[Preview] Gravity Rush

Of the games about to come out on the PSV, Gravity Daze certainly looks to be theone that makes best use of the system’s abilities the most while retaining theproperties of a traditional game. It has also received interest largely becauseit is not a simple remake or have any console counterparts. While checking outthe PSV recently, we downloaded the demo from the PSN store to give the game aquick look.

With its beautiful cel-shaded graphics and vibrant colors, Gravity Rush doesn’t need the technicalpower of a home console in order to wow. Animations are smooth, often temptingplayers to roam the environments rather than go toward the objectives. Cutscenes are presented in comic panels quite fitting of the art style. As anovelty, or perhaps something that will affect gameplay in the full version, thegyrometer is put to use during cutscenes and will tilt along with the system,giving new angles from which to view the story.

Once players are done gazing at the game’s beauty, they willhave a chance to marvel at the game’s equally mind-blowing gameplay. The game’sfloating mechanic allows protagonist Kat to freely float and aim a spot uponwhich to land. At first, it seems like a mundane feature of the game, butcombined with kicks that bounce players back into the air, it will keep playersaiming at enemies in the air and taking them down one-by-one. It does give therush that the game’s name implies, challenging players to combo as many and asquickly as possible.

The demo concludes with a boss that has several spinninglimbs, all of which have a weak spot that must be kicked from a floating state.As with any traditional boss, repetition only gets the player so far before newstrategies must be implemented. As individual limbs lose their vulnerability,players will have to aim more carefully rather than catapulting Kat mindlessly.Once the limbs are all taken out, players can also rush in and finish the bossoff with basic melee attacks, not unlike those of other action adventure games.

Amongst the heavy hitters that will be coming out at the PSV’slaunch, such as Uncharted: Golden Abyssand Resistance: Burning Skies, it’seasy to overlook a title without any name recognition to it. However, gamersthat have been complaining about the lack of original titles on Sony’sportables should definitely give GravityRush a spin. It could change their perspectives on the Vita’s launch. 

[Hardware Preview] PlayStation Vita

When we first saw the PS Vita at E3, it all seemed like afuturistic system that we would never actually own. With only a month beforethe PSV’s North American release, we got our hands on one of Hong Kong’s 3Gmodels and tried it out. Aside from its technical superiority, the PSV is filledwith smart design decisions that make it the premiere portable device forgamers to anticipate.

There are several things that players will notice about thesystem once they hold it in their hands: it’s wide yet slender, features alarge 5-inch screen that is incredibly lightweight, and a wildly differentinterface. While the sleek nature of the system is appealing, I couldn’t helpbut feel paranoid about putting it into my pocket. With such a large screen,the system felt like it was bound to snap and was just plain uncomfortable inmy pocket.

During gameplay, however, the system was a marvel to hold.The PSV’s dual analog sticks and overall sizable buttons felt welcoming, asthough a portable was finally large enough for my gigantic hands. The system’sportability was ultimately sacrificed for a more engaging gaming experience. It’sa trade-off that I won’t mind, as long as I had something other than my jeans’pocket in which to store the PSV. Conveniently, games include useful links tothe game’s website, company’s website, or PSN store for easy access. The multitouchcapacitive touchscreen is duly sensitive and precise, making it leaps andbounds above the 3DS’s outdated resistive touchscreen and giving it many morepossibilities instead.

Some browsing through the system’s applications quickly showedsome notable improvements over other systems’ similar counterparts. ThePlaystation Store itself is pretty easy to browse, featuring categories on theleft ranging from the games and add-ons to movie downloads. Fans of digitalcontent will be excited to find that retail games are also available as digitaldownloads. Near, the PSV’s attempt to connect nearby gamers, shows differentusers on a map including their PSN usernames, recent games, and trophies. Thisfeature most mirrors the original Nintendo DS’s PictoChat that allowed users tochat with others nearby; however, Near works on a much larger scale, allowingusers to see others several kilometers away as well. Security concerns mayarise, but since the unit was in Chinese, we were not able to test outdifferent settings.

In order to receive internet signal, the 3G model includes aslot for a SIM card. Curious to see if any SIM card would work, we inserted aT-Mobile SIM card with data on it and, to our amazement, it was able to receivedata. However, it was only able to receive 2G speeds, telling us that thesystem is on the same band as the AT&T network. While the SIM card was inthe slot, the PSV gave notifications on any text messages that arrived.Unfortunately, the system was incapable of replying to text messages or receivingcalls. Perhaps hackers may work on a mod for this in the future, but at leastexisting AT&T customers who wish to have data anywhere can use the system’sdata capabilities, given that they are willing to miss some calls. Keep in mind that the model we tested was from Hong Kong and unlocked - a feature that may not hold true for the North American release.

