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All Things Video Games Thread: II


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http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/02/24/why-the-exploitation-of-gamers-is-our-own-damn-fault-2/

Here's a really well written article on today's state of DLC. The writer makes a good point as to when we can expect DLC to reach a plateau.

Though, one area he neglected to mention was that DLC is a different product to different publishers. To publishing giants, like Namco Bandai and Capcom, DLC profit is the icing on the cake. But to a small publisher who gets by on a razor thin net profit, like SNK Playmore, DLC sales are a much needed shot in the arm. Especially in today's world of burgeoning development costs.

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Even though I swore I wasn't going to buy a Vita until a price drop and a game I really wanted came out, I just bought a wi-fi Vita, an 8GB memory card, and Wipeout 2048.

Haha, isn't it awesome? I was totally blown away by how nice the system really was, even though I was expecting a lot coming in anyways. Wipeout is pretty great, but I just got Uncharted, and it really shows you what the Vita can really do in terms of porting console games to the portable system. If I didn't know any better, I might have mistook Uncharted: GA for the first Uncharted game on PS3...

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Anyone play on the Xbox 360? My friends and I are always looking for more people to play coop games with. We tend to join forces to defend against the evil of the achievements.

Next game I'm picking up is Mass Effect 3. I'm also a huge JRPG fan with an epic wealth of knowledge when it comes to those games.

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Haha, isn't it awesome? I was totally blown away by how nice the system really was, even though I was expecting a lot coming in anyways. Wipeout is pretty great, but I just got Uncharted, and it really shows you what the Vita can really do in terms of porting console games to the portable system. If I didn't know any better, I might have mistook Uncharted: GA for the first Uncharted game on PS3...

*pulls out hair*

This is my third time attempting to reply. Twice now, I've written detailed posts describing my thoughts on the Vita, and twice now I've accidentally hit some key or combination of keys with my fat fingers that caused my browser to go back a page and lose everything I just wrote. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow. For now, suffice to say that I'm cautiously optimistic about the Vita.

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*pulls out hair*

This is my third time attempting to reply. Twice now, I've written detailed posts describing my thoughts on the Vita, and twice now I've accidentally hit some key or combination of keys with my fat fingers that caused my browser to go back a page and lose everything I just wrote. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow. For now, suffice to say that I'm cautiously optimistic about the Vita.

The forums got an auto-save feature now. if you hit the back button or leave the page, just get back to where you where then hit more reply options and at the bottom of the text box it will say something to the effect of restore auto-save content.

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They still use the same "reactor: online. sensors: online. weapons: online" voice... nostalgia. I've been out of Mechwarrior since #3 in the series. Gonna have to keep an eye on this to see if it's worth getting into again.

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Even though I swore I wasn't going to buy a Vita until a price drop and a game I really wanted came out, I just bought a wi-fi Vita, an 8GB memory card, and Wipeout 2048.

Don't feel bad, personally I'm loving mine, and I only have Katamari & some demo's for it. Legend of Heroes also looks great on it, can't wait to see how PS1 games look (when they're enabled). My only gripe is the only gripe I expected to have, browswer features & file transfering are too locked down. I just hope they give free access to flash & java without apps, and eventually allow for file transfers without that obnoxious file manager program. I also hope they don't figure out how to disable the trick for allowing multiple account content access thorugh one card. Allowing active account switching would eaisly take care of that issue, without having to wory so much about people using "that" for piracy.

The next Gundam Battle game can't come out soon enough.

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Legend of Heroes also looks great on it...

You're a good man. The world needs more like you.

Apparently XSeed lost their shirts on Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Was expensive to localize, and they didn't move very many copies at all. (Anecdotally, I can still find the collector's edition in large quantities locally, though your mileage may vary).

Which is probably why we haven't seen more of the Legend of Heroes games. XSeed is run by fans, crazy fans even(they brought Korg DS-10 over, for pete's sake), but they can't really stay in business by bringing over sequels to games they lost money on.

...

