Headgear

Recently Sony announced something called Project Morpheus: plans to develop a Virtual Reality headset for the PlayStation 4.

What I find interesting about this news is that this isn't the first time someone has suggested implementing a VR headset-esque device into one's living room. I recall back in early nineties Virtual Reality reaped a lot of media attention and left many gamers convinced it was the way of the future- to a point where it was likely that they may become fixtures of home gaming.

That, of course, didn't happen.
Indeed, it's funny trying to predict the future because the claims you make can come across as absurd years later - moreso if they don't come true. And in the case of having a VR headset-esque device into one's living room, it comes across as laughable - not just because it's something that didn't happen but how gaming technology took a completely different direction in the two decades since. 

Still, just because someone made such a prediction didn't stop anyone from trying to make it happen.
Anyone remember these?

Original image located here. Accessed 31st March 2014

If you were an Amiga owner in the mid-nineties, like myself, you might. These were Virtual I-O Glasses: An attempt to fashion low end virtual reality headset for a home computer. It weighed eight ounces and could be used with any TV-compatible computer. There was one for the PC which, unlike the Amiga version, supported head tracking support. Ultimately though, the Virtual I-O Glasses were less a interactive device and more a personal monitor.
But, of course, the Virtual I-O Glasses was a short-lived device (it could only support a grand total of two Amiga games) and it ultimately didn't go anywhere.

However, nearly twenty years later, someone's taken the idea and dusted it off. And with any idea, it can work provided it receives the proper backing and marketing - something Sony has no shortage of.
Needless to say, it would be interesting to see how this turns out - although the cynic in me would rather that this idea remain in the bin of 'ideas that didn't work for a reason'.

Source: Amiga History Guide

Back to the wall

My follower counter has grown significantly this past week. To those newcomers, welcome aboard and I'm glad you stopped by to hear me waffle on. Oh and I did I mention I have another blog as well as this one?

Anyway, rumors are floating that Sony will release software for the PS4 that will, hopefully, allow PS1 and PS2 games to be run on the PS4.
These are, of course, mere rumors but the prospect being offered here is indeed tantalizing: To have four console generations worth of games to be played on the singular machine would be a pleasing prospect and, more importantly, it may give me a singular point of interest in the eighth console generation.

As established previously, I did not buy a PS3 as I felt betrayed by a lack of backwards compatibility - Sony's indifference to the customer complaints didn't help matters. This in turn led me abandoning the PlayStation and defecting to the Xbox 360.
But with this rumor circulating, even if it is rumor, a question has arisen: Was a 360 worth it?

In previous generation, having multiple consoles wasn't uncommon. As long as one had the cash and wanted to play certain games, having more than one console was a feasibility. However, in this digital age, we have DLC, player profiles and so many methods to customize our console the way we see fit. Thus we seem to have reverted back to the 'one console only' line of thought. Indeed, why buy another console when you can do so much on the one you already have?

So it ultimately comes down to the games. So lets break down my Xbox game collection for a minute:

I have:
18 360 games
22 games downloaded from XBLA (including 2 original xbox games)
2 original Xbox games

7 of the XBLA games are 360 exclusive, 1 of the Xbox games is also an exclusive but only one of the 360 games is a 360 exclusive. And even that is barely played.

Meaning that (nearly) one fifth of my game Xbox game collection is confined only to the Xbox.

But, as stated before, this analysis is based solely on a rumor. Whether or not it turns out to be fact will prove if acquiring a 360 turned out to be a waste....

Ultimately however it comes down to what is felt in the heart - do I regret buying a 360 and investing all those hours playing games that be easily obtained on other system?
Of course I bloody well don't :)

You could do worse

Apparently it's official: Whereas EA have been voted the Worst Company in America by Consumerist magazine for two years running this year they are already out of contention, losing the first round of voting to Time Warner Cable (whoever they are).

As stated previously, whilst I'd previously been burnt by EA, they seemed sincere and in their intention to turn things around. And to that end I respect that and have grown interested to see how they will go through with it (that and getting the last laugh over the naysayers sounds appealing to me). And now it would seem that that there is some progress on EA's end.

While EA may have lost out to another company that's doing worse, hopefully EA will take this a positive step and one on which to build upon. Hopefully they may take it as a step out of the hole they've dug for themselves and they're not going to read this post aren't they?

Gridlock

With the recent release of the FFX/2 HD version on the PS3, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and dig up some of my old save files on my PS2 (yes I still have them).

