This year I was the recipient of a Christmas Miracle. Under my tennenbaum was a mysterious and heavy square box. Oh kiddies, the interior of that box contained a shiny new PS3. Joy! Angel Wings! Pig Snouts! I win!!! I have been coveting a PS3 since it’s debut but my tight-wadedness blocked my purchasing impulse. I have a soft spot for the Playstation. While the game cube and Xbox were in my periphery 10 years ago, it was the Playstation that reminded me why I love video games. I love the juxtaposition of technology and art. Of interaction and isolation. Of Marvel Vs. Capcom….and so on. I recently fostered a love for the Game Cube but I never have truly warmed to the Xbox. Maybe it was the huge controllers that my tiny hands couldn’t feel comfortable with. Or maybe it’s Microsoft’s penchant for nickle and diming the player but I am not, and probably never will be, a Microsoft gal.

I now own all three of the newest generation consoles: Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3. On the train ride home from my parent’s house, I explained to my boyfriend all the awesome things the PS3 can do. His wise response was that he no longer saw the purpose of owning a Wii and, possibly, the Xbox. As I had just received games for all three consoles, I nervously scoffed at his assessment. If he was correct, then the dollars spent on the other two consoles would be lost in uselessness. This was not good news for my tiny tight wad heart.

I knew that when I got home that I wanted to play some game. Would I continue on with Splinter Cell? Or would I jump right into GOW 3? I was nervous about breaking the PS3 seal. Would I ever go back? Well, it was my boyfriend who gave me the PS3. When he saw me attempt to turn on the Xbox to get some quality time with Sam Fisher his face fell as if I had just punted his disabled puppy. So there you go. Time to turn on the PS3 and see what she can do.

Wowza. Eddie was right. I may no longer have any use for the Xbox and Wii. Especially if Mass Effect 3 is going to be simultaneously released on the 360 and PS3. The Wii might still entice me with the new Zelda but after the poor showing known as Metroid: Other M, I feel no pressure to jump on the re-visioned Zelda train. As it is, I barely use the Wii. The most attention it receives is when I want to watch Netflix but now the PS3 even does that better. Oh well.

From the moment I switched the PS3 on, I was in love. I dig the simple interface. I find the Wii and the Xbox’s interface too busy for my tastes. I hate clutter. I hate in at my workspace or in my apartment or in my interface. This is not to say that, left alone to my own devices, my personal spaces are spic and spam but I will say that my desktop has a minimum of icons and files.

I also have to say that the PS3 is super quick. It downloads files fairly speedily. I didn’t download anything too huge, like I have on the Xbox, as of yet but, call it a hunch, I bet it’s quicker. Internet connection is where the PS3 and Wii beat the Xbox. Both consoles come wired with Wi-Fi while the Xbox asks you to buy a peripheral or plug into the wall. Really? Come on Microsoft, don’t be so lame. Name me another internet capable device being sold today that does not come equipped with Wi-Fi and I will show you a shoddy product. From what I know, Wi-Fi shouldn’t really be that difficult (or expensive) for Microsoft to implement and yet, they chose not to. Why? To squeeze another $100 from the consumer. Maybe they wanted to keep the price down to compete with the PS3 but when the cheapest console (Wii) can manage it, so can Microsoft.

While we are on the topic of boldly lame moves, how about the lack of a rechargeable controllers in both the Wii and Xbox? The PS3 comes with a rechargeable controller that is charged by connecting it to the console. In both the Wii and Xbox, the consumer must purchase a recharging peripheral. By the way, I bought the recharging dock for the Xbox and it broke immediately. Just like the first Xbox I bought home. Awesome. Oh and pay for Netflix? When I already have a subscription?!? Crazy.

Obviously the PS3′s graphic quality is going to outperform the Wii. Even Nintendo will admit that, so I don’t feel the need to drag them into the HD battle. I think they are planning to address the HD issue soon anyway. As for the PS3 to Xbox debate I would have to say that the PS3 does seem a bit more glossy when I compare games like Dragon Age to God of War. But I have to admit that Splinter Cell: Conviction is as nice looking as God of War. I know that developers have just begun to explore the PS3′s capabilities while the Xbox has already been heavily mined. This leads me to believe that the PS3 will triumph sooner rather than later. I get the feeling that the Xbox and the Wii will release at least one more generation before Sony has to revisit the Playstation.

I am so happy that my bordering on irrational love for the Playstation is not misguided. If any other of you cheap bastards are on the fence about whether to buy a PS3 or not, do it. From one cheapo to another: It’s worth it.

