Trophy | The Recycle Bin

Wednesday: The Mid-Week Gaming Update Returns

First of all I just got another 100% complete, which is pretty rare for me. Linger In Shadows – this was a free Qore download 12-18 months ago that I looked at once and dismissed. Just for shits and giggles I decided to give it a go over the weekend. Linger In Shadows is a technical demo that is a “different” sort of way of playing a game; artistic-stylistic gaming? Trophies are easy; feel sorry for anyone that actually pays for this one because it should be more or less a free offering as a technical demo.

Soldner-X
As part of my Plus subscriptions I picked up Soldner-X: Himmelstrummer & Soldner-X2: Final Prototype (Bundle PlayStation Plus price $10.79, regular price $17.99). I did not look before I leaped into this one, but after a few minutes with each game, I think this combo-pack will offer decent shmups fun.

Monsters Gone Mad
Survival Horror meets hunting action? I have never been a fan of either genera, but I have increasingly been interested in a decent hunting game.

Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts could be fun with Move support, but why offer a whole new setup, complete with a Wii like sensor bar? Ridiculous. I am sure it is meant as a cheap alternative to the Move, but why bother on the PS3 if Sony is trying to push the Move? I understand that third party publishers cannot be forced into move support, but shipping the game with Move support sans Top Shot Elite gun would probably earn the publisher more sales.

The controller itself is incredibly fun to play with. For the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, which were the ones I got to play on, you get a sensor bar to stick to the bottom of the screen (kind of like the Wii’s sensor bar). Only it’s sleek and black and sexy-looking.

Probably the niftiest feature of the Top Shot Elite is the infrared scope that you can use to track animal prints or blood trails. Combined with the fact that you have to physically reload the gun, it feels a lot more realistic than some shooters. I’d love to see this used with other games like Call of Duty, as it has a lot of potential for really improving how people play first-person shooters.

Move Navigation Disassemble
Interesting picture of a disassembled Move Navigation Controller.

I am still not 100% sold on the initial Move offerings, but I am of the opinion that it is significantly better than the Wii.

Did I really just do that?
Yes I did. I just order Atelier Rorona: The Alchemists Of Arland? Sure I have plenty of games to play, and this one is probably the last one on my list, but WTF? Why not go after a game with sexual innuendo for a main character that looks all of 12? I am just kidding on that last one, but I am always a up for something a little different, and I have never tried a game in this series.

Time to clean out my gaming library again because the backlog is in full effect!

Trophy Whores

Over the weekend PlayStation LifeStyle posted a couple of good articles on PS3 Trophies – the easiest and the hardest platinum Trophies. Entertaining reading.

These days I am not sure if I just suck at games, do not have enough time to play, do not have enough variety of games, or some other factor that prevents me from being a true Trophy whore. Nevertheless, my PS3 Level is low (I think at 3 as of this writing) and I do not believe I actually own any gold Trophies. I play games I enjoy, and if I get a Trophy or two along the way, so much the better. I will admit that I am 47% or so of the way complete with Super StarDust HD, and I am actually trying to get all the Trophies; some of the last ones are just brutal!

I doubt I will be picking up the Hannah Montana: The Movie anytime soon just to get my first platinum Trophy. Then again, I did actually review the PSOne classic Spice Girls game. I am making up the “classic” part, not the actual review part!

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!

HVB Follies

I have spent a lot of time with HVB over the last three days, but my online record does not show any positive results. In fact, I think I am getting worse. I’m currently on a seven game losing streak, and adding insult to injury my disconnect score took a hit yesterday when my internet connection decided to get a little flaky. That sucked because my previous forfeit rate was a pristine 0%.

My rating has plummeted over the weekend from 1400-ish to just below 1200 or so, which seemingly puts the 1600+ Bronze trophy far out of reach. A low ranking is to be expected if I only average 1.5 strikes per game, and typically score around 125 per game. Ouch.