Make no mistake: The high point of the entire game was, for me, the sphere grid. Say what you like about the game's graphics/voice acting/plot/combat/linearity/limp mini games, the biggest thrill for me was abusing the sphere grid and sending all seven members of my party into a whole manner of directions beyond their original path - Who would've guessed that both Tidus and Yuna would've made such effective thieves?!
And hey, when you're grinding to level up your characters and it never once feels like grinding then something must've worked.

They say that to get the most out of the sphere grid one needs to approach it with a plan in mind and that certainly rings true here. My approach is that I nutted out what each character needs to do and when they need to do it (actually I just looked at a All-Thieves guide I found on GameFAQS).
Once I had my plan I put it into action: This involved sending characters in certain directions, utilizing particular spheres and, in some cases, leaving characters waiting before they're allowed to claim the advances that awaited them. It took patience and precision but damn it was worth it.

And it the effect it had on the game was indeed pleasing: I found that with certain abilities, everyone had something to contribute to the party's functionality. My party started functioning like a well-oiled machine with everyone playing a part and no one being useless. Characters I found annoying (like Tidus) were getting a lot of mileage and characters I had no idea what to do with (like Kimahri) ended up getting used a lot. And with certain skills being duplicated across the party, never once did I feel like there was a problem that couldn't be solved.
And it was fun seeing characters develop in strange and fun ways: I particularly enjoyed making Tidus into a thief and then beefing him up by sending him in Auron's direction. It was great to make Kimahri into a thief and then into a white mage. It was fun sending Auron down Tidus' original path and give his speed a necessary boost. And I offset Yuna's White Magic and Aeons with Thieving skills and Black Magic (hey she's got the best magic stat after all) effectively making her a one-man army (she is the game's driving force after all).
Okay so maybe it may have made the game kinda dull in the later stages with the spreading of skills resulting in a breaking down of character distinction, but I like the idea that this was a party I had built up, was my own unique one (sort of....) and I was beating the game on my own terms (fitting when one considers just how linear this game is compared to it's predecessors).

But ultimately my abuse of the sphere grid was something that I could never replicate - and it is for reason that I'm not rushing out to get the adore-mentioned FFX/2 HD version and a PS3 to use it. But perhaps it shouldn't be. I can't recall each and every planned step I made or what spheres I used and when. But I don't care - because I still have my saved games and they still stand as proof of my clever customization. The fact that I can still fire up my PS2 and still have a bash using my awesome party, is indeed proof that it was all worth it.

And to wrap this post up, I was so proud of my abuse of the sphere grid that I actually used one of my saved games to help a friend through some of the tougher areas. Considering I made precision movements through the grid, I can only wonder what steps she subsequently took....

Catch twenty gig

I have Final Fantasy 7 on my computer via Steam

It takes up one and half gig of hard drive space.

There also exists a mod intent on overhauling the graphics and bring in new charatcer models and HD capabilties.

It takes up over twenty gig of hard drive space.

Considering the size of the mod is greater than the original game many times over, one can only wonder if it is truly worth the effort....

Ocelot going on

This is a store in my hometown of Hobart:

It closed down recently (as indicated by the photo) but everytime I went passed it, I found myself thinking: REVOLVER!

Well, that was random

I've been playing Rock Band 2 recently - largely out of a curiosity.
That curiosity being: Just how random is the random feature?
And is there some way the user can somehow influence the song selection in the randomiser?
The last point may be unlikely but surely, once one gets a gold star on a song (the highest possible rating), they wouldn't have to do that song again?

Well lets find out:

Firstly lets establish my list of songs:

There are 80 songs from Rock Band 2
There are 63 songs from Rock Band 1
There are 45 songs from Lego Rock Band
There 50 songs from Green Day Rock Band (including 6 DLC)
And there are 163 Downloaded songs

This amounts to a total of 401 songs

Now earlier this month I started a new band career to test this theory out.

At time of writing, I'd amassed a star score of 684

• 274 stars were from 'set songs'
• 356 stars were from random setlists
• and 54 were from Make a Setlist
• This in turn breaks down to 55 songs, 72 songs and 11 songs respectively
• And three set songs have also been gold starred elsewhere

Now out of the 401 songs:

• One is a three star song
• 18 songs are four star songs
• 67 songs are five star songs
• 68 songs are gold star songs
• And 247 songs are unplayed

So if we assume I played every song once:
3 + (18*4) + (67*5) + (68*5)
3 + 72 + 335 + 340
 = 750

750 - 684 = 65 (rounding down to the nearest five)

This means 13 songs may have been duplicated.

