The game is beautiful. Granted, as Aegies pointed out to me, it has plenty of places where it has lower res textures, but it comes together as a whole quite well. The game plays to the system’s strengths, creating a world that graphically looks somewhere between a Pixar movie and a PS2 game. And, as far as the cut scenes are concerned, they look just like a Pixar movie, complete with awesome dialog and quirky characters.

I know that Ratchet games are deeply based on the weapons system, but as a newcomer to the series I have to say that it really does have some of the coolest weapons I have seen in a game in a long time. This is partially due to the fact that the setting of the game allows the designers to create whatever crazy weapon comes to mind, but goes to show that the creators still know how to make fun weapons and items.

The pacing of the game is also something I really enjoy. Players can complete levels in a relatively short span of time, do side tasks even in shorter periods of time, and there is no “lives” system. No matter how many times you die, Ratchet is pretty forgiving.

The bottom line is that every PS3 owner should go out and buy this game (and while you’re at it, pick up Uncharted as well). Wipe the dust off that beast, it’s time to get your reality synthesizer working.

Chufmoney

P.S.- if someone from Sony or Insomniac reads this: will you please just let Insomniac create a middle ware engine for the PS3 already?

Most of you are very familiar with the statements that Sony has previously made regarding rumble. However, they have realized the error of their ways — or rather, worked out things with their legal issues — and is now ready to make your fingers vibrate once again.

Is this that important of a feature to y’all? Personally I enjoy the feature when it is there, but it isn’t something that I miss when I play my handheld games. Hell, it’s not even something I miss when playing Warhawk. I just don’t get it.

Chufmoney

While it is surprising that this news came prior to E3, it is certainly going to be welcomed amongst the community. The system, while certainly not cheap, will be much more competitively priced now. The only real question that remains is when will Microsoft drop the price of their system? The Elite cannot stay at the 479$ price because it will pale horribly in comparison with the PS3.

After some discussion with Arthur, I have decided what I feel the best pricing for the 360′s various SKUs would be:
-Elite 399$
-Premium 329$
-Core 249$
This pricing would allow Microsoft to compete with both the PS3 and the Wii. The Wii would face the graphical and price comparison to the 360 and Microsoft could still tout the system as the cheapest Next Gen option.

If the price drop for the 360 happens this week, expect it at the end of the Microsoft press conference, after the inevitable Halo 3 video.

Chufmoney

[via Kotaku]

“For a lot of very good reasons, Virtua Fighter 5 is regarded as the deepest and most revered fighting game available on next generation consoles”, says Gary Knight, the European marketing director for Sega Europe. “Bringing Virtua Fighter 5 to the Xbox 360 will not only capture an entirely new audience, but will allow gamers to show their Virtua Fighter skills online against friends and foes.”

I sort of felt deep in my soul that this would happen, but I didn’t want to believe in it too much, for fear that my heart would be broken. Many fighting game fans will sound off about lag issues, I’m sure. But we’ll have to wait and see when the game ships. Why the Playstation 3 version was released without multiplayer is cause for discussion. Thoughts?

[Via Joystiq]

Jayslacks

[Via Engadget]

JaySlacks

Console support has all but ended for our previous generation of consoles. And, with the exception of the PS2, sales of the consoles have faded drastically, giving way to their newer iterations. We are no longer expecting the next console to release, instead we are enjoying them in the here and now. Again I ask, why do we refer to these consoles as “next gen”?

Perhaps the reason we refer to the 360 and PS3 as “next-gen” consoles is because they have graphics that blow away the previous generation of hardware. But if HD graphics and system power is what determines who makes the leap into the realm of “next” then is Nintendo qualified to be among them? Or if raw computing teraflops is what we base it on is the PS3 really the “next-next gen”? The Wii basically is a glorified GCN, with games that hardly seem to be graphically advanced even over games that were for the GameCube; while the PS3 thus far runs as well as the 360 at everything except solving cancer.

It seems that the consoles of this generation will be deemed “next-gen” until we get first word of the next era of consoles. Perhaps only when there is official news of a new console for us to look forward to will we walk away from deeming systems that are already released as “next-gen.” Or if the truly next era of consoles were all systems that were inferior both graphically and power wise to this generation would we still refer to them as the “next-gen”? Time will be the determining factor, I suppose.
What does next-gen mean to you?

