The prince is back in HD

And he looks great. This game has a nice cell-shading look, and I think it works great for the Prince of Persia franchise. Even though this game is completly different to the trilogy back on the PS2. This game is more of a jump an run with reflex tests.

You'll have to free corrupted areas to get to each of the 4 bigger enemies. It starts off great but sooner or later you'll realize that this game doesn't hold much more than you'll already see in the first 1 or 2 hours of gameplay. It is very repetitive, always pushing the same buttons for wallruns and jumps and stuff like that. Later in the game you'll get bored very quick. The battles are limited to duels only. They are fun to fight, but like the rest of the game, if you've seen one battle you've seen every battle.

Don't misunderstand me, this game is a good middleclass game, but I wouldn't pay more than like 20 bucks for it. But for a reasonable price you will get a reasonable game. They could have made an awesome next-Gen prince, but unfortunatly he turned out only average. Maybe the sequel (and there will be a sequel) will be what we wished for, we'll see...

Unfortunatly the PS3 version of this game is poorly ported. You'll have some tearing and slowdowns from time to time. This does not happen on Xbox360.

Pros:

+ Good game for a little fun in between

Cons:

- Repetitive
- Poor PS3 port

Sackboy on the little big PSP

I have not played the big brother of this game on the PS3 but from what I heard it also must be great. In this game you wonder why collection bubbles and stickers is so much fun, because normally this would sound like a game for kids. Little Big Planet proves you wrong, this game is for everybody.

Basicaly it is a multi-layered side-scrolling jump and run game. The levels are very well made and not repetitive at all. In each level you'll have to do new things you haven't done in any of the levels before. That is what makes this game great in my opinion.

The game itself is rather short, you'll be through in a few hours, but there is a never ending supply of user created levels online, so you'll never get bored.

Pros:
+ Very entertaining side-scrolling jump and run
+ Huge amout of levels available online

Cons:
- Short offline main game

Bugs, more bugs, Fallout 3 GOTY

I was so happy when the game of the year edition of Fallout 3 finally hit the shelves, because now I could play all the DLCs for my favorite western-RPG and all that for a reasonable price. The GOTY is a lot cheaper than buying all the DLCs from PSN, as each DLC is 9,99 [put your currency here], maybe a bit less in the UK.

But happiness soon turned into frustration, as the DLCs are likely unplayable on the PS3. I wonder how they got this piece of software crap through quality assurance. Your PS3 will produce an output of 1 frame per second or worse (well maybe not) completly freeze. Playing the DLCs on the PS3 is a real pain in the ass. You can finish them all though, you just need to pay the price...

You have been warned! If there is any chance, get this game on another platform. Xbox360 is said to be less buggy and the PC version probably works best.

Besides the bugs, this game is great. I never though that I'd like a first person western role playing game, since I disliked Obilivion, but mainly because melee weapons and first person don't go together very well in my opinion. Fallout 3 does it better, you got guns and rifles here.

The world of Fallout 3 is huge and impressive. You can travel thorugh the wastes for hours and discover things you haven't discovered yet. The amout of content this game holds is huge. If you're just pushing through the main quest, you'll be through in under 10 hours but you can easily spend 100 hours or maybe more in Fallout 3.

If you haven't played it yet, try it and decide if you like it or not. In my opinion it's a great game. Hence the lack of J-RPG on the PS3 it'll also make the waiting for titles like Final Fantasy 13 or White Knight Chronicles feel shorter.

Pros:

+ Huge world

+ A lot of innovative quests

Cons:

- Bugs, bugs, bugs...
- Slightly repetitive environment

Please Sony please...

I just read a very interesting article about the God of War Collection and backwards compatibility of the PS3. It has some comparison screenshots in it. Check it out:

Link

PS: Please Sony bring us PS2 Software emulation. A bunch of hobby programmers with no relation to the PS2 insides at all were able to write a solid emulator for PC, why aren't you able to do it for the PS3 with its pure CELL processor power?

