SRN Editorial

Myth: Games Sell More on Xbox Than on PS3 (Updated with latest results)

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 2, 2011 | 43 comments

It shouldn’t be news to anybody that the Xbox 360 is ahead of the Playstation 3 when it comes to units sold. Not only did the Xbox launch a full year ahead of the PS3, but Sony had a rocky 2-3 years before they got their game plan together. Another advantage that the Xbox 360 has enjoyed is its lower price point, now offering a very stripped down version for $150 vs. the $299 PS3. This puts the Xbox 360 at 44.2 million units sold worldwide with the PS3 coming in at 40.3 million. Now there is some discrepancy with the Xbox 360 sales where it’s been widely reported that the systems have suffered upwards of 30% failure rate. This has even caused game retailer giant Gamestop to stop offering warranties on them. But the flip side is that there are PS3 owners who have simply purchased the console for its Blu-ray player, streaming and other media features for their home theater and are not using the unit for gaming purpose. So with the two different situations effecting the number of active consoles that are dedicated to gaming, let’s assume that the number difference between the two consoles is correct. Does this then mean that the 360 really sells more games than the PS3? The answer may be a bit surprising.

The Xbox 360 is shooter heaven where its users flock on the first day to games like Halo, Call of Duty and Gears of War. Sure, the PS3 has Call of Duty and its own exclusives series like Killzone, Socom and Resistance, but when it comes to sales, a game like Gears of War 2 does 1.9 million on first week worldwide where other AAA and highly rated PS3 game like Uncharted 2 do only 800,000. Sure Uncharted 2 now has 3.8 million sales, but Gears of War 2 is sitting on a cool 5.9 million. So we can all agree that 360 users buy their FPS (first person shooter) games in droves, but how do other games that are not FPS and released on both consoles average in sales? The results seem to be much different.

Beyonata PS3 (0.74 million)
Beyonata 360 (0.67 million)
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game PS3 (0.58 million)
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game 360 (0.56 million)
Lost Planet 2 PS3 (0.52 million)
Lost Planet 2 360 (0.44 million)
Mafia II PS3 (0.46 million)
Mafia II 360 (0.46 million)
Resident Evil 5 PS3 (3.39 million)
Resident Evil 5 360 (2.82 million)
FIFA Soccer 10 PS3 (3.54 million)
FIFA Soccer 10 PS2 (1.27 million)
FIFA Soccer 10 PSP (0.76 million)
FIFA Soccer 10 360 (2.68 million)
Just Cause 2 PS3 (0.78 million)
Just Cause 2 360 (0.70 million)

The above numbers are games that the PS3 has outsold its 360 version, and that does not mean that there are not other dual-release games with which the 360 has outsold the PS3. But, we can take away from this that even with its lower install base, Playstation owners seem to play a wider variety of games and publishers indeed are able to sell more titles to them while 360 owners only show up in masses for FPS games. Another advantage that Sony offers to publishers is their multi console offering where sport games are not released just on the PS3, but the PS2 and PSP as well (above example is FIFA ’10). This means that despite the stigma out there, Sony’s Playstation platform continues to offer the most compelling platform for publishers to release games on.

[Via VGChartz]

Editorial: How Sony's PlayStation Can Win Back the Consumer

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 23, 2010 | 4 comments

During the late 90’s and the early 2000’s, the word gaming was synonymous with PlayStation. We were the PlayStation generation. As Xander Cage said in the action movie XXX “You have a bazooka. Why don’t you blow some shit up? Stop thinking Prague police and start thinking PlayStation“. If there was a commercial or Hollywood movie, if there was a gaming device in the background, it was a PlayStation 2. When the duo sat down for a scene to play games, they had PS2 controllers in their hands and when there was a skit from the Daily Show or SNL, the game cover would belong to a PS2 game.

What’s changed since then is the one-year head start Microsoft had with the Xbox 360. Mix that with the rocky and high price point the PlayStation 3 had in its initial three years and you can see how Sony fell behind in the lime light. Plus, there is this misperception that the Xbox is really far ahead of the PS3. It’s because of this that the PlayStation 3 exists in a now alternate twilight zone universe of the late 90’s and early 2000’s where it has been replaced by the Xbox 360. When Turk and J.D sit down in Scrubs to game, they’re “fraggin noobs on the 360“. When the Daily Show with John Stewart runs a skit on the absurdity of banning video games, the game they are holding is a 360 game. And of course when Target or Walmart are running an ad, showing a family in the living room, on both print and commercials, they are playing the Xbox 360. This gradual bombardment has slowly taken the 360 to a pop culture status where now gaming is synonymous with the Xbox. Sure Microsoft itself pays heavily for its products to be advertised, but part of it is still the cultural status of the 360. When the PA gets assigned to go pick up a prop, they reach for a 360 game, and when the advertising company is finishing the set, the Xbox is what they place. So this has not only shifted the image for the younger audience that gaming and the 360 are the same, but for the parents as well. That means your mom is much aware of the Xbox; guess what she might reach for during the next birthday or Christmas?

