War of the Monsters stole my money

Have you ever felt you were cheated out of money? Like someone stole cash from out of your pocket?

That's how I feel about buying War of the Monsters on PSN.

I paid something like $4.00 for it. I know that doesn't sound like a lot. But I was so excited by the concept-- a monster movie brawler that looked fast and cheesy fun. I anticipated getting into it as it was downloading its 1.2 GB game file to my PS3....

But once I started playing, I discovered there aren't any controls. The developers MADE NO CONTROLS for playing the game. At least not any that WORK. Sure, they say the triangle and square buttons are attack, R2 is block, but the controls don't actually do that. At least not unless you're not being attacked or are completely alone on the battleground.

War of the Monsters is a COMPLETE RIP-OFF of a game purchase with absolute SHIT controls. This came from Incognito Studios, the makers of one of my favourite games Twisted Metal: Head On?!?

PSN needs to have a refund option for games that are obvious garbage. It only took 5 minutes to discover this was complete garbage. I feel like it stole my money.


later
don

PSN makes PSP titles available to download on Vita then takes them away again

I am so, SO *SO* angry with Sony right now.

The other day, I read that PSP titles on our download list could FINALLY be downloaded onto our Playstation Vitas! So I looked at my Downloads list and sure enough, EVERY PSP title I had on there had the Download button next to it. Wow! So I downloaded 2 of the 3 PSP titles that I couldn't download previously, Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron and Twisted Metal: Head On. I didn't download Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron yet... had I only known...

Yesterday Sony reverted our Downloads list back to the way it was before, with most of the PSP content "Cannot download using a PS Vita system." ARRRGHHHH!!!!

This is Sony we're talking about. The SAME Sony that will take every opportunity to screw with its handheld customers. I suffered so much grief from them during the PSP years. There are parts of Sony that I simply HATE. I swore off digital downloads for years because of their antics.

What is GALLING about Sony's about-face is that clearly, Sony can (literally) at the flick of a switch make these games available for download. I'm not talking about getting them free. I paid for these full games. I didn't pirate them. I don't know if they made a mistake and accidentally flipped the switch making these games available, but it's so frustrating that all this time their content is right there and they arbitrarily deny them from their customers. This is the true SCE Sony style.

And when I was marveling at how we could download our previously purchased  PSP games, I thought, "Hey, I don't have a digital copy of Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror... I wonder how much it costs... if it is reasonable I would pick it up"... yes, I would have BOUGHT MORE GAMES had this open policy stayed in effect. Geez Sony, you wouldn't actually want that, huh? Happy customers who buy more of your games? Imagine.

I hate you so much, Sony. Thanks for reminding me of the bad old days of 2007-2010, when you did your best to make it suck to be a Sony customer.



later
don

Sound Shapes broken

I recently bought Sound Shapes from the PSN, it was on sale for $10.00 or so... and wow. While it looks pretty, there are some fundamental gameplay issues.

I got stuck a few times during a Jim Guthrie/Superbrothers level called Purgatory. My little round guy got stuck at the beginning of the level, where I couldn't move. Right on the intro screen! Bad sign if the a player gets glitched before the level actually begins. Later, my guy got stuck again on something that it NEEDED to press as part of the level. This isn't even going off on wild tangents, or pushing into every corner of a level. This is just following the direct path of the gameplay it gets stuck & glitched.

And the PS3 version... I downloaded it, as soon as I try to play it it demands ANOTHER download update. Ok, par for the course for PS3 games. So I download that and try to start. It gets to the title screen, then goes blank. I have to turn off the PS3. So I try it again, and again it just goes blank. After looking up the issue online I find a message board posting saying that I need to delete the save file it created when I first tried to start it. Holy cow, is there NO actual testing of these games by Sony or the developer? How can a player know this without chancing upon a message board posting, and why hasn't it been fixed?

I don't know if this is Sony being too lazy with quality control with their PSN titles. Or that the  "Superbrothers" are seen as rock stars of the indy games scene and are actually not good game creators, as in, a game first and foremost NEEDS to be NOT BROKEN.

Did I waste $10.00 for this?


later
don

PSP games on Vita

I was pleasantly surprised a couple weeks ago when I checked my Downloads list in the PS Store on my PS Vita, and discovered Driver '76 was now downloadable on my Vita.

The first week I had the Vita, only 2 PSP games I bought previously were transferable to it: Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow & Ace Combat Joint Assault.

Of the few PSP games that I can get on my Vita, I have to say they look & play pretty well. Of course they won't look as good as a Vita game, but they don't look bad at all. The biggest adjustment is sometimes I instinctively try to use the Vita's right analogue stick to control my aim. Using face buttons is fine until you HAVE the 2nd analogue stick sitting there practically mockingly.

And there is still so much more that the PS Store needs to do. Most of my PSP download games are not available, and what's galling is there's some Sony first party stuff like Twisted Metal: Head On and even the first PSP Syphon Filter game, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror.



