Topic: Who is going to buy a PS3 Slim?

[Ian Sane]

So I got a PS3 Slim on Sunday.  I got Bioshock with it and when my brother found out I got one he bought Soul Calibur IV.  Because of that I ended up buying a second controller a little earlier than I otherwise would have.  The controller was 50 bucks and at first I wasn't too thrilled to have to pay that much... until I remember a Wii remote with nunchuk is even more.

I like how the controllers are rechargeable so I don't have to buy a bunch of AA batteries (hint hint, Nintendo) though the cord to charge with is too short.  It's like I'm playing a Genesis.  But when the controller is charged and can be used wireless it's an absolute joy to use.  Sony has actually improved on the controller!  Although it's the same basic design it feels more ergonomic (the L2 and R2 buttons don't stick out the back as far), the plastic feels less cheap and the d-pad is vastly improved.  It's the same split d-pad but it feels firmer, almost like a SNES d-pad.

Soul Calibur IV is exactly what I would expect.  It looks fantastic and does noticeably feel different than the other games though I can't quite put my finger on exactly why that is.  Darth Vader is laughably out of place and my friends all cracked up the second he appeared in the intro.

Bioshock is absolutely amazing.  With the Wii there is all this talk about how graphics don't matter and this and that.  In terms of gameplay, Bioshock isn't breaking that much new ground.  It's a first person shooter and plays as one would expect, though it is very well done and fun to play and has a couple creative ideas.  But the atmosphere really makes this game special.  The setting is believable.  It's eerie and uncomfortable.  You want to explore to see what's next but at the same time you don't because you're afraid of what you'll see next.  The game gives me this feeling that nowhere is safe.  Oh and I don't play as a space marine and it doesn't take place in WWII.

If it was just Miis shooting each other it would play the same but wouldn't FEEL the same and I think that's something that Nintendo has lost track of.  This isn't just about making a pretty game, it's about creating the world in which you the player escape to.  This is what non-games completely lack and that's why I'm completely disinterested in them.  This is why it became apparent that I would need to buy another console.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

You're the person who didn't play RE4 some 4 years ago.  You're incredibly late to this whole escapist 3D atmosphere thing, and it took you $400USD+ and a whole generation to get to a conclusion you would've reached with a Wavebird controller.

[broodwars]

So I got a PS3 Slim on Sunday.  I got Bioshock with it and when my brother found out I got one he bought Soul Calibur IV.  Because of that I ended up buying a second controller a little earlier than I otherwise would have.  The controller was 50 bucks and at first I wasn't too thrilled to have to pay that much... until I remember a Wii remote with nunchuk is even more.

I like how the controllers are rechargeable so I don't have to buy a bunch of AA batteries (hint hint, Nintendo) though the cord to charge with is too short.  It's like I'm playing a Genesis.  But when the controller is charged and can be used wireless it's an absolute joy to use.  Sony has actually improved on the controller!  Although it's the same basic design it feels more ergonomic (the L2 and R2 buttons don't stick out the back as far), the plastic feels less cheap and the d-pad is vastly improved.  It's the same split d-pad but it feels firmer, almost like a SNES d-pad.

Soul Calibur IV is exactly what I would expect.  It looks fantastic and does noticeably feel different than the other games though I can't quite put my finger on exactly why that is.  Darth Vader is laughably out of place and my friends all cracked up the second he appeared in the intro.

Bioshock is absolutely amazing.  With the Wii there is all this talk about how graphics don't matter and this and that.  In terms of gameplay, Bioshock isn't breaking that much new ground.  It's a first person shooter and plays as one would expect, though it is very well done and fun to play and has a couple creative ideas.  But the atmosphere really makes this game special.  The setting is believable.  It's eerie and uncomfortable.  You want to explore to see what's next but at the same time you don't because you're afraid of what you'll see next.  The game gives me this feeling that nowhere is safe.  Oh and I don't play as a space marine and it doesn't take place in WWII.

