Archive – Page 21 – The Recycle Bin

F1 2010 Ships

Finally! This sweet puppy should be in my PS3 later today. Based on the various reviews, I do not expect this one to be a cakewalk, but I am so looking forward to a fresh new F1 experience. I sold my copy of Formula One Championship Edition over the summer to raise funds for upcoming purchases, so I have had to weather a “no current F1 experience” storm.

To tide me over, I have been following the reviews (entertainment value) and any articles I could find; the best of which is Eurogamer’s “F1 2010: The Final Lap” developer interview. The article is really compelling because it goes into what the team did not have time to include, and the FIA approval process. Apparently multiplayer with 12 Ferraris on the track was a no go; same for AI drivers changing teams in career mode. Maybe in 2011?

I really need to figure out how to pony up for one of those G27 wheels, but after throwing $200 bones at a Move setup, a purchase wheel is not going to be in my immediate future.

Time permitting I will be back later tonight to post some impressions.

Grumpy Old Gamer Returns

First things first, after contacting Amazon to ask them WTF was up with my F1: 2010 pre-order, I received the following response:

Looking into your order, I see that “F1: 2010” is back-ordered. I’m sorry about this delay–we certainly didn’t expect that this would happen.

Therefore, this item was delayed. Unfortunately the supply for some items will be limited and they sellout quickly. Sometimes, unexpected fluctuations in supply can add time to our original availability estimate. Though the item is out of stock, we do list the item and receive the order. Once we receive the order we will immediately contact the supplier to obtain the item. Sometimes as the case like yours the supplier failed to obtain the item.

We need to order your copy of item from a different supplier, and it will take us slightly longer than we anticipated to ship this item to you. I apologize that you were not notified sooner of this change in availability.

However, I can confirm that we still expect to ship your order by September 23. It should be delivered to you by September 24.

They are shitting me, right? Not only did I pre-order from the get-go, as soon as the game showed up on Amazon (that would be July 10), I never received any sort of notification that (A) game was on backorder (B) game was not shipping on release day (C) that Amazon had an epic fail.

Color me grumpy. The initial reviews are very promising.

Heavy Rain: Seriously Large Move Patch
After a heck of a long download (took three attempts to get the 1.1GB 2.0 patch to download) I am not that impressed with Move support, however I think it is really just a user error getting the Move controller to calibrate correctly. No matter what I do, when I calibrate, the control area (rectangle on the screen) always seems to “float” to the right – not sure how else to describe this behavior.

I have not attempted to use my second Move controller or replace the Move Navigation controller with a standard Dual Shock. I did not have any calibration issues with Sports Champions, so I am really holding out hope that this is 100% user error.

I have spent some time scouring the various PlayStation boards looking for clues to a fix. Scouring forums with immature posters sometimes offers up good, clean, fun; however when I am looking for help with an issue it just makes me a bitter, grumpy, old gamer.

Midweek Gaming Update

No sign of F1 2010 from Amazon, which currently shows the game as out of stock. While my copy has not shipped, Amazon shows an estimated arrival date of September 24; I preordered back on July 10. As much as Amazon gets it right with release day shipping, and their super cheap Prime service, when they get it wrong, they really screw the pooch. I find this sort of service unacceptable …

Plus
I have not written too much about Sony’s PlayStation Plus service, but I have been reasonably happy with the games I have gotten for free – WipEout HD and Critter Crunch have received a lot of play time. The discounts have been nice, especially on Magic Orbz, with free DLC. This month is the first time the free PSN game on offer was something already in my library – Zen Pinball, which in my opinion is worth the $9.99 price of admission, so of course making it “free” to Plus subscribers is a nice deal.

The main issues with Plus, in no particular order, have been lack of communication from the Plus team, an every changing list of what Plus subscribers will (or should) receive with each update, and a lack of follow through on the original commitment. The last one is a real kick in the nuts. Plus subscribers were told (although not exactly promised) that they would receive monthly releases of PSN and PSOne titles, avatars, dynamic themes, and an assortment of other fun stuff including discounts. And oh BTW Plus subscribers were promised an opportunity to get in limited early access beta demos.

You can imagine the outrage from the Plus community as Sony has moved from weekly releases to twice a month releases, few if any dynamic themes, a PSN orPSOne title, and officially confirming that getting beta invites are not exactly a guarantee for Plus subscribers.

At this point I am taking a wait and see approach.