Editorial: Sony Dash, the Best Sony Commercial Ever?

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 23, 2010 | 21 comments

One of the biggest problems I’ve always had with Sony is the lack of advertising on their end and the cohesiveness of when they actually do advertise. As a believer, preacher, and defender of their products, it’s far too frustrating to see them release fantastic devices into the market like the Sony Dash and have it fade away as just another new device after 3 blogs have covered it. Sure, the geek crowd who reads sites like ours and Engadget and browses forums on a regular basis might know about it, but the much bigger portion of the public, the ones who want to see a new device shown to them on TV and likes the familiarity of what they see on store shelves when they step into a retailer like Best Buy is completely missed. Then, when Sony actually does advertise, they are too busy using celebrities from their portfolio like Justin Timberlake and Payton Manning and not focused enough on what the ad is actually trying to tell people, let alone sell them, which is the point of advertisement.

A few days ago, all of this changed for me. Not only has Sony released a new TV spot for their Sony Dash, but during the 30 seconds, not only do they manage to show the device and its many functionalities, but also give you a heads up on its new price as well, all without the help of a single celebrity. Don’t believe me? Watch the following:

Gamer Log: Time Crisis: Razing Storm and Enslaved Arrive!

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 11, 2010 | 30 comments

Woo hoo, over the past week, I’ve ordered two new PlayStation 3 games that I’m eager to play: Time Crisis: Razing Storm and Enslaved. As you might be aware, I’ve been slowly building my PlayStation Move fleet by purchasing two Shooting Gun Attachments, as well as the PlayStation Eye Camera Mounting kit and Charging Station. Now, I actually have a game for the PlayStation Move itself as well, though to be honest, I still don’t own a PlayStation Move. Though this might sound crazy, there is a reason behind this. I’ve been having a pile up issue with games, as in I own plenty of games that I have yet to beat. Recently, I put a stop to all of this by setting a goal of finishing some old games. I’m one Trophy away from completing everything in Battlefield: 1943 and I’m currently at the end boss in Final Fantasy 13, this means that after these games, I’ll be clear for some more games. By having all my items ready for the Move, I can actually go out and by one in the next few weeks or might even get them for Christmas and have the full ready “Move” experience. But alas, Time Crisis will be more of a fun game, beaten or not. It’s something that I can pick up with my girlfriend and just have some fun with, or have the family give it a try. Enslaved on the other hand is where it’s really at for me in terms of real gaming. I loved Ninja Theories Heavenly Sword with its rich world and characters and I’m the type of gamer who plays for story and that’s exactly what Enslaved is meant to be. Gorgeous graphics, set with rich characters and a story that is to be played out in front of me in an epic fashion are the types of games I’m a sucker for. Plus, Ninja Theory is well known for truly utilizing MoCap to bring their games to life. Though, I’m still not sure if I want to just go and beat Final Fantasy 13 and move along to Enslaved, or actually go do some more side quests and extra bosses as well. Thoughts?

Editorial: How To Not Sell PlayStation Moves with Creepy/Random Advertising

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 22, 2010 | 5 comments

As I write this post, I’m trying to not come off pissed but I can’t help it. We have pointed out on this site over and over again that Sony makes some fantastic products, but has the worst marketing department on the entire planet. This holiday season is a crucial one for Sony. The PlayStation 3 has been enjoying great momentum and is only 3-4 million units away from the Xbox 360. This is a big deal for Sony as the PS3 has always lagged 7-9 million units behind the Xbox 360. With this new steam behind PlayStation 3, Sony has also released the PlayStation Move to offer users both something new and to counter Nintendo. Having a great product is one thing, but having people find out about it something entirely different, and Microsoft knows this. Most of their products are mediocre at best. Look at Windows Vista. Look at the Xbox 360 with claims of 40% failure rate. And yet, that doesn’t matter because Microsoft knows how to advertise. Simply put, Kinect won’t work for most people, but that’s not going to stop Microsoft, nor the $500 million they have set aside to advertise it. Sony has already claimed that it has no plans to match Microsoft when it comes to spending and that’s ok too. I understand it, Sony simply does not have that kind of cash, but that does not mean that they should spend the cash they do have on weird as hell advertising.

Microsoft makes it clear during the 30 second ads that people are having fun playing with the Xbox 360 with a new interface that requires no controller. There it is, a simple pitch, but from the beginning to the end, it’s clear that this is a Xbox commercial for their new product. What does Sony do in their Latin America ad? Have some weird commercial with adult babies (wow, that wasn’t two years ago) who are going about their day, doing “adult” stuff and at the end, you see a PlayStation 3 with a Move controller logo.

