I don’t really know what I was expecting from the PSP version of this great game, but I fancied killing a few birds with one stone: using the PlayStation Store naitively on the PSP, then buying and running a downloadable game.
Before I get ahead of myself, I’ll just give you the lowdown. Super Stardust HD was the blockbuster PlayStation Network title of 2007 which attracted plenty of attention in 2008 by being the first game ever on the PS3 to support Trophies by means of a patch.
Super Stardust Portable aims to capture the essence of its bigger brother, and share the magic on the small screen with PSP gamers. I have to admit that I don’t really see much of what captured my attention with the first game, in this portable version. Read on, and I’ll tell you why…
LittleBigPlanet Metal Gear Solid costume and level Packs: better than sliced bread– You know I’m absolutely going to get this! Probably the first compelling reason to spend money on a LBP content pack is here. Click the link and watch the video; I dare you not to be impressed (it also has 11 extra Trophies!). I need to persuade my bro to do some multiplayer on LBP though, it looks so much fun…
I’d like to start off by saying that first and foremost, my experience with LittleBigPlanet as a whole, and more specifically, the community, has been really good. Great, in fact. I’ve been making my way gingerly through the story mode; loving the visuals, level-design, and uniqueness of the whole LittleBigPlanet universe. I’ve even ventured online properly, playing a couple of levels with other people, playing user-created levels and passing judgment. Then I created my own level…
The rating system is out of 5 stars, then you can sum up what you think of the level with a one-word answer, which gets rid of any profanities I guess. After doing a few story levels, I was itching to create something. However, due to being away at University for most of the time, I admit it has taken much longer than I planned to get my first level out of the door.
After working my way through some of the tutorials, I started to piece my level together. I admit though, that because I haven’t completed the whole story mode yet, I don’t exactly have a full list of parts to select from! I created a fairly short level, named it “Life’s A Beach“, and provided a description saying something along the lines that it was my first level, please be kind. I put some sand castles in it, added a bit of humour, an obstacle or two, and offered some prizes. Fairly reasonable, no? So I uploaded the level…
I checked back a few hours later and my level received 3 stars- hooray! But the words I got describing what people thought of the level was: horizontal, empty, rubbish. Fair enough with the first one, probably the second as well, but rubbish?! That struck me as being a bit mean. I did state, didn’t I not, that it was my first-ever level?
I suppose what I’m after, Is some support here. Of course, there are some great levels out there, and I’m just starting off with my first steps into LittleBigPlanet level creation, but was a label of ‘rubbish’ really required? I’ve seen some pretty dire levels myself, but would never dream of labelling them rubbish. I only go so far as calling them empty, or horizontal. Am I being too nice here?! I want answers dammit!
Hello there everyone, I’ve been contacted by the good guys at PlayStation about Shoot! Without further ado, I present the info straight from the horse’s mouth:
I was just browsing your blog and thought that this would be of interest to you and your readers. It’s an online project for PlayStation 3 called Shoot!.
It brings six of the most promising international directorial talents together with the six of the most respected names in the film industry today, to make six short films commissioned exclusively for PlayStation.
Some of these films are already available and some will be released later this month through the PlayStation Network (available in High Definition through a PS3 or PSP) or 7 days later at www.psshoot.com (in standard definition).
Each week one of the films will be released to download (for free) along with further video content which tells the story of how that film was made, from its pitch to its production and interviews with the respective directors.
This is the kind of rich, value-added content that will entice users to make the most of the PlayStation Network and show that it can provide a wealth of great content, not limited to downloadable games. I came across Shoot! at the weekend whilst perusing the PlayStation Store, but I didn’t know about this dedicated website.
Aside from the standard ‘this is good for PlayStation’ spiel, the content itself is very interesting and sheds light on how each respective director approached the creative process and the techniques used to achieve their vision. Even for those who don’t have a PS3, videos are up on www.psshoot.com– well worth a look.
Those of you who visit the European PlayStation site from your home country (in my case, the UK PlayStation site) regularly may have noticed another section of the site that has quietly sneaked its way onto the menu: ‘PSN’. Quite innocuous you might think, but this new section is quite a significant addition to the site, containing such pages as ‘About’, ‘News’, ‘Events Calendar’, ‘Store’, ‘Community’, ‘Registration’ and ‘My PlayStation Network’.
Whilst some of the above pages I’ve listed had already been tucked away elsewhere on the site, ‘My PlayStation Network’ is a totally new addition. Let’s take a look, shall we?
'My PlayStation Network' page
The most exciting feature is the ‘Portable ID‘, a feature that Xbox 360 users have had for a good number of years now in the form of a GamerCard. This is how Sony describe it:
The Portable ID is your public face in the PlayStation Network community. It contains your PSN avatar, Online ID, current mood, favourite console and more.
