Part II – PlayStation 4: “The most powerful console”

Warning!  Warning!

System overload!

Warning!  Warning!

Welcome to Part II of Lou-Cyo’s PS4 review!  Let’s get right into business since there’s a significant amount of data waiting to engrave itself into your brain cells.  Take us away, Dave Perry!

Dave was actually the one who announced the PS4 is aiming to have the fastest network in the world.  Yep.  You read right.  Fastest.  In.  The.  World.  Pretty admirable and ambitious.  And as a well-known game developer and co-founder of Gaikai (a cloud-based service software) I believe he knows his business.  Apart from apparent superhero speed, Dave explained the PS4 will be able to analyze your input while navigating the network (e.g., purchases, searches, etc.) and the console will “tell” YOU what YOU like.  Sending random data for public access has never been my cup of tea, but as the lazy person that I am, I do not mind suggestions on things I might enjoy – keeps me from wasting time and effort.

Another unique quality of the PS4 is the pairing with the PS Vita.  Dave made me feel all tingly on the inside when he mentioned that in the instance you’re playing a game on the PS4 and you need to leave the room, let’s say because your roommate wants to watch television, the game can be transferred to the PS Vita immediately.  Again, you read right: whatever PS4 game YOU were playing will transfer I-MME-DI-AT-LY. How fucking cool is that!? And when he mentioned there would be a future where cloud technology will let you play EVERY SINGLE PLAYSTATION GAME EVER MADE ON ANY DEVICE…!  Not gonna lie, I might have peed a little bit…

Nonetheless, remember not to expect that any time soon, even less when the PS4 comes out.  Dave stated the cloud project has been “green lighted,” but I am certain this “cloud” is far from being completed – it was more of a strategy to keep PS fan interested and attract new fans to Sony products.  …And they’ll probably round up a couple of thousands individuals who have the attention span of Dory from Finding Nemo and missed the aforementioned fact about the cloud-tech not being available for quite some time.

Also during Dave’s presentation, another new feature was introduced: the Share button.  The “Share” button located on the (ugly) controller will give the player the ability to record “one of a kind” moments and able to share the videos with anyone who has access to the PS4 network.  Though it sounds pretty impressive, I fail to see the efficiency of it – especially is you’re trying to capture exactly that: a “one of a kind” moment.  How the hell are you going to know when to start recording to capture an epic moment if you don’t know when it’s going to happen?  Unless the system is recording your whole gaming walkthrough with some kind of RAM-esque technology, I don’t see how the Share button will be as entertaining as it was portrayed.  But that’s only my speculations with the vague information given about how does the Share button actually works.

So what is the PS4 aiming for?  We can safely assume one of its major goals is to give each and every person who gets to own the console the chance personalized the system to that person’s liking.  A system that tracks and recognizes you’re preferences to the point you’ll be entertained even by advertisements. Basically, a  COMPLETE holistic approach to personify entertainment that, not gonna lie, seems to be a great add-on.  It’s all about connectivity and pushing social connections with family, friends, and people around the world.

 

PlayStation 4: “The most powerful console”

It took forever to write this entry, but I finally feel I have all around information.  WELCOME to Lou-Cyo’s review of the PlayStation 4!  Excited?  Well, you should be.  Boy, I have a lot of surprises for you!

It’s been a little over a month since the announcement for the PS4 was introduced to the public eye and streamed live all over the world.  I was at the edge of my bed and…  BAM!  It started.  An introductory video of what it could be described as a holistic image of the evolution of the PlayStation world – like strolling through PS Memory Lane with the future of gaming waiting for you at the end of your journey.

As a Gamer, I appreciated that introduction.  However, I am also going to admit that I was expecting more PS4 material than anything else.  Not discrediting old games by any means and not saying the video wasn’t fucking awesome, but this was the launch of a NEW console.  Hence, I was expecting to see significant amounts of what the PS4 has to offer – especially after the hype Sony created among Gamers around the globe.  No doubt that after the announcement we were left with much to discuss, but at times I believe the announcement strayed away from focusing on the PS4.

Andrew House (current President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment) took the stage and let us have it.  He bestowed upon the viewers a plethora of unique options and technology Sony has planned for the next-gen console.  Again, all fine and dandy with this “view of the future,” but he strayed from what I and let’s say a couple of millions of other people were tuning in for: the PlayStation 4 and what it has to offer, not Sony as a company.  You know how you’re watching your favorite series and you get those annoying “filler” episodes?  That’s how it felt every so often during the announcement…  Moving on.