Editorial: Microsoft Wants to Buy off Kinect Success

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 3, 2010 | 6 comments

A few weeks ago, we ran story on how the troubled the Xbox Kinect is and now, other sites are reporting on the troubles behind the scenes of Redmond. Now we have news that Sony had sold 1.5 million Move units in Europe and another 1 million in the States, putting it in a strong position for the upcoming holiday season. On the other hand, Microsoft seems to have a half-functional device on their hands that needs to have the most optimal settings to give you even minimal playability. How do the folks at Redmond respond to this?

With a $500 million advertising campaign, centered around the Kinect. Yes, Microsoft wants to spend $500 million this year to promote the Kinect. Partners like “Burger King, Pepsi, YouTube, Nickelodeon, Disney, Glee, Dancing with the Stars, People and InStyle magazines, and even Times Square” will all having a role to play in spreading the word. The last time Microsoft spent $500 million was to fight off the impressions and hide how troubled Windows Vista was. Now, with another broken product, Microsoft does what it’s best at: spending a ton of cash to convince people. Apple really said it best.

To be fair, at the same time, if Sony had the money, I’m sure they would spend it as well. Too many times this generation, because of lack of funding and advertising vision, Sony releases another fantastic product, like the Playstation Move, and not enough awareness is around it. Compared to prior years, Sony has indeed done considerably better and Sony themselves has said that the Playstation Move will be more of a word of mouth product. But, with companies like Apple and Microsoft having the budget to actually educate and promote their product, it’s sad to see Sony not be able to compete, even though they have a fantastic product on their hands.

God of War: Game Director Meet Up in Los Angeles, God of War 4 in the Horizon? God of War Movie News

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 2, 2010 | 33 comments

First, an apology for it taking forever to post this. I had a lovely little photo corruption issue and so it took sometime to retrieve these photos and unwreck my 17,000+ iPhoto library.

On September 1st, Sony decided to throw together a small panel and bring the 5 directors of the God of War series together for the first time. The meet included David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, Stig Asmussen, Ru Weerasuiya, and Dana Jan for a roundtable-like discussion as well as audience questions and prizes.

After a long two-hour wait in line and some interviews with Playstation’s own Audrey Cleo, we finally got to go into the decked out theater and sit down for the upcoming panel. One look at the set and you could tell that for their own upcoming God of War documentary, Sony was not holding back, using top camera equipment as well as sparing no expense on a beautifully constructed set.

During the three hour event, one of the interesting myths that was busted is the story that Sony actually wanted a different director for each title. The pitch has always been that Sony wanted this, to give each story its own unique feel and taste. As David Jaffe went on to say “this made for a fantastic PR spin, but the truth was that it just never worked out”. Going on to say that each time a project was ready, each game director was busy with their own creation and projects so they couldn’t be brought onto the project. A great example of this is director Ru Weerasuriya who helmed God of War: Ghost of Sparta for the PSP. Sony and Ru were working closely together on this project but unlike God of War 1-3 which were made in house at Sony Santa Monica, Ghost of Sparta was actually made at Ready at Dawn Studios. After Ghost of Sparta was completed, Ru Weerasuriya went on to head the company, and because of that, he could not direct the upcoming GoW: Ghost of Sparta, thus Dana Jan took over the project.

Another talked-about subject was the reasoning for God of War 2 to be placed on the Playstation 2, versus a debut title for the Playstation 3. Cory Barlog, director of GoW 2, went on to explain that the reasoning was one that was debated for a while. Sony really wanted to have the game a launch title for the PS3 but there were a few obstacles. By the time God of War 2 came in, it was near the end of life for the Playstation 2. This made it hard to release a game for an upcoming system when the PS2 already had such a huge install base. From a business standpoint, all fans had to do was to purchase the game, not dedicate a new system just to experience the game. The other was a true technical standpoint. By then, everybody (developers) knew the innards of the PS2. They knew all the tricks and how to push the system to do what they wanted while the PS3 would have been a new language that they would have had to learn.

