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Hands-on with Rift: Planes of Telara at Gamer Day II
As part of its recent Gamer Day event, Trion Worlds invited Massively back to its studio for another look at Rift: Planes of Telara. Having now been to two of these Gamer Day events, I can say without a doubt that last week's was the more festive -- the player-community leaders and swarm of devs certainly made the whole experience much more wild than the first and reminded me that I was supposed to be having fun (not just studiously taking notes for you lovely readers, although I did that too!). Since this was my second day-long hands-on with the game (the first being last summer when I got to check out Rift's dynamic content), I thought it best to focus on two areas: improvements to systems I'd seen before, and totally new elements I hadn't seen at all (like the Guardian starting zone, PvP, UI enhancements, Deepstrike Mines, and several new souls including Riftblades, Bards, and Wardens!). Follow along after the break for my second impressions of this MMO that continues to surprise me with its glittering shine of polish.%Gallery-101448%
Massively's hands-on with End of Nations' PvE and PvP
You know that scene in Contact in which Jodie Foster is looking out at the cosmos, telling the folks at mission control that they should have sent a poet? All the while I was playing End of Nations at Trion World's Gamer's Day event, I kept thinking, "Massively should have sent a StarCraft guru!" I initially felt very much out of my element. MMOs and RPGs are my shtick; I only rarely dive into turn-based strategy games. And RTS games? Forget it. They don't agree with me. If it doesn't have a pause button, I probably don't have time for it. I'm too easily distractible, too impatient, and too exhausted after a work-day of multi-tasking to spend my playtime multi-tasking even more. There's just no time for cooking meals, browsing lolcats, and chatting with the spouse when you're neck-deep in an RTS. RTS games are serious business; they require my undivided attention and concentration, and I don't like doing things halfway. And yet maybe that makes me just the right person to try out an MMORTS hybrid like Trion's EoN. Most people who give it a spin when it hits the market will probably have a lot in common with me -- they'll be loyalists to one side or the other, not to both. Maybe an RTS novice is just the sort of person who can test out the game, present it to MMO gamers, and explain just what the heck this game thinks it's doing playing around in our end of the pool. Or maybe I'll end up sobbing amidst the charred remains of my tank minions. You'll never know if you don't hit the break! %Gallery-99563%
See Gears 2, Banjo, Piata 2 (or: Gamerscore Blog loves us)
In the video above, you will see many things. Ostensibly, it's a video press release letting gamers know exactly what will be shown at Microsoft's Spring Showcase. Yes, the video contains footage of Gears of War 2, Banja Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, Viva Piñata 2, Too Human, and more, but the most important thing occurs at 1:22. This is when Gamerscore Blog displays some of the gaming websites that will be attending the event. Who's that displayed right in the middle, front and center? That's right, it's us. Take that Kotaku, 1Up, and IGN. Oh, and especially Joystiq. We hate them the most.
Is Silent Hill canceled?
Konami's Gamers' Day has come and gone. While PSP gamers are certainly happy by the surprise announcement of an exclusive Castlevania, there is one game that was suspiciously missing: Silent Hill: Origins. The game had a very impressive debut, but ever since rumors of troubled development came about, the game has mysteriously disappeared from public eye.Hotly anticipated games like Metal Gear Solid 4 were also absent from the show. Is Silent Hill: Origins canceled? Has the release slipped out of this year? There are tons of unanswered questions right now. Konami's website notes that "major announcements" are coming tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll know for sure soon enough.[Via IGN]
Joystiq Impressions: Multiplatform games on Sixaxis
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Need for Speed: Carbon, and Tony Hawk's Project 8 are being littered across every current console in addition to the next-gen systems. (Wii gets Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam instead of Project 8, however.) While you can now buy these games for the fad-lacking, buttons-and-thumbstick systems, the titles are being tuned for Wii and PS3 motion-sensitive controls. At the Sony Gamer's Day last month, we saw how the three games use the Sixaxis controller.Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Need for Speed: Carbon will add the simplest motion controls, augmenting the traditional game design. In the playable parts of Marvel -- which felt a lot like the old X-Men arcade game in a good way -- controller movements charged superpowers or interacted with the level. I thought this use of the motion control was passable but didn't add too much to the game. The game rep said that these and other techniques would be more integrated into the game in later levels.
