The Recycle Bin

The early F1 2011 reviews are mostly positive, which is to be expected based on F1 2010 being well received.

It is interesting reading TheSixthAxis reviewer’s take on the game. Before the summary, the reviewer discusses new F1 technical ‘innovations’ that are included in F1 2011 (KERS and DRS), but also mentions that casual gamers are not likely to notice. I would go so far as to say that casual gamers should stay pretty away from this title and go after a more mainstream racer.

Now the tricky part – is F1 2011 worth picking up if you already own 2010? That’s a question that only the individual can really answer – there’s certainly a good, extensive and solid game here but then a good chunk of it is clearly based on last year’s code and visuals, even most of the menu interface remains the same. The improvements are all for the better – that’s for sure – but perhaps we’d have liked to have seen more of them. Anyone that bypassed 2010 and held out for this years can relax easy, though, this is probably the best Formula One game we’ve seen for years.

An improved AI, along with the addition of offline split screen and co-op Championship mode have me pretty excited.

Eurogamer has a remarkably similar take on the marginal year-over-year improvements in Codemasters F1 franchise.

Now comes the tricky third test; can it do enough to establish a yearly franchise, an exercise that’s normally the reserve of publishers with a little more clout?

F1 2011’s answer to that particular question is, sometimes, not too convincing. Some areas remain sparse and many of its improvements can be measured in tenths rather than seconds. Still, it’s a sport where every little detail counts, and the finite changes do undoubtedly make for a better game.

Now I just have to decide if I attempt to whore any of the many remaining Trophies in F1 2010, or if I call it a loss, flip it on eBay while the flipping still has marginal value, and see if I can stay focused on F1 2011. Last year I lost interest – really don’t know the reason why because I gushed about it during the first few weeks after it was released. At least I didn’t play F1 2010 half as much as Sony’s last F1 outing (Formula One: Championship Edition).

Dan Wheldon will be my new best friend, but only if I win the Indy Las Vegas $5 Million Challenge and of course Dan Wheldon brings home the checker flag.

Is this a gimmick? You bet, but who gives a rat’s ass if you are the person cheering on Dan to bring you home some serious cash. Even if I am not selected, I will probably make time to watch the race just to see if some other lucky bastard becomes independently wealthy.

I am not an iRacing subscriber, but just had to post this bit I read at RACER.com:

iRacing.com and McLaren Automotive today announced plans to build a virtual version of the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 racecar.

The MP4-12C GT3 marries Formula 1 and innovative road car technology with GT3 specification performance enhancements to create a new generation of racing car. iRacing.com will apply expertise in creating a state-of-the-art digital version of the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 that will be available to iRacing members in 2012.

The car project is the second development from iRacing.com and the McLaren Group. Earlier this year, iRacing.com incorporated McLaren Electronics’ ATLAS Express data analysis software into the iRacing service, providing the more than 30,000 iRacers access to data acquisition and telemetry software similar to that used on every cars competing in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

One of these days I am going to get me a decent gaming computer, a force feedback wheel, and of course my own area to set everything up. I could really get into iRacing … one of these days. Until then I will have to keep racing on my PlayStation in the comfy confines of my living room.

Saturday brings us face-to-face with some random gaming nonsense. In other words, not predictable, something less than wholesome, and somewhat troublesome.

Ricky Bobby: Well let me just quote the late-great Colonel Sanders, who said…”I’m too drunk to taste this chicken.”

It’s actually been a great week gaming; just not a lot of variety.

Altered Beast
Recently received this one as part of the September PS+ update. It may be a classic, but goodness gracious does it not hold up well. Poor controls, dated graphics, and uninspiring (dare I say frustrating) gameplay does not do much to entice me to burn my limited free gaming time with this one.

Besides, I typically migrate to classics, but only those that I actually played and was fond of playing. Altered Beast does not fall into this category. I doubt that I will spend much time attempting to get past the poor controls in this dated game whore-ing the Trophies.

Thank goodness this run of PS+ Sega games is over!

