PlayStation LifeStyle » Valkyria Chronicles

Welkin, Alicia Shoot DLC at Valkyria Chronicles 3

Heath Hindman — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 07:52:01 +0000

While still lacking any international release dates — surely to the dismay of many English-speaking fans around the world — Valkyria Chronicles 3 is still rolling out content in Japan. This week, the Japanese PlayStation Store added a mission that’s sure to excite fans of the series, as it brings Welkin, Alicia, Largo, Rosie, Edy, and other members of Squad 7 into the game, even if only temporarily.

Available for 600 yen (about $7 US), the “extra episode” does not feature the Nameless, the ragtag bunch of misfits that make up the stars of Valkyria Chronicles 3. Instead, it focuses purely on the heroes of the original Valkyria Chronicles, as the player must use them to take down Calamity Raven. This all still fits within the timeline, as VC3 is a prequel to the second game, taking place right alongside the original chronologically.

Here are a few screenshots:

And here’s Sega’s official trailer of the new episode:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fun fact: the main enemy they’re shooting at is voiced by the same guy that did Kaji in Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Gaston in the Japanese version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

Stay tuned for more news on this game as it emerges.

[Source]

Welkin and Squad 7 Bringing Artwork Out West

Cameron Teague — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:16:46 +0000

Any chance we can get to relive Valkyria Chronicles is a great thing and although the trophy patch has not come (and probably never will), Sega has revealed that the 400 page art book will be coming to North America. his Design Archive is being published by Udon and will feature character designs, concept art, and much more.

You can find the Valkyria Chronicles: Design Archive right now on Amazon for the low price of $30. This should be a must own for anyone who loved the PlayStation 3 game and want to understand more about its intriguing universe.

Valkyria Chronicles: Design Archive Brings the Art to Europe

Cameron Teague — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:32:37 +0000

Sega has announced a new addition to the world of Valkyria Chronicles, but sadly it is not concerning a trophy patch or a trip back to the PS3. The publisher revealed Valkyria Chronicles: Design Archive for release January 2011 in Europe. It may not be what we wanted to hear from developer Sega but it still sounds very cool if you live in Europe.

Published by Udon as a paperback, the Design Archive will take you behind the artwork of this epic masterpiece that is VC. With 400 pages of splendour, gamers will get a great look at character designs, vehicle and weapon designs, maps and promotional art. All of these will come with detailed background information and commentary from the creators.

One can only hope this comes to North America but if you live in Europe and have £37.99 to spare then this can be yours come January 2011.

[Source]

Valkyria Chronicles PVC Is Impressive

Allen Tyson — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:15:36 +0000

While the Valkyria Chronicles series might have put off quite a few people after it shifted onto the PlayStation Portable, the wonder that is Valkyria Chronicles for the PS3 should never be diminished. One of the main characters from the beautiful original game is getting a PVC figure — and their sculpture looks absolutely gorgeous.

Selvaria Bles is set to have a PVC figure available around October 20. Once you the see the accessories and attention to detail in the screenshots, it’s hard not remember all those feelings you had when you played through the game.

At 8700 yen ($106) it’s not cheap, however, if you’re a fan of the game and a figure collector this one may be too hard to pass up.

[Source]

PlayStation Release Horizon 08/30/10

Kishen Patel — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:55:16 +0000

We can hardly believe that summer is already over and this month is about to end. Unbelievably, this coming month of “movement” has us “moving” in just under three weeks time. Until then, make up that shopping or wish list after reading our PlayStation Move impressions. This week, we have two big titles on the small platform and two small titles on the big platform. Needless to say, PSP owners are going to have a busy week if they play their cards right.

PS3 -

Castle Crashers (08/31)
Sam & Max Episode 5: The City That Dare Not Sleep (08/31)

PSP -

Ace Combat: Joint Assault (08/31)
Valkyria Chronicles II (08/31)

PS2 -

No new releases

Any RPG fans with PSP’s picking up Valkyria Chronicles 2? Or is Ace Combat flying into your UMD drive or onto your Memory Stick? Tell us in the comments below!

PSP Preview – Valkyria Chronicles 2

Heath Hindman — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:35:41 +0000

Valkyria Chronicles 2 is Sega’s PSP-based sequel to the PS3 strategy RPG that surprised a lot of people in 2008. This sequel has a heck of a lot in common with its predecessor, with most similarities lying in the battle system that proved so innovative the first time we saw it. Saying it’s the same game, however, would be a mistake.

