Hands-On : First Play (The New Interactive Service for PS3)

 

So you’re probably all going to start asking “what is First Play?”. Well, readers, if you’re too lazy to click this link and read up on my post for when First Play was originally announced, I’ll quickly summarise it here. Basically First Play is a brand new interactive service that will be coming to PS3s in the UK on April 8th (that’s this Thursday folks!) First Play will provide screenshot galleries, HD reviews & previews as well as featured downloads, which will be handpicked from the PlayStation Store by the First Play team plus there'll be network highlights featuring the best things the PlayStation network has to offer. This could range from the best LBP level, the best PSP Minis or even the best content in the video store. Simply put, First Play is pretty awesome.

I was one of the lucky people who got sent a beta code because I signed up for updates via their website which is how I got to do this hands-on article before Thursday’s release date. Anyway, read on and find out exactly why you need to download First Play!

When I first found out about First Play I was unbelievably excited. I knew that it was being led by the team behind the Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM_UK on Twitter) and that’s a magazine that I’ve been reading since I was 8 years old! Needless to say I’m 14 now and I’ve spent countless hours being captivated in OPM’s glossy pages full of bright pictures and well-written articles. Articles so good, I’d like to say, that they can even rival the quality of mine (gasp!) My time with First Play started yesterday after I’d spent even more hours downloading the 1GB+ file from the PlayStation Store and I have to say that it was well worth the wait.

What stood out to me most was the interface. Slicker and glossier than any of the pages in the mag, the ‘home-page’ of First Play is easy to use and easy to navigate, I had no problem searching through the heaps of gaming goodness that the First Play team had put together. From the main interface of First Play I headed straight to the most appealing part of the service and probably the best ; the HD Reviews & Previews. On offer they had previews for both the upcoming titles, Lost Planet 2 and Super Street Fighter IV (SSFIV), a chance to look at the ads (more on those later), a review of the film Cracks on Blu-Ray as well as a HD video review for Battlefield Bad Company 2. I found all of these pieces of content particularly amazing because not only are they in beautiful and rather stunning HD, they highlight one of First Play’s key features. Insider info. I know that many journalists do have access to exclusive knowledge but First Play takes this to all new heights. Because they are so closely affiliated with Sony they get news and other content before anybody else. Now I’m not saying that you should stop visiting the likes of SFN because frankly, who else will give you these great tips for MW2’s online modes? However, what I am saying is that they can help you to get a lot of gaming gossip before the whole world has even caught the slightest whiff of it! Anyway back to the content…

After marvelling at the impressiveness of First Play’s logistics for a little while, I selected the Lost Planet 2 preview video. I had tried to get into to the LP2 multiplayer beta myself so to see footage of the game in action was pretty cool. The OPM team have always had a knack for knowing what their readers want. What makes this video so special is the quality of the footage, all in crisp HD, as mentioned, but it’s also the voiceover work. Everything in First Play from each and every screenshot to the main interface is all voiced over by Lucy Porter, a comedienne with masses of funny things to say. In the LP2 preview vid she explained the back-story of the game, explained why the climate had changed between the first and second games from frosty snow to a more jungle like atmosphere and she even talked about the set designers interesting use of HDMI cables! All of this was very funny and her voice brings something extra to the already jam-packed table.

Next on my list of things to visit in First Play was the HD screenshots. Remember how I mentioned that all of the images were voice captioned? Well, they were, and it was pretty cool, I tell you! Images from Brink, Mafia 2 , 2010 FIFA World Cup and Red Dead Redemption were some big games to choose from but having already jumped on the RDR hype rollercoaster I selected those images. One example of an image was of the main character, John Marston, shooting at a buzzard. A seemingly uninteresting picture don’t you think? That’s what I thought too until Lucy’s voice started playing with something to say about Red Dead Redemption's hero/rebel choice system (something I talked about here). Her voice added something more to the image and wasn’t just a humorous little caption, it was something that actually expanded on what we already know about the game and it really does help if you don’t know much about a particular game.

