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Ping5000

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71 hours and 41 minutes.

By Ping5000 24 Comments

I finished Persona 3 today. This stupid game took 71 hours and 41 minutes. Dumb.


The endgame pretty much determined whether or not this was going to be a dumb, decent game or a dumb, epic one. I thought it fell in the latter. A finely tuned boss battle that broke my back and made time jump an hour-and-thirty.

The ending did a lot to make me feel that all of this madness was worth it, because there were so many deadzones in the game that made me wish Persona 3 was 50 hours shorter. There's not enough going on in-between most full moons for the game to justify living out nearly every single day. Whatever. I did all of it. I finished this dumbass game.

I still have the 30 hour epilogue, which sounds like it's going to be 28 hours too long, but I've gotten this far. I might as well do this.

After that, yeah, I'm going to get Persona 4. Its countryside setting is pretty appealing and from what I've heard, the characters and narrative are way better. Persona 3's party members were pretty cold and aloof by the time the daily schedule kicked in and I was bummed by how everyone fit into very specific archetypes. They just stopped moving and so did everything else in that game. I dunno, I guess you can lay your own carpet bomb of opinions on me, but I'm really looking forward to Persona 4. I've only seen a few minutes of the endurance run and my most immediate goal is to finish the game before the endurance run ends. I've given them like a 3 year head start, but I think I can do it. Probably.
24 Comments

Why I got brain cancer from the Bombcast.

By Ping5000 34 Comments

E3 Day Two: Leigh Alexander's spiel on MGS4 and Hideo Kojima.


I understand she loves the Metal Gear series and I understand she loves Hideo Kojima.

The problem, I guess, lies in the fact that she was Too Human. Oh. I just did a Leigh. I think.

Obviously, I disagree with how she went about MGS4, not the specifics. The standard of scrutiny that was set for that game alone was beyond the beyond. The only reason so many obviously obfuscated details were extrapolated from MGS4 was because of her reverence for Hideo Kojima.

So, that leads to my general issue: Is this fair? Hideo Kojima, Shigeru Miyamoto, Chris Avellone, Suda 51 and so on and so forth -- they're well-known developers and when someone realizes that a big name is attached to a project, the game suddenly becomes "That game from that guy." and not "That game that is a game."

This in itself is fine, but once you tack this detail onto reviews, it suddenly becomes an issue. I know, we're human, but once the game becomes more than just a game, there's an initial bias, a pervasive one that will either tilt overall feelings from glee and ecstacy or mega-disappointment because the developer failed to live up to his usual standards.

I know I've done this. I love Valve. Besides the whole fiasco with Left 4 Dead 2 considered to be too early, their games are attatched with quality and I bring those expectactions with me when I play their games. Leigh Alexander has only helped me realize how unfair that can be by showing the most extreme and lop-sided face of it. Thank you.

So no, of course it isn't fair. It isn't fair at all. It puts well-regarded developers in a bind, where they suddenly need to match pre-concieved expectations just because their last game was delicious and awesome. Then again, names are a big deal and when we all hear that BioWare is making something, we all start to care. This thing is just confusing. I don't know where I'm going with this anymore. This can go on forever. I'm hungry. Oh and I think BioWare games are a bit overrated. I am totally aware of how hypocritical I am being right now. I am so hungry, though.

Besides, Hideo Kojima needs to take a look at a goddamn dictionary, because he either needs some fresh and better writers or just not write anything ever.

Hook, line and...
34 Comments

Project Origin demo has the best mech boot-up ever.

By Ping5000 3 Comments

Solid demo. Didn't get me as insanely pumped and excited as the original F.E.A.R. demo did, but that was a time when F.E.A.R. was a technical beast, especially its particle effects. 