Another conversation that David Jaffe struck up and was quite passionate about was God of War at 7-11. This had to do with an audience question on how he felt about the face of Kratos, showing up at 7-11, during the God of War 3 launch. Jaffe felt about this subject as I did; from a creator’s standpoint, he loved the idea of seeing something he had created be seen everywhere and to have a 10 year old kid show up to a 7-11 and get excited because he saw his favorite game character there was something truly exciting. As Jaffe put it “when I was a kid, we would go to 7-11 and get excited when there was a new Boba Fett cup and I would collect them,” so why can’t a mega hit franchise like God of War get the same treatment? This I think is an inevitable path for video games and a sign of the maturing market place for them. To me, I view video games the same as movies, just one that I can control. The movie studios have figured out that a movie is a property and not just a single theatrical release. The video game industry needs to be in the same mindset if it wants to survive. As production costs rise on games, game studios need to look to else place to offer bring in income and merchandising is one of them. From a business perspective, this makes perfect sense and if handled properly, this is something that fans should embrace as well. Why not have access to their character beyond the video game. God dammit, if I wanted to have a Kratos stuffed toy and there is a demand for it, why not have it offered to me. I as a fan get what I want and the game studio is able to expand and continue to offer all things God of War.

You know what to do if you want to read more about God of War and news on God of War 4 and a God of War movie.

Editorial: Sony Internet TV Ad Does Everything Wrong

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 18, 2010 | 64 comments

For anybody who is a regular on this site, you will know that we have problems with Sony and their advertising agency. They seem to have things down finally on the Playstation side but when it comes to their other divisions, between the lack of advertisement and confusing advertisement, Sony stands to lose a lot. Before, you read any further though, I recommend you watch the following ad.

Ok, now that you’ve done that, lets discuss some things. On this site, we reported about the Sony Internet TV and the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray player. I would like to think that this means that I know a few things about that product. But after watching that ad, I’m not interested in the product, nor do I have any idea what that product does and that’s not good. All I know is that it brings Internet and TV together. But then the average person will say, I have a laptop/iPhone/iPad etc. and will move right a long and never care about this new product launch. Sure the concept is cool, people gathering around a giant screen (is the Internet TV coming to movie theaters?) but the ad does nothing to explain to people what it does.

Instead, the entire ads hopes that people will be hooked on the idea that a bunch of people in the middle of NYC are interested on this giant TV and remote and therefor, they will want to know more about it or better yet, are ready to purchase this mythical device. As always, the problem with Sony ads is that they take style over substance. It’s too busy being an artistic and meaningful ad, instead of telling me what it does and why I need. We only need to look at Apple ads. They are simple, show off the product and make it compelling to own one. Too easy? Lets look at Nikon ads where Ashton Kutcher tells us why he loves his Nikon (because it has good zoom and he can draw on the screen etc.) and boom, your like “ok, I get what this product does”. Sony completely missed that boat and this isn’t their first ad to do it. Again, another example is Samsung ads. “Buy our TV, it looks like you are there! The 3D is amazing, it’s thin!”. Simple and to the point. Again, Sony brings me in a lab with Payton Manning and Justin Timberlake (and I’m a big fan of both of them) where they are creating stuff and you should trust Sony because they make other 3D stuff. Ummm, ok?

Here is what the internet TV ad should have been. A camera pointed at the screen, watching TV, It’s showing Community, you bring up the IMDB page and search for it, you find the actor you wanted, you switch to Twitter and post about watching it, you see a post from your friend who is watching the NFL game. You do a quick search, it tells you the channel the game is on you click on it and it takes you to that game. The whole idea is to give you a quick experience and everyday use out of why you need the product. Simple, to the point and the consumer gets what the product is.

I truly believe that Sony makes some of the best products out there yet nobody is ever aware of these products because of Sonys lack of advertisement and when they do, it’s too confusing with what it’s trying to tell you.

Sonic: The Hedgehog That Started it All For Me. Sonic 4 out now!

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 13, 2010 | 15 comments

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 was released yesterday on the PSN and available for $14.99. To say I’ve been excited for this game is an understatement. Sonic 1, 2 and 3 for Sega Genesis were among the first video games I’ve ever played, period. I loved the series and it became the base for my love of video games today. Episode 1 has four main zones; Splash Hill, Casino Street, Lost Labyrinth, and Mad Gear. Each of these has three acts followed by a boss battle, which is the same formula as the previous classic games. Of course Sonic upgraded to 1080p graphics but has the classic side scrolling game play we all know and love.

While playing the game last night, I noticed there have been quite a few changes in the game. You start out playing Act 1 of Splash Hill but after you beat that, you are brought to the main menu where you can choose between all four stages (as shown below). When you click on a stage, a menu pops up, giving you the option to play Act 1, 2, 3 and the boss stage, of course you have to beat the acts within a stage in order. I really like this new feature for the game and having the option to switch between Stages and going back for a higher score or finding a new path to beat the Act. As far as the gameplay, I think this new Sonic is a bit easier to play. They added a locking-on/homing feature to all enemies and item boxes, making it super easy to destroy them. When there is a string of enemies, just press X a few times and Sonic jumps from one to the next in one continuous move. If you touch an enemy, you lose your rings (like in the originals) and you don’t have to take them out using the lock on feature. To stick with the original game play and a little challenge, I only use the locking-on feature when it is really needed.

