OPM PS3 Hands-On!!!!

[McLaren]

another hands-on review of the PS3....damn those greedy bastards; they got 2 PS3s

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=7511314&publicUserId=5380090
PS3 Hands-On

One of the many problems with covering a new piece of hardware within the confines of a show like E3 or TGS is that you don't really get a feel for what it would be like if that system was sitting in your entertainment center at home. Fortunately, I and other members of OPM recently got some sweet, delicious donuts alone time with the PlayStation 3 far from the crowds and the noisy convention halls, and I've come away thinking only one thing--I want a PS3 really, really bad. November 17th can't come soon enough.

Just a few nuts and bolts--the system is quite large, easily matching (if not surpassing) the girth of the 360 and the original XBox, but oh man, is it quiet. The cooling fan emits a pretty subtle noise and the disc access noise is equally subdued. Before you say, "who f'n cares how loud it is,"my 360 is a tad on the loud side, to the point that it sounds like a wheelchair with rusty breaks, storming out of control down a ramp. It's nice to know that I won't have to crank up my speakers to drown it out. Also, as was pointed out by some colleagues across the pond, it does indeed "eat" the discs quickly.

As for the overheating issue, I'd say that the problems reported at TGS were because of the conditions within the convention center (it gets pretty damn warm in some areas) and our recent experience with the system seems to go along with that. The PS3 does get a little toasty under its belly, but not so much that it will instantly vaporize your cat, dog, or some other animal if it were to venture a little too close. But I will say that it's probably not a good idea to set this thing on a carpet.

There's so much more to say, but that's about it for now. You'll have to check out our December issue or listen to upcoming episodes of RadiOPM where we'll discuss some of the other details.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/McLarenAK47/media.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/McLarenAK47/media2.jpg

[Vegtro]

So this confirms, Resistance runs 1080p?

[LaLiLuLeLo]

...where did it say that?

[Vegtro]

click the link, it's a caption on one of the pics.

[Crossbar]

Is that a quote from the magazíne?

"wheelchair with rusty breaks"

If that's the case, it's really sad.

[PUNK em 733]

It just gets better, and better. I know it's pretty big, but looking at it on a table with the controller, it really doesn't look that big.

I think the TV is a 1080P, not the game, but who knows...the wording of it is funny.

[Raijin]

argh, I have already seen this. :(

I thought It was something new. :/

[ddaryl]

I think the TV is a 1080P, not the game, but who knows...the wording of it is funny.


Resistance in 1080p pretty much means Resistance is 1080p.

nothing peculiar about the wording at all IMO.

[GTShotoKen]

The TV could have been upscaling the image if Resistance isn't 1080p native.

[Garfunkel]

RESISTANCE WILL BE 1080P!!
have a little faith;)

[Z]

I don't care if it is 15p. it looks gorgeous!
and lets talk about the actual hardware here as Res. has alot of love in other threads. ;p

I am very pleased to see every hands-on impressions to be very happy about the machine. it is quite, doesn't get over-heated and it works just fine.

I have a question though: in one of the pics, you can clearly see that the 'flap' that covers the card slots is transparent. some said the whole system is. does that mean the actual unit is as transparent as that lid?

[ddaryl]

Yes the black casing on the PS3 is actualy transparent. It's a clear balck. You can see the insides if you are close enough from what I understand.

[TEEDA]

Lol , on the second pic i thought i was the " silver " PS , but in fact i's the really shiny pretty magnificient gorgeous reflections of the walls lol.
Damn in fact you just have to put colorfull objects near the console and you have " silver ps2 " , golden ps2 , blue, red, yellow ps2 lol

[RavenFox]

"FOR POWER BEYOND THE HERALD 720P MARK THERE IS NO POWER GREATER THAN 3"

'So says the Raven'

[Yo MaMa84]

Pretty...

[qzak]

Check out their December issue? Hopefully we'll have PS3s in our hands by then, and we won't need the review!

[masteratt]

Magazines always publish one month ahead.
So the December issue will come out in November. I never learnt why.

[EvilTaru]

Resistance looks awesome in that pic. ~_~

[Z]

Magazines always publish one month ahead.
So the December issue will come out in November. I never learnt why.
mags need to take into account the time they need for distribution and showing at the news stand. unlike digital publications, they aren't instantaneously reached by customers. for that, they have only 30 days to get to every store and shop in every country they are distributed to. that is why they start sending their mags around 25 days earlier.

by that, I think the Dec. issues will be on the street from Nov. 5th and onwards.

