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Archive for Video Games

Posted on August 20th, 2009 at 6:18 pm by Jeff

First LittleBigPlanet Level Published – Sackboy Skills Training

Well, I finally got around to it.

Figure 1 - Timing is key.  I added the poisonous gas to remove the shortcut past these difficult jumps.

Figure 1 - Timing is key. I added the poisonous gas to remove the shortcut past these difficult jumps.

I had been sitting at 70% or so complete for trophies on LittleBigPlanet for PlayStation 3, with the only trophies left to achieve being those associated with creating a level.  I had put this off for awhile, picking up other games, figuring this would be a large undertaking consuming days of my time.  I also struggled with the dilemma of what my level should be about.  I didn’t want to just make a level, I wanted to make a good level.

I decided the best way to design a level was to draw it out on paper first.  I began making rough sketches of individual ideas and obstacles, both from my own mind and from my experiences playing the game, and a level began to take shape.  I had already completed all of the level creation tutorials, so I knew what I was getting into, but I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I was able to create and tweak different things in my level.  I had forgotten how intuitive the system is.  This basically put to rest my theory that this undertaking would take days.

Just over one day after starting, my first level, “Sackboy Skills Training” was published.  I went with a basic level concept with no distinct theme so as to get my feet wet.  Future endeavors in level creation might yield a more imaginative concept.  The level consists of standard grab and swing obstacles, jumping and timing hazards, a times two area, a disappearing bridge, an extremely hazardous cave section, a Paintinator section, and a zipline.  The disappearing bridge is available as a community object encapsulated in the only prize bubble in the level (though there are many score bubbles).

I think for a first level, this didn’t turn out too bad.  I think my next venture will be a survival mode level involving explosives.  After spending a decent amount of time creating something, I would not mind a break to blow some stuff up.

Video after the break.

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Posted on August 17th, 2009 at 11:12 pm by Jeff

Me Versus 255? MAG (PS3) Private Beta Invite Received

Finally, a game where I can get some practice in before the twelve year olds get really good and taunt me from all over the world.

Figure 1 - Time to bring down some servers!

Figure 1 - Time to bring down some servers!

About a week back I received an email from the PlayStation Network asking me to fill out a brief survey, thereby registering me for possible selection for the upcoming MAG private beta test. Here we are, a week later, and I’ve been selected as one of the lucky few (figure 1), beta code sitting in my inbox.  This will be my second beta test on the PlayStation 3, with the first being PlayStation Home.  Let’s hope MAG is a little more worth my time.

If you’re not familiar with MAG, it stands for “Massive Action Game”–major fail in the title department–and is an online shooter designed with a unique server architecture allowing it to support online battles of up to 256 players at once.  Shooters usually fall stale with me as they feel like the same thing over and over, but I am excited to see if MAG can accomplish this feat of scale that we haven’t yet seen in console gaming.  The game supposedly also divides players into 8-player squads, with four squads forming a platoon, and four platoons forming a company.  MAG is scheduled to be released in January 2010.

Click after the break for proof screenshots of the invite and ensuing download.

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Posted on July 24th, 2009 at 12:02 am by Jeff

Gran Turismo & LittleBigPlanet In Action On the PSP Go [Video]

Figure 1 - This is why you keep your PSP in your pocket.

Figure 1 - This is why you keep your PSP in your pocket.

Sony’s Playstation Portable is getting some major love these days (Figure 1). I had gotten mine as a gift last Christmas, deciding a few months thereafter to swap the motherboard out for a hackable one so I could enjoy emulated goodness of my favorite games of yesteryear along with the PSP’s library of games.  My PSP seemed complete, though it seemed like something was missing, some traditional part of the PlayStation gaming diet. Then it came upon me:

Where the hell was Gran Turismo PSP?

Gran Turismo has made a name for itself in every PlayStation generation, and today serves as what many consider to be the definitive racing simulator.  It seems like a perfect candidate for portable gaming as well, so what was the holdup? To all of you laughing, yes, to confirm, I just admitted to wondering why Polyphony Digital had been taking so long to develop something.

This is the same game studio that released a “prologue” versions of Gran Turismo 4 for PlayStation 2 and Gran Turismo 5 for PlayStation 3, both a year before the full version releases. After a long time coming, Gran Turismo is coming to the PSP this year.  The quality of the final Gran Turismo offerings usually make up for the grueling waits, and it seems as if Gran Turismo for PSP will be no different.

