PS3 – Page 11 – The Recycle Bin

YLoD – The Calvert Games Do It Yourself Project

I decided to try a do it yourself YLoD repair. I am going to follow this YLoD guide over the next couple of days to disassemble and clean my PS3. Today I ordered a heat gun and thermal compound kit. With any luck, I may have my PS3 up and running again sometime Saturday or Sunday.

On the lowest setting, the heat gun is probably twice as hot as I need, and I probably do not need all the extra cleaning gunk in the kit. I figure if this does not work, then I am out about $40, which for a do it yourself project does not seem like too big a loss.

More to come later. Wish me luck!

If I get the PS3 up and running, I will quickly backup my game save data files, and then consider next steps. I want (let’s be honest and call it need) a Blu-ray player, and the PS3 is about the best one out there from a feature price standpoint. The PS3 is also future proof, providing easy firmware upgrade options, not to mention the ability to play games.

On a side note, Amazon is out of PS3 units. With E3 on the way, I wonder if that pretty much confirms that a new SKU or two should be released soon. According to PLayStation Life Style, there is a new PS3 SKU on the way, and while I already have MLB 10: The Show, this is really my next option if I cannot get my original 60GB ‘fat’ (CECHA01) up and running. I can always eBay MLB 10 for a little cash (to make up for my YLoD project). It just sucks that the newer models lack so many of the features found in the original modules. Usually subsequent release of hardware get new and improved features not stripped down versions of their former glory. I understand all the cost cutting measures, but the stripped down features of the slim compared to the original systems is borderline ridiculous. Removing PS2 backwards compatibility is a sin on the part of Sony, but I guess that is the sort of thing that happens when you start hemorrhaging money in the middle of a piss poor economy.

YLoD – Options

After doing some YLoD research, I have pretty much ruled out any sort of self repair. If I had the tools I would probably give this repair a go, but I do not, I will have to look at other options.

Sending the PS3 to Sony a second time in 10 months for another $150 (plus tax) is not an option.

I am holding out some hope that my AMEX Gold card is going to provide me with some sort of extended warranty benefit. I sent in an inquiry to see if this service was just good for new purchases, or if a repair would also be covered. I am pretty sure AMEX only covers original merchandise purchases, but it is worth a shot to ask.

Another repair option is a company in Utah called KGR; for $100 it sounds like they can fix YLoD, but the only downside is that I am throwing another $100 after this original PS3 60GB system. Maybe it is just time to let it go?

I could always get a new PS3, but after this experience, that really rubs me the wrong way.

Last but not least, I could just give up all together on the PS3 and Sony, and get a standalone Blu-ray player. This may seem drastic, but it would probably mean the kids’ Wii goes into the living room, and I more or less give up console gaming in favor of other pursuits (i.e. PC gaming). Hey, it could happen.

YLoD – Sony Fan No More

Imagine my surprise as I went to turn on my PS3 for the first time in several weeks for family movie night. My PS3 power light went from green, to yellow, to blinking red. Yellow Light of Death! Rats!

I did a few google searches and basically decided that the system was dead. I called Sony technical support and explained to the lady on the other end (“Jewel”) what was wrong with my beloved PS3, and she immediately said that there was nothing she could troubleshoot over the phone; I needed to send in my system. I never considered that there may be a cost associated with this repair …

We talked about what happened with my last repair – I lost years of PSX and PS2 saved data because the Sony repairs pretty much guaranteed that my HDD would not be recognized. Complete BS, but I have already written about that song and dance last year.

After a few more minutes of talking about options, “Jewel” indicated that she was happy to take my credit card number and for $150 repair my 60GB CECHA01 system, or replace it with one of the newer models.

I explained that the system was repaired June 25, 2009. She kindly told me that the repair was only good for 90 days. I told her that it was complete BS that a $150 repair was only good for 90 days.

I also explained to “Jewel” that I have been a fan of PlayStation products for years – since the launch of the PSX – but this was really too much to take.

She understood; there is nothing she can do for me.

Speechless. It is one thing for a PS3 to die after playing for hours on end, but it is another thing altogether for the system to die without me helping it along.