GamerLog: FF13, CC:FF7, Zen Pinball, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood Beta, Playstation Plus Perks and more!

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 10, 2010 | 3 comments

This weeks Gamer Log is brought to you by the fine folks of Final Fantasy because nothing says gaming, like playing 3 different Final Fantasy games at once. For those of you are MMO fan, I advice you to pickup Final Fantasy XI. If you’ve read any of my prior Gamer Log entries, then you will know that I started FF11 from the time it was in beta. Sense then, I’ve been on and off and I’ve never been one of those hardcore MMO, lets raid for 7 hour person. But, what I do enjoy is a quality game and FF11 destroys all other MMOs out there. It’s not bland like WoW and actually requires you to play with groups to get things done. Recently, my and my best friend got back into it. He has sense moved to North Carolina and so this is a fun way for us to be in touch so we try to play for a few hours a week. For those who have tried the game before, I can tell you that it’s a completely different beast then it was before. You can solo a lot more now, there is no shortage of expansion packs for the game and they have made leveling up and getting to the higher levels a lot easier now sense thats where a majority of FF11 community is. So if you’re game, let me know and we can get you into our server and hook you up with some stuff.

Continuing all things FF, I’ve recently been motivated to beat Crisis Core for the PSP. Not much beyond that and I’ve always thought it was a fantastic game. Just never took the time to beat it so that’s now on my to do list as well. And of course, there is my favorite, Final Fantasy 13….Sarcasm? Anyways, I’ve sense figured out how to enjoy this game. By not caring. I don’t give a damn what the story is anymore sense the first 25 hours made no sense to me. Those who said the game does pickup past hour 20 or so are correct. It’s not starting to feel like a Final Fantasy game but sense I played those for characters and plot and here, I can’t follow the plot or care for the characters, I’m just enjoying it for the sake of enjoying. Currently, I’m 30 hours into the system. Kind of stupid too, you can only level to certain points and then the game stops you. As in, I have about 60,000 cp (experience points) to use and level up my characters abilities but the skill tree unlocks itself as you progress throughout the story. Unlike past games where you could sit there and level up as much as you wanted, here you can’t. Makes total sense for an RPG!

Being a Playstation Plus member, our free game of the week was Zen pinball. I have to say, I didn’t really like it. I mean I remember I used to sit there and play pinball on my PC but I guess I have better things to do on my PS3 then to do that. Couldn’t imagine going through that and trying to get all the trophies and such. Even better, I’m glad I didn’t pay for that game! I know, I know, I’m sounding like an old man who isn’t pleased by anything but I saved the best for last!

R.U.S.E. is pure awesome. I’ve long been searching for an RTS game thats not based on rushing each other. I want to be more tactical and take my time and expand and attack and defend. I was about to get Civilization for the PS3 till I found out that there is no Trophies for the game. At this stage of the game, if an old game dosent have Trophies, I wont be buying it. Luckily I was told about R.U.S.E. and I tried the demo and loved it. Icing on the cake is that it has Move support as well. With that, I set out to buy a Move today and my local Target store was sold out and Amazon, where I do most of my shopping has a 2-4 week wait. I guess its karma in the sense that I told myself no new games till I beat a few. I’m looking at you FF13, CC:FF7 and PixelJunk Shooter!

Really blows when you're about to kill somebody and you get killed or better yet, you're about to kill somebody and somebody kills them before you do.

Going back to being a Playstation Plus member, another perk is betas and I’ve been playing through Assassins Creed: Brotherhood beta and holy shit is it intense and fun. I have to first confess that I have yet to play any of the previous installments of the series, but I’m more then aware of the franchise and what it requires. Now, the beta of the game is for the only play only. The premise is the following; enter an online game with 7 other opponents and kill each other. Now once you’ve each picked out a character, you enter a level and there is playing NPC units walking around who are the same as you. That is to say, there is only 8 total character designs. As you walk around, you are assigned contracts, aka told who to kill and it’s up to you to execute this out. If you kill the wrong person, your contract expires and you must wait for a new one to be given to you (can take up to 10 seconds). I hope it dosent sound boring to you because not only is it exciting, it’s intense as well. You have to walk through the crowds, attempt to blend in, run away when you are the target, chase your target without being noticed or killed. It’s just a ton of fun. From what I can tell, this is just one of many modes for online and if this is an indication, for all you trigger happy people, put down the controller and have some new fun. This is almost exactly what Metal Gear Online should have been.

Speaking of trigger fingers, people seriously, you need to pickup MAG. This game is beyond fantastic. Put down your Call of Duty and Battlefield and whatever else, MAG is an intense game that’s only better with the more people on it. And now, it’s only $30. Plus, free patch with Move support. What’s not to love? Anyways, my goal is to beat Final Fantasy 13 in the next two weeks so I can move on to God of War 1-3. *insert ashamed face* I’ve never played any of them. By the way, this has been Gamer Log 10-10-10, zomg!