LittleBigPlanet joined the likes of Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid last year, making its case to be a face of the PlayStation brand with Sackboy’s debut on the PlayStation 3. While playing through the game, I thought that the platforming aspect of the game would make a fantastic transfer to the PSP. I’m not sure how the level creation and sharing that makes LittleBigPlanet so expansive would work, but as long as the gameplay and physics engine came over intact, I wouldn’t care all that much.  Apparently some people at Sony and Media Molecule agree with me, and LittleBigPlanet is coming to the PSP this year.

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Posted on July 12th, 2009 at 11:03 pm by Jeff

Sony PSP Motherboard Replacement Guide

My girlfriend is on a streak, or she just knows me really well.  It’s pretty hard to top gifts like a leather Lord of the Rings beer mug and a Dremel, but she manages to do so. For Christmas this past year, she got me a Sony PlayStation Portable (Model PSP-2001, otherwise known as the “slim”).  Given my tinkering nature, there was just one problem.  My PSP, being one of the later slim models, contained a motherboard that, to this point, had been found to be…[Insert ominous music here]…unhackable.

sigh

Figure 1 - My PSP, ready for its new motherboard from the dark side.

Figure 1 - My PSP, ready for its new motherboard from the dark side.

What was a warranty voider to do?  After some research, I had found out how to tell if a PSP is hackable. There is a great forum post over on pspmod.com containing a guide on how to determine the hackability of your PSP.  I confirmed that my PSP contained the thus far unhackable TA-88v3 motherboard. I decided the simplest route would be to purchase a PSP identified as hackable from eBay, and swap out the motherboard with mine.  Upon completion, I would sell the eBay purchased PSP back on eBay with the disclaimer that the motherboard had been replaced.  It was a flawless plan, except that the aforementioned guide required knowing a lot of information about the PSP before purchasing it. I was not looking forward to Q & A sessions with many sellers asking for serial numbers and box codes.

There was, however, a simpler solution.  The guide also mentioned confirmed motherboards in certain limited edition PSPs:

Daxter Limited Edition Pack (TA-85v2/3.80 OFW)(CONFIRMED)
God of War Limited Edition Pack (TA-88v2/3.95 OFW)(CONFIRMED)
Madden 09 Limited Edition Pack (TA-88v2/3.95 OFW & TA-88v3/4.01 OFW)(CONFIRMED)
Star Wars Darth Vader Edition Pack(TA-85v2)
*Note – OFW stands for “Official Firmware”

I decided to go with the TA-85v2 motherboard. Why?  No technical reason.  I just felt that my PSP could use a little dark side with the Star Wars Darth Vader Edition PSP.  I was victorious in my online auction and was ready to swap motherboards.

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Posted on May 15th, 2009 at 6:54 pm by Jeff

Waiting In a Tent For PlayStation 3 Was Worth It

I bought a PlayStation 3 at launch, I paid $600 for it, and looking back two and a half years later, I don’t regret it one bit.

Figure 1 - Yes, I lived here for almost two days to buy PlayStation 3.

Figure 1 - Yes, I lived here for almost two days to buy PlayStation 3.

On November 15, 2006, I set out with two friends to get in line for Sony’s newest gaming console, PlayStation 3. The system didn’t come out until November 17, but lines were already forming everywhere and word was that the largest shipment that any store would get would be twenty 60GB models and six 20GB models.  After calling around to what seemed to be every toy and electronics store in the region, we found three spots in line within the top twenty places at a Best Buy forty-five minutes from my apartment.

I’m not much of a camper. It’s not that I don’t like camping, in fact, I enjoy it.  I just don’t camp often enough to have accrued a wide array of camping supplies.  Consequently, I had to purchase a tent. I was already going to be spending $600 on a gaming console, so I didn’t want to break the bank on something I might use once or twice, so I bought a cheap two man tent (Figure 1) on eBay. If you’ve been paying attention, there was going to be three of us waiting in line.  It was also November, and I’m not much for cuddling with dudes for warmth–or for any other reason–so I also bought a small propane heater and we decided that we’d sleep in shifts.

We didn’t consider this to be the end of our preparations.  We also brought a power inverter and extension cord to draw power from my car in the parking lot, some video games, a laptop, books, and of course, a decent amount of snacks. It may have been cold and rainy, but the experience was a hell of a lot of fun.  The Best Buy staff was pretty hospitable, allowing us to leave the line once they had our names to use the restroom, go get food, and hell, they even bought us pizza at one point.  Despite all of this, the fact still remained that we were waiting in line for one and a half days in the cold…for a video game console.

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