Move: HVB
Speaking of Plus, subscribers received an early Move patch for HVB. I gave it a quick try last night and was not exactly impressed. I am not sure if I was just dog tired after a long day, or if the controls are just not intuitive. To be fair, I did not play around with it too much last night, so maybe the new control setup just did not “click” for me, but my initial HVB Move impressions is that Move support was certainly not as intuitive as some of the Sports Champions titles.

Move: Heavy Rain
I think Heavy Rain is due to receive it’s Move patch today. I have been waiting to start over (save file did not transfer from my original PS3 to my PS3 Slim). Hopefully the added Move support adds an extra immersive element to the overall game experience.

What’s In Your Tailgate?

Cold ones. Adult Beverages. Nectar of the gods. You, know, beer. I am not sure where this tailgating beer article is coming from, but as is often the case, the comments are f’ing hilarious. Certainly more entertaining that reading about the beers that are not available in these parts.

I have not decided on my strategy for the Falcons/Cardinals game. I could go good and plenty light with some Miller Lite or Bud Light Lime, or I may go heavier with some Sam Adams Octoberfest, or Sweetwater 420. I love decisions …

I Moved. Initial Move Impressions.

All my Move paraphernalia arrived safely from Amazon yesterday. Move Starter Bundle (Move Controller, PlayStation Eye Camera, Sports Champions, and Demo Disk), Move Navigation Controller, extra Move Controller, and Move Charging Station. The immediate ask for a while will be if the $209 Move expense was worth the price. Obviously it is way too soon to tell; we’ll touch on this more as we head into the “Holiday Buying Season” (i.e. secular replacement of Christmas).

After opening all the sorted bits and parts (I hate those plastic blister wrap containers), I setup the PlayStation Eye on top of the Sony Bravia. The USB cable is not very long; probably 5-6 feet, which is barely enough to go from the front of the PS3 Slim, wrap around towards the back of the entertainment cabinet, and then up the back of the TV before reaching the top of the Bravia. Little to no slack may send the PlayStation Eye crashing down if I forget to unplug the PlayStation Eye before moving the Slim.

I was befuddled trying to get my PS3 Slim to recognize my two new Move controllers. My boys watched patiently; probably waiting to see if daddy was going to expand their vocabulary.

For this gamer, the end result was on display; not being able to setup the Move without a quick sneak peek at the Move Controller instruction manual shows that my better gaming days may be behind me. That really sucks; no more mad gaming skillz.

Of course this morning over coffee (and bitching about the Devil returning to GA – see previous post) I realized that the Move Starter Bundle contained a Move Quick Start guide. For those that are not inclined to guess where this story takes us, you have to connect the Move Controller to the PS3 via a USB cable to “pair” the Move Controller to the PS3.

In a move (no pun intended) to control costs, Sony went from four USB ports in the original PS3 models to two USB ports on the current production Slim models. This could quickly become an issue. I normally keep a USB cable plugged in for Dual Shock charging, and the other USB port is used by my external HDD for backups and other media. Now that the PlayStation Eye takes up a slot, I will have three devices vying for two USB ports. Planning ahead was the primary reason I decided to pick up the AC powered Move Charging Station; need more cowbell.

So before we even get started on the games, the PlayStation Eye Camera cable has little room for maneuvering, the PS3 Slim is limited by two USB ports, you have to remember to “pair” your Move Controllers to your PS3 via a USB cable, and just to kick you in the nuts, Sony does not include a USB cable. Thanks for that.

Disc Golf
My boys and I quickly jumped into a free play round of Disc Golf. For some strange reason, if you are playing with four players, you have to share a single Move Controller. I would have expected that Player 1 and 2 could use one Move Controller, while Player 3 and 4 used the other. Or some other combination; no such luck. Everyone quickly got the hang of things, but my three year-old son needed a lot of help getting the timing down for the release of the trigger button.

First impressions? Wii with HD graphics, which may not be a horrible thing to some gamers. This is not really fair comparison, and I am really just going in that direction because many gamers will dismiss the Move as nothing more than a pretty version of casual Wii gaming. At first glance I think the Move Controller is way more precise than a Wii controller. You can control the angle that you hold the disc, the angle that you release the disc, and ultimately the speed and power of the disk.

We only played the first six holes, which contained an assorted array of hazards such as water, trees, and boulders. Attempting to curve your disc around an obstacle is pretty much just like real life frisbee throwing. I hope that Sony offers some DLC courses, because my only concern with the Disc Golf is that everyone will quickly bore of the same course.

I think Disc Golf has the possibility of reinvigorating real life Disc Golf. One of our local parks just got a small course setup. After last night’s Sports Champions Disc Golf session, my two oldest boys were asking to go play a round of real life Disc Golf.

