Week In Review - PSN Predictions + SingStar

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What a Week

PSN intrusion to SingStar, I've tried to cover it all. Here's some highlights:

From PSN Still Out. Why? (My Best Guess):
Monday, April 25, 2011 @ 6:15 AM PDT

So Sony had an intrusion. Why isn't this a non-event and we go on with our lives? Simple, PSN accounts have associated names, addresses, and credit card information.

I'm guessing that the real work has just started today. I'd expect some real progress in the next 24-48 hours, but don't be surprised if PSN is off into the weekend.

Sony Response, Update on PlayStation Network and Qriocity:
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 @ ~12:50 PM PDT

Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, [sic] PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.

We have a clear path to have PlayStation Network and Qriocity systems back online, and expect to restore some services within a week.

From PSA on PSN Data Breach:
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 @ 4:15 PM PDT

The problem is Sony relied on their leaf node security to protect users. In other words, they thought the PS3/other services were not hackable so no need to secure the inner data. ... now we find out they didn't encrypt the user data?

Sony Response, Q&A #1 for PlayStation Network and Qriocity Services:
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 @ ~5:15 PM PDT

Q: Was my personal data encrypted?
A: All of the data was protected, and access was restricted both physically and through the perimeter and security of the network. The entire credit card table was encrypted and we have no evidence that credit card data was taken. The personal data table, which is a separate data set, was not encrypted, but was, of course, behind a very sophisticated security system that was breached in a malicious attack.

From PSN Security - Transparency and Trophies:
Thursday, April 28, 2011 @ 6:05 AM PDT

The thing about trophies is, they are kept on your local system and synced to the server. Even if somehow Sony screwed up and didn't have this data backed up, your PS3 does. Your trophies will be fine people.

But what's more important is this is still described as a data breach not vandalism. That means the person(s) in question just copied data and didn't trash the database. They likely had read only access through a partially privileged account, meaning they couldn't trash the database.

I full [sic] expect all profiles to be fine.

Sony Response, Q&A #2 for PlayStation Network and Qriocity Services:
Thursday, April 28, 2011 @ ~8:50 PM PDT

Q: Will our download history/friends list/settings be affected by the PSN downtime?
A: No, they will not.

Q: Will trophies that were earned in single-player offline games during the outage be intact when the service resumes?
A: These trophies are intact and will be re-synched [sic] when the network is once again operational.

Q: Will my PS+ cloud saves be retrievable?
A: Yes, once PSN is restored.

Finally, there's the SingStar Dance review. As a gamer, who can't sing in general I was actually surprised by the game. Well worth checking out.

SingStar Dance - Review

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While PSN is still out, I thought I'd do a good old fashion game review.

A Singing Game? Really?!?

So why am I reviewing a singing game? Well, as anyone who's played with me while drunk knows I like to sing. Unfortunately for those poor souls, my voice (as my wife puts it) brings blood to the ears (and then all over the carpet). To be honest, I have a lot of post processing going on in my head so not only do I sound good to myself, most people do. That said, here's a game that can actually help you improve.

Starting at the Beginning

So about a month ago my wife went out drinking, dancing and singing with a friend. When she got home, she was still raving about how much fun it was to go out singing. Later that week we were at a Fry's Electronics and saw SingStar dance for $40, with two microphones. I checked the price against online pricing, it seemed decent and the game looked interesting so we grabbed it. We were going to a friend's birthday party and thought it would be fun to drink, laugh at ourselves and play this.

At the same time we picked up the 80's pack of music for the PS2 @ $5. I figured for $5, how wrong could things go.

Once we got home I hooked everything up. I hadn't bought my PS Move stuff yet, when I did I had to rearrange my setup as the PSEye didn't like my USB hub.

For the record I have plugged into my PS3 now:

• PSEye (Move)
• Keyboard
• SingStar Mic Adapter
• IR Receiver

While I have 4 USB ports, one is broken so I have to use a hub.

We started playing within minutes. Here's where the game blew me away.

Helping You Hit Those Notes

So, I should note before this I had never played a SingStar game. I had no knowledge of it going in other than I could see that it had been around for a while and seemed to have a lot of support. SingStar analyzes your pitch and scores you based on that. You can move up or down an octave and it deals with that just fine. There is varying levels of difficulty which allow better singers (like my wife or her friends) to work at hitting the note exactly while having me just get close to start with.

It amazed me how many songs I didn't actually know the words to. That day we bought about 20 songs off of the SingStar store and we were having a blast. We almost didn't make it to the party we were having so much fun. We then took this to the party, and it was a huge hit. Guys vs girls, and of course the girls kicked our collective asses.

In the next couple of weeks I purchased about 3 other PS2 game discs, as the game read the old discs perfectly. We downloaded a bunch of songs, I even put together a database so we could keep track of which songs we had. Full disclosure, I do have a backwards compatible PS3, I haven't tried any other model, but it should work.

