TripleTags

Hulu Cuts Off PS3 Browser: The PS Blog welcomes iPhone and PSP users

Infinity — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:24:02 EDT

Putting the ACCESS-based browsers in the PS3 and PSP firmwares has opened up bits of the web, adding some value to each console. That value, however, depends on the generosity of third parties and their willingness to cater to those particular browsers. Last week we saw two events that demonstrated what can happen. The PlayStation Blog implemented updates to make it more compatible with the iPhone and PSP browsers to include more users, and Hulu blocked the PS3 browser entirely without warning or official justification to exclude more users.

I haven't used my PSP browser in a very long time -- I have ready access to computing platforms with better browsers -- so this update to the PS Blog isn't something I've been clamoring for but the loss of Hulu on the PS3 is aggravating. As someone who has already thrown subscription television overboard in favor of streaming video on the internet I was hoping to watch more of it on my PS3 without resorting to unsupported software.

Capcom Re-promises Trophies for Rearmed: This Time They Mean It

Infinity — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:30:44 EDT

Capcom has reversed course and Bionic Commando Rearmed will not only be getting Trophies but it will also be patched with a difficulty mode normal mortal gamers can enjoy. Not only that, but on their PS Blog post they threw in a handful of codes for free copies of the game. You'd think they were taking the torrent of venom spewed at them after their previous post to heart.

But I think the reason is simpler than that. I'll bet that the one-week price cut drove up sales so much that they were able to convince their corporate masters that they could sell a whole heap more if they added these customer-friendly features in.

I'm going out on a limb but they might also be privy to some PSN data (and heck maybe XBL data too) that may indicate that those people who bought/own BCR are more likely to play the new Bionic Commando game that has gotten rather badly stomped into near last place terms of sales. Critically it's a middle of the road game scores-wise, with most gamers disliking how hard it is to come to grips with the swing mechanic. I haven't tried it, primarily because Capcom refused to release a demo for the PS3, but I've read enough about it that I'd give it a try if I had the time.

That said I'm not really doing any happy dances about this upcoming patch. It is a good thing, certainly, but I didn't buy BCR when it was on sale like I thought I would, and my PS3 is still dead, so I'm still in limbo.

Gran Turismo PSP Shocks Me By Being Real: And It Looks Rather Nice

Infinity — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:43:06 EDT

The PSP Go certainly wasn't a surprise at E3, but the actual demo -- playable on the show floor -- of a Gran Turismo game on the PSP was a complete shock to me. After literally years of not delivering on the promise of a PSP version of the game there it was reminding the Sony faithful that if you wait long enough sometimes, well, maybe once in a while, Sony will deliver something promised to you.

Check out the video above taken by Martin of PS Nation Podcast fame while he played the game on the show floor. The game does look to be ad-hoc only which, like many titles, is only a problem if Sony doesn't ever bring Adhoc Party to the states. That's another longstanding promise that's been bumping around in beta form in Japan for time immemorial.

What surprised you about E3?

Whither TripleChat?: They're Having A Blog Movement

Infinity — Sat, 6 Jun 2009 18:12:00 EDT

Folks who would stop over to our sister site TripleChat might be wondering what has happened to it. I'm not altogether sure myself, but it's no longer available to the public and has set up shop again at a blogspot site at http://triplechat.blogspot.com/.

I'm going to miss their old site. The forums had a pretty slick interface and their blog software, while it liked to squash the pictures a bit for the front page previews, was easy to write with but hey, being somewhere is better than being nowhere. It would be nice if they got that toolbar disabled to keep from pointing to dead sites, but you can't have everything.

Consoles Looking Inward: Can You Identify Them All?

Infinity — Fri, 5 Jun 2009 19:02:16 EDT

Having my PS3 be out for repair has made me a different kind of gamer over the past week and a half. I spent this week playing free MMO's on my laptop more than anything while E3 coverage rolled in, and now that the din has died down I find myself back where I was last week, looking at my stack of games and the big empty space under my TV.

I could be playing my PSP but while I have backlog, I'm not supremely motivated to tackle it right now. I really miss a full-fledged console and all of the high definition, precision control it offers. Since I don't expect to get my PS3 back and instead think I will have to get a new replacement unit, I've already sold a shrinkwrapped copy of Final Fantasy XII for the PS2 that a new PS3 wouldn't be able to play unlike my 60GB console of old.

I imagine when they finish testing the PS3 in the repair shop, and if they decide it can be fixed they'll open it up without doing what the guy who took the picture here -- part of it anyway -- did. This is an x-ray of part of the PS3. Jump through for x-rays of what other consoles and controllers look like -- old and new -- and you can get an idea of how much black space is inside that plastic case after all, going all the way back to the Atari 2600. Check out the full set of pictures here.

UMD Is Here To Stay: Game Values Abound

Infinity — Thu, 4 Jun 2009 20:11:47 EDT

If Kaz Hirai's assurances that the PSP-3000 and the UMD format aren't being discontinued weren't enough, the price of the PSP Go coming this October should be. At $250 I'm not sure who the PSP Go is for, but that's another story. Today, to celebrate the continued life of the little disc-based format that could â€“ for games, anyway â€“ here are four great PSP game values I noticed recently over at NewEgg.