Gamer Log: Final Fantasy 13, Mushroom Wars, MAG and Frustration

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 3, 2010 | 3 comments

Although I’ve been in Hawaii for almost the past two weeks, since I got back, I’ve had some time to spend with my PS3 and work on my back catalogue. The promise I made to myself at the beginning of summer was that I was not allowed to buy any new games before I beat some old ones. That means Final Fantasy XIII, Mirror’s Edge, and inFAMOUS all needed to be beat. This also means I haven’t had a chance to play God of War 3 or Heavy Rain. I know, I’m ashamed, but I blame it mostly on Square-Enix.

Getting through inFAMOUS was a pleasure. It’s such a fantastic game. The scenes and story were engaging with a character you cared about. The combat system kept pace with the dark story and as the story unraveled, so did your powers that helped you kick serious ass. I have to say though, I picked going with the light side and I’m tempted to go back and do it as the dark side, but I don’t know if I have the time for it. Still, I do want those damn trophies. Beating inFAMOUS was not a problem. Then, I got to one of my favorite franchises, Final Fantasy. I have to say, I am all that is Final Fantasy. I have Final Fantasy 1 for NES and Final Fantasy 3-9, along with Tactics on the PSone. On Playstation 2, FFX (my favorite),FFX-2, FF12, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII have all been first-day purchases. Of course on the PSP, I own Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Last but not least, I have Final Fantasy XI on both PC and PS2 and have recently picked it up again to get me into the MMORPG mindset that FF14 will require of me. But that’s not my RPG limit; I’ve played Suikoden 1-3, Xenogears, Xenosaga 1-3, and Brave Fencer Musashi to name a few. So when it was Final Fantasy 13 time, I couldn’t be more excited since I’ve yet to play a single RPG on this generation’s consoles.

My mini Final Fantasy shrine.

I hope you’re seeing where I’m going with this, and if not, let me help you. Final Fantasy 13 fucking sucks. It’s a horrible game, with a battle system thats designed for FPS fans. Wait, what? For example, this morning, when I was doing an hour grind session (more on that later), as a battle started, I walked out of my living room and into my kitchen to make toast. All I did during the time was push X on my controller because the game assumes you’re an idiot and pre-selects all the moves for you. Better yet, you only control one character on screen so your two other players are AI based as well. If the game is controlling more of this, there isn’t a whole lot of roleplaying going on. But you might say that roleplaying is based on discovery, and that’s so Final Fantasy. WRONG. This is not an open world where you can explore. It’s very linear based with one way in and out of an area. You might be lucky if a path segments off into two roads but if it does, you can already see what’s at the end of that road so the exploration is kept to about 8 seconds. Why an hour grind session you say? The game works in this odd way that during random parts, the enemies will get 3-fold stronger. Of course, because all the enemies are on screen now (no more random battle, per say), if you kill all the enemies, you can’t run into more unless you save, quit and re-enter the area or go far enough where once you walk back, those enemies are loaded again. Let’s get back to the difficulty level. It’s not that it’s a “hard game” but it just doesn’t make sense. Some of the enemies whose asses I kick in one battle are just considerably stronger in the next. Part of this is because of lack of controls over my own character and the horrible customization screen. I know I’m upgrading my character specs, but I just don’t see a damn difference, and finding parts to upgrade your weapon and visiting the stupid shops in the game is lame.

Having all that horrible stuff is one thing, but I have to say that I play Final Fantasy for the story. I can honestly look over all that stuff as long as they give me a plot that pulls me in. This is actually the reason why I hate Final Fantasy 13. I’m willing to look past that top paragraph and get into the story but it’s so fraking hard to follow. Every group in the game sounds the same. Pulse Lacie, Pulse Fal’cie, Lacie, Grand Pusle and the normal Fal’cie. I have no clue what on God’s green earth is going on this goddamn game. From the art direction, to the plot, to the combat system, it really seems like this game was started over 5 different times (no wonder it was supposed to be a PS2 game originally) and eventually, they took different parts that were finished and slapped a Final Fantasy title on it. If this game was called anything but Final Fantasy, it would be an okay game, but for a Final Fantasy title, this is horrible. But as all things FF, I must beat it. Plus, I’ve heard that around 25 hours in, it gets better….

