Archive for October, 2008

Taken from http://www.computerandvideogames.com

So, yesterday the LittleBigPlanet servers went live. People who managed to secure early copies of the game have been playing it without the community features for the past few weeks, but now they’re finally able to go online, publish their levels and play with other users. Brilliant. Or not. As with any online community, LBP is having some teething problems….

People stealing levels

Some of the most popular levels from the LBP beta - God Of War: Demon Skull, Metal Gear Solid: Return To Shadow Moses, Hollow Bastion - are being copied and republished by other users, and they’re taking all the credit for them. In some cases they have more hearts/plays than the originals. Sure, we can copy protect our levels, but we shouldn’t have to. Hopefully Media Molecule catch onto this and ban anyone who’s found copying other peoples’ levels. Seriously, what are these people thinking?

Trophy levels

There are dozens of these scattered across LBP’s thirteen pages of Cool Levels. They’re designed specifically to earn people Trophies; for example, supplying enough point bubbles to get all the score multiplier awards, or giving you enough boost to earn the incredible speed Trophy. We don’t think this is exactly what MM had in mind when they designed the game’s community features, and it’s simply a shameless way for the creators of these levels to get hearts/plays and up their play/share/create scores.

People uploading unfinished/broken/test levels

We’ve lost count of the amount of times we’ve played a level, only to find out that it’s an empty room with a single obstacle in the middle, a pile of random junk, or a level that’s impossible to complete thanks to bad design. Before anyone uploads a level they should test it to within an inch of its life, trying every possibility and making sure people won’t get trapped or stuck. Probably 50% of the levels online now are like this, and again, Media Molecule need to plough through the archives, moderating any levels that aren’t up to scratch.

People asking for the Kratos costume code ALL THE TIME

This is more of an internet problem than the actual game itself, but look at any LBP forum - GameFAQs, the official one, Gametrailers, anywhere - and you’ll see dozens of posts like ‘PLS GIVE ME KRATOS KODE PLS!!11′ or ‘WILL SWOP RESISTANCE BETA COEDE FOR KRATOTOSOS COSTUME EEE!!1′ Expect to see this making its way to the main game. Take our advice; if you have the costume (like us), don’t play online with it. If you do, expect dozens of desperate, begging PSN messages. “PPLLZLZLLZLZLZL!!!!11111!!”

The servers can’t cope

Last night, about the time when the Americans were waking up, the servers suddenly imploded. Nothing would load properly, the game would freeze and hang, and even checking your friends’ profiles or uploading a level was impossible. Hopefully they’ll add more heft to the LBP servers come the EU release, otherwise the game’s at risk of buckling under the weight of the millions of users trying to play it. It took us nine or ten attempts to upload our level last night, and multiplayer was lag-tastic.

But even with all of this, LBP is still incredible, and we had more fun last night than we’ve had with some entire games. When the servers are sorted out, the griefers are smashed with the banhammer and the game’s available to the general public, LBP will be perfect. Now it’s ‘merely’ brilliant.

Drew here again with yet another installment of my weekly gaming recap.

Well, as some of you may know, I got another 360 this week. I got an Arcade model for $199. Not a bad deal when you look at it; it comes with Sega Superstars Tennis and 5 Live Arcade games. The Tennis game is not that bad, it’s actually rather fun.

Of course, I had to play Rock Band 2. That game is still great. I put my headphones on and play until my my fingers ache. It feels like that game just keeps getting better and better each time I play it. I’m actually warming up to the set list in this one. Originally, I really wasn’t a fan, but now I’m starting to get into it.

Still staying terrified in Dead Space. Once again, that is the scariest game I have ever played. It’s getting super hard in the later chapters especially because I’m just using the Plasma Cutter(the first and weakest weapon in the game) in order to get a gold trophy. Even though I die a fair amount, I still can’t get enough of that game.

Finally, I got into the Resistance: Fall of Man 2 Beta. I played a few matches and leveled up a few times. It’s not bad, but I still can’t get used to a first person shooter with the PS3 controller, and this is coming from a major PS3 fan… I still wish Sony would release a cheap, but effective headset with the PS3. I know, you could be saying, “But that will just give these morons on PSN a way to curse and yell racist crap over the game.” That’s true, but there are still gamers out there that care about the match, people who want to communicate with their team in an effort to help them out. I’d like to have a few good people than absolute silence. You don’t like it, take you headset off.

All in all it’s been a good week. I’m back on Live and I’ve played some good games. Also, to reiterate, My Gamertag and PSN ID are both FrustratedFury. Feel free to send my a friend request. I turned 23 last Friday(yay!..not really…) Just another reminder that I’m getting older and less cooler everyday. Pretty soon I’m gonna be yelling out my font door at those damn kids on my front lawn.