I am tempted to give up all together on Sony, but the PS3 is a great Blu-ray player, so part of me thinks I should get another despite my reservations. Of course I am not going to have another original 60GB system with hardware backwards compatibility, but I digress.

Maybe I will just invest in a new Blu-ray player and a decent PC gaming rig, because at this minute I am completely pissed at Sony, their lack of service, and their unwillingness to help out a longtime supporter of their PlayStation brand products.

I suppose I could also look into a do it yourself YLoD repair endeavor, but I am not necessarily handy trying to fix electronics. Another option may be to see if my AMEX Gold card offers some sort of additional warranty support.

Very disappointed in Sony.

Tecmo Bowl Throwback

The upcoming release of the classic SNES Tecmo Bowl Throwback title has been on my radar since it was announced. The video game page at ESPN has a nice Q&A with the game’s producer.

Jon Robinson: Without the NFL license, how are the team and player names handled in the game?

Mike Fahrny: Because of the NFL licensing with EA, we couldn’t use any of the teams or players, so they’re all different. All the team and player names are different. But the one thing we did do is to allow all the team and player names to be editable by the player. So if you want to go back and play as one of those old NFL teams, feel free to. It just depends how much you want to go back and micromanage. All of the original stats are there, so your favorite players are in there, and we kept the teams in the same city location, so you should be able to find and figure out where your old favorites are pretty quickly.

That EA/NFL license thing is really the bomb, no? Even without the licensing issues, I doubt all of the players would have appeared correctly “as is” due to issues with NFL Player Association licensing deals.

The article had one further comment that gives some hope to the game; apparently “Q/A team keeps complaining that the game is too hard” – good times. I suspect Tecmo Super Bowl Throwback will do well with a certain middle age gamer demographic.

GoW III Day

Today God of War: III (GoW III) is officially unveiled upon awaiting gamers, ready to play the “best game ever” or so we have been told. All the news and reviews I have read indicate that it will be one hell of a game, so why will it not show up on my doorsteps today?

I mentioned this a while back. I have never played the first two games, and while I have thought about picking up the God of War Collection just to see the PS2 games updated in high-def glory, I really just do not have the time to add one more game to my collection when so many remain uncompleted.

I would like to get to GoW III (and the “Collection”) at some point down the road; for now the “best game ever” will have to wait.

Monday Random Gaming Notes

Today I will be brief. First, I am not sold on the new PlayStation Move or Social Gaming. It’s probably an unfair comparison, however if I wanted motion control in my games the kids’ Wii would be in the living-room. I have never been a huge fan of online gaming, so I doubt that I will just dive into new social gaming communities.

Over the weekend I spent some time with MLB10; what a fantastic game of baseball! I am very much still on the back half of the learning curve; cannot hit a lick … mostly because on timed hitting I swing way too early or chase too many pitches. It was a satisfying feeling when I won my first game after dropping the first six!

A huge plus with the game for me is that the CPU batters actually strike out; including getting called out looking. As much as I like all the real time broadcast angles, clips, and whatnots that help MLB10 provide an immersive experience, I equally appreciate the fast play options.

I decided to jump back into Ferrari Challenge to go trophy whoring. I had a great time running hot laps, but it took my something like 25+ times to get the Hot Shot trophy (Bronze – Tutorial mode). I kept missing on apex accuracy, or racing line; I guess after all these years of racing games I still do not know how to corner!

Happy Monday!

F1 Is Back – Bahrain Within The Hour

I missed out on the qualifying session yesterday, but I thought it was interesting that Vettel took the poll, Massa and Alonso showed well for Ferrari landing the second and third spots, and finally Nico out qualified Schumacher (5th vs. 7th). I wonder if that is what Schume had in mind when he decided to come back at 41?

All things considered, Schumacher securing the seventh position is respectable considering a three year layoff, and the various changes to the cars, rules, and regulations.

In typical American fashion (at least I think it is typical) I am a Ferrari boy, and I always have a few favorite drivers. In the past 14 or so years that I have been following F1, I have cheered for Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Scott Speed, and of course Schumacher and the drama of putting the Scuderia back on top.