Third-Party game makers like Namco & Ubisoft seem to be interested in porting their PSP games to the Vita. Why would any company leave money on the table by not making their PSP library available to download and buy on new consoles like PS Vita? I'd like to ask Sony, who seems intent on doing just that.

I sure hope the Star Wars Battlefront games become available. Every Tuesday I keep checking my Downloads list, hoping that magical Download button shows up next to them.



later
don

MotorStorm RC Vita

MotorStorm RC for Vita was a free download sponsored by Scion, the Toyota car brand. Originally advertised as available free on the first day of release (March 6, 2012). I just checked (12:57 am March 8, 2012) and it still seems to be free as of this writing.

The problem with saying something will be available free or whatever "on the first day it hits the PS Store"... well, we all know the SAD TRUTH about PS Store updates: they don't happen at 12:00am on Tuesdays. Where I sit- Canada west coast Pacific Time- I find PS Store updates happen from 6:30PM to like 9:30pm, if not later some times. So if MotorStorm RC was only free on Tuesday, we'd have had like maybe 3-5 hours of availabilty. For time-limited stuff, they should say "available free for 24 hours from the PS Store update" or whatever.
MotorStorm RC Vita is a fun game, it reminds me a lot of Micro Machines but better than the PSP version. The dual analogue sticks are put to good use for controlling the RC cars, they really give a feeling that you're controlling a toy car. The big problem is the "alternate" control scheme where you're supposed to push the left stick in the direction you want the RC car to go-- it doesn't work as advertised. I switch the controls to alternate every few races to try to figure out HOW exactly they want us to use the stick. Default controls seem to work the best for me.

The biggest problem with the game is that it feels completely like it was made for the PS3 and ported to the Vita. The menus have type that is SO FREAKING TINY that parts of it are unreadable on the Vita screen. Clearly it was designed using 55" TV screens for development. Same with the cars themselves, they look so small they cause eyestrain trying to peer at them on the Vita screen. And the touch elements, while a good idea to have a rear touch tap go up in the menu and front touch to select, in actual use are sluggish to the point of near-unusable & feel totally tacked on.

But the game is fun at times, at its regular $9.99 price point I'd *almost* say it's worth it. Unfortunately, Sony devs think this price-point gives them an excuse to not polish a game up, so these games always feel bare-bones-- despite games of this level are at at least half the price on other systems like iOS and Android. As can be seen from the image above, the free version has the major Scion advertising/branding on it but I guess that's what you get for "free". And everyone's thanking Sony for the free download, but they said it was Scion who was paying the bill for the downloads. It's like Joe paying for a round for the entire bar, and everyone thanking only the bartender for it. The bartender is making all the money regardless, it's not like he's doing it for charity, right? Same with Sony.



later
don

Unit 13 and the Online Pass

Unit 13 is a flawed but fun military shooter from SOCOM dev Zipper Interactive. I've been playing the demo since I downloaded it for my PS Vita... Even though the demo only has 1 map, there are 2 modes for it: the regular mission, and a "dynamic" mode which mixes up the variables like enemies, location of objectives and the like. So I've been playing that mode like crazy. Because it's random, sometimes it's insane hard, and even sorta broken-- which is where the "flawed" aspect of the game comes in-- but I kinda like playing into the broken bits of the game, similar to the flawed gameplay of Star Wars Battlefront.

Anyway, I purchased and downloaded Unit 13 from the PS Store.... Then I discovered the Online Pass glitch. If you tried to access co-op online, it would ask for an Online Pass code-- which didn't come with the download, because it's supposed to be automatically included... we did download it from the Sony PS Store after all, right?

It was a glitch that a Zipper rep acknowledged and he stated they were working on a fix. The next morning, I went into the PS Store on my Vita and checked my "Services" section (the "..." in the lower right corner of the screen) which said I have an Online Pass for Unit 13. Once I did that the game seems to have online access now.I haven't tried it yet, but before it was only giving me a "enter Online Pass code" screen, so I think it works now....

Having no online multiplayer for day 1 is not the worst thing ever, but it is annoying how Sony is so glitchy when it comes to things like this. Online Pass is a controversial DRM tool in general, and problems like this only make it worse. We buy this digital content--pay REAL money for it, and Sony is saying "Thanks for giving us money, now we're not sure that you're honest so either pay us for an online pass or you don't have online access. Yes, this is probably an error on our part but we'd rather err on the side of YOU being in the wrong rather than US".

That is my real problem with Sony Computer Entertainment. This kind of attitude.