Ferrari Challenge
Ferrari Challenge is a game I keep coming back to; on and off love affair for the last two years. While it is a mediocre racing game, and does have some merits, I’m really just in it for the sex … err … Trophies. I’m currently sitting at 40% following this guide / roadmap. I’m about to start a long ‘Trofeo’ Trophy Mode grind, which should net me 20+ Bronze Trophies. Sadistic when you consider that each one of these will take 30+ minutes.

I received my first Ferrari Challenge Trophy 2+ years ago, so it is fair to say that Trophies due add value to a game. Without the add-on Trophy support, I would have bailed on this one a long time ago.

Mel B
Haven’t fiddled with her all week. Hope I don’t turn into a fat ass for lack of effort. Maybe I’ll get in a quickie with her later today, but that is really going to be hard with the kids having a couple of soccer games today.  Plus the Georgia game.  Richmond race.  No fiddling today …

Kung Fu Rider
Still doing the needful with this one; partly because my nine year-old son rates this one 4 out of 5 stars, but mostly because I am determined to get another couple of Trophies.

Back Catalog Goes Ever Longer
I picked up Pure on the Amazon discount rack for $9.80; can of beans not included. This weekend Pure has hit the sub $9 mark. One of these days I should get around to opening it and seeing what a great game it is and what sort of wonderful shiny Trophies are on offer.

I also picked up Hunted: The Demon’s Forge … no idea why other than it was on the cheap and sometimes I like some mindless hack and slash fun.

Interestingly enough, I picked Demon’s Forge when it hit $18.99 on Amazon (I believe last Sunday or Monday night). Within hours after placing my order, the price was further reduced to $16.99. I went online, chatted with someone halfway across the word, and convinced him to do the needful. Refund of $2; every buck matters.

JRPGs …
Really feeling like I need to open up one of my titles and site in for the long haul. More on this later …

I have been closely watching F1 2011, which looks incredible on multiple fronts – graphics, dynamic weather, key technical changes for 2001, AI improvements, and then some. Love this Q&A segment over at the EU official’ish blog.

This time, is there going to be the facility to save the game midway through a race?
There is no mid-race saves in 2011 but with the all new handling you will go so much faster, you’ll not want to save!

In this day and age, any sports or racing game should include an easily accessible in-game save feature.

I decided to do my usual Amazon pre-order thing; September 20th release date.

Or maybe we should have called this one the Trophy whore edition. Yes, while putting in a few hours of “fun” time, I have actually been doing a little Trophy chasing (i.e. being a total Trophy whore).

Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet
I am all in on this one, which is great fun to play with the kids. Would I ever actively play this one on my own? Not with so many other great titles out there waiting for my attention. The AI can be kind of cheap and inconsistent. Some of the challenges are really a mess, and while nothing is overly difficult, some wore my patience to the nubs. Oh yeah, and the game will often crash, not saving your hard earned progress, which at times can make for a frustrating experience due to a clunky and slow menu/interface.

With all that said, my four and nine year olds love the game. They are enjoying the game, working to unlock all the characters, and of course earning Trophies. I have had to use a couple of “cheat” guides, mostly to find a few of the “ collectible” items; in most games, including this one, Trophies around collecting stuff are a total PITA. Thus the guides, as I really don’t have enough hours in the day to find overly complicated hidden crap, including BS Trophies. The joys of going after a “family” Platinum trophy, which we picked up tonight.

Ferrari Challenge
It is not the best racing game out there, but at this point I feel like I need to keep slowly pushing forward towards the Platinum. I have written about this one enough in the past to limit this entry to a single, decent racing experience description.

3 on 3 NHL Arcade
I picked this one on sale with a PlayStation Plus (PS+) price of $3.00 (compared to the way over inflated regular price of $9.99). If you are a complete Trophy whore, you probably already have this one. It is ridiculous easy to rack up the Trophies within a few games (2-3 hours tops).

As luck would have it, 3 on 3 is a fun arcade experience for playing with my kids. I can actually see this one sticking around for regular pick up and play sessions. I’m not a huge hockey fan or anything like that, but it is kind of disappointing that the game does not include some sort of team license. As it stands, there are a few ‘real’ players, but it would be nice to give the Thrashers a little glory.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene
This continues to be one of the better shooters around. You can just trip back and completely zone out on this one. I am not sure exactly what a “zen like quality is” but Infinity Gene must be what people mean when they throw out this description.

