@Lou

There's a MGS4 bundle shortage for Japan, I heard.

Some MGS4 quotes:

PALGN:

"Graphically, MGS4 delivers on its promise of being a showcase for the PS3, and is one of the best looking games ever made. All the cut-scenes are real-time, the in game graphics remain sharp, and and the presentation oozes class. Slowdown is essentially non-existent and the scope of the environments can often be awe inspiring. Animations can get a little samey, but the transitions between them are much better then in past Metal Gear games which themselves already looked good. Putting up with the install and minor load times is certainly worth the picture that it helps create.

MGS4 also delivers on the audio experience, for those who have invested in massive surround sound systems, this game pays full dividends. Not only is the quality top notch, but everything from the sound effects, to the sound queues, to the dialogue, to the voicing and music is expertly put together, in completely uncompressed 5.1.

The only way to describe Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is that it's a unique masterpiece. Kojima sticks to his guns, (finally?) gets the formula 'right' and answers all, in one of the best experiences of the HD era yet. Never before has a game been so expensive looking but polished, had such an epic story behind it or such focused yet dynamic gameplay. For those who have been craving the defining experience on the PS3, this is it."

IGN:

"Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title."

GameZone:

"Diverse missions, impeccable controls, amazing camera tricks (even though you can control the camera yourself), stunning mechanics (OctoCamo is wonderful), jaw-dropping surprises, and an overall level of excitement that few games can match. Metal Gear Solid 4 is the must-own game for PlayStation 3, and is an essential reason to buy the console if you don’t already own it."

"Is it a game? Or a movie? It looks better than all other games currently available, and its movie sequences are more exciting than anything you’ll see in a theater this summer. Bravo, Kojima. Bravo."

People trying to drag down this game because it's on the PS3? Nothing new...

@MikeB

Quote:

The only way to describe Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is that it's a unique masterpiece.

It's a niche game for people that like overly long cut scenes. It does an average job of conveying a very average story. Games are games not movies. Resident Evil 4 tells a story far more convincingly with far shorter cut scenes.

The PS3 is over-rated, over-hyped and all this fanboy-ism is doing my nut in!! It isn't the modern day Amiga it's the modern day Atari Falcon. Unloved and unsupported by the games that matter - Bioshock, Red Alert, Fear, all delayed and/or inferior versions.

Oh yeah and Sony Europe are arrogant and insignificant to the point of stupidness. They have no idea whether they will EVER release 'Twisted Metal: Head On Extra Twisted' for the PS2 even though it did well in the U.S. We are STILL being fed the world's WASTE PRODUCT THAT IS THE SIXAXIS!!! When will this rubbish end? The 60Gb PS3 version was the only good version released in the UK

A purchase of a XBox 360 Red Alert 3 pack would suite me fine!

Last edited by BigD on 27-Jun-2008 at 06:05 PM.
Last edited by BigD on 27-Jun-2008 at 06:04 PM.

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@MikeB

Quote:

MikeB wrote: Some MGS4 quotes: PALGN: ...All the cut-scenes are real-time...

Real-time means there is no delay in starting them...not that they are in-game engine, FMV, or a mix as the developers themselves have stated...

@BigD

Microsoft paid money for Bioshock timed exclusivity, it's coming out this year for the PS3 with some extras and improvements.

MGS4 is said by reviewers to be the best in its series and best of its gerne, some reviewers go as far as to say it's the best game ever made.

The cutscenes are skippable, the gameplay is big and polished. In addition Metal Gear Online is Solid. You don't need to be a fan of the series or interested in the story to enjoy this game.

BTW, some new Playstation Home footage:
http://blip.tv/file/1027953

@Lou

Quote:

Real-time means there is no delay in starting them...not that they are in-game engine, FMV, or a mix as the developers themselves have stated...

Actually real-time means "calculated while displaying" aka in-game engine. This doesn't
however mean interactivity in all scenes by automation. That's the choice of the developers.


@MikeB

Most gamers say the gameplay is about 50-50 regarding playing time and cutscenes.
I have been seeing everything from 5 hours to 15 hours of game play time depending on
the skill of the gamer. Where did you get the +20 hours from?

Personally I would imagine I would have more than 30 hours though

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@MikeB
Quote:

Not only is the quality top notch, but everything from the sound effects, to the sound queues, to the dialogue, to the voicing and music is expertly put together, in completely uncompressed 5.1

This seems uncreative. Surely lossless compress exists. Was the Cell tapped out so perhaps they didn't want to rely on it to decompress lossless compressed sound? Wouldn't compression have given Kojima the extra breathing room he wanted for even more FMV and why Blu-Ray was barely big enough for his vision?

Quote:

its movie sequences are more exciting than anything you’ll see in a theater this summer.