Gladiator Dual
Jumped into a quick Gladiator game. It looks like this one will/may excel with two Move Controllers, which means you have to pony up some serious coin for solid two player action ($99 Start Bundle + $150 for an additional three Move Controllers). Using two Move Controllers allows you to use a weapon with one hand while the second Move Controller allows you full control over your off-hand shield. Single player mode (at least on the easy Bronze level is remarkable straightforward).

Table Tennis
Jumped into a quick solo game of Table Tennis. I struggled with this one. Goes back to my lost skillz I guess.

Archery
I spent a good amount of time with the various Archery modes. I think this one really demands two Move Controllers to get full enjoyment out of the game. One hand (Move Controller) holds the bow, while your other hand via the second Move Controller reaches over your shoulder to grab and arrow, notch it, pull back, and of course release the arrow. There are plenty of videos to get a better idea of the play mechanics.

Archery was good clean fun. I was able to quickly grab, notch, and fire arrows. Aiming was fairly straight forward, but I still need to work on my pull to get consistent power. An Archery mode or similar hunting expansion pack would be a blast; Cabela’s North American Adventures 2011 demands Move support.

Demo Disk
I have not looked at the Demo Disk; I focused on Sports Champions last night. In fact, I actually forgot that a Demo Disk was supposed to be included in the Move Starter Bundle. I remember it this morning and had to dig the disk out of the box. It is my understanding that all the demos have to be installed on the PS3 HDD, which is a head scratcher. For those of you that already have an Eye Toy, and just picked up a Move Controller, I believe that all the demos are going to be made available on PSN.

Quick Summary
Move setup is easy as long as you are not an old fart without a clue.

The Move Controller calibration process is simple; three quick actions and button presses (shoulder, side, and belt). I could play games sitting down or standing up. Precision seems very well implemented.

Sports Champions looks pretty with several different games that showed immediate gameplay potential (really enjoyed Disc Golf and Archery). I did not try Volley Ball or Bocce, and I did not give Table Tennis a fair go. It was getting late, so I will have to come back to these today.

The Wanker Returns …

Little Bobby returns to Georgia for the first time today since tucking his tail between his legs and heading out to the Ozarks. Has it really been three years? Whatever; the wanker did Falcons fans a favor by getting out of ATL.

Look it up. Bobby Petrino = Wanker …

Even if Little Bobby’s Hogs manage a victory over the Dawgs today at High Noon, there is nothing the wanker can do to earn any respect in the great state of Georgia.

I hope the Dawgs send him packing.

Go Dawgs!

Move Me

Tomorrow I should receive a new bundle of joy, hope, and expense from Amazon (via Prime Release Day Delivery). Yes, I decided to Move. I picked up the Move Starter Bundle (Move controller, Eye Toy, Sports Champion), Move Navigation controller, an extra Move controller, and a Sony branded Charging Station.

Will this be worth the money? No idea, but I figured just for shits and giggles I would give the Move a go and see where things land.

I decided not to pick up any additional games for now. Something like NBA 2K11 or even Tiger Woods, just to see how this puppy will handle a “serious” sports game, may be worth a flyer in the future. I wonder how that John Daly game is going to end up; garbage quick cash in, or actually decent?

I would love to try something like Cabela’s North American Adventures 2011 with the Move, but for some inexplicable reason, it does not look like the Move is supported. In fact, reviews, info, opinions, or anything else for that matter are hard to come by on the newest Cabela release. I guess it is just “shoot the animals; you know the drill, but this time in HD.”

I know that Heavy Rain will get an update; same for HVB, which should invigorate this PSN classic. I am not sure if any of my other titles will receive Move patches, but MLB 10: The Show would make for interesting Move support.

I will try to post a few updates over the weekend.

Falcons Disappoint in Opener Against Steelers

What a disappointing loss; 15-9 in OT. Earlier this morning I was in high spirits because I could not imagine the Falcons not being able to run, Matt Ryan not being able to make plays when it counted most, and the “improved” defense falling to an inexperienced third-string QB.

I am too bitter right now to write anything else.

Dawgs Fall (SEC Week 2)

Bummer of a day for the Dawgs. The mighty Fighting Chickens from South Carolina got the better of Georgia on this day. Of course you can always play the “if only” or “what if” cards, but at the end of the day a loss is still a loss.

Of course A.J. Green was missed, but it is really hard to say that Green’s presence would have made a huge difference with an inexperienced Murray at QB. The game belonged to Marcus Lattimore; what a phenomenal performance (182 yards on 37 carries, with 2 TDs).