Where'd I stick my Bracer emblem? I'm in the mood to wear some nerd bling.

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The forums got an auto-save feature now. if you hit the back button or leave the page, just get back to where you where then hit more reply options and at the bottom of the text box it will say something to the effect of restore auto-save content.

Really...?

*bangs head on desk*

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Ok, let's try this again. I'll try to break down the pros and cons of the Vita.

+ The screen. Sure, you read that it's 5". A part of you understand that it's bigger than the original PSP screen, and even bigger than your smartphone's screen. But knowing it isn't the same as experiencing it, and when you see this huge, vibrant, colorful screen light up for the first time, you know you're in for something special.

+ The new interface. I was a little concerned when I saw the new interface. After all, the XMB was brilliant in it's simplicity. I was more concerned when I turned on the Vita and found that the buttons didn't do anything. But as you poke around the touch screen, you realize how brilliantly intuitive the the new interface is. In fact, the only thing I wish is that I could group icons into folders.

+ The physical controls. They're not as mushy as on the original PSP, and the d-pad is is one piece instead of four. They feel crisp and responsive. Plus the Vita has two actual analog sticks. No more nubs. No more funky compromises on games that really needed two sticks.

+ Graphics. No, they're not really up to PS3 quality (or, PlayStation fanboy hype aside, Xbox 360). But they're close enough. Between the graphics power and the dual analog sticks, the Vita brings the console gaming experience to a handheld in a way that the original PSP failed to.

+ Cross-Play. It's not a huge feature yet, but it's got a ton of potential. Basically, it's a way to link your Vita experience and your PS3 experience. For some games, it means allowing Vita users to play online with PS3 users of the same game. Or, it could mean buying DLC for a PS3 version of a game, and getting the same DLC for the Vita version for free. In some cases, it might even mean buying a game once and playing it on both platforms. I've heard that Wipeout HD is coming to the Vita, for example, and if you already bought it for the PS3 you'll be able to download it for free.

+ Apps. The Twitter app on the Vita isn't just the best Twitter app I've seen on a game console, it's the best Twitter app I've used on any platform. There's Google Maps, Foursquare, Flickr, and Netflix. What I'd really like to see is an email app.

+ Speakers. They're not the crappy tinny speakers so many portable devices seem to have. They could maybe use some more bass, but they still deliver a clean, full sound. Combined with the big screen, it's easy to forget you're playing a handheld and get immersed in the game.

= Size. The Vita is pretty big. It's like the screen... you see pictures of it with the original PSP, and you know it's bigger, but the first time you hold it in person you realize how big it is. Fact: it's the biggest handheld I've owned since the Game Gear. But I guess that's the price you pay for a huge, gorgeous screen. And, even though it's dimensions are large, it's not particularly heavy (about the same as the original PSP), and the weight is balanced so it feels comfortable in your hands. Basically, the Vita is portable, but it's not really pocketable.

= Price. The hardware is very impressive, and rationally it's probably worth $250. On the other hand, it's a $250 portable that requires more purchases to be useful. It might be a little hard to justify.

= Not a lot of games. It's still a new system, though, so it's not actually a minus, just an observation. People with more will power than I might want to do like I planned to and wait for a larger library and/or a price drop.

- Touchscreen only controls in games. Don't force me to put another fingerprint on the screen when tapping the X button my finger is already hovering over will do.

- Battery life. I set up my PSN account, downloaded a few demos, played a few races in Wipeout, and it was begging to be charged. I could see charging the Vita more than once a day if you get really into a game on your off day.

- Proprietary memory. For one, I'm kind of mad I need any memory. Games are on cartridges, but I still need a memory card to save? I could see DLC or downloaded games, but just to save on a cartridge? Bull. And Sony couldn't be bothered to include even a small amount? I mean, even the 3DS comes with an SD card. And that's the real kicker, Vita memory cards cost at least double what a microSD card would run you.

