Qore Episode 14 to be released today.

So the latest Qore episode is on the way, and according to the PlayStation Blog, day 1 subscribers from last June will get some sort of special renewal offer. Me? I think I subscribed last July, so it looks like nothing special is coming my way.

Initial subscribers from June 2008 can now take advantage of a special renewal offer. Please check your e-mail for details. You’ll need to visit the PlayStation Store and, under the Media category, find and select the special renewal ‘thumbnail’ to avoid missing an episode.

All annual subscribers and single episode purchasers will receive an exclusive Battlefield: 1943 theme this month, and don’t forget to look for a new mini-game in the Qore Arcade. Also, in celebration of Independence Day, check out your very own fireworks launcher…

Well holy f’ing crap! We get a freaking theme for free. Good grief! I know I have already discussed Qore and Remote Play capabilities ad nauseam, but give us a break already and do the needful. Set Qore free on the PSP!

I am going to think twice before plopping down my $24 renewal. Who am I kidding? I bet I re-up at the next available opportunity. Sucker born every minute and all that crap.

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Over clocking your PS3 Blu-ray drive?

Something like over clocking. This article from ZKG seems too outlandish to be true, but if you can over clock a CPU, why not a Blu-ray drive? The premise of the article is that Call of Duty: World at War can destroy the PS3’s Blu-ray lens.

“They [a former employee of Infinity Ward] said that the way that Treyarch’s code is executed and organized causes the disc to spin too fast in the PS3 thus blowing the Blu Ray lens and that is what causes all those disc read errors.”

The article is well written, informative, and worth a read. For a few minutes I started to wonder if one of my PS3 games f’up my lens, but then I remember that the toddler stuffed in three discs. Same results, different article.

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PS3 Coffin Arrives. Twice.

Last Thursday I finally broke down and put in a repair order to Sony to get my PS3 fixed. The undependability of the Blu-ray unit because too much to overcome. If you know me, you know I am on the straight and narrow. I like my ducks to lined up nice and tidy, and when I want to watch a Blu-ray or DVD movie, or play a game, be it PS3, PS2, or PSX, it damn well better work.

The “box” was scheduled to arrive on June 29th, but did not actually show up until yesterday. Imagine my surprise when my wife and two oldest boys excitedly came into the kitchen with two large, oversized boxes. They fixed something good was in hand, so they were awfully disappointed to learn the boxes were empty.

To be exact, they contain some foam-like packing materials, a UPS shipping label and instructions on packing and returning the PS3 system for repairs.

Why did I get two boxes? I hope I am not going to get double the repair price, but I think should be fairly safe since I used my AMEX card and the Sony site says they will not charge the card until the system is repaired.

Of course now the PS3 seems to be working fine. I am going to try to wing it through the three-day weekend before sending the system back to Sony.

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Abysmal Sales for SCEA PS3 Exclusives

I am not even sure what to begin with this one. Over the weekend GameSetWatch published a fascinating article titles Analysis: Was Using Original IP The Best Idea For Sony’s PS3 Strategy?

The article points out that among the many different risks Sony took with the PS3, one of the primary risks was concentrating on new intellectual property instead of focusing on sequels. While the new titles have been well received (my opinion) none have been what I would call a system seller, at least not in the U.S. Even if Sony ends up with a must have title, the current price point is just too high to get further market penetration in the U.S. market. $299 is a “magical” price point for a system, and Sony must reach that mark by Christmas or they face the very real prospects that third party publishers will abandon the system or at the very least treat it as a nonstarter for the majority of their titles.

Looking at the data in the article, I was surprised to see that Resistance: Fall of Man is the only title to officially go over 1 million games sold [article uses NPD Group data]. It will be interesting to see if Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction will get a bump now that it is in Greatest Hits status. I am also curious to see if the new Uncharted does well, because unlike some of its other titles, I expect Sony to push the living daylights out of the sequel. All in all, I think the first party sales figures are downright abysmal.

This is the rare occasion where I do not quote an article. It is worth a read; highly recommended.

