3D Wipeout didn't make me vomit! TGS hands-on impressions

By now you have likely heard of Sony’s intentions of incorporating 3D into PS3 games by 2011. But I’m sure that for those who did hear this news, it probably raised a lot of questions such as ‘How does it look?’, ‘Won’t the glasses look stupid?’, ‘How much is the TV that can actually display 3D games going to cost me?’, ‘Am I going to barf?’ and ‘Why would I want this anyway?’.
Well to that I would say, that’s too many questions to answer, so all I can do is attempt to explain how I felt when playing the 3D version of Wipeout hands-on at TGS.


Spare a thought for the booth companions who had to stare at this screen all day without having 3D glasses themselves

Honestly, what is most likely to get your stomach churning isn’t playing a 3D game, but watching one without the glasses. As I waited in line for 45minutes I watched race after race of the game without the glasses required to interpret the images into 3D. As you can see from YouTube videos and pictures, it isn’t a pleasant experience. Why Sony chose to display the technology with Wipeout HD, a game that already makes those with weak constitutions queasy, I can’t explain. But to those worried about 3D causing eyestrain, nausea or headaches, it probably wasn’t the wisest decision. Something a little more tranquil, like Afrika, would perhaps have given a better first impression.

Still when my turn came I was impressed with how comfortable and unobtrusive the glasses were. For those who usually wear glasses though, you have to wear them on top of your glasses. On the menu screens it seemed little different, but the first time I really noticed the 3D was at the start of the race when the starting time counted down from 3 to 1. I was squinting somewhat to make out the distant numbers, when I actually realized that they did appear distant. Once I noticed that, the perspective clicked for me. I marveled at seeing the ship so solid and very close-up, and it is quite a sensation to be able to register the distance between it and the far away count-down display.

It isn’t a 3D that envelops and surrounds you, as perhaps we may have dreamed of as kids watching Tron; instead it functions by showing you a series of plains that are separated by space. Imagine a diorama, and you will have a better idea of how you perceive the game. The in game objects appear to be on a number of different layers, and each layer is a different distance away from you.


I guess by my reasoning, this is kind of what a 3D Mario game would look like...

I apologize if my explanation seems nonsensical, but I’m just trying to express how I saw the game, rather than explain it from a technical point of view. There are plenty of other people to do that.

Personally I was impressed, and though I don’t see it is becoming a necessity in future games, I would be keen to play more games in 3D. The negatives usually assumed about the technology, such as nausea, bulky 3D goggles or confusion, didn’t apply for me, although I will temper that optimism by saying that I only played the game for 5 minutes. On the downside, it almost doesn’t go as far I believed it could, but I guess that’s for a future era of holo-decks and such. Instead it promises to those of us who want it, a new perspective on games, and when this finally comes to fruition (and I smuggle enough contraband to afford the necessary TV), I will be playing a lot more games in 3D. Hell, I might even have to pick up Afrika.

Heavy Rain hands on impressions TGS 09

Heavy Rain already seems destined to be a game that will enthrall as many as it frustrates. But what else would you expect from Quantic Dream? The French developer was also responsible for intriguing but flawed games Omikron and Indigo Prophesy. With as much as we already know about the game, its clear that it will provide a fascinating experience, and my hands on time left me desperately wanting to see more of it.
Part of that curiosity stems from the fact that for a game which places so much weight on its plot and dialogue, the demo was only playable in dubbed Japanese, so the specifics of the scenario's story eluded me. To approach that problem from a more positive point of view, it allowed me to focus entirely on the mechanics of the game.

Beyond the impressive graphics, the first thing to strike anyone playing the game is just how unintuitive the control scheme is. For those who haven't heard, your forward momentum is driven by the R2 trigger, the direction in which the character's head will face is determined by the left analogue stick. It really isn't comfortable initially, but it did become more bearable as I grew accustomed to it. I perhaps can see why they chose to go in this somewhat unique direction. The pace of the game is certainly far different from how it would be if it had a more conventional set-up, and the unwieldy nature of movement demands something different from the player, but it remains to be seen just what kind of reception it will be given by the public.



