Playstation Network Update

It's that time again, PSN Update. This week it looks like the PSN has a ton of DLC for small fee. Rock Band and Guitar Hero are cluttering the PSN with so many track packs, it’s really getting out of hand. I guess its okay to dream that maybe one day they will go back to demos. The pointless DLC is becoming so common that update Thursdays aren’t even a big deal anymore. Also, give the Metal Gear Online demo a try and judge for yourself why it never caught on.

Price Update
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars (Price drop to $9.99)

Downloadable Games
Crash Commando ($9.99)
Crash Commando is a fast-paced, over-the-top action game that combines the thrill of multiplayer shooters with classic side-scrolling platform gameplay. Blast your way through expansive, multi-tiered stages on foot or behind the wheel of a tank, or use the all-important jetpack to rain down destruction from the skies. With a host of online and offline gameplay modes, it’s always time for action with Crash Commando!
ESRB Rated T
File size: 782 MB

Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rainslick Precipice Of Darkness: Episode 2 ($14.99)
The second installment in the RPG-adventure game series based on the web comic Penny Arcade. Create your character in the classic comic style, arm yourself with your trusty gardening tools and join Gabe and Tycho in the alternate 1920s universe of New Arcadia, where you’ll combat savage enemies, solve mysteries, meet bizarre new characters, and discover their distinctive adult humor for a 100% authentic Penny Arcade experience. What are you waiting for? Your hoe awaits!
ESRB Rated M
File Size: 330 MB

Add-on Game Content
LittleBigPlanet - Santa Hat & Beard (free)
No holiday outfit is complete without Sack-sized Santa Hat and Beard.
File size: 1.04 MB

LittleBigPlanet - Festive Pack ($2.99)
Get your hands on a grab-bag full of holiday themed goodies for your Pop-it tool to create your holiday themed levels.
File size: 1.04 MB

High Velocity Bowling - Darryl ($0.99)
It’s time to bowl – High Velocity style! Add Darryl “Stringbean” Johnson to your High Velocity Bowling roster. Darryl hails from Memphis, Tennessee, and can put a real mean hook on the ball. Download includes Darryl’s special ball the Melonballer, plus his favorite alley, Loading Dock Lanes.
File size: 46 MB

High Velocity Bowling - Gage ($0.99)
It’s time to bowl – High Velocity style! Add Gage “cutter92″ Mason to your High Velocity Bowling roster. Gage hails from Washington, DC., and knocks the pins down with pinpoint accuracty on the lanes. Download includes Gage’s special ball, Pain Magnet, plus his favorite alley, Dark Carnvial.
File size: 46 MB

High Velocity Bowling - Beatrice Holiday Costume (free)
It’s time to bowl – High Velocity style! Beatrice the bowler is ready to bowl through the holidays in style with this festive sweater dress and cute reindeer antlers and ears. Download this free costume today.
File size: 5.92 MB

High Velocity Bowling - Carl Holiday Costume (free)
It’s time to bowl – High Velocity style! Carl the mailman is ready to bowl through the holidays in style with this Santa hat and beard, and festive shirt and pants. Download this free costume today.
File size: 5.79 MB

Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds Costume Pack #3 ($2.99)
Spruce up your Hot Shots Golf Fall wardrobe with a collection of playful and funky new outfits ideal for golf wherever you play. Five new costumes come your way with 6 variations for each new costume giving you a total of 30 new outfits to dress your favorite 5 players in Hot Shots Golf Out Of Bounds. So now matter where you play, you’ll certainly be the best dressed player on the course.
File size: 102 KB

Guitar Hero World Tour
For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com

“Frail Grasp on the Big Picture” by The Eagles ($1.99)
“Life in the Fast Lane” by The Eagles ($1.99)
“One of These Nights” by The Eagles ($1.99)
The Eagles Track Pack ($5.49) - Downloadable Track Pack for Guitar Hero World Tour featuring “Life In the Fast Lane”, “One of These Nights” and “Frail Grasp on the Big Picture” by The Eagles.
File sizes: 45 MB - 59 MB (singles), 151 MB (track pack)

Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2
Expand your Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 library by purchasing these tracks.