Valkyria veterans will immediately feel at ease when handling the troops in combat. The flow is exactly the same as it was in Valkyria Chronicles, with the player and enemy alternating turns, taking actions by way of their Command Points. Special “Orders” are once again available, granting a wide range of buffs and advantages, coming at the cost of Command Points as well. While there are some tweaks to the classes, their roles haven’t changed much overall. Scouts are still the kings of movement range, stormtroopers are still the best for mid-range combat (especially defense), while snipers, supports, and anti-tanks are still must-have soldiers for their special purposes.

There are some combat differences, though. The biggest fundamental change is the seemingly magical teleportation between bases. In order to take the Valkyria style from PS3 to PSP, some changes had to be made, first among them being that the huge battlefields were now broken up into several smaller sections. This means a battle will usually take place over two or three battlefields — sometimes more. Depending on the battle, the player will either start with multiple bases spread throughout the maps, or with just one base on one map. In order to reach a map on which the player has no bases (and therefore can’t summon new fighters), claiming bases on the starting battlefield will change the color of a flag on another map.

This sounds confusing because it is, on paper. Somehow, claiming base in the corner of Area 1 can mean the blue team now also gains control of the base in the central part of Area 3, for example. Remember the rule about not being able to claim a base if there is an enemy in it? That still applies in Valkyria 2, but not for bases that end up being claimed by proxy in this newfangled way. So in the example above, if there are two enemies sitting right in that base in Area 3, that base is now blue, regardless, because its attached base was claimed on another map.

On the next turn, the red army can then claim the base right back, tug-of-war style, if there are no blue team members in their Area 3 location. Here’s where another big change to the battle system gets magnified: the taking of one base leading to the immediate wipeout and taking of another. In the first game, when players summoned reinforcements from bases, they wouldn’t show up until the next turn, which made logical sense. Now, as soon as the player spends that command point to bring in a new soldier, boom, he/she is right there and ready for action. This means a player can (going back to the previous example) claim that base in Area 1, then scroll to Area 3 from the map overview, select that base and summon a character to immediately, magically show up right there in the middle of a guarded base to drop some firepower and take it over. Sometimes it pretty much makes a mockery of what would normally be considered great base defense.

This is an odd quirk, to be sure, but it doesn’t ruin the game. Valkyria Chronicles 2 is definitely still fun; it just has some markedly different winning tactics than the original game. Once you accept the new teleportation physics, it’s easy to roll with.

A definite positive change is that VC2 doesn’t reward simple base rushing as much as the first game did. In some missions of the original, making a one-turn blitz toward the enemy’s base was the only way to get an S-rank in a mission. But in part 2, the turn limits seem a little bit more lenient, which allows the player to fight a smarter, more strategic fight without worrying too much about sacrificing precious experience points.

Fortunately for strategy RPG fans, VC2′s battles are, at the end of all these similarities and differences, very fun to play. The game is once again a highly strategic, interesting, enjoyable affair for those who like strategy RPGs.

New additions to the class system have given Valkyria 2 some more army customization options that its daddy. Class level-ups are done the same way as they were before, with the player spending EXP on a certain class, then every member of that class getting the level increase. The difference is that individuals can now make independent progress in the form of Advanced Classes. By participating in battles and performing well, individual characters will receive items. Collect the required amounts of certain ones, and the given character will be allowed to change to a different type of combatant, if the player wants him/her to.

Each class has its own development tree that players can guide a character down. There are two immediate branches, each of which also has two more path branching off of it. For example, the first two branches of a Support character’s growth tree are the options to either become a stronger (more HP, perhaps a little more accuracy, and so on) version of a Support trooper, or a music-playing buff machine. The first options for a Stormtrooper are to either become a simply stronger version of the same class, or to tote a more powerful machinegun that doesn’t allow direct fire, but instead sprays all over the friggin’ place. Also of note is that Snipers now fall under the Scout classification, available when a Scout earns a few badges in battle.

Rather than storybook presentation, the player’s central control center is now an overview of the Gallian Royal Military Academy this time around. Progress goes month by month, with each month containing various optional story bits as well as at east one mandatory scene and at least one story battle. The player can repeat the optional missions as many times as desired, without the month moving forward; only when the story mission is cleared will in-game time pass.