If it was just Miis shooting each other it would play the same but wouldn't FEEL the same and I think that's something that Nintendo has lost track of.  This isn't just about making a pretty game, it's about creating the world in which you the player escape to.  This is what non-games completely lack and that's why I'm completely disinterested in them.  This is why it became apparent that I would need to buy another console.

If you liked Bioshock, you need to play Batman: Arkham Asylum.  They share many atmospheric and stylistic elements, the tone is pretty similar between the two, and both are just awesome games that aren't possible on Wii in their current state.  Dead Space also has atmosphere in droves, and in many ways it's the game Resident Evil 5 wishes it was.

I may also be the only person to recommend this game, but you might find Alone in the Dark: Inferno an interesting experiment as well as a cheap one.  The game's very buggy and doesn't always work right, but the game itself is very ambitious with how it tries to tell its story and how the game rewards inventiveness with the inventory system.

Finally, there's Prince of Persia, a game commonly criticized for being "too easy" and "holding the player's hand" too much, but I enjoyed it.  It's a gorgeous game with some pretty epic-looking platforming among pretty damn large worlds without loading times.

[KDR_11k]

You want to explore to see what's next but at the same time you don't because you're afraid of what you'll see next.  The game gives me this feeling that nowhere is safe.

Eh? Why worry about safety when all dying does is respawning you in a nearby life restoration chamber with no penalty? That's a pretty damn communist feature in what's supposed to be a pay-for-everything world.

[BranDonk Kong]

Ian, they controllers charge via USB right? If so, then any USB extension cable will work so you can sit farther back while the controller charges. Having said that, if you bought the system 3 days ago, then your batteries shouldn't be dead yet.

[Caliban]

So I got a PS3 Slim on Sunday.

Awesome. Don't forget to drop your Playstation ID here: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=22792.0

Bioshock is absolutely amazing. It's a first person shooter and plays as one would expect, though it is very well done and fun to play and has a couple creative ideas.  But the atmosphere really makes this game special.  The setting is believable.  It's eerie and uncomfortable.  You want to explore to see what's next but at the same time you don't because you're afraid of what you'll see next.  The game gives me this feeling that nowhere is safe.

It is an amazing game. I still think I would label this game in the same genre like the Metroid Prime series is, First Person Adventure.

You need to play Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I recommend it too. Either give it a rental, or wait for a price drop if you think that PS3 games are a bit expensive here in Canada. Unfortunately you missed the deal where Bestbuy, Futureshop and Walmart had the game for $38.83, and I think EB had it too at that price. Maybe EB, or Walmart still have it at that price.

You're the person who didn't play RE4 some 4 years ago.  You're incredibly late to this whole escapist 3D atmosphere thing.

Late is better than never.

[Ian Sane]

You're the person who didn't play RE4 some 4 years ago.  You're incredibly late to this whole escapist 3D atmosphere thing, and it took you $400USD+ and a whole generation to get to a conclusion you would've reached with a Wavebird controller.

Since I'd say the whole escapist 3D atmosphere thing was around on the N64 I'm not late at all.  Games like Goldeneye and Ocarina of Time provided much the same feeling for me when those games were current and those graphics were the best you could do.  And even before that I could escape into a 2D world as well.

The thing is games that provide this form of escapism are quite common on the PS3 and Xbox 360 and quite rare on the Wii.

[KDR_11k]

Maybe I'm weird but I never get a feeling of escaping when playing games.

[EasyCure]

Maybe I'm weird but I never get a feeling of escaping when playing games.

I do. Mainly during Metal Gear Solid and I'm literally in "Escape Mode"

The funny thing is, there's plenty of Wii games I use to reach a feeling of "escape" and they don't necessarily have to have realistic lookin graphics to do so. In fact, I'll even go as far as to say why bother escaping real life to a fantasy world that looks like real life anyway? Whats the point?