Cool things: Anyway, it's worth the download. Firefights felt like a tighter, more polished version of the original. AI still seems smart. They kick over tables and open car doors for cover now. I was a little creeped at some parts, but most of the scares were BOO LOL and none of them really got to me. Graphics look good. Imagine F.E.A.R. (I like typing it out like that. I think I am a masochist.) with way better textures, softer lighting and shadows and great implementation of motion blur. AND AWESOME MECH BOOT-UP INTERFACE. Seriously, get the demo just to see the whole thing go WHIRRR and BEEP, with the vox lady voice going all, "SUP, YOU TURN ME ON." 

Tee hee.


Square things: It's so obvious that Monolith used consoles as their base. There is no 16:10 support and YOU GOT AMMO or YOU GOT A GUN pop-ups are blotted smack dab on the center of your screen with Oblivion-sized font. Then again, I found those to be pretty trivial things, but I suppose some people won't be too pleased.

I chose to upload the most boring-looking images out of the many I took, because the cooler stuff is worth seeing in person. And because the other images I took were much more boring-looking.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0UkTjKgqLo -- Here's a little video. Sorry for the darkness. It's bright and stuff when exploding stuff happens, but not so much when things are not exploding.
3 Comments

My New PC -- A loud documentary.

By Ping5000 2 Comments

So, I got a new PC yesterday. My friend came over and put all the pieces together. It's a dramatic upgrade from my previous setup, but it always ran anything I wanted it to play well (with visual compromises, of course), so I salute it. There's some swearing, so watch out. I'm not always this loud and obnoxious. At least, I don't think I'm always that loud and obnoxious. Hastily edited and put together, the footage is very raw.

SUPER LOUD DOCUMENTARY

2 Comments

HOW TO: Making sequels that feel new.

By Ping5000 2 Comments

So, I guess you all know that I love Prince of Persia. Oh, wait, you don't. I haven't posted it here yet. I'll get to it after this. Anyway, it's got visuals that trigger primal gawkery, ridiculous strings of platforming, a great combat system and a heartfelt story to give it all some wonderful context. With sequels often being derided by practically everyone (BUT MAFIA II LOOKS SO AWESOME!@@!!), this latest sequel feels nothing like a sequel. It feels new, while keeping the same gameplay foundations that I have come to know and love about the series. Ubisoft simply started over.

Companies love sequels. They love the brand recognition, they love the assurance that their sequel will sell well. Money is awesome. And they often get a lot of flak for pumping out a new entry every few years. It's usually not because a sequel is an inherently bad thing. I mean, we all wanted Half-Life 2. I'm pretty sure we all wanted Dreamfall. And I know we all want Mafia II. It's that sequels can feel unneccessary and forced. Just look at Fallout 3. You can send me all the hate mail you want. I will read them. Probably.

So, Ubisoft avoided this by simply keeping the franchise name and tossed everything they set up and developed with their trilogy into the bin. Prince of Persia isn't a spin-off. It's a total reboot and that's the kind of sequel anyone can love. It's familiar, but oh so different. Just like how Batman Begins revitalized the franchise and made Batman relevant again, except Ubisoft rebooted just because they thought this new Prince of Persia was so damn awesome.

So, WAYS TO MAKE A SEQUEL THAT WON'T RECIEVE THE "RETREAD IS RETARDED" VERBAL CARPET BOMBING:

1. Just start over. Like what Ubisoft did. Or what Square-Enix does with every Final Fantasy, but since only Final Fantasy 3/6 is the only Final Fantasy worth playing, their games don't really strengthen my point. Again, send the hate mail. I might read them. My hobbies include attracting attention.

2. Wait two infinities before releasing a sequel. Nostalgia will gnaw at us and taunt us, telling us that we will have no new memories of Mafia, because a sequel will never materialize. And then Mafia II appears out of the woodwork after 6 years. Seriously, I can't believe Mafia II is a real game that was really announced. Finally.

3. They should feel meaningful and relevant. Episode Three is relevant. The F.E.A.R. expansions were kind of pointless. The exhumation of the Fallout franchise is unneccessary.

Cliffs, if you really want them: Sequels can be cool.
2 Comments
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