The Dark Knight returns

There isn't much to say about this game that has not already been said. It was probably the surprisingly best game of the year 2009. Most of the comic-based games out there are crap, but not this one, this one is awesome.

First of all let me say a word about the graphics, they are not outstanding, but they are good. No reason to bitch about the graphics. I didn't see any lags in the game and the loading times are close to zero once you are in the game.

The sound design and the action in this game are outstanding. You can easily master the basic skills of combat, as it is automated a lot, but for advanced combat techniques you'll need a bit of practice though. Not that you would need it to finish the game, but to achieve some of the trophies you will.

The story is very well written and this could also be a blockbuster movie. I was a bit sceptical at first if the Arkham Asylum Area is big enough to provide a gaming experience of more than 8 hours but it is, just doesn't seem that way at the first glance.

This game keeps you fascinated for 15 hrs+ and you'll need a strong mind to lay the controller down in between. Personally I liked one of the boss battles very much. Also solving all of the Riddler challanges (which is completly optional) was a lot of fun to me.

Since this game is multiplatform (PS3, Xbox360, PC) everyone should go and get it. Probably the best action game of the year 2009.

Pros:
+ Very good story
+ Easy to get in the game
+ Sound design

Cons:

Links:
Buy Arkham Asylum from Amazon.co.uk

Three heroes, cheap price, classic gameplay

You guess it, I'm talking about Trine. The game was released on the PC and later on PSN. I didn't play the PC version of this game but though I read quite the opposite somewhere I cannot imagine playing this game without a gamepad.

Trine is a classic side scrolling 2D Jump n' Run game. This genre kinda died when analog controllers and computers with enough power to render 3D games were invented. But Trine is the example that shows that 2D side scrolling Jump n' Run games are still around and as much fun as ever.

In Trine you'll have to lead a knight, a wizard and a (female) thief to victory over an undead army. That is almost the whole story of the game. Forget the story and just play the game, you will not regret it. You don't control all 3 heroes at once, you'll chose which one is the best for the current situation you are in, you can switch between them at all times. Most parts of the levels can be done with the one or the other, though there is always an easier way with one of them.

The graphics are amazing, the levels have so much detail and though there are only like 15 levels, every one is different from the other. Please keep in mind, this is a low price PSN title, you get what you pay for. You can finish the game in one day but it will be more than worth its price. In fact I would even pay more for this if I had to. It has been a while since I enjoyed a game as much as I enjoyed Trine.

Trine caught me with it's magic so much, it got me my first platinum trophy :) Even though getting platinum here is still challenging, I suppose it is much easier than in other PS3 games.

Pros:

+ Awesome grapics

+ Fun gameplay

+ 3 completly different playable characters

Cons:

Size matters...and the PSP is small

I guess every Sony based console owner knows this series, it is almost something like Super Mario on the Sony consoles. You guessed it...I am talking about the Ratchet and Clank franchise. I haven't played all of them, I didn't finish the first one on the PS2 because it got too frustrating at some point.

Unfortunately something similar happend to me on the PSP too. Ratchet and Clank - Size matters is the only Ratchet and Clank title on the PSP until today. It is a very good PSP title, still it has some things that bother me. First of all, hence the lack of a second analog stick on the PSP you'll have some issues with strafing, controlling the camera and shooting at annyoing enemies at the same time. At some points it feels like you would need a 3rd hand to do all this at once on your PSP. Next thing is the same problem all Ratchet and Clank titles have in my opinion, even fully upgraded weapons from the early game, in which you invested lots of bolts, are useless in the end game. You wish you hadn't bought all this crap in early game because you could use the bolts now. Also there are too few checkpoints in the levels, at some points you'll have to play almost half of the level again, because just few steps before the next checkpoint is some frustrating fight.

I am not sure if the frustrating moments are there because they are just frustrating or because the controls on the PSP lack some comfort which the bigger brothers on the PS2 and PS3 have.