This year things are different. I anticipated a US entry, but alas, I was thwarted in my bid to cheer for the Red, White, and Blue. Disappointing. This year I hope for a remarkable comeback for Schumacher and I expect to see Massa and Alonso splitting race wins. Hopefully there will be good racing all around, with a few surprises to boot!

On the videogame front, maybe we will finally see a worthy successor to the Formula One Championship Edition (PS3). After all, I got my “racing” love back in 1996 by playing Psygnosis’ Formula 1 for the PSX. It is very disappointing that we have not seen some sort of new F1 game – this is a far cry from the PSX heyday when we would see yearly releases, often with competing developers in the same year with semi-licensed games.

MLB 10: The Show vs. MLB 2K10

For some random reason I was looking at the MLB 10: The Show (MLB10) review scores this morning and noticed this review from GamesDaily (8/10).

For the past couple of years, The Show has dominated with a superb presentation, in-depth options and unmatched gameplay. There’s still plenty of that to go around this year, although Sony’s grip on baseball superiority has loosened, as this game is about on the same level as 2K’s. That’s good news for baseball aficionados (with two quality products to choose from), but not-so-good news for Sony’s San Diego team.

My first thought was “hmmm, I did not realize that Major League Baseball 2K10 (MLB2K10) had made such major strides.”

The reviewer offers a few MLB10 critiques: The pick off system is a nice addition, but difficult. The catchers’ inability to throw out some runners is also mentioned, along with some minor issues with the AI in franchise mode. Finally the reviewer wraps things up by complains about the install process using 5GB of storage space, along with the menu load times, and the commentary that can often be grating.

To each their own; after all opinions are opinions, so I have no real quarrel with the reviewer’s criticisms. I agree with the reviewer’s comments on the menus, especially when navigating online.

I decided to check out the scores: MLB10 vs. MLB2K10. While there may not be enough of a sampling to make any final conclusions, it is obvious that the majority of critics consider MLB10 the superior game; the fans are clearly attracted to Sony’s product. MLB10 currently has an 88% (12 critic reviews) with a 9.7 user rating (51 votes), while MLB2K10 has a 74% (12 critic reviews) with a 5.0 user rating (2 votes).

While I have not played MLB2K10, much less one of their baseball games in recent years, the majority of reviews indicate that this year’s version has made significant strides; great visuals with solid gameplay. The good news is that gamers have two choices, but are both created equally as the GamesDaily reviewer claims?

WKC:I – Free Quests Aplenty!

Sony has announced that they are offering free WKC:I quests, plus those crazy kids are running a sweepstakes, which offers up some serious looking action figure.

Beginning this Thursday, March 11th, we’ll be offering up additional quests for free every week through the end of June! You read right, free. Just log into the PlayStation Network, start up your copy of White Knight Chronicles and you’ll see new quests pop up on the World Map. Each week we’ll be releasing a new permanent quest, as well as limited quests that will only be available for two weeks at a time.

I am nowhere near enough (currently GR2) to be able to enjoy any of these quests. Not sure if this is poking me in the eye, incentive for me to drop what I am doing and get on with the game, or a little of both. I really appreciate Sony’s support of WKC:I with the addition of free DLC quests.

WKC:I has not received critical acclaim, and it is sure to be lost in the shadow of several other soon to be major hits (cough … FFXIII, cough GOW:III … cough). WKC:I has fan favorite, cult classic written all over it. I hope Sony continues to support the game for a long time to come, because I know I will be lagging behind everyone else in terms of gameplay time and guild rankings.

FFXIII Ships

Not sure WTF I am doing up at 1:30AM to write that this apparently mediocre (by Final Fantasy standards) game shipped.

Amazon is also giving me a $10 credit towards a future game with my order. I am becoming so far backlogged that I am not sure when I will actually look at this game, much less when to consider my next purchase at a $10 discount. For those keeping score at home, I have not finished a Final Fantasy game since FFVII, so this does not look very promising.

BTW, the PS3 version is current tracking at 82% (36 reviews) to 84% (17 reviews) on the 360. Go figure.

MLB 10: The Show – Briefest of Impressions

I did not get nearly enough time with MLB 10: The Show (MLB10) over the weekend. There was just too much other stuff to do and catch up on after being out of the country for a week. Besides, the weather was spectacular and it was opening weekend for youth soccer, so we spent as much time outside as possible.

