decay and poor health.  Which is a shame since the TV is only four years old.  The HDMI ports on the big unit are dead, the TV tuner seems to be on the fritz, and the menu system doesn't seem to keep the settings I've adjusted.  Fortunately, Santa delivered the 3D display this year and so I found myself clearing off a desk next to my entertainment console where the new beautiful display sits.  While the viewing space is only 24" diagonally, I find that sitting in my desk chair (at a desk no less) I have the perfect distance and center "sweet spot" for watching all that is pushed out from the screen.

Okay.  I'm sorta getting ahead of myself though.  The PlayStation 3D Display is Sony's newly released panel with gaming as the core focus.  In the box is one pair of active shutter glasses, a 5' HDMI cable and of course the display and base (oh and a copy of Motorstorm Apocalypse).  Set up took less than five minutes, put the display into the base, connect the HDMI cable and fire up the PS3.  The display itself is a marvel to look at, a super high gloss front, thin, like super thin.  I'm blown away by how thin the display is compared to my chunky Westinghouse.  Speakers are built into the sides of the display and a sub woofer is built into the back.  There are 2 HDMI ports as well as 1 component cable for a total 3 inputs and a 3.5 mm headphone jack for audio out.

Turning on the display is a bit of a design flaw.  The power buttons, menu and volume buttons are on the back of the speaker on the right side.  The same side that the HDMI cable connects at.  I found that turning the display on or adjusting the volume, I would have to be careful not to bump the HDMI cable (it's kinda freaky to see the pristine image suddenly flash green and jumble and then reset back to pristine all by accidentally bumping the HDMI cable while attempting to adjust the volume).  That being said, Sony has coincidentally release an update to their PlayStation Blu-ray remote.  While the remote isn't included, I would strongly recommend picking it up (but more on that in a bit).

So the PS3 is hooked up, the display is on, how does it look playing games?  The first thing I noticed was just how much sharper items on the XMB look.  Trophies look better, installed game icon's look sharper, everything looks cleaner.  Now maybe that's because even at 1080p the screen real estate is that much smaller, and thus things look better, but I'd guess that the 3D display just has more going on to make the images look that much better.

Since Motorstorm Apocalypse was included in the box, I fired that up first.  I got a second pair of glasses with the display because one of the coolest features touted by Sony is the SimulView technology.  Basically it allows the 3D display to send a full screen 2D image to one set of glasses while sending a second 2D image to the other set of glasses so that instead of having a split screen two player local experience, each player gets a full screen view of their game.  This works really well with Motorstorm Apocalypse.  Turning off the Simulview, I switched to a single player 3D experience and the game really gives a great sense of depth and scope to the massive destruction that all of the races are centered around.

One of the cool things about PlayStation 3 games is the simple fact that lots of them had 3D capabilities that were enabled after firmware 3.30 was pushed out to the PS3.  Because of that I was able to sample 3D on a fair amount of games in my back catalog.  Super Stardust HD, Pain, Wipeout HD, were just a few downloadable games I gave a 3D go at.  Pain only has 3D enabled during a bowling section, which is fun and definitely takes advantage of the 3D display, it is nothing worth gushing over.  Wipeout HD in 3D is fairly impressive, except for the fact that everything is moving so fast the 3D effect is lost in the blurring speed of all that is going on.  Super Stardust HD is amazing.  The game displays at so many depths of field at the same time, all the while asteroids and ships and explosions are careening about giving a true feast for the eyes.

As far as disc based games go I've played a fairly wide range of titles to see just how well the display responds.  MLB 11 The Show is really awesome with 3D enabled.  Batting in 3D, you get a really great sense of when the ball is crossing the plate.  The rest of the game is fun to see the stadiums come to life with 3D.  A greater sense of how different each field really is and how that can impact a home run being just a double, depending on where the ball is hit.

Killzone 3 and Resistance 3 both support 3D output.  Killzone 3 also supports SimulView for two player local co-op.  As of right now Resistance 3 does not support SimulView, but hopefully Insomniac has a patch to add the feature at some point in the future.  Both games look awesome in 3D.  One aspect I hadn't even considered before playing a first person shooter in 3D was the simple fact that a game in 3D would actually give the effect of looking down a gun barrel and feel real!  Of course the environments pop and add a greater depth of field in both but the effect of a gun barrel sticking out in front of my nose was truly an experience I hadn't considered before.

