Tag: Consoles

Review: PlayStation 4, Part 1

Gaming, Hardware
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Sony, Playstation 4Model: CUH-1001A

Website: http://us.playstation.com/ps4/

MSRP: $399.99

The Playstation 4 is, of course, a Playstation 3 plus a Playstation One. Or two PlayStation 2’s. You get the idea. It’s the new one. I got the system on day one, despite the fact that I had no interest in any of the launch games. So instead of reviewing a system I wasn’t really using I decided to wait for a few months, get a couple software updates under my belt and maybe wait for a game.

I’ve already given some initial impressions, and a small gallery of photos, in my day-one article, “PS4 First Impressions“. In the first part of this review, I’ll focus on the hardware. Part 2 will focus on the system interface and software.

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Game Review: Brothers

Gaming
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Game, Brothers“Brothers” Official Website

Rated “T” for Teen; Reviewed on Playstation 3

Many successful indie games feature a novel game play mechanic (or several). The world-revealing ink splatter of “The Unfinished Swan” [Our Review] is immediately understandable and visually stunning. The “light equals existence” rule of “Closure” and the shadow-play of “Contrast” [Our Review] need a few moments of experimentation, but quickly become second nature. Indy games excel at exploring gimmicks.

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Game Review: Tomb Raider

Gaming
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Tomb Raider, 2013“Tomb Raider” Official Website

Rated “M” for Mature; Reviewed on Playstation 3

Like many older gamers I was first introduced to Lara Croft in 1996 on the original PlayStation. By today’s standards it controlled terribly and featured a murderous camera. The environments were blocky and the movement digital and unnatural. Lara may have been cool, smart and strong, but she also looked like a blind arthritic carved her from driftwood with a trowel.

I devoured the game. When I finished it, I immediately started it over and devoured it again.

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Game Review: Contrast

Gaming
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Contrast“Contrast” Official Website

Rated “T” for Teen; Reviewed on Playstation 4

You are Dawn. Tall, beautiful and dressed as a Parisian vaudevillian acrobat. You’re the mute companion of the precocious young Didi.  You’re also imaginary. Or, perhaps, you’re not. Didi, of course, has a firm opinion in the matter, but as this entire experience may only exist inside her head we may not want to rely on her.

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“Infamous: Second Son” Video Orgy

Gaming
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YouTube user “DuskBit” has uploaded a nearly thirty minute video collecting much of what we know about Sucker Punch’s highly anticipated PS4 exclusive “Infamous: Second Son”. The video presents several behind-the-scenes vignettes and includes 15 minutes of actual gameplay footage that I hadn’t seen before.

While I presume that the footage is from a pre-final build (I assume the final game will have a HUD of some kind) it’s incredibly impressive. The destructibility of the environment, the fluidity of the movement and quality of the particle effects are all amazing, but expected on a next-gen console. What really struck me, however, was the increased quality of the experience.

The ambient animals, fluttering banners and fully-rendered fallen leaves will likely be missed, but add subtlety to the reality. You’ll see enemies use their powers to alter the environment and create “shelves” for them to stand on to get a height advantage over our hero. You’ll see others decide to give up the fight completely and attempt to flee. Building from
“Infamous 2” there are also clear improvements in the in-game cinematic cameras that add dramatically to the personality of the game.

I’ve made no excuses about my adoration of the series as can be seen in my review of “Infamous 2”. This is the game that my PS4 is waiting for and from the looks of it I won’t be disappointed.

“The Last of Us” and Narrative Decisions

Gaming
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The Last of Us Cover“The Last of Us” [My Review] is, rightfully, being lauded as one of the best games of 2013. It provides mature gamers a tight, immersive gameplay experience framed in a smart and engaging story. It also handily demonstrates the high quality that can be wrung from seven year-old hardware. I enjoyed the game deeply but, as is often the case with something so close to perfection, small issues take on significantly more weight.

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Game Review: The Last of Us

Gaming
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The Last of Us CoverReviewed on Playstation 3, Offical Website

Rated “M” for Mature.

20 years after a pandemic fungal infection has wiped out civilization and created a feral hunter-class of infected, humanity lives on the edge. Rigidly controlled but exquisitely vulnerable quarantine zones represent the last of organized government. People get along as best they can under constant threat from sickness, starvation and their fellow survivors.

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Game Review: Dishonored (PS3)

Gaming
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Dishonored“Dishonored” at amazon.com

Rated M for Mature, Reviewed on PS3

Big budget gaming is a glut of sequels and mimics.  The reason for this is lamentable but obvious.  Namely that big budget gaming needs big budgets.  Selling lots and lots of games gets you those so you make games that you know will sell.  In an arena filled to bursting with Battlefighterwarduty thirty-eight, it’s especially refreshing to find a game both so originally minded and perfectly crafted.

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Game Review: God of War: Ascension (PS3)

Gaming
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Amazon, God of War Ascension_“God of War: Ascension” at amazon.com

Rated M for Mature, Reviewed on PS3

Kratos and I go back a long way.  The first game, on my beloved PS2, was a revelation.  The sheer power and brutality hit you like a brick, but it was the strength of the emotional narrative that kept me interested and brought me back.  The second game sent the PS2 out in style and the third dragged the still fledgling PS3 to new heights.  The two PSP entries may not have had quite the same impact but they still stand as some of the most impressive gameplay on Sony’s black slab.

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