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Another Qore update. December comments.

No jokes please about Christmas coming late. As I continue to slog my way through back episodes of Qore, I always come back to the same comment. Decent content, could be deeper, but should be Remote Play(able) on my PSP. If there was ever a game (or whatever you want to call Qore) that should support Remote Play, Qore is the one. I hope there is a change in direction sooner or later. Maybe with the advent of the PSPgo we will see better Remote Play support.

The funny thing about watching some of the Qore content after the fact is that I just learned about a game that seemed interesting. I figured that I would not pay full price, but if the game found its way to the Greatest Hits list or maybe the discount rack, it could be worth checking out. The game? Damnation.

Wow! What an absolute train wreck. The Qore content looked interesting, but the metacritic scores tell a completely different story.

On a positive note, Skate 2 looks really interesting, but this is another game that I may not purchase at full price. These days I am a selective bastard when it comes to dishing out full MSRP for a game. $60+ or more will cause you (or at least me) to think twice before making an impulse purchase. I am going to check out some of the reviews, and if Skate 2 has an open ended mode where you can just explore and skate around; it will probably merit a closer look. I suppose I can always fall back to Tony Hawk on the PSX, but these days I am such a candy-ass graphics whore that it hurts my tired old eyes to look at old PSX games on my HDTV.

Final thoughts. The PlayStation Network Flock! demo, which is listed as “exclusive” to Qore, looks like good clean fun, but this one is on the backburners of my current gaming rotation. The game is all over the map with metacritic scores, only averaging a mediocre 71%. Then again Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is also rated at 71%, but I absolutely love that game, so f#^k the critics. LOL

An “exclusive” demo is not that much incentive to purchase Qore, so I hope the bonus materials pick up steam. If I had my preference it would be for a code to pick a game of your choice at a set price (i.e. $7.99 or less), or maybe put a time limit on the full version of the game. Even a couple of days would be better than what is currently being offered.

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Negative review, the right way.

Yesterday I was looking for some info on Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade (PSP). Why look for info on such an old game? Untold Legends was one of my first PSP purchases, but like so many other games, I never finished it. I picked it back up a couple of nights ago and could not remember exactly where I left off, or how to play. The how to play part quickly came back, but not so much on the what am I suppose to do next. At any rate, one thing led to another and then I came across this Eurogamer review.

But our hopes had always been dashed before, and now we didn’t care any more. We couldn’t be bothered to track through the Tornwood Forest yet again. We doubted very much that Shattercove East would be much different from Shattercove West, nor from the Dreadwind Moor nor the Waning Wastes nor the Whispering Chasm, for that matter.

As for the boss, we make it a general policy to avoid anyone with the words “The Hateful” after their name. And whatever the Containment Shard might be, whatever magical powers it might have or glorious salvation it might offer, we realised we couldn’t give a flying Fine Wrapped Baculus.

As you might have guessed by now, there are some the fundamental problems with Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, Sony Online Entertainment’s first game for the PSP. You might think, what with its EverQuest heritage and all, that SOE could come up with something that’s at least somewhat engrossing and entertaining – but instead, it has turned out a generic hack-and-slasher with RPG elements that have been so stripped down that you might as well just buy a pencil, a set of dice and a fighting fantasy gamebook.

The reviewer obviously dislikes everything about the game, giving it a 3/10, but it is done in such an elegant way that I was really impressed with the review. The reviewer explains why the story is lacking, why the game mechanics are boring, and the lack of risk/reward in just about every element of gameplay.

I will have to read some of the reviewer’s other reviews to see if there is just a general dislike for this sort of game. In the future I will certainly enjoy reading more materials from Eurogamer, if everything is put together with this level of quality.

At least now I remember why I gave up on the game, and why I have no clue what to do next. It is all more or less the same sorry stuff, but I cannot help myself when it comes to hack ‘n slash fantasy type titles. I may give this one another go before I pimp it on eBay.