With only a month to go before its North American release,the system is looking better and better. There are some design decisionsalready that some may question, but the trade offs are definitely worth it. Welook forward to its release and will be waiting by the door for its arrivalcome February 22. 

[Friday Five] Reasons to Get the Wi-Fi PS Vita

With the launch of the Playstation Vita only a little morethan a month away, it seems like the prime time to talk about the system. Afterit had launched in Japan to abysmal figures that were dwarfed by the 3DS’sgrowing sales, most experts predicted an early price drop like Nintendo did forits portable or even the possibility of a cancelled North American launch. Butwe’re not here to talk about that. No, I personally have faith in the PSV. Justnot the 3G model.

You’re Saving Money

Maybe it’s because I’m a miser or maybe it’s because gamesare costing more and more, but the amount you’ll be saving really adds up. It’snot just the initial extra $50 you’ll be saving, but you also have to considerthe subscription fees that will be racking up every month. Right now, AT&T's revealed plans are at $15 per month for 250MB of data and $25 for 2GB of data. It’s simply notworth it considering that…

You Might Have a CellPhone

In the age of smart phones and data plans that can get unlimited data at speeds up to 4G, depending on the provider, there’s no reason to settle for adevice that can only reach speeds of 3G for an extra subscription. Any of the socialnetworking opportunities the PSVita has, such as Facebook and foursquare, areabundantly present in any smart phone. And I’m certainly not spending an extrapremium for the luxury of telling the world I’ve been playing Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 at Denny’sversus just telling them I’m at Denny’s. Plus, with a cell phone…

Internet’s EverywhereAnyways

The tech savvy gamer knows that most phones can be used ashotspots, whether the carriers allow it or not. Many places, including Denny’s,the cheap gamer’s diner of choice, will also have complimentary Wi-Fi. Internetis either simply so abundant or found in so many other sources that it‘s just awaste to jam it into another device. Tether your phone or buy a drink at aStarbucks, because those are both better alternatives considering…

3G Speeds for OnlineGaming…Really?

Even with my 15Mbps connection, gaming is often an iffy andlag-filled affair. Giving AT&T the benefit of the doubt and having faiththat it will consistently deliver the 1700Kbps and 700Kbps upload speedsurveyed by Speedtest.net earlier this year, I still wouldn’t expect a smoothexperience. Good luck dealing with low coverage areas and dead zones, too. Remember,not all 3G is delivered equally.

Minimal HardwareDifferences

The only addition to the 3G model that the Wi-Fi model lacksis the GPS chip. Otherwise, gamers who purchase either model will end up withthe same experience. Unless developers start to utilize the GPS chip in somegames, which heavily relies on the success of the 3G model itself to berealistic, it will sit by and miss out on all the action. Oh, and did I mention how unreliable most GPS chips are indoors, where most gaming will likelytake place? 

[Review] Payday: The Heist (PS3)

Okay, let's be real: given the opportunity and a lack of consequence, we would all want to rob a bank. Hollywood has given us all this guilty pleasure of having us scope out a bank and coordinate this feat to the last detail. Hopefully though, none of us will ever actually try to this because, let's be real once again, you'll die or go to jail. But to give us a better taste and some control in this action, Payday: The Heist is the perfect place to go, with ridiculous clown masks and everything.


The premise of Payday is simple. You and three other friends grab the closest creepy clown masks, some Uzi submachine guns and head to your nearest bank and tear that place up. There is no real tutorial provided; you just walk right up to the bank, listen to instructions, and at that point it becomes almost instinctual. You start yelling at the civilians, tying them up, shooting the security cameras, and looking for the bank manager who has the key to the vault. Though we all know it's never this simple; before long, the cops show up and it becomes a shoot out. It really is a lot of fun, and easy to pick up and play. Throughout the game, you may have an outside man who will give you instructions and updates on when and where police attacks are coming from. Though you might worry that robbing banks might get old one day, that's not the only thing that you do. The game comes with six different maps that will let you commit bank robbery, steal from drug dealers, diamond heists, and more. Developer Overkill Software has announced that there will be DLC to expand gameplay even more.

The gameplay parallels that of any typical first person shooter, though it can be choppy and in general less smooth than other titles. My biggest issue would be that the aiming can lack fluidity and make it difficult to shoot moving cops, though adjusting the sensitivity does help and is recommended. While both the single player and multiplayer have identical gameplay, the best part of the game is playing online and organizing your team, shouting commands to each other and sweating profusely under the pressure. With three pretty much useless AI teammates, you really need that human factor of conflict and arguing to make the game that much more authentic.