In the demo there were essentially two different aspects to the game. The first was a detective mode, where after donning a pair of sunglasses, Norman Jayden (the character you control in the Mad Jack demo) was able to scan the area for DNA, fingerprints and other evidence. Whilst there is nothing particularly new about this concept, it did once more highlight the unique control method. The right analogue stick interprets the actions of the character. So when standing above a piece of evidence, a downward flick of the stick had Norman kneel to take a closer look. A movement sweeping to the right and downwards would remove the sunglasses and one upwards and to the left would put them back on. Whilst hardly the easiest thing to express in words, in game it works very well after a few initial fumbles. Its an interesting idea that the movements of the right stick represent the intentions of the character and I'm keen to see if it will prove to be a more immersive form of interaction, or simply cumbersome, and potentially taking the player out of the experience.

The other aspect of the game shown off in the demo was the quicktime event. Though many are tired of this form of 'control', Heavy Rain convinced me that it had found a truly engaging way to pull off what is basically Simon Says. When Norman takes on Mad Jack, the proprietor of a car crushing scrapyard, the conflict is played out through a QTE. However due to the pre-established role of the right analogue stick, it feels much more instinctive and logical than they ever have before. When Mad Jack attempts to swing a crowbar at your prone body, moving it left rolls Norman in that direction to avoid the blow. Whilst you are only following onscreen prompts, they do make sense within the control scheme's internal logic.



This QTE fight really encapsulated what could potentially be amazing about the game. The sheer intensity that the game conveyed in the desperate struggle isn't something that we usually experience. Your character is struggling to survive against a physically far superior opponent, and the constant sense of desperation and helplessness you are made to feel in relayed to the player. The fact that you know that all of your characters really can die, never to return, adds a great deal to your sensation of panic. I won't spoil the fight itself, but after finishing the demo I was left to wonder just how differently it could have played out had I been a little swifter in my responses, or conversely how quickly I could have been killed.

If it isn't already on your radar, Heavy Rain should be. Whether you actually like it is a different matter. Quantic Dream has made a game that relies so heavily on a unique control method that will not appeal to everyone, but that adds so much to the atmosphere of the game. Their bravery should be applauded for that at least. With what seems like a fascinating plot and multiple protagonists and perspectives, this is a game that demands your attention.

God of War 3 hands on impressions TGS 09

I have to begin this article with a small confession. I have never played a God of War game.

Gosh there seem to be a lot of tumbleweeds in the area.

In my defense, by the time the first game had been released I was already in Japan. It joins a small, but painful, pile of shame from those missing final years of the PS2. If Sony ever finally gets round to releasing their back catalogue on PSN, Shadow of the Colossus and Persona 3 and 4 will finally be taken off that pile. Thankfully due to the impending release of the GOW collection, I will at least be up to date with that series. Essentially I want to emphasize that I came into the demo of GOW3 fresh on the franchise.



It doesn't disappoint. The game is so brutal, so visceral, so crude, that it shocks and entertains. I'm sure if you played the other games it wouldn't have such an impact, but commanding Kratos to literally tear a manticore apart piece by piece before impaling its skull using one of its own horns is quite breath-taking. As you have probably seen, you can get Kratos to hitch a ride on Harpies by clinging onto their legs to carry him across wide chasms. What is his method of gentle encouragement? Stabbing his blades into their bodies seems to spur them on, which defies all logic but adds to the manic and macabre sense of humor that ran through the demo.

In both these situations it isn't merely the violence that makes the impact, but the way in which the game emphasizes it. Cuts of the camera, zoom-ins, the use of slow motion and the use of vibration all make your actions seem even more devastating. It makes me shake my head in disbelief when I remember Sony claiming that vibration in controllers was a 'last generation feature'. Playing GOW without vibration would be like eating a delicious meal without a sense of smell.



The game looked good, but in a way the demo didn't seem to show off the capabilities of the graphical prowess of the game that I had expected. The first shot, an extreme close up of Kratos shows you the level of detail of his character model, replete with realistic skin texture and wince-inducing scars. But then the camera pulls out to its default distance away and those details aren't so noticeable. It's a somewhat strange feeling to know how complex and detailed Kratos's model is, and yet you only get brief glimpses of this when the game slows down and zooms in during a particularly brutal move in combat. The game truly shines when it gives you a set-piece, and the loving detail that goes into the framing and dramatic camera movements that accompany the action is obvious. A touch of the level of detail that went into this demo was that whilst at the beginning Kratos is, relatively, pristine, by the end he is soaked from head to toe in blood.