[AbominatioN]

Magazines always publish one month ahead.
So the December issue will come out in November. I never learnt why.

That is because they print 13 monthly issues of the magazine in a year. 12 (one for each month) + 1 more (yearly special edition, or something like that).

In order to avoid having the December issue with the Special Edition issue together on the shelves, they release each monthly issue every (approximation) 25 days. January issue will get out at the beginning of the month. But the December issue will get out at the start/middle of the November, leaving the December month for the Special Edition. If I am wrong on that, please someone correct me.

Here in Greece they usually print 11 issues per year. One issue for the August/September period.

[Z]

^ and what he said.
Here in Greece they usually print 11 issues per year. One issue for the August/September period.
cool. I should move to Greece then.

yes, I re-locate for such reasons....

[Marjoh]

I would really like to see a vid of the slot loading in action.

.aZF

[backbreaker]

Guys, 1up has an update about resistance and its online hands on. The page will not load for me, will one of you guys copy and paste it here? thanks in advance.

[whiteknight]

Halo meets Medal of Honor, Half- Life 2 meets Call of Duty, this game meets that game--when it comes to his company's PlayStation 3 first-person shooter (FPS) Resistance: Fall of Man, Insomniac President Ted Price has heard all of the comparisons. And he didn't expect any differently. "Whenever a new franchise comes out, people automatically paint it with their impressions of previous games," says the studio head of hits such as Spyro and the Ratchet & Clank series. "It's inevitable that you get compared to other games that you are familiar with. I think that when people play through Resistance, and when they experience the story, they'll discover that there are a lot of big differences between our game and the other first-person shooters."

But quick-to-judge gamers are the least of Insomniac's worries. The developer is well aware that with Resistance being billed by many as the PS3's premier launch title, the pressure is on to deliver one helluva shooter that shows what the console is capable of, and more important, convinces consumers to shell out some serious cash for this much-hyped machine. "We know all eyes are on us to demonstrate the power of the PlayStation 3," says Price. "But we feel very confident that we're going to do that at launch."

Can the game really be the Day 1 poster child for PS3 technology? We recently headed to Insomniac's headquarters, where we got the full lowdown on the game's superhuge multiplayer mode, how it'll utilize that darn motion sensor in the PS3 controller, and, on the single-player side, just what makes Resistance "next gen." Oh, and expect some comparisons along the way (like Price says, they are inevitable).

The PS3 online trendsetter
As Sony drags its ass to reveal additional PS3 online details, we know that at least one game for the system will be bringin' it--in terms of Internet play--at launch. Like Halo 2 (there goes comparison No.1), the multiplayer here is as important as--if not more than--the solo campaign. And it all starts with Resistance's high body count. During our online session (playing a mode called Breach), literally 40 soldiers and aliens filled up a massive circular warzone where both sides tried to acquire nodes and blow the holy hell out of each other's reactor. But it ain't just the number of players that impressed us; even when the firefight gravitated to one confined area, the action never chugged.

Technical feats aside, Insomniac really wants to make the online experience attractive to everyone. "We discovered that there are two multiplayer camps," says Multiplayer Lead Mike Stout. "First is the hardcore: the ones who go and play and compete and try to get better stats than everybody. And then, there's the casual: They like to tweak the game and make their own experience, play with their friends, and have fun. They don't like stats getting in their way. Usually, a game will only appeal to one or the other. So what we tried to do is make it so there are two aspects of this game: unranked and ranked." Now, sure, other FPSes have used these classifications, but few have had such tough regulations for their ranked games. "It'll be the pure environment where no one can come up with a loophole, like, 'Oh, shotgunonly matches are the best way to boost my kill stat,'" says Stout. "So in ranked matches, we're being very strict." That's good news, as leaderboards and rankings will certainly be a big deal in Resistance. While the former will be updated weekly (and have all kinds of stat subsections, such as total number of kills, who's taken the most nodes, base defense), the latter is based on military ranks. "The more you play and the more people you defeat and team victories you get, the higher your military ranking becomes," says Stout. And for those needing extra kudos, Resistance will also include a boatload of in-game achievements. "Ribbons are per-game rewards for doing something cool--like for a head shot, you'll get a head-shot ribbon," explains Stout. "On the other hand, Medals represent long-term accomplishments like accumulating 1,000 head shots or getting a kill with every weapon in the game." We're not sure if all PS3 games will offer similar achievements, but Resistance 's batch gives a good idea of what you can expect.