The story of Valkyria Chronicles 2 is far less serious than its elder’s (I say this having played through July). While the original told the story of a young man unexpectedly swept into the middle of a heated war, the second has the conflict taking a back seat to the goings on of distinctly anime teenagers. I say that because they are not acting Western, they are not even acting Japanese — they are acting in that particular way that is only ever seen in anime. I’m not saying there’s anything necessarily wrong with it, I’m just calling it what it is. There’s lots of slapstick, enough sweatdrops to hydrate the Sahara, and cheek-reddening socially awkward moments aplenty. It’s fine for what it is, but the contrast from its elder is noteworthy.

Like the game before it, the graphics in this game are a real standout, with the animation looking remarkable and the art direction being tops. It’s not as groundbreaking as the first game’s look by default, and obviously the PSP isn’t going to outshine the PS3 in a category like graphics, but as a PSP game, it looks quite good. Hitoshi Sakimoto is back on the soundtrack. As was said about the visuals, it’s not quite what was delivered in the first game, but it’s very solid on its own.

One thing that might upset gamers is Valkyria Chronicles 2′s slight lack of portability. The player can only make one save file per playthrough, and can’t save in mid battle either. This means that a player can’t make some certain level-up or customization decisions and create an alternate save file just in case things go awry. Since some battle can take quite a bit of time, no mid-battle saving is especially something of a downer. Considering that the PSP is also a music player, photo viewer, Skype phone, and internet browser, not being able to just switch functions in the middle of the game is sometimes inconvenient for gamers on the go. Making the switch might come at the cost of one’s well-executed strategy being erased. This will of course matter far less to those who don’t use the PSP’s other functions or who don’t often use it while traveling.

What’s important to reiterate about Valkyria Chronicles 2 is that it’s so far been a good, fun game. The battle system was the best part of the original, and while there are some differences, it’s still the star attraction in what is proving to be a second great strategy RPG in what will hopefully become a long-running series. The North American release date has not yet been specified, but Sega seems to be looking at a summer release.

Experience Valkyria Chronicles at a Bargain Price

Jonathan Leack — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:37:54 +0000

Valkyria Chronicles is hailed by many as the most overlooked title of this generation. With an endearing story, enjoyable strategic gameplay and beautiful artistic visuals, the title is definitely one of the best RPGs in recent years. For those who have missed out on this remarkable title by SEGA, there is a great deal at GameStop.

GameStop has Valkyria Chronicles available for a mere $19.99. To top that off, Coupon Code “20PS3″ knocks off an additional $4 from the already unbeatable price. Basic shipping is only $3, so with the Coupon Code and shipping the price still stays under $20.

Check out our official Valkyria Chronicles Review and then pick up your copy today! Remember to use Coupon Code “20PS3″ during checkout.

Valkyria Chronicles Reloads with New Content

The Great Thomasio — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:23:03 +0000

We salute you, PS3 fans..for barely buying our game!!

Sega’s Valkyria Chronicles is arguably one of the most under rated games on the PlayStation 3. The unique setting in fictional Europa has spawned a loyal fan-base that still thrives almost two years after its original release. Fans have been wishing for two things: new DLC and a Trophy patch. Sega has answered one of your prayers and it hits next week.

Sega has announced via their Official Blog that Valkyria Chronicles will receive new DLC when the PSN updates next Thursday. The Fourth DLC pack for the game will focus on Edy’s Detachment, as it features six different challenges to help you master these classes:

- Shocktrooper
- Scout
- Lancer
- Engineer
- Sniper
- Tank

No price has been revealed yet, although if you happened to miss out on the game, why not check it out now? Many online retailers have it priced at $20 and that is a steal.

Valentine’s Day PSN Sales Has SEGA Showing Love

Matt Baker — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:10:32 +0000

Sega loves us PlayStation Network users, right? Correct, as they are bringing us romantics some DLC bundles which will save you big as part of this week’s PSN sale.

Why go out and spend valuable time with your loved one, when you can enjoy great SEGA content at home? Valentines Day will officially be raided by Sega’s irresistible deals.

Crazy Taxi, Full Auto 2, Sonic Unleashed DLC, Valkyria Chronicles DLC, and Sonic Rivals 1 and 2 will all get some discount love.

Check back when you can smell the love in the air (Thursday), when Sega will reveal the special bundles that will be available. See you lovers then!

Valkyria Chronicles 2 Unleashes War In Japan

Matt Baker — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:08:15 +0000

Underdog PlayStation 3 exclusive Valkyria Chronicles became an instant fan favorite, implementing fun and addictive strategy gameplay. Sega is hoping that the sequel mirrors the success of the first game, only this time, on a smaller scale.

