Gaming, the PlayStation 3 and HD goodness
Ok, here we are with the GAMES! Yes, finally the page you’ve been waiting for if you’ve been patient enough to read all my previous waffle.
Well I might disappoint you here as I’m not going to go into great detail on any particular game... that’s what a game review is for and we’ll be having plenty of those coming along soon. But what I will talk about here is the look and feel of some of the key titles for the PlayStation 3 and how they showcase the abilities of this new system.
Ok, if you’ve forked out for a PlayStation 3, (so God knows why you’d be reading a review after buying it) you obviously want to show it off to its best abilities. Now your mates won’t give a stuff about media and photos and all that malarkey. They want to see some games. They want to see some games running in HD. They want to see if that much debated MotorStorm video really is the game or just pre-rendered bragging. They want to see if Resistance: Fall of Man really does look as good as the screenshots... Bottom line is, they want to know if you’ve just spanked £500 on a superb gaming machine or if you’ve just blown half a grand on an electronic door stop.
Click for larger imageOne thing to remember is that the PlayStation 3 comes with a Blu-ray player built in and the console can output in full 1080p high definition. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the games take advantage of this. As I mentioned earlier, Call Of Duty 3 makes use of the six-axis controller, but visually it’s not as good as you’d expect. This is because it’s pretty much a port across from other platforms. Sure, held up against the Wii it looks far better, but this is hardly pushing the PlayStation 3. Similarly, Resistance: Fall Of Man, a title developed specifically for the PlayStation 3, looks ok... but only ok. Imagine Gears Of War and you’re pretty much there.
Now take MotorStorm, either buy the full game or grab the demo from the PlayStation Network, for this is one title that absolutely spanks the visuals. If you’ve not had the pleasure of running anything in 1080p or i, then you really will be blown away by how good this looks. And the sheer amount of physics running in the game is, quite frankly, bloody amazing. If you want an indication of the future of games on the PlayStation 3, then an original title like MotorStorm, not a remake or sequel, is the way to go. In fact, I’d recommend it as being an essential purchase when you pick up you console.
As has been discussed at great length and in detail before, online play for many games is patchy. Some titles you’d expect to have an online component don’t and those that do, in my experience, are limited somewhat. But this could be dependent on a number of factors, such as developer tools or even my connection.
Click for larger imageOne thing that is evident is a lack of integration between games and the online experience. Sorry to harp on about Xbox Live, but there, when friends pop on you know as you get a small pop-up to say so. You can invite mates in from within the game, or send them voice messages and basically interact with online friends no matter what you’re doing... All of which is, so far, unproven with the PlayStation 3 but you can bet your PS2 memory card that Sony will be improving this in the future.
Speaking of PS2s, there’s a big question over PS2 games support. Now, to be honest, I can see why PS2 owners would be all feisty over their old games not working on the PlayStation 3. Then I snap back to reality and realise what a stupid bloody non-issue this is. What do these guys think is going to happen? They’re going to turn on their PlayStation 3 and the first thing it does is leap up, eat the PS2 and stomp on the controllers? There’s no advantage in playing a PS2 game on the PlayStation 3 anyway. Any up-scaling for the graphics of a PS2 game is going to look pretty horrid and the actual gameplay experience will be exactly the same... but without force feedback.
So, if anyone wants to whinge about the PlayStation 3 not playing their PS2 back catalogue, I have just one answer for them: That’s what a PS2 is for.