Gran Turismo

Well, Gran Turismo 5 is finally here! After 5 long years of waiting for a GT on the PS3 I am finally able to get back to real racing! Although it's a bit of a dissapointment, but that's not to say that I still love this game and I see myself playing it for a long time.

Physics - INCREDIBLE! I mean really, absolutely amazing level of detail. Every race, with every car, there's something different, something unexpected, special and totally satisfying because that's what I think would happen in real life. Like drifting around a sharp turn in a RWD car, coming out of the turn and my rear tires slip onto the gravel just as I gear down and my rear end just spins out. It's beautiful.

In GT4 and earlier games, it was very easy to rush around a course, ram into cars to slow down and just plain abnoxious driving was just too easy to win. Now, it's a whole 'nother level. Yes, there is some damage, on premium cars, but there really is no damage system (more on damage later), but with the vastly improved physics wiping out is easier and more time costly than before.

I tested this out last night, I came around Trial Mountain's tunnel straight away and slammed into the leader car at full speed. In GT4, the other car would of careened into the wall and I would have just sped up past him. In GT5, I slammed into him so hard my rear end lifted up and to the left as my front end got caught up on his rear sending us both to the girder and me facing the wrong way. I lost 3 spots because of that.

On the same track I was able to take the chicane at the end of the track over the dirt and gain about 4 seconds on the AI in GT4. My first lap in GT5 I overturned my vehicle; second lap I hit the warning bumper at a weird angle and I spun out losing 2 spots. Third lap I almost spun out but was able to keep control, but I only gained about a second. This exploit and others like are still possible, but now much more dangerous and costly if you don't use it perfectly.

Graphics - Overall this is a beautiful game but some things just really detract from the visuals. Like the standard cars (GT4 cars), they seem to have just imported the car models from GT4. The premium cars are incredible, but there are only 200 of them. And the shadows on anything moving are just butt ugly!

Control - Pristine, of course this is Gran Turismo we are talking about here. Drifting and slipstreams make huge headways in this game and add much needed tactical realism in this game. Playing with the Standard PS3 controller is just fine and very responsive, the variety and depth of the vibration feels very intricate. I was able to feel the difference between my rear wheels losing traction around a turn, and losing traction while accellerating, and both feel very different depending on the drivetrain. This helps tremendously when "listening" to your car and adds a whole 'nother level to this game.

Sound - Dopplar effect makes huge strides in this game, everything sounds perfect. Every car has it's unique sound, revving, etc, and it all sounds excellent. Unfortunately I don't have my surround sound hooked up, but even through the TV I get an excellent range of accoustics. Can't wait to turn this up on a good sound system.

Damage - Well, there is, and there isn't damage. There is physical damage, but only on the 200+ premium cars, HOWEVER, damage is completely visual only and has no detrement to the way your car handles. You can run 150mph into a wall and all you might see is a dented bumper, eh.

If you advertise damage as part of the main features of a game, you better go the distance. I want the fear of going around a turn and running into the rear of the car in front of you and damaging the radiator taking you out of the race, or busting a CV joint causing your car to wobble and lean, or another car running into your rear causing abnormal turbulence at high speeds, or busting your trunk so bad it blocks your rear view mirror. Hell, even if it isn't cosmetic, but "simulated" engine/frame damage would be a nice addition.

Those are the kinds of real-racing dynamics that I long for in a racing game. And I don't think I'm going to get it on this generation consoles.

Anyways, bottom line, GT5 is awesome and I will be playing it regardless for a long time.

GT5 and COD:BO

Gran Turismo 5 comes out this Wednesday! Lucky for me I already have Wednesday off, but unlucky for me I didn't pre-order the game. So I will have to scrounge around town for an available copy that morning.

I'm not too worried about it, I'm not one of those types of people that MUST have the game on day one. Sure it would be nice, but I'm not going to cave just because I have to wait a few more days.

Still playing COD: Black Ops, just finished Single player over the weekend. It was a great story and it was fun playing, but the real game is online multiplayer. I just hope they release a patch to fix the stuttering issues that I have. At the start of every match I stutter and lag for the first 5-10 minutes, very frustrating. When it gets smooth, it's very enjoyable, especially customizing your loadout, ranking up in levels, and going on killing sprees.

This is my first FPS game that I have played with my left hand. It's difficult. At heightened times, my right hand keeps jumping off the keys and my left hand keeps staying still. So I will sometimes end up running into a wall or just standing still like a n00b. I keep getting better, but I'm no where near the level of playing as with my right hand. Damn carpal tunnel.

Civ 5

I haven't played a Civilization game since Civ 1 in 1990. But I have played many 4x games like Master or Orion and Master of Magic. Age of Wonders was probably one of my favorite games of all time. This generation, I've enjoyed Sins of a Solar Empire immensely and all it's expansions.

I'm currently waiting for Elemental: War of Magic to get patched to a stable and featured release, but while that is being worked on I'm playing Civilization 5. And I just may forgo Elemental because Civ5 is just an amazing game. I'm sure that there isn't much difference between 4 and 5 but after not playing civilization for almost 20 years, this is just awesome.