Holiday ($1.49)
I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing ($1.49)
Lips of an Angel ($1.49)
Stand by Me ($1.49)
What is Love? ($1.49)
File sizes: 13 MB - 22 MB

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM Pack 5 (free)
Download Storm Pack 5 and unleash legendary ninja Kurenai as your support character in battle. The Storm Pack 5 also contains new Ultimate Mission to engage!
File size: 100 KB

Rock Band
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

“Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” - Dierks Bentley ($1.99)
“Gunpowder & Lead” - Miranda Lambert ($1.99)
“Hillbilly Deluxe” - Brooks & Dunn ($1.99)
“Mud on the Tires” - Brad Paisley ($1.99)
“Sin Wagon” - Dixie Chicks ($1.99)
Going Country Pack 01 ($8.49) - Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game track pack: Going Country Pack 01. This pack includes: “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” by Dierks Bentley, “Gunpowder & Lead” by Miranda Lambert, “Hillbilly Deluxe” by Brooks & Dunn, “Mud on the Tires” by Brad Paisley, and “Sin Wagon” by Dixie Chicks.
File sizes: 24 MB - 32 MB (singles) 134 MB (track pack)

Rock RevolutionFor music credits, visit the Rock Revolution section of www.konami.com.

“My Only Shining Star” ($1.49)
“Death Real” ($1.49)
“CHIMERA” ($1.49)
“Progressive Baby” ($1.49)
“MODEL DD 8″ ($1.49)
“NO PAIN, NO GAIN” ($1.49)
“She’s the Bug” ($1.49)
Bemani Pack Track Pack ($5.49) - The “Bemani Pack” includes “My Only Shining Star”, “Death Real”, “CHIMERA”, “Progressive Baby” and “MODEL DD 8″ from the Bemani Music Production team. Expand your Rock Revolution track library by purchasing this track pack.
File sizes: 24 MB - 30 MB (singles) 133 MB (track pack)

Game Demos (free)
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Online Network Demo
With over 1 million registered users, Metal Gear Solid Online is the ultimate squad-based, tactical shooter included with the World Wide Mega Hit Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Now you can experience the excitement yourself and find out what the hype is all about with this free trial demo of Metal Gear Online in conjunction with the already available free demo of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. (NOTE: If you have ever played the retail version of Metal Gear Online on you PLAYSTATION 3 system, you will not be able to play the Metal Gear Online Demo.)
File size: 265 MB

Sonic Unleashed Demo
Sonic’s on a worldwide adventure! Powered by the Hedgehog Engine, Sonic Unleashed merges classic Sonic gameplay with next-gen innovation. Explore the first location of this all-new adventure in the Sonic Unleashed Demo, reaching speeds that you’ve never seen before!\
File size: 239 MB

Game Videos (free)
UNCHARTED 2 Spike TV VGA Tease
File size: 56 MB (HD)

Crash Commando Trailer
File size 51 MB (HD)

HVB: New Characters Trailer
File size 91 MB (HD)

GT5 Prologue - Tanner Foust: Drifting 101
File size: 239 MB (HD)

Gran Turismo Awards at SEMA 2008
File size: 237 MB (HD)

The Next Great Game Gods: Dylan Cuthbert Interview
File size: 147 MB (HD) 240 MB (1080)

The Next Great Game Gods: Pixeljunk Interstitial
File size: 38 MB (HD) 63 MB (1080)

Sonic Unleashed Launch Trailer
File size: 52 MB (HD)

The Punisher: No Mercy Game Trailer
File size: 25 MB (HD)

Mirror’s Edge DLC Trailer
File size: 51 MB (HD)

PS3 “Murals” TV Spot
File size: 23 MB (HD)

PSN “T-Shirts” TV Spot
File size: 23 MB (HD)

Blu-ray Disc Trailers (free)
Resident Evil: Degeneration Blu-ray Trailer
File size: 97 MB (HD) 132 MB (1080)

PS3 Themes
Savage Moon Theme (free)
File size: 3.56 MB

Crash Commando Theme (x2)(free)
File size: 5.45 MB - 7.22 MB

SingStar ABBA Theme (free)
File size: 1.45 MB

Rock & Roll Babe Theme ($1.49)
File size: 5.52 MB

Ohio State University Theme ($1.99)
File size: 5.19 MB

Misty Dawn Theme ($1.49)
File size: 5.75 MB

Ink and Saints Theme ($1.49)
File size: 5.80 MB

Dancing Skies Theme ($1.49)
File size: 5.68 MB

Azmodeus Dark Angels ($0.99)
File size: 1.33 MB

PS3 Wallpaper (free)
Tom Clancy’s EndWar Spetsnaz Guard Brigade Wallpaper (x4)
File sizes: 220 KB - 2.11 MB