[Ian Sane]

I'll even go as far as to say why bother escaping real life to a fantasy world that looks like real life anyway? Whats the point?

I agree which is why I've never been very interested in games like Gran Turismo or Call of Duty or most sports games.  Those are fantasy worlds that look like real life.  But Bioshock takes place in an undersea Utopia turned to **** crawling with mutants.  I'm pretty sure that doesn't exist in the real world.  Same with Hyrule or the Mushroom Kingdom.

However improved graphics can make this fantasy world more believable.  We all went nuts the first time we played Ocarina of Time and noticed all the cool details that no game ever had before.  With a fake world you have some expectations of what such a world would be like if it really existed.  So little details that exist in our world help suck you in more than just a generic stick figure man with floating platform trying to navigate an obstacle course.  Such a game doesn't have to be bad and there's a place for it but it's not the same.  Not every game needs to have sereal visuals either to distinguish itself from the real world.

Hyrule in the original Zelda is just like a big maze with a bunch of underground obstacle courses.  Everyone is either a monster trying to kill me or someone living in a cave.  Many areas are almost identical except for the placement of bushes.  As the series moved forward we started getting towns full of people and every area started to look unique and even the dungeons now look like some sort of ruined ancient temple instead a bunch of room with traps.  And yet even the original Zelda was a huge step up from Adventure where your character is a square.  It's a natural progression and it ties in with improved hardware.

[GoldenPhoenix]

The games I feel the most escapism are more colorful and wondrous games like Zelda, Fable, Mario,Little King's Story, and games of those sorts, which are sadly RARE on the PS3/360. Most are too realistic to make me feel like I'm escaping anything, I'm going from one bland world to another bland (and grey) world.

[EasyCure]

And to Ian I say this:

The biggest part of escaping into fantasy is your own imagination. I'm not saying that advanced hardware outputting advanced, detailed visuals doesn't help in creating fantasy worls like Bioshock, because they do. You just also have to understand its your own imagination which brings these things to life, its what has always been there filling in the blanks for you. With it, a games graphical output doesn't really matter.

My point is you come off as sounding like all of a sudden, your HD games allow you to escape reality better than before. Is that really the case though? Will you not replay Ocarina of Time and be able to escape to that fantasy land of Hyrule? Just doesn't make sense to me, especially when TOO MUCH detail can actually hurt a games chances of pulling me in. I'm not talking about uncanny valley stuff either.

(Warning, for all you regulars tired of hearing about it, I'm going to talk about Rune Factory Frontier now). Take Harvest Moon for instance. I loved the SNES title back in 199X and then later with the N64 title, I loved it even more because the more powerful hardware added to everything. Bigger environments, more characters, more details etc. However the (graphical) jump from the N64 to PS2/GCN was a big turn-off for me because the charm of the cartoon-like environment and characters from the earlier games was lost in its realism. The game was felt TOO big for its own good and the quirky sense of fun I had farming and wooing girls felt like a chore and I gave up on the game before I really got started.

Flash forward to me and my Wii with even more power than a GCN/PS2 (despite what haters/media/"journalists" would have you believe) and a little series called Rune Factory Frontier, which is just a spin-off of HM anyway. It sports a more realistic style than the original HM games, but has its own unique art-style that gives it its own charm and sets it off as something else entirely (You know, what a good spin-off SHOULD do). However, if there's a repeat of what happened going from N64 -> GCN, you can bet your ass I wouldn't buy a Rune Factory HD if it felt too realistic. Afterall, who wants to play a game about doing chores that looks too realistic anyway? Until that happens though, I'm going to enjoy this niche game which you're frankly missing out on, even if the animations aren't always super smooth and some of the characters are a lil low poly, because in the end its still one of the most engrossing games I've played not just of this generation but previous ones as well; it's THE go to game after a long stressful day of work, when I just need to lay back, relax, and escape real life for an hour or two.