We are now up to 153 songs split between downloads and 4 discs. I've gotten microphone stands and we've had people over just for this. As you sing the game records you and you can listen to it afterwords which is really cool.

Oh, and here's a great feature, if you have a PSP, you can use remote play to select the next song, player or players, mode, difficulty, etc. You can create a queue just like a high end karaoke machine, and it is all wireless. The interface is a little slow on the PSP, but manageable.

I've also had a chance to play with the dancing piece. It is a pain since sometimes they give you directions while your back is to the TV. In addition the lead time on moves seems to be too small for me, making it hard to score well. That said, with the PSEye attached there were videos/pictures to go with performances, a nice little bonus.

Over the past few weeks, my singing has improved dramatically. My wife says I no longer make her ears bleed. That makes this worth it.

Not Perfect, Yet

So while this is a blast to play, there's a couple of areas I'd like to see improved. The first being tracking other discs in game. The game only shows songs for the current disc and what's been downloaded. This makes getting a full list hard. I don't mind switching discs (even though it is annoying) but show me all my songs. What would be better is if the other discs could be downloaded to my PS3. Songs on the store cost ~$1.49 so buying old discs is economically the better choice in a lot of cases.

This brings me to my second issue, some songs are limited by region. I sort of understand this if the languages are different, but why does the UK have a different selection than the US? WTF is up with that?

Also, while the store is big, and has lots of different songs, there's a few artists who are missing. For example, there's no Tom Petty anywhere that I've found. This is one of my biggest frustrations, but is likely not the fault of London Studio who produces the game.

Finally, some songs such as Baby Got Back are classified as rap scoring. Rap scoring isn't explained in the user's manual (which is in game) and neither myself or my wife can figure out what makes the score good or bad.

The Good

• Fun
• Lots of songs
• Inexpensive
• Can actually improve your voice
  

The Bad

• Song selection (No Tom Petty? Really?)
• Specialty songs per region (Why does the UK get Love Shack and we in the US don't?)
• Rap Scoring (Makes no sense)
• Store songs are expensive

Overall

I love it but there's rough edges. I give this a rating of 8/10.

Portal 2 - Spoiler Free Review

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It has been a long time.

I've finished up the single player on Portal 2. For those who haven't played it yet, here's a spoiler free review.

Which Version To Buy:

If you have a PS3 but like PC gaming, still go with the PS3 version. It gives you the PC/Mac version for free. The reverse isn't true, nor is it true on the XBox360.

Goodness:

• Retains the old Portal style, more dark comedy
• Smoother play (only got stuck on 1 or 2 puzzles)
• Gives some back story
• Developer commentary (This is just plain awesome!)
• Easy to skip back to sections
  

Badness:

• Song for credits is a bit weaker
• Still feels too short, at ~10 hours to beat the single player
• Low replay value

Advice:
So if you played the first game and liked it, there's more to like here. If you haven't played the first game, it is well worth the money on Steam.

This is definitely not for everyone, but it will have a great fan base.

Now time for multi-player.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 - First Impressions

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I have a headache this morning. That headache is left over from last night.

That headache is from too much BFBC2. Now let me say I've played through the first couple missions of the single player mode, so this will focus mainly on the multi-player mode.

And really, the online play is what drove me to buy this game. First let me say the demo and the game are different beasts. The medic doesn't start with a defibrillator or medpack. The engineer can't repair anything. The infantry can't restock anyone. At least not until you unlock those items for each class. This is not like the demo at all.

Also, it seems the point values are too low. 34,000 points to get the ultimate sniper rifle? In just a couple of hours I had 7,000 points. Within a few days it should be possible to unlock the sniper completely. A far cry from the determination that games like Warhawk demand to make general.

That said, the game controls are tight and it is a lot of fun. I played on my own some, then with an online friend, and meant to quit. I didn't and played for a while longer on my own again. I have the 15 sets of dog tags to prove it too.

I love the dog tags, great to know who fell into your knife range. To my victims, well enjoy the respawn screen.

The game play was enjoyable, but in looking at the leader board, more than a few game shops must have broken the embargo. As of 10 PM PST last night one of the top players had 36 hours in game. To do that, there has to be at least enough players to start a game so WTF? I would expect the game developers to reset the stats just at release time. How does one spend 36 hours online playing with multiple other people when the game was released less than 24 hours before?

Oh and, there's this note inside the box that early adopters (before April 1st, 2010) who buy the game will get two free maps on the first day and free access to maps later on. At first I thought this meant I had to go to the online "store" in the game to get these updates. Turns out I didn't have to download a thing, they are already included.

On my wish list, I would put a training or play alone mode to get used to things like the helicopters and such. I haven't figured out a way to do this yet. Also, if there were more specialty items (such as the repair wrench) per class, that would be awesome.