The combat is, I suspect, similar to the previous games'. In the demo you could either use his iconic twin chain blades or a pair of giant gauntlets. The rhythm of the combat, and the movesets, are significantly different, so it was fun to play using different styles. The sheer number of enemies that assault you, and the relentless haste with which they do so, was the real surprise for me, and a very welcome one at that. I am so used to enemies running up to your character before forming a circle around them and attacking one at a time. In some games it works (Batman Arkham Asylum) and in some it just seems awkward (Assassin's Creed). It implies a weakness in the combat system, where the control scheme isn't able to handle more than a one on one conflict. As soon as the demo of GOW3 started about ten enemy combatants sprinted over to me and piled onto Kratos. Who let out a roar and threw them all off. This intensity and scale of the combat is something that really stands out about the game. Oh, and the move where Kratos grabs an enemy by the head and runs around holding them out in front of him to knock aside everyone? Genius.

Finally I have to mention one more hilarious and shocking moment. There is a section where you have to edge across a ledge over a chasm. An enemy comes out of a window and edges towards you, then stops. When you get close enough the game prompts you to press the circle button. Kratos instantly swings over, grabs his head and smashes it repeatedly into the iron grate then lets him crumple and slide into the pit. It all happens so quickly and so violently that you can't help but cry out in surprise. It has been a long time since a game has made me utter exclamations out loud whilst playing, but GOW3 did just that. I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with the earlier exploits of Kratos when the God of War collection is released this winter.

The aftershock of a review

Whilst I check video game websites pretty much every day I’m not someone who is aware of when a review will be published in advance. So occasionally I will notice that the review of a highly anticipated game (either by myself or the community in general) has gone up, and of course look at the score before reading the review. By and large many people have a vague idea of how a game will score even without playing it. Call it misguided or presumptuous, but with the sheer volume of hands-on previews, video demonstrations, podcast discussions, knowledge of franchise history, and loaded hints dropped by journalists working on their reviews, we have at least a ballpark concept of how good a game is without even experiencing it ourselves. Reviewers may dislike that thought, but for better or for worse it is certainly difficult for consumers to read a review without some pre-existing bias.

Yet two times recently I have been utterly taken aback by a review score. I’m not as naïve as to assume the reviewer of incompetence, but rather curious as to how my preconceptions could have been so misled. For these two examples, I’m afraid that I’m going to use the IGN review scores. Sorry 1up, but for all its merits, the grading system that you use can’t inspire the same shock, debate and petty squabbling over decimal point increases. I guess that’s why you have it, but it takes the fun away a little.


The first review that surprised me was Blazblue, which was given a score of 9.4. I was aware of the heritage of the development team, of course involved in the Guilty Gear franchise, and therefore it shouldn’t have come as too much of a shock, but several factors meant that I was taken by surprise. Firstly I had heard little to no hype prior to the game’s review. It was given some attention by gaming websites, but clearly not as much as other more recognizable brands. Therefore a game that I wasn’t on my radar scoring a 9.4 suddenly made me consider purchasing it. As ridiculous as this sounds, on a 10 point scale, 9.4 is a very high score. Seeing as Blazblue appeals to a specific niche market I wrongly assumed that, no matter how good the game was, it would be unlikely to score higher than a 9. A 9.4 implies that even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, the game is of such spectacular quality that you should be compelled to at least consider a purchase.



The other score to pique my curiosity was for Gran Turismo PSP which managed a mere 6.8. Seeing anything with Gran Turismo in the title scoring less than a 9 is pretty unprecedented (with the obvious exception of the, cough, paid for demo). The brand usually implies such craftsmanship and quality that it would be an insult not to respect it. And yet it appears that even GT is not infallible to the critics. The overly long development time and the split of resources between the PS3 and PSP versions obviously played their part, but it is a score that few would have anticipated. Perhaps the fact that having been out of the spotlight for such a long time, the PSP version suddenly emerging and then being launched not long after was a telling sign. Could Sony now be regretting their emphasis of GT in prompting the PSP with bundles and discounts?

To return to my point though, occasionally we as consumers are shocked by a review and feel, more in the case of a low score, confused, betrayed and defensive. Whether it is the fault of our own unrealistic expectations or journalists or PR men getting us hyped for an ultimately disappointing game, the reaction on message boards is as predictable as it is irrational. Rage against reviewers, schadenfreude, accusations of bias, rage against the publishers, acceptance, defensiveness and palpable sadness are the scattershot of emotions that you will find sprayed across the internet like a Jackson Pollock.

Few other media have such comprehensive coverage of upcoming products from inception to release, which is one of the reasons why the industry is so fascinating.

