Friday, November 23, 2007

PS3 Game Previews and Reviews

The Sony PS3 will be the most powerful game console ever released. The impressive parallel processing architecture and powerful GPU allows for arguably the most ambitious releases on a console ever. Certainly, the graphics and performance the system will deliver will outstrip that of its more prudent competitors, Xbox 360, and Nintendo's Wii. It should come as no surprise then, that many of the most anticipated titles of 2007 will launch on the PS3, some on multiple platforms, others exclusively. As impressive as the hardware is, it's really not important in the scheme of things; what really matters is what games you can actually play!

The PS3 is costly enough as it is, and as with anything else you invest in, you wouldn't want to do it before reading up on it first. What better way to do that, than to check out some PS3 game previews? Generally speaking, the best sources of PS3 previews will come from those websites and magazines that have generally covered PS2 and the original PS from the outset. General gaming sites like Gamespy/IGN, Gamespot, 1up, and GamesIndustry.biz are generally good sources of quick, easy to read news, game previews, and reviews. The quality varies, but what is common to each of these is that they will compare their subject matter to the competition. In this case, exclusive PS3 titles would be compared against games on Xbox 360 and Wii in any PS3 game review.

If you're already a fan, and you're set on having a PS3, you might prefer PS3 reviews from sites that deal with nothing else. Dedicated community fansites tend to have active discussion forms full of analysis of every last detail. More to the point, the staff who run such sites are generally fans themselves, and are just as interested in the system and games they post about, which is usually reflected in their reporting. Sites like PSXextreme, PSrules, PS3 Power, and PS3 Land are all good sources of PS3 game previews. Naturally, there aren't any PS3 reviews out yet, but these sites are already geared up and equipped to start posting them as soon as they hit the shelves in November.

Anticipated titles at release time will include the fourth game in the ever popular Gran Turismo series, Madden 07, Vampire's Rain, Crysis, Fatal Inertia, MotorStorm, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 3, NBA Live 07, Need for Speed: Carbon, Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire, Resistance: Fall of Man, and F.E.A.R. Also keep in mind that the PS3 is going to be widely backwards compatible with older PS and PS2 games, which you'll be able to buy from Son'y PNP service, if you don't already have them – one of the major selling points! For your PS3, game reviews already written will be just as useful. Finally, going back even further, Sony has announced that a wide variety of Sega Genesis (MegaDrive) games will be also be compatible with the PS3, opening up yet more games to its repertoire.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Playstation Use and Abuses

The Sony Playstation is one of the best consoles. With a solid reputation for graphics, the console has a wide variety of games available. But there a number of uses and abuses that apply to the console.

The most infamous Playstation abuse is modding it. Like most electronics that use compact discs and DVDs, the Playstation is sold in terms of region; CDs and DVDs from one region will only play on players from the same region. Unfortunately, Japan and the United States are not in the same region, which annoys game players and anime fans, as that means that some of the best games and anime would require someone to own two Playstations (one for the United States region and one for the Japanese region).

[The twin issues are that a lot of anime DVDs are not imported into the United States, and a lot of great Japanese games are available only in Japanese. A United States Playstation won't play either.]

However, by illegally modifying the Playstation, it is possible to make the Playstation play anything from any region. There are a number of ways to do it, which generally involve flashing the BIOS of the Playstation. However, in light of the new Playstation 3's ability to play anything from any region, this is not needed anymore.

Another illegal way to abuse your Playstation comes from copying games. Pirated games are illegal, yet they end up on sites all the time. The various sites are doing what they can, but pirating still happens.

Another abuse of the Playstation involves the various cheating devices. By using them, the Playstation becomes capable of doing anything in any game, form infinite lives to having maximum statistics to being invulnerable. Although not ethical by any means, the various cheating devices are popular.

However, some gamers have found practical use for the Playstation, as a way to make money. There are a number of tournaments for gamers, and some of the players are professionals, at least in the sense that they train and make a reasonable wage from tournaments. They train and study their game, becoming masters of their chosen distraction, and using that experience to win at tournaments, placing well enough to pay their bills. Strangely some of these virtual warriors are even sponsored by various companies, who pay their expenses while the players are on the tournament trail.

These champions are even have a fan following, and are interviewed just like minor celebrities. Some are able to sell advertising on their blogs, and even write articles on their respective games. They are able to use their modicum of fame to pay the bills.

There are a lot of ways to abuse your Playstation. Most aren't exactly kosher, but there are ways to make money from it. One day, Playstation abuse will stop, and tournament players will find other ways to make money. Until then, one can only hope that the abuse will taper off.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Profitable Review For Xbox 360 -Vs- PlayStation 3 Today

he PlayStation or the Xbox: which will win? It is one of the greatest rivalries of the gaming world, and the latest round - Playstation 3 vs. Xbox 360 - will soon be upon us. The PlayStation 3 will start launching this November nationally at US territories and some other countries, some months after the Xbox. The advantage on that front goes to the Xbox.

But the PlayStation 3 has a lot going for it, and the buzz it has been building up is outstanding. Sony is already shipping hundreds of thousands of units - an initial release of 400,000, with more than twice that number by the end of the year. It is very likely that all of these will sell out, as everybody scrambles to see what they can do with the PlayStation 3. Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 has a head start of almost a year, and has built up an impressive line of games.

The advantage on games does not go entirely to the Xbox, though. Sony already has a stunning line-up of PlayStation 3 games - at least 27 of them are in the works, and many of these will be available from the launch date. Games for the PlayStation 3 include Need for Speed: Carbon, Resistance: Fall of Man, Ridge Racer 7, and Fatal Inertia. Even before its release, the PlayStation 3 triumphed at the Tokyo Game Show, as several PlayStation 3 games were given awards. In addition, the PlayStation 3 will be able to run all games built for the PlayStation 2.

The PlayStation 3 has another trick up its sleeve - what is being described as user created content. That is, the PlayStation 3 promises to bring some gamers out of their passivity, and empower them to add new features to the coming console. This should appeal to PC Gamers, who are used to the joys of mudding, and creating new levels and environments for games. Sony hopes that they will transfer their talents and enthusiasm to the PlayStation 3. Microsoft typically takes a much less enthusiastic view of user-created content, and the Xbox has very limited capacity in that regard- at least in our many of our reviews.

The Xbox and the PlayStation 3 both have online services, but these are quite different in style. With the Xbox, everything is tied closely into the Microsoft empire through the medium of Xbox Live. Sony has taken a more hands-off approach, and it seems there will be the option for gamers to choose one of several online services. It will be possible to play tournaments online through the PlayStation 3.

Who will win this battle? In the short term, the PlayStation 3 will likely win the Christmas sales battle - provided Sony can ship enough units to keep up with demand. But that is simply because they are the new kid on the block. In the longer term, expect sales of the two consoles to be fairly similar - and impressively high in both cases, perhaps between 20 million and 30 million each over the next few years. And whoever claims triumph in the console battle, the gamers will win, being able to play the two most advanced consoles ever created. In the battle of the Xbox vs. the PlayStation 3, we all win.