This summer brings The Dark Night, Hellboy II, and Iron Man. I've seen IM and I'd vote it out over MGS4 for exciting movie sequences. Batman wins of course for realism they tried to use minimal computer effects. Hellboy II will take over for computerized effects. Sorry this author is clearly mistaken on this point.

Quote:

People trying to drag down this game because it's on the PS3? Nothing new

Wow then you haven't been paying attention to the comments. Not liking a game due to cut scene usage and short playability is a criticism of the game itself not the PS3. In fact weren't you criticizing some 360 games due to the short length of the game? Was this because you wanted to drag down the 360?

@Samwel

Quote:

@MikeB Most gamers say the gameplay is about 50-50 regarding playing time and cutscenes. I have been seeing everything from 5 hours to 15 hours of game play time depending on the skill of the gamer. Where did you get the +20 hours from?

MikeB's poor gaming ability. Sorry MikeB. Samwel set me up. Seriously, we know you are measured towards the top of afew games so likely have some good skilz.

Xbox 360 rumor -- My My GamerPad

Coming this fall is the Microsoft's online service. It appears to be a mash up of the ever forthcoming PS3 Home and the Wii's Miis.

I for one hope we're not forced to use this for Live service. I can see it attractive to the casual gamer but likely a headache to the hardcore types.

Though it would be a swift kick to Sony to see Microsoft hit Home first.

@Samwel

Quote:

Personally I would imagine I would have more than 30 hours though

PSM, some people have been joking around and others have been trolling. The professional reviewer took more than 29 hours to complete the game, but he hadn't explored all environments and there were still many still to be unlocked secrets.

Reviewers state the game offers a lot of replay value in addition to of course Metal Gear Online.

@Samwel

Quote:

Samwel wrote: @Lou Quote: Real-time means there is no delay in starting them...not that they are in-game engine, FMV, or a mix as the developers themselves have stated... Actually real-time means "calculated while displaying" aka in-game engine. This doesn't however mean interactivity in all scenes by automation. That's the choice of the developers. @MikeB Most gamers say the gameplay is about 50-50 regarding playing time and cutscenes. I have been seeing everything from 5 hours to 15 hours of game play time depending on the skill of the gamer. Where did you get the +20 hours from? Personally I would imagine I would have more than 30 hours though

But if the ingame engine allows for mapping FMV to a polygon, it's still FMV even if that polygon itself is moved around....this is trivial to a 3D gpu.... For instance, if Snake was holding a PSP in the game and moving it about at various angles and motions...the "screen" of the PSP could be displaying FMV... This is how it's "mixed"... It doesn't make sense to render the world inside that screen as another 3D environment and then map the resultant 2D "view" to an ingame PSP display...

@MikeB

PS3 costs Sony over 3B+

In the company's fiscal 2008 annual report, Sony revealed that they've now lost roughly $3.3 billion (that's billion with a B) on the Playstation 3 since its launch. That breaks down to $2.16 billion in 2007, followed by a notably smaller but equally daunting $1.16 billion loss in 2008.
...
Investors have reason to sweat. In a statement, Sony claimed "the large-scale investment required during the development and introductory period of a new gaming platform may not be fully recovered.".
...

@BrianK

Yes, like I told you before. The amount of R&D done on the PS3 was enormous, also the product costs a lot more to ship than for what it's sold. The PS3 is an amazing deal from a technology point of view, nomatter if consumers already relealize this or not. But soon people wil know what improved PS3 game engines and new features. Things have already dramatically improved with the release of games like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Which are each much more demanding than any current 360 game.

Like I said before it's going to take years to recover the expenses, but I think they will eventually and if you take in account gains for other devisions like additional HDTV and Blu-Ray sales it's not really that bad. In any case Sony trippled the profits last year and is expected to generate further gains this year. So not really that much to worry about.

MikeB:

Quote:

Some new info with regard to the PS3 two biggest upcoming FPS games. Resistance 2 is pushing for unique 60 player squad battles and 8 player co-op story campaign and huge boss battles. One of the fast moving bosses is meanwhile revealed, it towers above Chicago skyscrapers: http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm282/Danny-0/IMG_8346.jpg With regard to Killzone 2 it has been revealed the game so far uses 4 and a half CPU cores, it's unknown if this means the game uses 1 PPU and 3 and a half SPUs or PPU plus 4 and a half SPUs, leaving at least 1 SPU unused so far considering 1 SPU is used for running parts of the PS3's operating system. Please note there is enormous potential for optimisations, a 360 launch game like Kameo used all of the Xenon's cores using up 85% of available CPU cycles. GG games said they received some help and input from 3rd party Insomniac and Sony's God of War 3 team.

Wes Schuitema talked to GG, he says currently the game still only uses 4 SPEs like it did a few months ago, but more PPE code has been moved from PPE to SPE.

Old diagram with regard to SPE utilization:

Last edited by MikeB on 28-Jun-2008 at 08:26 PM.

