The Atlus published Demon’s Souls is an amazing game. I just have no idea how to play it.

Article after article written about this game makes me want to start playing it again. But then I remember how furious I got the last time I played. Is it worth a broken controller?

Demon’s Souls is one of the those games where you get what you put in. It’s not a game to casually jump in and out of, but it’s a definite palette cleanser… more like a colonic cleansing…

There is so much depth and creative twists on already established game designs and mechanics, that everything seems new. But it also makes you second-guess everything you thought about how these game designs and mechanics should work. “What the hell that grunt of a skeleton solider just kicked my ass! For the 6th time in a row!”

During the winter solstice last year Atlus had a special in-game event (more here) that got me excited to play again. I was excited because Atlus made the game easier. I won’t go into the details (it’s rather complicated) but I was really interested to see how the dynamics of the game changed. Basically it was harder then I remember, and I didn’t get more then 5 min. into the first level before I died. Restart the level, died again, but sooner. Restart the level, made it alittle bit father, died again… and so on. This endless cycle continued for about 2 hours until I lost my voice screaming at the TV, and on the verge of throwing my controller across the room.

Now that more and more postmortem articles and surprising (but not surprising) nominations and awards for game of the year coming out, I really want to play again. I know I’m missing something about this game. It has everything I look for in a game, but all that I’ve experienced are all the things I hate about games.

Picked up my PSPgo at Best Buy yesterday. cashed in some BBBucks and got it for around $190. Like most people the price was a barrier for me so this softened the blow. I have a PSP1000 and PSP3000, will be keeping both: Fatty for nostalgia, Brite/Slim for the UMD.

Initial impressions - Dang it’s small! About the size of an iPhone but fatter.  Had to update to 6.10 but needed to plug it in so it can get enough charge. Not a big deal since I had to work anyways. But be prepared, it can take up-to an hour, the battery is almost drained for shipping.

Screen - the smaller size is not noticable since the overall footprint of the PSPgo is smaller. I tend to hold the device close to me anyways, so I didn’t notice the screen reduction at all. The issues with the PSP3000 screen seem to be gone on the PSPgo, and with the smaller size but same resolution, games do look sharper and more crisp.

Controls - the analog nub is definitely tighter. It’s smaller but feels more precise. I have fairly big hands so I was concerned it would be cramped, but haven’t had any issues. The feedback on the buttons on the top of the device between the L and R shoulder buttons are not ergo/game breakers. the Vol keys are a rocker and are raised higher then the audio and video/screen brightness buttons so you can feel your way to the Vol key. This subtle design choice is indicative of the PSPgo: refinment.

Media - transfered over all DL’ed games and saves to PSPgo with Media Go. Used Media Go with PSP3000 so this was pretty painless. This software package is actually pretty good for Sony. A vast imrpovement over the Media Manager software that wasn’t free for most if it’s life. I did run into one issue with the saves: I’m running Vista and it turns out 70% of the saves were corrupted on the PSPgo. Might just be a matter of re-transferring the saves from my PC. This could be that I was multi-tasking on my PC and this could have caused the corruption. This might be more of a case of user error then an issue with Media Go or PSPgo. Will try re-transfering again, maybe one save at a time instead of the whole group at once.

Bluetooth - mixed results here. Haven’t tried syncing with a PS3 controller yet, but that’s soon. Connected with my iPhone and will try the tethering today while I’m out and about. This is a new feature that was added in firmware 6.10 which allows you to connect the PSPgo via Bluetooth to an Internet/data connection enable cell phone and use the Internet/data connection to connect the PSPgo to the Internet. This would be an alternative if a WiFi hotspot isn’t available. Pretty awesome if it works ;P I wasn’t able to connect to a pair of Bluetooth headphones, but they are old and their operation is spotty at best with other Bluetooth connections so I’m thinking it’s a limitation of the Bluetooth headphones and not the PSPgo.