- Price of games. The Vita may be an impressive handheld, but it's still a handheld. And if I have to chose between paying $50 for a handheld game, or $50-$60 for a console game, I'm going to pick the one that plays on my 70" LED and 1000w surround sound system. Sony said that they were going to offer discounts if you bought the digital versions, which might have helped except that the digital versions are no more than $5 less, and when you think of how much space they're going to take on your ridiculously overpriced proprietary memory card, you're better off buying the cartridge.

- No UMD exchange. Why does only Japan get this? If I want to play a PSP game I already own on my Vita, I have to buy it again at full price. Which might not be such a hard pill to swallow except that a lot of my favorite PSP games aren't available for the Vita, and the prices Sony charges for the digital version is often more expensive than going out to the store and buying a UMD. Hell, it's cheaper to buy the God of War Origins collection for the PS3 than it is to buy Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta digitally for the PSP.

? What am I supposed to do with the rear touch panel? Or the "accessory slot"?

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I'm still hoping the accessory slot will be used for an external UMD drive (that loads game from UMD onto the memory stick, and doesn't require being constantly plugged in), but we'll see.

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I'm still hoping the accessory slot will be used for an external UMD drive (that loads game from UMD onto the memory stick, and doesn't require being constantly plugged in), but we'll see.

I guess at this point it's kind of moot for me. I sold my PSP-3000 and all of my non-import UMDs when I bought my Vita. Since then, I've bought Maverick Hunter X and Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection from the PlayStation Store, but for the most part if I have a hankering to play a PSP game I'll resort to piracy and a PSPgo until something better comes along.

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I'm still hoping the accessory slot will be used for an external UMD drive (that loads game from UMD onto the memory stick, and doesn't require being constantly plugged in), but we'll see.

That would be a pretty cool accessory, but I don't see it happening. An accessory like that would primarily benefit GameStop's used PSP game sales and not Sony's online store.

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I appreciate the input on the Vite Mikeszekely. I'm definitely going to wait and see what else happens with the Vita before I make a purchase.

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You're a good man. The world needs more like you.

Apparently XSeed lost their shirts on Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Was expensive to localize, and they didn't move very many copies at all. (Anecdotally, I can still find the collector's edition in large quantities locally, though your mileage may vary).

Which is probably why we haven't seen more of the Legend of Heroes games. XSeed is run by fans, crazy fans even(they brought Korg DS-10 over, for pete's sake), but they can't really stay in business by bringing over sequels to games they lost money on.

...

Where'd I stick my Bracer emblem? I'm in the mood to wear some nerd bling.

Which is precicely why I didn't mind (so much) paying $20 fo the digital version of the game, especially since I'm still in the middle of playing it.

I guess at this point it's kind of moot for me. I sold my PSP-3000 and all of my non-import UMDs when I bought my Vita. Since then, I've bought Maverick Hunter X and Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection from the PlayStation Store, but for the most part if I have a hankering to play a PSP game I'll resort to piracy and a PSPgo until something better comes along.

With no announced release date for the next Macross game, I'd kill to place triangle on the Vita. I just hope we have a new Macross game by fall.

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To add to criticisms, have any of you guys had issues with dusting up? I leave my vita on my desk, and by the time I get back, it's covered in dust particles, something no other equipment in my desk does. Dunno, but it aggravates my OCD

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It's probably that black super-shiny plastic Sony likes to use; the dust seems to stick to it more an other surfaces.. My LCD TV and PS3 look like they've been left undusted for weeks after just a couple of days .

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It's probably that black super-shiny plastic Sony likes to use; the dust seems to stick to it more an other surfaces.. My LCD TV and PS3 look like they've been left undusted for weeks after just a couple of days .

Yeah, and I worry about dust getting into those speaker holes/other ports, which makes it incredibly hard to clean out...

Still loving the thing though. I just hope they hurry up with a facebook/email app.

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Since I had a Best Buy giftcard, I broke down and bought Hot Shots Golf for my Vita. That, and Tactics Ogre should keep me occupied until Gravity Rush comes out.

I'm actually pretty surprised about how many people in my area own the Vita.

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