GENERATION IN VIEW: PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3)
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Manufacturer: Sony. Generation: 7th.
Released: November 2007 (JP); March 2008 (Europe). Preceeded by: PlayStation 2 (2000). Succeeded by: PlayStation 4 (2013). Posted 29th November 2013. By Tom Clare © 2013 |
LAUNCH: SLOW BEGINNINGS
The PlayStation 3 had a tough start when an initially strong-looking launch line-up faltered as one-by-one, the more appetising releases dropping back. Early adopters were left with the enjoyable though safe Ridge Racer 7 and Insomniac’s Resistance: Fall of Man for company. Discouraging rumours painted a platform that was difficult to develop for, and that cross-platform titles were primarily made to complement the Xbox 360’s architecture, with PS3 ports often struggling due to its modest memory specs. Many games suffered as a result, whilst others, most notably Mass Effect and BioShock, would only arrive on PS3 later on down the road. Sony’s lack of a clear vision for the console after the success of the PS2 appeared to contribute to a lethargy and detachment in the early phases of the seventh gen. The six-axis control pad was widely disliked, and rapidly phased out in favour of a wireless, third-generation Dual Shock. Its basic layout remained exemplary and of the usual robust build quality, but many were left unconvinced by the new bits. L2/R2 triggers sloped in a manner that invited players’ fingers to slip, whilst the limiting and uninspired six-axis motion control did little to help justify the hefty £35-40 price tag.
The PS3 launched at £425 ($599 in the US), and though standalone Bluray players cost upwards of £600 at the time, gamers questioned what felt like a wallet-stingingly steep initial price, and the considerable boon of a free online service, in a burgeoning online era, was never fully capitalised on by Sony’s muted advertising campaigns.
The PlayStation 3 had a tough start when an initially strong-looking launch line-up faltered as one-by-one, the more appetising releases dropping back. Early adopters were left with the enjoyable though safe Ridge Racer 7 and Insomniac’s Resistance: Fall of Man for company. Discouraging rumours painted a platform that was difficult to develop for, and that cross-platform titles were primarily made to complement the Xbox 360’s architecture, with PS3 ports often struggling due to its modest memory specs. Many games suffered as a result, whilst others, most notably Mass Effect and BioShock, would only arrive on PS3 later on down the road. Sony’s lack of a clear vision for the console after the success of the PS2 appeared to contribute to a lethargy and detachment in the early phases of the seventh gen. The six-axis control pad was widely disliked, and rapidly phased out in favour of a wireless, third-generation Dual Shock. Its basic layout remained exemplary and of the usual robust build quality, but many were left unconvinced by the new bits. L2/R2 triggers sloped in a manner that invited players’ fingers to slip, whilst the limiting and uninspired six-axis motion control did little to help justify the hefty £35-40 price tag.
The PS3 launched at £425 ($599 in the US), and though standalone Bluray players cost upwards of £600 at the time, gamers questioned what felt like a wallet-stingingly steep initial price, and the considerable boon of a free online service, in a burgeoning online era, was never fully capitalised on by Sony’s muted advertising campaigns.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
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Assassin's Creed II
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GAMES: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Sony faced a difficult task in distinguishing the PS3 from its strong competitors, receiving arguably inferior versions of multi-platform titles and facing a split market that offered less likelihood of publishers committing to exclusivity deals. Sony’s seventh-gen aim was to build a repertoire of core gamer games that extoled the variety of gaming styles and cultures that the PlayStation brand had been so effective at targeting previously. Exclusive content would stem chiefly from the release of HD PS2 remasters, a slew of first (and second) party PS3 titles, and a stronger emphasis on the modest though not insignificant Japanese HD game market that the PS3 monopolised.
The jury is still out on re-releasing/remastering titles, as it discourages creativity and, in the case of games like Final Fantasy X HD and Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix, is largely unnecessary as fans would generally prefer a continuation of said brands over going back to games from the recent past. Still, there is some merit. The Sly Trilogy offered gamers the chance to play an excellent set of platformers that went largely overlooked on PS2. Okami HD further broadened the potential audience for one of the most beautiful games of the 21st Century, whilst additional motion controls added a nice, optional twist.
A lack of exclusives hurt the PS3 during its first couple of years, though this would improve considerably over the course of the generation. Killzone and Resistance series’ offered quality sim/arcade variants on the console FPS formula, giving the burgeoning shoot ‘em up fraternity something to sink their teeth into. Ratchet & Clank soldiered on with some middling though occasionally creative outings, whilst God of War and Gran Turismo returned as popular as ever. Sony ventured two very different kinds of blockbuster in LittleBigPlanet and the Uncharted series, whilst Heavy Rain and Modnation Racers stressed the significance of second-party support. With limited competition in Japan, the PS3 netted further entries in the Yakuza arc, death ‘em up Demon's Souls and Namco Bandai’s celebrated Studio Ghibli JRPG Ni No Kuni.