Next week UGA has a realistic chance of falling to 0-2 in the SEC at the hands of the piggies from Arkansas. Let’s hope the Dawgs figure some things out before Sooie comes calling.

No other real surprises in Week 2. Auburn escaped an improving Mississippi State squad. Florida eventually got chomping against South Florida. LSU easily dispatched Vanderbilt. Arkansas took care of business against inferior competition; same for the Wild Cats from Kentucky. Even Mississippi bounced back after a disastrous opening week.

Did anyone really expect Tennessee to show well over Oregon? I was debating if the Volunteers should be awarded the Calvert Games Shame of the Week, but they did hang close early on, so I guess the boys in Orange can hang their hat on some semi-sort of mini first half victory.

As expected, the Tide Rolled over the Nittany Lions. Yawn. I still do not understand why anyone made this one out to be a big deal, however I admit that I would rather see these types of match-ups along with the likes of Tennessee/Oregon, Miami/Ohio St., and Florida St./Oklahoma, then some of the opening weekend dribble that the SEC typically throws at us with their non conference cupcake schedule. Of course other conferences do the “easy dance” too, so I’ll shut up on the Alabama/Penn St. match-up.

Georgia (the state) had a miserable weekend with Georgia Tech falling to Kansas; on any other weekend I would love to gloat about, but alas I would rather the Bulldogs win than the Bumble Bees lose.

Thankfully one of my two teams did well. Texas started slow against those Wyoming Cowboys. So hook ‘em!

From a non-UGA perspective, it was a great weekend of college football. I just hope that Georgia can get back on track next weekend.

Go Dawgs!

Braves and Phillies Deadlocked with 19 to Play

It’s hard to believe that after 143 games, the Braves and Phillies are knotted up at 82-61. There are 19 to play and at this point the Braves are just trying to hold on to a Wild Card spot; they are really been fumbling of late.

The Braves close out the St. Louis series today, followed by three more at home against Washington. Next up is a long road stretch with three in NY, three in Philadelphia, and three in Washington. The Braves then close things out at home hosting Florida for three, followed by a potentially for all the marbles three game set with the Phillies.

So nine on the road and ten at home, which include the last three against Philly. I think the schedule slightly favors the Braves. I like Atlanta’s chances at home, much better than on the road. If the East is still up for grabs during the final three game set, the pressure will be on the Phillies, not the Braves.

Can they close the deal?

Catching the Move

I have not written much about the PlayStation Move. Mostly because I have been somewhat indifferent, and I am not really sure that I want to invest a sizable chunk of coin into a new system (really accessory) ad-on that may or may not be well supported over the next 18-24 months.

As we move closer to September 17 I am becoming anxious. Am I going to miss out on something? Do I need to get my Day 1 Jones going? Should I Move?

Do I really want to spend $100 for the Move/Eye/Sports Champion bundle, another $50 for a second Move controller (for those games that require two moves and to allow for multi-player games with my kids), and another $30 for the Move Navigation accessory? $180 is a serious investment when gaming dollars are at an all time premium. Not sure about you, but unless I am getting a great bargain, I have become fairly selective in my gaming purchases. The economy and three growing boys sometimes put a check on my past carefree spending ways.

It will be interesting to see how well the Move is supported in upcoming games. Hopefully we will see a lot of meaningful patches that will allow for somewhat unique experiences over typical PS3 games. The real question for me – does the Move provide for a better experience over the Wii? All signs point to HD gaming with more precision than the Wii. Is the Move worth $100-180 to see if gaming progresses past the typical casual Wii experience? Will the Move be more than a HD Wii?

Lots of questions and hardly any answers for this jaded gamer. If I decide to go with a Move, in addition to Sports Champion, I should have a couple of Move compatible games: Heavy Rain and High Velocity Bowling (HVB).

I haven’t touched Heavy Rain since I switched to my PS3 Slim in June. The Heavy Rain save file was not transferable; and to be perfectly honest I haven’t been in the mood to start over. Every time I think of picking it back up, I think that I should probably hold out until I make a decision on the Move because I could see Heavy Rain’s controls really benefiting from the Move.

HVB should get a nice boost of new reply value with Move support. In my opinion HVB is really an underrated game, but even with the addition of Move support, it would be difficult to call a Move compatible HVB a reason to invest in the Move.

Two supported games for $180 is a little steep for my tastes. Of course getting Sports Champions in the Move bundle would bring my supported library to a grand total of three games. That helps a little on the value front, but very little in the way of ammunition towards convincing my wife that this is money well spent.

So all I am doing is writing about reasons why I should not get a Move, but we all know that I will probably say “f-it” and do it anyway, right? That’s just how I roll.

