Nerd Rating

Tag: Sony

  • PS3 Owners Will Finally Get Skyrim DLC

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    Rejoice Playstation owners! Rejoice!

    Bethsda has apparently solved the conundrum that is PS3 programming and figured out how to make the downloadable content work for [amazon_link id=”B004HYK8Y8″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Skyrim[/amazon_link].

    In February Bethesda will release all three DLC packs (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn) to the Playstation Store. For the first week of release all three packs will be 50% off which, to me, seems like a kick in the nuts to PS3 owners. People who have bought this game on November 11, 2011 (granted they haven’t given up by now) have encountered problem after problem including the game basically being broken and unplayable. Then you add onto that crap sandwich with Bethesda saying they could not figure out how to port the DLC onto the PS3 and now after a year of waiting and problems you only have these packs being 50% off…..for a week?? Not even free for PS Plus subscribers?

    Let’s hope none of these problems exist when Fallout 4 eventually releases on the PS4.

     

  • White Playstation 3 Coming Stateside

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    Finally!

    North America will finally be able to pick up the super slim white version of the [amazon_link id=”B009DYE3JI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Playstation 3[/amazon_link] on January 27th. The system will come with a 500GB hard drive and one year of Playstation Plus service for $299.99. The Playstation Plus service is Sony’s online program which gives you access to demos early, discounts in the Playstation Store and best of all, an Instant Games Library where you can download a host of popular titles to your hard rive to play free of charge. Playstation Plus is $50 a year so you are in reality paying only $250 for this beauty.

    So for those of you that prefer your Playstation’s less Vader and more stormtrooper, today is your day.

  • Dust 514 Open Beta Set For January 22

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    CCP Games has been hard at work for years on Dust 514, a first-person shooter set in their massive multiplayer online game, Eve Online. It is one of the most ambitious projects undertaken in gaming history by taking the already established universe and the very real in-game economy that has thrived on PC for years and create a shooter in the same universe that will have an effect on gameplay and economy for the Playstation 3.

    Now the company is ready to begin the open beta process on January 22nd. The closed beta took place during the summer of last year and CCP is now in the process of merging their servers to have both games be part of the same universe. As a reward for closed beta members, if anyone plays a match before the January 22nd open beta they will be awarded with an extra 100,000 skill points for equipment upgrades.

    No release date has been given for Dust 514 but the biggest seeling point for the title is that it will be free to play when it launches on the PS3.

  • Review: Lego The Lord Of The Rings (PS Vita)

    Handheld Travels To Middle-Earth.

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    With the release of The Hobbit this year Lego seized the opportunity to release sets based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic work as well as its follow-up, The Lord of the Rings. Now as any gamer should know this inevitably meant that we would be receiving a video game translation. With Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean and Batman already under their gaming belt the folks at Traveller’s Tales now had the opportunity to bring one of the most beloved film trilogies to life in the wonderful world of Lego. This is the review of that game’s not as large but still enjoyable cousin.

    By now, if you have played any of the Lego licensed games (Star Wars, Pirates, etc.) then you know what you are going to get here. Like my Lego Batman 2 review, you are basically fulfilling your inner loot monster by bashing everything in sight in the pursuit of Lego pieces to build structures to inaccessible areas and to spend on unlockable characters.

    As I said, by now we know the name of the game so the real appeal is the license that is attached to it and The Lord of the Rings is as strong as it gets. You will make your way through all three movies with many different variations of party members from the entire fellowship with Legolas, Gimli, Boromir and more, then swapping to two or three member groups according to where in the trilogy story you happen to be playing through.

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    The real shame of this game is that it is, once again, a port of the 3DS version of the game which truly undermines the power of the Vita. The system is billed as a console in your hands and guess what? It is. So the fact we are made to play a simple port of another handheld is a bit disappointing knowing that this game could easily have been closer to the console version with just a little extra work. The back box art promises to take you through the open world of Middle-Earth and having played Lego Batman 2 extensively on a console apparently my definition of open world and Traveller’s Tales differs greatly. The areas are big enough to explore around to gather Lego pieces and solve minor puzzles but you will not lose yourself in the vast expanse of Tolkien’s world.

    Controls are serviceable especially since the Vita has dual analogs. Make no mistake, this is a button masher and your square button will get a workout. Some areas are a bit frustrating with jumping onto small places with no real shadow to guide you as to where you are so some jumps are guesswork. Nothing will overly frustrate you but the feel of the controls are not top notch either.

    On the good side is that almost every main character from the trilogy are represented well with each one having a special ability that you must use to access hidden pieces needed to continue. Gandalf can float objects into place, Gimli can bum rush into things and Aragorn can use his tracking ability are just a few of the attributes that you have at your disposal. There are some places, especially in the Fellowship section, where you will be using four or five members of your party to get secret items together.

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    Like Lego Batman, The Lord of the Rings features voice acting. They have taken samples from the Peter Jackson trilogy and used them throughout the game. On the downside they do not sound all that good. It sounds like a cassette tape played over clear music. So the cut in and cut out of the voices is very noticeable but the inclusion of the movie dialogue is still a welcome sound. Also there are good bits of the soundtrack in the background and it sounds much better than the dialogue. It really does add a lot to be able to run around The Shire and hear Howard Shore’s soft hobbit theme playing.

