Post time!
The first part of this post is going to be a small review of Playstation Network and the second part is how I see the Playstation 3 now finally visibly moving forwards so be warned, haters of Sony it is advisiable you stop here and wait a few days for Niall's PC shizzle.
So, last thursday night, rather frustrated with work I could never get finished. I bought Wipeout HD from PSN. I didn't expect much, I bought the new Ratchet and Clank for £10 and although it's worth just about that, you won't get that much from it after you finish it and you'll finish it quickly. What impressed me about Ratchet being a PSN game was how beautiful it looked and it really set the standard for Blu-ray and PSN games alike. So, £12 poorer I downloaded Wipeout and my first impressions of it... was that this game is what we would see if we looked through the eyes of God. It actually gave me a warning telling me how bright this game is so it's advisable I take breaks. I'm not going to go into a deep review of why it's great but this game opened my eyes to something. Trophies. The trophy and point system, although fatally flawed in that not a lot of games support it, is an extremely interesting and great addition to Playstation online. We see the fruits of Xbox Live, which I've always been extremely envious of, but alas I see hope for online. This brings me onto my next point. The Playstation store has been boosted thoroughly and daily updates are being made. The Bioshock demo, is a real treat for the eyes, the added trailers and programmes add variety into our downloads in the comfort of our own home. Oh and one more thing on the subject of PSN, Wipeout supports custom soundtracks, please Sony, pay attention to your rival Microsoft and what they've done. People like custom soundtracks, we really do...honest.
Next where does this leave Playstation then in the future? Before I even attempt to give my thoughts on this I'm going to mention a series of games I think will be influential. LittleBigPlanet, Mirror's Edge, Fallout 3 and the eventual release of Final Fantasy XIII. To start with LBP, this game will change everything. The idea, although simple has never even been attempted to be executed like this and provides the perfect bridge between hardcore and casual gaming. Sony have managed to get LittleBigPlanet to be taken seriously by gamers without going all Nintendo on our asses and changing the target audience completely. How this has been done is beyond me but the creation of this newfound community will be a unique and brilliant addition to Playstation online. Why? We have the Xbox Halo and COD4, foaming at the mouth, n00b killing community down to a tee and done well. With the addition to that on Playstation, for the first time we can have everyone playing and going online to a wonderfully colourful game.
Mirror's Edge, Fallout 3 and Final Fantasy XIII. None of these actually being Playstation exclusives however these are the games that are going to be getting the acclaim and awards from critics. These games will be the ones that Playstation can finally use to show off it's superior hardware after developers have successfully adapted to the new 7th generation. None of that Resistance bollocks, (sorry Resistance fans). With the Wii in the background and Nintendo already making enough money and the Xbox 360 seemingly peaking and rumours of the what the next Xbox may have, the Playstation is just about to peak. Mark my words the games I mentioned will bring this system high above the rest. Naturally you would expect sales to follow suit but let's talk about money another time.
Be pleased though that we are in for a treat the next year because with arcade and retail games all rushing up, the Playstation is the almighty black collosus that can support everything and vomit out the bright lights back at you with flair.
If you think I'm talking out my ass please feel free to tell me. However if you so much as look at LittleBigPlanet with a dirty expression I might need to send bricks your way.
Loving the games, hating the school, thank God for Wipeout HD..
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