I’ll have 100% complete if I can manage to complete the game without continuing. Of course I doubt that  will happen anytime soon; not enough skill in these old gaming bones. No regrets; well worth the purchase (I got it a while back for a tick under $5).

Little Big Planet: Game of the Year Edition
Everyone loves LBP, right? Right now I am just kind of playing the game here and there, exploring the different levels, and having a good time experiencing this one with the kids. I am trying to get my oldest kid interested in designing games or programming, so I am kind of keeping my fingers crossed that this perks up his interest.

Up Next …
As we turn towards July, and the long Independence Day weekend, I have several games lined up for my three day weekend rotation.

Dungeon Hunter (PS+ price $10.39, regular price $12.99); looks like some decent co-op gaming action. Notice the theme? I am really turning my rotation towards games I can play with the kids, without have to go 100% in the direction of Marvel Super Hero Squad type games.

Dragon’s Lair (picked it up for $4.99); really just got it for nostalgic purposes. Probably paid $1-2 too much, but it should be enjoyable, and will also give my kids a little history and perspective on the industry and what use to pass as a serious quarter muncher.

Sly Collection; re-mastered HD versions (improved with the addition of Trophies) of all three Sly Cooper classics.
Sly Cooper and The Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. I am sure the boys and I will have a blast with this one.

Wizardy; I keep thinking about picking this one up. Maybe a sale will tip me over the edge, but as it stands, I think my backlog is too great to justify this one. But I am so tempted!

Good gaming!

Last week I spent my limited game time playing a hodgepodge assortment of games.

Ferrari Challenge
Not a great racing game, but it is fun. After watching some Le Mans Saturday and early Sunday morning, I am reminded that the PS3 would really use an updated version of Le Mans racing. At any rate, I’ll probably tool around with Ferrari Challenge some this week as well to decide if I should keep it and maybe grind a few Trophies, or if I should see if I can flip it for a few bucks on eBay for my future gaming fund.

Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet
Typical beat ‘em up, easy puzzles, and very lame dialogue, but what would you expect from a title targeted at kids? I play this one with my four-year old son; great way for him to learn the ins and outs of gaming. My eight-year old is also helping out with the Story mode. I think we are almost at the end; however there are a ton of other modes to complete, items to unlock, and the Trophy list is 60 or so deep, which should keep us coming back for a while.

Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse – Episode 2 and 3
I have two confessions to make. First, I am not really a fan of this type of game. Second, I just kind of went through the motions, and finally looked to a couple of Trophy walkthroughs to complete each game. Yes, color me a whore. The only reason I had these in the first place was because I received them with my PS+ subscription. At some point down the road I will probably attempt to knock off Episode 4 and 5.

Shatter
Shatter is another ‘free’ PS+ game from last November. One of my many backlog games ‘collecting dust’ … as much dust as a digital PSN distributed title can gather. This one is a typical revamp of breakout, with a fresh coat of paint, interesting physics, and a decent techno soundtrack. Fun game, but one I would probably never buy, so it was nice to get it as part of my PS+ subscription. I pretty much already played this one out. While there are a couple of Trophies left, for the most part I doubt I will put in the time (and may not have the necessary skill) to try to get 100% complete on this one.

FIFA 11
I have written plenty about FIFA 10 and 11; great sports games. FIFA 11 is fantastic, but it is perfect for short bursts of gaming, which is pretty much what my schedule allows right now. I can knock out a couple of games with my virtual pro and feel like I have actually accomplished something in a short gaming session. Not to mention the satisfaction of playing a well rounded sports title.

As a kid I always looked forward to getting new videogames in December (birthday and Christmas). I always held out hope that I was going to get a few new games, and they just had to be better than decent because I knew that my gaming library was not going to increase during the upcoming year.

These days I just buy what I want, usually via pre-order, or I watch a game, waiting for the inevitable price drop before finally indulging myself. Either way, my gaming comes to me when I want, and if I happen to get a dud, I can flip it on eBay. No worries, no fuss.