Woot!  Famous game designer, programmer, and producer, Mark Cerny was on spotlight.  I was excited to see him and even more to listen to him speak – Mark Cerny is behind SUCCESSFUL games like Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet and Clank, and God of War III.  WHY wouldn’t I (or anyone else for that matter) NOT listen to him?!  Mark covered the console architecture aspect of the PS4 and, HOLY SHIT, he did a damn amazing job.  So let’s start!

“A single device was now expected to provide a range of services and applications.”  You are right about that, Mark.  Too bad PS4 is not quite doing that.  The rumors (sadly) were true: PS4 won’t be having backwards compatibility.  So unless you hoard previous consoles, you won’t be able to play classic and beloved games.  And let’s be honest, very few look forward over having to wire an older console to play Crash Bandicoot for a few hours and then having to rewire the PS4 for a game night with friends.  It’s far from practical.  I was hoping the PS4 would have corrected this issue, but it fell through the cracks.  Some may think “He’s so nit-picky ” and you may be right.  But if you’re a true Gamer, you understand the elation when being able to play one of your favorite classics.  You won’t be able to do that with the PS4.  And I believe it also restricts new Gamers from playing masterpieces like Chrono Cross – it ain’t right.  Quoted to be “the most powerful console” and it can’t play old games?  What the fuck is that?  I can’t…  On the other hand, the PS4 has such an array of exceptional features that I have to admit may compensate for this slip.

Mark explained Sony took on the task of gathering extensive feedback from diverse groups of people and incorporated it as a fundamental point when developing the PS4.  As more and more presenters took the stage and presented features of the PS4, it’s noticeable that the PS4 speaks to a vast number of diverse groups – Sony staff did their homework and it was done right.  Those sales are going to be astronomical.  It has not been two months and IGN has reported 900,000 GameStop customers have signed up to receive whatever information is released about the PS4.  So almost a million people just requesting information about the PS4?  That’s impressive.  Now on to some pretty nifty features the PS4 has to offer.

PS4 is tackling the lag and loading time which I think it’s a godsend to us Gamers.  I don’t think anyone in their right mind enjoys that loading screen where you can’t do anything.  It’s annoying.  Period.  But apparently that’s going to be a thing of the past.  In fact, the processing speed will be so fast that with the PS4 you’ll to be able to start downloading a game and play the downloaded parts while the same game finishes downloading.  How fucking cool is that!  SIGN ME UP!

Mark also presented the social aspect which characterizes the PS4.  First, you set up a complete profile where people can see your profile picture, trophies earned, recent activity, etc. – kinda facebook stalk-ish, but whatever.  The aesthetics are easy to the eyes and appear to be simple to navigate.  In addition, the PS4 will actually let you watch people play LIVE.  My immediate thought: “Oh! It’s like gamefaqs, but animated!” Getting to see someone demonstrate LIVE how to play a certain level or watch how to find a hidden weapon sounds way more efficient (and cooler) than reading rather confusing paragraphs explaining 2 seconds of game play.

As in for the PS4’s hardware, we have nothing.  Nada.  Only the controller was displayed during the announcement…  Which I continue to be upset about and I will not rant about it here because it’s basically what I wrote on my PS4…  Say it ain’t so! entry.

Well, that’s it now.  I’ll be posting my take on the PS4’s features in separate posts so it doesn’t become a daunting read in the next couple of days.  And that way I will keep you excited for future posts, ha!  See you around!

 

Who’s that Pokémon?! It’s… … Sylveon…?

(Shrieks like a little schoolboy.)

AAAAAHHHHHH!  There’s a new Eeveelution in the world of Pokémon!  It’s name: SYLVEON!

The upcoming Pokémon X & Y has confirmed Eeevee will be having its 8th (optional) evolution.  There’s basically nothing revealed about this new addition to the Eevee team.  The only data available to us is a bunch of pictures, a few stats, and a video trailer.  No move list, TM/HM list, or even if it has a gender.  Sylveon’s type has not been revealed either.  So being the Eeveelution fan that I am, I tried to guess which type Sylveon will embody.

In the nice, little chart above are all existing Pokémon types – let’s start!  I’m certain Sylveon won’t be any of the types Eevee evolves into so far.  With that, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic, Ice, and Dark are off the list. I’m taking out Rock, Ground, and Steel because this new Pokémon is…  Well…  Too damn cute. And the colors don’t match the aforementioned 3 types – one thing that characterizes Eevee’s evolutions is the color-element matching schema.

Seven types left: Normal, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Bug, Dragon, and Ghost.  I’m going to go ahead and eliminate Bug, Ghost, and Dragon simply judging by aesthetics.  I believe Sylveon lacks characteristics that makes it look either like a creepy crawler, a poltergeist, or a mystical reptile-like creature.  I thought Fighting type Eeveelution would be pretty cool, but Sylveon looks too delicate.  As for it being a Flying type, I hope not.  I want a celestial looking white dog with kickass wings – like Pegasus.  Period.