Now, lets break down the song scores by game:

And finally there is my own personal experience: Whilst I may have so many songs in my RB music library that remembering when each and every one comes one may be near impossible, I do know of when I've had duplicates. And funnily enough, the majority of the ones I can remember came from RB2, ie Alex Chilton, Hello There, White Wedding and Livin' on a Prayer and that Winter song.
And yes, one such song was a song I'd already achieved a Gold Star for. 

So to conclude this incoherent rambling of mathematics, it would seem that the user has little to no influence on the songs selected at random. However whether or not Harmonix programmed something different is another matter entirely.
This is however only part way through the game: Insofar, I've done a lot of the Random Setlists and about one Make a Setlist (what you think I'm going to waste them?!). Needless to say, it would be interesting to keep up this experiment and see what happens in the near future...

Modding evolution

Just a little something I came across:

Baldurs Gate 2 takes up a size of over 2 gig
Baldurs Gate 1 takes up a size of under 2 gig

I play a heavily modified version of BG2 contained in a folder totaling 9.1 gig

Meaning I play a game where the mods take up more space than the game itself.

It is however not alone:
My System Shock 2 folder totals over 1 gig for a 357 mb game.
My Deus Ex folder totals over 4 gig for a 431 mb game.
My Planescape Torment folder totals over 2 gig for a 1.1 gig game.
My Freespace 2 folder totals over 4 gig for a 1.6 gig game.  

It is interesting to note that all five of these games came from the same era - and all the modding is due to me bringing them into line with a lot of other modern games. Still, if I would rather play these games to the point that I'll seek out anything it make it so, then it says a lot about staying power.

Cultivation

Last week I made the joke that if Oblivion was a person, it'll be a giant looking down upon me from up above. This made me wonder what human forms othe rgames would take.

World fo Warcraft, for instance, is, to me, a cult leader that leads you in on promises, fixes you with a whole lot of agreeing followers, fleeces you for your money and makes sure you never leave!

Actually, having said that there really isn't anything else I can add to this post...

Selling in

It's been a few years since Rock Band 2 but it's still a game I keep finding myself coming back to. Sure the glory days of the music/rhythm games has long since passed but I still find a lot of enjoyment in Rock Band 2 - indeed more so than Rock Band 3.

However i find a particular fascination with the 'sellout' event. You know the one: Your band is sponsored by Hot Topic, they make you play a tune by Paramore and whilst the band itself can make a wad of cash, they run the risk of having their number of fans decreasing.

This in turn doesn't really place Hot Topic or Paramore in a positive light. How do they both feel about it? Did either sue Harmonix? In addition, considering that the fan numbers keep increasing with every show played, the Rock Band fans are quite the forgiving bunch aren't they?

Facing Oblivion

Recently I decided to have another crack at Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.

Oblivion and myself have a love/hate relationship: Sometimes I like it and other times I feel frustrated with it. As such there are tremendous gaps in between playing sessions.
I guess it is the reputation of the game that has put me off: Yes this has been a big seller, yes it commands many fans (although many of them would've transferred allegiance to Skyrim), and its importance as being the progenitor of purchasable DLC can't be overlooked. That's a pretty big deal to say the least. If anything, if Oblivion was a person it would be, for me, a massive giant looking down at me like a little insect.

But no matter: I have played some more of Oblivion - however it didn't take long before I was reminded what put me off playing it previously: You see, my character died. But I tried a second time and I died again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again....

This however is a common trap i fall into with RPGs where I lose hit points quicker than I can get them back. Still, it's not much of reason to give up completely.

We'll meet again soon Oblivion, mark my words....

A lost child

Today I was in a book store where I noticed a new edition to the book 1001 games you must before you die. It must've been new as they included more recent games like Limbo and Red Dead Redemption. However, much like the previous edition, Ico is still excluded.

Okay seriously guys, you really need to get with the program: Ico is the greatest game ever made and it's exclusion is beyond baffling. Come on, Peter Molyneux referenced it in his introduction! If Ico is being looked over then I seriously question the book's claims of being being selected by a range of respected critics

The Castle theme to end all Castle themes

Something I came across on youtube. Someone doing the Super Mario World castle theme (along wth the Yoshi's Island castle theme) on an organ

And somehow making even more scary than the original:

Original video located here. Accessed 3rd March 2014