Crash Commando Wallpaper (x2)
File sizes: 178 KB - 1.66 MB

PlayStation Store for PSP
Downloadable Games
* Castlevania Chronicles ($5.99) (also available from PS3 Storefront)
File size: 336 MB

* RAYMAN 2: The Great Escape ($5.99) (also available from PS3 Storefront)
File size: 381 MB

* Tokobot UMD Legacy ($9.99) (also available from PS3 Storefront)
File size: 194 MB

Add-on Game Content
* Super Stardust Portable Solo Pack Add-On ($4.99) (also available from PS3 Storefront)
File size: 2.87 MB

Game Videos (free)
* Uncharted 2 Spike TV VGA Tease
File size: 8.85 MB

* PSN “T-Shirts” TV Spot
File size: 3.70 MB (HD)

* PS3 “Murals” TV Spot
File size: 3.97 MB (HD)

Themes (free)
* Super Stardust Portable Theme (also available from PS3 Storefront)
File size: 520 KB

Sessler Is The Man

On Dec. 17 G4TV named Adam Sessler as Editor and Chief of games. Adam is most commonly known for his role as Co-Host on the gaming show X-Play. Adding to the good news is that he will continue to work with Morgan Webb on the show. He most likely will eventually replace himself on the show because the new position will be very demanding. Hopefully we will make some positive changes for the network.

The show is not as interesting as it used to be. They often fall into what's popular instead of being creditable reviewers. Both hosts appear to be hardcore 360 fans but they gave Resistance 2 a good score because it would have been bad for business. X-Play also made one of the biggest mistakes of the year that was also made by most gaming outlets which was giving GTAIV a perfect score. Of course, the recent game of the year award for Fable 2 caused a lot of controversy as well. Fable 2 looks like a great game as far as content. Not sure Fable 2 can compete with the likes of Fallout 3 or MGS4, just to name a few.

Congrats Adam, help make the network less biased. Help make X-Play credible as a review show.

Liberated From Fanboydom

About a week ago I joined the millions of Xbox 360 owners that are on the market. It's sad to go from a Sony Fanboy since PSX to Neutral. I gotta admit, it's was fun being a Fanboy for so long. It was also fun to go at it on the forums with the other 360 Fanboys on who has the superior system. Systems starting at $199 can change ones mind. I look back on and wonder how I became neutral.

There are numerous reasons why I joined the 360 club. You would think that my first reason was XBL but not really. Many 360 Fanboys think that the Sony fan is jeolous of XBL but the truth is that most hardcore Sony fans never really experienced superiror internet service. Many Sony fans are just happy to able to play games online for free. The only online overing of XBL during XBox 1 days were the fact that they offered downloadable (DLC) content. DLC is pretty normal today but it was a big deal back then. DLC and superior ports are the number 1 and 2 reason why I jumped the Sony Fanboy wagon.

Since launch 360 games have often looked better. The visuals were a little more sharp. Anti-Aliasing was always an issue as well. As a Sony fan I often had to settle for inferior versions of games that I really liked. DLC was a huge factor as well. 360 may have been trying to win over the wii owners with the 360 arcade but they may have a silent goal of stealing Sony owners with exclusive DLC. Early exsclusive DLC like GTA IV was not a big deal to me. Microsoft recently announced that they have exclusive DLC for Tomb Raider was well, which I can also care less. During E3 2008 when Microsoft announced exsclusive DLC for Fallout I was as if someone ripped my heart out. Oblivion was one of the best games ever made. I was sure that Fallout, which is also made by Bethesda was going to be just as good. The E3 announcement let me know that the exclusive DLC would not end anytime soon. Sony looks like they are going to continue to let DLC slip between their fingers. I belive that Sony may look at buying exclusive DLC as a principle. I once joined Sony in the belief that exclusive DLC was going to ruin the game industry. However, as a gamer I saw a future of missed opportunities of not being able to expand on future experiences. I noticed many pros of joining the 360 but I still had to deal with my anti-360 arguments that I had for two years.