As I headed to the Network Highlights section of First Play I was greeted by an advertisement for Assassin’s Creed 2. Now I don’t mind ads at all because they help to keep a service (or website) cheap or entirely free. Plus these ads are particularly great because they’re not full of the worthless crap that you find littered between TV show breaks and they’re also skippable (that’s a made up word by the way) and (yes there’s more) if you really take a liking to the ads, you have the option to press select and visit the product’s website, another useful feature. I really like the Network Highlights section because it will feature content made by users such as kills in Uncharted 2, awesome Sackboy costumes, or, as the beta showed, the 10 best Singstar videos. I thought that these videos, showing user input, are what sets First Play apart form Qore, a similar online magazine-like service available to PS3 owners in the US. Well there’s that and the fact that First Play is way cheaper too…

Featured downloads are also one of the things featured in First Play, a great round-up of the other things that PS3 owners in the UK should download. Besides every episode of First Play that is! Though there’s not much to say about it despite the fact that it’s a great addition to First Play’s already excellent list of features.

And so, readers, I shall leave you with this… First Play is a must download. No doubt about it. It’s released on April the 8th (this Thursday) and is 99p for one episode or £8.99 for 12 EPISODES which is 30% off the usual cost (bargain!). The service is currently only available in the UK (for once we get something first!) but will be made available to other countries in the PAL region (Europe) soon. If you live in the US you can download Qore instead.

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Comment Questions

1. Are you angry or annoyed that First Play isn’t available in your region?
2. What do you think could be added to First Play to make it better?

Random Ramblings Of A Video Game Blogger : 2K Czech’s Mafia 2

Image Courtesy Of Rock Paper Shotgun

 

The other day I was sat in my German class learning the different words for fruits when my Polish friend, who was sat next to me, starts laughing. So, as you do, I asked him what he found so funny about German fruit and he said “in my language that word means penis!”. This very quote got me thinking. Different things can be taken out of context depending on the culture, the language, even the different stereotypes! This same thing also got me very worried about the upcoming title, Mafia 2. The new game is being developed by developer 2K Czech. Now this not might be a bad thing but it’s the fact that perhaps people from the Czech Republic are not the best people to make the game after all how much do Eastern Europeans know about the Mafia besides the knowledge amassed from stereotypes. Don’t call me racist but from what I know from playing the horrendous Godfather games and from watching re-runs of The Simpson’s, most Mafia men are a) Italian b) total thugs and c)great lovers of pasta. Don’t get me wrong when people use a a topic that is heavily laden with stereotypes, they can usually make it their own and change to their own thoughts. For example Twilight’s Edward Cullen (I’m a teenage girl, I’m allowed to use Twilight references) is a vampire, while we typically see vampire’s as those bloodsucking creatures who cannot go out in sunlight and can be killed with a stake through the heart. The author of the Twilight books, Stephenie Meyer decided to make the concept of vampire’s her own and so upon contact with the sun Mr. Cullen merely glimmers like a sweaty fat man and she also made it so that vampires can only be killed by first being ripped to shreds and secondly being burnt to crisp! Hopefully 2K Czech will adapt and expand the usual Mafia stereotypes and make the game something quite blatantly ‘Mafia-like’ while being something we’ve never seen before. Keep checking up on System Fail News for updates on the games progress!

Got some thoughts to share on the topic? Leave a comment!

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See Need For Speed: Shift In Action

Check out this brand new trailer for Need For Speed: Shift and watch the superb gameplay that is featured.

Need For Speed: Shift Gameplay Trailer courtesy of Joystiq

So what do you think? Leave a comment!

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Tekken 6 Wireless Sticks (Hey That Rhyme’s!)