RPG sequel Valkyria Chronicles 2 is now out in Japan. The PSP title can also link to the PS3 for some extra features. The game’s Japanese site has announced that a save file from the original Valkyria Chronicles game can be transferred via memory stick to unlock the character Isara.

Screenshots of the RPG were released last year, which showed that the title bears a strong resemblance to its predecessor.

You can import the title from Play-Asia, but the online retailer sadly does not ship to Europe. The exclusive is slated for a worldwide summer release.

New Valkyria Chronicles 2 Screenshots Scream War

Matt Baker — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:19:39 +0000

Underdog PS3 exclusive Valkyria Chronicles became an instant fan favorite, implementing a fun and addictive battle system suitable for all gamers. The sequel hopes to mirror the factors that made Valkyria Chronicles a success, which is shown in some new screenshots released closely resembling its PS3 counterpart.

Screenshots of RPG sequel Valkyria Chronicles 2, which is scheduled for release on the PSP have been revealed. Judging by the screens, the battle system seems unchanged from its predecessor.

[Source]

Headshots & Friendly Fire: Round 7

Cameron Teague — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:22:37 +0000

The gaming industry has gotten bigger and better with each passing year, but sometimes they just don’t do things right. Whether it’s game play, story, pricing, or business practice, sometimes the industry needs a little friendly fire from the gamers to keep it in line.

Other times, developers look down their sight and fire off a well placed bullet right into our unexpected head. This is Josh & Cameron, and this is Headshots & Friendly Fire.

A Bit of Friendly Fire

Friendly NPC’s that die too quickly

There are tons of these in games. If I am presented with a friendly NPC, it’s always wise to just assume they have as much health as Level 1 pup skag. (I’ve been playing a lot of borderlands, lately) Of course, when I am presented with these NPC’s, I’m going to either have to protect them or they will be vital to my mission in some other way. During certain missions of Killzone 2, you will need your teammates to either draw fire for you or help you kill enemies. This isn’t a problem on the lower difficulties, but on elite difficulty some missions could be replayed for hours due to the total ineptitude of your teammates in battle. In Clive Barker’s Jericho, my entire group of teammates can we wiped out with a single blast from an enemy, even on easy difficulty. (see H&F Round 4 for my rant on exploding enemies) If developers need to make an NPC that is vital to a mission, then give that NPC unlimited health. I don’t want to fail a mission because my ally screwed up, and allowed the enemy to flank me. If an ally is going to have limited health then he must be as smart as me, and no dev has been able to pull that off yet.

Tacked on Combat

There have been a couple of recent games that have really been guilty of just tacking on a combat for the sack of having one or not fleshing out the combat that they should have, leaving it as the weakest link in the game. The first one to come to mind is Mirror’s Edge, which despite one of the worst control schemes in history had a lot going for it. The one thing however that was a sore spot during the entire game was the tacked on and forced combat. The developer spent the whole development cycle fleshing out a pretty fluid system of free running through the world and then forced a funky and terrible combat system on the player when it was not needed. I am sure they did this to hopefully appease and bring over the FPS fans. Another example would be a game I am currently reviewing and that is SAW. The developer spent so much time fleshing out the environment and making sure it had that edge to it that the movies carried, then just hurried the combat to the scene it feels like. If you are going to put combat in your game and the player is going to have to use it more than a few times then you should at least put a good amount of time and effort into it, especially enough to match the rest of the game.

Grey Death Screen

If you have decided to ditch the healthbar in your videogame, then you are going to need some way of letting the player know he has more lead in him than a 1940’s paint can, and is about to die. The newest trend has to been to put either red blurs or bloodstains around the edge of the screen. Some developers have also decided that the screen should go completely black and white as well. The color palette in most games doesn’t vary much, so when your screen does go all Noir on you, it means you can’t see a damn thing. So, in a situation when you need to pay the most attention and be the most alert, the game has put this handicap on you. This leads to you dying a lot more than you should under normal circumstances. The worst offender, by far, is Modern Warfare 2. When you take any amount of damage, the game splatters translucent red water on the screen. Were the terrorists in the middle of painting Easter Eggs? Are the terrorists throwing Kool-Aid at me? This definitely isn’t more realistic, and it hinders gameplay so much. How could anyone at Infinity Ward think this was a good idea? As for other games, people often claim the grey death screen is more realistic than a health bar, and we always have to do whatever is the most realistic, but I’m sure these people have never seen a gun, let alone been in a near death experience, so their opinion still remains just an opinion and not the almighty word of God, as they would have you believe.

