UT3 PS3 can't download mods directly: true

But this isn't news, despite complaints by Penny Arcade and now Kotaku:

FileFront has the download and installation instructions, which, curiously, point out that removable storage of some sort is required for import. Whether it be compact flash, Memory Stick or simply a USB thumb drive, it seems one can't simply download to the PS3's built-in mass storage via the internet browser. What's up with that?

Believe it or not, this was known almost a full month ago. I remembered reading it today after Mike sent me the Penny Arcade link. Read it:

What we do to finalize it, make sure it makes the most efficient use of memory, and runs the fastest, is we bake it down to the PS3 version, but that's just like saving a file in Word in a different format. If you save it on a PlayStation 3 format, you can stick it on the Internet, and someone can download it, put it on a memory card [USB drive, memory stick], and import it into their PlayStation 3 version of the game. That works really well.

Awkward? Yes. Should it have been fixed before launch? Of course. Sony needs to fix it ASAP. I recall having trouble downloading themes directly from the PS3 browser too. And remember, this is the same outfit that hasn't gotten movie downloads online yet and can't seem to make an online PSP storefront that doesn't involve another machine (Windows PC or PS3).

But, hey, free fricking mods and levels, people. For all the kvetching we see over paid downloadable content, isn't free better, even if it takes a tiny bit of elbow grease? Jeepers.

And, no, that's not Free. It's free.

Labels: business, modding, online distribution, ps3, sony

--jvm at 23:45

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November 2007 NPD

It's that time of month again, with NPD releasing data and me burning a weekend looking at numbers. The results are here.

The guys on NeoGAF picked up what may be an inaccuracy in the numbers NPD provided to me. I might have to fix the graph showing original Sony IP sales, since the Resistance: Fall of Man number appears to be YTD, not LTD.

Now I'm going to enjoy a little time with actual games and not sales numbers. The Burnout Paradise demo is quite slick (and just annoying enough that I'd be tempted to buy the game instead of continuing to enjoy the demo long term). I'm enjoying Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror on the PSP.

Oh, and a copy of Deep Fear for the Saturn arrived. I think I'll give that a try. The audio I've heard (MP3 link) is hilarious. Could be fun.

Labels: business, data, graphs, nextgen, npd

--jvm at 13:55

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I am become Eidos, destroyer of worlds

A quote from a recent blog post:

But what really sets the game apart is its commitment to deliver a story that we don't get anywhere else in games [...] and show us one way that games can communicate something that's not juvenile, trite, or outright embarassing like most game narratives. If the development team had been allowed enough time to polish the game to the level it really deserved [...] this unique experience could have reached more people. What could have been.

I have written similar things about Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, but this post (found via GSW) by Steve Gaynor is talking about Kane & Lynch, the game now notorious for its possible involvement in the Gerstmann firing. The idea of noir games is interesting. I wonder if the Infocom detective games count as noir? I never played them, but I always assumed they were copying Chandler's Marlowe.

I think it's worth noting that both games -- Angel of Darkness and Kane & Lynch -- came from the same publisher, Eidos, and in both cases it appears that the publisher forced the game out before it was completely ready. It's a helpful reminder that publishers want to make money first and art second..

Labels: eidos, tomb raider

--jvm at 15:29

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What will the normals think?

How do normal people even begin to understand videogame titles? I just saw that there is going to be a new Rainbow Six game from Ubisoft and the title is this:

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2

I'm sure there are worse names, but this one struck me this morning as ridiculous. The only thing recognizable to an average person there is Tom Clancy. Most will have no idea what Rainbow Six means. (My recollection of the original PC game was that Rainbow referred to the nationalities of the team members.) The connection to Las Vegas isn't much of a help. And it's a sequel. Yuck.

Anyway, all this makes me wonder what soccer moms think when a kid says they want a game whose title seems so random.

Then again, over 20 years ago Mom did buy me Zork II and Zork III without really asking many questions.

Labels: business, marketing, media

--jvm at 12:51

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PlayStation 3 Memory Cards

Everyone knows the PS1 and the PS2 used memory cards, but did you know the PS3 has memory cards too? Target thinks so:Technically, they're right. It is a card with memory on it. You can use it with the PlayStation 3, although I'm not sure the cheaper 40GB model has a port for one. But in the sense that the term "memory card" has been used with previous PlayStation consoles, it's a bit of a misnomer.

Still, more power to them if they can get people to buy them, especially at this price. The one I'm looking at has twice the capacity for this same price. And I'm buying it for my PSP, not my PS3.

Labels: ps3, psp, sony, target

--jvm at 10:12

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Bowling issues in a brave new world of gaming

I like the new PSN game, High Velocity Bowling. Intuitive and fun, with the best SIXAXIS control scheme I've yet seen. Not bad for $10, especially if I can get the wife or maybe even my son to play along.

On the other hand, it is rather...sinister.

Three things jump right out at me:

1. As soon as you start the game it has a little note saying that you must have an HDMI cable and an HDTV with an HDCP compatible HDMI port to run the game in 1080p. Basically, you have to have an encrypted connection from the PS3 to the TV. Baffling. What am I going to do...steal high resolution video of myself tossing one in the gutter? Bizarre.


2. The menu options right off the bat include various modes of play and...buy new characters. In-your-face microtransactions! None are available now, but if this works like the PSN game PAIN released last week, there will be little dudes you can add to the game for $0.99 very soon...


3. Then at the bottom of the menu screen you can see that tapping the triangle button does something special. It displays the End User License Agreement, or EULA. Because, really, you never know when you might want to check the possibly-binding legal document you virtually signed when you booted the game the first time.

Creepy.

