PlayStation

[Crimson King]

Bought myself a PS3/MGS4 :D. Bought Uncharted, God of War and MGS:Essentials so far and am currently going through MGS2 as it dawned upon me that I'd miss out on a lot if I didn't go through the first 3 iterations before playing the fourth. I can say I'm far from disappointed so far with my purchase. I'm thinking of picking up Warhawk or something later on, does anybody here play regularly on PSN?

I play pretty often. Look me up.

Pre-orders have turned the gaming retail industry into a dirty wh*re. Employees are required to get a certain number of pre-orders in a certain length of time. Apart from giving the store an idea of how many of a certain item they will need, pre-orders are a way for the industry to sneakily make money, because there are many people who don't follow up and purchase the game afterwards, like forgetful relatives who are buying the game as a gift for someone. The store basically gets a free $5 whenever someone doesn't follow up on a pre-order.

The fact that the gaming retail industry is aware of this free money they're getting, and that they are aggressively pressuring employees and customers to get pre-orders says something.

That is probably the dumbest argument I have ever heard. If you don't like pre-orders, don't pre-order. There has yet to be a single store that has not called me in advanced to tell me to pick-up my pre-order as soon as possible. Also, game stores, like movie theaters, do not make much money. Ebgames/Gamestop only makes money off of pre-owned games. That is why they push those so hard because they don't see much profit off new titles. That "free $5" won't pay the bills, but selling someone a $40 copy of a $50 - 60 dollar game, will.

 

[EC_Joey]

That is probably the dumbest argument I have ever heard. If you don't like pre-orders, don't pre-order. There has yet to be a single store that has not called me in advanced to tell me to pick-up my pre-order as soon as possible. Also, game stores, like movie theaters, do not make much money. Ebgames/Gamestop only makes money off of pre-owned games. That is why they push those so hard because they don't see much profit off new titles. That "free $5" won't pay the bills, but selling someone a $40 copy of a $50 - 60 dollar game, will.

I went and found the article I had in mind when I wrote about pre-orders, but apparently it was taken down... I did find a bunch of sites linking to it, but no luck finding another site with the exact article on it. Kotaku actually has two instances where they linked this article: here and here.

From what I remember reading, there was a surprising number of instances in which people placed a pre-order and never returned. The stores never call the people again if they don't pick up the pre-order, and just keep the $5. You're right in that the stores don't make much money, but that measly $5 is still pure profit (when the pre-order isn't picked up), and they don't have to sell merchandise to get it. Eventually that pre-ordered game that wasn't picked up is sold for the regular profit to add onto that $5.

The main reason for pushing pre-orders is for the store to let corporate know how many they will probably need for launch day, and to get a better idea of how much money they can make from sales of a certain new game. The dark side is that the company makes some free money on the side, and thinks nothing of pocketing that $5 when stores could simply call the people that forgot to pick up their pre-order and give them their money back. I'm sure company policy forbids this in some way.

I'm not saying I completely detest pre-orders. I will pre-order games that I absolutely must have, but I'm simply against how some people pre-order every single game they plan to get a year in advance. For the company, it's guaranteed profit whether or not the person purchases the game. If they pick up the pre-order, they make money. If they don't pick it up, they still make money.

 

[derek.haines]

Pre-orders have turned the gaming retail industry into a dirty wh*re. Employees are required to get a certain number of pre-orders in a certain length of time. Apart from giving the store an idea of how many of a certain item they will need, pre-orders are a way for the industry to sneakily make money, because there are many people who don't follow up and purchase the game afterwards, like forgetful relatives who are buying the game as a gift for someone. The store basically gets a free $5 whenever someone doesn't follow up on a pre-order.

The fact that the gaming retail industry is aware of this free money they're getting, and that they are aggressively pressuring employees and customers to get pre-orders says something.

Maybe that's Gamestop's policy, but I personally do all of my preordering at Game Crazy, and I've had nothing but good experiences with it. They didn't subtract the $5 preorder I made for Tales of Symphonia, and that $5 was still sitting there more than 2 1/2 years later. I walk up to the counter to buy a game, and the guy randomly asks me "So, are you here to pick up Tales of Symphonia?" Ummm...No? I sort of did that 2 or so years ago. "Oh. Well, we'll just put that $5 towards this purchase then."

Actually, that transaction went so well that he actually ended up giving me $2 cash because I had other money on my account. I'll never preorder anything at Gamestop (I try to avoid shopping there whenever possible in general, but ****ed if they aren't everywhere).

