so its been a rough 2 1/2 months of being homeless. sleeping in the car, staying at friends couches, but despite all that, i still managed to keep up with gaming. I pre ordered kz2 and tried it out on my ps3 at my friends house along with a couple of my buddies. i must say i'm impressed.

Even for a demo, killzone 2 looked amazing. We all know about all that technical hooplah it boasts, and the attention to detail put in, but i think what caught my eye the most, is the environment felt, for lack of a better word, just right. Its chaotic, and run down, yet it was beautiful. it was a good environment for a war. also the game is violently satisfying. Headshots felt rewarding, and seeing helghast gundown is a sight to see. i cant mention enough about the graphics...and everyone else put it with better words so i'm just going to say that it awesome

the gameplay got mixed reactions with my friends and me. All of my homies played cod and not much else, so they were dissapointed at how slow the game ran and the cover system. My homies play reckless with no real strategy in mind, so i can understand their cricticisms. I on the other hand loved the change of pace. Shooters sometimes sacrifice a bit of strategy for mindless fun with unrealistic tactics. Campers are frowned upon, though in real life, its probably whats best keep you alive. With killzone 2 and the cover system, it tries to come at a compromise, giving you a bit of cover, and challenges a person to think of strategies to get around a person shooting through cover, or how to take over a strategic point. It also gives people who don't have naturally good aim a chance to play. Cod is not the onlyfps out there.

can't wait for killzone 2, hope to see my fellow gamers on psn sometime soon

Ok so the hype train is in full force, and i must say the anticipation for this game is almost at an overload. I'm almost saturated by it. No gaming site or publication is devoid of the hype train. As the reviews come rolling in, most if not all is positive, but is it enough to reverse the trend.As much as i want to believe it will, as many fanboys share my sentiments, i think Killzone 2, as awesome and monumental as it may be, won't reverse the fortunes of the ps3 as the bottom feeder of the 3 consoles.

Adressing why the ps3 got to where it is at should be fitting. First, sony shot itself in the foot thinking they can sit on a later launch with no real true good games, and the most expensive console and expect to suceed. Having an inferior online service and lack of feature to counteract achievement points was another missstep. Not throwing big budgets for the console didn't help either. Loosing exclusive games like assasins creed,ut 3, gta 4. dmc 4, tekken 6, and final fantasy was really bad. Even when they had a full head of steam at the begining of the year, not cutting the price is as boneheaded a move as ever. If the structure was sell consoles at a loss while recouping thru software was a sucesses, y not repeat what works? its baffling how they turn their back on a succesful business model just to milk every cent out of a consumer. I thik the biggest mistake they ever made was thinking they were untouchable based on past success. Well now that they are in their perdicament, they expect one game to be the ps3's savior: Killzone 2.

As great as ps3 has been, aside from OPM (official playstation magazine), everyonehas a negative view of the ps3. First it was the horrible ports. Then came the no good exclusive games. Then the dissapointment of HOME, not enough advertising, corporate missteps etc...The list goes on and on regardless of how many times Sony tries to fix the problem. It is true that the ports were bad, but now the developers have had a grasp and the multi-plat games are on par with the 360's. No exclusive games have been adressed with many great titles like metal gear solid 4, little big planet, resistance 2, and valkyria chronicles.For gamers, and even game critics, the first impression is a lasting one. It feels like the fat kid trying to loose weight, he isn't loosing enough for other people to notice. Its all over the internet: ps3 and sony have failed. Anyone that tries to reflect on the positive things are automatically ruled a fanboy with a schewed perception on reality. So sony once again tries to reverse the perception with Killzone 2, or any game for that matter, but it may never get a chance to make a second impression to most gamers who have written off the ps3.

When it all comes down to it, money talks. As i mentioned earlier, the ps3 is not devoid of great exclusives, yet these games have been under achieving. Is it the result of disinterest, or lack of casuals being uninformed? Who really knows, but fact is ps3 game sales don't compare to that of its predecesors. With 3 ps3 exclusive AAA/AAAA titles for 2008, none have lasted long in the top 10 US game charts for more than a month. Will this be the same fate of killzone 2, or will it really be a system seller like halo 3 and the gears of war franchise has been for microsoft? Sony is hoping so, but i'm mildly scheptical that it would reach 1 million sales in its first week. One reason, Microsoft isn't going to sit on its laurels and let sony have that one week of glory. To counteract Killzone 2's launch window, they are realeasing halo wars and gta 4 dlc to make gamers who actually are on the fence about purchasing killzone 2 that much harder.Even if a person were to want Killzone 2, a gamer who doesn't currently own a ps3 will be hard pressed to spend $500 just to play one game. As we found out in 2008, the gaming industry is not recession proof and $500 is a lot to invest in especially if you are a U.S. gamer. If Killzone were to be a system seller, it would need a lot of help from sony, not just with advertisement but with a cheaper console.