    In the end, if you are trying to decide between the console and handheld versions there really is no contest. And it still upsets me that a system as powerful as the Vita is still getting stuck with 3DS ports which hinder the quality of the game but honestly I had a little bit of fun with [amazon_link id=”B0088MVOU2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Lego The Lord of the Rings[/amazon_link]. If you are looking for a Vita game to sink a few hours into and get your Tolkien fix it is not a bad game to pick up. Given that is on sale.

    NERD RATING- 7/10

  • MLB 13 The Show Asks For Your Cover Vote

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    Baseball season will be here before you know it and to the delight of PS3 owners (and despise of 360 owners) [amazon_link id=”B00A750QIE” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]MLB 13 The Show[/amazon_link] is back. And like our report yesterday about NCAA 14, MLB is looking for fans to decide who the cover athlete will be.

    Voting will begin on January 7th on MLB.com with seven players in the running including Andrew McCutchen and Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera.

    MLB 13 The Show releases on March 5, 2013.

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  • The Last Of Us Motion Capture Trailer

    A new video for The Last of Us has been released and it shows the transformation of Annie Wersching into the newest character revealed for the game, Tess, through motion capture. This scene shown is from the new trailer that was shown at the VGA’s which has Joel and Tess in a heated argument.

    The Last of Us releases on May 7, 2013.

  • The Last Of Us VGA Trailer, Release Date Confirmed

    Box Art And Pre-Order Bonuses Detailed Also.

    It takes a lot for a game to make me put a new Gears of War on the back burner but Naughty Dog’s [amazon_link id=”B007CM0K86″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Last of Us[/amazon_link] is doing just that. It is easily my most looked forward to game of next year and the biggest question of all was finally answered at Spike VGA’s this past weekend.

    When is the thing coming out?

    Luckily it won’t be too much longer. The Last of Us is set for release on May 7, 2013 which puts it at the perfect time when I should be done with the plethora of games coming out in the spring.

    Naughty Dog also detailed the pre-order bonuses that you will receive when you pick up your copy next May. Officially called the Sights and Sounds Pack, gamers that pre-order will receive the game’s soundtrack, PS3 background theme and two avatars for your PSN profile (winter Joel and winter Ellie).

    One piece of news that caught some off guard was the fact that there will be a multiplayer component to the game. Naughty Dog did not give any specifics into the multiplayer but did say that pre-orders would also receive the  Survival Pack for the mysterious section of the game. Extras include a melee attack booster, extra in-game cash, bonus XP, special character items and two special characters skins for Joel and Ellie after completion of the single-player game.

    Last but certainly not least is the new trailer that debuted at the VGA’s. It gives us a good look (so far) of the infected population. Mostly until now most of the gameplay has shown off Joel and Ellie fighting off non-infected humans as they try to survive. Take a look at the new trailer below and let us know if you are looking forward to the game as much as I am.

  • Sony Reports Good Playstation 3 And Vita Sales To Start The Holiday

    Sony has announced today that over 525,000 Playstation 3 consoles and 160,000 Vita’s were sold over the week of Black Friday. The Playstation 3 bundles saw a 15% increase over the same time last year and the Vita sales has the handheld off to a good start in it’s first holiday season.

    Sony definitely upped its game this season with a number of different bundles available for both systems including a Playstation 3 w/ Infamous 1&2 and Uncharted 1&2. The Vita had numerous bundles including games like Call of Duty: Black Ops, Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation and Lego Batman 2.

  • Playstation Vita Gets In The Holiday Bundle Spirit

    Just one day after a new 3DS XL bundle was announced Sony has joined the party with a new Vita offer that doesn’t look too bad.

    For $299.99 you will get the 3G/Wi-Fi PS Vita, voucher for the game Unit 13, a 4GB memory card and a one year subscription to Playstation Plus. If you have been waiting on a better deal to get a Vita then I think you won’t find any better than this. A year of PS Plus is $49.99 a year on its own and add in the value of the instant game collection that you receive on both the PS3 and Vita and there really is no reason to wait getting the handheld anymore.

    PS Plus was just made available to Vita owners and you can download Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Jet Set Radio, WipEout 2048, Gravity Rush and more for free. So essentially for 300 bucks you are getting a Vita, memory card and seven games right out of the box.

    If you already have a PS Plus account on your PS3 then another year will be added to your service when you buy this bundle.

  • God Of War: Ascension Pre-Order Extra Is Sparta Approved.

    How About Some Leonidas With Your Kratos?

    In today’s video game culture it is normal to have different retailers offer you assorted pre-order bonuses to get you to reserve a game at their store. Gamestop may have jumped the Spartan shark with their latest bit of offer for the upcoming God of War: Ascension.

    When you reserve the game at any Gamestop you will be able to download a set of armor and a special spear from the movie 300. You know, that hot movie that came out five years ago. So should we just assume with this offer that Kratos and Leonidas are in the same Spartan canon? Probably not but let’s say it is true to make this seem more fun.

    God of War: Ascension releases on March 13, 2013.