I never thought I would see the day when sub spectacular ratings would come in for a Gran Turismo title. The PSP release has a current metacritic score of 78%, which is shockingly bad when you up the game up to the legacy of its bigger brother PlayStation console releases.
What is going to happen when the game is actually released, into the hands of gamers? Is there going to be a collective cry of WTF, or will new PSPGo owners defend their system seller?
I did something a little uncharacteristic. Something a little out of the ordinary. Dare I say impulsive. For the first time in a long time I actually saw an ad for a game I knew nothing about, and ended up doing the preorder thing from Amazon.
I am not sure where I first came across Atlus Games’ Demon’s Souls earlier today, but I saw an ad, checked out the site, and then headed to metacritic. The game sounded interesting, the propaganda hooked me, and the reviews convinced me that I should give this one a go.
This review from Ace Gamez gives, which gives Demon’s Souls 10 out of 10, pretty much convinced me that I should pre order the game.
Completion of the first level also pries open four additional worlds, each broken down into four or five individual stages, and it is then that Demon’s Souls’ design genius first hits home. It’s more open ended than open world, but nonetheless the options are rife. Suddenly there are five unique worlds to explore at your own pace, each more challenging than the last. Stonefang Tunnel, a dwarven mine now corrupted with lizardmen, taunts you deeper into its fiery depths, culminating in a set piece battle with the Dragon God demon. The more sinister Tower of Latria, on the other hand, is a jail populated by octopus-headed illithids which not only sound the part, with shiver-inducing bells that ring as they walk and cast spells, but also prove particularly challenging to overcome. Stuck on a particular stage? Cut your losses and try another world. Each will take many attempts and repetition is unavoidable, but the solid level design, varied and challenging enemies and the overarching freedom to dabble where you will cleverly alleviates any monotony.
I decided to go with the Deluxe Edition, and Amazon is offering the FREE Release-Date Delivery option, which means I get this puppy October 6.
Oh boy. This is not so good. Everyone was expecting the portable version of GT to be a PSPGo system seller. Not so much according to CVG, scoring the game a 6.7 out of 10. Ouch.
It’s easily the most realistic handling we’ve seen in a PSP driving game, and all this is done at a silky smooth 60 frames per second which, on the little screen, looks lush. That’s why screenshots and trailers had us all excited. But great handling and a smooth frame rate aren’t the only important factors of a racing game, and GT PSP falls short in almost every other area.
This is not something you want to see in the first two or three paragraphs of a review.
The main mode of the game has no structure. Hit the single-player option and you have three modes; the standard Time Trial (with no online leaderboards, we might add), Drift Trial (again, no leaderboards and no set goals), and Single Race. That’s it.
Wow. You would think there would at least be an option to upload your laptimes. What happened to the PSP wi-fi abilities?
That’s essentially what this game boils down to though – it’s a collection game. A Pokémon-style, monster hunting, collect-’em-up with ‘grinding’ disguised as racing, and you’re supposed to take satisfaction from needlessly hoarding cars instead of little yellow, pointy-eared monsters. Then trade them with mates who also want to get every car in the game for no reason.
I really do not get the recent criticism of Bobby Cox. I do not see how another manager would have manufactured more wins, much less a playoff appearance, out of the current Braves or the past few teams that have failed to make the playoffs. Jeff Schultz has a blog entry on the current status of Cox; he may be contemplating retirement.
But there’s something about this team that Cox’s critics still don’t grasp: The Braves are only good, not great. With Chipper Jones slumping, they’re closer to average. They have very good starting pitching but sporadic hitting.
If and when the Braves miss the playoffs again, it won’t be because of Bobby Cox, it will be because of the personnel. But it’s the easy answer, isn’t it? Michael Vick breaks a leg, fire Dan Reeves. And where are Joe Paterno’s critics now?
Cox deserves better than being swept under the carpet, and before the Glavine debacle, I would have said it would never happen to one of baseball’s all time great managers.
I thought this was an extremely interesting article from Sankaku Complex (via N4G) [Content warning – some readers may be offended by the anime links and images contained throughout the site.]
The article outlines how Microsoft will pony up money for an exclusive 360 title. At some point the game will be ported to the PS3, but Sony demands that the game contain extra content in order to be superior to the 360 version.
Responding to the complaints of Xbox 360 Tales of Vesperia beta testers, a developer has laid bare the not so shocking truth of just how Namco was paid off by Microsoft to secure an “exclusive” release, but instead merely used the Xbox subsidy to reduce development costs on the PS3 version, which it expected to sell better.
All in all, an interesting read, and is another example of an article that is full of fun user comments. It is funny how emotional gamers get about their systems. You have fans of both camps spinning this one left and right, all for a game that will hardly make a dent on the charts.
The giddiness is over. The Falcons are 1-0, and getting ready to host the Panthers. I am not surprised that the Falcons won, but I am surprised the way they won.
Pat Yasinskas of the NFC South blog at ESPN wrote
How could we have doubted them when they gutted their defense in the offseason? And how could we question that defense after it looked bad in the preseason?