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, $9.99
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, $9.99
Field Commander, $9.99
Sega Genesis Collection, $12.99

All of those titles also have free shipping for the continental USA. I already own three of the four of them and found them to be great values at their normal prices. What's so great about them?

The Syphon Filter games are absolutely stellar first person shooters on the handheld with a very well done control scheme, very good graphics, and even online play. I want to call the taser the signature weapon of the series and it's available both for both single-player and online play and is one of my favorites. What's better than hearing your friend complain over voice chat after you immobilize and fry him in place? Sony Bend is responsible for this series of games and they were the talent picked to do the recent critical darling Resistance: Retribution for the PSP.

Field Commander makes this list because it features great Advance-Wars-style turn-based strategy gameplay with excellent visuals, beefy missions, and a surprising set of online play options, including play-by-email to let you take turns playing online any time you like. Want the digital version? It's $15 on the PlayStation Store.

The Sega Genesis Collection is lauded as one of the best retro gaming collections ever made that's portable to boot. This one is much cheaper than its newer Sonic sibling on the PS3 at this price, too.

There are more titles available for $9.99. Some of the better ones include Lumines II, Every Extend Extra, N+, Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, and Twisted Metal: Head On.

Happy shopping!

Black 2, Burnout Paradise 3D in Qore 10: Strong Hints of Sequel, Upgrade

InfinityDevil — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:34:16 EDT

Qore episode 10 had an interview with Criterion Games showing off Big Surf Island, their newest DLC coming to Burnout Paradise in June. It's the first DLC to expand the physical land mass that's playable in the roughly 1.5-year-old smash hit driving game that's now only $20 as a digital download or in stores. That's my hint that you need to buy this game for your PlayStation 3 if you don't already own it.

Anyway, what wasn't subtle was that during the interview two things were prominently hinted. One, that the Black fanchise will be making a return, and two, that some kind of stereoscopic 3D support will be shown for Burnout Paradise. What makes me think these things? One of the demos was shown in a room with gun replicas all over the walls that the Criterion rep said was from their Black game. The 3D bit was shown at the very end -- the Qore interviewer -- her name escapes me -- was playing Paradise on a screen while wearing odd-looking shades and, at the end of the clip, it was shown to be a 3D image. Nothing specific was said, and the segment ended, but there you go.

I expect we'll see something about one or both of those things at E3. How about you?

Rearmed Gets 1-Week No-Trophy-Patch Sale: No metal, 5 bucks.

Infinity — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:32:08 EDT

Today's PS Blog post from Bionic Commando producer Ben Judd talks up difficulty in games as a positive thing, spinning the delays for the upcoming Bionic Commando as proof that they're serious about getting the swing mechanic not just good, but hard as well. There's an off-color joke in there somewhere, I'm sure, but the post goes on to talk about how there are things you can only unlock in BC that if you unlock other things in Bionic Commando: Rearmed, the PSN re-release of the 21-year-old NES title.

As an incentive to buy BCR they're announcing that there will be no Trophy patch for the game after all despite their initial promise at launch 9 months ago that it would be patched in later. No wait, that's not an incentive. The incentive is that they're discounting it to $5, but just for a week.

Even though the game is often old-school tough I'll probably buy it and add it to my stack of unplayed PSN games I've gotten on sale in the past year. I'll probably mess with it a bit, but only dig into it once I'm tired of the other, Trophy-enabled games I have on tap.

First Infamous Review Runs Long: But we love Greg Miller's words

Infinity — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:28:38 EDT

IGN is first out of the gate with a review for Infamous and while I'm not surprised that they're first given how much access they've had to the game over time (according to their comments on Podcast Beyond anyway), I am surprised that they didn't seem to exercise any editorial restraint. Greg Miller's not a newbie on the site but I feel his review runs incredibly long and spills an awful lot of detail about the game I'd rather not know until I experience it myself.

Don't get me wrong, I am very excited about this game, but I think the Second Opinion by Chris Roper at the very end does an excellent job of touching on the high points of Greg's review, agreeing with them, and strongly supporting the final score of 9.2, all without spoiling anything.

All IGN needed to do was what Roper did: look at the long review, chop it down to its main points, brush away the details, and post the result on 1 or 1.5 pages instead of 3 or 4.

My advice is to skip to the last page of the review, read Roper's opinion, see the scores, and come on back to tell us what you think.

PSP Thrusters Are Go!: The rumor mill is on fire after a 1up leak

Joshua Hernandez — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:05:27 EDT

Looks like the rumors are true regarding that we will be seeing a new PSP at E3 in a few weeks.

Forget the 2nd analog nub and be ready to convert your existing UMD libraries to digital at in-store kiosks that will allow you to carry out that task; those kiosks will probably sell new games as well.

The 1up.com report talks about a slide out configuration and a bigger screen. For more info check out 1up.com by clicking here.

Given that there has been so much hype around how AWESOME the PSP line-up is this year expect Kaz Hirai to have something in his pocket at E3 that is NOT a roll of quarters.