Folklore - PS3

[Demon Cleaner]

As I already mentioned in another thread, there's an RPG called Folklore being released for the PS3 and I saw some amazing (or like Blue Jedi says: awsome) screenshots, now I found some trailers and ingame footage at:

stage6.divx.com

[Harrison]

stage 6 is a great DivX site. Loads of cool high quality footage to look through. I will take a look at some of this game footage later. The preview screenshots looks really nice.

[Sharingan]

Had the chance to view a trailer and some screenshots, and yeah, this looks like another winner. The environments don't appear to have that much detail (though this might change still), but the action looked very fast-paced and fun. Some of the creatures look decidedly weird.

And the best thing is that this might even get a 2007 release. Nice.

[Sharingan]

Folklore has just received a 9/10 score from IGN.

[Demon Cleaner]

I just downloaded the demo at PSN, didn't give it a try though.

[Demon Cleaner]

Conclusion at IGN:

Closing Comments
There are many other aspects of the game worthy of discussion, but we can't cover all of them here. Let's just end our commentary by saying that a great deal of the magnificence in Folklore comes from the little details: the serenity within a field of bristling flowers and cascading petals, or the charm of a stairway that rings with laughter when your character's foot falls upon it - these are just a few of the many moments that may bring an awed smile to your face.

Unfortunately, though the game is very enjoyable to play, the menu load time, framerate, and level repetition issues can detract from the gameplay experience. But we strongly recommend that you don't let these concerns stop you from playing Folklore. This is one of the best titles to hit the PlayStation 3, and its eccentricity and charm are undeniable. Unless you're just a straight adrenaline junkie, don't miss your opportunity to witness the poetry and magic of this ethereal hit.

[Sharingan]

Yeah, I was quite surprised that IGN would rate this game so highly, to be honest, considering they're usually rather nitpicky about small stuff.

The only thing that doesn't sit well with me is their talk of occasional unsteady framerates during bouts of heavy action - sometimes it makes me wonder why developers can't take a little more time to iron out things like that. If only more developers would be as perfectionistic about their products as, say, Polyphony. Still, it's safe to say this will be a must-get for me.

[Harrison]

I think we may see more unfinished PC like releases coming to the PS3 then we did in previous console generations, because with the always connected broadband nature of the system it allowing for developers to release update patches to fix such things as framerate issues. I hope this isn't the case as I would prefer them to still treat the PS3 as a console where the games can be loaded from disc and played, not having to wait while the game downloads the latest updates before it starts.

As for the game, it does sound like a lot of work as gone into even the smallest details and I will definitely be getting one once I have a PS3.

Yeah, I was quite surprised that IGN would rate this game so highly, to be honest, considering they're usually rather nitpicky about small stuff.

It is true the IGN can be over critical of a game but I much prefer that view than one where games get high rating over hype. GameSpot can sometimes be guilty of this and it never reflects the true score a game deserves. I always tend to read IGN reviews first and am a member of the site. This is also true of the magazine Edge, where they actually consider a score of 5 to be an average game which is a much better view than many others who consider 7 or 70% being an average game, as that makes no sense.

[Sharingan]

Yeah, Amiga Power used the same kind of scoring mechanism. Whereas other mags rarely scored anything lower than a 7, AP wasn't afraid of dishing out 4's and 5's. People, and moreso, developers, not knowing that a '5' in Amiga Power terms meant 'average', were often outraged.

I prefer reviewers that are honest, critisizing where it's deserved, praising where it's due. Too often do I see games getting lenient reviews nowadays due to 1) obvious bias; 2) being afraid of getting on bad terms with certain publishers; 3) bribes/gifts.

[Harrison]

At the end of the day magazines and websites that do give honest criticism of games end up earning the most respect in the industry. It makes the developers and publishers sit up and take note, and gets them worried when they know their game isn't quite as good as they have been making out in press releases.