With all the hype for one game, some gamers are going to run the opposite way. I think they hype will generate a backlash from gamers and critics alike. When gta 4 got lots of perfect scores, a lot of people nitpicked and dissected every flaw in the game. But was it not a great game? I thought so. But how many gamers fun factor went down a couple of notches after knowing the score. Killzone could very well suffer the same fate. As i'm typing this, OPM has given killzone 2 five stars, and ign just gave it a 9.4. The hater will come out in full force from microsoft and sony fanboys alike. I'm going to hear endless comparisons to Call of Duty's perk system against Killzone 2's mix classes. The graphical comparisons will flood the forums (beware mods) of people over analyzing every pixel, jaggies, lighting and particle effects. Killzone seems to be living up to the hype, but will the hype take away from the game? only time will tell.

I wish sony and Killzone 2 the best of luck. Selling 21 million consoles is a great achievement for a console that came out a year later and the most expensive console.But all is fair in love and System wars. With the xbox 360 game and consol sales surging, and the reemergence of ninty as a console maker, ps3 has a lot on its plate. With all that said Killzone 2 won't be the system seller or the single catalyst that would turn the tide because there isn't enough going for the console for the game to really live up to its potential. It takes a lot of decisions from sony to find a way to make a price cut, advertise their gaming library, and re-establish relationships with developers and publishers who once staunchly supported sony consoles exclusively. Most of all, though it may not exist in those vice presidents and ceo's way of thinking, re-establish the faith of all those gamers they have lost by being arrogant little pricks. Help the struggline gamer, help the fanboy jumper, and help the casuals know that the ps3 is worthy of an investment. Maybe and maybe then, the Killzone 2's and gran turismo's and resistances don't have to carry a console on its shoulder and be its savior, but be what these games were meant to be: a collection of great exclusive from a great console for all gamers like us to enjoy

Everyone has their favorite year for gaming, and this year ranks high up there for me. Not only did the industry provide us with some phenomenal games, but this was the year that every system made their mark. Unlike 2007, ps3 finally started taking its stand. Although this year wasn't always a smooth ride, it was a good year for games.

Major highlight was the sudden explosion in game quality. We had some blockbusters like Gears of war 2, Fable 2, and Super Smash Brothers. We were blessed with two games that were rated 10's in GTA 4 and Metal Gear solid. Sony finally produced AAA exclusive titles with Resistance 2 and Little Big Planet. RPG'S,especially japanese rpgs, finally made its way to current gen consoles with tales of vesperia, lost odyssey, valkyria chronicles and crisis core. No genre was left out with good games.

Hardware companies had plenty to smile about.Wii's console sales went to the stratosphere this past year culminating in a record, 2 million sales in the month of november. Xbox 360 continued to flourish, with major blockbuster sales in both hardware and software. Sony finally came out with games, and for the first half, even outsold its main the 360. With the recession hitting the U.S., the gaming industry really thrived.

Personally i was amazed and had lots of fun gaming. I FINALLY entered the hd gaming era with the ps3, and i am soo glad that i did. With soo many excellent titles released for the ps3, i found myself having to postpone purchases because of soo many awesome titles that i acquired. Little big planet i thought lived up to hype. It is an awesome game that brought co-op platforming back to relevance. Me and my sister had a blast playing the game and trying to collect all the items. I haven't tried the user created levels online and i haven't tried customizing a level YET, but i will once i achieve 100% completion for the items. MGS4 is was ridiculously beautiful and i think it deserves its review rating. Gta4 was enjoyable. Maybe not a 10 in my book, but it was a blast playing the missions.

So whats next for 2009? More great games from sony. I'm looking forward to playing killzone 2, fight night round 4, tekken 6, street fighter 4, gt5(the full game) and all the final fantasy games. I'm also going to get the backlog of games that i wanted for 2008, but didn't have enough money for like far cry2, cod:waw, r2 and valkyrie chronicles.im also hoping that i finally get uncharted 1, heavenly sword, first resistance brothers in arm.

