Archive for the ‘PS3’ Category
17
Apr
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One. Tagged: 2, analysis, Borderlands, collection, coop, dlc, fps, handsome, Opinion, Pre, Review, Sequel, tps. Leave a comment
Rolling on to the entertaining thoughts of tehdr4g0n, an accomplished medical practitioner with fiery opinions and a blog you can check out at the bottom of this page!
—Written by tehdr4g0n—
—Edited/formatted by Vagrantesque—
Before I begin this article in earnest, I’d like to thank Ryan for featuring me on his blog. In doing so, the man shows a remarkable degree of courage, considering my usual style. With this in mind, I’ve toned things down a little.
So, on to the actual content of the article. With the recent release of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, this seems as good a time as any to take a look at the Borderlands franchise as a whole. In other words, strap yourselves in because I’m about to talk about three Borderlands games, and various aspects of each. Full disclosure, I’m going to talk about my own experience and thoughts on each game, so there won’t be any philosophical discourse on this article. It’s just going to be my experience and opinion on each instalment in one of my favourite franchises of all time.
Borderlands
The original Borderlands game, released in 2009, was adventurous and different. For any whose memories of the time are hazy, this was the year of Uncharted 2; the auspicious first release of Dragon Age: Origins; James Cameron wowing the world with pretty trees and blue aliens in Avatar; and me curled in a little ball trying to ignore the calamity that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Yes, more stuff happened, no I’m not going to name them all. That was just off the top of my head.
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9
Sep
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One. Tagged: activision, bungie, COD, day, destiny, fps, guardian, halo, hunter, impressions, mmo, one, Reaction, Review, titan, warlock. Leave a comment
Yes, the Nintendo stuff is coming. I’m trying to space out seven countdown posts over a few weeks.
So I just finished up an 8 hour long session with Destiny, Activision and Bungie’s gigantic videogame project that launched today pretty much worldwide. I very rarely play any game for that long in a single day, especially not a brand new one, so I feel like if I don’t write something about it I will be rather uncomfortable with myself. I played the whole time in a fire team with two friends, which if I understand correctly is the way the developers intended, and I’ve just hit Level 10 (half of the level cap) as a Warlock class. I hadn’t played the beta beforehand. I’m unlikely to ever write a review for such a gigantic, expandable title, so here are my scattershot, knee jerk thoughts on the game so far:
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WHAT I LIKE
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Dedicated Australian servers that haven’t yet crashed on me. That’s a fantastic start to any online-heavy game, let alone an online-only one. Installation and start-up were relatively painless. Bravo Bungie.
Gunplay. Most of Destiny‘s weapons feel really, really good to use, even if some aren’t all that effective. I’m particularly partial to fusion rifles and their concentrated laser barrage of destruction.
Visuals. Game’s damn purdy on PS4.
Mmm, moon rocks.
The game’s User Interface. Have you seen how clean Destiny‘s menus look? All big numbers and minimalist icons and right angles. Delicious. There isn’t a lot of unnecessary fat to be found anywhere.
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1
Aug
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS Vita, PS3, PS4. Tagged: 3, 4, android, free, ios, pc, PlayStation, PS, PS3, ps4, service, smartphone, subscription, technique, tips, Vita. Leave a comment
If you have a current Playstation games console (specifically a PS3, PS4 and/or PS Vita) and a connection to the internet, you really should have some kind of subscription to Sony’s Playstation Plus service. It just makes too much sense (and is alos kinda necessary to play most online-capable games on PS4). If you’re skeptical or in the dark about its benefits, read this post I wrote a while back, when it was offering less free stuff than it was now. If it still doesn’t appeal to you, that’s OK. But if it does, then you either have a PS Plus account, or you’re planning to grab a subscription soon. Either way, read on.
Most PS Plus subscribers do not quite realise the extent of what they’re able to access with their membership. If you have just a Playstation 3, for example, you may only be downloading one or two free PS3 games as they become available each month, doing so directly from your PS3 and going along your merry way. And that’s fine. Except you could be getting more.
Allow me to suggest a new way to peruse your monthly free game offerings on PS Plus – a way that is faster, more convenient and leaves you with more games than simply doing it via your console of choice. It may seem obvious to some but I remain astounded by the number of Playstation gamers I meet who are completely unaware of the option. This was first pointed out to me by Delaney of the Mega Ultra Blast Cast (Had to mention that or he would probably complain).
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1
Apr
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS Vita, PS3. Tagged: 2, blitzball, fantasy, final, hd, PS, PS3, remaster, Review, tidus, Vita, x. 1 comment
I’ve been playing a whole lot of this one since it came out in Australia on March 20th.
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Platform: PS3, PSV
Developer: Square Enix
Rating: M
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X-2 is download-only on the Vita version, but you won’t be playing it anyway.
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Those Al Bhed bastards.
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They have the most annoying goalkeeper I have ever seen, ever, in anything. I just want to take his polygon-encrusted face and slam it into a locker until he decides never to play Blitzball again. Ugh. But the game from which he hails is great fun.
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31
Mar
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One. Tagged: 360, big, boss, gear, ground, kojima, metal, one, PlayStation, PS3, ps4, Review, snake, solid, son, v, xbox, zeroes. 1 comment
Oh why not? Let’s do another one.
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Platform: PS3, PS4, 360, XBO
Developer: Konami
Rating: MA15+
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Big Boss has been through a LOT by now.
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Entree is served.
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Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is the kind of entertainment product that confuses on so many levels, and yet is so rewarding to experience, that it just had to have come out of Japan. A hideously overpriced mini-prequel to the ambitious upcoming game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Ground Zeroes confounds and delights in near-equal measure, leaving me both eager to experience the full-blown upcoming game and happy to leave this one behind.