Chufmoney

The correct answer to the above is no. The Nintendo Wii is still riding high off of fanboyism and scarcity. Don’t get me wrong, I do own one. I waited in line and acquired a Wii by waiting in line just like you did or will. I just do not think that the Wii has the games to support such rabbid sales and thus it must be the hype built up around it rather than its revolutionary software. The people who are still waiting in these lines to get the systems either have only played Wii Sports or have not had a chance to be sorely disappointed with most of the other current title offerings.

Though Nintendo may be raking in the cash, and rightfully so from their outstanding DS sales, I think that they are in for a social backlash if they do not start putting out titles that people are interested in. For now people are just excited enough to acquire a system and go crazy and buy games they think they may like. I just don’t know how long the hype can last. Sony and Microsoft’s systems might end up making more oustanding additions to their software catalogs, doing what Nintendon’t.

Chufmoney

Some of you probably are rejoicing because you think this may be the sign of a price-cut. Well, we do not believe this to be true. Sony is looking for ways to cut down the bottom line, but probably because they want to take less of a financial loss on each console. Even with the hardware revision I think they will still be losing money on each system sold. I for one can tell you though, that the hardware revision, if it comes to the U.S. will likely be the deciding factor of my ever owning a PS3.

Chufmoney

Regarding the Blu-ray format and the PS3, Tretton, stated, “I don’t think we can single-handedly drive the Blu-ray format….Blu-ray is a great value for consumers as a movie format, but most importantly, [it's of value] to the gamers.  Blu-ray does wonderful things for the development community…that’s something that no other machine offers.”  I do not know that anyone here at ESG would swallow any of the above points concerning Blu-ray.  Besides higher content capacity I see no advantages to the Blu-Ray format for gamers or developers.  What details am I ignorant to that would make this format a distinct advantage to gamers or developers?  It seems like Blu-ray would make for slower load times, but that is just a guess.  I hope SCEA can focus on pushing the PS3 as a video game console rather than a Blu-ray player.  We need games for this machine, dammit!

I am not a Sony fan-boy. Nay, if you read previous posts you can see the many time I deplored Sony for the things they have done and the PS3 in general.  Sony is a corporation that above all wants our money.  So is Nintendo and Microsoft.  But if Sony really means it when they say that they will back the system for many years than I might purchase one….in two years.  I am still waiting for an exclusive besides Killzone 2 that pushes me into Sony’s Next-Gen arms.

 Chufmoney

Just so we’re clear on that number, let me repeat it: 1.6 B-I-L-L-I-O-N dollars just in PS3 loss, in a little over four months. Just thinking about pissing away that kind of money turns my stomach.

According to the VP, the PS3′s release was fraught with money issues from the outset. High production cost aside, delays in production forced Sony to switch to air mail to reach the market on time. In addition the cost of advertising was higher than they expected as well. Apparently having eggs burst into crows in a blank white room was quite the expenditure. Go figure.

Based on the price reductions in Japan so far, we can probably expect a similar 20% drop in price here in the states. It’s a solid move, as a $480 dollar PS3 that’s fully equipped with Blue Ray is quite the deal. I loved the PS2, and would like nothing more than to see its predecessor succeed in this new competitive gaming market. It saddens me to see that Sony has fallen so low, as the company has abandoned their previous ambitions of success in favor of their new, depressingly defeated business plan.

On the flip side though, they will at least sell consoles now. Once consoles finally move off the shelves, Sony can at least expect an increase in tertiary sales, like licensing fees, game sales, extra controllers, and so on. Now Sony just needs some PS3 exclusive blockbusters, and they’re in business.

And by “in business,” I mean we’ll hear the suctioned plopping sound of the CEO’s head as it pops out of a massive pile of feces, gasping for one of his first delicious breaths of air in months.

-Bedlam-

Now, however, I can only eke out a bitter existence, devoid of my nurtured system abundance. I look at this clip, and shed a tear.

Truth be told though, I’m not entirely sure why Sony decided to release this on PS2 at all. God of War II appeals to a maddeningly large crowd, ranging from the average college student to every damned male in existence. Why they chose to not release this on the PS3 to boost their waning sales is certainly curious. We can most likely attribute their blunder to a gross miscalculation and overconfidence in their moose device, coupled with the bottom line, which is that more people will buy a PS2 version because more people own PS2s. It’s a shame, really, because this game would have moved units. Hell, if Sony wised up and revamped the version for release on the PS3 at a later date, it might just entice me to purchase one.

Until then, God of War II’s PS2 release chocks up another misstep for the PS3′s marketing team, who have fallen on their face so many times since November that it’s a wonder their mothers still recognize them.

-Bedlam-