IMO: a few hours with OnLive

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an OnLive unit while at the Eurogamer Expo last month and people have been asking me what OnLive is like since then. While the above 20 minute video sums up the package quite nicely I know a few of you would rather me go into finer detail.

First off, the video at the top was captured by me. it doesn't edit any footage, so you'll see my stupidity at the start where I cant open a door, and any lag, "artifacting" or slow down is due entirely to the OnLive service.

I'm not trying to rub it in your face when I tell you I have a 30mb connection at home although I would be lying if I said I wasn't slightly smug about it, but it's important to know that I have one of the best internet connections in the UK as of right now (I know next year BT is planning to put down some rather impressive services which will make my 30mb look like 56k dial-up) and even with that super fast optic awesomeness I still couldn't get a consistently good quality connection to OnLive.

Over the past week I've spent a few hours on various titles over OnLive, testing its response time, controller lag and graphic quality and have to say I'm a little disappointed with the overall outcome. Try the service at 8am on a Sunday morning, when the average gamer is fast asleep, and its silky smooth. But, try it at 7pm on a weekday and you'll be lucky to get 10 frames per second if you can log in at all.

You have to factor in that 30,000 people all got OnLive micro-console's at the Eurogamer Expo for free and are likely trying it out the same as I am now but if the service cant handle 30,000 people on top of its user base how will it ever stand up to the Gears of War user base or Modern Warfare nuts who buy their £40 title a year and only play that?

On the subject of other games I should mention that OnLive has over 100 titles to choose from, mostly random European PC titles that sound so stupid you'd never bother starting them up like "Puppy Love Fun House 3: Here Come the Pugs!" (if this game exists I'm very sorry). There are a few quality titles that you can pick up such as Space Marine, Deus Ex, Borderlands and Batman Arkham Asylum which can all be rented for 3 or 5 days and if you really want you can buy the game outright for around £30, a large sum of money for a service which hasn't quite proven itself yet. you can separately get a subscription of 6.99 a month to play over 100 titles on the service which is mainly made up of the Puppy Love Fun House series but does have a few good titles on there such as Fear 3 and Homefront ( I said good, not great)

Overall I'm happy to use OnLive as a demo machine as it gives 30 minutes of play on a large selection of titles for free but I would never consider using it as my main console. With a small growing user base, a small selection of quality titles mixed in with a bunch of shovel-ware and a service which is dependent on the time of day you play, OnLive shows promise for a possible future in the video games industry.

E3 2011: My Microsoft Predictions

Here we are, the day of E3 2011. Lots of people are waking up now getting ready for the event while im in the UK. In this post I'll outline what I think Microsoft will showing off, while the giant has been extremely quiet over the past few months with what they've got in the pipeline, all will be revealed 5:30pm BST today.

Here are my (mainly safe) predicitions for Microsofts showing.

• 360 will be the star of the show: no 360 successor will be announced, shown or hinted at.
• New 360 hardware/bundle/colours: the slim will be shown off with a reduced price or new bundle in white as well as black
• Exclusive partnership with MW (again)n and is shown on stage: repeat of last year, the map pack exclusivity will be extended and a demo of Modern Warfare 3 will be given, likely to be just as boring as last year
• Halo Collection in HD, some fancy box. not shown on stage but trailer: This will only get a few minutes, it'll likely be logo's and brief gameplay footage.
• Valve show off their latest game, likely left 4 dead 3: Portal 2 has been out for a bit now and Valve dont have anything slated for a while, Left 4 Dead 3 would be an easy one to work on or possibly just more maps for L4D
• Epic show off Gears 3: if this doesnt happen I will shit out a copy of Gears 2
• Mass Effect 3 (Side Note: might be at EA show instead): Mass Effect 3 will have an on stage demo of combat with a story trailer after.
• Kinect sequels, Dance Central 2 (including geeky dude dancing on stage again), Star Wars Kinect and whatever Lionhead & rare are working on: one of the main focuses of the conference will be child friendly Kinect games and sequels.
• Bioshock Infinite is shown on stage: another big title will get an on stage demo (perhaps the one shown to press late last month) and a short trailer after.
• More movie partnerships, improved twitter and Facebook integration: the main focus of the conference will be social media and streaming services all tied in to xbox live.
• The number 3 will be used as some kind of keyword: The amount of 3rd itterations coming out in the near future wil have the PR department brainstorming of stupid ways to make them link together, this would be the outcome.