Anyone that calls themself a gamer must be aware of the dreaded RROD for 360. Last year Microsoft expended the standard warrenty by two years to give potential buyers comfort with buying the system. The fact that the issue has not been fixed completly is of course debatable. Another issue that was always uesed against the 360 are accessories needed to equate to Sony's machine. With the 360 being a secondary system a lot of the needed accessories were not needed for me. I needed the wi-fi adapter (huge rip off) and a play and charge kit for my controller. I also needed a hard drive for my arcade, which are selling for $30 with the addition of Gold membership on XBL for three months. Overall, the additions were not that bad. I can now have the best of both worlds. One issue to mention is that the 360 came out when standard tv's were a lot more abundent then high definition. The end result is that the system is not completely HD. What I mean is that for audio whores like myself the 360 highest offering is Dolby Digital. The PS3 has a least 12 different audio offerings including DTS and 7.1 surround sound. All of the videos that I have expereinced for download are standard definition as well.

I will always be partial to Sony. However, I am pretty pissed at Sony for 2008. Sony is just doesn't want it as bad as Microsoft. Sony, show some more ads. A free Quore offering would help Sony as well. Sony, make home come out and be entertaining instead of hanging out in the virtual world. Sony announced home at least two years ago. Since, Sony's announcement Microsoft has created announced and realsed avatars within the time that Sony is still working on home. I know have to deal with friends and family in disbelief that the biggest Sony fan is now a 360 owner. The best way to deal with fellow gamers in the family is to just not let them know that you have one. Without the fanboy vision is easy to see pros of both systems.

Fallout 3 vs. Oblivion

About a week ago I acquired a copy of Fallout 3। I was little worried to jump into Fallout after spending over 100 hours of Oblivion and buying and beating the Shivering Isles expansion. Fallout looked as if it was drifting to far for comfort from Oblivion. I just wanted an Oblivion sequel. Drastic changes in combat from mostly melee to ranged gun fights just seemed not as fun. The new V.A.T.S. system was a little odd as well. VATS lets the player pause the game during combat and pick which part of the body that they would like to hit. The system also gives the player the percentage that they will hit the desired body part. The setting of Fallout is completely different from Oblivion, going from a beautiful old English setting to a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Just to be clear my impressions are based on being a level 10 and an estimated 30 hours.

There are substantial differences between Fallout and Oblivion. Some changes are good and some are not. There is a significant graphical upgrade over Oblivion. The resolution is higher and characters and environments have more pixels. A major gripe of Fallout is that there are invisible walls are everywhere. The map will tell you to go to point A to point B. On Oblivion you usually could get there without any real obstacles. On Fallout many things get in the way of getting to your destination. The most common barriers are rubble. Rubble makes up such a large percentage of the world. It becomes pretty frustrating. Another issue that I have comes as both a pro and a con, which is the environment. Oblivion was beautiful and had a wide variety of environments. Environments ranged from snowy slopes to swamps. Fallout is pretty much all destruction and destroyed cities. Most of the world of Fallout looks the same. There is not much variety. The world looks like it is about half of the size of Oblivion. However, Fallout does a great job of immersion. Fallout keeps the player asking questions as to what happened to this world. I have noticed only a few different character types in Fallout. Most common enemies are the Supermutants, Ghouls, Raiders and large insects. Most of my encounters are either Supermutants or Raiders. Oblivion had a unique ranking system that introduced new enemies as the player progressed. Oblivions ranking system was liked by some and hated by others. With Fallout all of the enemies are available immediately when you start the game. No part of the world of Fallout is blocked off at all. It would be wise for the player to visit certain parts of the map that are safe for his rank. Fallout started extremely difficult for me based on this new all enemies are available from the beginning system. It took a while to understand that Fallout is a world of low resources and is a lot more dangerous then Oblivion. The new dangerous setting is actually one of the strengths of Fallout. Resource management can be fun if it is presented correctly like Fallout.

Quest are a little harder to come by on Fallout। I currently have about 4 available vs. the 13 plus that were almost always available on Oblivion. I’m not sure if they want to guide the player more towards a specific goal while still giving a lot of freedom. It may have something to do with the huge decline in NPCs. Oblivion had at least 50 percent more NPCs then Oblivion. The common complaint was that Oblivions NPCs were repetitive in their conversational dialogue amongst each other. To Fallouts credit the NPCs seem a little more like individuals verses being carbon copies of each other. Fallout has also taken on more of a mature approach. You will hear a lot more profanity. Profanity is often available in the dialogue trees as well. The new ways of killing opponents offer blown off limbs and exploding heads. The more mature approach is not bad. I like blowing limbs off. However, the new gory style is becoming a little cliché. Call of Duty World at War, Gears and even Brothers and Arms are popular gory games.