On the gaming front, cod4 and nba 2k8 took up most of my time and i didn't really get to finish a lot of the games that i said i would. i'm prolly going to start eliminating my backlogs again.

oh and i'm finally getting an xbox360. I'm still worried about the failure rate, but i am excited about playing mass effect,lost odysey,;eft 4 dead and the gears franchise. Other than that, my multi platform games are gonna be for ps3. i can't imagine why i would want to pay for online if ps3 and pc players don't have 2.

i'm getting a psp and buying all those rpgs!

can't wait for 09...

edit-forgot to mention something. my next blog is going to my 2008 awards...going to be a tradition for now on.

man my life just got soo hectic soo fast.

i'm moving again. i didn't even last 1 year in this house. my family got ripped off by the landlord. 

mom and me sharing one car...

i quit my job in construction cuz i was going to school. but i can't find another job...wack!

a friend was getting suicidal and i had to go through a conversation where he was about to commit suicide. i don't want to be put in that position again! i cant chill wis a guy who wasn't stable like that. i don't mind when he talked to me about his problems. i did not like how i was the last person he called before he was to drive his car off the cliff. thank god something happened and he didn't do it. 

my mom lost her job cuz of her bosses incompetence. the company had to close...did i mention i have to move?

behind  in school.

my girfriend is going to the airforce.

there are about 10 games that i want coming out this year...i don't have money for it.

now to some lighter news

i have a new obsession: heroes. i watched sunday night at my homegirls house. i borrowed the dvds and in 2 days i watched 2 seasons and all of the episodes from season 3. talk about obsessed.

my basketball team (for church) made it to the championships. we went undefeated during the season. we dominated a lot of teams, but our defensive lapses in the post have killed us. last couple of games have been decided by 2 pts. were facing a tougher bay area team than in the past. we havent practiced yet. if we practiced and hustled in the post, we would blow em out by 20 or 30. what sux is that i gained 20 lbs cuz of lack of working out and bad knees. I'm not sure if i can play the champ game. its wack...i'm the most physical low post defender 2. 

haven't been playing games much. been playing games casually.

little big planet is fun. i wish i bought a strat guide. having problems finding certain objects.

i'm on the last level of star wars: fu. last stage isn't compelling. i think i had the most fun in the first stage. can't wait til i finish this game.  actually, i can wait.

cod4- third prestige. 1.10 k/d ratio. pretty good considering after i got my 1st prestige, my k/d was .86. still need to learn how to use a sniper rifle, but i'm deadly with most a/r and p90/mp5. stopped using juggernaut. it didn't help me when i was getting shot in the back cuz it didn't register bullet damgae until juggernaut properties wore off. using stopping power was the best perk move for me yet.

aight til next time

so i haven't been on gs for a bit since i've been bussy going out with my girl because she is about to join the airforce. I went in yesterday to pick up lbp because god knows how much hype its been getting. I come to find out that it got delayed. that was a bummer! On one hand, i have to wait another week to get a hold of, what i personally feel, is the most innovating and charming game to come out in years. On the other, i fully paid for it, and got the god of war costume pack. all i have to do is pick it up.

I'm not going to write an impression based on trailers. Everyone who reads and watches video game trailers should already have a decision about this game. I personally was convinced that this was going to be the first AAA exclusive for sony (it was the 2nd, i didn't expect mgs4 to be that good) and @ least i got the AAA part right. I'm really going to enjoy playing this game, especially since its co-op, so my sister (who enjoys platforming) can enjoy a game with me instead of against me (she also likes fighting games).

now is this the start of the sony era? i hope so! it kind of sucks that that lbp along with soo many great games are going to be released with the us economy being in shambles, but i'm hoping that the quality of games for sony improves dramatically. If lbp or any other game raise hadrware sales, then at least sony can't be the console with crappy games. It has something to brag about. Hope this is the launch of the sony era...now lets get some rpg's for the system

with my blog about sony, this really irked me. can't sony hang on to a franchise for dear god's sake. there goes more game sales away from sony, and unit sales. i know a lot of tekkenzaibatsu community bought a ps3 just for tekken. sony how can you let this happen?

weird that it coincides with me getting back into tekken.

As we all know The playstation brand made by Sony was the dominant console in the market the last two generations. We also know that The ps3 has struggled to get market share this generation, and is currently the 3rd console (excluding handhelds) as far as install base. I've been utterly frustrated at their setbacks and strategic blunders not because i'm a fanboy, but because with the economic state in the U.S., i only had enough to support one console, which happened to be the ps3. I'm waiting for more gamers to jump on board because it makes the product better. More gamers, more games, more support from devs=better gaming experience. I'm not asking anyone to share my opinion and i'm not starting a flame war with ms fanboys, but i do want the most out of MY CONSOLE. Since i can't exactly reach Mr. Trenton or Sir Howard Stringer to voice my opinion, this blog is what i would relay to them.

