News update: PSN

Sony released a statement on their blog earlier today saying that: though PSN and Qriocity are down, they are still working on it. They also said that they would not start up the online services until they are completely certain that the security is up to scratch and secure.

I personally think that this is a major mess-up, but at least the company is trying their best to bring it up and keep it secure. Let's all just hope that PSN will come back up so we can start playing online again.

Here is their post regarding the situation:
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/06/service-restoration-update/

Hang in there guys. It'll be up soon(we hope)

Baka

Killzone 3 (Online Masterpiece)

Ok, time for the Killzone 3 post(finally -.-). I'm going to make this post mostly about the online multiplayer because.. well.. I haven't really been playing the campaign >.< What I have been playing of the campaign is the splitscreen(only play it when my best bro comes over). So lets get this puppy started.

Online multiplayer: DROOL***. That's all i have to say.

Just kidding. I have tons to day about the online modes. Like most FPS games (if not, all), people go ape when there's a multiplayer. Especially when its a big franchise like CoD, Killzone, or Halo. The Killzone 3 online is currently raping the psn online. Almost all of my friends on PSN stopped playing Black Ops to play KZ3, which I personally think is pretty cool, and says a lot about both Killzone and CoD: Black Ops.

When I ask people which is better between Black Ops and KZ3, the vote is Unanimous. All prefer KZ3. Reason? Well, most say "Dude, those killstreak rewards are complete crap". I myself don't have a real issue with them. Actually, i enjoy them from time to time. But they are insanely overpowered and make the game unenjoyable at times. For instance: if one guy in a match gets attack chopper and dogs, chopper gunner and dogs, gunship and dogs, basically anything with dogs (or just dogs in general), the match is pretty much over. Getting those killstreaks in a match isn't even a problem for most. And the fact you can get any killstreak in a care package (5 killstreak, or 4 with hardline) is just insane. Killzone 3: not overpowered killstreaks at all. Just killing n00bs with pure skill.

The gameplay(as i said in a previous post) is just amazing. The controls are really responsive and the gameplay just flows, without much lag or anything of that sort. The layout of the buttons are really cool, and they feel very familiar if you come from another FPS. So you don;t have to re-learn controls. You can just get in there and play. I haven't really tried playing with the move. I think that playing online will be more comfortable with the actual dualshock controller. I'll give the move controller a whirl when i decide to play the campaign in single player.

Graphics: amazing. These graphics are really at the top of the FPS franchise. It's the best looking FPS I've ever played. It's much better than KZ2's graphics and Black Ops'. MUCH better. The environment and scenery of this game is just great. From the jungle to the war-torn cities, you feel as if you're actually submerged in these environments and never want to leave these beautiful areas. The graphics really make the online maps a pleasure to play.

Like I said earlier, I haven't played much of the campaign, except for the split-screen. What little I've played has been pleasing so far. The characters(some, not all) fit really well into the story and scenery. I think the character of Stahl is the perfect antagonist. His cold sense and way of doing things just fits with his look. His voice actor is by far one of the best I've ever heard. An award is needed for his voice acting.

From most reviews, they say the story is bad. I disagree. Though it's not the best story in the world, I still find it enjoyable and fitting for the kind of game it is. It's an action-packed game and isn't supposed to be one of the story-driven RPG's we all love. I'm not going to spoil anything from the story, so I'm just saying it's decent.

Killzone 3 is really action-packed and really fun to play. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Baka  Approval Rating (BAR): 8.7/10

Well, I'm off to eat some breakfast and do some dreaded homework. Wish me luck!

Baka

Demon's Souls (Big Bosses for a HUGE challenge)

Aloha fellow LaGers. Baka in again. Sorry for not posting anything worth reading for the past 2 days, I was quite busy with a few things like school and gala's and such. But now i have returned from my life to write a little review of one of the most difficult games I've ever played, Demon's Souls.

Demon's Souls is a great game. Awesome scary looking environments, well matched sounds and music for said environments, a character customization that's really vast, challenging bosses and a great control system. When i say challenging, i mean REALLY challenging. It's not the kind of difficult where "The game cheats" or because of various bugs. Its challenges lie in the learning of the maps and the positioning of enemies. The unique tactics each enemy has to defeat it and also the hidden environmental fatalities that awaits. Trust me, when I say that this game is challenging, I mean it is not for the faint hearted, nor the short tempered. Anyone who has played this game has told you. I've played till the point of complete frustration which resulted me in taking a break before being called back by the challenges that await. I must say, when accomplishing something in this game, you really feel like you've accomplished a goal that you've tried for your whole life.

Big Boss with Huge Shield (Tower Knight)

A part to the difficulty, is that it doesn't just feel difficult. It LOOKS difficult too. Some of the bosses of this game just look hard as hell to kill. And trust me, they are. Some look like a badass monster of death that could kill you in a single hit, and the chances are: it probably could do just that. When you kill them you feel like such a hero. It's not just looks too, it's size. How much of a hero would you feel like if you killed a monster that's the size of a 3 story building, especially if it's a tough mo-fo to kill. I'm not exaggerating about the sizes either. They're as big as my girlfriend's boobs >.< And believe me, that's pretty big. The Tower Knight boss comes to mind when talking about big badass bosses. Trust in Baka's word, they definitely WILL intimidate you.(Not to worry, I was the first time too to be honest >.<)

As for story: there isn't really much of a story to go on. It's your typical "Diablo" story. You know, the kind that's compared to watching porn for dialogue. It's just non-sensible to play Demon's Souls just for story alone. It's not Final Fantasy here. Demon's Souls is made more for an action packed rpg-type gameplay (which works pretty well). The story is: The Old One has awakened from his long slumber and has called upon a great fog to come down upon the land of Boletaria. You are a warrior, wanting to gain fame by being the one who destroys the Old One.
Basically: Badass demon-> kill it.


Besides the big bosses, huge challenges and all round awesomeness, Demon's Souls also has an online multiplayer capability through using PSN. This must be one of the most unique multiplayer feature's I've ever seen. It's not the simple "Do you want to invite So-and-So to your party?" or anything like that. No no, not at all. This game has a weird yet magical way of doing things. Here, you remain in your own "world" completely. No one to be seen except a few "phantoms" running around which are actually other players online. This adds to the scariness in a sense. There will be messages left on the floor that other players leave to either warn of enemies ahead, warn of obstacles ahead, or lead you to your ultimate doom. This is a cool way of communications with a fixed-text system. Another cool feature is the "bloodstain phantom". When you die, you leave a bloodstain behind. When others click on your bloodstain, they can see how you died, which can help others think out tactics or determine what kind of enemies are next, or well, "what not to do". Players can also lay down a Blue-eye Stone which other players can summon the person who laid down the stone. This adds a nice sense of co-op to the trials of Boletaria, though only 2 other players can be summoned into your world.

Demon's Souls is a challenging, yet fun and generally awesome game. A definite pickup to the most hardcore of gamers. To casual gamers, I do not recommend this game, as it's really really difficult and not the kind of game a casual gamer would play.


With good music and sounds, good environments, great gameplay, difficulty levels that will cause an addiction, and story that thrusts you into a battle of demons and nothing more, I would say this game is a must buy to lovers of RPG's and hardcore gamer's alike


Baka Approval Rating (BAR): 9.0/10


Happy demon-slaying all. Have a good one. Stay healthy and look forward to more posts!


Baka