Great news. I've just got hold of COD4 on the PC, but haven't had chance to play it yet. Am looking forward to it though.
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Great news. I've just got hold of COD4 on the PC, but haven't had chance to play it yet. Am looking forward to it though.
New firmware out, ability to add your own themes to XMB amongst other things. Seems quite cool.
So I'm off work, and walking into a few shops just to see if they have Ratchet and/or Call of Duty 4 yet ... imagine my complete shock when I saw them charging 75 (seventy five!) bucks for Ratchet. WTF.
And that's not one shop - I peeked into 3-4 different ones and every single one had the same price tag.
I can live with 60 bucks (even though that is quite a bit of money still), but 75? What made them think people are willing to part with 75 big ones for a game (however brilliant it is)? I know that development costs for games have been rising, but I certainly hope game prices aren't gonna see a rising trend. 50-62 bucks a game has been the standard throughout the PS2 era, and that's about the most I'm prepared to shell out.
How much is that converted to UK Pounds?
Would it be cheaper if you order it from the UK? Amazon.co.uk have it for £39.98 or when purchased along with COD4 for £79.97 for the two. And that includes free UK delivery. Not sure about delivery costs to other countries.
Or on ebay you can buy a new sealed copy for £18.99 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=180177360653
Converted to GBP, it's about 52 bucks, so yeah, ordering through Amazon would be quite a bit cheaper. I was already thinking of ordering online, but I usually want something right away when I see it. Perhaps you know the feeling :thumbs:
The online webshops here are actually offering the game for slightly more than Amazon, and they're only charging about a buck for postage, so I'll probably take that route. I've browsed Amazon.uk a few weeks ago, and they did have quite a lot of old PS2 titles on sale that I've never even seen released over here.
It is a great time to pick up some missed PS2 titles as they are selling very cheaply now the PS3 is out. Are there a lot of titles that never get released there?
Although it is now easy to find most PS2 game ISOs so it's also a great time to own a chipped PS2 to catch up on titles you may have missed over the years.
Yeah, there are quite a few PS2 titles that were announced for European release, but just never saw the light of day. Most of these being RPGs. The first Shadow Hearts, for example, I've never seen anywhere. Then there's games like Legaia 2, Grandia 2, Phantom Brave, Kessen III, Chaos Legion and so on. They might not all have been brilliant, but if they were offered at a tenner or twenty bucks, I would've gladly scooped them up.
I don't know ... I guess the stores here just didn't see them selling well, hence they never stocked them.
I suppose I could still get my PS2 chipped, but then again, I like having original boxes and manuals. They're about the only things I buy legally :thumbs:
I've been shopping from amazon.co.uk a lot, so I can tell you that only UK addresses are eligible for the free delivery. Delivery to Norway at least is usally £2-£5, depending a bit on the item. And since Norway isn't EU, they deduct EU's 17.5% tax from the price of everything I purchase. Downside is that if the shipment is worth more than about £17 then norwegian customs slap the norwegian 25% tax on it. Plus a £7 customs fee. :dry:
EDIT: oh, and about the new PS3 themes: If you want to create your own themes, this is apparently the tool for the job according to threespeech.com. Haven't tested it myself yet. So who can we convince to start working on an Amiga theme then? :rolleyes:
Did that PS2 Memory Card Modchip ever come to anything?Quote:
Originally Posted by Harrison
Tell me about it. Bought some stuff from AmigaKit (great shop!), which got caught in the customs. My items did suddenly get a whole lot more expensive. :(Quote:
Downside is that if the shipment is worth more than about £17 then norwegian customs slap the norwegian 25% tax on it. Plus a £7 customs fee.
That's bad regarding the Norwegian customs. At least in the UK we can normally get away with anything under £40 and normally they only really take notice of things coming from the US. I've had many parcels over the years from places such as Canada and Kong Kong and never had to pay customs anything. Also when buying things from the US privately the sellers put gift on the paperwork and it always goes through fine.