Even if I am playing poorly, HVB is a lot of fun and highly addicting. I actually play like I bowl (I suck in real life too), which is part of the problem. I know you could probably just sit down and go through the motions, but that would not be very fun. I think I am steadily improving; I probably need to play more off line, pick up some of the other characters and balls to see if I can find a combination that better suits my playing style.

From my vantage point, HVB is a must have PSN title. It has all the elements you expect in a good game – it is fun, offers a challenge, you can steadily improve as you practice with the game, and it has some decent trophies. In fact, if you are a trophy whore, there are a few that are easy to pick up. A Bronze trophy is awarded during online play for any of the following: Play 3 Games, 1 Win, 10 Strikes, 15 Spares, and 500 Pins. Some of the others are out of my reach right now – 25 Wins (Silver), 75 Strikes (Silver), Score 250 (silver), and 150 Strikes (Gold). I will probably get 5000 Pins (Silver) by attrition – call this one a lifetime achievement trophy.

Eclectic Night of Gaming – Featuring White Knight Chronicles International

Last night was a rather strange night for gaming. When I got hope I popped in White Knight Chronicles: International Edition, but I really did not have much time to spend with the game before supper. I created my avator – looks sort of like a freak Asian kung-fu fighter, so I named him Ming-Fu. That is actually the middle name on the papers of my Shih Tzu, but I digress.

I spent a few minutes watching the story unfold, exploring the city (I think it was called Balandor). This is a very JRPG type game – you know the drill; if you do not like JRPGs you need not try this one out. Early on I decided that I may as well use Leonard (starting character; looks like story will revolve around him) because Ming-Fu is irrelevant. He stands around, nodding his head, looking stupid, but I digress.

I stopped for supper, and jumped back into the game. After leaving the city I lost my third or fourth battle because I could not tell WTF was attacking me. I am sure that as I understand the battle system I can tell what is going on; I blamed it to distractions from my youngest son and turned off the game.

1942: Joint Strike
I jumped over to 1942: Joint Strike because sometimes I just need a rapid fire shooter. I only play this game occasionally; I chalk it up to my dotage – I just do not have the dexterity to dodge, duck, memorize patterns, all while pressing buttons. This is one PSN game I regret purchasing; not really worth $9.99. I never thought I would say this, but I would probably play more if the game included trophy support. Not that I am a trophy whore, but some incentive would be nice.

High Velocity Bowling (HVB)
For my night cap I pulled out HVB. It has been a while since I played this one, and interestingly enough, it is one of the few game I actually enjoy playing online. I played a few off-line games before calling it a night; really just practice to get re-acclimated before going trophy hunting today. [OK, color me a trophy whore; I am just not very educated!]

Dog days are back.

I just checked out N4G to read about the latest, greatest, hottest, news in videogamedom, and there was pretty much next to nothing going on right now. TheSixthAxis had the most interesting story. Apparently Fat Princess is going to included 21 trophies; all bronze. Joy.

More HVB Fun.

I played my first online games last night. I lost the first one by 100 points, but I won the second game, which happened to be a rematch initiated by the game one winner, 164-163. While my scores were not really noteworthy, much less impressive, the online experience was fun for two reasons. First, I earned a trophy, and it looks fairly straight forward to unlock some more trophy whore goodness. Hooray for trophies! Second, since I was using Berry, and my opponent was using Berry, I learned how to better utilize Berry. I know that sounds crazy, but back in the more civilized golden age of gaming friends would come over to kick your ass in Lock ‘n Chase and you would learn from your beating. Playing HVB online was sort of the same experience.

I always have a good time researching a game at metacritic, and in the case of High Velocity Bowling (HVB) the scores are rather revealing. The review sites give the game a subpar 68% (based on 13 reviews), but the users give HVB a 9.0 (based on 12 votes). The users have spoken; HVB is the bees knees.

Sunday morning news and notes.

It’s Sunday morning, so it must be time for some random ramblings, news, and notes.

