Vita | The Recycle Bin

WipEout 2048 – Vita DLC Packs

A couple of weeks ago I picked up WipEout 2048 (Vita) after passing on the latest iteration of WipEout during the February Vita launch. It’s not as if I don’t like WipEout – the series has an awesome pedigree which originated on the PSOne (I still own the first two releases).

More recently, I played WipEout Pure extensively on my PSP; after trying several different flavors of portable racing, Pure ended up being my racing game in my PSP library and remains in my collection today.

With all that said, I had no intentions of picking up WipEout 2048. I figured that I already had too many games in my Vita library, albeit none of which were racing games. Then something crazy and unexpected happened. Sony provided some Cross Play action that pushed me over the edge.

Almost two years ago (June 28, 2010), initial PS+ subscribers were treated with WipEout HD (PS3) as part of their day one PS+ subscription. A year or so later, I picked up full digital ownership of the game as part of Sony’s “Welcome Back” package. WipEout HD + Fury DLC to be more precise.

To be perfectly honest, I haven’t spent more than 10 minutes with the WipEout HD. I just have too many other gaming distractions. So what happened?

As I said, Cross Play arrived.

To make this deal even sweeter, we’ve got a special promotion that will let you experience WipEout’s exhilarating crossplay action on both PS3 and PS Vita. For those of you who already own WipEout HD or WipEout HD Fury on your PS3, you can automatically download the PS Vita versions for free! And the same works vice-versa as well: Anyone who purchases these new WipEout HD expansion packs from PlayStation Store on their PS Vita can download the packs for free on their PS3.

I decided to pick up WipEout 2048 because it was discounted, and because of the added value of getting WipEout HD + Fury DLCs for “free” – Sony really needs to push this sort of Cross Play connectivity across more titles.

WipEout 2048 is great on the Vita; I’ve played a couple of rounds of online multiplayer, which was OK – no lag or the like. I have also finished up the 2048 single player campaign mode, although I haven’t earned Elite passes in everything. WipEout 2048 has a ton of replay value, and when you add in the bonus HD + Fury DLC, I can see 2048 carrying my Vita racing needs forward for a long time to come.

E3 – What about the Vita?

Another year, another E3 out of the way. I remember when E3 use to be a huge deal, but it doesn’t seem that way these days, except for having outlets such as G4TV and SpikeTV providing live coverage.

More than anything else, I am disappointed that Sony didn’t offer more focus of its fledgling Vita. Apps like youtube are coming this summer, but we already knew that pre E3. Besides, Honey Badger doesn’t have anything on Charlie the Unicorn.

Getting PSOne Classics is nice, but in reality, PSOne support should have been a day one endeavor. Instead of really concentrating on the games, Sony more or less squandered an opportunity to really refresh the gaming publics’ opinion of the Vita.

It’s all enough to piss off PlayStation LifeStyle.

Seb: Yeah, on the topic of “shit that’ll probably sell well, but isn’t of interest to a single person at E3”, why did we need to spend 10 minutes watching people ‘playing’ Wonderbook? I’m sure some kids will be able to convince their parents to buy a PS3, a Move, a PS Eye, a Wonderbook and a copy of Book of Spells, just to be able to read another J.K. Rowling book. But, I’m not one of those kids, and I don’t want to see 10 mins of it instead of proper games.

In fact, Jack Tretton said afterwards that there weren’t any more Vita games shown because they couldn’t fit anything else in…

Would a price cut really matter? Not if Sony doesn’t push the games and give gamers some confidence that Sony is willing to back its four month old system.

The lead up to E3 provided a lot of rumors that the PS+ program was going to be revamped to provide an enriched Vita experience. It was revamped, and in a very good way, but once again, Sony blew its chance to really lift up the Vita.

Madden 13: Vita + PS3 No Cross Play Platform Saves

What a bummer reading that EA will continue a trend it started with FIFA of not support cross play platform saves with Madden 13.

I imagine Madden NFL 13 will be a solid football game on the go, but personally, I know I’m not going to have much interest in running a PS3 franchise and a Vita franchise. Adding to the woes of PlayStation pocket gamers is that when asked if a unified experience could come to next year’s Madden entry, a developer said that they’d see how this year’s Vita version did before investing in the option.

It’s like a Greek tragedy: this year’s version will do poorly because it doesn’t have the mode that EA would add if it did well.