It is my guess Sylveon will be a Poison type or a Normal type.  Its body looks elegant enough to fit both types as well as its color layout.  Personally, I would LOVE for Sylveon to be a Poison type.  Poison types hold a special place in my heart because many of them epitomize mystery and manipulation – appealing facets.  However, I wouldn’t mind Sylveon being a Normal type.  I believe Eevee has gone through enough generations for it to have an evolution that doesn’t require a stone or the time of day.  Let Eevee have its chance to enjoy a level based transformation for goodness sake!

In the end, whatever the Sylveons of the world are destined to be, I am going to love it.  I’ve been a fan of this game since it started back in the late 1990s and the array of Eeeveelutions always fascinated me.  I cannot wait for Pokémon X & Y to come out and be able to try the new plethora of monsters roaming the lands – especially Sylveon.

What am I?

 

PS4… Say it ain’t so!

I’m pretty sure you’ve heard the saying, “Don’t fix it if it’s not broken.”  And if you haven’t, it’s pretty much literal: don’t fucking touch things that are perfect.  Well, guess who might join Nintendo in the “making innovative changes but they’re really craptastic” team?  None other than PlayStation!

As I was browsing the interwebs on my way home, I stumbled upon several articles with headlines “PS4 Controller Images LEAKED!”  I obviously clicked the first article like a maniac like any Gamer would.  And what do I find?  This…

First off, the controller looks incomplete.  It lost it’s smooth, elegant, and sleek look.  PS4’s looks all bumpy and rubbery – much like a cheap toy you can find at K-Mart.  To that, let’s add that it appears like you need giant hands to take a hold of that thing.  The joysticks now will apparently have a weird circle indentation which makes it look cheap. There’s also a big random blue light on top of the controller that seems to serve no purpose but to send signals to extraterrestrial lifeforms living in another planet. And what the fuck with the touchscreen panel in the middle?  For real.  Why was that necessary?

I am hoping these leaked images are of prototype models. Let’s just say new ideas do not always equal innovative developments.

 

Battle of the All-Stars!

I (finally) decided to get PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and THoANK YOU, Universe for this!  I don’t even know where to start!  The intro: fucking phenomenal.  The neon outlined characters’ silhouettes against the deep blue and black background dance beautifully on the television screen.  And the song…   HOLY SHIT.  It gets you SUPER pumped up and you haven’t even started to play the game yet.  Since many get sensitive over spoilers, I’ll leave it up to you to YouTube the intro.  However, if you want to listen to the song, here’s Finale by Madeon. Although there is no doubt this game to be incredibly entertaining and awesome, there are also “not-so-great” things. I’ll go into details as I write along.

ASBR’s gameplay is not complicated; VERY familiar to those who have played Super Smash Bros. On Solo Play, each character have their story line – which are ultimately the same: character finds a reason to fight; he/she/it fights a couple of battles and undergoes some challenges; before you know it you’re fighting your rival; and lastly the Boss battle. I have to point out that some rival match-ups are so beyond bizarre that you will find yourself trying not to choke because of the laughter (hint: Fat Princess’s story-line  ‘Nough said). ASBR also has a Versus Match, which is obviously what let’s you play with our friends and see who takes home the glory. You have the option of playing by yourself and AIs, but that’s just boring. And then you have Tournament – which I believe it’s self explanatory. And you have your extras like Practice Mode, but no one really care about those and my goal is to keep you entertained. Now on to the characters…

Whoah, what a character list (which will expand due to downloadable content)! The starter characters range from utterly hilarious to completely uptight personas making the game unique to say the least. HOWEVER, I have to point out ASBR could have done better for the starter cast. ASBR states that you’ll be playing with “iconic” characters. Now, what is exactly the definition of the word icon. Icon means, “a representative symbol of something.” So with that, and taking into consideration the game’s title, I am expecting classic characters. Characters that have put PlayStation’s name on the map. I believe ASBR failed to do that. Some of the characters are not even 5 years old and they made it to an All-Stars category? No. That is not acceptable. For example, Fat Princess (even though she’s one of my favorites) shouldn’t be there. A character like Crash Bandicoot seems more appropriate to fit such title. Also, the game has DmC’s Dante instead of the original white-haired version. Not that I am hating, but the ICONIC image of Dante is a demon hunter with white hair – not black. I am sure that many hardcore PlayStation fans will agree with me. ASBR may be able to fix this. How exactly? As mentioned above, the game plans to introduce DLC characters; hopefully, developers will actually gives us players more icons, less random bullshit.

