A Gaming Diary
PS3
GTI Club+ (PS3)
Dec 8th
It’s fun, but I don’t love it as much as I expected to. Possibly because the handling hasn’t quite clicked yet. I get it and I’m doing handbrake turns all over the place, but I can’t quite feel it in the same way I feel the cars in OutRun 2006 or Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. I just don’t feel as connected. And I hit the edges of the road and come to a full stop far too often. Which is my fault, obviously, but adds some frustration.
And it could really do with more races. With the multiple routes through the city it should be easy to add a whole host of new events that take you down specific routes. As it is, after the Easy course is over, Medium and Hard levels just open up the whole city and let you get on with it. I haven’t won a race on Hard yet, but once I do I’m worried I won’t feel the need to go back and improve things.
Still, it’s lovely to have pure arcade racing with blue skies and small cars sitting on my hard drive. Maybe I shouldn’t be hammering this to death. Maybe I should just do a race or two every few days
Little Big Planet (PS3)
Dec 4th
You’ve got to love the PS3. I got Little Big Planet as an early Christmas present and rushed home giddy with excitement. I tidied up the bedroom, made dinner, did the washing up and then was ready to play the game. I believe I even clapped my hands in childish glee as the PS3 sucked in the disc.
And then there was a required update to the game, which took twenty minutes to download and install. And then, before I could get online, I had to update the PS3 system software, which took a further fifteen minutes.
That can’t be right, can it? We’re not really going to put up with this crap, are we?
Yes. We are. We’ll put up with it because, well, we don’t have much choice.
And also because, when you get something like Little Big Planet, it’s worth it.
If you boil Little Big Planet down to core gameplay it’s a 2D platformer. Physics-based, like a lot of stuff is these days. But it’s the most charming, lovely, happy game I’ve played in ages. The Sackboys are wonderful creations, full of personality. Stephen Fry’s voiceover is a like a warm, fuzzy hug. The music is happy, jolly loveliness. The world looks almost photorealistic (if you had a rubbish camera) yet unreal and videogamey to the max. Just jumping around randomly is a joy. It’s full of secrets and stickers to find away from the main paths through the levels. It’s one of those games that makes you smile and laugh in delight. It’s one of those games that has your wife begging to play. It’s one of those games.
And it’s true to its roots, being very frustrating at times. Some jumps are very difficult. It’s possible to mess around enough to break puzzles and have to leave the level and come back. And stuff my wife collected with me in co-op disappeared from her collection. But, hey, it’s a game. Maybe one day I shall be back expressing a hate and loathing for the game as I fail to complete a late level for the fiftieth time. But I don’t think I’ll fall out of love for long.
And if the pre-made levels get frustrating, there a million others out there. I tried out a level called Castling made by someone on the rllmuk forum and it was wonderful. I was in awe of the fact that somebody had made it at home. It was tricky and I failed to finish it before bed time, but I’ve hearted it and will play it again later.
And, by the way, my Sackboy is currently and Elizabethan astronaut.
Pain (PS3)
Nov 29th
The good news is that the new level – a movie studio backlot – is really good. Much better than the Abusement Park level.
I spent at least two hours playing the game today. It just eats time. I wish it felt a little more skill-based, though.
Pain (PS3)
Nov 29th
Why do I bother? I saw there was a new level for Pain, so I paid my £3.99 and waited while the 37MB downloaded and installed. Didn’t take too long, but when I started Pain it said I had to download another 211MB update before I could play the game. No choice, it was mandatory.
So here I am, sitting on the sofa, waiting for a huge bloody patch to download. Unlike other downloads, you even set this to download in the background while you do other stuff.
Will I actually get to play the game today? Who knows?
GTI Club+ Demo (PS3)
Nov 29th
I unlocked a police car colour scheme!
Demos with unlockables and which save your best times are to be encouraged, I feel.
GTI Club+ Demo (PS3)
Nov 28th
Fairly old arcade game HDed up for PS3. My type of thing. Fast, colourful, silly. I will certainly consider buying the full game, if it’s priced right. (Under a tenner.)
Valkyria Chronicles Demo (PS3)
Oct 10th
If you have a PS3 you should download this from the UK PSN without delay. It’s a gorgeous squad-level, turn-based strategy game that’s quick, simple and immense fun.
Interesting mechanics – the ability to choose to move units more than once at the expense of not moving others, the quasi-real-time movement, etc. – and absolutely gorgeous graphics combine to produce a game that feels fresh, fast and which has bags of personality.
My only complaint is that it seems to be a bit too easy to run over your own soldiers in your tank.
Oops.
Pain (PS3)
Oct 7th
Just twenty minutes or so in the Abusement Park, trying and failing to get a decent number of points. I think I’m missing something there.
The Last Guy (PS3)
Oct 1st
One quick level between WipEout and The L-Word, rescuing people in Germany. Failed the first time I tried as I ran into a zombie in a move that even Jimmy McNulty would find a bit too idiotically self-destructive, but got it the second time. And then it was time to turn the TV to Living 2 to see Shane get herself into trouble again and Helena make a new friend.
WipEout HD (PS3)
Oct 1st
I LOVE THIS GAME.
It’s just utterly superb and hours pass like nothing as I inch closer and closer to new medals.
Time trials started proving tricky, so I’ve moved my loyalties from AG to Assegai, because I think they’re slightly faster. After a good while banging into walls far too much I’m starting to get used to the handling and I’ve improved some medals and got some new ones.
Fantastic stuff.