Yeah, I know of the 'gift'-trick and have gotten many small retailers - Vesalia for example - to do that. But the bigger more established places like amazon won't do it, at least not anymore.
Actually, increasing the value a shipment can be while being tax-free was one of the promises the current government made during the last election campaign. They promised it'd be increased from kr200,- (about £17) to kr1000,- (about £90). Unfortunately it is also one of the many promises they haven't kept.
One thing though, I don't know if this is just Norway or if it's some international deal, but importing literature is always tax-free. Or the limit is way higher at least. So I order just about all english literature - be it graphic novels, comics or books - from amazon.co.uk. Far cheaper than having a local retailer aquire it for me, as amazon still deducts the EU tax before charging the credit card. So that's the main bulk of my orders from there, as most books easily end up under a third of the local cost.
And most year-old PC games and some older console games will be under that £17 limit so alot of my purchases of those are made there too. So it's not all bad. :)
I'm not sure about literature. Will have to check that.
Call of Duty 4 = highly recommended.
Reviews for the game on all three platforms have been highly positive, and my own opinion mirrors that of the critics. The campaign mode is one heck of a rollercoaster ride - a bit short, but sweet! Haven't even tried Online yet, but from what I've heard, it should be a blast.
Anyone else got it yet? Wouldn't mind going Online for some team fragging!
Oh, I bought a HDTV finally. It's a 40 inch Sony Full HD. I thought my Samsung 22 inch monitor offered a sharp image, but this one blows it out of the water.
I read some CoD4 reviews, and it really seems that the game is amazing.
Yeah, it definitely is. Screenshots don't do it justice ... seeing it moving on the big screen is something else. The lighting, animation, texture work and effects are amazingly well done. And it's all in 60 fps, with only some stuttering every once in a while when the action gets too hectic.
While Resistance is brilliant in its own right, I think CoD4 edges it out in sheer intensity. Some of the set pieces in CoD will leave your jaw hanging open, and the shootouts are chaotic and thrilling.
One minor complaint in the single player campaign is that the A.I. of your fellow squad members is, perhaps, a bit TOO smart. There are parts of the game where you're basically just following them around while they clean up rooms left and right. In other words, they're a bit overpowered. I don't even think they CAN die ... and I've tried blowing them up with grenades more than once! Still, I prefer that to teammates who are useless and die like flies.
That's absolutely correct, such unbalanced AI drives me mad.Quote:
Still, I prefer that to teammates who are useless and die like flies.
The AI in CoD2 on the PC was pretty much the same. Some parts of that I was trying to work out where the next objective was and then thought, Oh, I will just follow everyone else.
Good team AI really adds a lot to a game. When the AI is basically coded as "follow the leader" and you are that leader it ends up with you having to reach trigger points to activate the team members to continue following you. I hate that method as it feels completely unrealistic. Much better the CoD way where the other AI controlled members just move forward on their own taking cover and aiding each other to reach an objective. It feels so much more like you are part of something. And not that different to playing alongside real people as they would also just move forward and work as a team and leave you behind if you were not keeping up.
BTW, does anyone know if the online multiplayer in CoD4 is linked between the PC and PS3 versions? or are they separate?
I have absolutely no idea if they are in any way linked. My guess is that they aren't ... in the one game I've tried, none of the opposing players appeared to be pulling off any moves that would require a mouse + keyboard combo (jumpshooting etc.). Then again, that doesn't have to mean anything.
I sure am hoping we, as CA members, can set up some private games some time. That'd be hilarious.
By the way, I got totally smoked. Still, I think a 13 kills/17 deaths ratio isn't TOO bad for the first online FPS I've joined in over 5 years time!
Definitely better than when I accidentally joined a pro Quake 3 server recently and ended with 1 kill/46 deaths!!! :lol: And the one kill was a complete fluke! I grabbed a rail gun just as someone respawned in front of me, so I blew them away. And I didn't do much better when I joined a German TrackMania Nations server. I never even found the end goal of the tracks they were running, they were that madly designed. Still, all great fun.