UMD - or lack there of… I like everyone was pretty bummed to hear the lack of a UMD conversion program. But in Sony’s defense they never promised such a feature, just that they were looking into it. I did realize that prior to the PSPgo I’ve been buying more DL games. 1.) easier to hide purchases from the wife (just kidding, sorta ) 2.) more portable 3.) less clutter in the house. I do agree that Sony has to modernize the pricing, it’s hard to stomach a retail price of $39.99 for a DL game, but it looks like they are starting (DL version of God of War is $5 less then retail, it’s a start people). I took advantage of the NIS sale (as everyone should!) and got a couple of games. I’ll probably replace my UMD games as they go on sale and just give the UMDs as hand-me downs to my brother-in-law (still rocking the PSP1000). I’m not a supporter of used games, and always feel like I’m getting ripped off when I go into a GameStop (or verbally assulated for pre-orders). But this is a total personal preference, much like the PSPgo in general, for me I just didn’t play my UMDs enough to sway me from the smaller form factor of the PSPgo.

As an early adopter I did my research and knew perfectly well what I was buying, the good with the bad. So no buyer’s remorse for me. This isn’t a next-gen PSP, but a refinement and a possible toe (or jump in the deep-end depending on how you look at it) in the waters of a pure DL device. It’s a bold move for Sony, and one I’m sure they were prepared for all the backlash (from fans/supporters/customers and retail). So if you do decide to get one, enjoy! And if not enjoy your PSP and happy gaming

Haven’t posted in awhile. Real life has been at break neck speed. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t gotten some gaming in. Probably too much, really. I broke down and bought a Wii. It was Friday the 13th and I happened to be at Best Buy looking for Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the DS, it was only $10 with my Reward Zone card!

And then I noticed that one lonely Wii was sitting on the shelf. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Wii on the shelf so I quickly snatched it up. I called the wife (yes I’m whipped) and asked her what she thought about getting it. She caved and said that she’s been pushing back long enough and that it’s my $$. But she also tried to pack my bags for a guilt trip, saying that it was a good chunk of change and that we really didn’t need it. But I think we both knew I was going to buy it

I picked up Boom Blox and Super Mario Galaxy, and Dragon Swords (DS) and was off to home. I had played my friend’s Wii in San Fran about a year ago, and I was alittle frustrated with the controls, but I think it had more to do with the extremely long distance from his couch to the TV and Wii, I say it’s close to 15-20+ feet. I’m only going to be 6-10 feet away from my TV at home so I figured I wouldn’t have the same problems.

After setting up the Wii I played with the settings and the menu’s, got it connected to the WLAN and I was off to play Galaxy. It’s a great game and a definite system seller. After beating the first level I was off to bed. Boom Blox would have to wait for tomorrow. The next day it was all Boom Blox. This was another system seller for me and I was not disappointed. The controls seems more flaky with with tracking of the Wii mote then in Galaxy, and that probably made the game most frustrating, not the actual game-play. Before I got my Wii, I’ve been recommending both of these games to everyone asking me what games to buy. After playing both of them I must say that that is good advice!

I eventually picked up the component video cable and the difference between 480i and 480p is substantial. It doesn’t come anywhere near the 360’s or PS3’s 1080p, but for the style of graphics of the Wii games that I own it’s not bad. It was very noticable in Galaxy, the edge smoothing anti aliasing increased, making the overall graphics smoother (including text). I would recommend the component cable to anyone with a Wii and a TV with component in. Taking the advice of the 1UP show, I avoided the Wii Sports bundle and just bought a second Wii mote and nunchuck, saved me $10 bucks and probably the frustration of those horrible Wii Sports games
Last Friday I stumbled upon a Wii Fit at Best Buy and quickly snatched one up. I guess the Wii and Wii Fit shortages are getting better? I bought this more for my wife and also to see what all the fuss was about. As it turns out it’s a great accessory and game. So yes I joined the legions (8 million, I think) of people out there you bought a Wii Fit. It’s pretty darn cool. I’ve used it 3 out of the last 4 days, and an pretty impressed with what it accomplishes. My wife loves it as well, especially the hulu hoop game

Thanks to Circuit City’s seamingly endless “Going out of business” sale, I found a single copy of No More Heroes for $17! But no controllers or really anything else for that matter.

We haven’t tried the packaged in Wii games, but boxing is on the list to play next!

Overall I’ve been enjoying the Wii, but by no means would I consider it a “next-gen console”. It’s really not at all future proof, nor expandable like the PS3. I’m continually impressed with the overall PS3 experience. From the games, to system features, to just overall user experience.

Now that I reached the elevated status of gamer geekdom and own all 3 of the current-gen consoles, it really is interesting to experience first hand how very different the 3 consoles are. They each have a distinct personality, despite the increasing similarities of each consoles game libraries.

