PlayStation LifeStyle » Steven Garcia

Starhawk – E3 Impressions

Steven Garcia — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:37:28 +0000

Lightbox Interactive approached Starhawk with the goal of differentiating it from the various other shooters currently saturating the market. After experiencing some hands-on time with the action packed title, it would be a vast understatement to say they succeeded.

First, some background. The game takes place in space, where you, as rifter Emmit Graves, set out with your brother to mine rift energy on various planets throughout the universe. What’s rift energy? Think of it as that super valuable stuff from Avatar, only instead of a type of rock, it’s a plasma-like substance that glows. Or something like that. Anyway, Emmit and his brother are exposed to rift energy and subsequently become mutants. However, Emmit is saved Ironman-style and dedicates his life to defending other rifters from mutants, including his brother.

What makes Starhwak stand out from the rest –including it’s spiritual predecessor– is the introduction of the Build and Battle system where players have the ability to build structures to aid them in their fight against the enemy, which adds a sort of RTS style of game play both online and off. To give you an idea of how it all works, we’ll walk you through our multiplayer demo of capture the flag.

The multiplayer demo of capture the flag took place on a large, brown, uneven landscape of a distant planet. After what could only be described as space pods rained down on the battle field and opened to reveal their passengers, the two teams rushed to each other’s home bases (where, presumably, the flags were held). I kind of just stood there and watched as players from both teams battled it out against one another around me. When one person would die and fall to the ground, orbs of rift energy would appear where their lifeless body laid seconds before. The victor then absorbed the energy and continued fighting. I saw this happen many times over the course of a few minutes while getting familiar with the controls and, after getting zero attention from anyone else, began to believe I was invisible on the field. Then a vehicle ran me over. I respawned, and from that point on, I was determined to get in on the action.

Running around on the ground and shooting other players felt very similar to Warhawk. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was the same game, only more refined. The mechanics are tighter and the weapon physics work well in the sense that you have more control over where you want your gun to shoot. It’s obvious that Lightbox took what worked in Warhawk and used it as a foundation to build and improve upon.

Once I had acquired enough rift energy, I built an automatic turret near the enemy base and proceeded to rack up kills from afar. This proved to be quite the inconvenience for them. My personal victory was short-lived, however, when the enemy built a few walls to hide behind before turning my turret into space dust. It was interesting to witness the opposite team think it’s way out of a problem and apply a working solution in real-time. I not only felt defeated, but I was also excited to see how such a relatively small addition to a great game made such a huge difference in how it’s played. As for what we might expect in the final product, we’re able to spend time with Lars Devore, Starhawk’s creative director, who told us that, among others, lobbies, parties, and a clan system are features to definitely look forward to.

Between automatic turrets, sniper towers, walls, garages for building vehicles, and even hawk pads, players have a wide selection of ways in which they can manipulate the playing field, forcing the opposing team to rethink it’s strategy on the fly. It’s this type of fast paced, strategic online gameplay that Lightbox seems to love and hopes you will, too. I certainly did.

Single Player

The single player demo showed off Starhawk’s unique story telling mechanics, where cut scenes dissolve seamlessly from in-game action. The gameplay was linear in the sense that the Emmit had to build structures to complete certain objectives as they arose. In this case, the objective was to defend a rift energy structure from mutants. I built turrets, lit some dudes up, and was having a pretty swell time. The I had to erect a hawkpad, providing me with an excuse to take the battle into the air. Again, the flight controls are very similar to Warhawk, so veterans of the series should be more than comfortable. From gameplay to story, the single player campaign showed huge potential in being able to carry its own against its online counterpart.

Admittedly, I feel as if being a fan of Warhawk allowed me to be easily captivated by this game. A little biased, I know, but I certainly don’t feel as though that personal bias had any effect on my impression of Starhawk. It would be a huge mistake to say the two titles aren’t alike –they are–, but the differences are significant enough to warrant serious consideration from those who passed on the series in the past. Also, it’s worth nothing that this demo certainly felt and played like a finished product despite being derived from a pre-alpha stage build. With many more months until the title is finalized, it will be exciting to see how Lightbox fine-tunes what already is shaping up to be an excellent game.