As to the gameplay of Unit 13, I'm having a lot of fun with it so far. It's sorta similar to the Syphon Fiiter PSP games; you use a cover mechanic though sometimes it sticks in the wrong places and gets in the way.... sure there is no overall storyline; it's just a set of missions. But like Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D, it is very fun to just jump in & blast away. The biggest problem with the game so far is the run-and-gun game levels: some of the missions are run-and-gun and the game is COMPLETELY NOT SUITED for that kind of gameplay. The 2nd analogue stick doesn't do targeting as anywhere near as precisely as it needs to for run-and-gun, at least not in this game. Because of the clunkiness of the aiming system, it's like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Sure, you can drive a car off a cliff, but that doesn't mean cars can fly. The time limits to complete these missions are just too brutally short. I've written about how much I hate time limits in games, and how it's a lazy game mechanic that needs to go away. Almost 1/3 of the missions comprise this broken game mode-- which means about 1/3 of the game is practically unplayable.

Which brings me to a major point about the PS Vita: Yes, for YEARS people begged Sony to put a 2nd analogue nub in the PSP. We got so desperate for it, all we cared was that they put it in. As long as it's simply THERE, the games will come.... that was the belief. But now that it's actually here, it's not proving to be as good as it should be. It's hard to describe but because of the placement of it as well as it being small... it definitely *doesn't* feel like the right analogue stick on a home console system like PS3/Xbox360. It's *very* difficult to do precise aiming or camera control with the right analogue stick in Unit 13. Now I don't know if this is a fault of the hardware or the software. Did Zipper Interactive ACTUALLY PLAY the game on a PS Vita, or simply develop it using Dualshock 3 controllers? I am actually a bit worried now about how tuned the 2nd stick will be for shooters, especially fast-paced ones like Star Wars Battlefront.

Another very strange issue has popped up: when playing Unit 13 and MotorStorm RC, the PS button blue light will turn off then on every few seconds. I have NO IDEA what this is about, I'm pretty sure it didn't happen before. The only thing close to it is when the PS Vita battery is low, the light will turn off. At first that's what I thought it was. But my battery is still strong when it's happening. It's very odd. I wonder if Unit 13 was a bit too glitchy & rushed.

The biggest glitch is sometimes the game crashes the PS Vita. The sound will go out, then if you try to exit the game the PS Vita will freeze. Trying to shut it down, the circles will keep swirling, the blue PS button will keep flashing....until the battery dies? I hold the power button for like 10 seconds until the recovery menu comes up.



Vita-crashing glitches like this are really inexcusable... Even the demo has this bug. How did this get past the Quality Assurance (QA) testers?



later
don

Charlie's Angels code?

A follow-up on my previous posting about the PS Store promo where they were giving a free download for Canadian PSN members who visited the PS Store between July 1-14, 2010.

Yeah.... about that code for the Charlie's Angels free download..... I suspect I'm not going to get it.


It's July 28, and still no email from Sony with the code. I've heard other people got their codes. But so far, I've gotten bumpkiss.

I can't explain it, but I feel like I'm on a "no freebies list" for some reason. I've talked about how I signed up and got emails saying I was getting free UMD demos 3 times-- and *none* of them were sent out.

And recently, I got an email from Sony about changes to their TOS or something.... the email was ENTIRELY in french. I've NEVER listed french as my language, nor clicked on any french options with any Playstation site. It wasn't even a bilingual email, with english & french... it was all french.

Sometimes when I get email updates from Playstation, they overcapitalize my name, like as if someone hit the CAPS LOCK key by mistake. What's bizarre is that it happens sometimes, not all the time. Is someone at Sony seriously typing out my name EVERY time they send out an email? This isn't all in their account records?

Things like this make me wary of Sony Computer Entertainment... my experience with them has been clunky, to say the least....

I did get the code for the free demo of ModNation Racers (PSP) and amazingly it worked, so maybe that's why I had my hopes up. And who knows, maybe I will get the Charlie's Angels code soon.... I'll go check my email.... but it's not that I'm dying to watch Charlie's Angels again, it's the principle of the thing.

Sony, just try not to suck so much.



later
don

PS Video Store finally comes to Canada

July 1 marked the debut of movies/tv on the Playstation Store for Canada. Right now, there is a promotion where you can get a copy of Charlie's Angels if you visit the PS Store between July 1-14, 2010 (with your account logged in)

I'm not sure if it's a rental version of Charlie's Angels or we can "own" it, and I'm not sure how we get the redemption code, it's supposed to be emailed to us after visiting. I bet it won't happen for a while.

But to access the PS Store, PSPs need to have the latest firmware update, 6.30. It only offers a very minor update to the GAME folders, apparently to seperate Neo-Geo game content from PlayStation content..... but that's not the REAL reason for the update, of course. The *real* reason is to block the Patapon 2 demo exploit that can be used to load homebrew-- even on a PSPgo.

So that's why there's been such a long period of time without any PSP firmware updates, then this one comes along. Sony forgot about the PSP until someone hacked it again. But if you're not interested in this homebrew exploit, then it's probably worth it to update especially if you intend to access the PS Store. As annoying as it is, I will be updating right after I type up this post....