So bottom line, is the game worth the money? Yes, if you don't let the leader board thing bother you.

As for single player mode, I've still got to play that. The online game is just too much fun.

The Forecast Calls for Heavy Rain

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So for the last several weeks, I've been hiding in a cave. No, not literally, but metaphorically, I've been avoiding gaming sites and other such news.

Only coming out the play a little BFBC2 Demo or Warhawk, I've been just hiding out while I waited for the storm. It finally came yesterday, traveling at an average speed of 142.61 mph, it finally blew in yesterday.

Of course I'm talking about my copy of Heavy Rain. Here at Full Frontal Gaming, we don't get to review games before they come out, so you'll have to excuse our lag. That said, from just the first few hours, it became clear that this game is a must own.

Starting off with first impressions. The UPS guy delivered the game to my office. I was there to pick it up as it came in the door. I ripped open the yellow envelope and protective plastic covering to reveal this jewel. I opened it up to find a small square of paper, pre-printed and the instruction manual.

Spending the next 4 hours concentrating on work, was a Herculean task. Some how I marched on and finally, it was time to go home. The wife was out so I popped the disc in. Immediately there was an update to the game, version 1.01. It downloaded and installed in just a few seconds. Then came the install onto the hard drive. 4 GBs of space needed. The install seemed slow to me. I'm sure you guys are aware there's several different speeds of USB, 1.0 1.1 and 2.0. Most devices these days support USB 2.0. Using raw speed, one can in theory transfer 4 GB in approximately 70 seconds. Also considering that a BluRay disc is 50 GB, it certainly should have USB 2.0 speeds right?

Well, my dear reader, do not fret too much. Quantic Dream has taken care of you. Remember that square in the case. Well, during the install you get to do some origami yourself. Best use of a prop to distract the user from install time I've ever seen.



Due to a small emergency I couldn't finish my figure before the game finished installing. That said, it left up the instructions and I now have the bird shown above.

So the game then gives several different levels. It took me a couple of looks to figure out basically it is easy, medium and hard, since they didn't call it that.

After selecting your level, you get to play some with the controls. Let's just say, leaving the door open as you use the bathroom, such a guy thing. The most impressive parts of this open sequence include the juggling and drawing pieces. Not only did it look good, it really felt like I was helping draw up the plans for a new house. The only thing I'd note it there's sometimes very little warning before a task must be done gently (meaning slowly). The camera angles can be problematic sometimes, but nothing your typical gamer can't handle. I only ended up walking in circles once or twice. Especially problematic was the mall scene, where not only did you have these camera transitions but you are trying to push through a crowd.

And while I'm talking about the crowed mall, I've got to say, it really did feel crowded. It is kind of like Assassin's Creed in that respect. You really did have to shove your way through as you ran through the mall.

Without giving too much more away, I'll say there's a possible fight scene early on. Yes it was mostly quick time events, but they made sense usually (though only after you saw what the result was). Additionally the character thoughts add new depth to the game.

So I'm just starting, not anywhere near done with the game. There's been reports of finishing it in approximately 9 hours. With so many different endings though, this could be a very long game.

Once I finish the game, I'll post a full review, but as first impressions go, this game (if you can even call it that) is awe inspiring and awesome.

Demo Review - Battle Field Bad Company 2

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Finally, I can tell you why Battle Field Bad Company 2 is a must have game.

Is this because EA finally realized that the little gaming blogs matter? In a word, No. Is this because DICE feels that a Full Frontal Gaming review is needed to boost sales? Wrong again. Is this because the demo came out and I can base the entire post on that demo? Bingo.

Controls

I don't know about you but for me this is my first stop whenever playing a new game. Too many games have bitten me with things like inverted x/y look and stupid default control placement. Note to game developers: Would you please, for the love of god and country, allow players to place commands on buttons rather than forcing a particular layout or set of layouts? I know you think you know what we want, but really, I may want to use a different button than L3 to crouch, or circle to enter/exit a vehicle.

From the demo there's basically 4 layouts for ground combat, 4 layouts for air combat and 4 layouts for vehicles. If you don't like the layouts, tough. That said, the layouts seem to work and getting used to them isn't a problem.

Game Play

The multiplayer experience is very good. You get points for protecting/attacking objectives and more for helping your squad. And as mentioned on here before, most elements can be destroyed in the game. I say most not all which at first seems to detract from the game (it certainly detracts from the realism); however, there are elements which you cannot destroy for good reason. Take for example the objectives. If you can get a tank close enough, forget planting a bomb you can just blow the objective up. That said, if the attackers could just drive over the objectives it would make for a very boring and predictable game. As a result some pillars and other game elements cannot be destroyed.

