Alright, so “The Year of the PlayStation” was 2008. What? Sure there were great games, some outstanding, some were cast aside due to launch windows, but was it really “The Year of the PlayStation”?
2008 saw the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, WipEout HD, Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Valkyria Chronicles, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, The Last Guy, Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds, Buzz! Quiz TV, echochrome, Crash Commando, Lumines Supernova, PixelJunk Monsters, PixelJunk Eden, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, Siren: Blood Curse, Age of Booty, Elefunk, SOCOM: Confrontation, HOME, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, SingStar games and Haze(no matter how terrible you think it was).
How many exclusives is that? At least 24. That’s a pretty decent number, along with Bioshock, Eternal Sonata and other games that are multiplatform like Grand Theft Auto, Burnout: Paradise and Sonic: Unleashed to name a few.
How many have I played personally though? Which are my Top 5, (Top 3 is too hard) in PSN and Blu-ray releases? I’ve played (full games) 10 exclusives including both PSN and Blu-ray releases. Demos? 7, so a good 17 out of 24 is not bad to make some decisions.
I must say WipEout HD is my favourite and I think the best racing game exclusive to the PS3. (I have not played Motorstorm: Pacific Rift yet, only a demo). Why? For the steal-price of $20 you get a full game with many tracks (forwards and backwards), varying difficulties, 4 different modes of play, split screen (horizontal or vertical), online and more! Honestly, this is a great game, and to reward you upon finishing some tough challenges you can even earn Trophies!
Favourite shooter? Resistance 2 of course, Haze who? The 1st Resistance was a great way to introduce the Chimera and Nathan Hale. R2‘s single-player campaign is enticing at points and “Ehh, let’s keep going,” at others. Background knowledge helps, but I didn’t have any and I was fine. The replayability to obtain all Intel’s, gain XP from beating it at higher difficulties, SuperHuman difficulty, insanely large Chimera and ridiculous boss fights will keep you wanting more.
Not to mention 8-player Online Co-op (up to two on each PS3), with so many missions you’ll be playing a few nights past your “bed time.” You can’t forget about Competitive Play pitting you (and a party if you wish) against other around the world in up to 64-player maps competing to complete missions or making the opposing team not succeed.
One huge let-down would have to be the lobby system constantly kicking you out of games once a single round is finished and forcing you to go into a new game.
Best Puzzle game I’ve played is PixelJunk Monsters, I’m sure once I get Lumines Supernova I might change my mind. PixelJunk Monsters is a great Tower Defense Game, but it is definitely in the puzzle genre when you have to figure out how to place your towers and what to upgrade and when. There are 7 towers you’ll use a lot, but don’t forget about the other 2, all are needed eventually! It’s a great game, has an expansion island and is only $10 and $5 for the expansion. Trophies are an added bonus along with In-game music and YouTube upload ability.
Valkyria Chronicles is one of those games that received the shaft from a poor launch window, set up against Resistance 2 and Gears of War 2. I’ve played the demo and must say it is a great new twist on RPG’s. The canvas-esque graphics is relaxing and the free-roam aspect they added into the game make it refreshingly new.
I can’t push aside Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty. Although this game is a small $15 title on the PSN, I love it. It may not have Trophies, but it doesn’t need that. What it needed was “Gold Bolts” or some replay value to entice me into getting 100% on it.
One thing I must say to this game is it’s great at it’s price and is worth a purchase. Some think being so small down-sizes this game’s worth and you should not play it. I am here to tell you to not listen to them. The story is great and leaves you on a twist at the end that will have you on your feet exclaiming, “WHAT!? THAT’S AWESOME!”
New wrench abilities and new puzzles introducing shadows and more really touch a new part of your brain for the Ratchet and Clank series. Graphics are even upped slightly despite it being a smaller game. Bottom line: get it.
LittleBigPlanet has had too many cough-ups, fixing a song with a reference to the Islamic sciptures, ridiculously charged DLC and issues with moderation and searching. But despite all the hassle LittleBigPlanet has gone through, it’s still a wonderful game that brings a whole new way to create things.
If you haven’t played this game on a store PS3 or a friend’s PS3, or you just haven’t played it and you’re not getting it for Christmas, I suggest you do so. The story line I must say went completely over my head. Probably because people called when I played and I was half-asleep pushing myself to keep going at 12:56 AM to “go to bed after this next level,” or after I “Ace” the level (not dying).