Dear Sony,

It must be pretty tough to know that the ps3 brand isn't going as well as you guys would have hoped. I know that this year has been a little better, and actually had a couple of months where you outsold one of your rival consoles, the xbox 360, but is this enough to be in 2nd place? I hope not. As a long time playstation supporter, i feel that the ps3 is a great system, but there have been a lot of wrong strategies thats holding the system back. Im not here to demoralize or tell you how to run your business, but you may have lost touch with your consumers. My voice is one of many, but it could help if you just listen.

I know that you loose money with every console sold, and price cuts would further hinder your goal for profitability, but there are not enough ps3 owners out there. The economy isn't doing so well and if you want those previous ps2 owners to jump on the wagon for this generation, asking $400 from us is just a little steep. We also have to buy a $60 for a 2nd controller along with a $65 game, so getting started with your console is leaves us financially strapped. It leaves little room in our budget for games. So why not a price cut? The cheaper it is, the more appealing your console becomes. I know its a big hit to you financially, but i know you guys make it up through game sales right? I know that if you had a bigger install base, then your games would sell better. The more games you sell, the more you can recoup right?

Speaking of games, what happened to them? A lot of the most profitable exclusives have gone multiplatform.As a gamer who spendsa lot of money for a system, we have to know that all the great games are going to this system. If some of these great games are going to other systems that are cheaper and sometimes better versions, it only makes sense to buy the other system. Your company was known for great exclusives, a huge diverse library that covers all bases, at it would serve you well to stay the course. I know that the internal studious are developing exclusives, but thats only one part of the equation. Loosing,or not protecting, existing franchises such as DMC4, Final Fantasy xIII, and loosing your timed exclusive for GTA 4.

One of your guys, Peter Dille quoted " "To me it's a little bit analogous to the GTA announcement. Microsoft spent a lot of money to get the development on their platform. And if you look at what happened in May, you could see there was a pretty even split between PS3 [and 360], so I'm not sure that it had the impact that Microsoft was banking on, to spend all that money to get a cross-platform game." http://www.gamespot.com/news/6194577.html?tag=result;title;4

While you didn't pay for the content, what you guys did is loose out on two things. You lost out on system sales, and you lost out on game sales. After the first month, the ps3 version sold less copies, while the 360 version, though declined as well,was still at the top of the game charts. This game title would have boosted your hardware sales by a lot if it was even a timed exclusive. Many people look forward to these titles, and i believe you guys missed out on a bigger part of the cash cow. The same thing is going to happen with FF XIII. Exclusive titles are what drive hardware sales especially if the hardware happens to be the most expensive one.

Let me not forget, don't ignore rpg's. As far as North America goes, your console doesn't even have the most japanese rpg's out there. Many of your loyal consumers are waiting for the rpg's to roll in, including me, so make some deals, get some exclusive rpg's in the gamers hands. Don't alienate this genre in favor for the fps. Though its whats selling, your console always had a reputation for bringing quality rpg's. Please don't tarnish it.

I'm also a bit frustrated with you guys introducing a different model and bundle every couple of months. I held out from buying a 60 gig ps3 since i heard that there was an 80 gig coming out, only to find out that they only sold a 40 gig when i had the money. By the time i bought the 40 gig, you re-announced the 80 gig that isn't backwards compatible. You guys are confusing those who want the best model out there.I bet people are still holding out to see which model you guys are going to settle on, so coming to a decision and sticking with it might help bosst sales. I hated getting shafted by your business strategy. You guys could have made more money had you kept your models/bundles steady. You can only do this for soo long before actually adressing the price cut issues.

On a side note, don't ignore the psp market. It seems that most aren't developing many titles for it. Lead by example, and approach the studiou's for more content. Bring more rpg's like the dragon quest,tales, and atlus. Its what sells. and it will drive your console.

As much as you guys are trying to promote an "all in one" machine, it sometimes hurts when its main purpose, gaming, is not always being refined through different services and improvements or even given enough effort. Introducing a better psn store is nice, but it would have been better to make your psn network have a more structured system for gaming would have been better. Coming up with trophies is a nice idea, but its half assed if you leave it up as an option for developers to implement if they choose to. If you want to compete with achievement points, then do so wholeheartedly. Giving us 50 million usb slots is nice, but giving us hdmi cables would have been better. Its these little things that i see, and others see, that makes supporting the ps3 much harder. We are smarter as consumers, and we aren't the richest.

All is not lost this generation. Adressing these problems, and giving us consumers some wholehearted effort would do a lot to turn the tide. I jumped onboard because i felt your console would be the best choice, but others are still unconvinced, or have converted. With a price cut, more and better exclusives, your console will rise again. But if you live in the past and continue with the strategy of old, then expect your reign to have been lost. Good luck and keep the great games coming.

