Planet Sillicon

First Impressions of the PS3 Slim

By blog on Sep. 4, 2009.

Because I’ve just gotten my brand new console, the PS3 Slim, so I’ve decided to review the console, or at least my first hours playing it, here today.

As a side note, look out in my upcoming entries for reviews of the four games I purchased with the console. SoulCalibur IV, InFamous, GTA IV, and Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Now, onto the actual impressions of the machine so far. I’ve not had a PS3 in the past, so the console as a whole is a new experience, let alone the updated version. I found it to be surprisingly heavy when I was carting it back to my car from the store, which was a pleasant surprise. I don’t like when consoles are very light, it seems cheap. You’ll find that both the other ‘Generation 7′ consoles also have a weightiness to them that is really very pleasing to hold.

In keeping with the Wii, the PS3 uses no disc tray, rather you slide the disc into a slot where I believe there is a small monster on the inside of the console who takes the disc and places it where it needs to be… I don’t really mean that… or do I?

The console is auto set to be used with AV cables, rather than a HDMI cable. You also have to purchase the HDMI cable separately, along with controllers – only one comes in the box – and the remote and any other devices. When you load up the console originally, if you are using the HDMI cables you have to hold the power button until you’ve heard it beep twice, then it will pick up the HDMI input and you can adjust your resolution to be the same as your television. The fact that you have to pay for HDMI cables separately is my only complaint with this console.

It’s a nice looking machine, in my opinion, and I think the matte looks better than the original glossy finish. If it’s fingerprint resistant, then it seems somewhat more… professional, to me anyway. It’s quiet, and I like the system interface, too. So that’s all from my first day of playing the PS3 Slim, in the following days, maybe weeks depending on how much I play any one game, I’ll be reviewing those four games, too.

Awaiting a PS3 Slim

By blog on Aug. 27, 2009.

Next Tuesday the PS3 is available to the public, and I’m pretty damn excited, because that’s also the day I’ll be picking mine up!

I’ve not had a PS3 before, so this is a new experience for me. I’m looking forward to the relative stability a console offers compared to a PC. For instance, thanks to a disc borrowed from a friend, that pretty much spazzed out whilst it was in my disc drive, my D: drive now keeps un-mapping itself. And not whilst I’m loading, or after a reboot, no, just every now and then, in some cases, whilst I’m playing a game! I’ve no idea why this is happening, precisely, except that it first occurred when I was watching a DVD and that DVD went mental whilst it was playing. Great, juuuuust great.

A reboot fixes it fine, but come on, who wants to reboot or remap a damn disc drive all the time when you shouldn’t have to map it in the first place!? Bah! So yes, console stability, I’m sure as hell looking forward to that. I know that generation seven consoles aren’t free from the issues that plague computers, but they are at least much less likely to go through those sorts of issues. And it’s refreshing, too.

I’m also excited to get the PS3 Slim because of the difference in games. I mean sure, I’m going to get GTA IV on the PS3 just because it was so buggy on my PC I couldn’t play it, but there are so many action games, and RPGs that don’t make it to PC and do make it to PS3. The games available on the PS3 are a big draw, there’s no doubt about that. I’m really looking forward to the next Final Fantasy game, too.

When I have the console I’m going to do a review on it. I’m also going to be reviewing those games that I buy for it. Heck, I might just start reviewing all my new games!

PS3 To Ship September 1st

By blog on Aug. 19, 2009.

And not only that, it’s also cheaper!

At a Gamescom press conference in Germany today, or yesterday, it’s hard to tell, Sony announced that not only where they dropping the price on their current console, but that they were also releasing the PS3 Slim. The PS3 Slim will be smaller and lighter than it’s original counterpart, plus it will draw less electricity and have a larger, 120G, hard drive. All other aspects of the console will remain the same, there are still two USB ports, Wireless, and Bluetooth.

I have to say, I’m pretty pleased that just before I was about to buy a PS3, at the end of this month, this happens. Here in the UK the original PS3 will be selling at £249.99, as will the Slim when it ships September 1st. I don’t really mind the size of the console, I didn’t have any issue with the original PS3, so I’m pleased that the console is now environmentally better, and is also more likely to net Sony some actual profit from the consoles themselves – at this time, Sony actually loses money for each console sold, they can’t put the price high enough to cover their cost and still maintain any competition with XBOX360 and Wii – but I’m not over the moon about anything save the fact that I can afford to get a few more games with my console, now.