Joystiq hands-on: Cash Money Chaos (PS3)
Some of the smaller games at last week's Sony Gamer's Day interested me most; I'm always a sucker for a fun game idea over flashy graphics. Maybe developers with smaller budgets solve problems with creativity instead of money.The day's initial presentation featured a quick glimpse into Criminal Crackdown, created by David Jaffe and his team. He described the game as a cross between basketball and a demolition derby; players drive around cell-shaded levels trying to pick up the criminal and deliver him to jail. If an opponent's paddy-wagon holds the criminal, another player can attack them, stealing the criminal.Criminal Crackdown looked like a fun game to download and play with friends, but it wasn't available to try. Instead, another downloadable title, Cash Money Chaos, caught my attention. This quirky title felt fresh, even with its close resemblance to Smash TV. The Sony rep showing the game wouldn't draw the comparison himself, but he wasn't surprised when I made the Smash TV connection.Cash Money tossed me into a pit to dispatch never-ending groups of attackers. The overhead perspective gave a big view of the brightly-colored baddies; every time I shot one, splotches of blood and piles of money spilled out. Initially, the blood made me uncomfortable; it didn't seem to fit the fun-house atmosphere. However, I quickly overlooked it and concentrated on the mounds of cash, like a true patriot.
Joystiq impressions -- Lair (PS3)
I saw the PS3 exclusive, Lair, at the Sony Gamer's Day event last week. The Factor 5-developed game was featured in the opening presentation, and it was available for play afterwords afterwards. I looked forward to trying the game because of its Sixaxis controls, but I was unfortunately thwarted.Just as I reached for the controller, excited to get hands-on time with the dragon-combat action title, an unnamed PR rep literally turned off the PS3 and told me to to go downstairs for dinner. Who was this guy, my mom? Apparently they wanted us fed and ready for the Ludacris performance more than they wanted us to get hands-on time with the game.The Lair developer, who had been manning the game, saw the flash of anger in my eyes. He reassured me that, since the game isn't a launch title, I may get another chance to play it before its release. That wasn't much consolation.We Joystiqers talked about the situation and decided I would still write my impressions of the game even without being able to pilot the dragons. I saw enough of the title to make a few comments. Even after the go-downstairs-for-dinner fiasco, I'm still looking forward to Lair.
Joystiq hands-on -- Resistance: Fall of Man
Resistance: Fall of Man will be released as a PS3 launch title, filling the requisite "sci-fi shooter" slot in the bingo card of console launches. At Sony's recent Gamer's Day, I played this PS3 exclusive from Insomniac Games; the areas I saw looked good and played well, but little suggested this would be a new benchmark FPS. Still, it should be a strong PS3 opener to introduce the system.The Insomniac team didn't say much about the story as I started playing -- something about horrible human-monster hybrids -- but I didn't care. I was there to blow stuff up, and the gameplay held my interest. Resistance felt good as a shooter; the controls were competent, and the action maintained a fast pace, with lots of monsters -- sometimes dozens -- trying to shoot me.
Don't worry: you don't need a PS3 to download PSone games
Sony's Gamer's Day revealed some interesting info about the exciting PSP-PS3 connectivity. But, we were left pondering whether or not we'd need a PS3 to download PSone games to our handhelds. It would be a little silly if Sony tried to force us to buy a $500+ piece of hardware simply to download games, and thankfully, Sony hasn't gone completely mad as we've feared. GameDaily interviewed everyone's pal, Peter Dille, and he confirmed that you do not need a PS3 in order to download PSone games to your PSP: BIZ: I know you guys have previously talked about a PSP emulation service where PS1 titles would be downloaded directly to the PSP (for example, if someone didn't own a PS3). This new PS3 download service of PS1 titles, which involves transferring to the PSP, is not going to replace the previous PSP emulation plan is it? PD: You are correct. We'll still have that. We have the PSP downloads site now, and you're right; these PS1 games will be available either from the PSP downloads site directly, so you don't need a PS3 to get them or if you do happen to be one of the lucky guys that gets a PS3, you can download the games to your PS3 hard drive and then slide it over to your PSP. Both services will be up and running. Whew! That's good to hear. I'm going to pick up a PLAYSTATION 3 one of these days, but I'm sure many of you are very relieved to hear this confirmation.[Via Gamespot]
Connecting a PSP and PS3