@MikeB

Quote:

MikeB wrote: @BrianK Yes, like I told you before. The amount of R&D done on the PS3 was enormous, also the product costs a lot more to ship than for what it's sold. The PS3 is an amazing deal from a technology point of view, nomatter if consumers already relealize this or not. But soon people wil know what improved PS3 game engines and new features. Things have already dramatically improved with the release of games like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Which are each much more demanding than any current 360 game. Like I said before it's going to take years to recover the expenses, but I think they will eventually and if you take in account gains for other devisions like additional HDTV and Blu-Ray sales it's not really that bad. In any case Sony trippled the profits last year and is expected to generate further gains this year. So not really that much to worry about.

3 games worth mentioning is not much compared to all the great games the xbox 360 has.
It does not matter how it performs in theory when this does not show in 99% of the games.

I still hope that this will change though, as i still have a ps3 that is pretty much just collecting dust.

Last edited by Tomas on 28-Jun-2008 at 09:41 PM.

@Tomas

Quote:

3 games worth mentioning is not much compared to all the great games the xbox 360 has. It does not matter how it performs in theory when this does not show in 99% of the games. I still hope that this will change though, as i still have a ps3 that is pretty much just collecting dust.

Better watch that dust Sony won't cover it by warranty

@Tomas

Quote:

3 games worth mentioning is not much compared to all the great games the xbox 360 has.

Comparing the top 25 for both platforms:

PS3:

1) Grand Theft Auto IV
2) Motorstorm
3) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
4) Resistance: Fall of Man
5) Assassins Creed
6) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
7) Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
8) Uncharted: Drakes Fortune
9) Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
10) FIFA 08
11) Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
12) Need for Speed: ProStreet
13) Devil May Cry 4
14) Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
15) Heavenly Sword
16) WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008
17) Burnout Paradise
18) Rockband
19) Army of Two
20) Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
21) Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds
22) Dynasty Warriors 6
23) Singstar
24) Dynasty Warriors Gundam
25) Warhawk

10 exclusives which are very unlikely to ever become available on the 360

360:

1) Halo 3
2) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
3) Grand Theft Auto IV
*4) Gears Of War
5) Forza Motorsport 2
6) Assassins Creed
7) Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
8) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
9) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
10) Madden NFL 08
11) Tom Clancy Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
12) Guitar Hero II
13) Tom Clancy Rainbow Six: Vegas
14) Call of Duty 3
*15) Call of Duty 2
*16) Mass Effect
17) Madden NFL 07
*18) Bioshock
19) Saints Row
20) Fight Night Round 3
21) Dead Rising
22) Rock Band
23) Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
24) Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
25) Crackdown

9 of the games are currently not available on the PS3.

* Notice regarding these 360 "exclusives" Gears of War, Call of Duty 2, Bioshock and Mass Effect are also available for Windows and BioShock is coming to the PS3. Although I counted Call of Duty 2 as a 360 exclusive it's old with COD3 and COD4 already out on the market and you could play the PS2 game on the PS3 if you wanted.

Conclusion: The PS3 has just as many top games as the 360 has, despite the 360's one year headstart.

Quote:

I still hope that this will change though, as i still have a ps3 that is pretty much just collecting dust.

That's up to you, PS3 owners buy just as many games as 360 owners do per year.

Last edited by MikeB on 29-Jun-2008 at 10:41 AM.
Last edited by MikeB on 29-Jun-2008 at 10:39 AM.

360-hits-five-million-in-Europe
Quote:

Console hits sales milestone as Xbox exec tells analysts to ‘check their numbers’ European VP of strategic marketing for interactive entertainment at Microsoft EMEA David Gosen has revealed that Xbox 360 has sold “well over” five million in European territories to MCV – and that its battle with PS3 is far from over. “Anyone trying to call a winner this Christmas is calling too early,” he told MCV. “We are incredibly well positioned – our installed base in Europe is well over five million and contrary to what's been reported we are at least, if not more than, three quarters of a million ahead of PS3.”

@MikeB

Quote:

MikeB wrote: Although I counted Call of Duty 2 as a 360 exclusive it's old with COD3 and COD4 already out on the market and you could play the PS2 game on the PS3 if you wanted.

Maybe YOU can, but 40GB owners can't...

@MikeB

Quote:

The amount of R&D done on the PS3 was enormous, also the product costs a lot more to ship than for what it's sold.

Clarification - the amount of $ spent is not necessarily R&D. Companies often are incapable of managing their $ wisely, and it's not like it's a 1:1 relationship between what they say their R&D expenses is (including more than a few flights, dinners, hotels, etc) versus 'technological improvements.' This isn't a Sony exclusive here, many companies do it. How much $ did 'Phantom' burn through, and others?

Similarly though, it's also possible they've put some items into 'R&D' that aren't...it's not like you can compare that to anything at this point, besides 'ok, are they making a profit yet, or not?' and attempting to see if BD based sales have compensated for the losses attributed to the PS3.

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