I'm not sure how I feel about buying video from the PS Store. I was looking at the rental section and the prices seem to be around $4.99 (plus tax) I want to see Paranormal Activity, but when I did a search all it came up with was an option to buy it for like $19.99... I don't want to *buy* it, just watch it once. I don't get why there would be some movies that you can only buy & not rent... I dunno.

UPDATE: I was just logged into the PS Store on my PSPgo, and one of the "frames" of the page had a message saying thanks for visiting the Store! Your voucher will be emailed after July 14.... something like that.



later
don

PS Store downloading service

So I did manage to download the PS1 game Nuclear Strike from the PS Store. I disconnected my wireless router and hooked up direct to my modem.

I don't know why the PSN Downloader won't work with my router. Like I said, it's so picky about downloading. Sony & PlayStation is so overly paranoid about having to offer content over download-- they don't want any downloaded games to be stored on a customer's PC, they want it to go direct from their server to the PSP-- they seem to be scared that somehow content is going to be pirated that way.... which is completely moronic. Think about it-- it's easy to tell what files comprise a game if you really want to know. The PSP is too open of a system that it can't completely hide files on the memory stick. But what does it even matter during the connection/downloading phase?

They think that if a download connection flickers in some small way, that the customer is doing something shady. But all the game content is tied to a user's account anyway, so why should it matter if a download is going slower at some point or whatever. Doesn't automatically mean we're somehow doing something nefarious... that kind of assumption doesn't even make sense.

Then there's trying to download games to the PSP directly over wi-fi. Even under best-case conditions it's notably slower, but I wonder how many people can even get it to complete before timing out. It's a great idea on paper. In real-world practical terms, it's useless if it doesn't even work.

Sony could make their download servers extra forgiving considering we've PAID FOR the content we're downloading. I download lots of stuff from free sites that handle downloading much better that the crap PS Store, that don't give me nearly as many problems with downloading as the PS Store does.

So yeah, the PS Store for PSP is simply a broken experience, and this is YEARS after it's been rolled out now. There's NO EXCUSE for such a craptastic experience. Who's in charge of this division of PlayStation, anybody? Or do they shuffle off bits of it to whoever's not busy at the time with their own division or whatever?

And don't even get me started on the lack of games on the PS Store... that's a whole 'nother issue.... Sony can't force third party companies to make their games available on PSN. But Sony *CAN* make their download service not suck complete balls. They *CAN* make it Mac-compatible... they could do all this stuff.... if they wanted to.

Stop being such a complete ass, Sony PlayStation Network division.


later
don

0x8004810b error

As predicted, the Playstation Store has decided to stop working on me again.

This morning I decided to buy a PS1 game, Nuclear Strike. Paid $6.69 (including tax)-- which of course the PS Store took just fine-- but when I tried to download it through Media Go with my PSPgo connected to my PC, it gets about 2/3 the way downloaded and gives me this message:

A connection error has occurred.
(0x8004810b)




Lovely.

Tried it again, same thing. Then I tried the PSPgo over wi-fi to download it directly. It gets about 2%, then the download time goes UP & up and finally connection times out.

The Playstation Store is like one of those vending machines that eats your quarters... only instead of quarters it eats your anywhere from $5.00 to $40.00+ or whatever.....

Here's the thing. Notice on my downloads list that the last time I downloaded any games from the PS Store was late December 2009. That was just before I got a wireless router.... so that may be the problem. But I can't understand why the Playstation Network Downloader is so picky about connections, seemingly dropping them at the SLIGHTEST hint of any slowdown.

I've tried setting my PSPgo time using the internet. Didn't help.

I've checked my firewall settings on my PC, and they haven't changed-- all the PSN Downloader & Media Go content should have full access. My wireless router doesn't have any settings to adjust, basically it just works-- I've had little-to-no problems with it since hooking it up, and my PC isn't connected wirelessly, it's hardwired to the router & the router to the modem. So there shouldn't be any problems with downloading through my PC since it isn't even wireless.

The next step may be to connect my modem back up to my PC directly, but I really don't want to do that. What a pain, just to download crap from the PS Store??? Also, I suspect that it won't help anyway. I have a sinking feeling that now that I've gotten connection errors, my connection is poisoned... I dunno. I always get the feeling that the PS Store holds a grudge.

The bottom line is it just shouldn't be like this. Every time I buy and download something from the PS Store, I'm walking on eggshells, *praying* that it'll work. It's not a good feeling to be going, "pleaseworkpleaseworkpleasepleasework" while a PSP game that I bought is downloading.

People keep saying that downloads/digitial distribution is the future of gaming. I keep wanting to punch them in the face. This is not how the future of game/content delivery should be like. My last post about this was over a year ago, and Sony has fixed ONE issue that I brought up (being able to pay an exact amount-- if it's over $5.00...) the other issues like lack of any HELP/SUPPORT service/feature... is *STILL* missing.

The Playstation Store is simply broken. I suppose it's good that it only ate my $6.69, and not a full game price.