I admit it, I couldn’t resist the 99 cents deal from EA for Mass Effect Galaxy on iOS. Anyway, having just finished Miles Edgeworth, Ace Attorney Investigations on my trusty DS, I decided to play this title before starting God of War: Ghost of Sparta on my brand spanking new PSP.

Overcoming my initial frustration with the lack of tutorial and a relatively unique combat system,  I eventually figured out how I was supposed to fight in this  game.  I was delighted to find that the combat system is actually pretty clever, with a nice balance of strategy and action in real time.  I generally don’t like games that rely on 2 dimensional accelerometer input.  However, I must admit the input in Galaxy is actually pretty good (or at the very least, forgiving).  Being an iOS game developer/designer I recognize how hard it is to craft good input design on a platform that is better suited towards more casual fare.

Sadly, this is where the kudos end.  The game fails on quite a few levels.  For one thing, the enemy design is boring.  There is no real difference between one enemy and another:  they more or less moved and acted the same way. Even though the combat system allowed for development of tactics to battle great variety of enemies, the actual bad guys weren’t there.

Second, this game is really really short with maybe 2 hours of gameplay.  This is not a major complaint, as I tend to think most games are too long, especially if that time is spent endlessly grinding to buff your character(s) so you can face a final boss (you know who you are – Final Fantasy Tactics). I digress. I know that the game was only 99 cents but at some point the price point was higher and, not to sound like Jess, but 2 hours is too short.

Last, but certainly not least, is the story telling.  The player picks responses in dialogue sequences by using a weird wheel that I guess is supposed to resemble the dialogue wheel in Mass Effect, but, in actuality, doesn’t.  Only the first line of dialogue had voice-over, which was especially strange when it was followed by total silence.  The characters were more or less expressionless, bearing no resemblance to the very rich experience of parley in Mass Effect.

Having just finished Ace Attorney Investigations, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between the two games.  I think the designers of Mass Effect: Galaxy could have learned alot by looking at any of the Ace Attorney games.  Here’s a list of things I think they could have learned…

1. Make the text easy to read.  The text is so small and thin, I shouldn’t have to play on an iPad at 2X resolution to enjoy this game.  Compare to Ace Attorney‘s nice big monospace lettering.
2. Exaggerate the reactions of the player’s avatar as well as the NPCs.  Ace Attorney uses a wide variety of simple techniques in addition to highly expressive drawings to convey the emotion of the character on screen.
3. Only show one character at a time.  While you’re at it, only show one character’s text on the screen.
4. Use sound!  In addition to the highly expressive visual design during conversations, Ace Attorney also uses a wide variety of sound effects to convey the emotion of the conversation and to identify one character from another.  Mass Effect had a very lovely voice over, but only for the first line of each conversation.  I would have gladly exchanged that one line for the barrage of whip lashes, beeps, whistles etc.  used in Ace Attorney.

Mass Effect Galaxy
Beautifully rendered expressionless robots
Ace Attorney Investigations
Quirky, oddball characters brimming over with personality and emotion

In conclusion, Galaxy is clearly an effort to extend the Mass Effect universe in a scheme that marketing people call “Worldbuilding“.  There’s nothing wrong with this impulse. If you’re going to make a mobile game based on a popular console game, however, take care to ensure a great experience for the player. Otherwise you are not expanding your world, just cheapening it.

Don’t let this post title fool you. I’ve already finished GOW 3. I received a PS3 for the holidays and hunkered down to get as much time with pale, fiery fellow Kratos. Luckily, or not depending on the size of your employer’s heart, NYC has just limped out of Snowpocalypse 2010. That means I had an extra two snow days to sit in my cave and play GOW 3 endlessly. All those who had to show up to work must’ve been more pissed than an ogre with a tooth ache. But not me. I had my PJ’s, fuzzy blanket and hot cocoa on the couch.

I am a huge God of War fan. You might recall that it was God of War that got me this job. So, why haven’t I played it up until this point? Well, I’m cheap and the PS3 is expensive. Also, I have a 360 and Wii at home and foolishly figured I had enough gaming potential. Boy, was I completely wrong. (More about my PS3 reactions will come later. In short, the PS3 is freakin’ awesome!)

It’s not that I didn’t have a gnawing, insatiable need to play GOW 3. It’s just my old school NY Italian self couldn’t break away from the miserly genes handed down through the generations. Thankfully, my loved ones look after me. Or they just didn’t want any more great “deal” exchanges that would result with me owning a PS3 and them a slightly used cat. Anywho..

