Stringer Army

I got my PS3 on Halloween to be exact. A couple posts ago, I let everyone know about my prospect of selling 5 PS1 RPGs to a friend for $300 so I could buy my PS3. The thing is, my friend still has a couple of personal payments to make (repairing his car, buying a new TV since his old one broke), so it will be a couple of months until he’ll buy those games from me (keep in mind that he’s been my friend for almost 10 years, and I have 100% trust in him, as he’s never let me down even once before. He’s promised me that he will buy those games, as he’s always been very interested in owning them). I figured that since I’m going to sell those games eventually anyways, why should I have to wait to get that PS3? Either way, that money will be coming back into my own pocket, so with that in mind, my friend and I went to his workplace last night (Wal-Mart) and he used his discount and my cash to pick up a PS3 Slim and a copy of Uncharted 2 for me (I got the money for Uncharted 2 by selling some other older RPGs and a couple of other titles that were just “okay”, that I’ll never play again). I still have almost $40 left over, so I think I’ll save it, and buy another title when I come across another $20 or so at some point. The PS3 Slim looks really slick on my TV unit, although it didn’t come with HD cables of course, but I’ll be waiting until I actually own a large HDTV before I pick those cables up. I’m really digging the console’s controller, since you can just hook it up to your PS3 and charge it, unlike the other two consoles that need batteries for their controllers. Those new L2 and R2 triggers also feel really nice.

So what about Uncharted 2? I’ve just made it to Chapter 6 last night, and so far, I’m having an absolute blast with it. I know that last month was basically Uncharted 2-mania on the blogs last month, so you may be a little sick of hearing about it by this point. I know that I’ve showed up a little late to the party, but I’ll still give a couple of quick impressions on it. For one, it really makes it worth owning a PS3 for me. I’ve never seen this kind of cinematic presentation in a game before (for both the cutscenes, as well as in actual gameplay, as well as transitioning between both), and Uncharted 2 has really set the bar for how far technology has gone to create these presentation values in a game. I love being able to buy a new console to be completely floored by a high-tech, extremely well designed game that sets new standards. The whole thing is reminiscent of watching a blockbuster movie (the whole thing really reminds me of National Treasure), and the best part about it is that it’s extremely fun to play as well.

The first games that I thought Uncharted 2 resembled were the climbing elements of Prince of Persia and Shadow of the Collosus, and the shooting segments/movie-like atmosphere/hording enemies of Gears of War 2. So far, I find Uncharted 2 to be better than the Prince of Persia games and even Gears of War 2 (the latter of which placed pretty damn high on my Top 100 list), which is saying something. I know that you can’t directly compare Uncharted 2 to games like those, but regardless, for being a game that takes elements from others, it really stands out on it’s own and becomes a worthwhile experience. I love the platforming. I love trying to survive when hordes of bad guys rush into an area to kill you as you fight for your life. I even liked the stealth segments, which is really saying something since I normally hate stealth-based gameplay (the stealth melee takedowns are jaw-dropping). I love coming to a new vista and just staring at the detail of everything. I like blowing things up, taking down bad guys with melee attacks when they have firearms, or choosing to make a dramatic on-foot escape instead of engaging the enemy if I’m given the choice. I love the pre-scripted events like the train on the mountainside at the start of the game (what an opener to a game!), or running down the streets of Italy (is that where it is? Where they have to locate the right temple?) as a jeep is chasing you right from behind and riding on your ankles at points as you barely escape. The voice work is top notch, and I really enjoy the in-game banter too. The game is simply incredible, and will most likely easily make it into the top portion of my Top 100 list.

I haven’t even made it to the multiplayer components yet, whether they be co-op or deathmatch. A quick question though. Can you play co-op locally with someone right beside you, or is it only online co-op? I’m guessing it’s the latter.

With those first impressions out of the way, I’m going to ask which games that you would really recommend to me on the PS3, whether it may be old, new released, or a very promising future title. I’ll give a list of the games that I have been interested in trying, but there are a few very important factors that lie in my next game purchase. For one, if possible, I would prefer it to be a newly released or soon to be released game, so I could join in discussion, and possibly play with others online. Secondly, no sports or generic racing games for me (probably not RPGs either, as I already have so many of them). Thirdly, since I have no idea when I’ll ever be able to purchase a PS3 game next, I would prefer for a game to have a lot of staying power (a very solid single player mode and strong, addictive multiplayer mode that could last years would be very tempting). Here’s a list of the games that I’ve eyed on the PS3 as being interesting, in no particular order. Quite a bit of these games are older, so I’m not sure if I’ll want the older ones right at the moment. If you can even think of a soon to be released or newly released title that’s already out that I haven’t mentioned, let me know. Just keep in mind that I’m really not a fan of God of War, Gran Turisimo, Tekken or Grand Theft Auto.