The reality is that I will probably order the Vita version of Madden (in addition to the PS3 version that I already have on pre-order), but this is really just a damn shame. I understand that the franchise mode in the PS3 is ultra-complicated, but you would think that the developers behind the Vita could at least attempt to pull off what Sony did with MLB 12: The Show; bunch of lazy bastards!

Now Playing (End of May Edition)

As summer starts to bloom, I finally decided to pick up Flower as part of the recent ThatGameCompany sale ($4.89 via PS+ discount). What a wonderful experience; when games become art, they really become immersive media, moving beyond the realm of typical game-playing sessions and evolving into said experience.

I haven’t spent a ton of time with it (too many other distractions as you can see from this post), but I would say that it is a stronger outing than their initial flOw, but not as emotionally captivating as their recent Journey outing. Wow; I’m becoming a softie in my old age.

Final Fantasy XIII (some XIII-2)
I swore to myself (seriously) and told my boys that I wouldn’t start XIII-2 until I finished the mainline FF XIII story. Two years after its initial release, I finally got around to doing the needful.

I’m not sure if I will actually Platinum FF XIII; I probably don’t have the time or strength of character to grind, grind, grind. With that said, I am still plugging along and having a good time with it. At some point I will have to put it down and fully focus of XIII-2; until then, I hope to pick up another “you have put too much time into this game” trophy or two.

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
Speaking of RPGs, Daggerdale was just released on the PSN. It is the rare purchase for me to actually pick something up day one at full price; in this case $14.99.

I’m a sucker for fun hack-and-slash experiences, and this one carries the full backing of the Dungeons & Dragons 4E rules system.

I’m only a couple of hours in, so I can’t really comment on the game play mechanics, but playing with the human warrior is pretty much what I expected. Pick up a quest, smash barrels for treasure, fight some bad guys (goblins and skeletons so far), rinse and repeat. I’m at level 2, and have only died once by stupidly falling off a high ledge while fighting a skeleton. I forced Mr. Bones off the ledge and thought I would follow; to my death.

Madden 12
I have been playing this one a little here and there in order to satisfy my football gaming jones, but mostly to finish it out and pick up the Platinum. I only need the 2 Ultimate Team (10 and 20) games played and I will score a new shiny. The truth is that I swore I would stay away from Ultimate Team so that I wouldn’t be tempted to throw real money at virtual cards. For the most part that has worked, but I did have one weak moment; money was sitting in my wallet, so I did flip some for a Gold pack. Yes, I’m weak.

For the most part Madden is a super easy Platinum. Over the holiday weekend I finished off a couple of the trophies with help from my two oldest boys – yes, we “gamed” (err cheated) the system by turning down the CPU AI to be weak as a kitten, but we had a good time playing, which is what life (and gaming) is all about. Speaking of quality family gaming …

LittleBigPlanent 2
I haven’t played this one is a while, but it’s a great game to play with my boys (all three – 13, 9.11, and 5). LBP provides infinite possibilities, is fun creative outlet, hilarious at times (watching each other die or do otherwise stupid tricks), etc.

Speaking of LBP, I’m still anxiously looking forward to the Vita version.

Waiting Game …
As I wait on my “Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland Limited Edition: Grand Finale Set” NIS America store, to arrive today or tomorrow, I keep looking at my backlog of RPGs and shake my head. I’ll never get to them all, but it is a nice problem to have. At the same time, I start looking forward to the next round of Gust instant classics (i.e. Atelier Ayesha). I’m hopeless …

Same for Gravity Rush (Vita – June 12); it has received extremely positive reviews, but not sure that it will be a system seller or marketed as such. I’ll be happy with a quality game that provides some new Vita experiences.

Beach Tripping

Get away day; the best day of the week. I’m packing up the summer frills, loading up the van, dropping the animals off a the vet, and heading to the Gulf Coast of FL, Carillon Beach style.

Not sure if I’ll have much in the way of an internet connection for any live updates (as if anyone is actually interested in my adventures in seafood, beach stuffs, and beer). I’ll have my Vita; hopefully it will not rain and I’ll only play it occasionally. I will however tweet; just because I can.

When I make it back, just in time for Memorial Day weekend, I’ll spend a little more time cleanup up the site.

Happy Wednesday!