Speaking of predictability, there's one thing that's bothered me. I have no insight into which game I'm joining. Once you start playing, you could be on the losing team. The game doesn't seem to balance the teams out so sometimes you just have to leave.

Speaking of leaving, I found it really hard to actually quit a game. Let's say you join and you're the attacker. When the game is over, you play the same map again as the defender. And the intermissions are short, with lots of stats to look at. You can easily spend a couple of hours without ever realizing it.

Audio

Nice and crisp. You'll hear things differently if you're indoors compared to out doors, and proper language for the team you're on. I hope you speak Russian. (I think. I don't speak the language.) It would be nice though, to talk to your whole team from time to time.

Visuals

Good. While there may be a glitch or two from time to time (like a tree that's floating in air) it works. Oh did I mention, shooting at the trunk of a tree with a sniper rifle can take it down? Good to know if you need to clear out the cover the other team is hiding behind.

Other

This game is a must buy before you add in the single player mode. It'll be a contender this year for sure. I recommend your local Mom and Pop game shop first, but if that's not around, Amazon is a good choice.

Scores:

• Explosions - Yes
• Controls - 8/10 (More layouts/custom layouts would be good)
• Game Play - 10/10
• Audio - 10/10
• Visuals - 8/10
  
• Rating - 9/10
• Get the Demo - Yes.
  

• Get the Game - Yes.
  

MAG Review by Hitman0769 and Hayabusaman

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MAG Review by Hitman0769 and Hayabusaman

*This review contains 3 parts: In-Depth Editorial Review, Itemized Breakdown Review, and Review Scores Summary.*

In-Depth Editorial Review:

People said it couldn’t be done, it wouldn’t ever release, but January 26, 2010 Zipper Interactive released MAG the 256 person online Squad-Based Tactical First Person Shooter. MAG’s overall size is pure madness! It’s backed by the best possible scenario a dedicated server system of structured servers that make intelligent decisions relaying info to each player’s fixed bandwidth. The weapon fire is accurate, power balance and damage play out 100 times better than Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 in every way. You will find none of the common balance issues, gameplay glitches, camping problems, spawn killing issues, etc. that plague some of today’s more popular shooters. (I will break down how the detail of the game stacks up side by side to Modern Warfare 2 a couple times in this review since it is a recent release which sold over 11 million copies in its first week, and many gamers can relate on the online tendencies of the game.)

The major difference in the game is that it hosts battles up to 128vs128 (on squads of 8). While some people have misunderstood this to mean it is actually 8 players online, that is not the case. Others have expected small maps stuffed full of players. Thankfully the game is neither of these and instead the maps are massive and game modes have you interacting and working together with the other 8-man squads on your team constantly. Whether one squad is providing cover fire, destroying Anti-Air cannons, the other squad might be rushing a gate and need cover fire from that squad. The leaders of squads, platoons, etc can jump in and out of exclusive leadership chats with the press of a quick and convenient controller macro. And there is also proximity chat with all your teammates. Quick and precise communication is key as every microsecond counts!


MAG provides a full function clan system allowing larger groups of players with more control disbursed through multiple leaders. The in-game integration of PSN features like sending a message, adding friends, sending clan invites, and party invites are completely integrated into the score board and player profile links and make using these features during the heat of battle easier then ever. One problem found in the game causing pains is the fact that you cannot join any faction but the original one you started the game with (Example: Raven, SVER, Valor). This splits up everyone in your clan that doesn’t want to start over and conform to one team. However, a simple solution : the game is good enough to make 3 PlayStation Network accounts allowing you to have a character on each team and giving your clan members the choice of which team they would like to be. This is optional solution for more advanced gamers and many would argue this takes too much time for them, however the game is so addicting and satisfying to play that it really only adds to the experience playing as all 3 PMC’s (Private Military Companies).

What is MW2’s clan system? Oh yeah! You change your clan tag by typing in whatever you want Johnny on the spot, and people you recruit have to ask you who your members are since there is no list. Two thumbs DOWN!!!

MAG actually offers you a ride to your destination; whether it is APC driven with cannon or the .50 cal at least you are getting a ride. Also if you get rid of the enemy’s anti-air defense you can ride in with the dual .50 cal chopper into enemy territory. Both the APC and Chopper are also used as mobile spawn points so you can choose where to spawn to help your teammates out. There is even parachute deployment in the game, which works out great for snipers getting to those hard to reach places!


Tactically speaking, this game makes sense. Take Acquisition mode for example, if you are going to get the vehicles you have to plant charges and take down gates, bunkers, and roadblocks to get to the destination that you are going to, and in the mean time these can be repaired by repair tools in the hands of enemies. The multiple squads have to coordinate and work together to achieve objectives and not always in an obvious order. A good squad leader must probe the weaknesses of the other team’s strategy and cannot simply win by running in and shooting or sitting around and camping like many other games. Furthermore, the ability to get shot from much farther away then most games puts the intensity level of your actions to maximum. Every move you make on the battlefield is crucial to your fate on it.