It's content downloaded via a high-speed internet connection. Why can't they just make it WORK???


later
don

Star Wars Battlefront Elite Squadron PSP

I waited-- not so patiently-- for this game to finally show up on the PSN Store... it's strange how low-key the buzz has been for Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron... game sites don't want to talk about it at all. That's been the case for all the SWBF games, they don't get a lot of respect even though they get 7-8 out of 10 ratings. Despite all that, the games sell very well; there's a lot of interest in them from the public.

I think that the PS Store updates late afternoon Thursdays.... I was on there through Media Go at like 4:30PM & there was nothing, then about an hour later it was up.

I was initially underwhelmed by the demo, but I have to admit I played it a lot, and it has grown on me. The full game is basically more of the same, though oddly enough I think there's a slight bit *less* polish if that even makes any sense: specifically when you choose ALTERNATE controls the onscreen button instructions are still for the DEFAULT. Renegade Squadron knew which control scheme you were using & adjust the onscreen button instructions accordingly.... I think the Elite Squadron demo did too but I deleted it to make space so I can't be sure.

I haven't finished trying out all the game modes like Galactic Conquest, but I was struck by how the campaign mode didn't feel like a Star Wars Battlefront game; if you die the game stops & you start over at a checkpoint (luckily they're quite frequent) but that's not Battlefront at all. Battlefront is about dying, respawning & getting back in there.

The campaign feels like a mediocre shooter. The graphics & level design don't really compare to something like the Syphon Filter or Resistance PSP games. It's more clunky & slower.

But the instant action mode is very much Battlefront. It's strange because all modes use the same game assets obviously, but instant action is much faster paced & more interesting from a gameplay standpoint.

So overall, I am a bit sad to see that Elite Squadron seems rushed & not quite as solid as Renegade Squadron. But the core game concept of fighting on the ground, air & space is a really cool one. Yes, there are cutscenes between each battlefront, and it is a bit annoying to fly to/from a hanger & suddenly a cutscene pops up showing you landing or entering atmosphere rather than you actually doing it yourself. It sort of reminds me of Me & My Katamari, which would have loading to enter the second half of a level... and that was more annoying because you just basically waited. So at least the cutscenes here are kinda cool.

I updated my main PSP-2001 to firmware 6.10 & downloaded Elite Squadron to that as well as my PSPgo, and until I did, I didn't realize that on the regular PSP the game doesn't look as good as Renegade Squadron. It looks good on the PSPgo, but the bigger screen of the PSP unfortunately shows the blandness of a lot of the map details.

Another odd thing is that it seems like it's easier on the PSPgo. I've got the same difficulty settings for both games, but the regular PSP game seems a lot harder-- and not because of the controls. If anything, the regular PSP should be a bit easier because there's a cheap way to play as a jedi: use the side of your index finger to constantly hold down the UP key on the D-pad while using your thumb to move the analogue nub-- the jedi will automatically block laser fire & you can still attack. Because of the control placement on the PSPgo it's nearly impossible to hold down UP on the d-pad while using the analogue nub. Despite that I found the boss fights to be easier for some reason. So I don't know if it's just me or what.

I don't know why but I'm finding myself using the side of my index finger to press the D-pad (usually up) while my thumb is working the analogue nub while playing PSP, like for Resistance: Retribution.

The game concept is very cool & maybe just a bit too ambitious... but even though it's not perfect there's still plenty of fun to be had here. Once I get more used to where everything is I think it will be really fun.... hell, just being able to go onboard the Death Star (and fly away from it to board the enemy flaghip) is immensly cool!

The good thing about Star Wars Battlefront Elite Squadron is that there's a demo. If you don't like the demo, you probably shouldn't bother with the full game.

Today I went out & bought the DS version, even though it's a different game & more stripped down, I think it will be fun in its own way. Unfortunately I won't have a lot of time to play it, don't know why I even bought it before I went away, shoulda' just waited till I came back....



later
don

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron demo

Last night I downloaded the Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron demo to my PSPgo from the PS Store. Free and about 78 MB, it's worth downloading to try it out.

This is probably my most anticipated game of the year, so I have really high expectations.... expectations that I've tried to keep in check while waiting for the game to come out.

Ever since the original Star Wars Battlefront on Xbox, I've had to eat my words for my initial impressions of the 2 follow-up games. I played the Star Wars Battlefront II demo on my Episode III DVD, and it was an earlier build of the game so it wasn't as polished. I was at first very disappointed... but the actual game became one of my favourites.

Same with the PSP Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. At first I thought they messed up the formula, but I have to say it is one of, if not my favourite game of all time.

So maybe my initial impressions are a bit harsh. But still, as cool as Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron is in concept, there seem to be some annoyances that really mar the experience.

They kept the 2 control settings: "Default" & "Alternate". I choose "Alternate" because it makes the face buttons for look. The problem is, it maps the steering for spaceships to the face buttons. The analogue nub is only for controlling speed: you push up or down basically. That seems like such a huge waste, and to not have the analogue nub steer a flying vehicle seems so very, VERY wrong.

