I finally got to sit down and play this over this weekend. I have previously played both Forza games (the first one being on the original XBOX) and was really looking forward to this one.
I used to play Grand Turismo and ever since Forza 2 I simply don't understand all the hype around GT. Forza 2 was already better than of the previous GT games and this version is simply an update that makes it the best racing game ever (so far that is). Obviously the graphics are simply stunning (something we've all been spoiled with on both the HD patforms). The thing that this has though (aside from A LOT of cars)is the simple playability. You are in complete control how much detail you want to get into... do you want to spend hours painting your car? no problem. Do you want to spend hours tuning your car? no problem. Or do you simply want to race? again, single, double, or even double split screen... no problem.
There are many events to choose from. You usually want to sign up for a World Championship, but those don't happen that often so you sign up for sub-championships in between to keep you busy (and to get more points). I love how easy it is to acquire new cars and new upgrades. I also love the amount of drivers assistance you can have. With fewer enabled you earn more points each time you race, but sometimes controlling some of these cars is close to impossible without all the electronics turned on.
This on is a MUST HAVE for any driving enthusiast and I would even go as far as to say it's a system seller. For anyone who's been waiting for GT on PS3... forget about it. Pick up an Xbox360 just for this game (they have a great combo pack available) and you'll look back. This is the next level of driving and what I find difficult is to figure out what they can improve in the next game (except for the obvious like updated cars, more tracks) but the framework is as close to perfect for a driving game that I've ever seen (or played).
5/5 stars!
Sunday 20 December 2009
Thursday 3 December 2009
How can the game companies keep getting things so wrong?
I've had it with some of the decisions being made by the big 3... let's start with Sony (my personal favourite... wink wink):
1. PSP Go... what a joke. This thing (while being very pretty) demonstrates a couple of things. Such as Sony STILL just don't get it, and the level of their greek is simply staggering. So what does Sony not get? Simply put, we do not live in a Sony world. I know that Apple came in and did in a couple short years what Sony has been desperately trying for the past 20. And I'm sure Sony are scratching their heads thinking "how come it works when they do it???" but for whatever reason people don't mind drinking the Apple Cool Aid while Sony continues one miss after another. Stop with all the proprietary formats. Look, you know you've gone way too far when you "standard" obsolete for your new "standard" (case in point is the M2 and Sony Memory stick on the PSP and PSP Go. Open the device up and let the people use it. Yes I know Apple has somehow done it with their iPods (making everything Apple only) but get past it already! PSP Go is going to die a pathetic death.
2. Microsoft. So you finally got the Xbox360 market share where you want it... you are huge and have the online play down to a tee (way ahead of everyone else in this category). You even, somehow, convince people to use your stupid points system... surely the best way they could have come up with hiding what the actual price of everything is since most users won't take the time to recalculate just how much 800 points really is. I think it's safe to say you are a gaming success... so how do you explain some of these REAL bonehead moves? Like... not having wireless built into the Xbox360 (or at least including the wireless adapter inside each Xbox360). Or better yet... controlling the HD add on to the point where people are forced to either buy a VERY overpriced HD ($130 for 120GB???!!!??? welcome to 2001 pricing) or simply limit how much they can download. And to help MS has been pushing downloadable content (such as HD movies) so that doesn't help things any. Come on MS, get over the HD thing. The other big thing is the Xbox Live account settings. Don't believe me? Try moving to a different country and changing your account... I'll save you the trouble, you can't do it! MS will NOT allow country settings to be changed once the account has been created... forever! And this is for a PAID account. Good job MS.
