Dragon Quest IX has a firm grip on me. I am kicking myself for not picking this title up when it first came out, as it's REALLY hitting the spot. This is a VERY traditional JRPG through and through.
Oh I did uncover a neat innovation in DQIX after all! It seems to have a local multiplayer mode, where you and up to 3 friends can go off and quest. I've not been able to try out this functionality, but with any luck I'll run into someone with DQIX.
On the other side of things, my favorite "CarPG", Gran Turismo 5 still brings the fun. I am currently slowly chipping away at the normal A-Spec races, which hasn't been too bad now that I've got a really mean grinding setup (A 663hp SKyline and the Expert Turbo race circuit leads to fast and easy money). 2 more races in the Amateur Supercar Nostalgia circuit and I'll have gotten Gold medals in every Amateur race (which will of course lead to a that sweet sweet chime of a PS3 Trophy).
Speaking of Trophies, I managed to unlock a bunch of hidden ones - There are 2 weird photography Trophies that are dead simple to get, but I don't know how anyone would have figured them out on their own. Who opts to photograph the people in the background when you're taking car photos?!
Anyway, I am so glad not to be writing about the PSN being down. There is some maintenance happening as I type this, but it's only for the website - PS3 consoles are not affected.
Showing posts with label gt5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gt5. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Current Gaming
So I seem to be back in an RPG phase. I picked up a cheap, used copy of Dragon Quest IX for the DS (playing it on my 3DS of course) yesterday and it is really scratching this itch I've had for a classic JRPG. Currently, I've got about 4.5hrs sunk into it and I can tell you that if you're looking for an innovative JRPG, this is not for you.
DQ9 is a classic turn based RPG, you can choose to attack with weapons, use items or cast spells. Seriously, there isn't anything here that any RPG vet hasn't seen before. This is not a bad thing - it's catering to a specific part of the market, and doing so very well.
DQ9 really shines graphically. It's a fully 3D game that really appears to have pushed the DS' hardware to it's limit. The animation is smooth and fluid, but you will notice it's age after playing some of the current 3DS titles. I do hope a new Dragon Quest title comes to the 3DS - the new hardware could make for a spectacular title.
I've also resumed playing the latest in one of my favorite RPG series - Gran Turismo 5. With the help of a friend, I've managed to get each license test cleared. This has leveled me up, opening up better paying races - which of course has lead to more and better cars. Good times.
'til next time!
DQ9 is a classic turn based RPG, you can choose to attack with weapons, use items or cast spells. Seriously, there isn't anything here that any RPG vet hasn't seen before. This is not a bad thing - it's catering to a specific part of the market, and doing so very well.
DQ9 really shines graphically. It's a fully 3D game that really appears to have pushed the DS' hardware to it's limit. The animation is smooth and fluid, but you will notice it's age after playing some of the current 3DS titles. I do hope a new Dragon Quest title comes to the 3DS - the new hardware could make for a spectacular title.
I've also resumed playing the latest in one of my favorite RPG series - Gran Turismo 5. With the help of a friend, I've managed to get each license test cleared. This has leveled me up, opening up better paying races - which of course has lead to more and better cars. Good times.
'til next time!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Gran Turismo 5 & Black Ops
So this little game called Gran Turismo 5 just came out. Maybe you've heard of the series?
Sarcasm aside, the Gran Turismo series is very important to me. It's the game most directly responsible for me getting into the PlayStation platform, and I've happily purchased every new version (well ok, except the PSP version. No Career Mode = No Sale, sorry guys.) since the original, usually on the day of release. In fact, the day before Gran Turismo 4's release, my original fat launch PS2 gave up the ghost. This sucked extra hard because I had actually gone as far as to pre-order GT4 (the end result was my purchasing of one of the new slim PS2).
In any case, after 5 long years of development and delays, the king of CarPGs (as I like to call 'em) is finally here in all it's 1080p glory. Even though this is not the first taste of GT on the PS3 platform, this is a complete game at last. GTHD, GT5p were at their cores, demos. Expensive demos at that. Demos that wouldn't let you tune your cars until you've cleared everything bone stock...