This year, thanks to Santa (and of course my family), I have enough games to keep me occupied until December 2011, or until I decide to pick up the next great, have to play it now spectacular, super special gaming extravaganza. Something along those lines; call me a sucker for pre-release build up hype.

The Gaming Treasure Trove:

• Batman Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Greatest Hits. I have always wanted to give this game a go, but for whatever reason, I never did.
• FIFA 11 (Under $30 during Amazon Thanksgiving sales). I wrote a few weeks ago that I have been playing the shit out of FIFA 10. I love the FIFA 10 experience; the virtual pro is a very immersive experience. I am going to stay with FIFA 10 for the rest of 2010 to see how many Trophies I can pick up before flipping FIFA 10 on eBay, and then I will start my FIFA 11 journey. I can only hope that FIFA 11 is as fun and entertaining as FIFA 10 has been over the last six weeks.
• God of War 3 (Under $35 during Amazon Thanksgiving sales). Because one cannot have enough God of War.
• God of War Collection Greatest Hits ($10 during Amazon Thanksgiving sales). Are you kidding me? $10 for high-def updates of two highly rated PS2 game? Complete with a gaggle of Trophies for my gaming pleasure. I never played the PS2 versions, but thanks to the PSP God of War games, I am a converted fan.
• Gran Turismo 5 Prima Essential Track Guide*
• Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010. Some different. Something for the Move.

* OK, so this little spiral bound book is not game, but I figured I would include it in the overall haul. It is getting a lot of flack in the Amazon review listings, however it is exactly what it states – a track guide. If you are looking for a traditional cheat (er, strategy guide) book, then the Prima guide is not your cup of tea.

Maybe all these new games will have an added bonus; getting my PlayStation Rewards status to nudge a little for the first time since the week after Thanksgiving!

Looking Forward To …
With all these new gaming Christmas experiences, plus the current backlog of goodies, is there anything left on my radar?

• Little Big Planet 2. Of course I never played the first one, but everyone says LBP is a must have experience, which is fun for the whole family.
• MLB 11: The Show. See FIFA 10 + FIFA 11; I have until March to get my money’s worth from MLB 10.
• Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. I want to try the newest NFS title, but I am going to wait for a lower price. Plus I still have GT5 to keep me occupied, and F1 2010 is not getting any love.
• Madden and NCAA Football. Yeah, I know, let’s don’t go there yet.

There are probably other gems lurking out there, but right now I actually do not have anything on pre-order or a “watch list.” OK, just kidding. I have the HD update of the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection on pre-order. But other than that one …

Over the last three weeks, starting right before the Thanksgiving break, I have been on a torrid (for me) gaming rampage. I think I have logged more hours on my PS3 (and even a few on the oft forgotten PSP – Ghost of Sparta) than I did in total January through October.

I have to say it has been fun. Almost like a kid in a candy store. Gaming nirvana if you please. I have found this latest zone has helped me decompress and even get in some quality time with the kids. These days I don’t question how long this ride will last; I just keep on plugging, enjoying it until I put down the controllers.

Crazy Taxi
After pickup up my PS3 Slim for Father’s Day, I flipped Crazy Taxi on eBay. Not because I no longer enjoyed the game; I consider it one of the ultimate pick and play titles. It is just a damn good arcade gaming experience, which blends the perfect elements of short bursts of gaming excitement and the pursuit of high scores.

Besides, the PS3 Slim more or less forced my hand, since it is not PS2 backwards compatible. Of course in my back pocket I knew Crazy Taxi would be headed towards the PSN.

The PSN edition seems to be the same game, minus the licenses (Levi’s, KFC, music, etc), with slightly harder controls compared to the PS2 and Dreamcast versions. Crazy Taxi is still a fun arcade experience; one that the boys enjoy playing with dad. As an added bonus, the PSN version also provides the pleasure (or frustration – take your pick) of pursuing Trophies.

FIFA 10
Shame on me for not playing this one more over the past year. FIFA 10 is a fantastic sports game, and the virtual pro feature being balls out fun. In my dotage, I have a hard time pulling off decent skill moves, so my pro still seems a little stiff and rough around the edges. As a striker, I am all offense, with almost no defensive skills. I think my rating is currently 72 and climbing.

