Since last week news about the successor of the PSP, code named the NGP (Next Generation Portable) has been piling in. I was seriously considering picking up a 3DS if any games that caught my eye were to be released by the holiday season of 2011; well up until last week.
There are so many features that the NGP has that on paper it should be the clear winner of the next generation handheld market. I like the fact that Sony did away with the UMD format and is now using some sort of proprietary flash card to store their games aswell as game saves. There are front and rear cameras that can be used to take pictures and be used in games (hopefully there can be some way to get Skype on the NGP) which is rather interesting. My prayers have been answered and there are 2 "real" analogue sticks on the NGP (the 3DS only has one); I can see this making games a lot easier to play and port to the NGP from other consoles. The front (OLED) touch screen and rear touch pad can allow some new and interesting games to be developed but if the rear touch pad can mimic the R2 and L2 buttons on a regular PS3 controller, then the ability to port games will become much easier and increase the NGP's game library significantly. The thing that hurt the original PSP the most was a weak game library compared to the Nintendo DS but I can see this changing once the NGP is released.
I almost forgot, the games on the NGP look almost as good as the early PS3 games in terms of visuals, which is amazing for such a compact device. Having pretty games is always a plus; it always annoys me that Nintendo's (including the 3DS) handhelds have games with archaic visuals. I know graphics aren't everything but it is a minor annoyance.
As for price, if it is $399 for the base model (no 3G, WIfi only) I believe that would be a decent price point and I would definitely pick one up. Many people on forums these days are complaining that they will not buy a NGP if it costs more than a cheapest PS3 slim ($299) or even a 3DS (3DS) but people forget that you get what you pay for and all the features that the NGP has. Besides look at the absurd price points of Apple products that are emerging as the popular gaming devices for casual gamers. If Apple can charge over $500 for their base model of the Ipad, I think Sony will have no problem selling the NGP at a $399 if it is marketed properly simply because it has so many features which the competition lacks.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Killzone 3 Story Trailer: Hype Train, Full Steam Ahead!
A couple weeks ago a new trailer for Killzone 3 (KZ3) was released and it was called the "Story Trailer". I decided to check it out because I have always enjoyed the Killzone series.
I was pretty much blown away, I have never re-watched a single trailer so many times before. It was put together very well; the music was good ,there were cool action sequences and pretty visuals. But the what stood out the most for me was the fact that KZ3 might actually have a story that will fleshed out in this game.
One of the main weaknesses of previous games in the Killzone series was the lack of depth and detail in the story telling; this is why myself and many other Killzone fans relied on the back story on the Killzone website to get a better grasp of the Killzone universe.
This new trailer introduced new characters who will be fighting for leadership in the Helgan empire and the dwindling ISA forces will be caught in the middle of this power struggle while attempting to escape from the planet Helgan. Personally, based on the information available the story seems significantly better than KZ2, yet it maintains simplicity.
I have a feeling this third installment in the Killzone series will have the best story telling by far. To top it off there will apparently be over an hour of cut scenes and some excellent voice actors in the game who will be playing the two Helghast leaders fighting for power. This games launch date is just around the corner and I must say, the wait really is killing me.
I was pretty much blown away, I have never re-watched a single trailer so many times before. It was put together very well; the music was good ,there were cool action sequences and pretty visuals. But the what stood out the most for me was the fact that KZ3 might actually have a story that will fleshed out in this game.
One of the main weaknesses of previous games in the Killzone series was the lack of depth and detail in the story telling; this is why myself and many other Killzone fans relied on the back story on the Killzone website to get a better grasp of the Killzone universe.
This new trailer introduced new characters who will be fighting for leadership in the Helgan empire and the dwindling ISA forces will be caught in the middle of this power struggle while attempting to escape from the planet Helgan. Personally, based on the information available the story seems significantly better than KZ2, yet it maintains simplicity.
I have a feeling this third installment in the Killzone series will have the best story telling by far. To top it off there will apparently be over an hour of cut scenes and some excellent voice actors in the game who will be playing the two Helghast leaders fighting for power. This games launch date is just around the corner and I must say, the wait really is killing me.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Playstation Phone.....Makes Me Wish I Didn't Get An Iphone
During the early fall my mother had surprised me by giving me an Iphone 3Gs. I think she though I was being very serious when I was bitching about my old Sony Ericsson slider phone. Oh well,I have found the Iphone to be a very useful tool indeed.
Sadly the announcement of the Playstation phone (PS phone) was a complete killjoy. There have been rumors flying around the internet about the release of a PS phone for a great deal of time but I never thought in a million years an actual PS phone would be released. Although I do love my Iphone, it would be amazing to have a phone that could play PS1 and PSP games. There is only so much Stick Wars and Tap Tap Revenge I can play before getting bored on my Iphone. So the thought of being able to play longer games like Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy, God of War and many more has me very excited.
I also like the design of the PS phone pretty much a Sony Xperia on top running Android on its touch screen and the D-pad and buttons slide out from the bottom to play games. What more could a gamer want in a phone that has a solid line up of Playstation games, the Playstation Network and all the Android apps. If the PS phone may be my next upgrade if it ever makes its way up here to Canada, hopefully all the kinks get worked out (if it has any) when I am ready to part with my Iphone.
Sadly the announcement of the Playstation phone (PS phone) was a complete killjoy. There have been rumors flying around the internet about the release of a PS phone for a great deal of time but I never thought in a million years an actual PS phone would be released. Although I do love my Iphone, it would be amazing to have a phone that could play PS1 and PSP games. There is only so much Stick Wars and Tap Tap Revenge I can play before getting bored on my Iphone. So the thought of being able to play longer games like Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy, God of War and many more has me very excited.
I also like the design of the PS phone pretty much a Sony Xperia on top running Android on its touch screen and the D-pad and buttons slide out from the bottom to play games. What more could a gamer want in a phone that has a solid line up of Playstation games, the Playstation Network and all the Android apps. If the PS phone may be my next upgrade if it ever makes its way up here to Canada, hopefully all the kinks get worked out (if it has any) when I am ready to part with my Iphone.
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