A little quick piece on Mushroom Wars. Its basically PixelJunk Monsters, but not as good. I started the game with an RTS mindset. Conquer bases, get them larger, and expand. This worked for the first 10 levels, but after that, I could not win the battles. I decided to watch a few YouTube videos on how people were beating the levels and got it. The whole game is based on rush tactics. It’s based on how fast you can grow your units and just take over the enemy bases. The different structures you get later on (3) are completely worthless and there are no different unit types. For those who have strategy and base-building in mind, move right along. I personally got the game for free for being a Playstation Plus member, so I’m cool with that.

Now the bright spot of my gaming, MAG. I cannot tell you how great this game is. Especially with MAG 2.0, this game continues to get bigger and better. It’s moments like this—I look up and see an airdrop with 15 soldiers flying it, as the artillery is firing, the APC next to me is driving by with units inside of it towards the gate that is about to get blown up and me, with my repair kit towards the bunker A—when the masterpiece is truly shown. MAG is a real war game, not just an FPS, and for that, I love it.

Editorial: Playstation Move to be Profitable from Launch

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 2, 2010 | 0 comments

The Playstation 3 has been a milestone in gaming and home theater. Helping drive Blu-ray and now giving users the option of 3D movies and games, the PS3 is the most powerful game console to date. However, with all of this might behind it, the PS3 needed to compete with everyday gaming systems that didn’t offer HD or came with only DVD players and this meant pricing it at a level that would sell. What Sony considered a low launch price, one of $600, was still higher then what gamers wanted to pay Therefore, with each console sold, Sony was losing hundreds of dollars. Finally, 4 years into the cycle and now with a starting price of $299, depending on who you talk with, Sony is either breaking even or make a few dollars on each console. During the years, as Sony tried to balance its supply and demand and lower its production costs on the PS3, the company’s gaming division would go deeper into the red, losing billions of dollars. With each quarterly loss and movement further into the red, this made it harder for Sony to put money into advertising and other areas that would need funding in order to sell more PS3s and help the company lessen its gap with Microsoft and Sony. Thus, the catch 22 had started.

Finally, 4 years into the cycle, Sony is looking at the PS3 and Playstation Move to make a profit from. When the Sony Worldwide Studios boss, Shuhei Yoshida, went on record about the Playstation Move, he said “We are pricing Move as if we are launching a new platform.” He went on, “So because the install base of Move will help third party studios create games for it, we benefit by helping those third-parties. But we are not losing money with each one we sell.”

This shift in Sony’s capability to launch the Move and make money on it will hopefully be the halo effect that the company needs. With each PS3 and Move unit now sold, Sony can bring in a higher profit level to their game division, thus allowing them to invest more into future R&D and current system features like the recently added native Hulu app for the Playstation 3. But the positives are not only for Sony; they are for the consumer as well. The more Sony can invest in their product and give users more compelling content and bring them under the Playstation umbrella, the more units they can sell. With a higher sales volume, Sony can make a shift in their supply and demand strategy and offer the Playstation 3 at a lower price, thus bringing in even more users in. That is a cycle that Sony is looking to Move towards. I love puns…

[Via Develop-Online]

Editorial: Xbox Kinect Setup = Won’t Work For You

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 29, 2010 | 8 comments

Microsoft, you have got to be kidding me. When Sony set out to make the Playstation Move, their goal was simple. Give the users the most flexibility when it comes to space and light, while keeping the same level of quality and precision so that everybody’s experience would be the same. The Playstation Move has certainly shown that and the telltale sign has been during all the events like E3 and PAX where anybody could just get in front of the PS3, grab a controller and begin a game. Kinect users unfortunately won’t be able to achieve this same level of ease and it seems more and more that Kinect just will not work for the majority of people. Again, this can be seen during events like E3 and PAX where Microsoft has to keep the Kinect in a bubble, so the demo can go right.

In order for the Kinect to not mess up during press previews, MS has to bring its bubble with them.

Now Microsoft has posted a video for the requirements of Kinect and it can cannot be more ridiculous. While everything they talk about would be great if you also owned one of the above pods that Microsoft carries around, it’s becoming more and more apparent that for a technology that costs more then the Playstation Move setup ($150), it’s not ready at all for prime time. Here are some highlights,

You will need at minimum need to be 6ft from the Kinect if it sits on top of your TV and 8ft if it sits in front of your TV and have another 3-4ft of space in width. Other games can require more. Again, remember that these are the minimum.
Your light setting cannot be too low or too high or a mix. It has to be just right. The Playstation Move? Can work practically in the sun.
Kinect has to sit in middle of your TV. Top or bottom. Cannot be at an angle while with the Move, just have the Playstation Eye pointed at you.
You need to have a clean floor. I kid you not, if there are items on the floor, like clothes, it will throw off the Kinect. No coffee table either.
For mic controller and setups, there cannot be any noise of sorts. Ironically, MS does not want you to set your Kinect near your 360…because, you know, of the noise.
Other limitations we have pointed out is that there cannot be movement from other people in the background when playing, including your pets or Kinect can accidentally track them, throwing things off.