GOW 3 is everything I expected it to be. It is on a huge scale. It is obscene. It is beautiful and gory at once. The boss battles are luscious, challenging affairs. The kills are shockingly wicked. Kratos feels brutal and unstoppable. I only wish it exceeded my expectations. I know that’s an unfair sentence but it is true. GOW 1 was completely innovative with it’s combo system that pleased those with controller finesse and button mashers alike. Kratos was an outrageous character as savage as he was driven. The set pieces, the mini-games, weapons, yadda, yadda, yadda. We all know the score. GOW 2 had beautiful art presented on a grand scale. The lack of load points led to a fluid, cinematic feel.  The bosses and flight scenes were some of the best I’ve ever played. I feel that games like Batman Arkham Asylum and Star Wars: Force Unleashed are inspired by the GOW series.

GOW 3 has everything GOW 2 had but I think it suffered in its position as the PS3 showpiece. It’s as if the designers were in a meeting and said, “make it EPIC” every chance they got. Perhaps even a little “X-TREME” was peppered in as well. Almost every fight in GOW 3 is a boss battle. I felt it lacked some of the enemy clusters in dangerous hallways that I so loved. Sometimes, the player wants to just let loose and kill a bunch of dudes without worrying about the hit sequence or cover points. This is not to say that the EPIC battles weren’t enjoyable but even hard games need to give you a moment to let off some steam. I did play it on Hard Mode but I felt every interaction was a struggle and I am most X-TREME. Of course, I am going to replay it on Titan Mode because I like punishment (another Italian-Catholic gene handed down from my forebears.)

The new implementation of the magic has me on the fence. In GOW 1-2, magic is independent of the weapon you use. GOW 3 introduces the magic tied to the weapon mechanic. While this mechanic offers a chance to try out different weapons more easily/readily, it did wind up affecting the weapons I utilized which, in turn, affected the magic I used. This is a mild bummer as I favor the Blades of Athena and Nemean Cestus for combat and use them almost exclusively. That means that I couldn’t quickly activate the magic tied with the Claws of Hades and Nemesis Whip, ie they never get used. I did feel that perhaps a player with a penchant for using all weapons would find the system just fine but I am a player that uses what works over what has the most style. Perhaps in my replay, I will try and master all the weapons.

What works super well are the special items and the combat overall. Kratos is feeling spry in his old age. He is responsive and graceful. The old favorite combos are there plus some new baddassery. Items are both useful for traversing puzzles and for beating the snot out of enemies. And those beatings are immense. At some point, Kratos takes out Helios and well, uses his decapitated noggin as a lantern. It’s pretty fantastic. There is the requisite sexy scene, which is pretty sexy but loses out a little bit in the fact that players have been waiting for it to all along. The surprise is gone but I felt that the designers were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t. The sexy scene has been a hallmark of GOW since the beginning but how to make the oldest act new? There is a subtle nod to this dilemna with a half-naked priestess that I appreciated.

GOW 3 is totally worth it. Even without the bloodshedding awesomeness, it is satisfying to complete Kratos’s story. I wished the game was longer, though not because there was a lack of game time but rather so I could have just a little more fun.

Jess-O-Meter: A

If you have been keeping track of my play history you would know that at last post I was immersed in Dragon Age: Origins. Wow! Now that I’m looking back, I see that I originally reviewed Dragon Age in October! This should give some clue to how entrenched I am at this point. I have 60 hours logged in a character that I have not restarted (which is a big deal for me) and will probably finish the game with. 60 hours. Dragon Age: Origins has 120 hours of gameplay. Ouch. Half way through and I started to get this tingling sensation in my pointer fingers. What could it be? Why, it was an itchy trigger finger! I was yearning for a break from managerial minutia for the streamlined simplicity of sniping some head shots. I definitely plan on returning to Ferelden and conquering evil with my Rogue but for now, I need some straight up action.

Originally, I popped in Mass Effect 2 but honestly, it was too Bioware, too familiar from the Dragon Age model. I wanted something entirely new. Luckily for me, it’s Christmas and that means a office nerd gifts! Nobody gets me nerd gifts like my co-workers. I was not disappointed. I unwrapped Tommy’s gift and there was Sam Fisher giving me the eyeball. I’ve never played a Splinter Cell game before. I usually don’t go for realistic war time games and assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that anything with Tom Clancy’s name on it wasn’t worth my time. Yes. I am a game and book snob. And don’t get me started on music.