I did get to activate my code of the six classic stadiums. I guess this was a nice enough extra from the folks at Amazon, but it was not as if I grew up watching baseball at the Polo Grounds. Of course these stadiums are better than the cement circles that were popular when I was growing up – Fulton County, I call you out. Still; gift horse, so I will not complain.

My first thoughts are that MLB10 has an overwhelming assortment of options. With my thirty minute gaming sessions, it will take me a while to figure which options best suit my style of play.

MLB10 looks like it has superb presentation; the game looks real, the announcers seem to do a good job, and the game appears to have all the other intangibles that go into making an immersive baseball experience. One of the things I noticed right off was the ability to speed up the time it takes in-between pitches. When I actually spent a lot of time playing console baseball games, my favorite experiences where those that I could actually wrap up in 30 minutes; 45 minutes tops. I am not sure if a quick game is possible with MLB10, but any options to speed up the game are always appreciated. I almost feel guilty for attempting to bypass some of the wiz-bang side effects that the development team put into the game to make it appear as a realistic baseball experience.

I played a couple of three inning games; both times as the Braves. I lost 1-0 to Seattle and 2-0 to the Dodgers. I managed a single hit. I suck.

Thankfully there is a practice mode, so I can get some much needed practice in the batting catch. I am not sure if I should keep at it on the default batting Veteran level, move down to Rookie, or maybe change from the Catcher view. I will have to experiment and see if I improve; cannot stand seeing a .105 average. Ouch.

I am sure more impressions will be forthcoming throughout the week. I am cautiously optimistic because I actually have a console baseball that I want to play. It has been a while.

Saturday Stuffs Madness

It has been a while since I went hells blazing, stuffs to the wall crazy, so I figured it was time …

There And Back Again
I spent last week in Calgary, which explains why the site experienced a severe slowdown. Thursday and Friday marked the first time in over 150+ days (8 months) that I did not post something. That was a hell of a run; I suppose it had to end sooner or later.

Flying sucks. Everything stinks about flying from the airport parking experience, to get a boarding-pass, to security, to sitting next to overweight folks that have no business buying a single seat. It all makes for a crap experience. For this trip I had to go from Atlanta to Salt Lake City to Calgary, and returned via Minneapolis/St. Paul to Atlanta. Four different airplanes; 2000 sky miles. Glad to be home.

Now Drinking
I am sort of a homebody; I am not much for traveling unless it is with my wife. With three kids, that is just not something that occurs frequently these days. When I do travel, it is almost exclusively for work. If I had to pick a favorite part about traveling, it would have to be having the opportunity to sample different local beers. While I was in Calgary, I was able to enjoy 4-5 different beers, my favorite of which of Big Rock Honey Brown Lager. The Big Rock Black Amber Ale was a very close second.

New on Blu
While I was out of town, two new Blu-rays arrived – Never Ending Story and Clash of the Titans. Unfortunately it looks like both movies received absolutely nothing in the way of extras, which is extremely disappointing. We watched Never Ending Story for family night tonight. My youngest son was really into it, although he did not know what was going on except there was a really bad wolf. My oldest was pretty much soured on the whole “making him watch another stupid movie” routine. Thankfully my middle boy decided the movie was pretty good, even if he tried to play it off as a ho-hum experience.

Gaming Backlog
MLB 10: The Show arrived earlier in the week, but I have not had a chance to crack it open yet. I have not even come close to finishing Heavy Rain, and of course WKC:I is also uncompleted. FFXIII arrives next week, so I better get going. Or get eBay’ing.

I should have plenty of comments on these games over the next few days. Something video gaming related to make you stand up and clap your hands. Sorry; I think you get the point.

While I was in Canada, all hell broke loose in PS3 land. I guess I should be thankful for small favors. Non event for me, but from the best I can tell, there are some seriously pissed folks out there. Time heals all wounds? This too will pass.