Pros:
+ Nice visuals
+ A solid PSP Jump n' Run title

Cons:
- Controls
- Frustrating at some points

Flower Review

I wrote a bit about this game in my PSN recommendations post, here's a bit more...

First of all, although there are lots of positive reviews about this game, this one will be positive as well, the chance that you won't like this game is not so low. This game is something completly different. You have never played anything like this before, I'm sure of it. It's not about time limits, not about killing, not about being in a hurry, not about completing missions, ... it's just about playing and enjoying the experience of flower.

Although you'll only see bright meadows in most of the reviews or videos or trailers, this game has it's darker side. 2 of the 6 levels are pretty dark, but I won't tell you any more since I don't want to spoil the game for anyone.

This game is a piece of art, it proves that games can be a form of art. It provides a, in my opinion very important message.

Since this game is only 9,99$ or 7,99€, don't hesitate and get it, if you're willing to engange in this game. As stated above, for a little more information scroll down to my last post.

Pros:

+ Something you have never played before

+ Very good Sixaxis integration

+ Easy and relaxing gameplay, yet challenging

Cons:

- Not a game for everybody

PSN recommendations for the holidays

These are my recommendations for some PSN downloadable Games for the holidays:

Trine

Very nice Jump and Run Game with spectacular graphics. You can also invite up to 2 friends to play this game in Co-Op Mode.

Flower

Very relaxing game. You only need one button (any button) and the Sixaxis functionality. If you're sick of shooters or any other games that can be frustrating, even just a little bit, check this out. No time limits, no nothing, you just play, have fun, relax and enjoy!
Probably not a game for everybody though...

Fat Princess

I can't help but being reminded of DotA or Heroes of Newerth...at least a little. This is one team vs. another, base defending, using different classes (mages, warriors, archers) kind of game. It is a lot of fun to play online.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Do I need to say anything about this one? Everybody know ths game from the good old Super Nintendo times. This time it's in 1080p.

Action, Action and.. Action!

If you're looking for some adrenalin driven hours of gaming, this is the game for you. If you're looking for a good first person shooter, this is the game for you. Killzone 2 is just great. You'll know, that this game is PS3 exclusive, once you see the graphics, they are amazing. So is the sound. All in all it just makes you feel like the battlefield has come to your living room...or whereever you're PS3 is standing.

What I didn't like were all those little lags throughout the game, happens pretty often. The picture just freezes for about 1 second and then you're ready to kill some more Helghast.

Another thing that bothered me at first, was that the controls with the right analog stick felt a little sluggish. I got used to it pretty fast, but it felt definitly different than in Resistance 1 or Resistance 2.

The story ain't very deep nor is it very exciting, but it doesn't really matter in my opinion, since the gameplay is pretty fun. There are a few bosses in this game. Not really boss fights like you'll probably remember from Resistance 2, but let's just say they're much stronger usual enemies. There's only one real boss in this game, he's waiting for you at the end of the game. As we're talking about enemies, most of the enemies you'll encounter look the same. There are some minor differences though, but you probably won't really notice them. Would have been nice to have a bigger variety of enemies in my opinion.

I played Killzone 2 on medium difficulty, which was recommended for players who had some experience with first person shooters. In the beginning it's rather easy but the difficulty gets harder as you progress. It took me quite some time to finish the last level of the game.

Maybe it didn't really sound that way, but Killzone 2 is great. I guess it's the best first person shooter on the PS3 I've played so far. I liked it better than Resistance. The graphics are way better and the atmosphere is a lot more intense. In Killzone 2 you'll feel a lot more into the game, there are lots of details. Dust and Ashes flying around you, it's not as clean as many similar games tend to be.

Since Killzone 2 is a PS3 platinum  title, go and get it. It's very affordable and definatly worth its money. It also provides you with a lot of multiplayer action, since I'm not that into multiplayer, I did not really test it out myself.

Pros:
+ Intense Atmosphere
+ Very good graphics

Cons:
- Loading lags
- Short singleplayer (> 8 hrs)