 

While Street Fighter 4 may have been the best fighting game of the year, so far,  there may be a contender that can  ‘reclaim that title’  and it’s name is “Tekken 6”. Anyway, enough of that movie trailer crap and on to the actual headline…

So some cool company called HORI have produced a pretty darn awesome peripheral for Tekken 6 (see image above) and it will act just like arcade machine controls, only it has a couple of added features-

a) it’s wireless!

and

b) it won’t get jammed like the Street Fighter IV fight stick did ;D

 

He he he, I’m looking forward to Tekken 6 because it will make a great post tile

Tekken 6 Takes The Trophy < hey it’s alliteration!

 

Are you looking forward to Tekken 6 too? Leave a comment!

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Gran Turismo 5 Lowdown

Lately here at SFN I have been a little over-excited about all of the new racing sim games that are set to be released and so with this "motor vehicle" trend setting my blog 'a light' , why not add a little more fire to the the already raging fire with this news about a possibld (yes it has only been rumoured) Gran Turismo release date! This new specualted release date for the game is

November 27th 2009!

(via That Video Game Blog)

Excited for the game or don't you care? Leave a comment!

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Forza Motorsport 3 Release Date Confirmed

Forza Motorsport 3 Release Date Confirmed

Xbox 360 exclusive, Forza Motorsport 3 will have many PS3 owners bawling their eyes out when it’s released. Though for those of us who own an Xbox 360 instead/as well we are in luck as the will be on shelves in the US on October the 27th this year. If you’ve not seen or heard much or anything at all about the game, check out this trailer below.

Forza Motorsport 3 trailer courtesy of GameTrailers

Like the look of the game? Pre-order the game form Amazon using the widget in the sidebar over there>>>>>>>>>>

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Wii Has Worms!

Worms on Wii! In an interview with GamesTM Martyn Brown of Worms developer Team17, announced that they are currently developing their world famous Worms platformer for Nintendo Wii. "So if we were-and we are actually-doing a new Wii Worms" He also went on to say that it would "play online" too.

Update! Martyn Brown has also stated that they are developing a worms game for iPhone!

Looking forward to these new worms games? Leave comments!

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VidZone Hands-On

Hands-On With Vidzone

We love music, we love games and most of all we love being connected.So when it was announced that they were releasing a new music video viewing feature for PS3 my heart literally jumped for joy! Here’s my thoughts on why you should get Vidzone.



1). The best bits



My favourite part of Vidzone is that it is just so simple. This little thing makes it stand out from its competitors in such a way that it leaves YouTube and MegaVideo crying in a corner. While many video streaming services are incredibly difficult to navigate around, Vidzone’s homepage provides links to already made up playlists, all of which feature many of the music videos that are really popular right now. For example one of the playlists there feature the new single from the Black Eyed Peas, Boom Boom Pow. Another thing that made me fall in love with the new service is that it has so much to offer and is bounding with potential. Whilst it doesn’t offer that many music videos at the moment, I am on good authority with an inside source that there ar elenty more to come!

2.) The bad bits


The great thing about Vidzone is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with. Well apart from the fact that there isn’t much content on offer but cut the thing some slack! After all it was only released a few days ago! (And I already like it better than YouTube.) Besides it beats getting Rickrolled. Right?
3.)Overall

VidZone is a superb addition to the PS3’s already astonishing aline up of downloads available fform its PlayStation Store and is definitely a “must-download”. Just a heads up though it’s only available in Europe. Keep reading System Fai,l Newas and I’ll keep you updated for when it makes the crossover to to the U.S.


System Fail News Says

Download It!

Assassin’s Creed 2 Release Date Confirmed

Once again I have some great Assassin’s Creed 2 details to tell you and  oh boy are they good!

 

• There will be a special “Black Edition” of the game that comes bundled with this figurine of the main character, Ezio.
• The game will be released on the 17th of November in the US and on the 20th for those of us in the UK.

On a low note, the games “Black Edition”, as mentioned above has not yet been confirmed for release in North America but I’ll keep you posted when I hear some news!