3. And here we have final of the big three... ironically the biggest (in terms of hardware sales). So a few years ago the big N was struggling. After the joke the N64 was (this thing was ugly and underpowered). While I loved (and still do) the Cube, it somehow never caught on (maybe because the amount of good games seemed Nintendo made only). So now we have the Wii... Nintendo's last great hope. It turns out to be a hit, but instead of learning from their past mistakes, they simply repeat them. Lower the price of this underpowered hardware? Why it's selling! Well now it's not selling so the price reduction finally happened, though not nearly as much as it should have. Help the developers to design great games? Why, the Nintendo made games are great and selling well. Yes well, the problem with that is that I have about 6 Wii games (besides Wii Sports) and about 50 Xbox360 games. The reason is simple... there aren't that many good games on the Wii. So my guess is that Nintendo has really changed the game plan with the Wii and treat it more like an expandable console, which is completely opposite of the PS3 (as Sony plans to push it for at least 10 years!!!) in the next 12 months I suspect the new Wii will be announced and so Nintendo will hope that everyone will go out and get new hardware again. And maybe their right... but that model reminds me more of their old days when they sold the pocket games (early 80s). I guess if that works for them then fine... but it also makes it so they aren't really a console manufacturer.
1. PSP Go... what a joke. This thing (while being very pretty) demonstrates a couple of things. Such as Sony STILL just don't get it, and the level of their greek is simply staggering. So what does Sony not get? Simply put, we do not live in a Sony world. I know that Apple came in and did in a couple short years what Sony has been desperately trying for the past 20. And I'm sure Sony are scratching their heads thinking "how come it works when they do it???" but for whatever reason people don't mind drinking the Apple Cool Aid while Sony continues one miss after another. Stop with all the proprietary formats. Look, you know you've gone way too far when you "standard" obsolete for your new "standard" (case in point is the M2 and Sony Memory stick on the PSP and PSP Go. Open the device up and let the people use it. Yes I know Apple has somehow done it with their iPods (making everything Apple only) but get past it already! PSP Go is going to die a pathetic death.
2. Microsoft. So you finally got the Xbox360 market share where you want it... you are huge and have the online play down to a tee (way ahead of everyone else in this category). You even, somehow, convince people to use your stupid points system... surely the best way they could have come up with hiding what the actual price of everything is since most users won't take the time to recalculate just how much 800 points really is. I think it's safe to say you are a gaming success... so how do you explain some of these REAL bonehead moves? Like... not having wireless built into the Xbox360 (or at least including the wireless adapter inside each Xbox360). Or better yet... controlling the HD add on to the point where people are forced to either buy a VERY overpriced HD ($130 for 120GB???!!!??? welcome to 2001 pricing) or simply limit how much they can download. And to help MS has been pushing downloadable content (such as HD movies) so that doesn't help things any. Come on MS, get over the HD thing. The other big thing is the Xbox Live account settings. Don't believe me? Try moving to a different country and changing your account... I'll save you the trouble, you can't do it! MS will NOT allow country settings to be changed once the account has been created... forever! And this is for a PAID account. Good job MS.
3. And here we have final of the big three... ironically the biggest (in terms of hardware sales). So a few years ago the big N was struggling. After the joke the N64 was (this thing was ugly and underpowered). While I loved (and still do) the Cube, it somehow never caught on (maybe because the amount of good games seemed Nintendo made only). So now we have the Wii... Nintendo's last great hope. It turns out to be a hit, but instead of learning from their past mistakes, they simply repeat them. Lower the price of this underpowered hardware? Why it's selling! Well now it's not selling so the price reduction finally happened, though not nearly as much as it should have. Help the developers to design great games? Why, the Nintendo made games are great and selling well. Yes well, the problem with that is that I have about 6 Wii games (besides Wii Sports) and about 50 Xbox360 games. The reason is simple... there aren't that many good games on the Wii. So my guess is that Nintendo has really changed the game plan with the Wii and treat it more like an expandable console, which is completely opposite of the PS3 (as Sony plans to push it for at least 10 years!!!) in the next 12 months I suspect the new Wii will be announced and so Nintendo will hope that everyone will go out and get new hardware again. And maybe their right... but that model reminds me more of their old days when they sold the pocket games (early 80s). I guess if that works for them then fine... but it also makes it so they aren't really a console manufacturer.
Thursday 9 July 2009
Friday 21 September 2007
The future of GPU?
This is a very interesting article about where the GPU is probably headed. "Probably" because there is always the possibility that something new will be invented (like a new way to stack cores or integrate memory) which will change everything. But for now... as of today, this makes sense.