Labels: drm, hdtv, ps3, psn, sony

--jvm at 22:44

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Jordan Mechner tells you why movies and games are different

Jordan Mechner is one of my favorite game designers. No fewer than three of his games are classics in my life: Karateka, Prince of Persia, and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. I think he also did The Last Express which I never played -- ask Bob about that one.

Anyway, I thought this was a great answer in Gamasutra's Q&A with Mechner:

What are the differences between writing for a video game and writing for a film? How closely does the movie storyline correspond to the games?

If you summarize the movie in one sentence, it sounds identical to the first Sands of Time videogame, but scene by scene it's actually completely different. It has to be, because games and film are such different mediums.

On the surface they're deceptively similar -- you can watch five minutes of an action-adventure videogame and think "this could be a movie," or vice-versa -- but structurally the requirements are totally different.

Here's one example: The game kicks off with a cataclysm that basically destroys the world and turns all living creatures except for the three main characters into raging, murderous sand monsters. That was a great setup for the gameplay we had, which was "acrobatic Persian survival horror."

But if you put that setup in a film, it would be a "B" movie, and that's not the kind of movie Prince of Persia should be. Our model is classic epic, swashbuckling action-adventure movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Zorro, and Thief of Baghdad, with humor and romance and full of memorable characters. You can't get there if you turn everybody into sand monsters on page fifteen.

He goes on to dodge a question about future games. I hope that's a sign he's going to be back doing a game soon.

Labels: design, Gamasutra, mechner

--jvm at 11:34

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Croal nails it

You have to read N'Gai Croal's take on the enthusiast press and the CNet/GameSpot/Eidos/Gerstmann episode. For background and ongoing coverage, Kyle is tearing it up at Joystiq. Here's Tuesday's update as a starting point.

Added: Comparison of the original and edited text review of Kane & Lynch.

Labels: gamespot, media

--jvm at 09:14

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Horrible Sony marketing

Finishing Uncharted at the same time that I'm seeing Sony hire a new advertising agency reminds me to mention the horrible Sony presence in local GameStop stores. Sony's big first-party games for the holiday are Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, and (maybe) Heavenly Sword. These are practically invisible to shoppers.

One particular GameStop that I visit about once a week has a single copy of Uncharted on display. Recently I saw it on the shelf with only its spine showing, making sure it won't catch anyone's attention. The copy of Ratchet & Clank they have there is on the top shelf of the PS3 section, which puts it above everyone's eye level. And I'm not even sure they have a copy of Heavenly Sword.

Sony apparently is spending some huge wad of cash ($150 million?) on promoting the PS3. The TV ads someone showed me online today were pretty good. The Uncharted one certainly nails the tone of the game. But when people get to the store, if the PS3 display is as uninteresting as what I'm seeing, then all that money will be for naught.

Then they have a PS3 kiosk, but no really interesting demos. It should be locked on a Ratchet & Clank demo or something. Heck, get a Japanese account like I did and download the Japanese Gran Turismo 5 demo. It's a beautiful looking game and will get people interested.

Labels: business, game stores, ps3, sony

--jvm at 22:18

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Review: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune tells the story of Nathan Drake as he seeks the treasure his ancestor, Sir Francis Drake, left hidden on a remote tropical island. A reporter, Elena, and his best friend, Sully, tag along for the ride. Vicious competitors arrive simultaneously and the two groups race to unlock the island's secrets and locate Drake's treasure.

All of the gameplay falls into two categories: movement puzzles and combat. Most of the former is unoriginal, but the lush scenery almost makes up for it. Combat takes over as the game reaches its climax, which helps the pacing but also reveals the game's design limitation. Fortunately, the brutal pack intelligence of the enemies makes every encounter a challenge, even when replaying the same scene. While you can effectively use cover to maximize your firepower, you can also be overwhelmed from the flank if you don't subdue the enemy quickly enough.

Able-bodied and lithe, Nate parkours through the island's jungle and hidden ruins with visible effort. And while he is armed, he lacks the action game genre's armor and health packs. Except for his amazingly steady aim, he is a very human actor. Recent Tomb Raider games have humanized Lara and smoothed her movement, but future entries in that series will rate poorly if they don't match Uncharted's standards for characterization and action.

The game's biggest weakness comes at the end when the near-realism is nearly jettisoned for a fantastical action game (and movie) cliche. Fortunately, the twist doesn't play out as ham-handedly as it first appears, nearly saving itself by the end. Redemption comes in a pivotal scene which feels ripped directly from a classic action movie I'll decline to name, but then plays out satisfyingly differently.

Uncharted isn't quite the personal revelation that Tomb Raider was in 1997 or that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was in 2005, but it's still an awesome experience.

Technical note: While playing I experienced one hard lock that required me to reboot my PS3.

Labels: ps3, reviews, sony

--jvm at 19:38

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GameTap losing games

So GameTap is losing games. Their deals with the licensors are ending. We don't know why they're not continuing.

As the second poster in the GameTap forum thread said:

I was under the impression once a game was on gametap it was there forever.

Ha. There really is one born every minute...

This is not a good sign for GameTap. The worst case is that they continue to hemorrhage games and run dry. If GameTap fails -- the biggest and best-financed online distributor of old and/or emulated games literally goes down the tubes -- then what conclusions do we draw? And where do people who want older games go?

When Loki Games died many people drew the conclusion that there wasn't a sustainable market for games on GNU/Linux. However a big part of Loki's death was mismanagement, like buying 20,000 Quake 3 tin boxes, which thrifty GNU/Linux users didn't want to buy. (For the record, I did buy one. Preordered even.)

So what would it be for GameTap? Failure of business model or poor management? Both? Something else entirely?

As for where we go from here, I hope it's back to compilation discs or untethered downloads (a la StarROMs).

Labels: emulation, gametap, online distribution

--jvm at 08:57

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