Your a boss, really??

So when I usually think of boss battles, I think of the end of a tough level where now i must use all I have learned during that level to tackle a tough boss. Yet in some games developers must think that they need to spare us gamers because the level was a bit tough or long, so they throw in the weakest boss or the most pathetic boss battle they can think of. A big culprit of this was the game WET, which saw you in the epic end battle of the game playing the QTE’s game with the end boss. I mean was this really the best they could come up with to end the game with? Under no circumstance should you end a pretty entertaining game with a cheap boss battle. I mean really as great as Batman AA was, the end fight was a joke. Too many times are we getting to end bosses only to be treated to the work fight sequences in the game. An end boss should be there to test us, not give us an easy trophy.

The Top 100 PS3 Games

Ryan Rigney — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:38:29 +0000

If you like this article, be sure to check Xbox LifeStyle for a list of the top 100 Xbox 360 games!

Intros are lame. So yeah, whatever. Read this article. It’s in ALPHABETICAL ORDER so don’t freak out and post an angry comment. Also, we realize that some of the games on this list haven’t quite been released yet, but who cares? I only put games that have already been reviewing well, and this list will serve much better as a buyer’s guide for this Christmas because of it. Please note that prices listed are subject to change at Amazon’s whim, as are PSN prices. Enjoy!

1. Assassin’s Creed

Genre: 3D Platforming/Haystack Base-Jumping Simulator
Review Score Average: 79/100
Release Date: November 14, 2007
Price on Amazon.com: $21.49
Buy it on Amazon.com!

2. Assassin’s Creed 2

Genre: 3D Platforming/Italian People Hobo-Stabbing Simulator
Review Score Average: NA/100
Release Date: November 17, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $55.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

3. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Genre: Action-Adventure/Vent Exploration
Review Score Average: 92/100
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $52.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

4. Battlefield 1943

Genre: FPS (First Person Shooter)/Deep-Sea Swimming Simulator
Review Score Average: 86/100
Release Date: July 9, 2009
Price on PSN: $15

5. Battlefield: Bad Company

Genre: FPS/Deforestation Simulator
Review Score Average: 85/100
Release Date: June 23, 2008
Price on Amazon.com: $17.49
Buy it on Amazon.com!

6. The Beatles: Rock Band

Genre: Music/LSD Simulator
Review Score Average: 89/100
Release Date: September 9, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $53.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

7. Bionic Commando: Rearmed

Genre: Platformer/Amputee Victim Simulator
Review Score Average: 88/100
Release Date: August 13, 2008
Price on PSN: $15

8. Bioshock

Genre: FPS/RPG (Role-Playing Game)/Little Sister Choking Simulator
Review Score Average: 94/100
Release Date: August 21, 2007
Price on Amazon.com: $17.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

9. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

Genre: Fighting/Anime On-Screen Explosion Of Nonsense
Review Score Average: 88/100
Release Date: June 30, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $49.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

10. Borderlands

Genre: RPG/FPS/Headshotapalooza
Review Score Average: 83/100
Release Date: October 20, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $53.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

11. Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway

Genre: FPS/WWII/Siblings In Limbs Simulator
Review Score Average: 76/100
Release Date: September 23, 2008
Price on Amazon.com: $19.59
Buy it on Amazon.com!

12. Brutal Legend

Genre: Action/RTS (Real-Time Strategy)/Jack Black Thing
Review Score Average: 83/100
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $53.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

13. Burnout Paradise

Genre: Racing/Skin-Peelingly Fast Crystal Meth User Simulator
Review Score Average: 88/100
Release Date: February 5, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $17.49
Buy it on Amazon.com!

14. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: Game of the Year Edition

Genre: FPS/Life-Destroying Addictive Substance
Review Score Average: 94/100
Release Date: November 6, 2007
Price on Amazon.com: $46.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

15. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Genre: FPS/That Game EVERYONE Will Buy
Review Score Average: NA/100
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $59.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

16. Call of Duty: World at War

Genre: FPS/Not CoD4
Review Score Average: 85/100
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Price on Amazon.com: $55.43
Buy it on Amazon.com!

17. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Genre: RPG/Platformer/Dracula Assassination Simulator
Review Score Average: 90/100
Release Date: July 19, 2007
Price on PSN: $10

18. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

Genre: FPS/Vin Diesel’s Boyhood Fantasy Simulator
Review Score Average: 81/100
Release Date: April 7, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $27.49
Buy it on Amazon.com!