My Top 5 Top 5s

For my 30th Top 5 blog post special I decided to feature an article so unashamedly narcissistic that it would make Liberace blush. In a display of spectacular self love, perhaps only topped by the famous incident involving a member of INXS, I have decided to mark this historic occasion by featuring my favorite Top 5s of my own Top 5s. The arrogance I’m sure takes your breath away, or at least evokes mild retching, but bear with me.

As you may or may not know, I have an unnatural attraction to the Top 5 format. I could go on about modern day pop culture glorifying the act of ranking and categorization, but to be honest its just laziness on my part. I don’t have to think hard about article structure and it gives me free rein to shoe-horn in all the quips and snide asides that I set out to make. More ridiculous perhaps should be that I’m celebrating posts when some people on my friends list have made over 4000 (you know who you are). So when I finally get to that stage I will have had 80 ‘special edition blogs’. You have been warned.

5 – Top 5 women to warp the minds of teenage boys



Pure fluff, in classic form. When there is nothing else relevant to talk about in the gaming industry, something about videogame women is bound to surface. The title promises T and A, which is referenced in the article, but was more so that I could squeeze in a reference to Portal. I tend to be far too inspired/affected by the most recent media I have been exposed to, and having completed Portal I wanted to mention something about it. This article was therefore more a form of therapy for dealing with mother issues that GLaDOS stirred within my soul. The four virtual sex symbols that surrounded her were just decoys. But the article did spark my fascination with Kasumi from DOA who would go on to feature in a couple more of these lists.

4 - Top 5 stupid reasons to hate the 360/PS3/Wii



If you want a title that is sure to have people spitting blood, this is a pretty decent template. This trilogy of Top 5s stands out because unlike the others, there are some coherent and legitimate points concealed within it. The responses to it were interesting to me as not everyone took it as I had originally intended, although my perception of them also changed as they were being written. At first I wanted to show how ridiculous the most common complaints about each system were and to argue against them. However, as it may be quite clear, some of the points are pretty tough to challenge. The Wii having comparatively bad graphics for example. Or Playstation Home being worth the investment of time and resources that it has thus far demanded. But, like a man attempting to fight off a horde of zombies armed merely with a piece of stilton cheese, I struggled valiantly against the odds.

3 - Top 5 signs you play too many dating simulations



This was born out of one magical experience I had on my first trip to Japan. I had always been intrigued by Japanese dating simulations, obviously partly due to the impenetrable barrier of the language. So when I went to Japan I took the most logical course of action. I got my friend to come to an internet café with me for a whole day and asked her to translate as we played one of the Tokimi Memorial games. It was an enlightening experience for both of us, and the lessons that I learned were directly applied to this Top 5. So savor these pearls of wisdom. The most uncomfortable part of playing the game was when we found the seriously ill girl who had been hospitalized. Your character is a University student and this girl, the sister of one of your University friends, is only a junior high school student. We went to visit her every day because, unlike the other love interests, we always knew that she would be in the same place. At first she was gratified for the company, then concerned, then worried, then suspicious. Then one day, she was no longer there. She had been transferred to another hospital. Take heed people and learn from Tokimi Memorial people.

2 - Top 5 genres Natal will ruin



Another, predictably provocative title, but fun to write nonetheless. My actual feelings towards Natal are fairly ambivalent, a sort of ‘wait and see’ policy, but seeing as I’m a new gadget whore I will probably pick it up at launch. Still, there is no reason why I can’t be venomously offensive about it, right? As with most Top 5s, I started by simply wanting to show how ridiculous it was that Microsoft had demoed the technology using Burnout as an example. Having written it I feel that two things are far more important. Firstly, a pub fighting game would be incredibly fun. Secondly, erotic Japanese games are about to get much, much more involving.

1 - Top 5 things from Street Fighter that you should never do in a real fight



In a sense one of the worst of the Top 5s you will find anywhere on the internet. It is pretty much unrelated to anything of any relevance. Despite that it has a strong place in my heart. Why? I’m not sure exactly, but I think either it was the opportunity to put a huge picture of R.Mika in an article, or the image of Akuma rather unsporting stomping on Ryu’s junk when he lay unconscious on the ground that made me burst out laughing.

I apologize once more for this ridiculous blog post, but I couldn’t help myself. Sorry!