LittleBigPlanet Vita Beta

While Amazon still shows the release as December 31, 2012 (meaning they have no idea what date to confirm), it looks as if an open beta is in the works.

If you are one of the 100 or so Vita owners that actually care about the game, make sure you sign up for the beta. There is a very short survey, and since your PSN info, qualification into the beta may be based on your actual gaming practices (trophies, purchases, etc).

I could usually give a crap about betas; most of the ones I receive via PS+ are nothing more than glorified demos. The LittleBigPlanet Vita one is different. Would really like to see how the game in the pre-release stages and offer some feedback.

Skype – Vita Credit

While I famously wrote about Skype Skipping Me (and my PSP-1000), I plan to take the plunge with my Vita. Sony is making Skype a little easier to test out be offering up a $2 credit.

Not sure if this Sony email with voucher offer is going out to all Vita owners, Vita owners that downloaded the Skype app, or some other combo. I downloaded the Skype app when it was first offered, but didn’t sign up for a Skype account until I received the credit, which will allow me to give Skype a go on my Vita for free. At least for a few minutes.

MLB 12: The Show (Vita) – What about the gameplay?

Since I was sick much of the past week, I didn’t get any time to dive into MLB 12 (Vita or PS3). I did spend some time last night with the Home Run Derby mode; mostly just to get a feel for batting and of course to pick up the HR Trophies.

I was curious what others thought about the Vita version, so I headed over to Metacritic this morning. At the time of this article, only two reviews offered on Metacritic, which to me is somewhat of a surprise.

What was even more surprising, and honestly I’m not even sure why I am still surprised by this sort of thing, the reviews don’t even bother to tackle the gameplay aspects of a Vita version of MLB 12. Take this example from Cheat Code Central (CCC):

Most tellingly, many of the game’s presentation elements have been removed. While hitting a homerun provides the proper score increases, one does not actually see the players walk the bases. Transitions between pitches are quick, accomplished with fades, as is the case with each fielding play. Once there is, ostensibly, nothing more to be done by the defense, the game fades immediately back to the pitch/at-bat display. I hesitate to call this “lazy,” but it definitely takes away from the overall experience of the game, from the illusion that one is managing a baseball franchise, guiding a player from the double-A league up to the Majors, or running an exhibition match between the Yankees and the Red Sox to see who’s really on top in the Northeast. In the end, though, these elements of the games visuals and presentation, while disappointing, are hardly game-breaking or offensive.

To me, this is actually OK; I want a portable game of baseball to play faster. For that matter, I have been calling for faster playing baseball games, yet ones that still maintain simulation aspects, for years and years. Strangely enough, IGN actually agrees with me on this point; hell just got a little less warm.

Not that anyone really cares, but I do agree with the CCC reviewer about MLB 12 being somewhat intimidating for MLB The Show newbies. For some inexplicable reason, I actually set the game on the hardest mode, and it took me a while to figure out WTF I was doing, adjusted the game according, but I was already down 8-0 in the 1st inning. Ouch!

I really hate the Vita trend of not having a physical manual. MLB 12: The Show is certainly one game that warrants one just to provide some sort of cheat sheet on all the control options and what the various sliders actually do.

At any rate, I read the CCC review twice – not once does the subject of gameplay come up. Not that the IGN review offered a better approach. [sigh] I’m getting far too old for this sort of thing.

MLB 12: The Show PS3 + Vita $20 Off Offer (Update)

I previously mentioned how Amazon applied some screwy discount to my order; the PS3 version had a $12 discount applied, while the Vita version received an $8 discount.

If that was not strange enough, imagine my surprise to see new invoices for full MSRP when Amazon finally shipped the game. I promptly contacted customer service only to be told I would receive a $20 voucher good towards future purchases. I told customer support that was not good enough – the deal not only stated that the discount would be applied at checkout (it was), but Amazon actually sent me receipts with the discount, only to later charger full MSRP.

I asked for a $20 credit; no, demanded a $20 credit to my on file AMEX card. For some strange reason Amazon responded with a $20 credit on both orders, which is crazy because that certainly was not what I requested. I consider the “bonus” credit part of my “pain and suffering” – I shouldn’t have needed to contact Amazon customer service in the first place, much less contact them multiple times to straighten the purchase “MLB 12: The Show for the PS3 and Vita and receive $20 off” mess.