I guess I was just lucky with the player pairing, and ended up with a couple of nubs :thumbs:
After only one game played, I already know what I hate most about CoD4 online: opponents with shotguns. Damn them all.
He He. :lol: Shotguns are great when YOU have one, and horrible when you don't, and that goes for any game. They remove the need for any accurate aiming at close range. Still, great fun with a shotgun only multiplayer match.
Cool, that sounds like a good game, considering I finished R:FOM. I'm loving FPS.
My first go online was 11 kills / 16 deaths, but after that I've been getting better....finished in the top three a couple times :)
RIGHT. I can feel me going off on one here...
This last weekend the PS3 became possibly the best console ever. Let me explain -
Firmware 2.0.
This amazing little upgrade allows you to customise your x media bar and allows a hole heaps of extra options on the viewing of pictures and playing of music. So what I hear you say? Well let me tell you. You may have read my little post about the qualities of SACD in comparison to CD's or DVDA so you'll know how highly I rate this audio format. The problem with the PS3's SACD playback is that the bandwith required to carry an audio signal of its size cannot be squeezed into an optical cable, which unless you have an amp that takes a HDMI 1.3 connection is the defacto connection used to connect your ps3 to your amp. The only cables that can carry this signal are multi audio in cables (5 cables, one for each speaker), which the PS3 does not have a connection for, or the forementioned HDMI 1.3. So get yourself an amp that takes an HDMI 1.3 input you may think. The fact they are not commonly available and start at £2k may put you off. :thumbsdown2: I for one was dissapointed in this because it means that Sony are making their SACD format hard to attain and it means very few people will experience it. Well no more! Firmware 2.0 has a little known of update that compresses a SACD signal to DTS 3.2 and sends it to the correct speakers! SACD is back and available to the masses! The quality is not as good as dedicated SACD because of the compression but its still far superior to CD and DVDA. I spent last night listenting to Depeche Mode and War of the Worlds with my daughter - we loved it! So if anyone has a SACD and a PS3 then load them up and enjoy! :)
That's great news. The one thing I always though has been great with Sony is their dedication to the technology they create. Even when it isn't the mainstream format they will still continue to improve and develop until they can't go on any longer. Look at Minidisc for example, or the PSP and the number of improvements made to its firmware since launch.
Firmware 2.01 out now. Get it while it's hot.
Just finished the first playthrough of Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction and what can I say ... it's worth every penny. What a blast it's been, from start to finish. Fun storyline, great one-liners, weird characters, surprising variety in gameplay, brilliant weapons, crazy gadgets, gobsmackingly good visuals/sounds and a zillion and one things to unlock.
Watching this game on a big HDTV is like an orgy of visual delight - if this is the promise of things to come on the PS3, we're looking at a very interesting future for the platform indeed.
Go on, do yourself a favour and give this game a try!
NOT HAPPY! :mad:
I just downloaded Firmware 2.1 for my PS3: Lo and Behold! The SACD multichannel over optical function has been removed - it now just plays in 2 channel stereo! SWINES!!!!!
Heres a copy of the email I sent Sony on this:
Hi
When I updated my PS3 to firmware 2.0 it was able to play SACD over the optical connection in multi channel stereo. I updated the firmware again and this feature has been removed. I am very unimpressed as I have bought various SACD's as the PS3 was able to play them.
Can you explain to me why this feature has been removed as it was very popular based upon forum posts on the net? Will it be coming back in the next firmware update?
The cynical may think this is a ploy to make people buy HDMI 1.3a compatible amps, it certainly seems funny that the Sony STR-DA5300ES is released that can take a HDMI1.3a input and this feature is pulled, just in time for Christmas! Your response is appreciated.