SEC Week 1 Recap

Except for the LSU/North Carolina game, the first weekend of big boy SEC football was rather meaningless. Granted, Mississippi St. and Kentucky decided to step up and play decent teams. South Carolina brought in Southern Miss. while Vanderbilt decided to host Northwestern, which resulted in a loss; however in my opinion there is no shame in that loss. After all Northwestern was 8-5 last year.

Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee all dialed in very safe, subpar teams.

Ah and then there is Ole Miss earning the Calvert Games Shame of the Week honors by taking one on the chin in double overtime to Jacksonville State. Seriously? Are you kidding me? I watched the game as it moved to overtime and I was left thinking that the Mississippi AD should fire Coach Nutt on the spot. Ridiculous.

All in all, a 10-2 opening weekend for the SEC that was highlighted by subpar competition, a disaster in Oxford, poor execution by Florida, and a ho-hum LSU victory over a depleted North Carolina team.

SEC play starts next weekend featuring a pretty good looking UGA squad traveling to Columbia to play the always tough Fighting Chickens. Auburn goes on the road to see if Mississippi St. has improved, and LSU gets consecutive road games (Vanderbilt).

Florida better get its act together in a hurry or the South Florida Bulls may just ring ‘em, which would be a really bad start to the post Tebow era.

Of course the big one of the weekend sees Alabama hosting Penn St. This should be another embarrassment for the Big 10.

All for this week. Go Dawgs!

A.J. Green – Status in Limbo?

One day away from the season opener and A.J. Green, arguably the best player on the UGA roster, does not know if he will play. I did not realize that he was in trouble; or at least being investigated.

Seems like the Dawgs just cannot stay out of trouble.

You have to like Branden Smith’s attitude.

“I’ve been wanting to play punt return ever since I got up here,” he said.

He said he takes a three-pronged approach to the job: “The No. 1 thing is catching the ball. No. 2 is holding on to the ball. And No. 3 is just do my thing. With my speed and the blocking up front, it should not be that hard.”

Never heard someone describe returning punts as easy.

Go Dawgs!

ESPN has Falcons winning the South.

I will have to get my arms around these predictions over the long weekend, after all the final roster moves are made. In their team-by-team previews, ESPN has the Falcons taking the NFC South (3 experts predicted 1st, while 2 predicted 2nd).

I am just not sure that the Saints have done anything to show that they cannot repeat as the division champion. The Falcons should be much improved and I agree with the article’s final comment/breakdown:

It all boils down to this: In the end, it’s about the defensive front. The Falcons can talk all they want about their improved secondary and the speed at linebacker. That’s true, but the fate of this defense rests on the front four. If the Falcons really hope to slow New Orleans’ passing game or Carolina’s running game, they’ve got to be better up front. They’re getting defensive tackle Peria Jerry back from injury, and third-round pick Corey Peters looks like he can be a force in the middle. Team those guys with Jonathan Babineaux, and the Falcons might be all right in the interior and that might even help the defensive ends. But John Abraham, Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury have to generate more of a pass rush than last season if this defense is really going to improve.

So far this preseason (which is probably not worth a lot or a great indicator of regular season success), Biermann has looked very good, and except for the Pats game, the defense has shown improvement.

Go Falcons!

Of Reviews And Such …

There was a thread over on the PlayStation boards about rating PSN content, which of course got me thinking and writing about reviews and rating systems. What follows is what I posted, which I think is worth a second look here.

On a 5 point/star system, I typically think of scores as meaning:

= piss poor
= poor, but may have some redeeming value epically to fans of the genera
= average game, certainly worth a rental, but maybe only a purchase at a discount from full retail price
= above average game, with something that holds it back from being the best of the best
= great game; glad I own it, played it, may even play it again, well worth the money, etc

At one point in my reviewing days I switched to a “pass, rent, buy” system.

Ratings (and reviews) are so subjective that in my opinion they are meaningless unless you know who is rating the game. Do they typically rate higher than everyone else? Lower? In the case of PSN ratings, what percentage of down-loaders actually rate the games?

With all that said, I use the ratings as an “interesting” base point. So for example, if I am unsure or unfamiliar with something, I may look at the PSN rating and then head over to metacritic to get some general opinions on the game, what it is like, and what I may or may not like about a game.

These days most sites cannot get away with not rating a game with a score for fear of retribution – no listing in the various databases, which means no incoming links, and ultimately lower advertising revenue. And it is my opinion that the gaming masses are lazy; they probably just skip to the score. Of course I have no basis to prove this, but it is not as if my opinion can be wrong.