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Pangya: Fantasy Golf Quickie Impressions

Oh God, the sticky sweet Japanese anime and dialog is going to make me go off my rocker or worse. Ok, maybe it is not that bad, but good grief it has been a while since I tried to dig into something like Pangya. From the opening video I knew there were no pretenses of a Tiger Woods type simulation golf game. Nope, this one is going to be arcade all the way. Or so I thought.

It is has been a while since I played any sort of arcade sports title, but for some reason this one caught my eye. Maybe it was the anime. Maybe it was the “I don’t have anything else better to play on my PSP” factor. Maybe it was just time to try something new.

After absorbing all the anime goodness of the opening video, I quickly went into the story mode. The game takes you straight into a fairly simple tutorial, which explains the back story of Pangya, and shows you how to play the basics of the game (i.e. the control setup). After the tutorial was safely out of the way, I entered my first tournament. This was a pretty straight forward three hole head-to-head play challenge against a CPU opponent. After getting a disappointing draw, I played again and won before moving to the next tournament. And so on and so forth, except that I won the next few tournaments.

Gameplay seems fairly straight forward, but surprisingly the game seems to have a decent game of golf under the anime. It is way too early to judge the physics, but at first glance, they seem fairly realistic. Take away the anime, the over the top sound effects, catchy sweet music, and arcade sound effects, and you have golf. The basic shot mechanics are routine. After you select your club, you press a button to get the power meter started, determine spin if any, and you press again to get a perfect Pangya zone (i.e. you are going to hit your shot). Standard fare timing system, but it works for a pick up and play system like the PSP. The physics do seem to take wind into play. Same for sand traps, rough, or the fairway; shots handle differently depending on your lie. The greens also present a challenge, with various slopes that must be accounted for as you line up your putts.

I have not really looked into this aspect of the game, but you get to supplement things with various items that can be purchased from a store, which brings arcade elements into the game. I assume different types of power-ups to clubs, balls, and other gadgets such as potions help give you an edge over the competition. I am sure this is also where the game takes on a collection (dare I say RPG) aspect, but I am not going to worry about that right now. At least not today. I have also leveled up my dude, but I have no idea what this gives me. Not sure if my character just gets better or if I am suppose to customize him with attribute points.

It looks like there is plenty to do in the game. There is a story mode, which I assume gives you a different set of painfully bad text to read depending on your character selection. By default the game opens with 2 characters available; it looks like six more are available to be unlocked. There are also other modes of play such as tournament mode, but I have not explored the game beyond the initial story mode.

To be honest, I knew what I was getting into when I decided to preorder a game with a title called Pangya, but so far, so pleased. More to come later.

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PS3 owners love some pinball.

I thought this was an interesting article (via the PlayStation blog) on May 2009 PlayStation Network sales figures.

“Zen Studios’ Zen Pinball was the best selling game on the PlayStation Network for May, and from data we have picked from the game’s Leaderboards, we can see that the title has had well over 50,000 people playing for long enough to post a high score.”

I love pinball … on portable systems. Zen Pinball is the type of title that should have Remote Play capability on the PSP. Without being able to play this one on my PSP, I doubt I will try it unless it is free in an upcoming Qore episode, or is significantly discounted.

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The race for the Chase is on!

With only nine “regular season” races to go until the Chase starts, the battle is on to fill the 10-12 spots. It is hard to believe just how tight these positions are, with only 5 points separating Kenseth, Martin, and JPM. Lurking in the wings is Kahne, who is only one point back, and Reutimann, who is within 12 points of striking distance.

[position, driver, points, points back]
10 Matt Kenseth 2054 -470
11 Mark Martin 2052 -472
12 Juan Pablo Montoya 2049 -475
13 Kasey Kahne 2048 -476
14 David Reutimann 2037 -487

I was disappointed yesterday that the rain kept Jeff Gordon from picking up a second win, and some much needed bonus points. While the above drivers have to “points race” to make the Chase, under the current format, second place does not do Gordon much good.

The next few weeks should be interesting. I would really like JPM to make a push and secure a spot.

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On the fence with PSPgo.

