SOCOM Trophies on Jan 12th

I so very much want SOCOM Confrontation to work! Version 1.3 is due out on January 12th - I'll be there to download it. Besides "fixing" the game, it adds trophies!

The list from PSN-Trophies is impressive. In fact - I believe these trophies will be harder to achive then original PAIN and Warhawk trophies. But this is what I have been waiting for.

If you are a SOCOM fan, leave me a comment - I need a friend to be a mentor. And if you are on-line with me, LOOK OUT. I'll have you in my sites.

I've made the move...

...to Call of Duty: World at War. COD4:Modern Warfare is now a nostalgia game.

I've only started the WaW story - it's pretty good, but the on-line multiplayer game that made COD4 unforgetable is back and new with WaW. The sound does not seem to be as good: gun sounds and weird walking noises - but the graphics and detail are wonderful.

I like the addition of a beginers game - stay on that board as long as you can!

I've seen people through the kill cam that seem to be under the levels - has anyone else seen this? A nasty cheat if it is true.

After I finish the game and play the Nazi Zombie level I'll comment further.

If you see me online - invite me into your game!

Roundhouse is my favorite level

Reflection’s Frame

It was fairly short, but I finished Mirror’s Edge by EA games (DICE). I played the story through on Medium during the week after Christmas (3 days). Story? I guess that would be my only major criticism – the story was complicated and I didn’t care about it. I just wanted to get back to jumping, leaping, and solving puzzles. I thought the graphics where beautiful – though plain. They gave a real sense of depth and height. The controls became second nature after the tutorial and were never a limit to gameplay. Every time there was a pipe in my path I smiled – I liked to slide under them. The shooting was a little clunky – I had to stop walking to aim, but I did very little of it. It was more fun to disarm an opponent and keep running. The speed of the game was amazing, and I loved the sound of the main character Faith. I would say she was beautiful, but I mostly only saw her fingers. Now that I am done, I am going back to find the remaining hidden bags and beat the qualifying times for the levels. You see, it is about speed: running through a level precisely and efficiently. Now that I have figured it out once – by pain of many fatal plunges – I should be able to complete each chapter and earn a speed trophy.If you own this game, add me as a friend to compare my times.

KillZone: a change of heart

I was saddened when my KillZone 2 Beta ended. I’ve had a change of heart after my entry on First Person Shooters below. I guess you could say, “I finally got it.” I continued to play KZ2 Beta – the on-line only shoot-um-up – and I began to understand the class system. My character developed (32 classes!); I played other games rather than just ‘Body Count;’ and my mind was finally opened. I still don’t know who the Helghast are or why they are fighting, but I do know that Guerilla Games has developed a game that has captured my attention. KZ2 is on my wishlist - I don't know if I will buy it when it arrives in February - but it will be mine. Find out more from Wiki.

Merry Christmas

As we celebrate God’s gift to mankind we give gifts to each other. Here is a list of my PS3 gifts:

The conscious readers of this blog will realize that I bought some of those games. Yes, that is true. And I think I wrapped all of them but one. But each one was given to me by someone: Thank you Chester for Lara Croft. (Chester is my dog.) El_Mico, thank you for COD and R2. My Ellen got me Mirror's Edge and the Simpson's Game (Barbies). Rock Band came from my Mom. Finally, the Guitar Hero band set - drums and all - came from David.

A Merry Christmas to you all!

Black Friday

Do you get up early the day after Thanksgiving, brush away the food crumbs, and join the moms at the malls? I have in the past: "its 9AM and my shopping is done!" But lately the deals have not been there and its become too popular. But the bloggers at PS3FanBoy have given me a reason to set my alarm: Get ready for Black Friday deals.

I'm planning a visit to target to get COD:WaW ($49) and Dead Space ($30). Notice these two gifts are for ME? Strange how things have changed.

Then I'll run home and PLAY!

First/Third Person Shooters - the long version

As of today, Call of Duty 4 is the standard by which all on-line multiplayer shooters are compared – it is the GOLD standard. I am at level 1 again: I just entered my second prestige mode. Each game is unique and the play is fast. After a few rounds you develop rivalries with players – and sometimes you make friends: ACE, Fey, FuriousOwl, PowerfulNinja, Skaterguy, SpiderPiggy, VarHug, BevHills (not actual PSN names, but close). I’ve had this game since I owned my PS3 – and I still play it ~6 hours a week. I got a beta key for Resistance 2 from the wonderful people at PlayStation Underground. My impressions of the beta (played 4 times, 2 hours each) are ‘ho-hum.’ It’s good – hey, it’s Insomniac, but it doesn’t have the fun and excitement as COD4. It feels just like the RFoM multiplayer. 60 players at once is awesome! How do they do that without lag? And getting your name in the top 10 is a rush (6th was my best). But the experience feels flat. The colors are brighter than RFoM – more like Ratchet and Clank – I think I like the old depressing colors that go better with a 1950’s setting about the ‘Fall of Man.’ (Am I being too picky?) The new weapons are nice; I started to favor the Marksman; the buzz-saw is fun. I don’t understand the berserker business – but I’m sure I will learn. The cooperative mode was different – but with a short one level beta, it is too soon to judge the ‘fun’ level. I think Insomniac made the Chimera too strong; it takes many, many hits from multiple players to take done one baddie. And only one person gets the ‘kill:’ the last shot. I know they made it this way so a large team (8) simply doesn’t run through the level, but it feels awkward. My advice: find a medic and stick by him (or her). San Francisco was the best map (10 players max); Orick was a forest scene that allowed games up to 60 players. I am hopeful that this impression will change. I played the COD4 single player game all the way through before going on-line. If I play R2 through – learn the weapons and the controls – maybe then I will ‘get it.’ I did buy R2 last week - it's still in the shrink wrap on the shelf: too much to play. Now let’s talk SOCOM: Confrontation. Oh, it has such potential! This very beautiful game with large maps initially gives you a feeling of awe. But the game-play is very slow. It takes time to find your enemy; it takes time to switch weapons; it takes a long time for the game to load. I know it is a tactical shooter, but remember, I am comparing it to COD4. I have hope that they will patch the server software and make some things faster. I play this game in the mornings because the servers are less full. I have tried to hook up with friends: it’s difficult in-game. Best to plan out which server and create a game. I am waiting for 1.30 patch to dig deeper into game. I received yet another beta key for KillZone 2. I've actually played this a lot; helping the guys at Guerrila Games out. This is a great shooter - it feels real (expect for the pain of death). The beta is only for the on-line multi-player portion, like R2. Nice boards - I like how dark they are, yet I see everything. The level-up system is great - I even lost 3 points after a poor performance. But here is the bad news for publisher: I'm saturated. This game is not on my wishlist because I am full of shooters. I have no history with KillZone like I have with Resistance and Call of Duty. So, unless the campaign gets awesome reviews, once the beta is over, KZ2 will not be on my PS3. The son-of-COD4 was released Tuesday: Call of Duty: World at War. I'm not ready for it! I've heard good things and seen some levels on YouTube. I'll buy this at Target the on Black Friday; then it will sit in the shrink wrap until the two weeks around Christmas. So many people to shoot - by so little time.