 

[Crimson King]

Also, with Gamestop/Eb they put the money on your account name. That money doesn't ever go to them unless you tell them to get rid of it. I know when I pre-ordered Assassin's Creed the day I got my PS3, then went back 3 months later, they could only move the money to another pre-order.

I have never had even remotely a bad experience with pre-orders. If people are dumb enough to forget a game they put $5 on, tough break.

 

[derek.haines]

Speaking of preorders, what is it exactly that you get for preordering LittleBigPlanet? I've heard from different sources that there's a guidebook of sorts in addition to the Kratos/ect costumes.

 

[EC_Joey]

It's a digital miniguide to level creation. Also, you get a stickerbook, a LittleBigPlanet burlap pouch, and the costumes.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/08/05/littlebigplanet-pre-order-goodness/

 

[derek.haines]

Very nice. Thank you.

I'd call that worth a preorder, particularly when the money I put down goes towards the game anyway. Huzzah for free stuff.

 

[EC_Joey]

Yeah I probably will get around to preordering it too, I just won't make a habit of it. LBP is one of those games that is completely worth it.

 

[Crimson King]

The Guide Book will be so worth it, and the costumes look AWESOME.

 

[bored]

I love the Kratos costume.

Anyhow, I'm about 50% in with Uncharted trophies, right now I'm trying to obtain the Steel Fist Expert trophy, it's so annoying.

 

[EC_Joey]

About the LBP pre-order, I just got an email from the Sony Little Big Planet Blog:

"Last week on the PlayStation Blog, we announced the whole gambit of pre-order items planned with our North American retailers. Today, we'd like to announce more details on two of the items and the retailers supporting them. (Just to clarify - you don't get all 5 items if you pre-order, just one so choose wisely )

The official "LittleBigPlanet Creator" miniguide @ Amazon.com

The guys at Brady Games have been getting their hands on the game for quite a while (they're working on the upcoming strategy guide - more details on this later). They're working with the folks at Amazon.com to offer a digital miniguide as pre-order incentive. The miniguide will act as a primer to our CREATORS out there looking for more hints and tips to master the 'tools of the trade'. - Click here to hit the Amazon's LBP page.

Exclusive in-game Kratos SackBoy downloadable costume @ GameStop

OK, there were lots of questions on the PS Blog about this one, so I wanted to breakdown the above to clarify a few specifics. "Exclusive" = this is the only place in North America where you can get this exclusive costume. Currently there are no near future plans to distribute on the PS Store… "In-Game" = this is not a physical object - but the render looked so good, it sold me on that idea too. "Kratos SackBoy" = Nuff' said. "Downloadable" = Once you pre-order at GameStop, they'll give you a voucher w/ a promotional code which you can redeem on the PlayStation Store for your free download at LBP launch. Obviously you'll need a copy of LBP to access the content, but I think you guys get all that. And finally, "Costume" = the Kratos SackBoy costume actually consists of four different items (signature Kratos skin, goatee, Blades of Athena (on back), and Kratos garments. So, once obtained you can interchange these items with your normal costume inventory at anytime.

Both the retailers mentioned above start their pre-order campaigns today so if you like what you see, check out either Amazon or GameStop and pre-order now. If you’re still on hold for the other items, stay tuned for more info on the Exclusive LittleBigPouch, LittleBigStickerBook and Nariko SackGirl soon."


It looks like you can only choose one out of five, and you have to pre-order through a specific retailer in order to get what you want.

 

[Crimson King]

Kratos for me.

I can't remember if I got the fists of steel or not. I got one that I thought was so hard, totally by accident.

 

[bored]

Well, I just have one more bronze to go, and then all I have left is the game completion trophies, and lastly, my platinum trophy.

Anyone been thinking of any good LBP level designs? I came up with some sort of downhill race with a giant boulder that you would have to eventually out-run. The object of course isn't necessarily to be the first at the finish, but to be the last man sackboy standing.

 

[EC_Joey]

I'm going to play all the levels that come with the game first, to get some good ideas for level design.

 

[Crimson King]

Rumors are rampant that November's Qore will have an invite to Home!

Score... just score!

 

[Crimson King]

Rumors are rampant that November's Qore will have an invite to Home!

Score... just score!

 

[Crimson King]

Just got in the Home Beta.

 

[Red Exodus]

Shame on you. Give yourself an infraction for triple posting. On the double.

 

[Reaver197]

Ah, people who own PS3s! Add me if anyone wants to play online sometime. PSN ID is my name.

The beta for home is interesting. I'm not so sure on the whole you have download and install data in order to visit certain areas.

 

[bored]

How do you get into the Home beta? I hope it doesn't have anything to do with Qore.