One of the most recent titles to come out that I've probably spent the most time on while playing in 3D has been Batman Arkham City.  With over 20 hours playing in 3D I found myself impressed with how the world pops, and the various levels of field depth add to the overall immersion of the game.  My one complaint about Batman Arkham City was the initial darkness of the game.  When the active shutter glasses kick in, a dark hue plays across my field of vision.  Since most of Arkham City is played in dark alleys or dim lit buildings, I had to adjust both the level of brightness and the level of 3D being pushed out.  Once I found the sweet spot I found that I my time the game world quickly added up.

Two things I'd like to note before closing this post.  First off, I wish that developers would all figure out a way to allow for adjustments in how strong the 3D is displayed in the same section of the menu structure.  Some games would only allow for adjustments at the main menu and thus testing to see if a level was too intense couldn't be discovered without loading the game, "testing the waters" and then hoping all the way back to the main menu to adjust if necessary.  Other games allow for adjustments directly in the thick of action, which is much easier to adjust the level of intensity without losing the flow of game play.

The second closing comment I have is regarding the lack of remote control.  Since the display doesn't come with a remote, one of the first things I did was look to replace my original PlayStation Blu-ray remote.  Of course the original only remote only worked with the PS3 and not with any TVs because it only communicated via bluetooth.  The new remote connects via bluetooth and infrared and adds some additional buttons (to switch control between PS3, TV and Amp) as well as volume and channel control.  Since I don't have a cable box hooked up to the display (and there is no TV tuner built in) the channel control doesn't add any benefit, but the volume control is an absolute must in my opinion, so that you don't end up screwing up the HDMI connection as you reach behind the panel to adjust the levels.  One of the other nice enhancements on the remote is the circle directional button.  On the old remote, the directional buttons felt loose and would sometimes lead the cursor to move in the wrong direction (up instead of left for example).  With the new remote, the directional buttons almost click and have a slight snappy push back when navigating on screen menus.  The new remote is a tad longer, but is thinner and feels good even though there are additional buttons placed across the surface.  The one thing keeping the remote from being perfect is the lack of backlit buttons, but for just about $20, the remote is more than capable given all that it can control.

As a person who spends a pretty large amount of time in front of displays (both at work and at home gaming) I have to say that the new PlayStation 3D Display is just short of spectacular.  The sounds produced are good and the visuals (both 3D and non) are a feast for the eyes.  The price is incredibly good as well right now.  Best Buy is listing it at $299, Amazon is listing it for $399.  Depending on the store, the package is still incredibly good.  A pair of glasses included, an HDMI cable, plus a game.  Sony has been promoting 3D as one of the incredible features that the PS3 is capable of, and now has given gamers a truly affordable way to get a feature that really does enhance the overall gaming experience.

Check back next month as the new tech continues to roll out.  I'll be giving a review of the new Wireless Stereo Headset once my order from Amazon arrives, as well the new PlayStation Vita as soon as that becomes available.

Two to get ready for 3

This Tuesday marks the release of Insomniac Games latest title, Resistance 3.  As a way to build excitement for their latest shooter, Insomniac and Sony have released a bundle pack of the first two PlayStation 3 titles in a Dual Pack collection.  Both games were titles that I was aware of but had never really any strong desire to play.  That is until this teaser trailer for Resistance 3 came out.

I'm not sure what suddenly made me really excited for the franchise.  Perhaps the desolation, or the weariness trapped in these folk's face or the droning pulse of the fantastic "Masters of War" cover.  Something clicked.  I was faced with a double edge sword of wanting to learn more about the series but didn't want to read any spoilers.  Of course since Fall of Man was a PS3 launch title all sorts of stuff has been written.  When Resistance 2 came out many fans of the original were disappointed.  Having avoided much of the Internet's impressions of the game I finally took to playing the series last week.

Summer gaming

Traditionally summer is the slow period for new games.  There are pluses and minuses to this tradition.  On the upside it is usually nice out and if you don't have the "new hotness" that you must play, well maybe you'll end up getting some exercise and a nice tan.  On the downside no new games are coming out to play and thus by virtue of nothing else to play, you end up going outside and getting some exercise and a nice tan.

More Shooter 2

In my last post I briefly described my thoughts about PixelJunk Shooter 2.  I've spent some more time with it and have had some time think about the game and where it shines and where it doesn't.