Going back to the PS3, I picked up Dead Space and Street Fighter IV recently and I definitely have the SF4 bug right now. It’s such a great game, expect for the sudden walls I hit, when it just seems like I can’t beat a certain character in Arcade mode. It just seems like the game picks one character in the rotation that seems way tougher then any previous kill. When my fits of frustration get too much and I get close to throwing my Hori stick across the room, I been switching back to Burnout Paradise. This is another excellent game, and one that I regularly come back to when new updates/patches are released. This is truely the game that keeps on giving.

Moving on to the portable scene I’ve been playing through LocoRoco when I can. Overall it’s a refinement of the first game. The levels and the game as a whole have been tweaked to perfection. The new abilities of the LocoRoco’s had to the game play, and it’s just so damn cute and hilarious at times. Totally worth the low price of $19.99.

And what about the one game that started this whirlwind game spending spree? Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Swords is and amazing DS game. I was very skeptical of the control scheme and was afraid it was going to be more of a hinderance then a positive experience. Boy was I wrong! By using the stylus for all the game controls is brillent. I haven’t hit a point where I feel like I’ve been fighting the controls. It’s just a very smooth control scheme and compliments the DS very well. It’s on the same level as Phantom Hourglass.

All right that’s a long enough post. As always I’ll say that I’ll continue to try to post regularly but we all know that will probably not happen

Finally beat GoW2 the other day. The ending was pretty good… for a Gears game

Overall it was fun shooter, but the game breaking moments almost ruined it for me.

GoW2 at times introduced a completely different game experience: changing the camera, changing the controls, and the overall dynamics of the game. This seems more of a device to make the game more challenging, artificially. “Let’s throw out everything we’ve taught you thus far, and see how far you get…” Mostly it was the “driving sequences” that made me want to throw my controller in a fit of rage. The controls either seemed too loose or too rigid, which made me feel like I was never in control of the game. I never felt like I was connected to the action, I was just thinking about getting through those tedious levels so I can get on with the story and the “normal” Gear’s play.

Despite these controller wielding levels, I am looking to playing through the game on a harder setting, and trying to get all the level items. I’m not sure how much multiplayer I’ll play, but I did get a couple of Horde games in and they were alot of fun.

I want to finish Resistance 2 before Killzone 2 comes out but I don’t know… every time I think about R2 I just remember how the single player is so unforgiving…

I never thought I would be reading an article like this!!

This is great news and also very promising to hear that patches might be coming. I say might because you never know and I don’t want to get my hopes up.

I really enjoyed playing Hellgate:London, enough so to enroll in the lifetime membership (founder)! I learned my lesson and will not do that again for another MMO. But I really believed in Flagship and their projects (Hellgate:London, and Mythos). I was really sad how everything turned out for Flagship (they shut down on my b-day no less!!).

I’m going to have to reinstall and get back online. Can’t wait!!

Been trying to get through both Resistance 2 and Gears of War 2. Both are seriously kicking my ass.

In R2 I hit these walls where I just keep dying over and over again. Most of the time I don’t even know how I died. It is so frustrating…

In GoW2, the game breaking moments are really pissing me off. Like the reaver ride from hell, the turret (couldn’t hit a barn) shooting gallery, etc. I hate how games just throw in a level that changes all the game dynamics just to give you a challenge. How about just design a better level using what you know and call it a day.

I eventually make it through these tough points, while my wife gives me the: oh crap he’s going to have an aneurysm look. But they are really the low points of these otherwise great games. I’m glad that both have great online features that I can play and at least feel like I’m improving my skills in the game.

After I beat these 2 games I think I’ll be ready for Flower, SF4, Loco Roco 2, some nice chill gaming.

Oh and I decided in Culdcept Saga (x360) the freaking AI cheats all to hell!! I can’t even get through the last level of the Coliseum. It’s like as soon as you get 100 pts behind you might as well just give up and start over. Great freaking game!! But for some reason I keep coming back to it…

Just finished listening to the maiden voyage of the rebelFM podcast. It was very sentimental, but I think it was therapeutic for all, listeners and casters

I’m so glad they got listed on iTunes and are doing so well. Posted my first ever comment on iTunes for the podcast, so that’s say’in something.