 

[Reaver197]

I got into by applying for it on some beta sign-up thing Sony did months ago. I had completely forgotten about it until they sent me an e-mail saying that I had gotten in.

 

[notftomearth7]

disregard this post please.

 

[Crimson King]

If you have a Qore annual subscription, you get a beta invite. There were other ways too though. Regardless, we have about a month before everyone gets added anyway.

I love the whole thing. The loading is necessary for the rooms and everything. I played chess with some guy today and bought a summer home. Pretty awesome.

 

[Reaver197]

Yeah, I mean, I don't have that big of an issue with the downloading the information for the spaces in Home and stuff, aside with the possibility of running low on memory, but it's just at my university, they like to screw p2p connections and various other things with downloading, so it takes forever for me to download stuff for the consoles and stuff.

Didn't know you could play chess though. That's pretty awesome.

 

[Mr_X]

"Huge Sony Info Blowout"

**RUMOR**​

D+Padmagazine.com is reporting that at Sony Computer Entertainment Staff Annual Briefing held yesterday in London, an anonymous source has revealed some pretty interesting things. SCEE has given the following statement concerning the potential leaks:

“Information discussed within the confines of internal company meetings is confidential and subject to change. We do not have anything to announce at present and we do not comment on rumour and speculation.”

Anywho, on to the good stuff:

Price cuts coming in March, PS3 performing better in PAL territories than 360

Our source tells us that SCEE President David Reeves took to the stage to discuss the current economic climate and how it shouldn’t affect PlayStation business, though was quick to mention that SCEE will be getting more competitive in price from March 2009 onwards. Our guess is that we’ll be seeing price cuts to PS3 around Easter to tie in with the release of Killzone 2…

Reeves then went on to say that the PS3 has a bigger install base than the 360 in PAL territories, and that the install base gap will significantly increase in 2009. Apparently SCEE is the success story of the SCE divisions, generating more profit than SCEA and SCEJ. 2008 sees it ‘in the black’ in profit our source revealed. Apparently there are more technological innovations to come for both PS3 and PSP, but details weren’t disclosed.

Growth of PSN

PSN will be getting much more investment in the future, and having generated £150m in 2008, it’s considered a huge success for Sony. Sony Studio titles will also begin their life with a Blu-ray release and the franchises will be expanded with online content.

LittleBigPlanet & MotorStorm coming to PSP

Our source also confirmed that LittleBigPlanet PSP is definitely in development and that Media Molecule have been working on it for four months. Footage was shown to attendees, though Alex Evans allegedly wasn’t prepared to show it himself because it was such an early build. “It looked good, obviously not PS3 good, but missing the level of detail that you get in a final release” says Legends.

MotorStorm PSP is on the way and ‘target footage’ was shown. No more details on that one.

Uncharted 2, Killzone 2 & God of War 3 info

A 30 second clip of in-game footage of Uncharted 2 was shown displaying Drake being shot at, followed by an explosion. No full title or location was revealed though our source tells us that he did spot a wall with a line of 4 or 5 Aztec masks. Don’t expect a huge graphical leap though - “Looks the same as Uncharted 1, no bad thing”, says our source.

The intro to Killzone 2 was also shown off which “showed the character from the original trailer and a Helghan leader”. “Paints a picture of the world a bit more,” says Legends.

Finally our source revealed that God of War 3 was “masterfully shown at the end”, and that it looked so good our source wasn’t clear whether it was CGI or not!

The trailer showed Kratos wielding his swords and fighting off hoards of skeletons and Cyclops’s, before catching a ride on an eagle, and killing it when he got dropped off. The final scene showed Kratos looking up to a long dark, deep cavern, presumed to be Mount Olympus.

“Some of it looked like it could be in-game action because of the camera angles, but it all looked so good that it couldn’t be. CGI or not, everyone was pumped up by this. The anticipation is growing. God of War 3 could be amazing.”

 

[Crimson King]

Sony did one thing smart that the others didn't: make money. Nintendo sold 2 million Wiis this past November, and Sony total sold 1 million units (Ps3, Ps2, and PSP). Since using cheaper stuff in the PS3, Sony has decreased how much they lost off of the PS3. The PSP I think is a money maker for them, but the 8 + PS2 definitely makes them a profit. While 360 cut $100 off what they were getting for the unit, making them actually earn less per unit, Sony stayed the same. So, while they may not have sold more units, they may have made more money. A price drop after Christmas is odd, but we'll see what happens.

I am pretty pumped about God of War 3, but Motorstorm and LBP were WAY hinted at being on the PSP. I'll merge this with the PS3 topic.

 

[Blackadder]

Late post on the subject, but is LBP worth buying? I was thinking of picking it up this weekend.