Come back later on in the week where I'll report on my opinion of the conference, disect my predicitions and back pedal on each one that didnt come true. 

 

Portal 2 PS3 Review - a Guide in Gaming Excellence.

Valve has an unfortunate disorder of not being able to release a game with 3 at the end of it, whether it be Team Fortress 3, Half Life 2: Episode 3 or even just Half Life 3. While this has angered some gamers, it makes more sense to try and enjoy its benefits which just so happen come in the form of Portal 2.

 

Some of Portal 2 will leave you scratching your noggin for some time.

You pick up where you left off from in the original, taking control of Chell and trying to escape the facility run by Glados, a maniacal computer that treats science as a drug habit its never been able to kick. Our mute female isn't alone this time however, teaming up with the Wheatley, an AI who’s about as sharp as a marble and as cunning as an empty milk bottle, you try your best to work through the facility, righting the wrongs and completing experiments and hopefully get your freedom in the process.

While it wouldn't be right to spoil Portal 2’s excellently written and well executed story, its worth noting that the game’s pacing has been expertly tweaked, starting with smaller less confusing rooms and slowly increasing the difficulty til about ⅔ of the way through where it levels out nicely. Its done in such a way that by the time you’re ready for a new challenge its presented in front of you so you’ll never be overwhelmed.

expect some of the areas to look a little...untidy

Along with this pacing comes some fantastically written dialogue. Its true that the 2007 debut was one of the funniest games that year and Portal 2 will more than likely take that award this year in many gamers minds. Glados' bitter and sarcastic humour is now coupled with Wheatley's childlike and unlearned personality and the two bounce off each other nicely while you get to stand in the middle hearing them both moan, its brilliant stuff.

the co-op is as meaty as the single player

This humour continues into the co-op, brand new for the franchise, which roughly doubles the game length, giving another 6-7 hours of game play of new test chambers, totally separate from the single player campaign (although I'd urge you to play the single player first). Not only is setting up the co-op an easy experience unlike previous co-op titles (I’m looking at you Resident Evil 5), it’s also possible to do it cross platform with any PC player and seeing as you get a PC copy with every brand new PS3 copy, a partner shouldn't be too hard to find.

There are 3 main things you need to know about Portal 2. Its hilariously funny, beautifully paced and has been finely tuned with love. Everything from the graphical design, the writing as well as its delivery, the bleeps and bloops of its sound effects and background music is absolutely top notch.

[9]

The Travel Collection - Long Flight With A PSP

So, you've booked a nice holiday trip with the family or maybe just with your significant other and you suddenly realise that the flight is a good 12 hour (maybe even more) and you'll need something to occupy yourself during those hours of being cooped up next to that fat person who smells a bit weird and that guy who wouldn't understand the term "personal space" even if he looked it up. What better way to stay busy than play one of the millions of games that are out there? In this I'll be focusing on some games to play during those long flights or trips where playing "eye spy" just wont cut it. I'll give offerings for PSP in this post and DS in a later post (possibly expand to Android and iPhone too) giving a few different options to cater to all different class of gamers.

For the shooter heavy, bearded manly man
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Quick Hits- 15 hour story, coop/VS multiplayer, requires headphones, on the PS Store
My current PSP addiction and a great no-nonsense Kojima produced game, Peace Walker is tailor made for PSP greatness. Clocking in at around 15 hours for the main story, this 3rd person stealth/shooter is perfect for your long trips bearded manly man. once you've mopped up the main story you can get to work recruiting other members of your squad and sending them out on missions to collect more items and ammo for your army, tackle side missions (with friends if that's your style) and even attempt to kill some familiar faces from Monster Hunter.

Also worth your time - Killzone: Liberation, Resistance, Metal Gear Acid.