So here are scenarios where the Kinect won’t work:

Messy room
Small room
Low/High/Mixture lighting
More than 2 people in front of it
Placing Kinect at an angle
Not having room in front or on top of your TV
Less than 6-8ft of room
Coffee table (unless moved out of the room, again there cannot be items between you and the Kinect or on the floor)
Wandering pets
Noise, including your 360 near the Kinect (for times when trying to use Voice Commands)

Watch the official video from Microsoft and ponder why they are even releasing a half-baked product.

Top 10 PS3 Games…so far.

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 16, 2010 | 7 comments

IGN.com is a great site and have made numerous “top ____ lists” but recently they had their top PS3 editors get together to create the ultimate PS3 games list. I thought this was a great list that I wanted to share with our readers at SonyRumors (they made a top 25 list but I will share their top 10). This inspired me to make my own top 10 list of my favorite PS3 games so far. I say that because for the rest of 2010 there’s a bunch of new games coming out, some of which I’m sure will replace games on my list right now. So here you go; my top 10 followed by IGN’s. I would love to see what games would make your list. Share and comment away.

10. Warhawk

9. Pixel Junk Monsters

8. God of War III

7. Uncharted

6. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

5. LittleBigPlanet

4. Batman Arkham Asylum

3. Modern Warfare 2

2. Modern Warfare

1. Uncharted 2

I just want to talk a little bit about my number 2 and 3 choices. I know both games are ‘similar’ in the type and in the same series but they are my favorite to play on PS3. Uncharted 2 became number one for the unique and action-packed story which I will explain further down. I must admit though, I’m in love with the Modern Warfare franchise and what it did for FPS games. Modern Warfare 2 is the second top selling game of all time. The story mode is amazing, realistic and challenging. As for the online gameplay…I’m hooked. I think it’s so entertaining, intense and just the best, especially when I’m online with friends dominating matches. To those not a fan of the games, I bet I sound lame but that’s all I have to say about that. I have yet to find another FPS game that keeps my attention and interest like MW; I always come back to it.

Now moving on to IGN’s top 10 list, with a little bit about each game. Some of these made my top 10 list, but I wish Star Wars was on here.

IGN’s top 1o:

#10 – God of War 3

Kratos returned this year in the final chapter of the series to defeat Zeus and the Olympian Gods for revenge. This highly anticipated game for PS3 received incredibly high ratings and reviews as did the others in the series. I would say GoW is one of the most loved and popular franchises of Playstation. I own the complete collection of GoW and can say the graphics on GoW 3 are phenomenal with challenging puzzles and great gameplay. We are also reintroduced to Pandora’s Box in the third game and it’s pretty wicked cool. I also really enjoyed the ending where….don’t worry, no spoilers. 🙂

#9 – Metal Gear Solid 4

I have only heard amazing things from the Metal Gear Solid franchise. I admit I have not played any of these games because I’m just not a fan of the stealthy gameplay. Clements from IGN said this about the game, “The Metal Gear Solid games were exceptional efforts that blended stealth gameplay with a gripping story. Action, intrigue, amazing boss battles and more — Guns of the Patriots had it all. And the amount of collectibles and customization included in MGS4 were the figurative cherries on top.”

If you like what you see please continue on for the rest of the best.

Xbox Live Gets More Expensive; PSN Still Free

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 6, 2010 | 1 comment

Click for a full sized comparison.

It’s really crazy how the internet works. Every few months, there are rumors that Sony might start to charge for PSN and the internet goes up in arms and gets crazy about it and starts to bash Sony for it. Well, four years into the cycle and you can still access all of this for free:

Online play
Web browser access
Playstation Store (Games, Movies [Buy and Rent]) & Comic Store
Video Chat
Social network via Playstation Home

There is then all the little things like Facebook and YouTube integration which are, of course, still free. Unfortunately for those on the Xbox side of life, Microsoft continues to take a different path and everybody just kind of shrugs and goes along with it. In the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico Microsoft will charge Xbox Live users starting November 1. A single month will go from $7.99 to $9.99, three months will go from $19.99 to $24.99, and the yearly sub will now be $59.99, up from $49.99. In terms of the business side, more power to Microsoft. Their setting up and maintaining those servers and services costs money and is a testament to how locked down they have their users. But from the users’ standpoint, there goes more money towards a service that is being offered for free from Sony.

Of course, for Sony, there are also plenty of costs in running PSN but they eat it internally, instead of passing on the costs to you. Don’t think for a minute that if they could charge you, they would, because that is not what their business strategy calls for. I just hope that Sony can turn this difference into more of a campaign and let others know of all the great things that PSN offers, like playing MAG online with 256 players, for free.