Starhawk is slated to land on store shelves sometime in the Spring of 2012.

Duracell’s Extender is Everything You Loved About Your Old PS3

Steven Garcia — Tue, 31 May 2011 10:37:29 +0000

If you’re anything like us, you were bummed when Sony slimmed down the gorgeous PlayStation 3, removing two USB ports and support for your various types of memory cards in the process. Like us, you’ve also probably gotten over it by now, but if you haven’t –which Duracell is clearly banking on here-, there’s a new accessory on the market hoping to fill the void.

The cleverly named Duracell Extender takes advantage of the empty space to the right of your PS3 by extending it’s body, making room for three additional USB ports, both an SD and memory stick card slot, and a place to store two controllers. The only thing it won’t do is provide full backwards compatibility. If that’s not a deal breaker, you should be pretty excited to know that you can pick one of these bad boys up right now for about $80.

Give Dad a Limited Edition PSP Bundle This Father’s Day

Steven Garcia — Thu, 26 May 2011 10:57:37 +0000

Just because you’re a dad doesn’t mean you have to kiss your dreams of playing in the big leagues or speeding down the raceway goodbye. Sony understands that although you’ve set those aspirations aside to change diapers and pay for college, these desires are still there, burning and yearning to be satisfied, and believes that if anybody deserves to be rewarded, it’s dads everywhere.

Come this June, you’ll be able to pick up the newest Limited Edition PSP Entertainment Pack to show your old man how much you care. In the bundle, your dad will find a PSP, a 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, and a copy of both MLB 11: The Show and Gran Turismo; All for $159.99. Fatherhood just got a whole lot more exciting!

Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games Renew Contract, Pop Champagne

Steven Garcia — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:07:11 +0000

Despite rumors to the contrary, the trio that serve as the creative force behind Rockstar Games’ massive portfolio of blockbuster titles have agreed to stick around for a few more years. Who, exactly? Well, the brothers Sam and Dan Houser and Les Benzies, that’s who! And if those names don’t ring a bell, you should seriously play through the entire Grand Theft Auto series once more and stick around for the credits. Don’t be alarmed if you feel the urge to send them a thank you letter shortly after. It’s normal.

Announcing the agreement, publisher Take-Two said,

“Sam Houser, Dan Houser and Leslie Benzies, key members of the creative team of Rockstar Games, have agreed to renew their long-term employment agreements with [Take-Two] on substantially similar economic terms. This team has been instrumental in the development and success of Take-Two’s extensive portfolio of multi-million unit internally-owned franchises.”

We’re sure the terms of the agreement are great for both parties involved and wish them best of luck in the coming years. Now, that all the boring legal stuff is out of the way, can we please get another GTA? Thanks, guys!

[Source]

PlayStation Now Serving Customers Across the Twitterverse with @AskPlayStation

Steven Garcia — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:58:56 +0000

Face it, customer service in this country sucks. It’s bad enough to experience some type of issue with your product, but to be punished with an endless phone tree lacking the option to connect you with a real live person is definitely not what the founding fathers had in mind. But rest assured, Seeker of Answers, Sony’s got your back.

As of today, SCEA is now inviting users to direct their questions on over to @AskPlayStation. The advantages of this are threefold: It’s fun, easy, and satisfies your Twitter addiction. Also, as an added bonus, questions are even addressed in real-time depending on the time of day! Head on past the break for a full breakdown of when this particular window is open for business.

@AskPlayStation is available Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:30AM and 5:00PM PST with real-time responses delivered between 2PM and 5PM PST.

Be warned, however, that if you’re looking for a solution to getting you’re jailbroken PS3 unbanned from the PSN, you might want to look elsewhere.