Sony faced a difficult task in distinguishing the PS3 from its strong competitors, receiving arguably inferior versions of multi-platform titles and facing a split market that offered less likelihood of publishers committing to exclusivity deals. Sony’s seventh-gen aim was to build a repertoire of core gamer games that extoled the variety of gaming styles and cultures that the PlayStation brand had been so effective at targeting previously. Exclusive content would stem chiefly from the release of HD PS2 remasters, a slew of first (and second) party PS3 titles, and a stronger emphasis on the modest though not insignificant Japanese HD game market that the PS3 monopolised.
The jury is still out on re-releasing/remastering titles, as it discourages creativity and, in the case of games like Final Fantasy X HD and Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix, is largely unnecessary as fans would generally prefer a continuation of said brands over going back to games from the recent past. Still, there is some merit. The Sly Trilogy offered gamers the chance to play an excellent set of platformers that went largely overlooked on PS2. Okami HD further broadened the potential audience for one of the most beautiful games of the 21st Century, whilst additional motion controls added a nice, optional twist.
A lack of exclusives hurt the PS3 during its first couple of years, though this would improve considerably over the course of the generation. Killzone and Resistance series’ offered quality sim/arcade variants on the console FPS formula, giving the burgeoning shoot ‘em up fraternity something to sink their teeth into. Ratchet & Clank soldiered on with some middling though occasionally creative outings, whilst God of War and Gran Turismo returned as popular as ever. Sony ventured two very different kinds of blockbuster in LittleBigPlanet and the Uncharted series, whilst Heavy Rain and Modnation Racers stressed the significance of second-party support. With limited competition in Japan, the PS3 netted further entries in the Yakuza arc, death ‘em up Demon's Souls and Namco Bandai’s celebrated Studio Ghibli JRPG Ni No Kuni.
inFamous
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MotorStorm Apocalypse
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TOM'S FAVOURITE FIVE PS3 EXCLUSIVES
(ALPHABETICAL ORDER): Heavy Rain inFamous Killzone 2 MotorStorm RC WipEout HD |
TOM'S FAVOURITE FIVE 7TH GEN NEW IPs
(ALPHABETICAL ORDER): Assassin's Creed BioShock BlazBlue Dead Space Uncharted |
MOTION CONTROL: CLEVER MOVE?
Sony’s handling of the PlayStation Move may not have been spectacular, but it was pragmatic. With the prominence of motion control gaming ebbing over the last couple of years, their positioning of the Move as a peripheral rather than a primary mode of control may in the long run prove a smart one, and one that was achievable given its extremely competitive pricing. At launch, it showcased a modest but technically adept software selection, including the excellent (if a touch beige) Sports Champions, and since then Move owners have been rewarded with an either/or option on many mainline games, allowing the likes of Resistance 3 and the marvellously effective Heavy Rain to be tackled with conventional or motion controls. Party games and lightgun shooters have enjoyed renewed prominence, whilst Sorcery and Wonderbook offered fresh experiences aimed at a broader audience. Though battery life is acceptable, charge retention has proven disappointing (they go flat within a couple of weeks of inactivity) and the remotes take ages to charge, spending half their lives hooked up to a USB cable. With no real standout game and little in the way of Triple-A titles on the horizon, the Move has been a tepid success, but one that by-and-large has covered the bases.
Sony’s handling of the PlayStation Move may not have been spectacular, but it was pragmatic. With the prominence of motion control gaming ebbing over the last couple of years, their positioning of the Move as a peripheral rather than a primary mode of control may in the long run prove a smart one, and one that was achievable given its extremely competitive pricing. At launch, it showcased a modest but technically adept software selection, including the excellent (if a touch beige) Sports Champions, and since then Move owners have been rewarded with an either/or option on many mainline games, allowing the likes of Resistance 3 and the marvellously effective Heavy Rain to be tackled with conventional or motion controls. Party games and lightgun shooters have enjoyed renewed prominence, whilst Sorcery and Wonderbook offered fresh experiences aimed at a broader audience. Though battery life is acceptable, charge retention has proven disappointing (they go flat within a couple of weeks of inactivity) and the remotes take ages to charge, spending half their lives hooked up to a USB cable. With no real standout game and little in the way of Triple-A titles on the horizon, the Move has been a tepid success, but one that by-and-large has covered the bases.
Start The Party! Save The World
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Gran Turismo 5
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Killzone 2
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ONLINE: ON/OFF RELATIONSHIP
The PlayStation Network has had its share of troubles, not least the security breach in the Spring of 2011 and subsequent three week outage. The recently redesigned PS Store is marginally less painful to navigate nowadays, though a lack of correlation between the pricing and content present on the PSP store and the PS3 platform has been slapdash. Store functionality is pretty decent, though one enduring gripe centres on the ridiculously poor Downloads list, which rather than separating content into groups such as ‘demos’, ‘full games’, ‘level packs’ and the like, just dumps everything unceremoniously into one unsortable list. Trophies, implemented to combat Microsoft’s innovative Gamerscore, have proven a perk with platinum trophies encouraging gamers to get the most out of individual titles; an easy and effective way to generate lifespan. There are a few teething problems that could be sorted however, namely detaching online-only trophies from the platinum, as gamers are often denied the reward due to the absence of community in older games. It’s also a shame trophies can’t be displayed in a more interesting environment, like in a virtual gallery. PlayStation Home could have done this, but this insipid feature as a whole was a complete waste of time.
