Console Lineup: The Year Ahead

[schild]

Mark my words: Achievements will bring back high score and time attack modes.

[Velorath]

Home so far to me looks like everything some people accuse the Wii of being.  It looks like a novelty that people will quickly lose interest in.  As an interface for listening to music, watching videos, or playing games with friends, it seems far from the most efficient way of doing things.

Little Big Planet seems cool though.  Apparently it's going to be a PSN title later this year, and then it will be on disc sometime next year.

[stray]

It's nothing like the Wii. The Wii has fuck for online features. This, otoh, may not be my thing, but it's basically an MMO.

I'm not into the achievement thing, but then again, it seems like anyone with an XBox gets enticed by it. I'd probably be no different if presented with the situation.

Gotta appreciate the take Sony's going with it though. Interior design. Lol.

Also, the public displays sound cool. Say, if you kick ass in Fight Night or something, there could be an EA Sports Bar or something where your name and accomplishments are displayed on a pair of Golden Gloves for the whole virtual world to see.

[EDIT] Oh wait, you're saying it's gimmicky like the Wii.

Maybe.

But really, it's not much different XBL or typical matchmaking and game lobbies. The difference being 3d interactivity instead of lists and scoreboard like displays.

[Velorath]

[EDIT] Oh wait, you're saying it's gimmicky like the Wii.

Maybe.

But really, it's not much different XBL or typical matchmaking and game lobbies. The difference being 3d interactivity instead of lists and spreadsheet like displays.

Exactly, I'm saying it's a gimmick.  At first it might seem cool to run around and meet people and bring them back to your private space or whatever.  In reality though that kind of interactivity takes longer.  If I feel like playing a game online with people I don't want to run around a 3d world looking for people who want to play the same game as me, inviting them back to my home, and then playing the game.  It's just not efficient.  If I want to watch a movie or listen to music, I'm not going to go around looking for other people who want to do the same thing (not to mention that fact that PSN would need to get a whole lot more content before watching a downloaded movie would even seem like a good option to me to begin with.  I'm not going to watch the Spider-man 3 trailer a dozen times).  I don't see myself hanging around a 3d world chatting with random people whose only thing in common is the fact that they all own a PS3 either.

The accomplishment stuff seems kind of cool, but other than that I wasn't really looking for new and interesting ways to interact with complete strangers online.  If MMO's have taught us anything it's that most random people online should be avoided whenever possible.

Edit:  Mind you I'm probably just being needlessly cynical about the whole thing.  As a free update, it certainly isn't a bad thing.

[stray]

I don't see myself getting all social either, but I know there are plenty of people out there who would (hello, Myspace/Youtube/SL/Habbo/Goldshire).

Like you, I'd prefer a quicker, hands off approach to matchmaking, and I'm generally not into just bullshitting with strangers online, but I'm not really sure if I'm the gimmicky one or those other people are (besides, we're not even sure how Home works exactly, so who's to say? Could be just as painless as anything else).

I could appreciate all the interior design stuff, just for kicks. Those virtual arcade machines looked pretty cool too (if they actually work).

[EDIT]

Also, who better to do something like this than Sony? It's a no brainer the more I think about it. Sony was already tying in their traditional A/V and Entertainment expertise with the Playstation brand, making it more than just a brand for games. Seems only natural to tie it all in with their SOE division as well.

[HaemishM]

Home looks like the X-Box Live MMOG/Virtual World I always expected it to be, which is pretty awesome.

EDIT: Though I'd likely not play it, Little Big Planet does look teh awesome.

[schild]

Just watched the video. Home is amazing. Please to be having.

[stray]

Further info: Looks like Little Big World will have a level editor as well, and allow sharing across the PS network.

Here's the full demo if you have the time (18 minutes): Link


Back to Motorstorm: This game is pretty hard. The tracks are tough, a.i. is tough, etc.. 

Online, it's smooth as hell. Haven't played too much yet though.

[Yegolev]

Mark my words: Achievements will bring back high score and time attack modes.

Achievements: forced e-peen.  Every time I fire up the 360, I am confronted with the tinyness of my score.  No matter how much I try to convince myself that it's dumb and it doesn't matter, deep in my e-pants I know that it is very important.  I think you're right.

[Big Gulp]

Achievements: forced e-peen.  Every time I fire up the 360, I am confronted with the tinyness of my score.  No matter how much I try to convince myself that it's dumb and it doesn't matter, deep in my e-pants I know that it is very important.  I think you're right.

I thought Achievements (and yes, it is a word deserving of capitolization) were the stupidest thing I'd ever heard of when I got my 360, but I'll be damned if it doesn't keep you attached to games that you otherwise wouldn't really be attached to.  It also makes you do stupid shit like sim your way through 20 seasons of Madden once you've won the Superbowl to get those damned nerd points.  Bizarre that this would become such a vital part of the platform, but I really think it's become that, and I'd be shocked if Sony and Nintendo don't duplicate the concept.