Rumor has it Santa is bringing me FIFA 11 ($29.99 during one of the Thanksgiving deals), so I figured I better maximize my FIFA 10 experience before Christmas so I will not feel so guilty when I trade in or eBay FIFA 10. And maximize I have; in fact I have probably spent more time with FIFA 10 than any other game in this article. Fun and highly addicting!

Gran Turismo 5
After waiting an eternity (at least it seemed that way), we finally have a proper Gran Turismo on the PS3. I picked up the Gran Turismo 5 Collector’s Edition – I love the series, even if it is not the best pure “racing” experience around.

After starting off with one of the 25+ versions (or whatever) of a Toyota Corolla, I have been slowly making my way through the game. Due to so many other games in my rotation (or call it my gaming backlog) I have not started the long slow GT grind. I have picked up my B and A licenses, and while I could keep on trying to progress, I have been working on locking up all B and A license Gold trophies, which seems damn near impossible for some.  I actually find this pursuit more relaxing than frustrating; I get in a zone and keep plugging away, slowly decreasing my times until I strike Gold.

The only GT game that I managed to “complete” at 100% was the first release – Gran Turismo for the PSOne.  It has been a long time since those days!  I doubt I have that much spare time to really go after that mark with GT5; however I am sure I will maximize my value (gaming dollar).

I think the game has already been patched 3 times, so the developers did end up rushing the game, which is a bit of a surprise considering the long delay. Over ambitious? Probably.  At least the developers are supporting the game and trying to make things right by the fans.

Sports Champions
My family has discovered the joy of playing Bocce. At least we are enjoying Sports Champions version of Bocce, and we are having a blast learning the rules and associated skills.  My mother is giving my oldest son a Bocce set for the backyard. I love it when videogames cross pollinate real life!

I think my kids’ favorite is volley ball, closely followed by disc golf. My favorites are archery and disc golf, and I also find gladiator duel an interesting diversion. Ping pong is the favorite of my 3.11 year old, but I find it damn near impossible.

On a side note, I need to get two more Move controllers for some serious volley ball and archery dual Move head-to-head action. What would that investment be? Almost $325? I have already “invested” $100 camera + Move controller, $50 second move controller, $35 Navigation controller, $30 Move charge station. Ouch. Archery is a blast with two controllers, so I can only imagine how much fun it would be to have a two-player archery duel with 4 Move controllers!

On more side note. The Navigation controller seems poorly supported. I think the only Move game I have that takes advantage of it is Heavy Rain. Need to come back to Heavy Rain in a future article.

My Aquarium
Did I really buy this one? Just for the hell of it I downloaded My Aquarium. It is a great concept, with extremely poor execution. The graphics are not acceptable; in fact I was not even sure this was an HD title, but from what I have read, My Aquarium is in fact presented in HD … just without the normal eye popping graphical glory. It really is a damn shame that this virtual screensaver does not look nicer, and to make matters worse, the interface is unbelievable clunky, complete with unresponsive controls.

If a “game” begged for updated graphics with Move support, this is the one. To the good, Trophy whores will find a few almost freebies on offer; apparently you can cheat to get them quickly, however I am earning my Trophies the old fashion way. It will probably be a year before all the fish unlock, giving me a cheap Gold Trophy.

Uno
I dismissed this one out of hand when it was previously released, however I did pick it up on sale for $0.99. It is OK at best … I mean it is Uno. I have played a few games online, but I disappointed that a couple of disconnects in the “lobby” counted as game discounts. That or someone figured out a way to hack a couple of wins against me; I am not enough of a junkie at this game to try to follow my statistics to see why the game thinks I have abandon a couple of gaming sessions.

I think you have to really love Uno in order to pick this one up. Not bad for $0.99, but not worth a whole lot more than a single ducket. Then again, this could be a nice diversion if someone wants to get their wife into videogames.