Itemized Breakdown Review

1. Graphics – The graphics in MAG are sharp and clear and provide the virtual perception of 100% visibility. Many people have expressed that Killzone 2 or other games have better graphics but the precision of clarity and realistic lighting in maps as used in MAG inspired by places like Russia and Alaska allows you to see all the way to the other size of the map, even though the characters are smaller down the horizon as they would be in real life you can actually still see them in this game. You do actually get to use the entire size of the maps in MAG and you can kill somebody from hundreds of meters away because of the clarity in the graphics. Score: 9.5/10

2. Sound/Music – The THX Theater Certified music and sound effects in MAG are top of the line. Nothing to complain about in this category. Score: 10/10

3. Gameplay – The only thing gamers might find tedious about MAG is a bit too much running in some of the smaller modes with no vehicles. Score: 9.8/10

4. Party/Invite System – The party/invite system works great!!! It is practically flawless, the first shooter in the past few years that works properly, right away, and robust and reliably. No party and joining glitches such as Modern Warfare 2’s problems. The success of the Party/Invite system can be attributed to dedicated server structure and the 5 betas which were used to work out bugs in the system. Score: 10/10

5. Dedicated Servers – This is a trend I would like to see much MUCH more games follow! The dedicated server system in Warhawk was good but ahead of its time. MAG takes the dedicated server structure a step further and the end result is a truly amazing FPS experience. Score: 10/10

6. List of Known Bugs (if any) – So far there is a small amount of cheaters in the MAG game. Because of the way the dedicated servers in MAG intelligently test your fire rate and reload rate and things like this at random to keep track of your bandwidth, the game will also be able to get rid of/ prevent people from cheating. One other inconvenience that will hopefully be changed soon is that to see the names in your teammates on other squads you need to be aiming at them very precisely. In the heat of battle asking a guy for help on proximity chat would be much easier if those teammates not on your squad had their names as large as your squad mate’s names and always displayed. Given the fact that Modern Warfare 2 has much more problems with cheaters and actual matchmaking bugs, I think this is not very bad as its MAG’s worst issue.

7. Compelling Reasons to Buy MAG (even if you already like a shooter you have) – 256 Players! Newest, biggest First Person shooter in gaming history! Gigantic state of the art maps with strategic value, live animation, and the sound of the battlefield are completely realistic. Tactical Shooting superior to many mindless killing and camping games out there! You actually get to ride in the helicopter without having to camp first and kill 20 people.

8. Replay Value – I personally can predict my replay value being greater then the previous 6 games I’ve purchased in this genre. Because of the amount of people involved in this epic proportion game, I don’t see it as a problem trying to play MAG with some one years from now. The gameplay can change at any given moment because of tactical approach, player skill set, circumstances of the battle, and more. Re-Spec feature allows players to completely re-tailor their character using the skill points they have earned throughout their career in the field various times as they earn Re-Spec points while playing. When players reach level 60 they can also use Veteran mode to roll over into one of the other three factions, carrying over their accomplishments, stats, and many other achievements with them. In addition optionally using three different characters will extend the playability to a whole new level by experiencing the different weapons sets and graphics of each different faction! Score: 9.5/10

Review Scores Summary:

Graphics - Score: 9.5/10
Sound/Music - Score: 10/10
Gameplay - Score: 9.8/10
Replay Value - Score: 9.5/10
Party/Invite System - Score: 10/10
Dedicated Servers - Score: 10/10
Overall - Score: 9.5/10

©Images Copyright to Sony Computer Entertainment and Zipper Interactive All trademarked properties belong to their respective owners.

Trailer Review - Heavy Rain

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For years, video games have relied heavily on movie like aspects. For example, Wing Commander over a decade ago had professional voice and character actors. That said, while this undertone existed none have really embraced their movie like quality. Heavy Rain is set to break that barrier, by ushering in a new type of game. Think choose your own adventure meets Hollywood.

So, finally acknowledging their movie roots, the Heavy Rain trailer plays more like a movie trailer than a game trailer. We start out with narration from one of the main characters. I say one, because this game has 4 main characters.

The antagonist in this game is a serial killer, known as the Origami Killer. He has taken a boy, and the narrator is that boy's father. While none of this is explained by the trailer, you need to have this background to understand what is going on. Que the shot of the boy and his father.


Of course the whole family has to be involved.


If you're like me, you'll recognize that this film style seems to be in vouge right now, showing several angles a the same time.

Although it doesn't show it, use of the motion control and quick time events are required to "watch/control" this movie. A main character can even die, and the story will continue skipping that character in future chapters. Que the diving save.


The story line appears intense and the characters draw you in, even in the trailer. This is more than just a movie, you want to save the child.