After completing a heist, you are awarded money that measures what level you are and can allow certain upgrades such as extra armor, guns, health packs and others. However, one big oversight of the game is that the upgrade system is hidden deep in the settings; players will have to spend some time searching to figure it out that there is an upgrade tree that allows you to choose a path to upgrade your character.  But once you do, it really enhances the gameplay. This is especially true while playing online because upgrades allow you to use different strategies and possibly equip certain players with extra ammo or extra health. These also allow for a larger variety of guns, so you can have a look out sniping, a power guy with heavy firepower, and a more subtle stealthy player amongst other possibilities.

Payday: The Heist might not be the best first person shooter out there but it offers more than enough to keep your criminal urges under control. With the variety in the gameplay combined with the (hopefully) upcoming DLC, this game offers a lot at the $20 price point, making for great replay value. So get your team together and start building your money and reputation as you try to become the most successful criminal in the world, or the virtual world at least.

Available on: PC, PS3; Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment; Developer: Overkill Software; Players: 1 - 4; Released: October 18, 2011; ESRB: Mature; Official Site

Note: A promotional code was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.

[Review] Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3)

Not only has there been a movement in recent years to makevideo games more akin to art, but also cinema. While Heavy Rain has made huge strides in this department, it wasarguably more of movie than game; instead, the key players in the movement havebeen the Metal Gear Solid and Uncharted series. With the last game inthe series, Uncharted has definitelyclosed the gap, and it does so even more with Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception while staying true to its roots asan engaging action game – possibly even the strongest contender for action gameof the year.

Continuing off of Uncharted2’s ending, Uncharted 3 has NathanDrake seeking Francis Drake’s treasure. Along the way, he’ll encounter andfight alongside old friends like Sully, Charlie, Chloe, and Elena against longtimefoes Marlowe and Talbot. The adventure takes Nathan far beyond a simpletreasure hunt and eventually has him seeking Francis Drake’s biggest secret.Not only that, but players also discover Nathan’s past and finally see abefitting conclusion to the Unchartedtrilogy. Never forgetting its roots, the game still provides a good amount ofcomic relief, whether it be a snide remark about Sully’s age or Charlie’spreference in cell phone service providers.

The game’s beauty is unparalleled. It takes players to amyriad of locales, ranging from the streets of London to the flea markets of Yemen.No matter where Uncharted 3 takesplayers though, the settings are recreated eerily well. It’s only made moreimpressive by the variations involved. Whereas most games transport players to onemagnificent world, Uncharted 3 takesplayers to multiple worlds. In particular, the desert is created so beautifullythat, despite Nathan’s own troubles, players may never want to leave. Don’t beconfused, players; this is no tech demo.

Vastly improved from previous iterations, action andcontextual commands now allow players to take out enemies stealthily, fightmultiple enemies at once, or even counter incoming attacks from surroundingenemies. Overall, it feels extremely fluid but, despite the countless solutionsplayers have for the threats around them, never easy. Like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, players are constantly in danger ofbeing shot or attacked from behind, meaning that running in during a gunfightwill result in a swift death.

Aside from combat, players will be spending most of theirtime climbing ledges and solving various puzzles, as in previous iterations. Relativelyunchanged, the mechanic still provides players with the ever convenientlyconstructed ledges, making the climbing mechanic a straightforward andultimately dull feature. The cinematic atmosphere it adds to the game is onethat Heavy Rain can only hope toachieve. At times, ladders may break; rocks could be less stable than theylook; cables may snap; though players are unlikely to actually fall to theirdemise from these occurrences, they feel the constant danger Nathan is in and continueworking towards safer ground. The puzzles themselves are brilliantlyconstructed without being overwhelming. If players take too long, characterswill even provide small hints or remarks that will usher players in the rightdirection. It’s the perfect way to ensure no puzzle becomes hour longendeavors.

Despite the game’s technical prowess and exciting gameplay,it has its fair share of shortcomings. Often times, it falters when sensinginputs. Rather than rolling away as I had intended Nathan to, he would grab anopponent or simply cling to a wall as an enemy wailed away with a shotgun. More annoyingly, the game seems to pick arbitrary points where Nathan's physical capacity for falls would strengthen or weaken; some areas seas him falling two stories and living or from a slightly lower point yet dying. Comparedto previous entries, the final segment is a disappointment and unable tosatisfy the crescendo leading up to it.

However, these are minor faults that, although stand out,never ruin the experience. Players who have followed the Uncharted series from the first game will leave satisfied. If gamesare truly approaching cinema in terms of presentation and gameplay itself, Uncharted 3 is the action movie sequelof the year that has it all – corny jokes, gunfights, fistfights, protagonistsin tight spots, and over the top explosions.

Available on: PS3; Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment; Developer: Naughty Dog; Players: 1 - 10; Released: November 1, 2011; ESRB: Teen; Official Site