Top 5: best/worst things about Phantasy Star Online

Well it’s a week late but here is my loving tribute to one of the greatest games to grace the Dreamcast, may it rest in peace. For myself, and I’m sure many others who weren’t PC gamers, this was the first online game to capture our hearts and minds. I was a high school student at the time of its release, and one of my fondest memories of the time was staying awake until four in the morning playing Phantasy Star Online, to the severe detriment of my academic pursuits. Let us look back on five of the best and worst things about a game that cost me over 300 hours of my life.



The Mexican stand-off

A lot of the elements of the game that could conceivably be seen as ‘broken’ provided the most thrilling and heart-stopping moments. Chief amongst these was trading items with other people. Whilst I can’t boast any personal knowledge of drug dealing, there was undoubtedly more danger and mistrust involved in exchanging a Spread Needle for a Lightersaber than when exchanging cash for Columbia’s finest export. Once you had skulked around enough lobbies whispering ‘Hey mate, have you got any Lightsabers?’ and found a willing partner, the two of you would create your own game into which the two of you would enter. The proverbial dark alley behind the movie theater, to put it another way. Then, staring each other down, you both would drop your traded items to the floor then walk slowly past each other (think hostage exchange) before collecting your new item. At least that was how it should work in theory. In reality the cold-blooded bugger you were dealing with, likely to be the most reprehensible creature on the planet, would drop a worthless item instead of what they had promised. Whilst the item categories were distinguishable by their color, the actual item the box contained couldn’t be determined until you stood over it. Thus as you gaped down at some useless pistol they had left for you, your only conciliatory thought was that the scum who had robbed you or your dignity was likely to get syphilis. Hardly a logical thought admittedly, but in such situations you cling to what you can.
As potentially terrifying as the trading could be, a successful trade resulted in outpourings of affection and respect for each other and would likely result in a lifelong friendship. It was in a sense sad that once the game was thoroughly hacked, that trading no longer became an issue. People would just scatter rare items all over the place. Sigh. Communism.

You are not alone



One of the challenges that even some modern MMOs struggle with is for the player to be able to make their avatar unique. Whilst the character designs for PSO were pretty awesome, if, like I do, you find the Japanese animation style appealing, but actual character customization was pretty limited. With my dual lightsaber wielding human hunter, sporting a nice pair of shades and a bright purple afro, I felt that I had managed to achieve an arresting and instantly recognizable character. The saddest day of my PSO life was running into someone who looked exactly like me. Wordlessly we turned from each other and sprinted towards another lobby.

Let’s communicate!... kind of…



As an early console online game, PSO didn’t support voice chat. Sure, the Seaman microphone would have rendered it a technical possibility, but essentially it was keyboard only. So, in a sense I am somewhat grateful to Sega. Before I was sucked into Phantasy Star Online I was a pretty slow at typing. After all, school work was hardly more important than videogames. But having ploughed weeks of my life into the game I was able to rattle out words at a decent speed, whilst trying to play the game at the same time. Also a proud owner of The Typing of the Dead, the Dreamcast nudged me into a more computer literate world. Phantasy Star Online, I salute you.
And honestly, considering some of the negative online experiences we have all had in which we have be called… a number of different names, and having been told that…our mothers have committed…various unspeakable acts by people who have yet to take the plunge into puberty, its rather easier to look back on the speechless online community with rose-tinted spectacles.

15 bucks a month? Hahahahahahahaha

It was free to play Phantasy Star Online. Well, alright you had to pay for the game itself, but beyond that, zip. Nada. Nothing. Of course nowadays even Sega wouldn’t be so foolish as to have an online game with no opportunity to create additional revenue streams, but in back in the heady days of the new millennium you wouldn’t have to spend a bean to keep on playing the game, and for a British kid who had recently discovered the internet, that was pretty peachy. For any WOW addicts out there, totaling up the amount you have spent probably makes for a fairly mind-numbing experience. I’m sure the price was worth paying too, but after my slice of free online pie, a monthly subscription will always taste a little bitter. So unlike the infamous youtube ‘WOW kid’ reacting to his parents cutting off his subscription, we Dreamcast owner didn’t have to suffer the indignity of bawling our eyes out and trashing our room. Then having that painful moment downloaded onto the internet and laughed at by millions. Neither did we have to earn the subscription money by becoming drug mules or giving hand jobs to businessmen in the backseats of cars. We just did it for fun.

The game itself (oh, I hadn’t really mentioned that yet, had I?)



The good: It was an amazing game
The bad: Four levels…owch