This game looks great from everything I've seen. It is done by a French gaming comapany Quantic Dream.


Word of warning though, this is rated M and does include nudity. Games are pushing the edge of the ratings finally, but that's another post.

So time for the scores.

• Explosions - No
• Game Play - Yes & No (Game is all about the video)
  
• Pre-rendered Video - Yes (But that's the whole game)
  
• See the trailer - Yes
  
• Overall Rating 14/15
  

Buy, Rent or Skip the game - Buy (for now)

Game Review - Uncharted

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Here at Full Frontal Gaming our budget is minimal. Meaning we don't have the cash to buy and review the latest and greatest games. But for those gamers who are in the same boat, here's a review for a game that's coming to your price range soon.

I wasn't going to post this until I got the platinum trophy for the game, but due to a situation beyond my control I lost my save game. I can't bring myself to play through on hard to unlock crushing again. Not to mention the wife doesn't want to see the story 3 more times.

My first impressions of the game, things flowed nicely together. The cut scenes and the game play really meshed and the game was not only fun, but it was funny.

I had a blast playing though twice. The first time took a little over 12 hours, and the second only 8 or so. There's a few of the "action" cut scenes, but in general the game play is good. Graphics, lighting, and controls all get high marks. The hints system was nice, though sometimes a little slow.

The platforming can be frustrating at times and I really didn't want a horror game, but still I enjoyed things. I can't wait for Uncharted 2 to drop into the price range.

Ratings:

• Visuals/Audio - Great
  
• Story Line - Fun
  
• Controls - Excellent
  

Overall Rating 9/10

Media Review - Wii PlayOn

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You may want to read our first PlayOn review before this one.

So I'm going to preface this entry by saying there are two possible reasons I got such poor performance. Either the wi-fi connection or the fact that Wii PlayOn is still in beta may account for my issues. That said, Wii based PlayOn sucks.

So let's start off with the interface. Simply open up the Opera web browser on the Wii and go to http://playon.tv to see a list of PlayOn servers on your network. Unfortunately, it seems that the same server showed up multiple times. Not a good start.

So I loaded up Hulu (I did like the interface here) and pulled up "Married... With Children." After a few seconds of buffering the TV show started. I picked a SD show, as PlayOn says that the Wii handles HD poorly.

Let me just say based on the performance of the SD picture, I'd hate to see HD. The video stuttered through the show. The forward/back controls I was used to were basically non-existent. Pausing caused the stream to break. The Wii has no digital sound, and the analog wasn't any better than analog broadcast TV.

Wii based PlayOn earns Full Frontal Gaming's first Epic FAIL.

Ratings:

• Video Quality - Bad (Jerky, Stuttered)
  
• Audio Quality - Marginal (Analog Stereo)
• Controls - Non-existent
  
• Selection - Wonderful (Almost enough for me to give up cable)
• Streaming Issues - Yes (Streams break, SW Updates)
  

Overall Rating 3/10

Game Review - Wii Fit Plus - A Party Game?

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So I've been using Wii Fit since the day it came out in North America. Furthermore, when Wii Fit Plus came out I got a hold of that. (The guys at Best Buy didn't believe they could sell the game without the balance board, but that's a story for another blog post.)

One of the really cool features of Wii Fit Plus is the multiplayer mode. Once everyone has been lubricated with enough alcohol, the games are a blast. Especially the chicken flying, which is a good workout.

I've seen people convinced that the Wiimote was used, even though the game clearly said it is not. I've had people try to beat it without flapping their arms.

For those unaware, the chicken flight is your Mii character dressed up as a chicken trying to fly from platform to platform picking up extra time. You fly by flapping your arms. Small, fast flaps move your character a little bit or hover. Big slow flaps make you sore, I mean soar. If you run out of time, your total distance is your score. If you make it to the last platform, the time plus the ring you land in is your score.

It is a blast, to watch and to play. Just be careful that no one is too tipsy. They might fall off the board. And over all, it is a great workout.

Media Review - PS3 PlayOn

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Today I'm going to review one of my favorite pieces of software PlayOn. It's a piece of software that runs on a computer which gives you access to Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and other online video sites on your XBox360, PS3 or Wii. While it works with DLNA-compatible devices, the focus has been on consoles. In this review I'm going to focus on the PS3 version, and leave the Wii for another time.

If anyone wants to donate their XBox360 to me so I can review on that platform as well, I'd be more than happy to take it.

Getting back to the review, there are a few sites PlayOn does out of the box, including Amazon VOD, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, ESPN, CBS and now "My Media". "My Media" allows you to add local files, music and pictures to stream to those other devices, so you can have one version of the truth (rather than copies of every picture on every machine).

But let's suppose you wanted to watch video from the ridiculously named "SyFy" website? While the program doesn't support every site out of the box, there's a site with third party plug-ins, including Crackle, SyFy, Cartoon Network and so on.