Network sales and indie products saw the PS3 fall behind the 360 during the 7th gen. Super Meat Boy never made the leap, whilst Minecraft and Braid were notable late-shows. Nevertheless, the more recent appearances of Journey, Flower and The Unfinished Swan hinted at a more creative streak that was welcomed by critics and gamers alike. The minis range, designed to acknowledge the increasing presence of indies, had its moments. Age of Zombies, BreakQuest and Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess all offered fun at an affordable price that could be played on both PS3 and PSP. However, though a great many were released, the quality of the range was inconsistent and with few killer-aps, the gaming public remained largely oblivious to the brand, which died a quiet death this year.
Nevertheless, Sony’s knockout blow has come from an unexpected quarter. The ability to play online for free remains a draw for the PlayStation 3, for but committed gamers, the PS Plus subscription is now an irresistible choice. £40 once a year nets the subscriber around 30 PS3 titles and, with Sony adding in a VITA subscription on top at no extra charge, gamers are looking at a colossal amount of quality content each year. The games themselves are typically contemporary and/or big titles. The last year or so has seen the likes of Mass Effect 3, LBP Karting, Assassin’s Creed III and Need For Speed: Most Wanted crop up among countless others.
LEGACY:
The PlayStation 3 lost ground in the seventh generation through high pricing (not helped by Ken Kutaragi’s suggestion that consumers should want to ‘work more hours to buy one’), an initially stuffy PR focus on hardware over software, and the lack of a clear message as to what the machine would be, and to whom – a mistake they don’t, at least initially, seem to have repeated with the PS4. Through a mixture of well-judged initiatives and an increasingly broad line-up of PlayStation-exclusive software, Sony have managed to chisel a respectable success out of a console that was in serious trouble during its early months. With Gran Turismo 6 still to land in the next few weeks and Persona 5 likely to arrive in Spring 2015 at the earliest, the PS3 has a few notable tricks up its sleeve as it nears the end of its lifecycle, as Sony have come to appreciate that what the gamers really wanted was games after all.
The PlayStation Network has had its share of troubles, not least the security breach in the Spring of 2011 and subsequent three week outage. The recently redesigned PS Store is marginally less painful to navigate nowadays, though a lack of correlation between the pricing and content present on the PSP store and the PS3 platform has been slapdash. Store functionality is pretty decent, though one enduring gripe centres on the ridiculously poor Downloads list, which rather than separating content into groups such as ‘demos’, ‘full games’, ‘level packs’ and the like, just dumps everything unceremoniously into one unsortable list. Trophies, implemented to combat Microsoft’s innovative Gamerscore, have proven a perk with platinum trophies encouraging gamers to get the most out of individual titles; an easy and effective way to generate lifespan. There are a few teething problems that could be sorted however, namely detaching online-only trophies from the platinum, as gamers are often denied the reward due to the absence of community in older games. It’s also a shame trophies can’t be displayed in a more interesting environment, like in a virtual gallery. PlayStation Home could have done this, but this insipid feature as a whole was a complete waste of time.
Network sales and indie products saw the PS3 fall behind the 360 during the 7th gen. Super Meat Boy never made the leap, whilst Minecraft and Braid were notable late-shows. Nevertheless, the more recent appearances of Journey, Flower and The Unfinished Swan hinted at a more creative streak that was welcomed by critics and gamers alike. The minis range, designed to acknowledge the increasing presence of indies, had its moments. Age of Zombies, BreakQuest and Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess all offered fun at an affordable price that could be played on both PS3 and PSP. However, though a great many were released, the quality of the range was inconsistent and with few killer-aps, the gaming public remained largely oblivious to the brand, which died a quiet death this year.
Nevertheless, Sony’s knockout blow has come from an unexpected quarter. The ability to play online for free remains a draw for the PlayStation 3, for but committed gamers, the PS Plus subscription is now an irresistible choice. £40 once a year nets the subscriber around 30 PS3 titles and, with Sony adding in a VITA subscription on top at no extra charge, gamers are looking at a colossal amount of quality content each year. The games themselves are typically contemporary and/or big titles. The last year or so has seen the likes of Mass Effect 3, LBP Karting, Assassin’s Creed III and Need For Speed: Most Wanted crop up among countless others.
LEGACY:
The PlayStation 3 lost ground in the seventh generation through high pricing (not helped by Ken Kutaragi’s suggestion that consumers should want to ‘work more hours to buy one’), an initially stuffy PR focus on hardware over software, and the lack of a clear message as to what the machine would be, and to whom – a mistake they don’t, at least initially, seem to have repeated with the PS4. Through a mixture of well-judged initiatives and an increasingly broad line-up of PlayStation-exclusive software, Sony have managed to chisel a respectable success out of a console that was in serious trouble during its early months. With Gran Turismo 6 still to land in the next few weeks and Persona 5 likely to arrive in Spring 2015 at the earliest, the PS3 has a few notable tricks up its sleeve as it nears the end of its lifecycle, as Sony have come to appreciate that what the gamers really wanted was games after all.