So let's talk about game play.
If you've played a GT title in the past, the only thing that will jump out at you as being new and different will be the game's main menu system. Under the hood (heh heh), the core game play is exactly what you'd expect from a Gran Turismo title. You start the game with 20k in credits to purchase your first car and some upgrades. GT5 then eases you back into the game by tossing you into some familiar, but challenging courses. It's almost like a mini-greatest hits from prior games used to get you back into the flow of things. The tuning experience isn't all that different from prior games, but I've thus far noticed a lack of options for brakes. I don't understand this change or it's removal, but with a game this large I wouldn't be surprised if it's something I haven't found or unlocked or something - so for the time being I'll avoid making this an official nit-pick.
Online racing is also a rather big selling point for GT5 - however I have yet to try this myself (what can I say, I'm very into the career mode at the moment).
At the end of the day, GT5 is the sort of game that fans will probably automatically buy even without a review - and if you are a long time fan you really should not hesitate with this purchase.
While writing this post, I had a realization that the GT series is one of those rare titles that has wide appeal in all the major gaming markets (JP, NA, EU). It's a game series I can talk about with any of my PlayStation friends from anywhere in the world, and we can all mostly agree that this is a very fine series of games. That said, I do feel that at some point the gaming world will reflect upon the GT series and agree that this is one of the best video game series to ever come around.
Oh also - I completed the Black Ops single player game. My hat is off to you Treyarch. I've never been happier to be so wrong about a game and a studio. That was a hell of a story, and a HELL of an ending. I'm looking forward to their next COD title.
Until next time...
Sarcasm aside, the Gran Turismo series is very important to me. It's the game most directly responsible for me getting into the PlayStation platform, and I've happily purchased every new version (well ok, except the PSP version. No Career Mode = No Sale, sorry guys.) since the original, usually on the day of release. In fact, the day before Gran Turismo 4's release, my original fat launch PS2 gave up the ghost. This sucked extra hard because I had actually gone as far as to pre-order GT4 (the end result was my purchasing of one of the new slim PS2).
In any case, after 5 long years of development and delays, the king of CarPGs (as I like to call 'em) is finally here in all it's 1080p glory. Even though this is not the first taste of GT on the PS3 platform, this is a complete game at last. GTHD, GT5p were at their cores, demos. Expensive demos at that. Demos that wouldn't let you tune your cars until you've cleared everything bone stock...
So let's talk about game play.
If you've played a GT title in the past, the only thing that will jump out at you as being new and different will be the game's main menu system. Under the hood (heh heh), the core game play is exactly what you'd expect from a Gran Turismo title. You start the game with 20k in credits to purchase your first car and some upgrades. GT5 then eases you back into the game by tossing you into some familiar, but challenging courses. It's almost like a mini-greatest hits from prior games used to get you back into the flow of things. The tuning experience isn't all that different from prior games, but I've thus far noticed a lack of options for brakes. I don't understand this change or it's removal, but with a game this large I wouldn't be surprised if it's something I haven't found or unlocked or something - so for the time being I'll avoid making this an official nit-pick.
Online racing is also a rather big selling point for GT5 - however I have yet to try this myself (what can I say, I'm very into the career mode at the moment).
At the end of the day, GT5 is the sort of game that fans will probably automatically buy even without a review - and if you are a long time fan you really should not hesitate with this purchase.
While writing this post, I had a realization that the GT series is one of those rare titles that has wide appeal in all the major gaming markets (JP, NA, EU). It's a game series I can talk about with any of my PlayStation friends from anywhere in the world, and we can all mostly agree that this is a very fine series of games. That said, I do feel that at some point the gaming world will reflect upon the GT series and agree that this is one of the best video game series to ever come around.
Oh also - I completed the Black Ops single player game. My hat is off to you Treyarch. I've never been happier to be so wrong about a game and a studio. That was a hell of a story, and a HELL of an ending. I'm looking forward to their next COD title.
Until next time...
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