(Credit:
Nicholas/The404)
Welcome to Justin's penultimate episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast! Tomorrow will be our last show as a team, but there's plenty of special Yuletide episodes, contests, 404 merchandise, and CES shows to look forward to in 2010.
I know we swore this story wouldn't get discussed on our show, but we finally cave in and say a couple quick words about the recent Tiger Woods sex scandal. As the story unfolds, Wilson tells us Tiger is in even hotter water for sending a racy text message to his lady on the side.
We all make mistakes, so we're not hating on the guy, even though these accidents are most common among teenagers.
(Credit:
Sony)
Next, Jeff gives us an insider's look into the glitz and glamor of a professional video game reviewer with an overview of Sony's upcoming PS3 game lineup. One of the more unique titles is Heavy Rain, described by the director as "a very dark film-noir thriller with mature themes." Jeff describes the format as a graphic version of "Choose Your Own Adventure," where the decisions you make in the game help to route you through the levels and the storyline. Take a look at Jeff's PS3-exclusive gaming rundown for the full story and more previews.
Finally, virtual daps to Nicholas and Props Guy Jim for using their Photoshop skills to make a few special holiday images for the show. Be sure to subscribe to our iTunes or RSS feed to get the updated holiday album cover art! Also, we're saving Props Guy Jim's picture for the holiday blog, which will go live on Christmas Eve--thanks again, Nicholas and Jim!
EPISODE 484
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As Sony starts to make a push for the holiday season with a new bundle and rumors of slimmer hardware, we all know that exclusive software remains as the biggest selling point for any console.
We recently showcased a handful of Xbox 360 titles that will be available only on that console. Now it's time to take a look at what the PlayStation 3 has to offer in the coming months.
PlayStation 3 owners already enjoy franchises like Resistance and Ratchet and Clank, but will finally get a taste of some series that have yet to debut on the PS3.
There are also a few titles we left out just because information on them is still very scarce. While we're excited for exclusive titles like The Last Guardian, we're not sure of a release date.
Click through to see our slideshow of exclusive titles for the PlayStation 3. Be sure to check out our Xbox 360 feature and stay tuned for our look at exclusive titles for the Nintendo Wii.
With the ability to change directions on a dime based on user input, it's sometimes surprising how little serious interactive storytelling happens in modern games. One exception is the games of David Cage, the creative force behind ambitious, if flawed, games such as Indigo Prophesy and Omikron.
In 2005's Indigo Prophesy, for example, players took control of several different characters acting out a supernatural-themed police procedural, and could affect the game world in many ways--leaving more evidence at a crime scene, for example, or sending a character out of town. Unfortunately, that game's seemingly open-ended nature was actually a funnel, starting with many choices but eventually whittling everything down to the same conclusion as the game became exactingly linear in its second half.
With several years of new technology, we have high hopes for Heavy Rain, a new PS3 exclusive adventure that carries over many of the same concepts about making choices that affect a seemingly fixed virtual world. Cage walked us through two segments of the game, showcasing the project's unique controls.
Another detective tale, Heavy Rain tells the intertwining stories of four individuals (a journalist, an FBI profiler, etc.), who are involved in the hunt for a serial killer. The dark, moody graphics were impressive, but the nontraditional control scheme threw us for a loop. Instead of using both analog sticks to move the character, the R2 shoulder button moves you forward, while the left stick turns your shoulders--essentially steering your character like a car.
The problem with changing well-established control schemes is that the controls end up not being transparent to players, who will spend more time thinking about where their fingers should be, and less time immersing themselves in the story.
Another nontraditional element is the use of so-called "quick-time events," an often overused game mechanic where gamers have to quickly press a series of buttons in time with onscreen instructions in order to complete a task. Heavy Rain's gameplay is largely built around this mechanic, but it's used in a much more organic way, with subtle 3D icons for button presses and analog stick movements worked right into the scene. Fights, investigations, and conversations are all done using this button-pressing system. The examples we saw were well-integrated, but we can see playing an entire game waiting for a timed button icon to appear on the screen losing its appeal quickly.
That said, Cage's games have always pushed the boundaries of traditional narrative gaming, and his embrace of branching stories and nonlinear plots make Heavy Rain worth a look for mystery/adventure fans when it comes out in early 2010.
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