[Source]

EA Gives More Bang for Your Limited Edition Buck: Battlefield 3 Beta

Steven Garcia — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:46:20 +0000

The legendary Medal of Honor series is back, refreshed and ready to take on the stiff competition that currently makes up the crowded FPS genre. With heavy hitters of the Modern Warfare type presently reigning supreme, this definitely won’t be an easy task, however offering a pretty snazzy Limited Edition that also grants future beta access to a completely different, yet equally anticipated title certainly won’t hurt.

In addition to the extra goodies such as special “weapons, powerful ammunition and camouflage”, the Limited Edition pack will eventually bestow upon its owners an invitation to participate in the Battlefield 3 beta. There’s no word one exactly when the beta will drop, however EA was kind enough to narrow it down to a 12 month window following the release of MOH. Thanks, guys!

Medal of Honor is slated to appear on North American shelves October 12th and in Europe on the 15th.

Courts Announce Class-action PS3 Bundle

Steven Garcia — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:54:35 +0000

Ah, c’mon, Sony, don’t look so surprised. Sure, you issued a sincere, heartfelt apology to the masses after you removed the OtherOS feature citing “security concerns”, and probably gave yourself a congratulatory pat on the back for handling the situation so well, but you didn’t honestly think it would all go away, did you? The small number (Sony’s words, not ours) of users affected by the change in system functionality who ultimately filed a combined total of seven class-action suits after voicing their outrage are still here, only now the courts have conveniently bundled them all up into a nice, little, more manageable single class-action.

This news comes courtesy of the fine folks over at Ars Technica, who obtained a document detailing the request from all of the attorneys involved, stating:

“In essence, the claims in these cases are that Sony Computer Entertainment of America (“Sony”) falsely represented that PS3 purchasers would be able to use their PS3s as a computer by installing another operating system, such as Linux, in a recent firmware update, Sony removed the ability of consumers to utilize this feature. As a result, seven class actions were filed against Sony in federal court in San Francisco, California.”

If the courts rule in favor of the class, presumably those who purchased a PS3 between November 17, 2006 and March 27, 2010 will be eligible for some type of compensation, albeit nothing to quit your day job over. Still, if anybody deserves to get something out of this, it’s definitely the USAF. Without a cluster of Linux compatible PS3’s, how else do you suppose they crunch numbers on such a tight budget?

Hirshberg Gets Ahead of Himself, Refers to Call of Duty as the New ‘Star Wars’

Steven Garcia — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:37:24 +0000

Yeah, you read that right. Activision’s recently appointed CEO of publishing may be new to this side of the fence, but he’s no stranger to the industry. Once the head of marketing firm Deutsch LA, he definitely knows a thing or two about making waves.

In a recent interview with IGN, Hirshberg explained the challenges Activision inherently faces as being the publisher of one of the currently most popular franchises in gaming.

“The Call of Duty franchise is a force of nature. I think it is the closest thing this generation has to a Star Wars. I think it’s unique and bigger than any musical act or any movie franchise in that capacity.
“The challenge with any franchise like that is staying a step ahead of people and keep surprising them and keeping it fresh.”

Right, because if there’s anything that reflects Activision’s willingness and drive to surprise people and keep it fresh, it’s the countless rehashes of Guitar Hero and severe lack of innovation found between each successful Call of Duty title. Be sure to let us know how the next installments for both are. We’ll be trying on costumes for the upcoming Call of Duty Convention.

[Via]
[Source]

Activision Gets New CEO, Hopes to be Likeable Again

Steven Garcia — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:35:50 +0000

Let’s face it, Activision doesn’t exactly come straight to mind when you think of well liked publishers. And with years of bad press composed mostly of unpopular Kotick quotes and shady business practices, who could blame you? Well, the new CEO of Activision Publishing sure can’t and for the most part understands where most of the gaming community is coming from.

Speaking to Kotaku, Eric Hirshberg sort of indirectly recognized the notion that, despite their many accomplishments, Activision certainly has dropped the ball somewhere.