Sincerely,

A concerned gamer

Sup guys, i've been on the ball with gaming and here are some more impressions

Assasins Creed (ps3)-I've played and finished this game. Kind of proud that i finished this rather quickly. I actually found this to be an enjoyable game despite all of its criticisms. I'll adress the negatives first. YES THE MISSIONS ARE REPETETIVE, and some of the vigilantes and scholars were a bit useless since most of them weren't around in places i needed them.Drunks and beggars were annoying,especially during the end. The ending was a cliffhanger and was a little weird and out of place...but

This game had soo many more positives. Though repetetive, they weren't frustrating. To complete investigation missions, one only needs to finish two of these. Though you can pick up some valuable informations from doing all 6, pickpocket missions were easy and the most helpfull. What helps is that i really got into the story. I admitt, i was a little pescimistic about the sci-fi premise, but all in all it worked, and i grew to like it. It had religious philosphies and relativism as themes that i really got into.It made the story really enjoyable to get to, and i couldn't wait for the dialogue sequences activate.Fighting was pretty cool, especially when a counter resulted in a death for the opponent. No matter how many waves of enemies i had to encounter, the fighting system was intuitive enough that it was easy. Assasinations were freaking awesome. Using the hidden blade was cool, and never got old for me. The acrobatics and platforming was super awesome. I thought it was actually better than the prince of persia acrobatics. This has the best environment, barnone. No gta game that i ever played made me feel soo imersed as assasins creed has. the architecture, the scale, and the people made me feel like this was a living breathing world. people on the streets felt like they had their own lives. i would give this 9 out of 10.can't wait for the sequel

Star Wars Force unleashed (ps3)- ok so it is fun. Super bad force powers. Another beautiful world. But man oh man the third boss was super cheesy. instead of an epic fight, i kept on wondering how retard and cheesy this boss is.Like a pesky insect which i couldn't lock on too because of bad camera angles and a lack of lock on system. so instead of matching light saber skill, i drained his life bar through 2nd level force lighting... trust me, it made the match super easy, i encountered a glitch where i completely dissapeared on the screen although my lightsaber markings still showed when i pressed the attack button.

With a lack of a good camera and a lock on system, bad aiming and a force grip thats not reliable when in close environments, what keeps me going in this game is that the force is such an addicting thing. Force gripping storm troopers or other enemies, and flining them to oblivion is totallly dope. Force repulsing while surrounded by swarms of enemies is sick. this game has a lot of style and loads of fun 70% of the time. I really got into the bad ass sith char who seemingly has some good guy like qualities. The char expressions is awesome, the story is awesome, and the story is vintage star wars awesomeness. I still give it a 7.5. i'm anticipating the more frustrating star destroyer/tie fighter section...so depending on how the rest of it goes, the score may go down.

thats it for now...once im done with star wars, i'm going to give my ps3 collection a break and finish mgs,god of war 3, and start on symphonia. i'm determined to finish sttfu quickly

picked it up at the midnight launch. Played 2 levels. got a test tomorrow for school so i'm going to have re-write this thing when i get time...

the game is fun...and yes it deserves the 7.5 from gs....its fun as hell.

with the influx of great titles coming out from now until god knows when, i really want to lessen the backlog of games i have yet to finish. Do i finish the games i already started, work in alphabetical order, or have some kind of combination?

So i decided that i was going to play at least one game from every platform that i do have except for the xbox (its upstairs with the sister). The hard part is which games am i going to play? I was thinking i needed a short game, an epic game, an rpg, and something casual.

I wanted to get started with the metal gear series since i really want to get to 4 and understand the plot tie ups. So naturally i wanted to start from the begining with mgs1 for the ps1. for the ps2, i thought i would finish up god of war 2 before god of war 3 came out. Its a fun action game, but its something i can probably beat pretty easily,and rather fast. Since i picked a ps2 game, i decided to go with the rpg for the gc. it was either Tales of symphonia or baten kaitos. So i picked tales. I would have liked something turn based, but most of those were from sony, so tales it is. For the ps3, i got a recomendation that i should go through and play assasins creed. i actually got a couple of missions in today. I must say that i find this game world more impressive and feel more alive than gta4. jumping up and stabbing enemies never gets old.

for the casual games, i still kept cod4 in rotation and nba 2k8. those two games are still very addictive.

I have to come up with a better system but for now i'm going to pick one game from every console. i hope i don't get a 360 soon...it would be too much gaming. might neglect school hahaha.