 

For the Shinku and Metsu fighting fans
Tekken 6

Quick Hits- 10 hour story, VS multiplayer, no headphones required, on the PS Store
While many a fighting game fan scoff at Namco's Tekken series in favour of the ever popular Street Fighter games, Tekken is very much at home on the PSP. with a huge roster of characters, some nice 3d graphics and plenty of challenge, Tekken could keep you company for the full holiday, let alone the flight. Just to clarify, I feel Tekken is better suited to the PSP as it requires less D-pad/Analog movement than Capcom's Street Fighter games and anyone who has played the PSP for long periods of time will understand the pain of sore thumbs after an hour of Hadoukens on a PSP.

Also worthy of your button mashing style: Soul Calibur, Blazblue Portable, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max, Fate: Unlimited Code, Darkstalkers: The Chaos Tower.

 

For the blood lusting warrior
God of War: Chains of Olympus

Quick Hits- 6 hour story, no multiplayer, no headphones needed, on the PS Store
If you're anything like me, you're looking forward to the newly announced God of War game for PSP. Let us not forget the rather excellent Chains of Olympus. I'm not going to get into story details too much but its God of War, Kratos is pissed and someone needs to die while he shouts lots of names and grunts. What I am going to tell you is how well this runs on a PSP, any fan of the console versions will enjoy this portable outing a great deal. The only downside is it clocks in at about 4-6 hours for veterans, but you guys are going to want to tackle hard afterwards right? Yeah I thought so.

Also worthy of your stabby nature - Assassins Creed, Dantes Inferno, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

 

For the Japanese developer lover
Dissidia: Final Fantasy

Quick Hits- 10 hour story, VS multiplayer, no headphones required. On the PS Store
While I could have quite easily filled the entire 'Japanese Lover' category with Square Enix titles, I feel Dissidia encapsulates many titles in to one game. Spanning all of the Final Fantasy universes, Dissidia tasks you with choosing light or dark and then fighting for said side. Its story is standard dramatic fluff you any Japanese lover would know, everyone is conflicted, twisted and misunderstood until close to the end when they all sort our their differences and have a scuffle, its the combat and equipment system that really gets Dissidia some high praise. It wont take a huge amount of time to finish the story portion Dissidia has to offer but you can keep playing and levelling your characters long after its done. My playtime has clocked in at just over 100 hours so if you're a fan of Final Fantasy, you'll enjoy this on a long trip.

Other games you would consider "kawaii!": Monster Hunter 2, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Half Minute Hero, Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX (PSOne Classics on the PS Store)

 

For the petrol head
Gran Turismo, Burnout: Legends, Wipeout Pulse, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, Modnation Racers

Quick Hits- VS multiplayer in all, no headphones requires (but some of these games have great music!), All on the PS Store
I haven't selected a specific game here because there is a good variety of petrol heads out there. Some like smashing up cars, some like futuristic racers and others like racing simulators. Personally I'm a kart-racing kind of guy but all of these titles will keep you entertained on a long flight so pick whichever racing game is your style and play it!

 

For those who like to test their IQ
Kurushi

Quick hits- no multiplayer, no headphones required, Only on the PS Store
When I was 10 I loved a demo for a game called Kurushi. It was a puzzle game that had blocks falling off the end of a platform and the player, who was controlling a small on screen man, had to make sure none of the blocks fell off said platform by making them disintegrate. that was my memory of Kurushi until 2010 where Mike Kebby and his team of heroes decided to put this gem on the PS Store for me to download. Try it, love it, and then scream in frustration when you reach a level you cant complete (speaking from personal experience here).

Also challenging foes - Puzzle Quest, Lemmings, Exit.

 

For those who aren't afraid to play a game 'for babies'
Patapon 2

Quick hits- 60 hour campaign story, coop and VS multiplayer, headphones required, On the PS Store
Patapon was my original reason for buying a PSP. its brightly colours landscapes and its monochrome characters enchanted me in a way no other way could. At one point the little drum beats of the Patapons were all I would hear and Patapon 2 improved in almost every single way. While this is a direct sequel its not necessary to have played the first Patapon to understand what's going on, With a huge amount of levels, some of which you'll need to replay several times, and its crazy style and substance, this game is recommended to those who don't mind looking a little odd but enjoy the most original titles out there.

