It has almost been a fortnight since I bought the PS3 hinted to in my last post and now that I have spent some time with it I thought I would offer up some basic impressions on the console. I have some more in-depth thoughts on LittleBigPlanet, the game I got with the console, on the way as well as some other things but for now some basic thoughts will suffice. I also purchased a HD TV in the same week so let me just say briefly that the difference between HD and SD was better than I thought it would be.
LittleBigPlanet is quite simply charming. Before playing it I didn't really have any expectations for it with nothing more than a casual passing interest in the game. After playing it I was pleasantly surprised to find a simple yet charming game that literally puts a smile on my face. It makes for a nice change after the gritty wastelands of Fallout 3 and onslaught of Locust in Gears of War 2.
Trophies are nowhere near as compelling as Achievements on the 360 are although being the completionist that I am means I have already outlined in my head the ones that I want to obtain and the ones that may be out of my reach. I definitely aim to obtain as many as I can but at the moment it definitely feels as if the majority of my time and dedication will still be with Achievements. Perhaps that is because I have had the 360 for longer though and who knows, my interest in Trophies could grow as I obtain more and play a variety of games.
PSN has been reasonably interesting with some good trials for games like EchoCrome, PixelJunk Eden and Super Stardust HD. I have enjoyed all three and will definitely be purchasing them in the near future as well as Wipeout HD. I have also tried out some demos including the two Motorstorm games, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Ridge Racer 7. The Motorstorm games surprised me in a similar way to that of LittleBigPlanet, where I only had a passing interest in the games before actually playing them. They are definite purchases and so is Uncharted: Drake's Fortune which I knew was going to be good because one of my favourite developers, Naughty Dog, are behind it. I also had a two hour session with Home the other night and came away with mixed thoughts. I can definitely see the potential of it but for some reason just can't see Sony taking advantage of that potential. It will be interesting to see how the service turns out that's for sure. Interestingly the web browser included for the console is seeing quite a bit of use with me using it to read blogs in bed when I should be sleeping.
Overall the console was worth the purchase and it is nice that some games have been pleasant surprises. It is no secret though that it was a future purchase of sorts, with me buying it in preparation for the upcoming Heavy Rain and whatever Fumito Ueda and his Team ICO are cooking up. In the meantime I look forward to more time playing LittleBigPlanet, purchasing some games that I passed up on in favour of the new TV like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gran Turismo 5: Prologue and also checking out a few more games on the PSN. Who knows, I might even buy a Blu Ray movie or three and start watching movies again now that I have the TV to take advantage of it...
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I've read through some of your posts, and I find it all very engaging and easy to read. I've added Raptured Reality to the "I read" list on my own blog. While I'm too lazy right now to go back and read through a year's worth of material, you can count on my tuning in from here on.
On the topic of trophies, I can't see them being a good as achievements. Being able to physically see you award sounds cooler than numeric points, but points allow for easier comparison of accomplishments. How do people compare trophies? As someone w/o a PS3, I'm curious. The achievements system has truly kept me glued the my 360 at the expense of my PSP, DS, and Wii. I love those points =)
I'm pretty sure Jorge will be moving into my house once Heavy Rain is released ;-)
I'm interested in hearing more of your thoughts on Home, since it's the kind of thing that I just don't have the patience for.
You should check out Resistance 2 and R&C Future, both are great games (and you don't need to have played the original Resistance).
LittleBigPlanet is easily my favourite game of the year behind GTA IV, one thing I love about it is the fact you can always come back to it and find something new and interesting. I just wish they'd hurry up and patch in the ability to use images from your Hard Drive. I want to make my own LittleBigPlanet art gallery.
As for Trophies, while I don't really find Achievements compelling either, I have a feeling it might just be that you're more familiar with achievements. They're the same thing, really, just you wind up with a level and amount of trophies rather than a gamerscore. Both are just largely meaningless indicators of your obsession. :P
I'm finding myself using Home for those times when I want to do something interactive, but I'm not in the mood to really play any real games. It gets used about once a week.
@ThrawnOmega - Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment, it's appreciated.
Trophy comparisons are sort of similar to the 360's Achievements in that you look at a 'Gamercard' of sorts, choose 'compare Trophies' and then a list appears detailing what each player has. Obviously slight differences like a user's level (displayed on the card) differ from the Achievements but other than that, they are pretty much the same. Much slower to load than Achievement comparisons though, much slower.
@Scott - Haha and I wouldn't blame him either. Absolutely can't wait for Heavy Rain and as an extension, how the blogging community at large discusses it. Am I correct to assume that you two will be analyzing it?
With regards to Home, I plan on checking it out some more this week so once I do I will let you know my thoughts.
@Natrak - Dude, welcome and thanks for stopping by. Been a while since we've discussed games hasn't it? I think you are right about Trophies vs Achievements now that you mention it. I have been obtaining Achievements for almost three years while the Trophies are not even a month old for me, so I guess subconsciously my desire to obtain Achievements and maintain that completion percentage is just more important at the moment. As I said in the post though, things could change once I get some more Trophies and play a variety of games.
I may check out Resistance 2 eventually although I am in no rush to be honest. I am quite over shooters at the moment and as harsh as it may be, Resistance has always seemed like 'just another shooter' to me. It might be a good game to get during the dead period early next year when I have nothing else to play. As for Ratchet and Clank, it's on the 'to get' list.
Yeah, while I did enjoy the original Resistance, it really wasn't an exceptional shooter. It did a lot of great things the stand-outs in the genre do, but wound up feeling a bit generic and stale for it. It really hasn't aged well at all, either.
It essentially did amount to being just another shooter, however I'd be inclined to say it's a step above games like Blacksite, Timeshift etc. It's probably more on the level of Prey and The Darkness.
Resistance 2 is a much better game, however, and - Bioshock aside - it's easily the best FPS on the system. Picking it up when all's quiet on the gaming front sounds like a very good idea.
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