Prayers for Massa
Each morning while I am enjoying my morning coffee I usually check out a number of sites including ESPN. Thanks to FOX [not really; that was said with venom] I do not get to see the Hungarian GP live. It should be starting within the hour. I was saddened to see that Ferrari’s Massa was in a massive accident.

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa underwent surgery on life-threatening skull injuries Saturday from a high-speed crash during Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying. He was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a military hospital.

The accident happened when a loose part from another car hit Massa in the helmet, causing him to veer into a tire-lined barrier at about 120 mph. The front of his car was shredded, with both tires gone and the front nose open.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Massa.

Trophy patch for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Because gaming is better with trophies. From the examiner …

LucasArts also quietly revealed that they are adding trophy support to the Playstation 3 version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Here is the confirmation from the official Twitter of LucasArts Games:

“Just confirmed to me: TFU on PS3 to get trophy support with the Sith Edition. Will find more out Monday (plane takes of in a few hours)”

And all of the IGN gamers rejoiced!

I did not purchase TFU because of all the mixed reviews. Metacritic has this one rated a shaky 71% (based on 47 reviews). The reviews area all over the map. When TFU was first released I thought it would have been a waste of money at $59.99, but now that the game is selling for $26.99, I think this one may provide some good clean fun. Too many game, not enough time.

When gaming nudity does not count.
I should have saved this one for T&A Thursday, but I could not resist posting now. joystiq has an article on Dragon Age: Origins. I do not really know much about the game, but I have seen a few hopeful posts that suggest that we will get to see simulated sex and breasteses in all their CG glory. Something like that. I followed the article’s ESRB link to get to this gem:

Though the game never features human nudity, one female demon character is briefly depicted with bare breasts.

LMAO.

Happy Sunday!

High Velocity Bowling.

I downloaded High Velocity Bowling (HVB) a while back when it was on sale for $4.95, but I never really got into it. Call it an impulse purchase; waste of money. Not sure that I ever really seriously tried the game, but it did not seem to be worth the effort.

As I have been rebuilding my PS3 and restoring all the PSN content that I previously purchased, I decided to take HVB for a spin. I have to say that I am impressed. I am not sure what is different about the game today compared to when I first downloaded, but right now I am fairly addicted to this one.

I have only unlocked a couple of characters, so I am obviously not very far into the game. I have also not checked out the online play option yet. I want to get better before braving the online world against the competition. Getting my ass handed to me frame after frame hardly seems like a fun way to spend my limited gaming time. Besides, two nights of bowling is hardly enough to make me confident to take on the masses.

I am surprised to see how much DLC is available for HVB. It looks like the developers continue to support this game with new ad-on content, most of which is premium (albeit very cheap), but there are some free goodies. I am going to refrain from purchasing any of the DLC until I unlock more goodies and see if this game has staying power.

If you are wondering, HVB is lot more fun and more involved, and much deeper than the Wii Sports Bowling offering. Besides the actual content and controls, the graphics are actually 1080p. And we all know that graphics make the gameplay better. For those of you that do not follow this blog on a regular basis, that is sarcasm, but the graphics are very nice for this type of game and completely put the simple Wii Sports offering to shame.

My kids have been dying to play HVB with me, but I told them that daddy needs some time with his long lost PS3 before they get a crack at it. Besides, I want to open up some of the content first, and I need to make sure I can kick their little smart asses. Yes, my oldest son is getting better at some games than dear old dad. What the hell is the world coming to?

I have not mastered the controls yet, but I am actually trying to follow real life bowling motions. I am sure I could just site on the couch, press some buttons, flick my wrist, and call it fun. But would that really be fun? I think I would be missing the point. At any rate, trying to time the motion and get the spin down (L2 or R2) has been an interesting learning experience, but I am sure that I will get the hang of it sooner or later. The fun factor here keeps me coming back for more, which is the reason we play games in the first place.

Saturday morning gaming update.