I've tried it with the "default" controls which does map ship steering back to the analogue nub, but it still seems very awkward, not to mention that I don't want to have to adjust the options every time I switch from ground to air playing.

For Battlefront II & even Renegade Squadron (which is the developer of Elite Squadron too) they made a point to address that the vehicle control in Battlefront I was bad, and that they were going to improve on that... which they did. So Elite Squadron's starfighter controls seem like a major step backwards to the clunky awkward feel of Battlefront I and even worse because space battles are a huge integral part of the game.

Another thing I noticed right away was the overall game interface. It looks fancy, but cluttered. I *hate* how all the enemy soldiers have these HUGE circles around them, showing health but obscuring who they even are. They could be WWII Nazis as far as I can tell with that junk just making a mess & taking me out of the Star Wars experience. Do we really need those huge circles?

The graphics & design have made a bit of an improvement, they have to be commended for that. But these issues really bug me. So far I've played all 4 factions on the demo's Tatooine map, and the overall battle seems a bit random & chaotic; echoing some of the *broken* aspects of Battlefront I's gameplay.

The maps do seem big, much bigger than Renegade Squadron. Right now they seem a bit TOO big with pointless areas, but I might just need to get used to them.

I hope this demo is just an early build and that the actual release game will be more polished, but I doubt it as it's coming out November 3, 2009-- a bit over a week from now.

There's so much that's cool about this concept: you fight on the ground, and can fly up into space, where you can fight other starfighters or board an enemy capital ship. The capital ships are more expansive than they've ever been on the PSP. But I wonder if the idea's a bit too ambitious for its (or developer Rebellion) own good. Maybe the game will grow on me, maybe I will end up eating my words again. I sincerely hope so.


later
don

My idea for PSN digital & UMD game pricing

Here's how I think UMD & digital download from the PS Store game pricing should be handled:

Sony & 3rd party PSP game makers release a game in UMD format. Price it MSRP, say $40.00 or whatever.

Offer the same game on the PS Store for digital download 3-4 weeks later, and price it 25% less than the UMD. $30.00 for the download.

I know a lot of people will think that everyone will just wait for the digital release if it comes out for 25% less, and this will screw over the retailers who carry UMD games, etc. But the 4 week wait period will work in retailers favour: early adopters who want it on UMD will pay a bit more, but they'll get a hard copy & instruction booklet, etc. Digital download copies don't have any physical assurance of their game, the e-instruction booklet is never as good & such. Because of the less expense on SCE & the game maker's side, consumers should get to pay like 25% less.

Maybe this method will kill the UMD format & drive most of the sales to the PS Store. I don't know. But as to retailers feeling "betrayed" or whatever, I keep pointing out to those who say such junk that there's this device called, umm, the iPod Touch/ iPhone where retailers don't see a single cent from the apps bought for those devices, yet they sell the hardware nonetheless.

Savvy shoppers also know that games drop in price 6 months to a year after release, and if they wait long enough, they might be able to get the UMD copy of a game for much less than either MSRP or PS Store price..... and Sony could have some sales at their PS Store, they've started doing that a bit.

So I think this is a pretty reasonable model for handling PSP game pricing. I know there's a lot of other factors involved & it may not be that easy. But hopefully it'll happen. Do I think it will?

Of course not. This is Sony we're talking about.


later
don

PSPgo - the PS Store

First off, remember how I mentioned that Future Shop was selling those PSN game cards.... they were mostly Greatest Hits titles; God of War: Chains of Olympus, Twisted Metal: Head On, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, etc. they were selling them for standard retail price, $19.99 & up. I went back in there yesterday, and they were almost completely gone. They had STACKS of these things, hanging up on pegs, and there was only a small pile of an NBA game PSN card left.

What gets me is that when I checked out the PS Store, I saw a lot of those games for LESS than what Future Shop was selling those cards for. Twisted Metal, for example, is on the PS Store for $14.99, and I know that those PSN card versions of it were $19.99.

So makes me wonder, are PSPgo owners kinda, ummm... stupid??? Seriously..... obviously this resurgence in sales is due to the opening week of the PSPgo launch. And of course new owners are really excited to load up this new console with games. But to buy a card that is a voucher for a game-- not the actual game itself, just a placeholder til you download it-- aaaaaand to pay MORE for that card than you would if you just went to the site itself (which you have to go to with the card anyway) and just paid for it there. Or if you don't want to pay online, you could just buy a general PSN card & spend it however you want. I will say though, that Future Shop didn't have any PSN cards when I checked, and it's not made clear that you can do that by them or Sony at all... a major marketing slip-up there.