PS3 ID: Toomanymikes
I will keep you posted on what they have to say for themselves!
I very much doubt you'll get a straight answer, if you get an answer at all. Seems to me all companies answer such questions disambiguously like "there has been made no announcement but who knows, it might show up in some future update. In the meantime why not enjoy the other great features blahblahblah etc". Annoying, but that's usually how it is.
I don't think it's a ploy to get people to buy Sony amps though. What guarantee do they have that people will opt for Sony and not some other manufacturer? In fact, those who know a thing or two about amps (such as the ones who'd pointedly go for the HDMI-enabled ones this early) are more likely to not go for a Sony one in my opinion.
True, but I thought I would add it in just to get a reaction! I was wanting to put something a little harsher in but they probably would have just deleted my email. Im actually thinking of picking up a Onkyo TX SR805 cos you can get them from America for about £280 cheaper than here. I may just wait till after christmas to see if the prices drop.
Looking at the new Denon 3808 myself. It is a freaking monster, supporting all the latest technologies with just about double up of every connection you'll ever need, and a lot of neat features such as wireless networking which finds and plays your shared music collection (not requiring a mediacentre solution), able to set up different zones so you can f.ex. listen to a cd in the livingroom and a radiochannel in the bedroom at the same time, just to name a few. Downside is that it's nearly £1.200, but it is tempting. Oh, so tempting. :)
I wish you hadn't posted a link to that Denon receiver. Now I want one! And will have one! Or the even better 4308. For the price you are getting a lot of hardware, plus upsampling of analogue and digital signals to HD is a great feature to have for passing older games consoles and DVD players through the system.
But for the moment I can live with my Sony DTS receiver. It might only be 5.1 but it still sounds good.
If you can't afford an expensive receiver (+ speakers) yet, a good, quality pair of headphones can be a nice substitution (provided you have a decent amplifier to power them). In fact, there's a lot of subtle detail in music that you can only hear with a pair of cans. Only downsides to them are that you can't really 'feel' the bass, and prolonged wearing of headphones can be rather uncomfortable.
About the SACD issue, it seems strange to me that they'd add the feature to play the format in one firmware update, and remove it in the next, barely a week later. Kind of doubt it's some sort of ploy though - after all, how many PS3 owners actually used it to play SACD? There weren't that many to start with, I think.
Maybe removing some lesser-used features is a way for them to lessen resource usage? Or perhaps it actually caused some of the problems that people were experiencing after the 2.00 update? I guess we'll never really know.
I've already got a pretty good setup with floor standing Eltax front speakers, and centre, Eltax Bi-polar rears and a nice 12" sub, connected up to a Sony receiver. And it sounds great. But if I want support for newer equipment then I will need to look into upgrading my receiver to something new, and the Denon one looks amazing.
I still have my Bose 5.1 sound system, which is truly amazing. I have a Pioneer receiver, but planned (already 1 year ago) to get one of the Denon's Teho mentioned. But I really don't need on of the bigger models, as I only would need 1 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output, because I have my Auvisio HMDI control center.
Only thing that would be great, is to transfer also the sound via HDMI, no need to use optical cables anymore. But my HDMI control center also supports optical, SCART and Ethernet (1 input for each, and 4 output), so I only have to plug my devices to it, and have 1 single cable that goes from there to the receiver. And channels can be switched via remote control.
Got a decent 5.1 set in the living room. It isn't particularly good for music, but it does provide enough shakes for both movies and games. I'm considering upgrading it sometime though for a set that can handle music better. Probably a pair of floorstanders, coupled with a 12-14 inch subwoofer, and separate sats for surround sound. One argument against doing this is the fact that I'm living in an apartment with neighbours in just about every direction. So, unless I soundproofed my home, such a sound system would probably go to waste. On the other hand, watching DVDs and BDs without sound on full blast just isn't the same.