NOTE: I’m just as interested in the multi-platform games as I am with exclusives. As stupid as it may sound, I only really like my 360 for a couple of exclusives and my XBLA games. I’d prefer to buy multi-platform games on the PS3 to prevent unreasonable wear and tear to my 360 console (which is the reason I only play exclusives on my 360). The PS3 is a better built console, so I would prefer to play all of my multi-platform games on it, regardless of how superior XBOX Live is to PSN.

Anyways, I guess I’ll start out with the games that I’m the most interested in:

Borderlands – Looks interesting and like a great multiplayer title, but something tells me that once you beat the main game, there may not be much more to go back to. I do really like the look of 4 player local split screen play, along with being online compatible. However, does it get repetitive over time and only seems like a game that you’re planning on just playing until the end and then shelving for years after? You tell me.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – I’m not normally interested in military-based games since their premises are incredibly unoriginal, but everyone always raves on about how the multiplayer is bliss. Is the multiplayer in these games local as well, or are you only in it for the online run? How did the single player of the original game hold up too? To note too, I’ve always been a console gamer, and my favorite FPS games have been Goldeneye, Halo and Doom. Half-Life 2 was pretty good too from what I got to play of it. Think I might like this game?

Super Street Fighter 4 – I’ve never been much into Street Fighter, but this may be the time to give it a try. I might grow to really get into it if it’s one of my only PS3 games that I’ll be playing. Fighting games seem to have infinite potential for lasting value, but on the other hand, they only get lots of play time when you have someone to play. I’m not sure if my fiancee would be much into Street Fighter, but there’s always online, I guess (However, I’m not that skilled at fighters, so I may only get my ass handed to me online. I’m not sure yet).

Assassin’s Creed 2 – I never got into the first, but I hear that this one looks like an improvement on it in every way. The settings look beautiful and fun to roam in, but the original was said to be repetitive after some time. I haven’t kept up much with the news on this game, but I hope the sequel isn’t as linear. I thought I heard that in the first, you only had one way to go about assassinating enemies, so I hope there’s some variety in this one.

MAG – this upcoming title looks like it may be a really fun FPS. One of the things I’m most interested in is getting a current, great, addictive FPS that I can really get hooked on with the multiplayer. Still, I heard that the frame rate is kind of low (which could affect gameplay), there may be too many people on the field, and I don’t know if there’s any single player or local multiplayer. If it’s purely online multiplayer, I might pass on it.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 – I loved the first Ninja Gaiden, and this one returns with some co-op elements.

LittleBigPlanet – A bit of an older title, but this one always appealed to me, with it’s classic platforming style, and level editing system.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – I could play it safe and buy the first Uncharted for only $30, but I wouldn’t have much variety on my new PS3. Will still pick it up someday though.

Others that I’m too lazy to go into detail with but am still interested in:

- Infamous
- Prototype
- Blazblue (I think I heard that there’s a new version coming out, or was that Street Fighter 4?)
- Valkyria Chronicles
- Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction
- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
- Resistance 1 & 2
- Far Cry 2
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- Brutal Legend
- Fallout 3
- MGS4
- Demon’s Souls
- Killzone 2
- Half Life 2: The Orange Box
- Assassin’s Creed
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm

So that’s what I’m currently interested in, aside from a couple of PSN titles like Suikoden or Fat Princess perhaps. What would everyone here recommend? Also, are there any titles that people have been playing from a month or two back that have still been really standing the test of time? I know that Uncharted 2 will be eating up a lot of my time for a couple of weeks, but after that, I may be able to scrounge up a little bit of cash to just be able to afford my next game (That’s also why I really want a game that will stand the test of time. I see people on the blogs buying every new game under the sun, but this is the only one that I’ll be able to buy for quite some time. I really need to make it last).

All in all, owning a PS3 is sweet. I finally have all three current-gen consoles (and I even have the current-gen handhelds too!), and it feels really good. The only title that I know will be an absolute buy will be The Last Guardian (by the makers of Shadow of the Colossus), but that won’t be released for quite some time. Anyways, time to get back to some Uncharted 2 action right now. I’m also aware that I interrupted the flow of my last post, but this is a freaking PS3 for cripes sake! My next post will be part II of the games that I’ve completed in 2009, so stay tuned.