Hustle Kings!
Plus continues to deliver interesting content and discounts. I picked up Hustle Kings! a couple of weeks ago when it was discounted to just under $6. I have only played a few times, but the game seems to offer a really nice pool experience. The bar locations have great aesthetics – music, presentation, and graphics.

I’ll comment more on this one in the future. I picked it up mainly because I suck at pool in real life, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that playing a virtual game will actually help me in real life. To a certain degree it already has, at least when it comes to adding some backspin on pocket shots. In real life I would scratch, following the ball into the pocket, but I am getting the hang of how to avoid this mistake. Hope it carries over!

Hustle Kings! also supports the Move. I am not sure how it compares to playing with a DS controller because I have only used the Move. The game appears to do a good job of supporting the Move, however I have to admit that my poor old fingers and hand gets a little cramped trying to line up fine precession shots. As I said, more on this one later.

Closing
Did I just do that? Good grief; that is a lot of gaming playing!

Happy Sunday!

I am not a huge shopper, except for the stay at home and click on Amazon kind of shopping. This year (at least so far today) I did not see a whole lot of deals that I just had to get.

The tally today is FIFA 11 (DS) and Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) for the kids, while dear old dad took advantage of a couple of Lightning Deals for God of War Collection (PS3) for a mere $10 and God of War 3 (PS3) for a click under $35. Thanks to the PSP and God of War: Chains of Olympus, I have become somewhat of a Kratos fan. Good stuff.

I am thinking about taking advantage of some of the PSN titles on sale. Joe Danger looks better than decent. I am pretty sure I am going to pull the trigger on Destruction Derby (PSOne); long time readers will remember that seeing the demo of this game made me fall in love with the PlayStation. I have not picked up very many of the 15th Anniversary sale items, but this is one that I will not pass up. Then again … backlog list of games is growing deep. To the good, Destruction Derby will get some use on the PSP.

Gaming today has mostly consisted of Sports Champions, which is a great family title, and of course some Gran Turismo 5 action.

Happy gaming weekend to everyone!

Racing nirvana?  Probably not based on past Gran Turismo titles, however I hope it is a damn good driving experience.

It has been a while since I have actually been around the house on a major “release” day.  Thanks to having several days off, I should get in plenty of time with the game.

Upon firing it up, I was prompted to install version 1.01 of the game, which took a couple of minutes.  The game is currently installing 8GB of data on my PS3 Slim HDD.  According to the progress meter, this should take 20 minutes.

Happy me!

Yesterday I threw up an article congratulating myself for completing Afrika, in the process achieving my first Platinum trophy. This is a great segue into a recent IGN article titled “Why Don’t We Finish More Video Games?”

It is a damn good question, and the article brings out a few interesting points that I shall proceed to quote for your reading amusement.

The irregularity of getting a new video game can also blunt your temptation of pulling the rip cord before it’s over. When I was younger, I felt damn lucky to get four or five new video games over the course of a year for my Master System. But now I have the ability to buy more than one video game a month.

Back in my ill spent youth, I too was lucky to receive 3-4 Intellivision games a year. Of course having a December birthday always meant getting shafted – “Christmas will be here in a few days.” Joy. That always sucked.

At any rate, new games were special. These days new games are not exactly special; a dime a dozen. Of course Gran Turismo 5 releases today, however it is not as if I am in dire need of a new game. As the article said, I still have a ton of unfinished games, including F1 2010.

Do you remember game-ending glitches fifteen years ago? Personally, I can’t recall a single game found on a cartridge that suffered from a crippling bugaboo. (PC games have long endured a reputation for shipping before being completely stable.)

There’s now an over-reliance on the ability to patch a console game after it ships via the console’s Internet connection.

I really abhor this aspect of today’s generation of consoles. I remember having arguments with friends and colleagues that PC gaming was a waste of time and effort. Console gaming was the way to go because games were in one nice tidy package, without relying upon patches to “finish” a game. Boy have times changed!

My issue with completing games is one of time; really lack of time. I want to move on to new experiences, and my available free time is limited. I typically end up in a trap of starting a game, playing for a little while, and moving on to the next thing. Moving day occurs because I want to experience the new game, not because the first game sucked.