Assassin’s Creed or Assassin’s Greed? Don’t think the game deserves a sequel or are you a fan? Leave a comment!

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This Brutal Legend Trailer Shows Us Why Activision Want The Game So Bad.

Take a look at this brand new trailer for Brutal Legend and then leave a comment to tell me what you thought the best bit(s) was. Mine? All of it!

Brutal Legend trailer courtesy of Joystiq.

What do you think of the trailer? Leave a comment!

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System Fail E3: Guitar Hero Van Halen E3 Trailer

Rock out with yet another Guitar Hero game when Activision releases it’s latest music rhythm game spin-off, Guitar Hero Van Halen. Check out the trailer for the game below.

Guitar Hero Van Halen E3 trailer courtesy of wubby213 on YouTube.

Are you a fan of Van Halen? Leave a comment!

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System Fail E3: God Of War 3 Gameplay

There are quite a few good blockbusters out this year that we all want to get our hands on’ including Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2 but while those games are gonna be awe to the some! Some of us seem to have forgotten about the much awaited sequel to games 1+2, God Of War III (3). Let this gameplay trailer below refresh your memory.

WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC SCENES OF VIOLENCE!

God Of War 2 gameplay video courtesy of DTOID on YouTube.

Looking forward to God Of War 3? Leave a comment!

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Don’t let you

System Fail Sequel : Crackdown 2 Reveals Itself

You’ve played the original game, you’ve heard the rumours and you may have even downloaded the the Crackdown theme for your Xbox 360. But now at E3 it has finally been confirmed that Crackdown will indeed be receiving a sequel. There is even a trailer for it! Check it out below

Crackdown 2 trailer courtesy of Destructoid

Looking forward to the sequel? Leave a comment!

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System Fail News: Square Enix Has Broadcast This Trailer For One Of Their “E3 Games”

 

Like many of you, I can’t make it to E3 (limited funds prevent such a journey) however I am in total favour of bringing you the latest E3 news right from the comfort of your PCs/laptops/handheld mobile devices whatever you’re reading this site on! It’s not just me who has that thought. Square Enix have put out this trailer for their “E3 game” Nier. Check it out below;

 

What do you think of the trailer? Leave a comment!

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System Fail News: Mafia 2 E3 Trailer

Although Mafia 2 has been delayed until next year, 2K Games see no reason why they shouldn’t still power the games hype machine. However they have all the right to do so as this trailer suggests that Mafia 2 could be better than this year’s own early gangster themed game, The Godfather 2.

Mafia 2 E3 Trailer courtesy of That Video Game Blog (TVGB)

Looking forward to the game’s release? Leave a comment to say why!

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System Fail News: New Release Date For Batman Arkham Asylum

Do you remember all that time ago when I reported that Batman Arkham Asylum had been delayed?Well at the time that I wrote that post, no official release date had been confirmed. However there is now a brand new release date for the game which is August 25th for gamers in America and at the later date of August 28th for those of us in Europe. So readers mark your calendars!

Annoyed that the game has been delayed? Leave a comment!

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Summer,Summer,Summertime

System Fail News: Dead Space Extraction E3 Trailer Serves Us A Plate Of Gore With A Side Of Zombie.

When I’m not surfing YouTube for hilarious videos of keyboard playing cats I’m looking for the latest trailers and game previews that the site can host and so today I found Dead Space Extraction’s trailer for E3. Peep the video below.

Dead Space Extraction E3 Trailer courtesy of EA on YouTube.

Will you buying the new Dead Space instalment? Leave a comment below to say why you will (or won’t) be buying the game!