[Halbred]

I was at Target last weekend and they were selling Bionic Commando on clearance--$15 freaking dollars! Some of the other staffers recommended it, so I picked it up. Haven't played it yet.

Also found out that Best Buy is trying to get rid of all their Guitar Hero drum kits: 40% off ($62) and this time, the drums work (unlike my original set).

Bioshock is, without a doubt, one of my favorite games. I think it's the music, honestly, and the way the story is presented.

[Halbred]

Exciting news:

Turtles in Time: Re-shelled hits the PSN today for $10. Almost more exciting is that the hardest-to-find entry in the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill, also hits the PSN for just $6.

If the latter can be played on the PSP (don't see whynot), that's totally going to be one of my plane games.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Exciting news:

Turtles in Time: Re-shelled hits the PSN today for $10. Almost more exciting is that the hardest-to-find entry in the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill, also hits the PSN for just $6.

If the latter can be played on the PSP (don't see whynot), that's totally going to be one of my plane games.

Well hopefully you won't be let down by Turtles in Time, like I was.

[broodwars]

Exciting news:

Turtles in Time: Re-shelled hits the PSN today for $10. Almost more exciting is that the hardest-to-find entry in the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill, also hits the PSN for just $6.

If the latter can be played on the PSP (don't see whynot), that's totally going to be one of my plane games.

Well hopefully you won't be let down by Turtles in Time, like I was.

I'll probably download the demo just to see how bad it is, but the big release for me today is Silent Hill 1 up for download.  That's the only one of the numbered Silent Hill games I haven't played yet (I still need to play Origins as well), so I'm looking forward to that one...especially since it's only $6.

[Adrock]

You could always just play the remake, Shattered Memories, on the Wii. Support the cause.

[broodwars]

You could always just play the remake, Shattered Memories, on the Wii. Support the cause.

Or you could always just play both.  I'm not sold yet that Shattered Memories will actually be a good game (I'll be waiting on the reviews and word of mouth), and Konami so far hasn't done jack squat to make me believe there's a cause worth supporting there.

[Halbred]

And since it's a reboot, it might not have much to say about the "original" series.

[D_Average]

Not only do HD visuals help me to escape, but laying back and twiddling my thumbs are a perfect combo.  Having to constantly waggle, smack, whack and find the right spot for the IR detection is a constant, annoying, drag back to boring ole reality.  The controller is my perfect drug. 

The whole backlash against HD visuals is really, really, lame.  Had the Wii been in HD, nobody would bash HD.  Most people bash it, b/c their favorite console ignored it.  For many people, impressive, HD visuals, create a feeling of wonder and immersion.  Which is why I'll pick up the recently released Dirt 2 on the PS3 rather than Wii.

[broodwars]

Not only do HD visuals help me to escape, but laying back and twiddling my thumbs are a perfect combo.  Having to constantly waggle, smack, whack and find the right spot for the IR detection is a constant, annoying, drag back to boring ole reality.  The controller is my perfect drug. 

In all fairness, I would have really loved to play Dead Space with Wiimote controls.  There are sections of the game that are brutally difficult to aim in with an analog stick and a tiny laser reticule.

But yeah, that's my impression of the backlash against the HD systems: people convince themselves that HD means nothing because they don't have it.  I've seen ugly games and bad games on all platforms, so it's nonsense to assign a stigma to a graphics resolution.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Not only do HD visuals help me to escape, but laying back and twiddling my thumbs are a perfect combo.  Having to constantly waggle, smack, whack and find the right spot for the IR detection is a constant, annoying, drag back to boring ole reality.  The controller is my perfect drug. 

In all fairness, I would have really loved to play Dead Space with Wiimote controls.  There are sections of the game that are brutally difficult to aim in with an analog stick and a tiny laser reticule.

But yeah, that's my impression of the backlash against the HD systems: people convince themselves that HD means nothing because they don't have it.  I've seen ugly games and bad games on all platforms, so it's nonsense to assign a stigma to a graphics resolution.