In theory I am getting better. In the last few months I have “completed” a few PSN titles, God of War Chains of Olympus (on the easier levels at any rate – but I did see the ending!), and of course the lead in for this article, Afrika.

You can tell by the title of this post that I am impressed. I spent some time with the game last night in the career mode and running some Time Trials.

For career, I started out by picking STR-Ferrari. For my first race I was tasked with qualifying 15th and finishing the race 12th. Of course underneath the covers my primary goal is to be the race suit off of teammate Sebastien Buemi.

I really appreciate that the developers went to lengths to make the game approachable. You can pick 3-4 difficulty settings, or tweak any of the default settings to customize your gaming experience. Likewise, in the garage, you can select several quick car setups. It all makes for a quick, jump in and play experience.

I am not ashamed to say I started off on the beginner mode, with a few custom handling settings, and went with a 3-year career. I went with 20% race distance, which looks to be the shortest stint that can be selected.

The season begins in Bahrain, so that is where I started practice, playing around with the various race settings. One night with the game is hardly enough to form any final conclusions, but I was seriously impressed with how the various car setups effect on track performance. Lap times were noticeable different after making changes, and there is a readily apparent difference between tire types.

I cannot remember where I finished on the timesheets in practice, but I was in front of Buemi, so that was good enough for me. In between Practice and Qualifying I met the media, and was a team player, which my agent said was very much appreciated by the rest of the team. I jumped back into qualifying and ended up 16th, which was a little disappointing, however Buemi end up in 19th, so my first race weekend was going in my favor. Maybe next time I can make it out of Q1.

At the start of the race I decided to go with the Prime tires; I figured everyone else may start on the Options. If I could leg out a long stint until the bottom part of the race, and maintain a decent position, I could get some flying laps at the end. I think this turned out to be a poor decision.

I got off to a decent start, but spun on my first lap. Ouch. One thing I immediately noticed was that the sky was overcast; looks like rain. In the desert? It was apparent that my car was not handling the same as it did in practice and qualifying. That is a nice touch.

I recovered well enough, and managed to pass a few cars. My race engineer called my in on lap four. Things were really going in my favor as the race seemed to come to me. I found myself running in 8th when I saw a rule warning reminding me that I must use a set of the Option tires. What? I assumed that my race engineer would be smart enough to have switched out my tires when he called me in for a pit.

I asked for a pit, and started pressing all the buttons on my Dual Shock trying to find something with pit instructions. Cross Hair D-Pad did the trick. Unfortunately I selected Intermediate tires. Oops. My race was screwed because of the extra stop, and then was beyond repair because I could not select the right tire types.

So I did a restart; putted around a little bit, but finally turned off the PS3 instead of finishing out the race.

Now that I know a little bit about what is what, I will probably start a new career and select Virgin or Lotus.

I am very impressed with the ease and accessibility of the game; I am sure it is tough as nails on the hardest settings with no driving aids or assists enabled. Fun factor in spades; everything you do with the setup and tires makes a difference. The track also seems to have periods of running faster (so said my race engineer).

In that first race, after the panic of spinning, I got into a serious zone. Too bad I did not select the right tire setup. I assume that even if I managed to switch to Options during the first stop, the tires would have degraded rapidly before the end of the race, forcing me into a second stop.

So it is easy to say that I am disappointed in the pit stops; if the race engineer is going to call me in, he damn well better have things sort out. Maybe there is a race strategy setting that I missed? It looks like it was all down to the driver (and my skills with a controller) instead of the race engineer, which seems strange because I think the race engineer should call the race, with the driver having the option to overrule. Now that I know, I will be better sorted for my next race.

Color me please. F1 console action has never been so fun!

**********************************
As a quick update, earlier this afternoon I gave Bahrain. This time I started on the Prime tires, was in first place after seven laps, pitted on lap eight, this time successfully putting on the Option tires, and running some decent end of race lap. I landed a podium (3rd place) and was really tickled with my progress. I probably need to step up the difficulty level a notch, but man what a fun racing experience!

Toro Rosso in third in the Constructors race after Round 1. Nice. Calvert in third in the drivers Championship. Good stuff!

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.

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.