19. Civilization Revolution

Genre: Strategy/Abraham Lincoln VS. Ghengis Khan Pitfighting Simulator
Review Score Average: 85/100
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Price on Amazon.com: $27.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

20. Comet Crash

Genre: Tower Defense/The World Record Holder For Ugliest PS3 Game
Review Score Average: 86/100
Release Date: April 2, 2009
Price on PSN: $10

Get Valkyria Chronicles For A Steal

Paulmichael Contreras — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:03:55 +0000

Valkyria Chronicles is one of the most well-received PlayStation 3 exclusives that also has the unfortunate distinction of not faring as well at retail. The latest price drop courtesy of GameStop may help to change that.
"To GameStop with my $20!"
For a mere $20 you can now snag a new copy of this excellent game. If that is still too much for you, used copies go for slightly less, $17.99. Though online ordering is currently in the “Backordered” availablility status, the price is the same should you happen upon a copy at your local retail location. What are you waiting for, Christmas? Go out and buy this fine piece of digital art!
[Source/Via]
© Paulmichael Contreras for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Headshots & Friendly Fire: Round 6

Cameron Teague — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:37:02 +0000

The gaming industry has gotten bigger and better with each passing year, but sometimes they just don’t do things right. Whether it’s game play, story, pricing, or business practice, sometimes the industry needs a little friendly fire from the gamers to keep it in line.
Other times, developers look down their sight and fire off a well placed bullet right into our unexpected head. This is Josh & Cameron, and this is Headshots & Friendly Fire.
A Bit of Friendly Fire
Blockbuster Video, not Games
I know that blockbuster has not really ever been relevant in the gaming side of things but when you as a retailer rent video games, its very frustrating when you barely have any stock. The bad thing is that there are very few options for a lot of people when wanting to rent games without going online. So for people looking to rent a game in between games from gamefly you are left hoping that Blockbuster carries it. Well I don’t think Blockbuster considers games a priority like they should, because even for the big games like Uncharted 2 and etc, they have maybe 2 or 3 copies per store. Now those 2 copies are gone by day one and kept by the people who rented them, so most of the time that stock is gone within the first week . I just fail to see why Blockbuster has never put more stock into the gaming industry seeing as it has been a very profitable industry. I know they put up GameRush stores that are supposed to deal more in games and while they may carry a few more titles and stock, they are few and far between so its sometimes a pain even finding one in my area. So wake up blockbuster, if you want to continue to be around then you will learn to better support the gaming industry and gamers who maybe don’t want to do Gamefly or who want a quick fix one weekend.
The Easy Way Out

Sometimes developers think that people don’t want even a bit of a challenge and they baby us the whole game long. A Perfect example of this is Prince of Persia. There is really no fear in this game because you can always rewind the game by bringing out Elika and using her special ability. This really just took all the risk and reward out of the game because for me it never felt like I really accomplished anything in the game. You missed a jump? Oh well just rewind it and try it again, who cares how many times you have to because there is no limit to it. Every game does not need to be the difficulty of Demon’s Souls but at the same time a game like Prince of Persia should have a bit more risk behind it.
Unnecessary Time Constraints
In puzzle or challenge games, time constraints are almost always a bad thing. Imagine if a game like Cuboid, Shatter, or N+ had a time constraint. Depending on the difficulty of the game, you might not be able to finish it, and it would be a huge annoyance under any circumstances. If a game developer is going to give me a set of levels to get through and give me a challenge, then there is no reason to expect me to finish it in a certain amount of time. I mean, a Rubix cube doesn’t have a time limit, and yet it remains one of the most popular puzzles.
Location Based Audio

Why does this keep happening? Some NPC starts talking to you, and you either look away or take a step or two, and all of a sudden, the NPC’s voice becomes inaudibly quiet. It happened to me in Killzone 2, inFamous, Metal Gear Solid 4, Brutal Legend, and Uncharted 2. I’ll admit it’s kind of a cool feature, and when implemented on optional dialogue it works very well. Like in the first level of Killzone 2, where the NPCs were having conversations with each other, and you could walk up to them, and the dialogue got louder as you approached. That was cool, and it felt very natural. However, when an NPC is expressing important plot information, I want their voice to sound like they are speaking through a megaphone, not like somebody stuck a box over my characters head. If God of War 3 comes out and I hear, “Kratos, I must tell you that (inaudible whisper)” there better be an unlockable costume with Kratos wearing ear muffs, or humming loudly.
© Cameron Teague for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2009. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us