Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Is The PSVita Worth The Purchase? F$*# YEAH!!!
Today's post comes from Daniel Francis, who's music has also been featured here in the past. You can find him on twitter @_DFrancis.
So after about 3 debates, 4 changes of my mind and pricing systems I finally decided to purchase the PSVita. Now from sources I’ll choose not to disclose (ry...) sorry... I felt as though I was making a mistake by buying this system. Sure enough my concerns were taken away with the unboxing of this powerful system. This system is a solid choice for any gamer so let's jump into the pros and cons of this system since that's why you’re reading this.
Pros: The PSVita’s best feature has to be cross-platform gaming. Being able to play PS3 owners online using your PSVita is a pretty cool feature. Processor power for this device is on par with current gen home consoles. It's basically a ps3 (minus the resolution and bluray) in your hand. The PSVita also comes equipped with front and rear mounted cameras, high resolution pictures, Skype should be coming soon, and cool video play back. The weight and feel of the PSVita feels right so PSP owners will make the adjustment very nicely. Controls are solid. The buttons are small but responsive, and the analog controls are decent as well. The major question mark that gamers had, the rear mounted touchpad, handles great. The game prices vary from $30-$50 which isn’t bad considering how a comparable version of the same game for PS3 will cost around $60
Cons: The PSVita is priced at $250 or $300 for wifi and 3g. Now this is high as hell knowing most gamers can get a console game for less. Why pay this much for a handheld? Well, the next gen consoles are all rumored to drop this year and next, and like the PSP, Sony knows the vita will be around for the next 6 years. The vita has a very small library of games right now, much like the PSP. New titles will be dropping soon so unless you like playing Marvel vs. Capcom for 3mths until the newest games drop don't get this.
The little things that gamers will need for the PSVita to properly work are always the most expensive. The memory cards are such little things. Unlike the PSP memory cards which you could buy for 10 dollars, Sony decided to designed their own. It's small as hell easy to lose and they start at about $30. It comes in 4 GB, 8 GB, so on and so on, but don't even bother buying the 4 gig because it’s a waste. Sony has also basically made this thing unable to be modded. So if you were thinking of considering modifying this system don't even bother because right now you’ll be highly disappointed.
I honestly don't have a lot of negative comments about PSVita. This is probably the 1st handheld console that will give you the feeling that you got your money’s worth. I say check it out it’s worth the money and with new gaming titles like Modern Warfare, Madden, and others on the horizon; the PSVita is going to be a dominant player in the portable gaming world.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sonic Generations: When Fan Service Is Done Right
Sonic Generations starts out like the very first Sonic game did, in the Green Hill Zone. In fact, much of the layout feels like that first level of the very first Sonic game, and that's because it is. What Sonic Generations does so well is take those classic levels from past Sonic games and expanded them both in length and scope. you'll see familiar enemies, hear familiar music, and blaze through familiar landscapes. The quirk is that there are at least two versions to every level: a side scrolling level that's handled as Classic Sonic, or the 3D levels that are run using Modern Sonic. The two versions of Sonic appear in cutscenes together as well, with Classic Sonic being shorter, pudgier, and decidedly mute while Modern Sonic is taller, skinnier, and can talk. There's a story in there, but for some reason, they all boil down to the same thing: Something is threatening the survival of the world, and Sonic has to stop it. Again, it's nothing ground breaking, as the story is merely there to provide some semblance of a reason for two different sets of characters inhabiting the same universe.
The play mechanics are classic Sonic, which means the player doesn't have to worry about doing a lot with their controller. Matter of fact, this game may be the textbook definition of "pick up and play", but because of the genre that works. There are a few prompts that pop up in early levels to tell you when to perform certain tasks, and thankfully nothing in this game feels as sluggish as it did in Sonic 4:Episode 1. Like I've said throughout this review, everything feels familiar, and that may be my only issue with Sonic Generations.
To say everything has been done before in Sonic Generations is an understatement. The soundtrack, characters, control mechanics have been done multiple times by Sonic Team over the course of the last 20 years. This turned a lot of gamers off, but this is far from a bad thing. Sonic Generations has effectively, for all it's fan service, proved that Sega still has it. This game reminds me of the days when Sega was still in the console business, and almost makes me think...no, that won't happen.