There’s no questioning the decision to rebuild the defense after what that unit did after the season-opening victory against Miami. The Dolphins aren’t a bad team, but the Falcons made them look like one.
The Falcons came just less than four minutes of shutting out the Dolphins. The scary thing is this defense only is going to get better.
I really wanted that shutout. I thought we would be doing some Monday morning QBing about the Falcons defense, but not in a good way. To further hammer the point home, The Phinsider blog lamented the Dolphins line.
Yet all these decisions and all that guaranteed money means nothing once these players take the field for a game. On Sunday, we saw Jake Long get beat over and over. We saw Vernon Carey also get beat for QB hurries and sacks. And we saw very little push up front when the Dolphins tried to run the football. On most of the backs’ 19 carries, there was no hole to run through – not even a little crease. And we know that this is not an offense that can rely on passing the football time and time again. To be honest, though, I’m not sure what concerns me more. Is it the inability to open any running lanes for their running backs? Or is it their inability to keep the quarterback upright?
Key stat: the offensive line surrendered four sacks, four additional QB hits, and 13 total hurries. How can you expect any quarterback to do much of anything when he’s under that kind of pressure?
It was a nice opening week. I hope Atlanta can make it 2-0 this weekend.
According to the AP, Houston is now #21 in the nation, which is the result of jumping up and beating a #5 Oklahoma St team. Poor Oklahoma St; they fall to #16. How does all this affect Georgia? The Bulldogs were ranked #21, but fell two spots to #23 when everyone realized that their loss to the Cowboys looks that much worse. Who cares about a hard fought win over South Carolina?
In the Coaches Poll, poor Houston’s win over #6 Oklahoma St was not good enough for the Cougars to crack the Top 25, but the Cowboys tumbled all the way to #17.
Just got back from ATL; the Falcons easily put away the Dolphins 19-7 in the Falcons home opener.
A few of things of note. Ryan look a little off, just missing a few sure fire receptions, but ended up with better than average numbers: 22 for 36, 229 yds, and 2 TDs. Tuner had a subpar day (65 yds on 22 carries), having a difficult time cracking Miami’s 3-4 defense. Elem had a horrible day, missing two FGs and an extra point; luckily those seven points did not come back to haunt the Falcons. The defense was much better than expected. Surprise, surprise.
Go Falcons!
Getting ready to go to the first tailgate of the year to watch the Falcons play host to the Dolphins, so this is going to be extremely quick.
USC takes down Ohio St again and again and again. I am glad that is over with after week two. I can think of only a few things more disgusting that having to listening to another round of Ohio St BCS Championship game talk. The only problem is that they played a good, close game, so if there is a battle of one loss teams, the Buckeyes may still show up in the mix.
The Race for the Chase was exciting stuff. I do not care much for Kyle Bush, so glad to see him have to eat some humble pie.
My SEC Week 2 predictions were a wreck. Glad I do not bet for a living because I would be broke.
Georgia escaped. No other way to look at it.
Go Falcons!
I admit it; I am a numbers guy. There are a lot of different ways you could slice and dice NPD numbers, but the Madden data in particular stood out to me.
On the software side, Electronic Arts’ Madden NFL 10 was the big winner, taking first place (360 – 928,000 units), third place (PS3 – 665,000 units), and sixth place (PS2 – 160,000). However, those figures were down overall from August 2008, when Madden NFL 09 sold 1 million units on the 360, 643,000 units on the PS3, and 424,500 units on the PlayStation 3. The Wii version of Madden, which sold 115,800 units last year, didn’t even make the August 2009 top 10, meaning it sold less than 10th place DS game Fossil Fighters’ 92,000 units.
There are several different facets of the Madden numbers. First, the game is not recession proof, and frankly, that surprised me because I thought it was sort of black gold. Second, PS3 numbers slightly up while the Xbox 360 is slightly down. Finally, the Wii version just cannot get anything going for it which is shocking considering the number of Wii systems out there. Of course that may point to multisystem owners; they will gravitate towards the strong PS3 or Xbox 360 systems for their football experience. My kids enjoy the Wii version of Madden 10, but I have not had a chance to check it out to see if it is new and improved over last year’s game.
This weekend games are only slightly interesting, but going against the odds may make for a more difficult selection process. Good thing the mortgage is paid. On the year I am 9-2; on with the predictions.
Troy vs. 1 Florida
Troy, the current king of the Sun Belt Conference is going to go into the Swamp and full the full affects of the Gators, but to everyone’s surprise Florida will not cover the 36.5 they are giving up on this one. Not because Florida is not the #1 team in the land, but 36.5 is just too damn many points to give up to a well coached Troy team. I can see this one ending up 53-16.
UCLA vs. Tennessee
Revenge and all that crap is at play as UCLA comes calling on Tennessee. If I were just throwing down some picks, I would say Volunteers, but that 10 they are laying scares me a little. I have waffled on this one all week. The pick is UCLA with the points, but Tennessee to pull away late. Let’s call it 27-17.