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17
Feb
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Lists, PS3. Tagged: behind, content, dlc, downloadable, ellie, last, left, of, PS3, psn, story, the, us. Leave a comment
So I just finished the single player downloadable content for PS3 exclusive The Last of Us, released a couple of days ago, and I have to say that it’s pretty damn good. Entitled Left Behind, it’s definitely short (around 2-3 hours, which is probably par for the course with this kind of DLC) and maybe you could argue it’s also a bit pricey for what it gives you. But I’m certainly glad I played it. As you might already know if you read my review last year, I adored The Last of Us and it only just missed out on my personal game of the year award for 2013. If you share my feelings on the brilliance of the original game then you owe it to yourself to consider playing Left Behind. Here are five reasons why:
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1. It fleshes out both the original story and its world.
Though it sets itself up as a prequel, Left Behind is only really half so. The narrative follows two interchanging paths, one set before Ellie meets Joel and one set during the events of The Last of Us’ main storyline. As such, if you face the temptation to play Left Behind first and let it lead into the main event, resist. You will have things spoiled for you in a big way if you elect to look at things in that manner.
Having said that, the bulk of the story of Left Behind focuses on Ellie as she explores a decrepit mall with her friend Riley, who has recently joined the rebellious Fireflies organisation. The brief tale is inspired by, and indeed connected to, the four-issue Dark Horse comic book series American Dreams that was released last year. It features callbacks and references to both major and side events in The Last of Us, particularly if you are willing to poke around the environment a bit, and its revelations add an extra layer to the main game’s excellent ending. TLOU rightly stands alone as a well told, standalone story, but Left Behind certainly makes it richer.
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26
Jun
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS3. Tagged: dog, ellie, joel, last, naughty, of, PS3, Review, us. Leave a comment
So many zombies on screens at the moment!
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Platform: PS3
Developer: Naughty Dog
Rating: R18+
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I didn’t have a regular case for the game.
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This is it.
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Despite its expansive slate of rock-solid console exclusive franchises, blu-ray disc capabilities, the amazing benefits of Playstation Plus and the otherworldly, standalone magnificence of Journey, The Last of Us is in my opinion the most convincing reason yet, and perhaps ever, to own a Playstation 3. Super developer Naughty Dog have crafted a masterful blend of visuals, sound and affective storytelling that exceeds its highly acclaimed previous efforts thanks to some wonderfully balanced gameplay.
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15
Jun
Posted by vagrantesque in 3DS, Games, PS3. Leave a comment
We are now halfway through this incredible, bountiful month of June and I’ve gotta tell ya, it’s moments like these that make me glad I play videogames.
Within hours I’ll be carefully stalking around corners in tattered clothes I’ve been wearing for weeks, desperately avoiding the gaze of stragglers as I scavenge through an overgrown landscape ravaged by time, stealing what I need to survive without care for the consequences.
Oh, and also playing The Last of Us.
15
Jun
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PC, PS3, Xbox 360. Tagged: capcom, dontnod, Me, nilin, remember, Review. Leave a comment
I’m in d-d-d-danger, Pinocchio…
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Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: DONTNOD
Rating: M
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Yes, that is the Eiffel Tower in the background.
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I won’t forget.
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The general internet consensus on Remember Me hasn’t been too kind. The conveniently pun-tastic line that the game is “forgettable” dominates many sites and forums. However, with some caveats, I beg to differ. The game does have the misfortune of releasing very close to the excellent The Last of Us and, yes, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad game. Remember Me may be a rather flawed videogame experience, but it packs enough memorable moments to be worth a play.
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27
May
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, IDO, PS Vita, PS3. Tagged: Defending, PlayStation, plus, service, Sony. Leave a comment
Well what do you know, looks like I’m in a bit more of an apologetic mood than usual. Let’s do another one.
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I N D E F E N S E O F
–==Playstation Plus==–
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Note:
For those without a current generation Playstation console or just not in the know, Playstation Plus is a completely optional online subscription service for owners of its consoles, launched by Sony in mid-2010. In Australia, it costs $20 for a 90-day subscription and $70 for a year’s worth. The company also likes to throw around free 30-day trials for the service as bonuses with its new games from time to time. The biggest reason to be a member of Playstation Plus is access to what the company calls its “instant game collection”, which is basically a constantly changing list of games available as full downloads for free. Members are able to play these full games until their subscription runs out, at which point they have to either renew their subscription, pay for the game completely or surrender the legal right to play it. The service also provides small discounts on normally priced game downloads (which can be played for as long as you like) and allows for automatic game and system updates on PS3 while it isn’t being used, among other things. Glad we got that out of the way. Now:
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The Case Against:
The one thing that the Playstation 3 always had over the Xbox 360 in the online department was that it was free. You didn’t have to pay any stupid yearly online fees just to enjoy a multiplayer game online with your friends. While Playstation Plus technically doesn’t change that, it does represent a cynical attempt by Sony to take more money from its loyal customers. This leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth, but it’s nothing compared to the outrage that is the service itself. The idea of downloading a game and being forced to pay to keep playing it is utterly repulsive. The service is a blight on the Playstation name and it should not exist.
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More like Playstation Minus, amirite? hehe
The Defense:
A lot of things attract hate on the internet. Wait, what am I saying? Everything attracts hate on the internet. But the reasons for hating on Playstation Plus that I most often encounter on forums and the like are simply some of the weakest I have ever seen. And they are a lot more plentiful than they should be. Continue reading →
Vagrant Rant 