This morning as I was slurping down a couple of cups of the black stuff, what I like to call the nectar of the gods, I put together a few nuggets of gaming goodness for your reading pleasure. I am going to start prepping for a morning run before the heat manages to reach sunstroke levels. Lots of family activities, household chores, and some work are on the radar for today, but I should have some time for gaming this afternoon. After all, it is too damn hot to do anything else.

Search for cheap soccer.
Recent CONCACAF 2010 World Cup qualifying action, the miraculous Confederations Cup run into the finals, and upcoming Gold Cup play has me jonesing for a decent soccer title. Over the last few months of complete gaming inactivity, I sold off my PSP and PS2 soccer titles (I never bothered to pick one up for the PS3). I think I have some sort of PES for the PS2 (maybe), but I think I may actually be soccer less for the first time in recent memory. I am not sure how I arrived at this low point, but I digress.

I thought about picking up FIFA 2009, but it is still selling for close to $50 for the PS3 and $30 for the PSP. That is too steep a hill to climb when the annual update is only four months away. The next versions of PES are due in November, but much like the FIFA games, the “current” versions of Pro Evolution Soccer are just not what I would consider reasonable. It is hard for me to stomach throwing down $40 for a game when the new version is due in November.

Of course that is the way it is with sports games. They seldom hold value, and while there are bargains to be found on the used market, the retail price holds because the manufactures and retails assume some unsuspecting mother or grandparent will decide to go with the “cheaper” version of the game.

I guess there is always Worldwide Soccer Manager. I have not tried one of those in a couple of years, but I think for now I am going to have to sit on this one and decide if my jones is going to force me into what I consider an overpriced purchase.

XPlay G4TV
A couple of nights ago I caught the tail end of the God of War III demo (or preview, advertisement propaganda) on G4TV. I only saw the final 10 minutes, but the game looked extremely impressive. I have never played a GoW title, but I have the first one tucked away somewhere. All the button manipulations and combos and specialized moves in these types of games are just too damn trying for this older gamer. Still, when March 2010 rolls around, given prosperity and continued good health, I may be inclined to give this one a go.

Qore (November)
I finally got around to installing and watching the November Qore episode. I only have a couple of comments about the actual episode. First, the Japanese content was much too brief. Just when it started getting interesting, it closed too quickly. I think the Japanese gaming scene is something that could have been greatly expanded, and is the type of content that most gamers would enjoy watching. My other comment is that when you actually know what Veronica Belmont is talking about when she holds up a PS3 version of Aquanaut’ Holiday, you are probably a little over the top. Dare I say a complete gaming nerd or geek? I was going to say hardcore, but I always hated that term, and I have no idea what it has been replaced with in this current generation of gamers.

Trophy Whore
I have never read anything from The VFLHP Blog, but I came across this article via N4G, and decided it was worth a reference. The author talks about some of the good points brought about by the advent of trophies, and then goes into the bad points. All that is well and good, but the writer never gets off the fence; comes across as rather wishy-washy.

The anti-Trophy brigade sees them as the worst thing to happen to gaming since the Wii (Yeah I said it!!!). Excuse my French but the phrase “Trophy Whore” has now entered the vocabulary of most gamers. This is a person who has basically become addicted to collecting Trophies. This is the main problem most people have with Trophies. There is no denying the fact that there are now people who only buy games in order to get the Trophies in them. One look at www.ps3trophies.co.uk gives us a clear example of how big this “Trophy Hoarding” has become. Right at the top of the Trophy Leaderboard is Killerxx from (Yeah you guessed it!) the USA, who has collected no less than 2683 trophies, including 44 platinum ones, which means he/she has bought and played at least 44 games to death! I don’t mean to insult this person but a certain “World Of Warcraft” inspired episode of South Park springs to mind!

I see no downside to trophies. They add value to games, and they make playing some older long forgotten game a little worthwhile. I would hazard a bet that gamers addicted to trophies were already addicted to gaming.