Once you have created your Portable ID, you can easily embed the image into forum signatures and websites. We provide you with the code for you to do this.
Over time, the Portable ID will evolve to include Trophies and achievements, so keep an eye on eu.playstation.com for updates.
Currently, you can select your favourite game, your preferred console of choice (between PSP, PS2 and PS3), and your current mood. For now, the list of favourite games to choose from is quite limited for the moment, but it will obviously expand in the coming weeks and months.
Many of you will be disappointed that with the Portable ID you can’t share your trophies and achievements like you can with an Xbox 360 GamerCard, but it is quite exciting that we’ve even got this far. PS3 gamers have come to expect far less from the PSN than Xbox users might expect from Xbox Live. However, seen as the PSN is a free service, most PS3 gamers don’t seem to mind.
What is reassuring though, is seeing Sony’s commitment to expanding the features and functionality of the PlayStation Network to rival that of Xbox Live. We’re getting there, bit by bit. Gradually, with connectivity such as this, the introduction of Trophies, and the future release of PlayStation Home, the PlayStation Network will take its place amongst the others as being a trully first class online network for gaming.
The Portable ID can be embedded in forum signatures, or any websites and blogs you may have. I’d love to see what you are doing with your Portable ID- leave a comment with where you’ve put your Portable ID and I’ll take a look!
LittleBigPlanet is here, and gamers everywhere are giddy with excitement- and that’s just the adults! Children are going to love this game, as in fact, will anyone really. From what I’ve experienced, I can totally see how this can be a cult classic for the cool, hardcore gamers, but still be fun for all the family.
You’ll be glad to know that my woes with Amazon did not last long. The package was waiting for me when I arrived home. As I hadn’t been on my PS3 for quite some time, the usual formalities were required: download firmware update, install update, restart PS3. Time for some LittleBigPlanet goodness then? Apparently not: two updates needed to be downloaded and installed before I could so much as look at the loading screen.
There have been a couple of articles that have piqued my interest recently; one from Rockers Delight (excellent blog, go read now if you haven’t already done so) and another from PS3 Fanboy. Rather than address each point separately, I’d like to make this one big article on my thoughts about brands in the games industry.
First, Let’s start with what I’d like to call ‘the PLAYSTATION debacle’. Now, up until the launch of the PLAYSTATION 3, Sony’s consoles were always endowed with the simple, effective and iconic branding ‘PlayStation’.
Before I knew it, I was bombarded with products and services such as the PLAYSTATION Eye, the PLAYSTATION Network, and the PLAYSTATION Store. I got the feeling that this once simple and effective branding had started shouting at me. Why tinker with something like that?
Even PS3 Fanboy’s article is titled ‘No need to shout: PLAYSTATION = PlayStation’. On their poll that they’ve got going, most people prefer the original, lower-case version (at the time of writing). They say that in the latest firmware update (2.50) names have been changed to ‘PlayStation Store’ and ‘PlayStation Network’. You’ve also got box art coming in that is saying ‘Only on PlayStation‘. What the heck is going on? This is creating brand confusion.
Before, ‘PlayStation’ was understated, but a sign of quality- a brand you could trust. ‘PLAYSTATION’ makes the brand loud and clumsy. People know that the PlayStation brand is good, why shout at them?! I’m going to label this debacle as pointless and potentially damaging. Tsk tsk Sony.
Now, moving on to the ‘New Xbox Experience’. Microsoft are changing their brand in a different way- by seemingly leaving their loyal, hardcore gamers to one side, and seeking out new, more casual gamers ala the Wii.
Initially to me this seemed more of a ‘Mii too’ move by Microsoft which could potentially alienate existing 360 gamers and dilute their brand. However I do believe now that if Microsoft does this right it could make their whole service become more cohesive (if that’s possible! It’s pretty much amazing already, let’s admit) and expand their reach into new territories. Done wrong however, and it could end up like Xbox does Teletubbies. (I’ll save how I feel about Nintendo and it’s Wii for another article). This is quite a bold and risky move from Microsoft. Such crazy horses. And you know what? It might even pay off.
So what can we conclude from this brief look at gaming brands? Risks have to be made to further brand reach and recognition, but getting it wrong can give the wrong impression to customers, and potentially alienate them if they feel their console of choice no longer cares about their needs. It’s a case of branding done right, and branding done wrong. I’d love some discussion on this matter.
(N.b.: I feel marketing is a different issue here. I’ll try and deal with it in due course)
Global approval process in the works for PSN– Sounds like great stuff, making it even easier for developers to get their content on the PlayStation Network (PSN). The PSN is one of the great, open online networks out there: no fees, no overly restrictive requirements on developers and no need for publishers.