Getting addicted to twitter and seeing what everyone is doing. That’s where I found out that rebelFM was on iTunes and about the following websites:

http://talkingorange.com/ - Matt Chandronait
http://www.eat-sleep-game.com/ - home for rebelFM and more!

If you haven’t read the ode to EGM on GamesRadar.com it’s an amazing article.

Okay enough about those superstars.. now on to me!

Finally beat TMNT on x360, total achievement whoring but that’s okay. I can’t believe how frustrating that game was a points, I felt like I had to really fight with the controls at times. I might go back and try to unlock more, but we’ll see.

Got Culdscept Sage for x360, thanks to Shane’s recommendation, and it’s a great game. It puts me to sleep at times, not because it’s boring, but it’s strangely relaxing. If you like a thinking-persons game and a game to wind down on this is a great pick. I got it new at GameStop for $19.99. DON’T BUY USED GAMES!!

Played alittle Lego Indie on x360 last night. Some of the multi-steps puzzles drive me nuts! I almost get through a particular puzzle and then miss the final jump and have to go through the whole setup again, ugh. And the endless enemy spawns was bringing me to the edge! But still a great game, and satisfys my OCD of collecting.

Still working through Prince of Persia on the PS3. This is an outstanding game. UbiSoft is taking alot of chances with this game in regards to gamplay, mechanics, and art style. It’s really paying off, this is a unique experience that I find myself compelled to continue to play for the story and also that OCD collecting bug of mine. I highly recommend it on any plaform. But I did notice that it’s only playing at 720p on my 1080p HDTV. Not a big deal but I thought with the more hand drawn art style that the max res of 1080p wouldn’t be a problem. Can’t remember if Assassin’s Creed ran at 1080p as I think the 2 games use the same engine. But the art sytle is so fluid and interesting (it caught my wife’s eye, with a followed, wow that’s cool!) it doesn’t really matter the resolution.

Just dl’ed the 1UP OST at: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4B7Y199Y

Got an hour to get some PC gaming in before I gotta let’s the puppies out…

Well it looks like I like many loyal 1UP fans have started following the x1UPer’s on twitter. Here’s a list from “Teenah’s” 1UP blog:

http://twitter.com/shanewatch

http://twitter.com/Chufmoney

http://twitter.com/demian_linn

http://twitter.com/nsuttner

http://twitter.com/pkollar

http://twitter.com/talkingorange

http://twitter.com/milkychan

http://twitter.com/ryanodonnell

http://twitter.com/GarnettLee

http://twitter.com/prettytony

http://twitter.com/DavidEllis

http://twitter.com/jasonbertrand

http://twitter.com/ThierryNguyen

http://twitter.com/JayFrechette

http://twitter.com/GVRob

http://twitter.com/teanah

It sounds like they had a sloppy good time last night. I know they will all land on their feet.

It’s fun to see what they are up to throughout the day. Since the 1UP RSS feeds were all but dead today (noone to write them except for Garnett in LasVegas/CES) these were fun to read. No where as good as a podcast, but it sounds like the 1UP FM crew is working on an underground podcast.

Can’t wait to hear it!

watching majorNelson live blog the MS keynote tonight. Cool technology,I wonder how Halo Wars will play on the console? Can’t wait to try out the demo on 2/5

To quote the great Jeff Green, Hello and welcome to the first and probably the last post of this blog…

No seriously I rebooted my old blog (which I hadn’t posted on for over 2 years) in response to the sad news of 1UP being sold to UGO and a majority of the staff being laid off. I’ve been visiting the 1UP.com website and listening to their excellent podcast for years, so it was quite the kick to the jewels when I read the news. I’m very disappointed the so many of the staff has been laid off. They really made 1UP the outstanding achievement that it has become in the video gaming community and it will just never be the same…

I hope 1UP.com remains live and running, but I’ll be posting my gaming utterances here on this blog instead. I’ll be slowly migrating as much info as I can from my 1UP page to here over the next couple of days. So to all my many visitors (myself and counting) you’ll probably be seeing many changes. Some on purpose and some by accident.

Despite my ever decreasing skills in grammar, spelling, and coherent thinking, I am a gamer at heart (with a healthy dose of geeky-ness) so I hope that passion will be recognized and encourage by all those that visit.

May we all live in interesting times… and welcome again to 1UP4Life.com