PlayOn is written in .Net and MediaMall has opened up their APIs to developers so they can make plug ins for any site that's not supported by default.

Great so now we have an idea as to what PlayOn does, how does it work?

Well, like I said, PlayOn runs on your computer. It is important that this computer is hard wired to your internet connection and your console to get proper performance. Additionally the computer has to be reasonably beefy, as here's what happens. The computer plays the video, and in real time re-encodes it into a mpeg stream. It streams that to the PS3, allowing you to watch just like any other video (using the same controls I might add). Since this is a stream FF/Rev don't always work properly and you can have issues where the computer hasn't streamed enough (or the connection to the website is dropped) leading to playback issues. Also, since everything is done on the computer, you don't have to worry about DRM issues on your console.

So on the PS3, PlayOn integrates into the video list. It acts like a folder, letting you browse which service and then the different ways a site has organized their video. While for Netflix I'll stick with the PS3 Disc, it does fairly well on sites such as Hulu and YouTube.

The problem comes in when Hulu or YouTube changes their site. Every time the site changes, there needs to be a new update to your PlayOn software and it may not always work properly. That said, when it does work, you could almost leave cable and other TV services behind for this.

Oh and did I mention, because it is a stream you can at least fly through the Hulu commercials at 1.5x speed? As for picture quality, the HD video is indistinguishable from over the air HD to me. And the audio for HD on Hulu? For now it seems to be stereo, but that could change in the future easily enough.

PlayOn is not free, but you do get a 14 day trial.

Oh and the next review of PlayOn will be through the Wii. It accomplishes this through the web browser.

Ratings:

• Video Quality - Superb
• Audio Quality - OK (Stereo)
• Controls - Great (Just as expected)
  
• Selection - Wonderful (Almost enough for me to give up cable)
• Streaming Issues - Yes (Streams break, SW Updates)
  

Overall Rating 7/10

Media Review - Netflix on the PS3 - A Second Look

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In my haste to review Netflix on the PS3 I didn't wait for the second disc. Upon testing with the second disc, several new items came to my attention.

Good news every body!

First the good news, streaming to both PS3s seemed to work just as well as streaming to one.

The other shoe drops.

Now here's the bad news. So the first test was removing the disc while a movie was playing. When hit eject, I immedately got a screen saying "invalid disc". Not the worst thing in the world, since Netflix will send you multiple discs, but annoying none the less.

Now we hit a sore spot with me, I have on PS3 connected via HDMI and one via component to different TVs. If I play a BluRay disc or game I get at least 720 p resolution. The Netflix disc loads up in 720 p; however, on the TV with component connections when I played a movie, the resolution dropped to 480 p, and the aspect ratio changed. Not only did I not get full screen video at a supported resolution, but the image was wrong (forcing a 16:9 image to 4:3 by stretching). I looked for an option on the PS3 to explain this and failed to find anything. The only explanation I can come up with is that Netflix wants an encrypted signal to the TV and won't do analog HD. A crying shame for customers, and I'm removing a full point from my last review.

Ratings:

• Video Quality - Superb over HDMI, Crappy over component
  
• Audio Quality - OK (2 channel DD, No different than standard Netflix streaming)
• Controls - Meh
• Selection - So so (Missing new releases)

Overall Rating 6/10

Demo Review - Star Trek D-A-C

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So I was excited to see a new Star Trek game. My hopes were high while I downloaded the demo on my PS3. I should have known better, really.

Imagine my disappointment when it turns out to be Super Stardust HD, only repackaged with different things to shoot.

Yes there's a co-op mode, and a few other things that Stardust doesn't have, but in general the control scheme is the same and all you do is fly around and shoot things in an asteroids style game.

Like I said, I should have known better.

There is no strategy, no thought. Part of what I loved about Star Trek was the the cerebral part, mixed with ship battles. In fact you could do much better by allowing most of the ship battles to be automated and work on the missions. Worth a download, but not worth the money.

Scores:

• Explosions - Yes
• Controls - OK
• Rating - 5/10
• Get the Demo - Meh.

• Get the Game - No

Trailer Review - Final Fantasy XIII

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Once again it is time for a trailer review. This time it's the new hotness known as Final Fantasy XIII. They decided that title fit on the box better than "Consume Every Free Moment of Time in My Life for the Next Three Months."



After the requisite title screen we get a nice intro from our MC for this trailer.



Next we get a little information about the characters, first comes the heroine, lighting.



Next is snow. At this point I'm wondering which character will be "Heavy Drizzle".



Then they seem to break from the theme with a spice like name, Vanille (Extract?).



Finally, we're introduced to Hope. Wait, I thought someone else brought us hope, with change we can believe in.