I find it an interesting move, on Sony’s part, because they are still selling the soon-to-ship PSP Go will still retail for £214, so they obviously aren’t entering to a huge price war with the other consoles. I’ve no interest whatsoever in the PSP Go, I think Nintendo DS Lite kicks it’s ass in entertainment, so I don’t care that they are sticking to a high price for their portable console.

In the coming weeks, when I’ve picked up my brand new PS3 Slim I’ll be writing some reviews for games I’ve played on it.

Time for a PS3 – Part 2

By blog on Jul. 31, 2009.

Now the second part of my last post.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger: This game looks fantastic! Very unique look to the game, with some amazing characters. I’m excited to play off against my SO and learn my way around all the interesting characters. It’s nice to see a fighting game where so much effort has been put into the backgrounds, as well as non-generic characters. I like the complexity of the fighting mechanic too, button mashing will only get you so far.

Soulcalibur IV: Another fighting game, but one that I am more familiar with. I’ve always found these games to be very entertaining, and a nice divergence from the norm to be able to fight in these sorts of games with weapons. I think this is the only fighting game where you really get to use a weapon, and the game has always been really slick. You can button mash to a small extent, but in the end you do need to learn the controls of the game to really excel. It’s nice to see the old characters we know so well, with a few new ones thrown in there too. Darth Vader makes an appearance in the PS3 version, and apparently is good to fight with… not as ridiculously over-powered as Yoda in the 360 version.

Metal Gear Solid 4: This game looks amazing; it has been called one of the best games of all time. I’m very impressed by the graphics, as well as the story-line. I respect where the franchise has taken the main character, and like this fond farewell to him. I find the story of the entire world to be a war-zone thanks to PMCs to be very interesting, and look forward to see how it all plays out.

Final Fantasy XIII: The Final Fantasy series is one that has well and truly stood the test of time. I’ve enjoyed every iteration of the game that I have played, and I am really looking forward to the release of this one. The trailer looks amazing, and the voice acting seems to be quite good. The story is intriguing, and I am really happy to see the good old GFs included. This game is set to ship later this year.

There are other games out there that look amazing for this console, but these are the ones I am most interested in right now.

Time for a PS3 – Part 1

By blog on Jul. 30, 2009.

I think it is now time for a PS3. I’ve waited for a while before getting one, mainly because the price was ludicrous to begin with, but it’s come down now and I think it’s quite fair.

I’ve been an Xbox 360 and PC Gamer for a long time now, mainly PC for the last few years, but before that, I had an Xbox and then an Xbox 360 as well. Before that I had a PlayStation, but I went the way of Xbox instead of moving onto a PS2, as the hardware was much better. Now, though, I want to get back into console gaming. PC gaming is great, there is often a good range, the Real Time Strategy games can’t be beaten, and there are other benefits to the PC, but there is the bugginess that often plagues PC games. I own Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Far Cry 2, for instance, and can’t play any of them due to bugginess.

When I do get the console, I am interested in a few games specifically. I’ve no doubt there are others out there I would want to play, and I’m sure that there are games on the horizon that I’m not aware of but would want to play, but for now, here are three of the six games that have most caught my eye.

Little Big Planet: This is a rather unusual console game, because not only is it a rather nice looking platformer, it also allows players to create their own levels, and share them on the online community, where they can download other people’s created levels and play them. It looks like a lot of fun, and very unique, and Sack Boy is a fun little mascot that diverges from the norm.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma: Whilst this is a re-release of an original title, the game nonetheless looks amazing. It is somewhat off putting that the game is not really giving any new gameplay, that you will be re-playing an old game with better graphics, but it was a good game originally so I do look forward to playing it again. There is some new gameplay, being able to play as Rachel seems like a nice change of pace for a short while, but I am just really looking forward to flipping around as a Ninja.

Infamous: This is a game that looks like a heck of a lot of fun. It has that comic book vibe, but isn’t based on a comic in existence, which means that it can be designed to work in game-form, rather than comic-form. It is set in a sand-box style city, and you play a character who has recently gained special abilities which all revolve around the use of electricity. I like the karma aspect of the game, where your decisions make an obvious difference. When you’re closer to the Hero side, your electric attacks are blue and white, and when you are closer to the Infamous side, your attacks are red and black.

Before this entry becomes enormous, I’m going to move onto a second post.