Kevin's Watch

OK.
FIL got Beorn a 40 GB Playstation 3 for Chr-stmas.
The only game he has so far is
Sonic the Hedghog

and he has his Wii.

If Rockband does not come out for the Wii at all by Beorn's birthday in August, that will be the next game for the PS3.

Other than that I have no idea what to go with. He has never owned a Playstation of any sort before.
He has never played a game similar to Final Fantasy.
I have never played a game similar to Final Fantasy.
Because we are on dial-up, we are unable to take advantage of the online options for either console.

So...
Where do we start?

I have heard Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, which had a rather stupid looking commercial if you ask me, is actually pretty fun. BUT also too short. Frankly I have never played it myself, so I can't give much beyond "heard good things." Might be worth looking at some reviews to figure out what exactly it's like - heavenly sword, another game, also got good reviews but from what I've seen it's just another god of war or devil may cry game.

I would recommend digging up the "Metal Gear Solid" titles (there are 3 out now) which are for the PS1 and PS2...assuming the PS3 is backwards compatible with the PS1 too. Games about nuclear terrorism and stuff, pretty fun and interesting (if somewhat insane). You're mainly supposed to sneak around, though truth be told the sneaking part isn't really REQUIRED for the most part.

I think there's a new "Ratchet and Clank" game out. I played the first one, it was incredibly fun, lots of creative weapons

Here are a few reviews of this from gamefaqs (which means these are casual reviews).
www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps3/review/R121555.html
www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps3/review/R120012.html

Assuming it's even close to the original I would say it's worth a buy. I also HEARD that #3 had fun online play, so if Beorn is going to be playing online at all that might be a good choice.

Soulcalibur IV comes out quarter 2 2008. I played #2 for the PS2, it was an extremely fluid and enjoyable fighter with a lot of fun little scenarios which teach you all the little aspects of the game you need to refine your technique. I think that the PS3 version will be featuring Darth Vader XD, him or Yoda.

Dynasty Warriors 6 comes out February 19. It's a sort of repetitive game, but a lot of people (including myself) have greatly enjoyed the first entry they get their hands on. In my case #3 was the first I played. The games are mostly the same from game to game: it's sort of like, instead of buying a new madden game for each year, buying a new game based on the SAME set of battles during the collapse of Han China. I'm just tossing this out there, but my guess is that if beorn plays this, he'll find it enjoyable, want DW7, play it, find it to be rather boring. Koei (the maker) is NOT an innovative company.

They have gotten a little closer to the mark in terms of achieving a slight degree of seriousness in addressing a major era in chinese history, but it's often rather silly (one of the characters looks like a sumo wrestler, some characters use fans or flutes in the battlefield). They base it on one of the greatest war epics ever (which I admit was sometimes rather silly) and turn out one big joke...

Sadly, there's not a "must-buy" title for the PS3 out. Most people will tell you they're waiting for Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, and Grand Theft Auto IV--high-profile games that are exclusive to that system.

Your best bet is to find a golden PS2 oldie and enjoy the backwards compatibility until the PS3 gets better games. I recommend the following (mainly because they're fan-favorites and easy to find):

Final Fantasy X (you must at least rent it to be a PlayStation gamer)
Final Fantasy XII (if you like X, you might enjoy this, and it's also 19.99)
God of War (very violent but arguably the best action game on PS2)
Kingdom Hearts (action-oriented RPG featuring Disney characters)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (this game is a hilarious take on the Star Wars universe, Lego-style)
Okami (beautiful, artistic adventure game)
Resident Evil 4
Grand Theft Auto series: insanely addictive "sandbox"/do-anything-you-want games, as long as you don't mind stealing cars and cartoonish violence


PS. I like your taste in games, Holsety. Were you able to experience Soul Calibur when it was new on Dreamcast? That felt almost as revolutionary as my first time playing Final Fantasy VII. I also agree with you on Metal Gear Solid 3: it's an acquired taste, but the setting is jaw-droppingly gorgeous and the story/characters are equally inspiring.

Grand Theft Auto series: insanely addictive "sandbox"/do-anything-you-want games, as long as you don't mind stealing cars and cartoonish violence

Hah, I'm going to assume that while some parents might be ok with having their kid own this, they aren't going to go out of their way to get it for them. It's true that the open endedness is fun, I love the ambulance etc missions also.

