An early present....

IF ONLY I could get my hands on Killzone 2 before most other gamers.....
Well, it looks like I can! After checking play.com on Sunday night, I did a quick check to see stock and pricing of the much-anticipated game, due out this Friday - and was amazed to see it was in stock and ready to ship!
I checked the forums to see if there was a catch, apparently there wasn't, so I ordered it Monday morning, and early Tuesday checked the order to find it has been posted! Woo hoo!
So hopefully it will arrive Thursday and I can get an extra 24 hours head start on the rest of you!

Let the rumour-mongers be right!!

THERE are always plenty of folk on the web making stuff up and writing things on forums about what they say is going to happen, but it never materialises.
Well, after hearing the latest gossip, let's hope they're right.....
It has been reported on the web that a Sony employer has leaked details of the next firmware update, and its a biggie - at last, people should be able to start chats from inside a game, just like our friends over on the Xbox can!
If it's true, its been a long time coming, and hopefully Sony will make us all happy and finally get to grips with the fact that, now that online gaming is the driving force of most PS3 games now, people do actually want to find it easy to go online with their friends and chat, and not do as they do now, where you start a chat, quit it to join a game, and then try and speak to them if you manage to join the same game more by luck than judgement!
Apparently you will also be able to surf the web while you are in-game, which will also be a handy feature.
Here's hoping.......

A tale of two demos

THIS weekend the PlayStation Network has demonstrated quite effectively how game demos should - and should not - be done correctly.
The first to mention is the hugely-anticipated Killzone 2 demo. After downloading it and booting it up, negotiating the start menus (the slight shakey camera-style is a little off-putting), the game started - and absolutely blew me away.
Fantastic graphics, smooth and fluid gameplay, intelligent AI (where the baddies actually run out of the way and hide if you throw a grenade at them) - it was all I had wished and waited for.
Add to that the fact that you can choose different configurations of controls to suit your play - in ways that actually suit different gamers, not just ones that are put in their because they think they should - this demo will definitely shift copies of Killzone 2, including the one I buy.
But, on the other side of the coin, comes - Resident Evil 5.
Again, this was highly anticipated, but once I had downloaded it, I went to the options screen - and it all froze.
I restarted my PS3, booted the demo up again, started the game straight away, got through the first cut scene - and it locked up my console again!
I reset it and deleted the demo! Later that day I went round to a friend's house on whose console it actually worked, to find that, even in these advanced times, you still can't run and shoot at the same time!
Yes, the graphics are impressive, but hasn't gameplayed moved on a bit?
So, thanks for the demos - it has definitely made my mind up on what I will and won't be buying!

To trade, or not to trade....

I'M facing a dilemma at the moment.
As always happens this time of year, cash is in short supply, but as a keen gamer, I don't want to miss out on the latest big releases.
And with just Killzone 2 (a must-have) just weeks away, I'm pondering how I'm going to find the cash to buy it.
Now, my friend has made the bold decision to trade in his copy of Resistance 2 at Gamestation for a £20 credit note.
I have the same game, but am only a third of the way through the game and still enjoy the online aspect - but as has been pointed out to me, will I really play both games?
So, do I trade in a game I still enjoy for one I really want, or do I keep both, and try and find some other way of finding the cash? Ideally I would own both, but I don't think that's an option.
And if I do wait until near the Killzone 2 release, the trade-in value will go down - decisions, decisions.....

Let homebrew live on the PS3

COME on, Sony - don't you think it's about time you actually start listening to the people who are helping keep your company afloat in these difficult times?

The PS3 is a great piece of kit, but it is really suffering through a lack of support and creativity.

One way to solve this is to let the floodgates open to the wonder that is Homebrew.

These third-party pieces of software could help make the PS3 an invaluable home entertainment system, opening it up to more users by allowing it to be used for more than games, movies and the web.

Software developers out there are keen to get involved in creating applications and software for the PS3, but keep getting their creations shut out when Sony issues a new software update to keep the software doors closed.

Well, I say - open those doors! When you compare the endless software and applications available now on PCs, many of which are out there to download as freeware, then there is no reason why we couldn't see the PS3 take these onboard. 

It works like a PC, can use operating systems, and is very flexible in its use - if only those in their ivory towers stop and see this.

Then things could reach the stage where desktop PCs may become redundant, as all you would need is a PS3 with a keyboard and mouse - the world would literally be at their feet.

So, stop tinkering with the long-awaited and highly disappointing Home, and give PS3 owners what they want - everything!

Where are the games?

WELL, it's that post-Christmas lull when nothing seems to be coming out for gamers.
The next big launch is Killzone 2, but that's not until next month, so for now we have to make do with games already on the market.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as I've noticed that shops like Gamestation are offering some good deals on games, whether it's two for £30 or even two games for £20 - like a copies of Stranglehold and Assassin's Creed that I managed to pick up.
Plus, I have also been filling my gaming time recently playing a cut-price new Saints Row 2, which I missed on original release but have been enjoying greatly - dare I say it, even more so than the infamous Grand Theft Auto 4 - while switching between this and Tomb Raider Underworld.
So, the one good thing about this lull period is, that it actually gives me time to play my existing games properly!

Secret Santa!

YES, it's that time of year again when families and friend exchange presents - and shops exchange some of those same gifts for things people actually want!
But I have to say, I wasn't expecting much when it came to Secret Santa time at my work. We all stood round, with various sensible (chocolates, smellies) and not so sensible (a lung-shaped ash tray!) presents were unveiled.
Then it was my turn.
I opened the DVD-shaped package to discover - a copy of Conan on the PS3!
Now, bearing in mind that the budget was just £5, I thought my gift-bearer had done incredibly well.
And, despite some of the reviews, I have been having great fun slashing and splicing baddies in this retro title.
A nice surprise!