PS3 Features

Rage May and Very Easily Could Change the Post Apocalyptic Setting

Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, and Borderlands; what do all of
these games have in common?  While
the list may consist of many things, one of the most apparent is the fact that
all feature a post-apocalyptic setting.  While the first is largely a story driven, linear path game,
the other two focus on the fact that you, as the character are in an open world,
and can really do whatever you want whenever you want.  There is a main storyline, but often
this storyline is quite short (in the case of Fallout 3) or quite shallow (in
the case of Borderlands, although some may argue it had been designed as such),
and the true depth of the gameplay comes through exploration and the discovery
and completion of side quests.  The
problem with this is that in both of these games, there is really no succinct
way of accomplishing exploration. 
In Fallout, there is fast travel, but if you die before you discover the
location, then you have to start back at square one, and the only other way to travel is to walk…a lot. 
With the case of Borderlands, a vehicle system is put into pay with
extremely basic customization options, but often times there is not too much to
explore, and vehicles are used to get straight from point A to B, then are
ditched. With each of these two games attempting vehicle use in open world gameplay, but not quite hitting the nail
on the head, an alternative is needed to get it right.

Enter Rage, the upcoming entry from id Software (the
gentlemen who brought you the Doom and Quake franchises).  Watch any video and it is apparent that
Rage is heavily focused on the first person shooting experience, but there is
also a very strong vehicle component to the game.  Buggies cannot only be used as transportation from city to
city, but there are also online modes where one can race buggies against other
opponents.  Up until this point,
racing and first person shooting have, for the most part, stayed far away from
each other, but what Rage is hoping to accomplish may in fact change the genre
in some very unique ways.

A Request of Gamers and Non-Gamers Alike

I
read a pretty appalling article on Gizmodo last week about an OkCupid
match gone wrong… it sparked a little fire in my blood… my simple plea today is this: gamers and non-gamers
alike, please stop judging people based solely on the games they play.

The Blight of a One Handed Gamer

I still remember the first game
that I ever played.  While Donkey Kong Land on the Gameboy Pocket was not
necessarily the greatest game, and I specifically remember not being able to
get past the 6th level, at the time it was unlike anything I had ever
experienced before.  The world was exotic (for my 7 year old eyes), the
characters likeable, but most of all, I could easily play the game without
using my right hand.

I have a disability called Cerebral
Palsy, which if you don’t know, is a disability that impairs motor
function.  From what I have been
told, my cerebral palsy was onset by a prenatal stroke, and left me with the
ability to only use the left side of my body (I can use the right side but it
is very impaired).  Because of this
impairment, I have needed to adapt to a different way for holding the
controller using only my left hand.  
Luckily (for me), up until 2006, this had not been a problem.  For the most part, almost every
controller that I had played on until the Wii was released in 2006 followed the
similar “horizontal brick” design. 
Because of this, it was easy to sprawl my fingers across the front of
the controller and be able to succeed with relative ease.  In fact, many of my videogame endeavors
proceeded with me holding the controller something like this:

A Primer on Deus Ex

Prior to this week’s release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution,
gamers had gone eight years without the release of a new game in the
series, leading to an understandable lack of familiarity with the series
among certain gamers. That’s okay though, because the new game is a
prequel, and does a good job of introducing people who don’t know much
about it to the setting while allowing veterans to jump right back into
things. But if you’re still curious about what the deal is, here’s an
overview of the series, its plot, and the first two games it spawned.

Bring it Back: MechWarrior

Giant robots and especially mechs are still the coolest thing in the world for
me and if there is one game franchise that defines them it is MechWarrior. If you didn’t grow up playing these games, let me give you the quick
rundown. They are set in a universe known as the Battletech-verse,
as named after the original release of the board game titled Battletech
in 1984,
which later went on to spawn numerous offshoots such as a collectable
card
game, a table top game and what I am here to talk about specifically, a
video
game series.

What’s Next for God of War?

This year has been truly fantastic for PS3 exclusives so
far, and when you start to think of the biggest exclusives Sony has, God of War
is probably pretty high on the list. The first entry in the series was one of
the most successful games for the PlayStation 2 and was an impressive display
of the console’s technical capability and the ability of the development team
behind it. God of War 2 was a fitting end to that era of gaming and created
extremely high expectations for the final chapter that would arrive on the
PlayStation 3.

Bring It Back: TimeSplitters

This edition of Bring It Back is a little different, as the
series in question actually does seem likely to return some time in the
future. Still, it hasn’t actually happened yet, and there’s no reason
not to remind people of what makes TimeSplitters fun and unique from
other shooters. Free Radical Design (now known simply as Crytek UK)
haven’t done a whole lot since their last TimeSplitters game, and a
return to what got them started might lead them to something inspired.
They did work on the multiplayer in Crysis 2, so they’ve shown
they can make a competent online gaming experience. But while that
series has done a nice job of blending in with the Call of Duty
school of super quick and precise shooters, what’s fun about
TimeSplitters is that it does its own thing. I’d love to see them bring
it to the current generation, sooner rather than later.

The Future of Game Design and Tech

Rumors
abound about what the new consoles will be and with this generation
feeling like it’s coming to an end perhaps as early as next year, it’s a
great time to start thinking about what gaming will be like in the
coming years. Let’s face it, the Xbox 360 is pretty old now. We’re talking about hardware
that was built and manufactured in 2005 and already there are PC games making
the console look positively dated. Some
PS3 titles still manage to stand out but even they are running the end of their
course. Because of the extended cycle we’ve experienced this generation, and will
likely still be experiencing even in 2013, the gap between that 2005 hardware
and the hardware of today is widening. By the time we see a PlayStation 4, the cutting-edge games for it will be
doing things akin to the jump from the early PlayStation 1 days to the late PlayStation
2, perhaps even bigger.  

PS4: The Tech to Expect

With
rumors and speculation about the existence and release of a
PlayStation 4 spreading wildly throughout the internet, it is
probably best now to look at some of the more reasonable arguments
with regards to the actual tech that might be contained in Sony’s next
console. Regardless if the PS4 comes out next year or in three years, it
is undeniable that it will be a considerable step ahead of the
current PS3 in terms of power. Knowing just how much more powerful it
could potentially be requires having some idea of the power behind the current PS3.

Bring It Back: The Mark of Kri

Welcome to the first installment of Bring It Back, the recurring
feature series where we pick a game or series from the Playstation’s
past that deserves a revival on modern-day hardware. Some people
complain that there are too many sequels and reboots clogging up the
shelves at game stores these days, but it’s obvious why they keep
getting made so often. People like what they already know, and will pay
for more of it. As long as this is the case, they might as well do it
with settings and ideas that deserve to get explored more. Some of these
will be series that were successful for a time and have just been
forgotten, others are little known concepts that deserve another chance
to get an audience. Whatever the case, these are games we want someone
to bring back.