It’s no secret that a huge amount of gamers love obtaining achievements and trophies. Since their introduction during the last console generation, entire communities and websites have appeared, devoted to helping achievement hunters hear that satisfying ping noise on their TV screen. For a long time, I belonged to this group of people. Continue reading Do You Still Care About Achievements/Trophies?
Tag Archives: PS3
A Look At Shadow of Mordor’s Unique Nemesis System
Images and video captured by GamerCrash
Shadow of Mordor always has a lot of ambition in what it was trying to do. A brand new story line that doesn’t tie into the Lord of the Rings movies in anyway, you play Talion, a former Gondor Ranger, who is seeking revenge on an entity known as The Black Hand of Sauron who led an attack on the Black Gate killing his family and also (in an interesting twist) Talion himself. Paired up with a mysterious Wraith, the two of you set out to undermine the forces of Mordor until The Black Hand can be located. What makes Shadow of Mordor standout is a a couple new features to help make the open world feel alive. Continue reading A Look At Shadow of Mordor’s Unique Nemesis System
My Favorite (Major) Releases Of 2013
Even though 2014 is upon us, why not take a step back from and have one final look back at 2013. This year is going to get pretty busy with new releases soon enough, so the time is right.
2013 was an interesting year from a reporting standpoint as it marked a transition between the current generation of consoles into the “next gen” world of Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Even though we’re now heading into new and exciting “next-gen” territory, there were a number of very strong and fantastic AAA experiences given last year and I’d like to highlight some of my favorites from the year that was. Continue reading My Favorite (Major) Releases Of 2013
The Potential Future of Playstation’s Past
Ever since Sony acquired Gaikai from David Perry back in June of 2012, there has been speculation as to what the consumer electronics giant will do with the streaming service. First thought to be a sort of upgrade to the Playstation 3, then assumed to be a cloud media server for the PS4, Sony’s president has come forth in a recent interview with more details on future plans. Shuhei Yoshida spoke of an, “ultimate goal to bring Playstation games to all devices,” and “going from hardware to something closer to a service, regardless of the device.” He goes on to say that the PS4 would remain the center of their focus, even when considering other hardware avenues.
Sony is certainly not the first company to make a go at streaming games or a cloud-based service. Companies like OnLive and GameTap have been in the business for years. But these comments from Sony’s president could have huge implications for the future of gaming. Just imagine if Sony moves outside of their proprietary consoles and becomes a video game company based mostly on a streaming service. With a robust catalog of titles to pull from, Sony could create a sort of Netflix for video games: a flat monthly fee to play hundreds of classics from the Playstation 1, 2, and 3.
There are plenty of hurdles in such a move. As Microsoft found out earlier this year with the “always online” debacle, not every consumer has access to a hearty internet connection. On top of the headache that is server maintenance and running a smooth streaming service, most of the games that mark Sony’s rise to fame are third-party titles, so negotiations and licenses must be taken into consideration. But if all of these challenges could be met, Sony would make quite an impact on the gaming market, and potentially earn piles of money in the process. The bottom line to consider: just how many players would be interested in such a service and how much are they willing to pay?
Just speaking for the GIMMGP Headquarters, I know of at least two players would pay a good amount to stream dozens of Playstation games.
Going to the Backlog
Even though I don’t have tons of time to game, I like to keep at least two games in regular rotation at all times. That way, when I have only an hour to play, I don’t spend thirty minutes of it deciding on the game. I also prefer to only play one game per system to prevent overuse/overheating. Right now the 360 is on lockdown with Dragon Age 2, which means that the other game I choose has to be on another system. Since I don’t feel like spending money on games right now (despite all the goodness of offer, I know, I know), I guess it’s time to head to the backlog…
Oh, the backlog. That notorious shelf (or shelves or rooms or data storage devices) containing a selection of games that one intends to play. These games were purchased new or on sale, stolen borrowed from friends, retrieved from yard sales, or rescued for other terrible fates. We hold onto these games because we want to play them but just don’t have the appropriate time. We’re too busy with life and/or the latest games. Or we’ve moved onto other systems entirely. Or we’re collectors. However you want to look at it, most gamers have backlogs of various sizes. I know mine is pretty small compared to some, and it consists of games I’ve never played or started but never finished:
When You Know It’s Right
I’ve been playing Dragon Age II (very slowly) for a couple weeks now and I think, finally, we’ve clicked. How do I know? Because the gameplay and my characters from the game pop into my thoughts when I’m not playing. And when that happens, distracting as it may be, I starting thinking about where I’m going to go and what I’m going to do next in the game.
And then I start thinking about just playing the game – being in my house, controller in hand, calm and comfortable, ready to explore the unknown. [happy sigh]
How do you know when you’ve hit your stride with a game? Is it love at first play or does it take awhile to build up a relationship?