So... the 2nd part of my PSPgo experience. For the first week or so I just played with it offline, no access to Media Go software & the PlayStation Store. Last night I installed Media Go; first I updated my Quicktime because I knew it required that for some reason. I hardly ever use Quicktime.... and I also uninstalled my old PlayStation Network Downloader from back when the PC access was more direct instead of being through Media Go. I also of course had to update the PSpgo's firmware to 6.10.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you're updating through a PC and getting the update from the PlayStation site, be aware that there are *TWO DIFFERENT FIRMWARE UPDATES*. One for PSP-1000/2000/3000 models and one specifically for the PSPgo (PSP-N1000). On the Update page they don't really explain that clearly, so make sure you get the right update for the right PSP!

After jumping through all those hoops, I gave it a shot & tried to download from the PS Store, a demo for Undead Knights. I had some problems, I kept getting this message:

A connection error has occurred. (0x80048b1f)

I have to admit, I was pretty down about it. If I couldn't get the PS Store to work for me, I'd have to return the PSPgo, otherwise what good is it? So today I checked my firewall settings, did everything I could to get this to work, and it did! It updated the PSN downloader and everything seemed to work.

I have no idea if/when my PS Store access will bugger up again. I have to be prepared that it might just decide to not work for me tomorrow, next week, whenever... so I bought a few games.... honestly, there's not a lot on there that I'm dying for or anything. For now, last I checked, it worked.

I've been thinking who is the PSPgo for? What is Sony trying to accomplish here? I think I have a better idea of what they want: they want PSPgo owners to download games, but they mostly want them to download video; tv shows & movies. The vast majority of the PSP PSN content is video; they claim there's something like 16,000 pieces of downloadable content and 225 of it is games. You do the math.

Well that leaves Canadian PSN users out in the cold since we can't buy video content from the PS Store. But honestly, I wouldn't buy that stuff even if I could. yeah I load lots of tv content on my PSPgo (and PSPs) but it's from the Neuros Recorder 2+. Paying per show seems like a rip-off to me, but I guess if you don't subscribe to cable & only buy a few shows then it's worth it for some.

So I'd say the PSPgo puts a priority on video (they want you to buy it from the PSN) and then games. With it's smaller size & most of the same featureset of the previous PSP, it's clear that Sony sees it as a media player first & game player second.


later
don

sometimes Sony does something right (wrong)

hehe.... I didn't take advantage of this, but there was an unexpected "bonus" when SCEA unleashed the spate of new PSP games, demos & videos on the PS Store today (Oct. 1, 2009).

Among the new releases was supposed to be a free demo for the game Undead Knights... only where you go to download the demo, they had the FULL game!

I noticed it when I looked at the preview info of the file. I downloaded the Japanese demo a few days ago... couldn't play it because it requires 5.51 firmware, and my PSP is on 5.03. But I know that the demo is about 100 MB. But when I saw the demo at the PS Store, it was about 500 MB. I thought, "Wha?? Why is a demo so big??"

Then I read on the PS forums how it was the full game. Gotta love Sony's unintended"goodwill program"... a free game on the PSPgo's release date! "Good for you", Sony! hehe. Was that Karma?

I guess we know why they normally only dribble releases out on the PS Store, because any more than 4 new games & they get too confused.

I'm sure Sony will make sure such "promotions" don't happen again.


later
don

Digital Distribution Only

*Sigh*.... I've been feeling it in the wind for a long time. And gaming "news" sites are gleefully rubbing their hands together, DROOLING in anticipation of the day that *all* PSP games are "Digital Distribution Only".

Why? Why are they tripping over their tongues at the the thought of banishing the "evil" UMD format? I'm ok with the idea of both UMD and digital distribution for PSP games.

But if/when Sony goes download-only for all its content... I'm pretty sure that's when I say good-bye to any new PSP games or content.

I don't trust that Sony's software, whether it's Media Go or a future replacement (probably will come out in a couple months, knowing Sony) is competent enough to not COMPLETELY FUCK UP my purchased games, rendering them unplayable on my PSPs. Like it hasn't happened before. Eventually, it WILL happen again.

When I hear about CapCom releasing 20-40 titles for the PSN, and read about the upcoming new Resident Evil game for PSP, how it probably will be download-only.... it's obvious that Sony is working to phase out UMD support entirely.

Of course the PSP Go is the biggest proof of this direction. We all think of the PSP Go as a "hardware refresh", because it doesn't add much, just Bluetooth & 16GB built-in memory... but overall it has the same buttons as previous PSPs. Consider this: when a system, be it home console or handheld-- changes game media-- that's an ENTIRELY new system, isn't it? When Nintendo went from catridges to discs, it's an obvious system change. Sony's a bit harder to quantify, since they've always been disc-based media: PS1 games are playable on PS2, right? Both Nintendo & Sony has a history of backwards compatibility. But Sony broke that history when PS3s stopped supporting it.