Despite it being such a critical darling right now, I've seen an amazing amount of highly negative reviews. I've assumed these are all Xbox fanbois who've never played the game or people with the logic of 'its a kidz game therefore BAD!!!11!' but they have me a little worried.

It IS awesome and worth buying 6 times over, yeah?

 

[Crimson King]

I've beaten the story, got a ton of trophies, and I still play it. There is SO much to do in the actual game.

 

[Blackadder]

Trophies!

Funny how that word somehow sweets the deal so much. And looking at more videos, I just want this game more. Sunday can't come fast enough.

 

[Crimson King]

The trophies are fun to get too. I think I have about 6 or 7 left, but they are the harder ones to get...

 

[Blackadder]

I'm loving the levels on Youtube. That's a **** good level editor. I've seen penguins and goombahs and Metal Gears and... 911 recreations!

Impressive stuff. I haven't seen the level creation in action itself yet, just results. But the results are mind boggling.

 

[OmegaXXII]

G-G- God of War 3 will be on PS3? how awesome could that possibly get, I've yet to even get a PS3 but I sure would do so solely for this game, as well as...

Metal Gear Solid 4
Kingdom Hearts 3 (whenever it comes out)
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (i'm kind of considering getting it on 360)
Mirrors Edge (I'm hyped for this)

As for Little Big Planet, I hear it's good but it seems weird, I mean, is it actually good?, I've never gotten into it due to the fact that it looks well how should I say this.... dumb.

 

[Crimson King]

Look up the videos. It's looking good already (God of War 3).

LittleBigPlanet is one of the most fun games I have ever played. It's hard not to smile while playing it.

Mirror's Edge was bleh.

 

[Blackadder]

As for Little Big Planet, I hear it's good but it seems weird, I mean, is it actually good?, I've never gotten into it due to the fact that it looks well how should I say this.... dumb.

And the Smash Series ISN'T? I really think I need a 7+ game in my PS3 collection. So far I've only got things ranging from M to MA to R.

Some cute stuff is good for your health. imsopumpedaboutthisgamenow ._.

 

[OmegaXXII]

Here are some God of War 3 videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWEE8LH38yg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg0dxpBp85A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_JwPl3q-FE&feature=related

One word, Epic! I am so getting but now I don't know whether to get it on PS3 or XBox 360.

And the Smash Series ISN'T? I really think I need a 7+ game in my PS3 collection. So far I've only got things ranging from M to MA to R.

Some cute stuff is good for your health. imsopumpedaboutthisgamenow ._.

Hmm... well you do have a point there, but Smash is a reknown series unlike LBP, but I still would like to give it a try considering CK likes it and y'know how he when it comes to criticizing a game.

 

[Crimson King]

Here are some God of War 3 videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWEE8LH38yg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg0dxpBp85A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_JwPl3q-FE&feature=related

One word, Epic! I am so getting but now I don't know whether to get it on PS3 or XBox 360.



Hmm... well you do have a point there, but Smash is a reknown series unlike LBP, but I still would like to give it a try considering CK likes it and y'know how he when it comes to criticizing a game.

God of War 3, and it's sequels, is owned and produced by Sony.

 

[fsdfsdgsgdf]

God of War 3, and it's prequels, is owned and produced by Sony.

fix'd


10char

 

[Crimson King]

http://kotaku.com/5117213/home-already-rakin-in-the-dough - Proof that Sony did a smart thing with Home.

It never dawned on me that Sony basically gets paid to run the game as it was with advertisements, so when you added in people across the world buying **** constantly, you have a chance to actually make a lot of money. Good for Sony with this idea.

 

[Chill]

@CK, Nintendo definately made some money considering how cheap the Wii is to make.

@ Mr-X, rumors, they seem true enough. It was just confirmed that SCEE would not be seeing any lay-offs so Europe must be a good place for Sony. The PSN has had a lot of good content recently so I'm not suprised they are going to support it even furthur.

@CK again, good to see Sony's making some money. I'd hate to see them exit the console business as I like their attitude toward software development. If Nintendo's prices paired up with Sony's hardware and games it would be the perfect console.

 

[SkylerOcon]

Alright, so I got a PS3 for Christmas. I got LittleBigPlanet and Uncharted with it, but I went ahead and bought Mirrors Edge, Ratchet and Clank, and Warhammer Warhawk. So far, I'm liking all of them. This makes me really regret buying a Wii.

Besides the obvious (Prince of Persia, Metal Gear, Resistance), what other games should I pick up? I like pretty much any genre of games except for sports. Any suggestions?