Characters have around a move set of 20 and 3 special moves divided by levels 1, 2, and 3. The more you hit the other players, the more your special move meter fills up. The higher the level, the more powerful the special move. I encourage you to try all 3 levels of the special moves of characters you like. Why? Because honestly, some characters’ level 2 moves are better than the level 3 ones. When you play the game, you’ll see what I mean. Knowing which special move is the easiest for you to use is key. In this game you have no health meters nor you knock out people out of the stage like in SSB. When playing ASBR you need to rank up your special move meter and use your special moves on the other players. That’s the only way you will rank up your killing points – the only way to win.

ASBR is full of promise and I can’t wait to keep playing it for endless hours. If you haven’t played it, PLEASE find a way to do so and do yourself a favor. See you around!

 

Enter password: O U Y A

There’s a war coming…  And I anticipate bloodshed!  If you haven’t been filled in, there’s a new wave of game consoles that (apparently)  promise to shake the pillars where the classic Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft gods stand.  And one of these newcomers goes by the name OUYA.

OUYA is an Android-based console in which you’ll be able to play Android-based games on your T.V.  I know, nothing that exciting (or at least it wasn’t for me).  HOWEVER, it does not stop there.  Apart from the Android app games, OUYA will be able to play PC-like games through OnLive streaming service .  Not only the console will have a nice selection regarding PC gaming, but OUYA has also partnered with titan companies like Namco Bandai and Square Enix.  And many of you will find this exciting: Final Fantasy III will be one of the games available for the OUYA – which indeed got me fucking excited.  If the previous reasons haven’t sparked up at least your curiosity, how about if I told you this console is only $99.00?  Yes, you read correctly.  That itself makes the console, in my opinion, appealing enough.  Especially when you compare it to the “normative” $300+ for videogame consoles on the market.  You still will have to spend a rumored $49.99 for the controller, but the combined prices of console-controller is still minuscule in my book.

OUYA hits retailers during the summer time and I cannot say I’m not excited.  Though there are various issues that cross my mind.  One of the main concerns is the intense highlighting of OUYA’s ability to use Android apps.  It makes it seem like OUYA’s only good quality is the ability to plug the apps in your Android mobile device onto the television screen.  I’m going to make a huge guess here and say that the general public does not research as much as I do when it comes to these types of things.  With that, I don’t see many people wanting to pay roughly $200 if their understanding is they’re just going to be able to play WWF (the extremely addicting Words With Friends) and some bootleg version of Bejewled on their television screens.  Yes, OUYA argues that the Android market and mobile gaming app usage has increased dramatically in these times.  Which is true.  BUT I believe most people play these “app games” on mobiles, tablets, and such mobile technology because they can take the games with them anywhere – not having to wait until they get home to play.

What do you think?  Will this new movement prove to be the next generation in gaming?  Or will the classic console trio prevail?

P.S. – Here’s a nice little video about OUYA.  See you around!

 

“ZOMG! DANTE IS DARK HAIRED NOW! I’M DONE”

The following post is my take on this article regarding Capcom’s new Devil May Cry game: DmC.

As a gamer, personally, changing a character’s appearance does affect me. One of the first things people encounter when buying or researching a videogame is the game’s aesthetics. I believe esthetics play a huge role in the gaming world – especially when one falls in love with a character for whatever reason and even more so if one identifies with him/her/it. I wouldn’t be to happy if you take my Mario Brothers and change their outfits into a t-shirt and jeans getup. However, after reading numerous articles about the game, I can conclude two things: 1) DMC fans are trippin’ over nothing; and 2) developers need to understand the importance of informing fans about changes.

Yes, this new game has “Dante” from the series we all loved – but to an extent. DmC is not only a reboot, but also it takes place in a parallel universe. So, with that said, for all intents and purposes, this new Dante is just that: new. Yes, there’s not that much of a “parallelism” atmosphere going on since this new Dante is still all mighty with his demonic powers and whatnot as old Dante. But in the end, it is still an alternate world. And if in this unique world Dante has dark hair now, HEY! Better than having to play as a normal human (we get enough of that in real life). So to those fans who are not buying the game because “OMG! DANTE HAS NOW DARK HAIR,” please do yourself a favor and buy it. Give your classic, white-haired Dante a break because he hasn’t changed – you just have his alternate universe persona to enjoy now. And for the developers, let this be yet another example of how EXTREMELY important it is to keep fans informed. It was a huge mistake not mentioning DmC takes place in the realm of metaphysics while in promotion. When Gamers get attached to characters, every aspect of those virtual personalities is appreciated. That includes, you guessed it – the character’s appearance.