Thursday 13 September 2007
MotoGP '07
Well I've been waiting for this game ever since I heard about it at the beginning of the year. I am a huge motorcycle and MotoGP fan and was very happy to hear the THQ was going to update the great MotoGP 06 game that they released last year.
The first thing you'll notice is that all the menu graphics have teen changed. And for the most part it looks much better. I love how there is an aerial view of the track as it is loading... but you'll also notice new accomplishments listed as well. THQ have added such things as "Clean Lap" "Clean Race" "Target Laptime" and "Target Speed". These do add to the game and make it more fun.
Now lets talk about the graphics in the game... they added cut scenes that now include grip positioning (with team members and umbrella girls present), team helping you out as you leave your garage, and podium scene as well. Nice touches... does nothing for gameplay.
In game graphics have improved (as difficult as that is to imagine) especially the track graphics... you can see MUCH more detail around now, from waiving flags to people, helicopters and other things. The track looks great. The riders do as well, though they looked really good in MotoGP 06, but it does look really really good.
Now the most important part... the gameplay. This is the area that was MOST changed... and most improved. Yes you heard me right... VERY improved. So what could they do? Well for one the bikes "feel" much lighter. They are much more flickable (I keep over steering the corners still) and, as in real life, they feel smaller and faster. The lean angles have also increased and overall the sense of speed is much better than the last game. The addition of the bike moving around is also wonderful. It really feels like you are pushing to the limit when the whole thing gets sideways. Though this is still an arcade experience (not simulator) you can increase the level of realism in the settings making it much more difficult to go into a corner hot, lean over and push hard on the breaks without crashing... good, very good. The wiggling of the bike great, it really feels like it's moving when you push it too hard. The only time it really wiggles is when you are at full lean and push hard on the gas... though the bikes obviously have steering control built in and that usually keeps you from high siding (unless you touch the grass... then you have a problem... again, GOOD).
It's fun to see how the game has progressed over the years and this is the best version yet. If you have MotoGP 06 you'll want this one... but be warned... once you start to play MotoGP 07 you won't go back to 06. Funny enough, after you get used to the new 07 physics... the 06 bikes feel like SUVs going around the track. Just not very flickable and not as fun.
The online play is as good as in the last game and overall I must say I love this new version and highly recommend it.
Now for some things that need to appear in next years (hopefully there will be a next year) version:
-Different Tyres (Bridgestone, Michelin, Dunlop)
-Tyre management (the tyres need to get used up during the race. SBK 07 does this VERY well)
- Bike Damage (if you crash the bike should feel more difficult to ride, and you should have the ability to set the damage so that if you crash hard enough, or often enough, you have to retire, again SBK 07 does this very well)
-Rider Health (again, if you crash too much or too hard, the rider should be able to get hurt and therefore retire)
-Gear manufactures (why can't you get the real gear into this game as well????)
-The ability to add new paint jobs, and riders during the season. This should be downloadable content as there is no way to forsee when a team decides to change riders or have a special colour for a race.
That's it for now...
4.5 out of 5 starts
Thursday 19 July 2007
Super Famicom (NES) Ads from 1983
I just found this on Gay Gamer's site (DON'T ASK) and thought it was great and had to share.
This is old school... and I can truly say.. the good old days of gaming. I love Japanese too and have always wished I was able to understand and speak it. Enjoy some real game history history...
Wednesday 18 July 2007
Planet Puzzle League (Nintendo DS)
Planet Puzzle League is a new puzzle game for the Nintendo DS. The best way I can explain it is... touchy Tetris. Now I know there is already a version of Tetris DS (which I own as well) but Planet Puzzle uses the touch pad much more. Overall its simular to Tetris (a couple of rules changed of course). It is very addicting, and has great options and even WiFi play. I can't say enough about how good this game is. I does nothing wrong really... even has a daily play so you can try to beat your score daily (not allowed to try again until the next day). It's really the little things that matter and this game has been thought through. Really a must have. :-)
5/5 STARS
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