Unfortunately, FIL got Beorn the 40 GB PS3. It is not backwards compatible with the PS2. I think it is with the PS1, but need to double check...

I hadn't realised how many games today are centred around violence of one form or another!

There are some games that are more wholesome though, like:

Sega Rally Revo
Rock Band and Guitar Hero
Ratchet and Clank
Super Puzzle Fighter
Stuntman Ignition
The Simpsons Game
Folklore
Tiger Woods 2008

and maybe Heavenly Sword and Conan.

The Eye of Judgement is an interesting concept that uses the PS3 Eye camera and a cloth 'battle mat'. It's a collectable card game where you put the cards down on the board and the Eye reads the barcode-type thing on them and I think it animates the battle and acts as a GM. You can either play online against another person, or against the PS3 itself. I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, but sure is a clever way to use a games console.

Turok is coming soon and so is Unreal Tournament 3. Devil May Cry 4 and Burnout Paradise. GTA4 will be out soon and so will new shooter Haze. Final Fantasy 13, Metal Gear Solid 4, GT5 and Tekken 6 will be out later this year and are big titles to watch for.
Half-Life: Orange Box is meant to be on the PS3 but we are yet to see it. Resident Evil 5 will be out next year, also Deus Ex 3. Army of Two looks alright. Killzone 2 looks alright, as well.
Assassin's Creed and Motorstorm are both good and already out.
Call Of Duty 4, Far Cry 2, FIFA 08, TimeShift and Skate are also good titles.

Other Good games not out but ones to watch are Silent Hill 5, Soulcalibur IV, Star Ocean 4(great RPG game) and TimeSplitters 4.

So there appears to be a lot of good stuff but it depends on how long it will take from them to actually get to the PS3.

Thank you all.
Nav, I appreciate the titles with less violence.
Kep 'em coming as y'all think of them please.

Metal Gear Solid: 4 in a month or so, I think.

you must buy devil may cry 4. the sheer badassery it exudes should be enough.

Lord Foul wrote:Sadly, there's not a "must-buy" title for the PS3 out. Most people will tell you they're waiting for Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, and Grand Theft Auto IV--high-profile games that are exclusive to that system.

Your best bet is to find a golden PS2 oldie and enjoy the backwards compatibility until the PS3 gets better games. I recommend the following (mainly because they're fan-favorites and easy to find):

Final Fantasy X (you must at least rent it to be a PlayStation gamer)
Final Fantasy XII (if you like X, you might enjoy this, and it's also 19.99)
God of War (very violent but arguably the best action game on PS2)
Kingdom Hearts (action-oriented RPG featuring Disney characters)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (this game is a hilarious take on the Star Wars universe, Lego-style)
Okami (beautiful, artistic adventure game)
Resident Evil 4
Grand Theft Auto series: insanely addictive "sandbox"/do-anything-you-want games, as long as you don't mind stealing cars and cartoonish violence

To add to this list, I highly suggest Ico and Shadows of the Colossus. Ico might be a bit hard to find these days, but so worth it. Psychonauts is a lot of fun too, and isn't really all that violent and is especially funny.

Cagliostro wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:Sadly, there's not a "must-buy" title for the PS3 out. Most people will tell you they're waiting for Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, and Grand Theft Auto IV--high-profile games that are exclusive to that system.

Your best bet is to find a golden PS2 oldie and enjoy the backwards compatibility until the PS3 gets better games. I recommend the following (mainly because they're fan-favorites and easy to find):

Final Fantasy X (you must at least rent it to be a PlayStation gamer)
Final Fantasy XII (if you like X, you might enjoy this, and it's also 19.99)
God of War (very violent but arguably the best action game on PS2)
Kingdom Hearts (action-oriented RPG featuring Disney characters)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (this game is a hilarious take on the Star Wars universe, Lego-style)
Okami (beautiful, artistic adventure game)
Resident Evil 4
Grand Theft Auto series: insanely addictive "sandbox"/do-anything-you-want games, as long as you don't mind stealing cars and cartoonish violence

To add to this list, I highly suggest Ico and Shadows of the Colossus. Ico might be a bit hard to find these days, but so worth it. Psychonauts is a lot of fun too, and isn't really all that violent and is especially funny.

And lest we forget, there should be another game from the ico "series" coming out on PS3. (that's what I remember hearing).

Isn't psychonauts sorta like ratchet and clank in terms of violence? (there is some, but it's cartoony, no blood and gore type stuff, etc).