Yesterday, Sony demonstrated the PSP-PS3 connection with more details. At launch, the PSP will play media files stored on the PS3 when both share a local network. According to Phil Harrison, the company hopes to launch worldwide internet support -- so you can access files on a home PS3 from any WiFi connection -- in the beginning of 2007.During the presentation, Sony connected the two devices through the PS3's "Remote Play" menu. Once networked, the PSP controlled the PS3 through its built-in screen; the PS3 interface had moved to the PSP. (Also of note, the two game systems and some Sony TV interfaces look similar; Sony seems to be standardizing navigation across these devices.)With the PSP driving the PS3, media files like movie trailers, photos, and music stream to the portable instead of playing on a TV. The demo resumed a Casino Royale trailer that had been stopped earlier on the PS3.Sony didn't demonstrate portable games, like PS1 titles, through this connection.The PSP can't tune TV channels through the PS3, like Sony's LocationFree devices. Phil Harrison later told us that this was not a LocationFree implementation; the results are similar, but the connection differs. When the service moves to the internet in a few months, this may be the easiest way to watch media stored at home in other locations.See also:CES: PSP LocationFree TV detailsPS1 catalogue on PS3 not yet playable
Surviving Sony Gamer's Day
I set my alarm yesterday morning. I had a date with Sony Gamer's Day, 2006. And yes, Grammar Rodeo champions, that apostrophe means that it was just for me. Also, about 100 to 200 other journalists and analysts showed up, but I let them stay.Sony's annual all-day press event held few surprises. Instead, it was the last big event before the PS3 retail launch, and we reporters got to play more games, eat fancy hors d'oeuvres, and talk to Sony executives. In the late morning, I attended a lunch that was supposed to be with developers but occurred without them; a roundtable discussion had been canceled. Instead, I got to listen to analysts at my table spout lots of semi-confidential numbers off-the-record. Numbers like "40%," and "5,000,000." (Yes, commenters, those are completely out of context; don't start any rumors.) After eating fancy food that may have been prepared entirely by a team of Cell processors -- it was that good -- I headed to San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood for the presentations.
Sony Gamer's Day reveals new PSP-PS3 details
Sony's Gamer's Day has just wrapped up, and we're learning new details from around the web. Unfortunately, details of new firmware didn't seem to be revealed. Highlights from the event include: Demonstration of Remote Play at work: the PS3 started playing the trailer to the upcoming Bond flick Casino Royale. Then, the video was interrupted and then resumed on the PSP. It sounds exactly how it should've worked. John Smedley from Sony Online Entertainment demonstrated PSone download functionality (pictured). The games, as expected, can be transferred to your PSP. Mr. Smedley hinted at future PSone emulation on the PLAYSTATION 3 console. Downloadable games will $14.99 or less. To compare, N64 Virtual Console games on the Wii will cost about $10, so we're hoping Sony prices the games a little bit lower to be a little bit more competitive. That seems to be it for now. Stay tuned to Joystiq to see all the PLAYSTATION 3 news from the event.[Via 1UP]
Rumor: New info on firmware 3.0 to be released on Gamer's Day [Update 1]
People seem to be real antsy about the release of the upcoming 3.0 firmware from Sony, and lame fakers on the internet are capitalizing on our anticipation. According to PlayStation forum user, Leah, the 3.0 firmware upgrade will be released this Thursday at Sony's Gamer's Day. Here's what she said:"Sony will be reveling the information as well as dating the release about the next major update at Gamer's Day in San Francisco on October 19th. You guys will just love the new "Remote Play" feature, located under the "Network" icon, which allows you to access the PLAYSTATION® 3 from the PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable)."Once again, I'm going to say that this is a fake. Why? What's the point of releasing Remote Play before the PS3 is even available? There might be some credibility to her story: the thread got locked suspiciously quickly, and she properly CAPITALIZED PLAYSTATION (the proper spelling is all caps, according to Sony). She even threw in the Registered® and Trademark™ symbols on everything appropriately. Regardless, I believe the show on Thursday will most likely focus solely on the PS3, digital distribution, and will provide news about PSP-PS3 connectivity. If there is a firmware upgrade this Thursday, I'm placing my bets it'll be a minor release, like 2.90. If it gives me the abillity to stream videos over RSS, I'll be perfectly content.Joystiq will be live at the event this Thursday, so we'll find out the truth then.[Via Maxconsole; Thanks, steve!][Update 1: D'oh! I am dumb. If I knew how to read, I'd see that info will be released, not the firmware itself. Please excuse my brain death. I'll blame the new Santa Clause movie, because it's the "best holiday trilogy ever." Ugh. Feel free to ridicule me in the comments section. Go! Hurry, do it!]