When Shooter 1 ended I was filled with anticipation as to what additional environmental fluid elements were going to be added.  Afterall, the game ends with your ship being swallowed by a big beast.  At the time when we finished the game, my son and I bounced ideas back and forth as to what type of liquids, be it stomach acid, poo or anything else.  Shooter 2 doesn't disappoint.  There are purple gas bubbles that restrict your ability to move and change your direction, there are green tadpole-like eggs that spawn and multiply, as well as gel-like acid that spreads like Zerg creep.  Returning are of course lava, water, ice, steam and magnetic oil, but the one that I find the most interesting and at the same time frustrating is darkness.  

PixelJunk Shooter 2

Just a quick note to say that PixelJunk Shooter 2 is on sale this week.  Shooter 1 was one of my favorite games from the tail end of 2009.  The music, the visual style and the subtle humor all went a long way to making a great game.  While the challenge ramped up toward the end, the game never reached the point of making you want to through your controller through the TV like other PIxelJunk games are want to do.

Earlier this year Q Games released their first true sequel to any of their PixelJunk games with Shooter 2.  The game continued the story from the fantastic cliffhanger ending of Shooter 1, but added some new components in the form of online battle modes as well as new forms of liquid death.

Stacking is out.

Stacking is the newest game from Double Fine and was released yesterday on the PSN.

The story revolves around a poor family who's father leaves the house to get a job and disappears.  After a few months of him disappearing the family is in financial dire straights and can't pay bills.  The debtors take the children in the family to work as slaves to pay off the debt.

Are you Active?

One of the stigmas associated with video games is that of being lazy.  Sure you may not be physically moving around but depending on the game you can certainly get a healthy mental exercise.  For Christmas one of the presents I got my wife was EA Sports Active 2.  I know what you're thinking, "What guy gets an exercise program for his wife?"  "What does he think of his wife if he gets her exercise games?"  Stop right there with those thoughts.  Secretly I got EA Sports Active 2 because I was tired of fitting into that stigma of being a lazy gamer.  I'd get home from work (and if there wasn't Cub Scouts activities to work on or drive my kids to soccer or dance) and I'd want to veg out in front of my PS3.  I could feel myself becoming an atrophied sack of meat and bones.

Now I've never been one to be completely gung-ho about exercise, but I do enjoy taking my mountain bike out and hitting the trails.  In high school and college I used to go to the gym regularly.  But now that I've got a job that keeps me a "slave to the man" and need to take care of three children, a wife and a house, regular exercise is not my top priority.  At a doctor visit last year (or maybe even two years ago now) I was encouraged to get some exercise in the morning to help boost my energy for the day.  Because my wife is fairly fanatical about exercise, we have an elliptical machine, a stationary bike, and a slew of exercise DVDs.  I tried the elliptical for a while and even one or two of the exercise DVDs, but some how the elliptical has become "sabotaged" by one of the kids (none of them will admit to it) and I can't seem to get the damn thing to stop being a relatively painfully jarring experience. 

Things to do without a PS3

I got home on Friday last week after a long day of work to find my PS3 no longer able to boot.  I went to boot up the console with one of my Dual Shock 3 controllers and heard the familiar beep and whirl of the fan and then a sharp beep beep and then nothing.  Huh.  So I pressed the power button again and nothing.  A flash of panic hit me.  I pressed the button again and saw the green light come on, the familiar fan whirling to life and then saw the green light flash yellow and then begin to blink slowly red.  Poof.  Gone.  Dead.  Just like that.  

Long Time no Post

It has been a while since I have posted anything and there are several reasons, namely Borderlands, Uncharted 2 and Netflix.

First off I finished the "story" to Borderlands and absolutely love the way that the game allows you to play through a second time from the beginning but with everything leveled up to give you a new challenge. I have to admit that I feel a bit silly for not realizing how to kill the final boss on my first attempt on the first night I encountered him, but I'll chalk that up to being tired. Borderlands is such a fun game that has such Civilization mind-set of "just one more turn" with the notion that it only would take a few more kills to fill that last bubble to level up or one more kill to finish a quest. Since I've played the game through to the final boss with the Hunter Mordecia and still haven't tried the other 3 classes there is plenty to try in this game.

Unfortunately I've become distracted for the moment and can't seem to get into Borderlands to try the game as a second play through though because due to a little negotiation I now have Uncharted 2. Thanks Andy!