Also brilliant fun - LocoRoco, Buzz, LittleBigPlanet.

 

For those who like a good beat
Lumines 2

Quick Hits- 10+ hour 'story', multiplayer, headphones required, not on the PS Store
Luminies 2 is one the most addictive games I've ever played. Its made me miss bus stops, meetings and trains. A mix of columns and rock band, Lumines tasks you with putting 4 blocks of the same colour together, these blocks then get collected and removed by a line that goes across the screen in time with the beat and that's the entire premise. do it enough and you'll reach the end but if you fill up the screen you get a game over. The reason Lumines is brilliant is its collection of music from both in-studio 'composers' and well known main stream bands.

Also great for a music fan -  Rock Band Unplugged, Gitaroo Man, Parappa the Rappa, Every Extended Extra.

 

 

Those who want to forget they are on Holiday and just game
Persona 3 Portable

Quick Hits- 100+ hour story, no multiplayer, no headphones required, not on the PS Store
If you're reading this and you live in Europe, I'm sorry, this game isn't released over here yet. If you live in the US, you've probably heard of the unstoppable cult awesomeness that is the Shin Megami Tensei games. Persona 3 Portable  is the 3rd version of the ever popular Playstation 2 release Persona 3 which has been chopped up to make it easier to play on a portable machine. If you've played the original Persona 3 or its 'complete edition' FES, you'll know what to expect here, 100's of hours of gameplay, boss fights and social links and with these come some interesting additions such as full team control, new items and social links and the ability to pick a female protagonist. I'll put my hands up and say I haven't been able to play Persona 3 Portable yet but I loved Persona 3 FES that I can recommend P3P on name alone (Psst.. you can always import it)

Other great titles for those who live in Europe (sorry!): Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, Disgaea, Persona.

 

 

Disgusted that I've left something off this list of fabulous titles? Let everyone know in the comments what you couldn't have lived without on holiday!

 

 

 

Bioware Know How To Make Me Happy

Man, Bioware know how to make a trailer dont they?

These 2 videos make me a happy panda, but the question still stands will Bioware/EA bring Mass Effect 1 to PS3 or will they allow me to move my save over like Dragon Age? I'll be posting a full entry on my feelings about Gamescom once all the conferences are over but until they I'll just say that so far it hasn't been a disappointment. 

 

 

This Kratos Fan Should Have His Own Cooking Show

via youtube.com

God of War is one of those series that really put its own stamp on an already established genre or style of play. For me, Kratos and his mighty bald head will always remind me of punishing quick-time-events and it appears I'm not alone if this video is anything to go by.

I hope you guys enjoy.

New Name, New Posts, Same Views.

Hey all,

So... What do you think about the new name? Pretty funky right?

It doesn't really mean anything, I just thought it was funky and STFU is easy to remember for some reason. Welcome to Super Turbo Firmware Update, the brand-spankingly new blog which replaced Aeris Dies, My old and rather poor excuse for a blog that never got updated.

What's so different you ask? Well not too much other than the name, I now post this on Blogger and Posterous (as Posterous also sends this out to pretty much every service I use) but most importantly I have a good batch of ideas to make sure your dose of STFU is a healthy one with far more balanced info and IMO's hopefully.

I'll be starting things going within the next few days, so why not add me to your RSS reader of choice to make sure you don't miss out? 

In the mean time, feel free to hit me up on Twitter with some ideas if you have anything you'd like me to cover.

Test Post

This is a test. Included is a picture of my DS Collection at the end of 2008 (Yes.. I like games) and the outstanding single 'Airbrushed' by Chiptune wonders Anamanaguchi (google them, they rock).