Has anyone played the Uncharted demo? It looks absolutely terrific, and the gameplay is a very decent mix of Tomb Raider combined with Resident Evil 4-esque gunfighting. What impressed me so much about this game is how 'alive' the scenery actually looks ... there's just so much detail in there, it's amazing how Naughty Dog managed to pull it off.
This will definitely be another must-have for me, which would put my PS3 game collection on a total of 10 already. I need to stop buying all these games ... but I can't help it. Must ... have ... more!
Annoyingly Activision seem to be using a single server to provide their in-game news for Guitar Hero 3. At present it's announcing extra song packs available through PS Store - great except looking at the store the packs are nowhere to be seen. Annoyingly checking the US store all the packs are available there.
I really can't see how, with the rising cost of developing a game, game publishers can afford to treat European gamers as second-rate customers.
Its because the Americans think they invented everything!
Which is amusing, as the whole world knows the USA was invented by the UK!!! ;)
I like the Uncharted demo, but it's getting tough very fast, at least with my gaming skill. Oz preordered it and got a t-shirt, the game will be released in approx. 2 weeks. So when he finishes the game, he can borrow it to me.
Nice thinking. Let Oz spend his money, and then you can enjoy the games. ;)
I think the correct term is mooching......I mean, borrowing. My bad :D
There should be more Ozzes around! The world would be a much better place!
Yeah, I'll be picking up Uncharted as soon as it hits the stores. I thought the demo was rather hard at first, but if you make good use of cover and play conservatively, it isn't that bad. Try to get some headshots in: insta-kill, and saves tons of ammo. Save the shotgun for when the bad guys try to rush you.
Anyone tried the PS3's DVD upscaler? At 1080p resolution and with the Upscaler setting at 'Double Scale', the picture quality is pretty damn amazing. While not exactly high definition, watching DVDs with this feature is like a whole different experience. According to some sources, the PS3 upscaler is actually better than similar options offered in dedicated DVD players.
That sounds really good. Many dedicated DVD players with HD upscalers can cost nearly £1000, so to have a superior ability on a £300 console is amazing to say the least.
Uncharted is in. Only tried it out for a little bit, but let's just say that this game is audiovisual bliss played on a large HDTV and with 5.1 surround sound.
Probably the most technically stunning game so far this console generation, and likely the first PS3 title that simply cannot be done on another platform at this moment (save for a high-spec PC). Naughty Dog's really outdone themselves.
Naughty Dog's now considering their next project, which could either be an Uncharted sequel, or the next iteration of Jak & Daxter.
I just picked up Singstar as a pressy for my GF. It rocks so if any of you are into embarrasing yourselves in front of your mates for a laugh then I can reccomend this! :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharingan
And the great thing is that we are not very far into this new generation of consoles.
Good times ahead!
MGS here we come!!!
It definitely seems like the PS3 is starting to get some great releases quite early into it's life. Especially compared to the last generation on consoles. And yet I still hear people moaning that the PS3 is rubbish because it has no decent games! :blink:
They really need to do something about the impatient short attention spans of younger people these days.
Fanboys are scary like that. They'd (ab)use anything to make themselves feel better about their own console. I've seen it all ... "The PS3 is too black." "Blu-ray disc has too much space." "DVD is all you need." "Jaggies!" "It's too expensive."
Usually, the people who are the most vocal in this regard are those who can't afford more than one console, so they need to do something in order to justify their purchase. Sadly, all rationality and common sense seems to go overboard then.
I'm a little further into Uncharted now, and my opinion still stands: what an amazing piece of work. Everything just clicks, from the gameplay to the graphics, from the storyline to the sound effects.
I might pick up Singstar too, just for a laugh. It's kind of inexpensive, too.
My GF has been going on about Singstar for some time now, but it's not really my cup of tea. I noticed you can get many different themed versions now for different musical genres. I may buy one if they release it for the death metal genre! :lol: Can't see my GF being impressed by that one though, but it would be bloody funny seeing her face! ;)