Frankly whoever dreamed up the whole Achievement idea needs to be rewarded by MS with an early, opulent retirement.

[stray]

[EDIT] Sidenote: I heard something interesting about those videos on the walls. Apparently they're all HD quality, running in tandem, at different angles, etc.. Pretty impressive considering there's a lot of 3D processing and whatnot going on as well.

There was a Cell demo put out by Toshiba awhile back showing a large screen with 48 720x480 mpeg streams being simultaneously decoded. I thought it was cool, but pointless. But I guess there's some actual use for such a thing, after all.

[Fabricated]

Jesus, those avatars are terrible. Are there options to make an avatar that doesn't look like an emokid or some faux-hip retard?

[stray]

Heh. I was just mentioning in IRC how cool it'd be if you beat, say, God of War 3 on God mode, then you get a Kratos outfit to prance around in PS Home.

[EDIT]

But umm.... Those look like fairly normal clothes above. Except for the headphones. Hardly "emokids".

[Big Gulp]

Those look like fairly normal clothes above. Except for the headphones. Hardly "emokids".

They look like little emofucks.  And what's up with the text?  Wouldn't you be using VOIP?

[stray]

No, seriously. Those are normal clothes. The guy in the background is wearing a red t-shirt and olive pants. The two girls are just wearing fairly normal stuff too (not sure why you would care what chicks wear anyhow).

This is an emokid:

[Signe]

They don't look emo to me, either.  I would have to count their boo boos to be sure, though.

[Fabricated]

The two in front look like emo-douches to me. I can't be THAT old yet, I'm only going to be 24 here in 3 months.

[Murgos]

Jacket, jeans and a t-shirt is emo?  I admit that the jeans could be a little more blue than black and wearing a beanie cap indoors is a bit off but it's hardly emo.

[Strazos]

Perhaps "Punk" is what you're looking for?

[stray]

There is no "punk look". Unless Malcolm McLaren calls the shots. See: Greg Ginn, Steve Albini, Poly Styrene, Dee Dee Ramone, and the chick in my avatar.

[MisterNoisy]

Perhaps "Punk" is what you're looking for?

'Hipster dork' I think.

[Fabricated]

Perhaps "Punk" is what you're looking for?

'Hipster dork' I think.

Yeah, that's about right actually.

[stray]

Either way, I'm sure it'll be something like EA's Gameface (Tiger Woods), and will have plenty of non-"hipster/emokid" options for you.

[Yegolev]

I was actually being serious about the Achievement stuff.  I have a... problem, you might say, with collecting things.  Until now, these collections were confined to individual games, like the R&C skill points (hard!).

Fabricated, I seriously thought you were over 40.  zomg!

[Moaner]

I have not listened to the keynote personally but from what I understand most of the day to day functions like viewing trophies, listening to music, watching movies, etc. will all be available in a menu style interface similar to XBL.  I'm not sure how much I'll walk around and socialize in Home but it certainly looks interesting.  How Sony decides to regulate private areas and apartments should be interesting.  If there is one thing I learned from Second Life it's that people are not shy about cybering it up.

And Motorstorm is great fun.  It reminds me of R* Table Tennis in the sense it is very bare bones but what is there is rock solid.  I've only played through the 4th race and the difficulty has already ramped way up as well.  It, at the very least, is a fun once through (maybe a rental will do).  I have yet to play multiplay but I hear they are having some issues with connectivity.

[stray]

Phil Harrison has said in followup interviews that apartments will be instances.

Jumping around from area to area will be done with a virtual PSP (with a waypoint/map screen). You wouldn't have to manually navigate to the trophy room.

[edit] Not having any problems with Motorstorm connectivity, but it can sometimes be difficult to find matches with open slots and that are not in progress.

[Yegolev]

No one has commented on the fact that the Home icon looks like there is a trapdoor in your house.

[Margalis]

The two in front look like emo-douches to me. I can't be THAT old yet, I'm only going to be 24 here in 3 months.

(Stabs fabricated in face over and over again)

[Fabricated]

I was actually being serious about the Achievement stuff.  I have a... problem, you might say, with collecting things.  Until now, these collections were confined to individual games, like the R&C skill points (hard!).

Fabricated, I seriously thought you were over 40.  zomg!

My unhealthy and largely irrational distaste for everyone and everything else could have potentially lead you to believe that. My mighty powers allow me to become overly bitter much faster than other people.

[Signe]

I knew he was a boy.  And he just pretends to be all misanthropishy.  He's really very sweet.

[voodoolily]

[stray]

Ooh look, she's talking again.

Keep it up :)

[Yegolev]

My unhealthy and largely irrational distaste for everyone and everything else could have potentially lead you to believe that. My mighty powers allow me to become overly bitter much faster than other people.

I have thought about why I thought that.  I was really angry and bitter at 23, however I was pretty stupid too.  You're angry but not stupid, so I assumed you had some years on you.

[Strazos]

Yeah, I too had you pegged as crotchety and...older than me. 

[Signe]

This thread has turned lovely.  Let's all cuddle.