Maintaining control
Remember how this past spring, Sony unveiled the motion-sensing capabilities of the PS3 controller via dogfighter Warhawk? Remember how, at that time, so many developers were jazzed about putting such functionality into their PS3 games? And remember how, with the PS3 launch now only two months away, we still haven't heard jack s*** about how other titles will take advantage of this feature? Well, Insomniac's finally ready to give up the goods.

And better yet, Resistance is using it in smart, practical ways. Can't recall the button for melee attacks? You don't need to--simply thrust the controller forward to perform this in-game action. Say you get "tagged" with the Bullseye weapon during multiplayer (which means your opponent can shoot in any direction and the bullets will still find you)--just shake the controller, and the tag goes buh-bye (that same motion in single-player can free you from the clutches of an A.I. enemy). Also, while it's not set in stone yet, Insomniac's toying around with this idea: Moving the controller in some manner would offer a quick glimpse of the entire multiplayer map. (We say: Make it happen.)

The next-gen equation
Think Resistance is just another World War II game with a shot of alien culture? Well, Mr. Smarty-Pants, according to this game's history books, such a global fight never occurred. "Being set in 1951 with an alternate history, based on a really well thought-out time line, is something that we've been excited about from the very beginning," says Price. "It gives a lot of opportunities to do different things with the story, the characters, and what's going on worldwide. We believe it grounds the game a little bit better, perhaps, than some of the way 'out-there' science-fiction stories." The game tracks three days in the life of U.S. Army Ranger Nathan Hale, who's sent to Great Britain to help the last-standing European country from the Chimeran invasion, Resistance's not-fromthis- world creepy critters.

But we've seen plenty of FPSes (like Half-Life 2--oops, make that comparison No.2) with rich and powerful narratives. What's this one gonna do from a gameplay perspective that's "next gen?" What makes Resistance a PS3-caliber game? A.I. is part of that answer. "There's a lot of things going on here [with the A.I.] that would have brought the PS2 to its knees," says Price. "In the Ratchet games, all of our characters were scripted--we were pretty much telling them exactly what they have to do at any time. With Resistance, we developed a lot more complex, innate behaviors for the A.I. which takes a lot more processing power because they're doing constant checks to figure out who's around them, what's going on in the environment, who's shooting at them, where the projectiles are, what's about to fall on top of them. And they have to react appropriately, and this means they need to have a lot of different options." Lead Designer Colin Munson echoes Price's sentiments, adding that not only does the PS3 enable Insomniac to create brainier A.I. enemies, but it also allows a lot more of them onscreen. "You'll find whole battlefields full of guys who are interacting intelligently together," he says. During our time with Resistance, we witnessed Chimeran troops wisely using cover to avoid our bullet sprays, others jumping outta the way after a grenade landed at their feet, and some even recognizing the gaps in our strategically placed (or so we thought) proximity mines. So, yeah, these ugly dudes definitely got something goin' on upstairs.

Big, bad weapons is the other half of Resistance's next-gen equation. And just like with the A.I., what Insomniac's doing with the game's multifunctional firepower simply wouldn't be possible on the previous console. Take the Auger assault rifle: Firing through obstacles at such a ridiculously high rate just couldn't be done on PS2. Designer Nathan Fouts provides further evidence: "In Ratchet, we could only get the lava gun to shoot out four or five big blobs at a time, and the enemies could pass through them. But because of the PS3, Resistance's Zapper spits out 30 balls, and these chunks of explosive goop can even hang from the ceiling and then fall right on enemies." Look at that--even the developer is judging the game against its own creations. See, comparisons really are unavoidable.

[solidsnakejej]

On their podcast they talked with the Mike Gallo from Full Auto 2 (which he announce is in 1080p) about the PS3. They talked about how the online work (mostly Full Auto 2 online) which Gallo says that when you boot up the PS3 it automatically logs you into the network. Full auto won't have Sixaxis support. They had to go down to Sony's building to play the PS3. There going to go back in the coming weeks. They say that the debug unit is 10lbs. Their Dec issue will have the exclusive review of R:FoM as well as 30 pages of PS3 previews which hit news stands on Nov. 14.

Go here to listen (http://zdmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/Podcasts/OPM/100506.mp3)

[Z]

that is enough! what, they want me to explode from excitement or something?
have mercy Insomniac...

Insy, Factor 5, Naughty-Dog, Evolution, Level 5, SE, Konami, Capcom, EA, Ubi, and all the rest are tearing me appart! too many fantastic games coming! the sky is falling, run dammit, RUN!