Chrony In Action
Today was truly a blessed day; 60 or so degrees. Sunny, blue skies. I was finally able to get my Chrony setup for a few rounds from the Beeman R1 .22 Long and my Beeman R7. The good news is that I was able to get the shots to register. This was a huge improvement over my first experience, which was a non starter. I still do not know what I am doing, but it looks like my R1 is blazing at around 713.85 FPS while the R7 was cracking at 574.75 FPS. As the weather turns nicer, there will be a whole lot more of this for your airgun reading pleasure. I just hope the weather holds so I can break out the Chrony again and see how the Marauder fares.

Bring on Sunday!

MLB 10: The Show Arrives

I am far, far away from my home, so hopefully my wife will make sure MLB 10: The Show (MLB10) does not sit neglected on the porch too long.

It has been a couple of years since I embraced a console baseball title; I want it back – MLB10 will pave the way. MLB 10 looks to do everything right. From online leagues, to a more realistic gaming experience, MLB10 looks to set the stage for the greatest game of console baseball ever produced.

Sony’s boys and girls in San Diego have been incredibly busy this year, refining the game, and making little adjustments that put the game into a whole different ballpark from what we have experienced with past titles. This 30 minute gamer [I need to TM this quickly] will appreciate the warm up features.

Among other options to note, we brought back the classic L1/R1 baserunning controls for you old-schoolers. The RTTS Baserunning option will default to New, but if you prefer the single button press style controls, be sure to change it to Classic. We’ve also added in the ability to take pregame batting practice when you’re in the starting lineup for that game. You can step into the cage and take ten swings to help get your timing down before game-time. You won’t receive any training points or attribute improvements, but this will definitely help get you into a nice rhythm. To ensure you participate in batting practice, set the Pre-Game Batting Practice option to On. Lastly, we’ve added a new Mound Warm-Up feature that will give relievers a chance to throw eight warm-up pitches on the mound, after coming out of the bullpen. Just like pregame batting practice, you won’t receive any training points for this, but it does give you the chance to get a good rhythm before facing live hitters.

Hopefully the statistics engine will be spot on. While I have OOTP for statistical simulations, it would be pretty damn impressive if MLB10 could satisfy my twitch urge, and keep the stat-head in my happy.

Cannot wait until I get to get my hands on this puppy!

PS3 – Studios Push the Envelope

Pretty good article from GamesThirst (via N4G) on how the various Sony in-house studios are pushing each other for graphical and gameplay supremacy.

It all started in earnest with Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. No one paid attention back then, the game did not receive the praise to so badly needed but deserved. It was, and still is one of the best looking games on any console. After it, the flood gates were opened, and while lazy devs complained about the PS3’s built, Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, Kojima Productions, Guerrilla Games, Quantic Dream and Zipper Interactive were all working their hearts off to drop bombshells on the gaming industry. Guess what? It’s exactly what they did.

Technical Quantic Dream may not be a first party studio, PS3 fans have to assume Sony will do everything they can to lock up future IP from the developers of Heavy Rain. Sony may not have the numbers yet, but I like their strategy of getting out original IP experiences.

The Rain Does Not Stop Today

I am only a few chapters into the Heavy Rain experience, but I wanted to offer a quick comment or two. The opening stages/chapters are slow going, but they are necessary to introduce you to the backdrop story and of course the awkward controls. Yes, I still find the controls cumbersome, and they take away from the immersion factor. The quick time events are interesting, and add to the intensity; I just hate holding down the R2 button to walk. Seems so 1996 Resident Evil-ish.

IGN (UK) recently posted an article a couple of days ago offering various opinions from their contributors; spoiler free and worth a read. I thought this opinion summed up my experiences so far in the early stages of the game.

Heavy Rain is so well-put-together and finely produced that it’s guaranteed to suck in even the most skeptical PS3 owners right off the bat. It’s an adventure game at heart — there’s no doubt about that — but don’t let that turn you off. While the adventure genre has been effectively dead on consoles for a very, very long time, Heavy Rain puts a new spin on things. This is no point-and-click, read-read-read bore-fest. Heavy Rain exemplifies what adventure gaming should be in 2010.

It is worth noting that the Heavy Rain metacritic user scores (6.6 based on 566 votes) are significantly lower than the critic ratings (88 reviews). Heavy Rain is definitely not for everyone. A rental may be in order for some; so for this jaded gamer is enjoying the experience.