Once Splinter Cell was up on screen, I was singing a different tune. First off, it is a beautiful game. The voice acting is superb and although it seems a little Jack Bauer at times, the story piques my interest. Like Jack Bauer, Sam Fisher is a complete badass in both deed and word. He employs violence as a major interrogation tool, can clear an entire hanger of thugs and stalks his prey from the shadows. What’s not to like?!?

Fisher comes across as very agile and very deadly. The cover system, while not completely flawless, is really strong. By holding the trigger and aiming at highlighted cover points, Fisher can silently move from cover to cover without getting stuck on unwanted surfaces. Sometimes, the cover area you want does not highlight but there is usually a way to find another path. I find the the aiming/sniping behaviour is very forgiving and usually fair. This did not stop me from a couple of, “Come on! I shot that guy!” moments.
I also have to give the pace a big thumbs up. This is one of those games where you look up after a particulary intense session and realize two hours have passed. The tension vs action ratio is great. Also, there aren’t any in-game loads. Splinter Cell: Conviction does most of its loading during sweet cut-scenes. This makes for a fairly seamless experience. I find that the missions are clear yet challenging. I haven’t gotten “lost” yet. This is not to say I’m just breezing through. My Sam Fisher has definitely gotten shots to the face but this just makes me replay to mess up that dude that messed up my dude. dude.

There are plenty of gadgets and weapons that can be upgraded. Weapon upgrade points are earned by executing certain challenges like pulling 5 guys out of windows or sniping a certain amount of guys from the shadows. I like this type of reward system. I feel it encourages me to try actions that I might ordinarily wouldn’t. For example, if I know this one action will work, I will do that action as much as I can. But if I can get a bigger, better gun by executing a less tested move, I will definitely try it out.

Bottom line: Get Tommy to buy you Splinter Cell: Conviction. You won’t be disappointed!

Hey all! Americans will recognize today as the biggest drinking holiday of the year. Luckily, it is followed with the best hangover cure ever invented. Turkey and cranberry sauce, how I covet you.

Anywho, in celebration of the day that the Native Americans got royally screwed, here are some games that, I feel, have screwed the general gaming populations.  Here it comes. Some nominations for the worst Game Turkeys:

I know. I know. I really shouldn’t have had so much hope for a movie tie-in but I love me some Peter Venkman. This game had all the hooks: awesome voice talent, big game house budget and time, something that more immediate tie-ins never have. What was I expecting? Humor and the chance to fire a proton pack.  What did I get? Lame jokes and lamer game mechanics. Bummer town.

Gobble Score: Sawdust turkey chewed by Aunt Edna’s toothless maw.

The Simpsons Game is a bit trickier than just a simple write-off as another jerky turkey tie-in game. I have extremely fond memories of The Simpsons Arcade Game. That game ruled! Marge’s vacuum attack? Priceless! While the art was attractive, this game played awfully. Characters could barely interact with environments due to a shoddy control scheme. So what could be a pretty and surreal experience was decimated by the frustration of pressing a button that must be pressed, but for some odd reason physically cannot be pressed. D’oh.

Gobble Score: Coagulated Cranberry Jiggle.

Now I love me some Dante. What breathing lady wouldn’t? I was super excited to load this game up. I was super excited for a little Nero love. I was ready and receptive for all of it. That is until I realized that DMC 4 was the exact same game as DMC1-3. And Nero was a frustrating combatant. I was starting to get down on this series when the powers that be decided that it would be a good idea to re-fight all of the bosses you just fought and defeated again. But the fact that DMC was so locked into its formula just completely turned me off. As an aside, I loved Bayonetta. It had a vibrancy that DMC has lost.

Gobble Score: Uncle Jimmy passed out in the potatoes.

It is not a secret that I’m not so into Final Fantasy. I’m not so keen on turn-based strategy games. But I really, really want to be on the Final Fantasy train. The mythos seems so rich and artsy! I thought that this shooter would be a nice way for me to ease into the FF universe without submitting myself to the torture of turn-based malarkey. Good idea. Instead of torturing myself with epically slow “battles” I now get to deal with sloppy aiming, boring weapons and one of the most frustrating cameras I have ever dealt with. Needless to say, I still am on the outside of the FF party looking in.

Gobble Score: Fluffy puppy jello salad barf.

Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions might be the winner of the award for quickest hateful reaction. Honestly, I don’t think I clocked more than 30 minutes before I deemed this game unplayable. Perhaps I came to the series too late? Perhaps I should check out Lost Planet 2? I don’t know if I’m even interested….

Gobble Score: Trypto Coma

Happy Thanksgiving!

Or….not.