In what has become, lately, a money grab of limited edition consoles and/or accessories for those consoles, it is few and far between that a LE console is worth taking a look at.  While most just change the color or package in a game, over on bit-tech.net they take a little different approach and above was the result.

Yes!  There is a working PlayStation 3 in there!  I can barely pick out the disc loading spot and the general shape of the PS3, but it is there.  Added around it is:  AK47 clip, spent casings, machete, buried skull, and even some bugs to top it off.  I did not list everything so head on over to see every step in the process.

I may be moving to the UK because bit-tech.net is giving one away. Find out more details here. (For UK residents only!  If any UK reader happens to win and would like to give me this I would be willing to do just about anything for you.  This is one sweet modded console and would look great next to some other gaming paraphernalia I have!

Far Cry 2 was released last week and has been getting some good praise around the circles you want to listen to.  So if your in the UK, go win this for me.  Everyone else go rent, Gamefly and/or buy Far Cry 2!

Just wanted to give you some quick impressions of the Resistance 2 Beta that went public today…

Well after the hour and a half download of a 2122MB file I had the pleasure of the 7-10 minute install of the file. Sitting down in my new favorite recliner couch I was all ready to play the game I heard was, actually, pretty fun in co-op and ok in multiplayer. After just having completed the first and thinking it was just your basic FPS; I was ready for the story to continue. While this is only a multiplayer beta it would five some enlightenment on the single player also.

So I’m sitting down, controller in hand, Official Bluetooth headset charged and ready to go. Press play Resistance 2 Beta and… AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

A patch! Now if your a 360 owner you may be used to day one patches on your retail games, but a day one patch on a public beta? Why not just include the new version in the first downloaded file? Well whatever, have to download a patch… That took another 20 minutes to download and install!

Now I’m two hours into playing the Resistance 2 Beta and I haven’t even fired a shot! Barely seen a screen image or logo. But now the patch in installed, the lights are low, the 5.1 is on and ready and…
“Game Is Full”
“Can’t connect”
“Game Is Full” (why does it say 20 slots are open?)
“Connecting… (PS3 freezes)” (reset)
“Game is Full”
(lets create our own room)
“Can’t create game at this time”
(as stated above, AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!)
(oh invite from Steve519)
“Game is Full”
(SOCOM TIME!)

Yup! Thats what I got for the next hour and now SOCOM is on and I’m writing you all this.
Yes its a beta, Yes I can’t expect anymore then… nothing (it was free, THANKS JAY900!) and I’m sure the servers are getting overloaded because of it going public today. It is a little disappointing though that companies haven’t come to expect the demand DAY ONE of release!

Even though we have perfectly good games, we paid $60 for (I have Dead Space and SOCOM to play), we take time away from those to play test your game FOR FREE and you can’t have them working for us to play! Bad Form! to Sony and Insomniac on this one!

Pick up Rock Band 2? See the back of the manual where it states that Harmonix will be giving away 20 FREE tracks SOON! Well the time is almost here to claim them but the track list did come out today and …

While this will push the total number of songs available for RB2 owners to (with disc contents) over 100 songs, and while many of the tracks on the disc are well known, the 20 Free Tracks are not. They are “up and coming” artists that I’ve never heard off. But I never heard of Coheed and Cambria before Rock Band 1 and now look at them.

Full List of 20 Free Tracks:

• The 88 - “Sons and Daughters”
• Authority Zero - “No Regrets”
• Between the Buried and Me - “Prequel To The Sequel”
• The Cab - “Bounce”
• The Chevelles - “Get It On”
• The Cocktail Slippers - “Give It To Me”
• Dealership - “Database Corrupted”
• Endeverafter - “I Wanna Be Your Man”
• The Ghost Hounds - “Ashes To Fire”
• Hollywood Undead - “Young”
• Kutless - “The Feeling”
• The Len Price 3 - “If I Ain’t Got You”
• Lesley Roy - “I’m Gone, I’m Going”
• Opiate for the Masses - “Burn You Down”
• Semi-Precious Weapons - “Magnetic Baby”
• Shaimus - “Like a Fool”
• Thenewno2″ - Crazy Tuesday”
• Tickle Me Pink - “The Time Is Wrong”
• Underoath - “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures”
• X Japan - “I.V.”

If you purchased Rock Band 2, or rented and have at the moment, then go over to the site listed on the back of your manual. Enter your code, on or around November 4th you should receive the XBLA code or PS3 code for your tracks. Enter code in your console and wait for the download, and install, to finish.

Once done; fire up Rock Band 2 and ROCK HARD!