What can I say about Uncharted 2 that hasn't already been said? I'm not sure that I can say anything new, but I'll give it a go. The game is so freaking amazing. The characters are phenomenal, the story (so far--I haven't finished the game yet) is griping, and the actual game play is a perfect blend of puzzles, climbing, jumping and shooting enemies. Visually the game just can't be compared to anything (except for the first Uncharted perhaps). Rich lush jungles meld with highly detailed city play. Lighting is amazing as well. Exploring caves you see sunlight pouring through cracks, illuminating details missed by many other games. Jumping from boulders or buildings is exhilarating and challenging. Many moments look like they are impossible but the animations used with Nathan Drake are done with such a level of detail that you expect Drake to miss a jump but he scrambles at the last second to pull off a true cliff hanger style escape from death.

Humor also plays a huge role in how good Uncharted 2 is. The subtle humor between Drake and Cloe as well as Elena and Drake are on par with great romantic comedies. Situational comedy also plays a huge role in the game. Whether Drake is getting the tar beat out of him from falling or the overwhelming odds against Drake, you can't help but laugh by how the game manages to put you into a situation and make it fun to survive. One of the early moments that I still get a good laugh from is when Drake is climbing around the outside of a museum and his temporary partner in crime is helping by talking through headsets to give Drake directions and alert when any enemies are near. Hanging from the edge of the roof, Drake is told to watch out, "Enemy above" and you pull the enemy down over the edge of the roof to watch him plummet to the ground four or five stories below. Your partner in the same urgent voice then says, "Enemy below". While it is dark, it is that same tongue in cheek humor that fills the cracks of the game to make every moment enjoyable.

Even though I have enjoyed playing Uncharted 2 for all of the humor, action and story, I also just received the Netflix PS3 streaming disc so I have spent a pretty fair amount of time using that feature now too. Having not used Netflix for any streaming before I have to say that this new addition to watching movies and TV shows on the PS3 is such a good thing. Navigation within each category is smooth and after selecting a movie or show the time to wait for the show to start is minimal. Some complaints have been made that the selection of streaming isn't that great, but for my money there is enough that I haven't watched to make Netflix worth the monthly fee. Another complaint that has been made is the fact that you have to put the disc in the PS3 to get the actual service to work. As a short term solution I can't complain. Granted "short-term" is still a year away before the service would be available as an installed app on the XMB, but the way I see it, if you want to watch a Blu-ray, you gotta put the disc in to watch that, so why not put a disc in to be able to access hundreds of movies to watch?

More later folks.

Old Haven Happiness

Last night I loaded up Borderlands figuring I'd play solo for a little while to hit level 30.  Little did I realize that I'd get sucked into the game for four hours.  I have been tooling around in the Rust Commons for several nights and starting to find that the game starts to feel a bit of a grind the further I got into leveling up while playing solo.  Last night though changed my perception of the game back to the original enjoyment that I felt the first night I played the game.

After playing through the first main area you end up moving into a new town called New Haven which butts up next to the Rust Commons.  New Haven is the starting point for many quests throughout the Rust Commons (East and West), as well as introduces you to many new characters to help drive the story along.  I had enjoyed the game as I explored New Haven and the Rust Commons, but it never dawned on me that there could also potentially be an Old Haven.

Well after finishing off a series of quests the other night I was able to cross a draw bridge that previously had been raised which allowed me to find Old Haven.  Old Haven reminds me of one of the better instances from WoW.  I say this because several of the points I've encounted in Borderlands up to this point felt very much like simple extensions of the rest of the world of Pandora.  Old Haven breathed life into action in the game that had started to fade.  Now granted I have not played Borderlands at all with any other people at this point but the action has become very repetitive and predictable (albeit enjoyable).  The premise of Old Haven is that a town has become over run by a group of mercenaries who have claimed Old Haven as their own after being paid to clear out a rival gang from the town.  My excitement for Old Haven is squarely from the fact that unlike most of the combat locations in Borderlands, Old Haven is chock full of street fighting with enemies coming from all sides.  Even when I thought I had cleared out an area I would find myself having enemies circle around me to try and ambush me.  This was a total blast.  I would love to see how Old Haven plays out with a full party and all the chaos that would ensue.

The best part of my whole Old Haven encounter was the fact that the story led me closer to the end of my journey to the Vault.  While the story takes a backseat to the action in some points, there is definitely a good reason for wanting to play through to the end.

If you haven't picked up Borderlands yet (for PC, PS3 or 360) do yourself a favor and buy this game.  Pick it up on PS3 and join me even. 

More later folks