Airbrushed by Anamanaguchi  
Download now or listen on posterous

A_Airbrushed.mp3 (9429 KB)

IMO: Dante's Inferno

I have to really commend EA for the change it has made over the past few years, its gone from the sequel churning machine I used to despise to the great third party publisher who is making sure new IP's see the light of day on the shelves. In the last few weeks, I've picked up 2 EA games, one being a sequel to a franchise that consists of 'Bro'in up' and the other a brand new IP. I'm a little worried lately that all the hard work EA put in a little while back is starting to disappear if these 2 titles are a sign of things to come. So, lets get to my honest opinion about the new IP today, Dante's Inferno.


I should first start by saying I didn't know very much about Dante's Inferno outside of what I had played in the demo (which I was happy with) and was hesitant to pick up a copy. With a bit of a gap in the release calendar that week, I decided to go through with my pre-order and my copy arrived a day later (Shopto.net shout out.. fucking great site) but as I played through the game over 3 nights of what I would call taking it slow I found a poor and unfortunately rushed game that was sorely lacking in the 'fun' department.


Dante's Inferno was a great premise for a video game and my earlier writings on Visceral Games, the creators of Dead Space, should get across how highly I hold the developer but I'm unsure of a lot of the choices they made along the way. Why are some of the circles of Hell so short? why exactly are there puzzles everywhere? why aren't there more people for me to kill? and why is there boobs EVERYWHERE? fuck, I've seen strip clubs with less tits.


As I sit on my sofa, pad in lap, watching the credits roll down my TV, all I can think to myself is 'Why?'. Why did VG decide to take a great idea and put a bunch of mediocre ones in it? because I think if they stuck to their combat mechanic and good plot they could of been on to a winner here. Instead, I'm given a 5 hour (it did actually take me 5 hours 24 minutes to finish the game) game of which 40% is greatly enjoyable combat and the other 60% is crap puzzles, unexplained 1 hit kill traps and jump sections with badly placed cameras.


I think lots of people will agree Portal was a great game, it took one mechanic and put a great 5 hour experience round it ending up in a stellar title. Dante's Inferno takes one mechanic and fucks it up til its barely visible and releases it at £40. 


A missed opportunity, Lets hope Dead Space 2 isn't treated the same

Uncharted 2: Electronic Media's 'Page Turner'

We all have them. My girlfriend will sit there and read book after book, manga after manga, giving small oooh's and aahhh's when the main character saves the girl or kisses that boy she's liked. My sister will sit and watch episode after episode of Lost, Dexter, Spaced and Big Bang Theory and laugh hard when Simon Pegg shouts at the kid who likes JarJar Binks or when Johnny Gelekie finally gets a piece of the action. We, the current generation of gamers, sit there and laugh hard when Elena Fisher introduces herself to Chloe as 'Last years model' and this is why Uncharted 2 is our version of a page turner.

Page turner is such a weird expression, what I mean by it is that I was hooked all the way through the story Uncharted 2 wanted to tell me about. I sat there and soaked up every bit it was willing to offer until there was nothing left but the rather good epilogue made up of co-op gameplay and online mulitplayer.

Whether its missions to retrieve oil lamps or trekking through swamps to grab Marco Polo's journal pages, Uncharted 2 had me sitting on the edge of my sofa. From the very beginning of the game, which sees Drake trying to climb up a train teetering on the edge of a cliff in snowy mountains while being brutally injured, to the very end, that had me panicked when a character gets badly injured, the game does not relent with its fantastic camera angles, stupendous animations, quality voice talent and monstrous action.

But why aren't more games like this? After Uncharted 2 I got hold of a copy of Assassins Creed 2, a game that many critics said to be 2009's game of the year. I just couldn't understand it, how could this game with its sloppy put together story, awful facial animation and, for the most part, sub par lip syncing pull the wool over so many peoples eyes? Obviously this question will always go unanswered but I feel that some of its praise is given to it due to the overall feeling people were left with at the end of the first one. Comparing Assassins Creed to its sequel will make AC2 look like the second coming of Christ, but is that fair view point? By the same token can people say the same thing about the Uncharted series? with a 'more of the same' feeling to it? I hope that wasn't the case.

Uncharted 2 was my 2009 game of the year and is my favourite series on PS3, If you've never tried it out and own a PS3, pick up the original and then try the sequel.