Like it says, he's sensitive. Don't make fun of his weight, he'll start pouting in the corner. Once again they say they changed the battle system. To me it looks like an incremental improvement.



Finally, we get to the explosions. It seems every trailer needs one of these.



The battle commands stack up and are removed right to left as your players beat on those nasty beasts.



The next image is why I say this is an incremental improvement. They still have the same hand pointer that's been used for years. You mean you couldn't find a better way of highlighting the command yet?



Of course there's riding the bird. I'm surprised PETA hasn't taken Square-Enix down.



Finally, the piece everyone was waiting for, a release date for the US.



So time for the scores.

• Explosions - Yes
• Game Play - Yes
  
• Pre-rendered Video - Yes
• See the trailer - Yes
  
• Overall Rating 13/15
  

• Buy, Rent or Skip the game - Buy (for now)
  

Trailer Review - Modern Warfare 2

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What is a trailer review?

Since this is the first one I feel an introduction is in order. As it stands now, there's a better chance of winning the Powerball than getting a game early to review here, so instead we here at Full Frontal Gaming will be reviewing the latest trailers and telling you which ones to watch. Oh and don't take this too seriously, this meant to be fun.

Onward to the review!

Call of Duty 6 - Modern Warfare 2

Producer - Infinity Ward

This trailer starts off showing a smart bomb camera going down, transitioning into a pre-rendered explosion of a building. Next you see guys getting into Humvees and manning the minigun on top. The vehicular scenes continue blowing up what looks to be houses in suburbia America. There's a flash of an airport and then back to suburbia where you see houses on fire.

As this jumbled train wreck of pre-rendered video continues you see helicopters taking off, characters fighting in the tundra, scuba diving, guys fighting with night vision googles and people reloading their guns. Finally it seems we get to our first look at non pre-rendered video but still no actual game play.

It appears to be a squad defending an airfield against terrorists. Followed by a tunnel collapsing on you and your fellow squad members.

Despite the fact that all you've seen are jumbled images put to music the trailer continues on to rocket launcher on pillars and then back to snow mobiles on the tundra. After you watch the snow mobiles explode you see guys launching rockets from a castle and guys using a riot shield to deflect bullets. Back to the airfield, suburbia, and then outer space as you watch a space station blow up.

Once the second of space video is done, on to the jet skis and then the airport again. The repetition continues until you see a guy with green flares. Start the explosion scenes. You see at least three helios go down, with big explosions. Then the cut back to the title.


Overall, I say skip the trailer it'll only confuse you.

• Explosions - Yes
• Game Play - No
• Pre-rendered Video - Yes
• See the trailer - No
• Overall Rating 6/10
  

• Buy, Rent or Skip the game - Buy
  

Media Review - Netflix on the PS3

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Movies on demand

Getting Started

So I got my disc yesterday in the mail. Came with the same speed as normal Netflix movies. The envelope was a little different to help keep people from sending back the disc.

I set out on getting provisions for my movie night.

With the proper provisions secured I put in the disc and was presented with the standard loading screen. After the disc loaded up, I had to take a code from the disc and entered using a computer to link the accounts. While entering that information I also ordered the second disc for my second PS3. In talking with Netflix, they are not placing any restrictions on the number of PS3s which you can stream on. You can request another disc when registering your current disc.

So with the code secured, the menu loaded up.

Video

The picture quality is awesome. Even in SD the picture is far better than standard cable. Also, I have yet to see any streaming/buffering problems. All video playback has been smooth.

Audio

Like any other Netflix streaming the audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. That said, it still sounds good.

Control Scheme

This leads me to the first place I wasn't impressed. This doesn't use the standard PS3 video controls. Irritating to say the least, I frankly expected forward and back to fast forward and rewind. Instead it goes into a paused mode where you can select the scene you want. Using L2/R2 rewind and fast forward work, but the interface is a little funky.

Additionally, hitting pause can take several seconds to pause the stream which is annoying.

Finally, using up while video is playing will take you back to the menu, saving your position. Quite clever if you ask me, so that earns a thumbs up.

Watching a Series

So here's another annoyance. Netflix will go to the next item in a series only when you run though to the end credits. You'd think if there was less than 3 minutes left when you exited playback the next show should be automatically selected.

Selection

Netflix doesn't put the latest releases up to stream on demand. I can't even get the latest X-Men movie. I can get them through the PS3 video store, though it'll cost me a lot more.

Ratings:

• Video Quality - Superb
• Audio Quality - OK (2 channel DD, No different than standard Netflix streaming)
• Controls - Meh
• Selection - So so (Missing new releases)

Overall Rating 7/10

Comparison with PlayOn

I've used play on for months. I've had streaming problems with Netflix and the audio isn't as good. That said, the control scheme is standard using PlayOn.

Other Items

Remember for ~$10/month you can get unlimited streaming + Blu-Ray discs.