Closing Comments –
I guess it’s too early to tell if I will put in as much time into Fallout as I did with Oblivion. I must admit that it is very interesting and also very entertaining. Since I'm currently a Ps3 owner only I feel shafted. The Ps3 version is reported to play worse. I think that the game is beautiful, even with all its rubble. Ps3 is also getting screwed on the DLC. I’m not sure that the DLC is a big issue. Early signs seem like Fallout won’t get as much attention as Oblivion. I am sure that it will get tons of my time. Oblivion got at least eight months out of me. I never played a game with so much value until Bethesda introduced Oblivion to me. Oblivion just seemed like it had longer legs with the different environments and abundance of quests.
If this was an official review I would give Fallout a 9.4.

Resistance 2, What Went Wrong?

Let’s start out with what went right with R1. R1 had no limitations on how many guns you can carry and Insomniac did a great job of providing a balance. R2 is a lot more restricted with being only able to carry two guns at a time. The part that hurts the most is that I beat R1 at least 4 times. R2 was so bad that I sold it after having it for a week. Let’s start with the enemies, I hate those underwater things that provide instant death if you slip in the water. I hate those drones that are all over the place and also the chameleons suck too. Anything that provides instant death is immediately irritating. They never really explained or showed an actual invasion of the US, which I think was a huge missed opportunity. The story pretty much just implied and slightly explained that this is what happened. The US is now full of Chimera, have fun. R1 really gave you a sense that if you fight hard enough that maybe you could win this war. R2 showed that the battle was lost. All of the cities and towns were completely under Chimera control. It seems like the only survivors were your unit and the guy on the radio (which I did enjoy his broadcast.) A ton of the favorite weapons were taken away like the sapper and the hailstorm. I used to love to shot a Hailstorm alt fire in a room full of enemies and leave. The carbine feels decreased in power and the bullseye has become more accurate and powerful.
There is also less variation in enemies. What happened to those guys that used to jump off of the walls and have those red flashlight guns? What about the chimera dogs? What about the widowmakers? Widowmakers suck to fight but they were challenging in a good way. What about the little guys in the conversion center? They use to walk slow but would jump on you and bite the hell out of your chest. Where are the tank and other vehicle missions? I don’t really see that type of character connection that I had with the English guy or the narrator.
One of the most important mistakes with R2 is that they were too receptive to criticism. There was no problem with having 8 guns. There was no problem with only one or two boss fights for the entire game. I’m all for a game evolving but don’t piss off your core audience.
To be fair, my main gripe is with the single player. The multiplayer is great. The skirmish mode is my favorite on the competitive side. The objectives can get a little repetitive but it is still a fun mode to play. The co-op is the star of the game.
Insomniac, you let me down. Please go back to your roots for single player campaign in part 3.

Underrated Game - Saints Row 2

Saints row (SR) 2 is an awesome game. It is often compared to GTA4. I am one of the few that were disappointed with GTA4. As a matter of fact I sold my copy shortly after beating it. Screw GTA facts. SR did so much right. The mini games are very fun and well thought out. There is a mini game were you spray sewage to bring down property. One of the more memorable mini games is the hit list. You are given about five hit list total. Each list contains about five people. The list gives you small hints as to where the people can be found or what they prefer to do. One of the hits a guy was found under a bridge with a lot of homeless people. They even give you a little help to make sure that you are attacking the right target. Whenever a target walks by a little target icon represents the person. Another fun mini game is chop shop. Chop shop works pretty much the same as hit list but of course, they are cars and not people. Another favorite of the diversions is fight club. Fight club locks you in a room with up to six guys and you all fight to the death. There are so many different things that you can do in the game.

I almost forgot to cover one of the best parts of the game CUSTOMIZATION! You can customize almost everything in this game. Customization can best be described by sections. Let’s start with your gang. You can customize what type of clothes they were, specific types of cars they drive and even your gang insignia during spray paint. You can customize cars. Car customization ranges from a least 30 different types of rims to over 20 different colors. The paint types range from candy to metal and even a matte finish. Customization of course includes your avatar. There are tattoos for arms, legs, chest and even different parts of the back. Clothing can be customized from coats to underpants and bras.

I guess the point is that the game is a load of fun. SR did not get as much attention as it deserved. However, it has sold over 2 million YTD. I guess games like mirror edge getting more sales than SR seems unfair. Why unfair? The fact is if you like SR or not you have to agree that you are getting much more game for the same price.