I primarily attach a stigma because I hate the graphical style used in most HD games. I prefer a more whimsical looking game and the fact is that most of those kinds of games are on Wii. I prefer colors over brown/realism. I do include Fable II though because it has a very Zelda esque vibe to the visuals, so I appreciate that.

[broodwars]

Wow, I just downloaded Silent Hill, and damn I'd forgotten how ugly PS1 graphics could be when they're not made by Square.  -_-'  Incidentally, if anyone else is interested in checking this game out, make sure to turn Smoothing OFF in the System Settings or the game becomes unplayable with massive slowdown.

As for Silent Hill 1 vs. the Shattered Memories remake, from where I stand I think I'll probably appreciate the remake more if I've played the original version first so I have a basis for comparison.  Besides, there are certain aspects of the Silent Hill mythos I've been curious about for a while now that were apparently only covered in the first game, and I get the feeling those are going to be "reimagined" out of the remake.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

But I can assign a price to it, avoid it, and dismiss it as a big fat waste.

I could've skipped this gen if Wii was tagged at $350 or more.  "The hell with that," the sales tax alone on more expensive machines was approaching/exceeding the price of a new game... (so I bought a launch Wii with enough games and accessories to equal a retail value of a launch PS3)

Then there's the HD game prices... $60-current-inflation-dollars for high-profile single player action games (some of them notoriously short and shallow?)!?  Shorter, less worthwhile games debuted on the Super Nintendo for $70-$80 when the U.S. dollar was stronger back then!  I thought the success of PS2's value-oriented, early-drepreciated game line-up convinced everyone that $50 is a magick friendly number that shouldn't be exceeded?  Why is **** going backwards toward the crazy high-priced era?  I once hoped we've come to a point where games were priced for regular people considering the entertainment potential it provided over other forms of media, but it turned out to be fantasy.

HD resolution was never the real problem, per se.  The problem was/is all the lump sum of all the sickening things the high-price excessive tech entertainment industry stands for, and how it butts heads with individuals' values, including myself.  From that point on THEN I can start to weigh-in on the entertainment library offered by each gaming platform.  I give my $$$ and attention to a platform in the first place with the intent of having a healthy library of games for it, for the sake of having a variety of new experiences to sample from that's *unique* to the platform; it ties in with my collector-gamer personality.  When a platforms' offerings aren't compelling as a whole (especially when the library smells of "last-gen's game formulas with prettier graphics") it's quite easy to dismiss it and feel like I'm saving money, since skipping out on a "gem" of a game or two means I won't be spending money on a "$300 game" or a "$600 game."

And the "couch" games exist on all platforms.  Wii has brought the most physical gaming experiences I've ever had, and the most relaxing ones as well (getting different titles do different jobs, wink wink).  I've spent over a hundred hours amongst a couple RPGs (non-casual, hurrr), sitting in a recliner, with both my arms hanging over the sides in lax vegetative form thanks the separation afforded by the Wii-chuk scheme.  I play Brawl (well I used to play this game) by resting my right elbow on my couch's armrest, leaning and resting my face on my right fist while holding the remote, with my left arm limp on the seat beside my leg as I'm Nunchukking the analog stick -- a remarkably unusual sense of comfort while gaming, I can even stretch my arms in different directions a bit without interrupting gameplay!  (and I've soundly defeated everyone I've played on this forum at one occasion or another; yeah, poor me who doesn't use the proper traditional controllers).

[EasyCure]

While I agree that irrational fanboy HD hate is stupid, you cannot deny that with these prettier graphics there seem to be more and more "me too!" games when it comes to style. Sure there are games that aren't the stereotypical shades of BrownHD^TM, but you know what they say... most stereotypes have a basis in fact. High-end graphical output doesn't mean everygame has to have such a realistic look to it, but unfortunately thats what we've gotten; for every Banjo Kazooie 3 there's a dozen gritty bald space marines.