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System Fail News: Guitar Hero 5 Set For September Release Date

 

So, how many Guitar Hero games have there been released so far? Everyone pull out a pen and paper; Guitar Hero 1,2 and 3:Legends Of Rock, Aerosmith,World Tour and most recently, Guitar Hero Metallica. Now by my count that makes 6 and so if they released another game it would be no. 7 right. Not so.Activision are indeed releasing a new game that will be called Guitar Hero 5, but I suppose you guessed that from the title of this post… Anyway this new game will feature a whole host of different acts including…

The Rolling Stones
The White Stripes
Kings of Leon
Tom Petty
Bob Dylan
Johnny Cash
Santana
Vampire Weekend
Beastie Boys
Coldplay
Duran Duran
Gorillaz
Jimmy Eat World
Muse
The Raconteurs

…and it will be released on September 1st, the exact same release date of Rock Band: The Beatles, the upcoming game from Activision’s rivals Harmonix. Best of luck to both developers!

Which developer do you think will come out on top? Leave a comment!

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System Fail News: BioShock 2 Big Daddy Revealed!

Do you remember last month when I told you a bunch of cool info about BioShock 2 ? No? Click on this link and refresh your mind. One of the pieces of gossip on in that article was that in BioShock 2, you will play as a Big Daddy. Not just any Big Daddy either. The original one. At the time of writing that post I couldn’t offer any insight as to what that Big Daddy would look like, however the newly released issue of Game Informer shows us just that. Take a look at the new character in the image below.

Got thoughts on the new character? Leave a comment!

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Big Rebel Daddy

System Fail Top Tips: 5 Must Have Games (PS3)

In comparison to the Xbox 360, the PS3 is a relatively new console, yet there are still plenty of great games available for it.

Below I have listed the top 5 games that you should definitely buy for your PS3.

5.Grand Theft Auto IV

The Don, the top dog,the King. All of these titles represent Grand Theft Auto's status in the world of sandbox games. Rockstar's recent addition to the series, GTA IV, was a massive hit with crazed fans of the long-running franchise and newcomers alike. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why. In the game you get to run around like a mad man, killing innocent civilians, irritating policemen with your wave of endless crime sprees and as an all time first you get to go bowling!

4. Little Big Planet

Aah, Little Big Planet. The only game on PS3 that can turn a hardened career criminal into a super-sensitive softie. I can understand a gangster's change of heart, after all Sackboys are just sooo cute! The adorable playground world that developers Media Molecule have created is intriguing to everyone over the age of embryo (not really an age, I know) to anyone under the age of ancient (again not an age). With LBP it really is love at first sight!

3.Killzone 2

Die.Helghast.Die! These 3 words are the basic premise for Guerrilla's dark and grimy shooter. And it’s those same few words that have earned Killzone 2 the place of number 3 in this list. While the game is quite diverse and up to date in terms of graphics, gameplay and the like it’s base is relatively simple; kill the Helghast, revive your team mate, kill the Helghast, revive your team mate etc… This accessible way of playing provide an extremely fun experience and so it is a high priority must have!

*Demo available from the PlayStation Store

2. inFamous

Oh no. What on Earth have you done? inFamous’ story starts off when innocent bike messenger Cole embarks on a delivery mission which involves a mysterious package, which just happens to contain a freaky-deaky glowing orb. Anyway this orb thing goes KABOOM and devastates the whole of Empire City (where the game’s set) it also gives the main character Cole some super-cool electric powers.It’s up to you (as Cole) to run around Empire City either protecting the city from the equally powerful Reaper gang (who also have powers) or just making the Empire City residents’ problems a heck of a lot worse. It really is up to you…

*Download the demo from the PlayStation Store.

1.Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

The last on the list and the last in the MGS series (or so Hideo Kojima says). This game is famous for its uber long cut scenes, something that is only respected by fans of Metal Gear Solid. That annoying feature isn’t much to worry about as it doesn't take away from how much fun can be had with the game. It’s no generic FPS, Brother’s In Arms I’m talking to YOU, it's a solid video game that ties up the majority of the loose strings left of the Metal Gear Story and is definitely worth a place in your PS3 video game collection.

Missed out your favourite PS3 game? Leave a comment and tell me all about it!

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