“I only have my perceptions as a outsider to go on. I think that Activision, based on the number of great gaming experiences they have delivered, should be a more beloved brand than you would think they are by reading the core-gaming blogosphere.”

As the new CEO of one of Activision Blizzards newly created subsidiaries, Hirshberg plans to balance out the universe and make things right with the world, which shouldn’t be too difficult given the dudes reputation he built during his 13 years at marketing and advertising agency Deutsch LA. During that time, Hirshberg worked on many high profile projects, most notably Sony’s “It Only Does Everything Campaign”, and rose up through the ranks, ultimately settling as the firms CEO.

For the most part, we can’t help but agree with this guy. The appeal of their blockbuster titles routinely reflects on their earnings, yet community support lacks far behind. Still, with Kotick steadfast at the helm of AcitBlizz, it won’t be easy to convince gamers into washing the bad taste out of their mouths. Good luck, Hirsh. You’ll need it.

[Via 1/2]

Sony in No Hurry to Enter Next Generation

Steven Garcia — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:09:36 +0000

Back during the early years of the PS3, the notion that Sony should just pack up and join Sega in its quest to stay relevant as a software publisher was a common theme among industry analysts and anti-Sony fanboys alike. However, since then a lot has happened and with every success the PS3 experiences, the need for an even more successful successor grows. While it’s no secret Sony is hard at work trying to figure out what kind of crazy new features they can exploit for the next generation of consoles – like maybe actually turning a profit (we jest)–, it’s also quite clear that the strategy they chose for this gen has allowed them some flexibility in terms of how they’ll approach the next.

Speaking to Develop, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida candidly responded to a question regarding the next generation of consoles and when they can be expected, saying:

So, looking from the outside, it was Microsoft that released the first of this generation of consoles. Naturally, in my opinion, Microsoft will make the first move. Or, because Nintendo’s approach was not to upgrade much on its basic hardware – Wii doesn’t even support HD resolution – so they might be the first to move.
Probably the watch should be on these companies, in my opinion. Because PS3 was later than Xbox, and is more powerful, so it has a longer lifespan.

Given the 10-year lifespan mantra Sony’s been pushing since day one, and the amount of future proofing that went into the PS3’s design, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’ll enjoy more time on store shelves than its competitors. Still, when you root for one team as much as we do, it’s a little sad to see them arrive late to the party. Then again, considering what happened the last time Japan stuck first, perhaps it’s best to take things slow.

[Source]

Sony Announces Release Date for PS3 Sound System in Japan

Steven Garcia — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:37:11 +0000

So you’ve got a sweet, new, maybe 3D, HDTV hooked up nicely to your PS3, and it looks amazing, right? For most, a setup like that couldn’t get any better. But what if we told you that you were only getting half of your money’s worth, that not having a decent sound system translated into only having half the fun? You’d probably say we were crazy and reference back to the insane picture quality, but many would agree it’s true. Don’t worry, though, because as usual, Sony’s got you covered…
For the audiophile lacking enough room for a full 5 piece setup, Sony’s new PS3 Surround Sound System comes equipped with a built-in subwoofer and ready to handle a variety of audio formats, including Dolby digital, DTS, MPEG-2 AAC and Linear PCM. It won’t exactly raise the roof, but should come in handy while firing up that Blu-ray movie or catching up with your favorite shows via Hulu Plus when it lands this September 30th for $199.
[Source/Via]

Hulu: PlayStation Plus Not Required for Hulu Plus

Steven Garcia — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:45:39 +0000

Since the announcement of Hulu’s aptly named paid service, Hulu Plus, and it’s impending support for the PlayStation 3, there’s been a lot of confusion and negativity surrounding just what exactly it means for the millions of registered PSN account holders who are eagerly anticipating it’s public release but have yet to decide on whether or not they should upgrade to Sony’s latest offering, PlayStation Plus.