I believe all the digital content playable on a PSP Go is also playable on a PSP. Still, they take entirely different game formats natively: I bought my PSPs understanding that they play UMD games, and they were just starting to offer digital content when I bought my first PSP. Now, if you buy a PSP Go you have to accept they take an entirely different source of media-- digital content only. THAT'S A NEW SYSTEM. In that case, Sony should've just made a PSP 2, changed the controls, offered up a major hardware revision--whatever. If you change the game format it takes, YOU'VE MADE A NEW GENERATION OF HARDWARE. *Not* a minor refresh.

If digital-only is the future for Sony PSP games.. or even DS(i) games..... I can't see myself following, unless they make MAJOR efforts to streamline & perfect their stores. Out of all of them... I'm loathe to say I might trust Apple the most--or rather, I distrust them the least. So my future handheld may be an iPod Touch.



later
don

Why I hate Sony part 2: PlayStation Store

Like every other PSP owner, I was pretty excited when Sony opened up the PlayStation Store to PC access, meaning that we didn't have to own a PS3 to download content from it.

It was PC-only (not Mac compatible) and you needed to install the Network Downloader program to use it. But the program seems fairly small, and it worked alright for me .

My biggest problem getting started was it wouldn't accept my credit card. It's a major brand, but it would not take it for some reason. I had to use a relative's CC which for some reason DID work (also the same brand)

Once that hurdle was cleared, the PS Store worked well enough.... I was downloading demos like Patapon & God of War: Chains of Olympus, and I bought Beats.

Everything was lovey-dovey... until one day when I tried to download a demo, it would get 2% into the download, then say: Communication with the server failed (80048516) ... every time I kept trying the same thing would happen. Nothing's changed on my computer--I was baffled. I looked up the problem on the web, tried to do as much research as I could (I always do with gadgets) and people were saying deactivating & re-activating their PSP was solving the problem.

So I tried that. You go to the activate PSP page, and (at the time-- it's been months since I've looked at the PS Store) all there is is a blank page with a check mark of either Activate or Deactivate. No other details. If you click Deactivate, it asks "Are you Sure?" but no other details.

Once I deactivated my PSP, it wouldn't reactivate, and so it was completely cut off from the PS Store. What the hell???

I phoned up Sony Customer Support, and told them my problem. Their "solution": the PS Store suddenly stops working for you? Then you can't use it. That's LITERALLY what the support drone said. He also told me that a PSP can't be reactivated to the same account once it's deactivated. WHY DON'T THEY SAY THAT ON THE ACTUAL WEBSITE PAGE?!?! Maybe... fill up some of that NEARLY COMPLETELY BLANK space that is on the activation page with some of this info?

For that matter, there was *NO* help or customer service link ANYWHERE on the PS Store site.

So I was left with my deactivated PSP Slim, which had demos of Patapon & God of War: Chains of Olympus... and more importantly Beats which I PAID MONEY FOR.... *all* of it suddenly became DEAD, USELESS DATA on my memory stick, completely inaccessible.


Another issue with the PS Store was how you paid for product: You have to transfer funds to your Playstation wallet, only in $5.00 or $10.00 amounts. Something like Beats cost me, I think $7.00 with tax? Because of the price structure, you'll ALWAYS have money left over that you can't spend. Stupidly I even put in another $10.00 I think because I was going to buy another game.

Imagine going into a store wanting to buy a stick of gum that costs, let's say, $1.50. You fish out your wallet to find only a $10.00 bill. Well that's more than enough to cover the costs, right? Now imagine instead of getting change back, the store automatically KEEPS your ENTIRE $10.00, and the shopkeeper telling you that the extra $8.50 will go towards your next purchase. Does that seem like a place you want to shop at? Welcome to the PlayStation Store.


There might be ways around the activation problem, like creating a new account. The thing is, you need another CC to be able to create a new account.... it's all such as hassle.

So to sum it up, the problems with the PlayStation Store:

• -randomly won't take some credit cards
• -network downloader randomly stops working (80048516 error)
• -no customer service/no HELP link or info
  
• -have to pay more money than what you want to buy

This experience sent me over the edge with Sony, coupled by my PSP Slim problems, but the Store is what really turned me from miffed to a hater. It's been months since I've even checked on the Store. I believe there's a new Network Downloader program, and the Store interface might be improved. But this whole thing has largely soured me on downloadable content, which I was wary of to beging with. It's one of the reasons I chose to buy a PSP over an iPod back in 2006.



If I sit on my UMD and it cracks, I don't blame Sony. Sure, UMDs are fragile & flimsily-designed, but if I sit on one, that's MY fault. If I scratch a CD, I know what's wrong with it, I don't blame the record companies. I bought the product, it's mine.

But if I wake up one morning and my downloaded content/network that I bought stops working for no reason, who's fault is that? That's what I hate about DRM. All this talk about moving completely to downloaded games really has me worried. I don't think Sony is competent enough to handle it. It's a real shame, because I'd like to buy Super Stardust Portable or Flow. But I can't see how I can trust Sony again.


related: *Why I hate Sony part 1*



later
don