Sadly enough, even with the release day shipping, I have not been able to play the games yet. I was sick as a dog, as was the entire family, for most of the week with a dreadful stomach virus of sorts. Nasty stuff!

I should get to crack open both games later today and spend some time with them over the weekend. My nine year-old son, who does not like baseball, is excited to try MLB 12 with the Move. Of course I’m excited just to try to pick up and take on the go with me concept.

More to come later; God willing if the creek doesn’t rise. Of course it is raining, so there is that.

Happy Friday!

MLB 12: The Show PS3 + Vita $20 Off Offer

Amazon finally decided to start offering the Sony incentive to save $20 when purchasing the PS3 and Vita version of MLB 12: The Show during the same transaction.

Take The Show on the road. For a limited time, save $20 when you buy both the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 versions of “MLB 12: The Show.” Save your Season, Franchise, or Road to The Show progress in between games, and upload to the PlayStation Network with your PS3 or PS VITA, anywhere at any time.

Amazon is reporting that this offer expires on April 10, so get it while it is still hot off the press and prior to opening day.

Color me happy; this is a great deal. I really had no intention of getting both, and was debating the merits of getting just the Vita version … then this happy deal sang a song of irresistible purchase to me. Can’t hold back …

Strangely enough, at least to me, the PS3 version received release day shipping, but not the Vita version.

After receiving my email receipt from Amazon, I noticed something strong. The $20 discount didn’t apply directly to the Vita version. While the actual amount of $79.99 was correct, the Vita version received an $8 discount while the PS3 version received a $12 discount.

As I said strange. I am looking forward to some MLB action and then taking my game from the PS3 to the Vita and back to the PS3. Looks like MLB heaven is coming later this week.

[Edit: Amazon now lets me select release day delivery for the Vita version, but it still has the screwy $8 discount.]

Lumines: Electronic Symphony – No Platinum Update

One of the producers at Q-Entertainment has come clean about the lack of a Platinum in Lumines (Vita).

I realize that a Platinum is desirable by a lot of game players, and am looking into whether we can add one, and how much work it would take. These things are never as simple as you might think, due to submission, testing, and certification processes, but I am checking into it. I would hope that you enjoy the game regardless, but I regret this oversight. If we are able to add a Platinum, I’ll be sure to update things here, on our Facebook page, and via Twitter. Thanks for understanding.

All in all it sounds like a totally honest mistake, however I think the Q-Entertainment should spend some time and capital to correct this mistake. It is not as if I would have been able to earn the Platinum, but as a matter of principle, this should be corrected via a patch.

Gravity Rush Moves Forward … Not So Much For LBP Vita

Earlier today Amazon sent out a notice that my Gravity Rush preorder is set to ship on Jan 12, 2012; nice. Not so much for LittleBigPlanet, which is showing a Dec 31, 2012 release date. That looks like a major miss or maybe more of a “we don’t know when this one will be released” date.

MLB 12 The Show PS3 + Vita Combo

I have been sitting on the fence about picking up MLB 12 The Show. Do I actually get one or both versions? If I go with one version, which one do I pick up? Living room pleasure or on the go bliss? There are advantages and disadvantage to either approach …

Of course I could opt out all together, and skip another year of MLB The Show. Why would I do that you ask? Because I know that I will play for a short while, and move onto something else. I suck that way; I’m an ADD gamer.

Or I could get both versions and “save” $20 in the process. Sony just announced their intentions to complete screw up my gaming budget; that is to say my allotment of free time budget.

If Amazon offers this deal, I think I will be all in. Release day shipping, plus “living room to anywhere outside my home MLB The Show action” just sounds like too good a deal to pass up. Not to mention that the trophies would stack.

Gravity Rush Gets A Date

At long last, the highly anticipated (at least by your truly) Gravity Rush gets a release date of June 12. This Vita game looks phenomenal, and the Japanese release has received critical acclaim. You read it here, so it must be true …

Not going to translate …

The art style that continues to pop up here and there for Ciel no sourge looks wonderful, but there is no what that this Vita game will be localized for the U.S.

If I knew a lick of Japanese I would import this beauty, but I don’t, so I guess I will keep my fingers crossed for NIS America (or some other brave publisher of would be niche titles) to pick this one up for later this year.