On another note, I did finish Mass Effect, which was totally awesome. However I didn't like how the game felt sort of rushed, I feel like I could of explored other star systems and done other quests but the main story in Mass Effect really pushed me with urgency so I didn't feel like I could explore as much as I wanted to. But it was still an awesome game and I can't wait to play the sequel. Bioware can do no wrong.

A breather

With so many changes and fixes coming to FF XIV in the next month, I'm just goind to take it easy for now. I haven't logged into the game in a couple days, and I'm enjoying other amusements that I've put off for too long.

I'm continuing Mass Effect, this is such an awesome game. I keep wondering why I stopped playing it and seeing that I would really like to play Mass Effect 2, I feel like I should finish the first one. And it really is awesome, I love all the voice dialogue, makes me wonder why the hell Square-Enix couldn't do the same for FF XIV? Makes me wonder a lot of things about Square-Enix... eh. I mean, FF XIII has more voice dialogue than FF XIV has text dialogue... wtf...

I'm also playing Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light and Dragon Quest IX for the DS. Both are great fun and are classically inspired jRPG games. This is where text dialogue belongs!!

This is an advantage of being a casual gamer, you get to put off buying games that you know you would enjoy because of various reasons/excuses and now when you are ready to play it, it's a nice 20$ discounted game. I'm thinking about picking up Fallout 3, I enjoyed the first old-school fallout game loooong time ago, so I'm excited about it.

On the PS3 side, NHL 11 has been sitting in my Gamely GameQ for about a month now... I really want to play that game. Also, I was really stoked to finally see a built-in Netflix app for the PS3, much better than using the disc. The deal between Microsoft and Netflix finally expired so now other consoles can finally reap the benefits of a built-in Netflix app! Yay!

Speed and Grind

I picked up F1 2010 over the weekend, and it is HARD!! I only turned on traction control and turned all the other assists off and rules on realistic and this game is giving me quite a challenge.

The rush is amazing going through an entire race weekend. I'm doing the career mode and i'm only on the second race (squeaked my way through race 1), and I've practiced on the track many dozens of times, but it's still amazingly hard to be consistent. I haven't experienced the weather system yet, but this game is quite beautiful.

Also still playing FF XIV, crafting is getting so involved right now, I'm starting to find my niche as a Carpenter and a Weaver, but it's getting hard to skill up. I'm also looking forward to the rank 15 main quest, I've heard a lot of good things coming my way.

FF XIV CE acheived

I was able to grab a copy of FF XIV from my local gamestop without pre-ordering. The store I went to had an extra copy, sweet!

F1 2010 also released today, I have it in my Gamefly Q for PS3, PC users don't like the PC version much, not sure what's going on there, but so far the PS3 reviews have been positive.

In limbo

I'm in limbo now, waiting to get my hands on a copy of FF XIV. I don't mind that I don't get to play it the day of the release, there will be lots of server problems and issues and massive patches released on day 1 that people probably won't be able to play consistently until about the 25th or so.

Until then, I'm playing some classic Final Fantasy Tactics and FF IX to pass the time.

And I also was able to catch up on another game I'm eagerly anticipating; Gran Tourismo 5. I played GT1 and 2 to the bone, and while I did buy and play GT3 and 4, I never got into them as much, they just always seemed like GT2 but with better graphics and more cars, and those trinkets wore off quickly.

GT5, however, will feature something that I have been wanting for years; realistic damage! In GT2, some of my best lap times were because I was able to take a turn faster and nail that one rail (or invisible barier) at the right time to allow me to keep going, plus driving off road to get around big turns, slamming into cars at full speed to stop on a dime in time for a turn.... all with no consequences.

Now, I will have consequences, forcing me to drive "correctly", this I love. I'm also hoping that invisible barriers will be gone as well, so that if you take a turn too fast, and there's a lake on the outside, you hit the curb and go flying into the lake, RACE OVER!

Plus, they've created realistic weather. Windshield wipers will be necessary, oncoming headlights and other lights blinding with the rain on the windshield, plus cars in front of you spraying blinding you. I cannot wait for all this realism, this is what it takes to get me back into Gran Tourismo.

Plus, F1 2010 comes out in TWO DAYS. It's already received one review, and at 9.0/10 this is THE F1 racing game of our time. Time and more reivews will tell if this game is worth picking up.

Time warp please

Yesterday, I was very comfortable with FF XIV beta, and I had decided that I was going to buy it right at, or soon after release.

But after last night's release party (in Japan) and after reading what SE plans for the release (or soon after), now I REALLY cannot wait for this game!

Final Fantasy XIV - Pre-release Coverage

FF XIV - A Realization

I had a discussion with my wife whom is very interested in playing FF XIV. Her experience with MMO's is about 100% Guild Wars, which is a great game btw, we played together for several years and have all the expansions (eagerly awating GW2!!). But I know she has a hard time with games that don't help you along and, let's face it, FF XIV is the definition of unintuitive gameplay.