I have been sitting on the fence about purchasing a new PSPgo. Part of me really wants the system – no more UMDs, fast digital content, small/compact system. Part of me also screams no – another $250 towards portable gaming, digital downloads me no more eBay (maybe … I am sure there will be some ways around this limitation).

As I getting my gaming jones going again I have discovered several non-U.S. based sites, including The Sixth Axis, which is now part of my must read list. Over the weekend The Sixth Axis posted an interesting article on the new would-be uber system.

When you press Home on the PSPgo you are given two options. You can choose to either end or suspend the game. If you choose suspend, after two to three seconds of progress bar, you are returned to the XMB. Under the Game menu you will now find a ‘Resume Game’ option complete with a tiny screenshot of your game in progress.

In game save features for all PSP games makes this a must have purchase.

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Well, it was fun while it lasted.

As they were getting ready to start the second half, I told my boys that the first five minutes and the final ten (if we were still in front) were going to be a nightmare. Sure enough, we did it again. Another quick goal; this time in the first minute of the second half!

The U.S. never looked the same again. Sure, there were a few quality opportunities, but for the most part they seemed to sit back and watch Brazil, until it was too late, and then they seemed like they were too winded to hold a solid defensive line.

It is hard for me to be disappointed at a 3-2 loss to Brazil. The U.S. should not have even been playing, much less taking a 2-0 lead into the half. I am not sure how often FIFA tournament finals opportunities come around; this was a first for Team USA, hopefully it is a sign of a building team.

We still lack quality strikers. I just do not get why Davies continues to hold a starting forward position. Maybe it is for the lack of opportunities. In the first half the defensive backs played much better, but it just seems like we lack something. I could be reading it wrong, but I think we need someone that can better connect the defensive backs to the midfielders.

All in all, I am disappointed, but in this loss I see great hope for the future of American soccer, and I see the U.S. making a decent run in the 2010 World Cup, assuming they can get a decent draw. The Confederations Cup has shown this team that they can win against quality opponents, so hopefully the team can build on this foundation. Besides, how often do you get to say that we let one get away against Brazil?

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Sunday morning, its just getting started.

I know people that talk about sleeping in on the weekend. As in sleeping past 9AM … maybe even 10AM. I think the last time I slept that late was on my second or third business trip to London. By that time, London had lost its luster, and after a week of work, I had nothing better to do except sleep as late as possible. Of course, one too many pints probably contributed. I have lost count of how many years ago that was.

My typical routine starts before the crack of 6AM. Yes, even on a weekend. I am what is called a “morning” person, so it is not surprising that years ago I completely pissed off my wife by suggesting that a lady at work was able to get her two-year-old in bed by 8PM, so WTF is wrong with you. Oops of epic proportions! At the time our only son was having problems getting to sleep be for 10PM. Boy, calling out my wife’s mommy-hood really put a burr up her ass, because the next thing I know bed times slowly but surely changed. To this day, all three kids are in bed before 9AM.

Of course the consequence of an early bedtime is that the kids get up butt early. Even on the weekend. With three boys, including a two-year-old who likes to stuff discs in the PS3, I have no choice but to be an early riser, but do I really have to be up before 6AM on a Sunday morning? To tell you the truth, it sucks, but I just cannot sleep late. I guess it is in my DNA; my dad was also an earlier riser. Besides, the kids will be up by 6:30AM (one just came into the kitchen as I was pecking away at this soliloquy). There is no way on God’s Green Earth I am about to light things up with another suggestion. Nope. I am not that brave. Or foolish. And I am certainly not willing to live the life on a monk for the next six months.

Thankfully a cup of the glorious black stuff is safely in hand. Not sure how I would get through the day without a cup or two of my favorite brew. Speaking of the upcoming day, it should be a fun one. I plan to get in a run before church, and I think we are going to get a box of Publix fried chicken for lunch. Man is that stuff good, diet be damned. This afternoon promises some NASCAR action and of course the Confed final. Does Team USA have a chance to pull off yet another upset?

Happy Sunday!

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