Whether $10 a month is worth access to current and past episodes of your favorite shows is something you’ll have to decide for yourself, much like the decision to upgrade to PlayStation Plus and enjoy all of its benefits. But that’s not the issue. The issue here is the unappealing notion of having to purchase the latter in order to take pleasure in the former, which has had the PlayStation community in an uproar over the past few days.

Attempts to contact Hulu directly were unsuccessful, however a wonderful tipster did get through and was kind enough to send us Hulu’s response to the matter.

With the launch of Hulu Plus there have been many rumors started and we are trying our best to remedy the situation. Specifically to your question, the Playstation Plus service is only a requirement during the preview period.
Once the preview period ends you should be able to download the Hulu Plus app but that will still require the Hulu Plus subscription.
Right now we are limiting the number of users but Hulu Plus will be launching to the public very soon so stay tuned!

Well, there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth. Now, can we all please put down our torch ‘n pitchforks and move on?

Thanks, Todd!

Hulu Coming Soon to a PSN Connected PS3 Near You

Steven Garcia — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:16:31 +0000

Nearly a year after Hulu decided to block their content from PS3 users, the ubiquitous “people familiar with the matter” have struck again, this time letting slip details of Hulu’s plan to officially bring their often lauded video service to PS3s across the world in probably just America.

According to Bloomberg, the two parties are pretty darn close to signing their respective dotted lines that would give the currently registered 50 million PSN users access to a paid Hulu service expected to launch within the coming months. The paid service -rumored to be Hulu Plus and cost $9.95/month- will reportedly provide account holders on-demand access to a catalog of new and old TV shows from NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS, TimeWarner, and Viacom on a number of devices, including the Xbox360 and Apple’s iPad.

Despite sounding like the best damned thing since sliced bread, nothing has actually been confirmed, but sources close to the matter say Sony and Hulu could come clean with their relationship as soon as next week. We’ll keep our ears to the ground on this one and be sure to give you a heads up when you can finally cancel that cable bill that’s bleeding your wallet dry.

[Via]
[Source]

PSLS Heads to Los Angeles, Stops by Kojima’s Peace Walker Signing

Steven Garcia — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:09:19 +0000

Legendary developer, visionary, director and all around good guy, Hideo Kojima, is currently on his way around the globe promoting his latest premium title, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. With E3 just around the corner here in Los Angeles, it’s no surprise that the man would choose today to treat his L.A. fans to a special signing of pretty much whatever they wanted. As you’d expect, PSLS was there when it all went down.

Below are photos from today’s Hideo Kojima Los Angeles signing:

Shout out to Bobby for helping out with the pics!

Kojima Infiltrating Los Angeles to Treat Fans

Steven Garcia — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 03:40:05 +0000

There are some games that need all the press they can get simply to survive; Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series is definitely not one of them. Despite this, it seems somebody didn’t get the memo as the legend behind the franchise is currently conducting an international tour in an effort to promote Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and maybe move another half a million units. If you’re a fan of Kojima’s work and need something to do while you wait for his next major announcement, it’s probably in your best interest to be in L.A. tomorrow.

If you haven’t already heard, it’s E3 week over in the City of Angels, and you know what that means, right? Yup, streets crowding with camera totting, note taking, sweaty palmed nerds journalists itching to get their hands on the latest offerings from The Big Three and their many, many developers. And what better way to start if off with a friendly visit from the creator of one of the industry’s most successful franchise? Well, if you happen to be in the area, you might want to take a ride over to Universal Studios City Walk where you’ll find our main man, Hideo Kojima, hanging out at the local Gamestop, signing autographs and such. The address for the signing location is below:

100 Universal City Plaza,
Universal City, CA 91608.

Kojima’s time with fans all goes down from 11:00am to 1:00pm, and while we’re not sure if there are any restrictions on what you can have signed, it probably wouldn’t hurt to present him with a brand new copy of Peace Walker. Just saying…