Playing around with the levels and others’ levels online is a blast though. You can really see how imagination is the limit with people creating calculators, actual intelligence Tic-Tac-Toe boards and immense time-consuming music levels that must have taken at least 24 hours to get correct. Unfortunately that level I speak of was made to a MegaMan boss’ theme song and was moderated.
Creating is fun too, but of course if that’s not your specialty, leave it to others to do it for you and play their levels. DLC though is quite ridiculous, charging so much money for a single costume, and Level Packs are a little more acceptable, expanding the game’s actual content, but some Costume Packs are down-right expensive. That Metal Gear Solid Costume and Level Pack coming out tomorrow are actual packs to consider purchasing, 6 new levels and more, that I do not mind paying $6 at all. $12 for two packs is pushing it, but it’s Metal Gear Solid 4. At least its not $15.
Ok, so Metal Gear Solid 4 received 10’s accross all major gaming sites, maybe a 9.9 in a certain review or 9.9 in another, but this game delivers. What does it deliver? Certainly not pizza, it delivers action, an intense story to finish the series and lasting impressions on all who play it.
I’ve only been fortunate to play select parts of the game and Metal Gear: Online, but from what I’ve played, I can guarantee you will love this game. It’s not all about killing as most of you know, you can stealthily sneak past every part in the game, you can hide in boxes and the bosses are some of the most crazy women you’ll ever meet, hopefully.
The game’s in-game iPod is so nice, being able to listen to podcasts, to score’s in the game and more is just incredibly ingenious. The Mk. II is a fun little robot and deserves quite a lot of the attention as well! The depth put into this game is note-worthy, award-winning and time-preserved.
This game deserves a 10/10, it wasn’t bribery that caused it to get 10’s, it was how marvelous it was built and carried out so effectively. Not many games are such a sensation as Metal Gear Solid 4 is.
Lastly there’s HOME, Sony’s “lobby.” It’s “not a game, it’s a place for users to interact and meet others.” It’s a game, you can customize your character (avatar, same thing), you can go on adventures (explore the maps), visit other areas that developers and partners put time into.
These include Uncharted‘s “Sully’s Bar” and it’s 3 doors with mysterious Key Pads that let you into other areas and Far Cry 2‘s “Train Station” and “Reuben’s Office.” Mancala is playable in the Train Station, I love that mini-game, a past-time favourite. Mercenary Madness is an 8-bit arcade game in Sully’s Bar and that’s much too addicting. [Side Note: If you would like the Combination’s to Sully’s Bar’s locked doors, do some exploring in this article and you’ll find them in order]
You can play echochrome, Ice Breaker, Carriage Return, Bowling, Pool, Mancala, Mercenary Madness and purchase items of clothing, furniture or residences. It’s great, you don’t have to purchase anything if you don’t want to, you can win items from playing arcade games (mini-games if you will) and interact with others in a lobby (Bowling Alley, Mall, Central Plaza or Move Theatre) and play games. There are infact only 7 areas right now, but there will be more (not including your Personal Space(s) or Clubhouse). You can set up other games like Warhawk or Resistance: Fall of Man straight from HOME as well.
It is a lobby, it is a game, it is a place for users to meet and make friends in and it is a place to just hang out. It’s not revolutionary just yet, but it has potential as more and more partners are being made and more and more areas are being created. 7 areas doesn’t seem promising yet, but it will.
So wait, what are my Top 5 game you might be wondering? Here are my Top 5 Games Exclusive to the PlayStation 3 of 2008:
5. Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty – Nice pun and great game.
4. WipEout HD – Outstandingly hard and rewarding.
3. Resistance 2 – Asanine replay value and Chimera.
2. LittleBigPlanet – Most innovative title in a long time.
1. Metal Gear Solid 4 – Generally perfect? Kojima doesn’t think so, but we “lesser-beings” do.
So there you have it, my Top 5 PlayStation titles. You might agree with me on certain points, you might disagree. That’s fine, this isn’t a democracy, this isn’t me siding with you, it’s my own personal thoughts on some really wonderful games. You should try picking up some of them, you won’t regret it.
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