Articles tagged 'xbox'
PlayStation More Feb 20 2013
I’ve not been too excited about the Sony PlayStation recently. The vast majority of big game releases are multi-platform, and most of them end up having better DLC support on Xbox 360, as well as the online aspect being a lot better on Xbox Live. In fact, since moving house six months ago, I haven’t even unpacked my PS3 and set it up. I did trade-in my PS Vita though and pick up a second Xbox 360 for the office (for lunchtime guitar learnings on Rocksmith, and not lunchtime online sessions of Halo 4, of course).
I am still excited about the PlayStation announcement shortly though. It seems pretty nailed-on that this is the PS4 unveil (look for Sony’s stock on the floor of Wall Street tomorrow if they don’t unveil a next-gen console), but obviously the specs, the look of it, the tech and features, and most importantly the launch games are all up in the air. I don’t imagine we’ll get a firm release date or price today, although it’d be nice if they were looking at a worldwide launch rather than EU being months behind like with the PS3, and if the UK price wasn’t just the US price with $ changed to £.
The games will most likely be a mix of franchise favourites, I expect an Uncharted, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, and maybe even an exclusive Metal Gear Solid perhaps. Unlikely that any of these will show off too much or even give final titles (Uncharted 4? Gran Turismo 6? Final Fantasy 54?). But it’ll get the Sony exclusive buzz back which they so desperately need.
The specs and look of the console will probably turn out to be fairly uninteresting. Specs wise I think the next-gen will be a lot more even, with both Sony and Microsoft looking to use more off-the-shelf components so that the launch price is cheaper and more affordable, and they can start to profit on each unit much quicker (traditionally very difficult at the beginning of a new console cycle). The looks won’t be as outrageous as some suggest I don’t think - people won’t be making any console the centerpiece of their living rooms, and I think these companies know that now. Instead look for something that fits in nicely amongst other AV components, but with a traditional Sony fit and finish that suggests quality.
The most interesting aspect by far is features. The PS3 lagged behind the Xbox 360 in terms of the online service and offerings by a mile, only recently starting to make inroads with PlayStation Plus. An extension of this, with the Gaikai acquisition finally being put to use as a PlayStation branded game streaming service so that you can play PS3 games on the PS4, would be pretty compelling. Still will be interesting to see how they’ll let people turn their physical PS3 game collections into games they can stream on PS4, but it’d lay down the gauntlet for MS and the next-gen Xbox.
If they could also get the hang of reasonably and competitively priced day one download releases for their flagship games, they might even have a true 21st century offering on their hands… and about time too. One thing is for sure though, it’s make or break time for PlayStation with this next-generation now, and I fully expect that Sony will have either entirely missed the point with PS4, or will have absolutely nailed it. We’ll hopefully find out tonight.
CommentsPro Evolution Soccer 2008 vs Fifa 2008 (Xbox 360) Feb 24 2008
So once again this year a decision was required as to which of the annual football (soccer for some of you) video games I’d get for the 360. I didn’t particularly fancy getting both, and I’ve traditionally always sided with Pro Evolution Soccer titles - despite the lack of licenses meaning many of the teams haven’t got the right names, kits and players etc, the actual dynamic within the game means it’s a better, more fluid football game. This year was different though, and after playing both demos, I went with Fifa. I was very impressed with the full game, and besides the presentation and polish that I’ve come to expect from EA sports games, I was happy that in fact EA had finally nailed a decent football dynamic within the game. The excellent commentary, the full league and team licenses, and the superb online leagues only add to what is essentially a great football game. Each game played is a delight to play, and the football often looks like I’m watching a game on TV. The graphics are exceptional, but the flow is like the real deal, and it means that sometimes you’ll struggle to break down a defence, and other times you’ll find a way to smash in a 30 yard screamer. Momentum is a big factor, and you’ll often find yourself under frequent attack, finding it hard to get the ball, and having to play on the counter-attack. A few decent interceptions later though, and the momentum might have shifted, leaving you able to mount a barrage of attacks yourself. It’s a joy to play.
Which brings me to Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. I decided to rent PES 2008 a week or two ago, to give the game a quick go, see if I had made the right decision in choosing Fifa, and also to grab those all important achievements. While I thought Fifa had the edge this year, I didn’t realise until I played the full version of PES 2008 just how big the gap was - and how badly Konami had mangled the latest version of the game. Playing the game is frustrating, as it no longer feels like fluid football as in previous versions. The passing is awkward, and the overall play disjointed. Your team-mates often make silly mistakes with their runs, making it hard to break open a defence with a decent through ball without being caught offside. The AI for the referees and linesmen is also bad, making frequent mistakes, which while not completely unrealistic, is frustrating because of just how often these errors occur. These errors include deflections off of defending players being missed, with goal kicks being given instead of corners. Fouls will often be given for little or no reason, while opposition players can sometimes mercilessly bring down one of your guys without intervention. And even despite the dodgy team-mate AI, sometimes you will put through a perfect through ball, only to find that it is called as offside anyway. This is all before going online, whereby the problems get worse. I’m not quite sure how the netcode for this game got so bad in just a year (PES 6 wasn’t perfect, but it was playable). Most games online that I played were almost unplayable, meaning that each game ultimately resulted in luck. That’s fine when it goes your way - but to be dribbling towards the opponents box, suddenly for the game to jitter, and find that the opposition player has just rounded your keeper and stuck it in the back of the net, is verging on the ridiculous. It seems as though the network code is so bad, that the game will literally drop five to six seconds of play before syncing back up, meaning one player is generally left completely vulnerable. I played through a number of games to get some of the basic online achievements, but I’d find it hard to stick with it for any length of time without destroying my Xbox 360 controller with rage.
So to sum up, it seems as though this last year’s Pro Evo was definitely a step back. The creator of the series I believe came out and said that it wasn’t ready, but Konami pushed for it to be released, and that the next edition in the series will be a complete rewrite, which sounds like a good idea. However there’s no way that a rewrite could be finished by October/November when the next annual version generally surfaces, and so unless they choose to skip a year with Pro Evo, I think the series will struggle to get back on track. Meanwhile, Fifa have got it all right, with a brilliant, fluid football game, combined with superb presentation, all of the licenses you could want for a football game, and some really fun online features. I think it’s inevitable that the games have to look more to online play as they evolve, but Fifa is in pole position, while Pro Evo needs to go back to the drawing board to attempt to win back players like me.
Page 1 of 1 |