Miss. St vs. Auburn
I went against the Tigers last week and I am going to do the same again this week. Giving 14 points to the Bulldogs of the West is just too much. Look for a tight low scoring game, which Auburn will win, but not cover.
Vanderbilt vs. 11 LSU
I think this one is one of the most interesting matchups of the weekend. LSU is giving up 14, which seems a little like a trap for those who have not watched Vanderbilt’s marked improvement over the last few years. The Commodores are a well coached team, but I do not think they will have the depth to escape Death Valley. I am going with the trap; LSU outright.
Florida Int. vs. 4 Alabama
Golden Panthers are in for a world of hurt later today as the Tide will easily roll and cover the 33.5 they are giving up for their home opener.
Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky
The Rebels, Hogs, and Kitty-Kats are all at home building strength to overcome my Week 3 predictions.
South Carolina vs. 21 Georgia
I don’t know what to do with this one. As a homer the pick is Georgia, but they are giving up 7 and the line has been as high as 8. Recent history suggests that this one will be closer than the pundits expect:
- 2008 14-7 (W)
- 2007 16-12 (L)
- 2006 18-0 (W)
- 2005 17-15 (W)
- 2004 20-16 (W)
We know that the Fighting Chickens have a stout defense. The same can be said for the Dawgs after they held the Cowboys in check; relatively speaking compared to Oklahoma St. normal Big 12 offensive statistics. I think we also know that both teams have questions on offense. Rumors have spread like wildfire that Cox is injured. When things go in the ditch, everyone’s favorite player is the backup QB. If Logan Gray sees much the Bulldogs are going to win big because that means Gray is going to see a lot of Red Zone actions. Then again it could mean that Cox is injured or ineffective. Talking about being indecisive…
The pick is Georgia to win by 5, so they will not cover. Of course I could care less as long at the Dawgs do not start 0-2, which would be a travesty of epic proportions in the collective minds of Bulldog Nation.
From today’s NFC South blog chant …
Greg (Cleveland, OH)
Pat, sorry to hear about the passing of your journalist friend. I”m a Falcons fan, but I don’t see the playoffs this year. The offense will be great, the defense is better than the preseason when they were experimenting with blitzes. But a) the Falcons have the WORST schedule in football (not only 4th hardest win%, but more teams coming off the bye than any schedule in recent history), and b) they can’t be as lucky this year with injuries. NO got the honey of a schedule, with no bye-teams, and it’s not like Grant or Smith did anything last year…Pat Yasinskas (1:02 PM)
Thanks. Tom Berry was a great man. I’m proud the Pro Football Writers of America are doing something to keep his memory going. Greg, you sound like a Red Sox fan — accepting failure before it happens. Your points are valid. But think back to your expectations last year at this time. I’m sure what happened far exceeded those expectations. You might be pleasantly surprised.
I have had mixed emotions about this year’s team mostly due to the schedule and the defense. I still need to get in my predictions, but Mr. Yasinskas is talking me off the ledge.
It has never happened in their history, and apparently Mr. Dimitroff does not want to hear about it anymore.
In a radio interview, Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff admitted he’s tired of hearing about the Falcons never having back-to-back winning seasons. Here’s a thought: Go out and do it.
I agree! However, unless the defense improves in a hurry, we may be talking about this topic for another couple of seasons, and that would suck big time.
Last night was a great night of football. I found myself flipping between the Bumble Bees almost blowing a game against the Tigers from Clemson and the Titans/Steelers match up. The experience at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Thursday night is perfect for showing college football at its best. The NFL matchup, while low scoring, had plenty of action and was captivating until the bitter end in overtime.
Bring on Saturday (Fighting Chickens vs. Dawgs) and Sunday (Dolphins vs. Falcons). Hope for more of the same quality football and victories by the home teams!
In an article posted on Venture Beat (via N4G), Apple is making a case that it should be your portable gaming platform.
As you can tell from all of the numbers in this story, Sony and Nintendo have something to worry about. The newest iPhone 3G S is an extremely capable 3-D graphics handheld and supports the OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics standard. Hubert Nguyen of Ubergizmo believes that the graphics in the new iPhone could display something that looks as good as Half-Life 2 — a stunning game on the PC from 2004. I’ve already noted how the graphics on id Software’s Doom Resurrection on the iPhone looked truly amazing.
21K games is an amazing number, but let’s be realistic about the types of games contained in these numbers. It is not as if something of the magnitude of Gran Turismo is available on the iPod (of course it is not yet available on the PSP, but I digress). As I have written before, I just do not see the iPod as a viable gaming platform. Not for gamers – maybe for casual pick up and go gaming, but for more serious fun? Madden, FIFA, etc?
Even if the iPod could get the IP equivalent to something like a Mario title, the controls are just not the same. While iPod could make a run at RPG titles or maybe text based sports simulations (OOTP or FM on the go would be fun) I just do not see playing something like FIFA on the iPod. Maybe I am just different than everyone else.