She was a little concerned about how easy it would be to play the game, and she's heard me countless times cursing at the beta. But I want her to give it a chance, take the time to get her bearings and then decide if she would want to stick with it.

I made the comment that, while it is frustrating, there is a certain satisfaction when a synthesis finally works, or when I finally built my macros, or when I got through the opening story sequence that you just can't get anywhere else.

And I think that's the game's charm. Yes, it's currently incomplete, and a bunch of bugs and lag galore and broken party system and 48 guildleve system, but when the game finally get's ironed out, I think there's going to be a system of immersion that will provide an experience unparalleled to anything else.

That's what I am hoping for, and that's why I believe I will buy this game. Maybe not when it is first released, but shortly after.

Final Fantasy XIV - Open Beta Impressions - The Hate

From outside of the box, this is a Final Fantasy game. And that means a memorable story, but one that will be fought tooth-n-nails against the "system" itself. It's a system of unlabeled, unbridled ignorance, treat you like a child but make you think like an adult, and of stubbornness beyond imagine.

There is a charm about FF XIV and a certain polish that you won't find anywhere else, but there's also an antiqueness, an ancient system of player-usability that fortunately hasn't existed for more than a decade, but has returned.

If you ask any player in the beta, there is something that they really hate about this game. I have never met a player that was in love with the game once they played it.

The Hate:

-Gamepad is a requirement. If you want to get anything out of this game, get a gamepad. Square Enix will not fix the mouse, they never fixed the mouse with FF XI almost 10 years ago, they will not fix it now.

-Guildleve system. The system itself is alright, once you understand it. But as it is right now, you cannot acquire and accomplish more than 8 guildleves within 48 hours. That means that once you finish questing, you have to wait 2 days in order to begin questing again. And right now, questing is the only way to really get experience. Grinding is long and tedious and you don't get nearly as much exp from that. They say it's to prevent hard-core players from having an advantage over casual players. I'm a serious casual player and I say that's bullshit. There's also an experience cap which I have never witnessed but have seen a lot of rage about.

-No NPC data, unless you talk to the NPC. The NPC system is a washed up mess, nothing makes any sense about who sells what. If you don't already know where to look for what you want to buy, then you can spend an hour talking to every NPC and still not find what you are looking for. There's no indication of what an vendor sells (their booth can give you hints, but they are mostly wrong), plus there is no indication that an NPC is even a vendor. Some vendors don't even have a booth, some are located on a bridge overlooking the water but will have some important stuff to sell, but you won't know until you actually ask them.

-Map is almost useless. It's just a map of hints, doesn't tell you where NPC's are, no search, no noting system, nothing. I've had one NPC mark where to go on my map, but never again when I need to find a specific person in a generalized area.

-Combat is a little awquard right now. There's very little information about any actions that you might have queued, and just when you think you have an action queued, it's gone and you have to enter it in again. Plus it's lagged, the enemy loses it's HP several seconds before your attack animation actually starts.

-Lag. It seems like EVERYTHING is server based, nothing is local based. If you want to go through your inventory, you have to scroll through it while the server is trying to load it to you. The less inventory you have the less lag you have. Starting the crafting technique takes about 10-20 seconds to start, pretty much doing anything takes a while to request the action from the server and the server to respond.

-Inventory. Another jumbled mess. No way to sort, can only scroll down through your inventory. You inventory is organized by the order in which you attained the items, fail. And inventory takes 3 times as long to go through if you want to sell stuff to a vendor, takes about a minute to sell one measly item, another fail.

-Serial Based Menu system. Only one menu can be open, anywhere anytime. 20 years ago we experienced beautiful multitasking, being able to open up and click several windows at a time in Windows 3.1. But in this cutting edge game? No, we have to deal with opening only one menu at a time. Can't compare items, can't open your skill window to make sure your spelling the skill name right for your macros, and can't compare items in a vendor to what you already have. It's a memory system and it sucks.

Final Fantasy XIV - Open Beta Impressions - The Love

Been playing FF XIV Open Beta for several days now, and it's a bit of a love/hate relationship. You can definately tell that Squeenix (Square Enix) designed this game from the ground-up to be a console MMORPG. But some of the decisions they made make no sense even from a console standpoint.

That being said, there are many things I don't like about this game, but will it be worth it to grimace through just to experience the story? I have a feeling it will be. And even through Square Enix's unbridled stubornness, and incredible lack of player appreciation, this game will sell like hot cakes just because it's Final Fantasy.

The Love:

-It's different than other MMO's. And that is usually enough for me to hold my attention for longer than a few weeks.
-Crafting system handcrafted with care. You really have to think before attempting to craft, and while crafting there are so many factors that can make or break the synthesis. A lot more failures than success. A frustration to some, but a welcome change in pace by others.
-Character design. Wonderful character animations and a plethora of races, types, and looks to choose from.
-The Story. From what little I have seen from the beta story, it's extremely interesting. And that you have many cities to start at in the beginning each starting story is vastly different, don't know if they converge down the road.