Playstation Home

LewieP · **Joined:** 29th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 7600

Quote:

Booting up home, the first thing I got to do was create a character.

No matter what you do, the character will not look like you, they will look like someone from an awful lifestyle photoshoot.
I was unable to give my guy a beard, maybe I have to pay for that.

Miis are fun, Soniis (I think I invented that) are simply not. No matter what combination of 'dead inside' eyes, focus group fashion and overdone hairstyle you give them, they still end up looking very punchable.
One you make your character, you are transported to you coastal apartment. I must say, the game is quite pretty in a very inoffensive, clinical, way.

Here you can move things about, and sit down if you like.

I guess, you could throw some money at Sony for a new sofa...

The problem with it all, there is some great views, huge areas are visible from your balcony, but unless I am much mistaken, it is all superficial. There is no exploration, and nothing to do. Beyond your balcony, it is just eye candy.
I chose to venture out of my apartment, and see some other people. I went to my door (the only exit for the apartment), and it said "Press X to download this area", then I had to wait whilst it downloaded the area.

I don't know why it didn't just do this from when I arrived. It was the only obvious place I could go, and that would have saved me the wait.

When it does finally load, I am in the main area. It is filled with interactive adverts for Sony products. Sorry, I mean content.

There was people around, so I did the only thing the clunky broken communication interface was conducive to, making a prat of myself. I was asking "A/S/L?", asking people if they want to play chequers, then running away, and I spent a lot of time telling people I have no keyboard and dancing at them. I got quiet a crowd at one point.

The minigames are beyond pointless. I have had more fun gaming on my phone, and Wii Sports nailed how to do a casual bowling game at launch, how can Sony balls up something that simple with all the time they have had.

I'll admit, I really wanted to dislike Home from the start, and it did absolutely nothing to convince me it is anything other than a waste of time, energy, and money for everyone involved.

Sony have very successfully replicated all of the tedium of everyday life, without any of the fun that could be had in a virtual world. All wrapped around a vacuous, hollow shell of a game filled with barriers, both to your time, freedom, and wallet.

lolsony.

Mr Dave · **Posted:** Tue Dec 16, 2008 1:28

I am quite embarrased to have home on my hard drive.

it is awful beyond comprehesion.

Zio · **Joined:** 31st Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 6093

I was 'fortunate' to get invited onto the closed beta a couple of weeks ago.

By which, I actually mean 'un-fortunate'. It really is a steaming load of gash, isn't it?

GovernmentYard · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 5318

pwnt. NXE FTW.

The Rev Owen · **Posted:** Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:00

There was a lot more content in the closed beta version. I had two apartments, lots of furniture and an excellent hat. And there were never any queues to play bowling, so I could chat to a mate while playing some games. It was nice, in its way. Not a fan of the Ikea look, though - and I won't be paying 59p to get my hat back, thanks.

However, I have warmed to new Home just a little after downloading the Beta of Namco Museum and unlocking a nice model of a Dig Dug enemy to go in my apartment. More stuff like that will add a more personal feeling to place. I'm not one for chatting to online strangers, though, so I'm not sure Home's really for me.

(I believe, though I could be wrong, that the original idea was for every trophy to have an associated object for display in your apartment, which obviously didn't happen. That I'd have liked, like I loved decorating my houses in Oblivion.)

Dudley · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 8679

The Rev Snowen wrote:

(I believe, though I could be wrong, that the original idea was for every trophy to have an associated object for display in your apartment, which obviously didn't happen. That I'd have liked, like I loved decorating my houses in Oblivion.)

You're right, it's pretty much why they called them trophies in the first place.

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

My thoughts:

It's prettier than I thought it would be. Some of the architecture and water effects are nice, and it really is in high-high-definition.
What is it for? I watched some trailers and looked at the same six Watchmen posters over and over. OK, so it's a beta, and there will be more content, and then what? I'm not going to watch a movie through this. Trailers I can watch a lot more efficiently on the web, thanks. I hardly know anyone else with a PS3, so I'm not going to meet up with people in there.
I played chess against a stranger in the park. Again, it was quite pretty -- but I wasn't achieving anything I couldn't do in a browser. Except I could dance like a berk when I won. Very compelling.
£3.99 for a new house? £1.59 for a top? 79p for a chair? Sony have seriously blundered by trying to monetise this far, far too early. It casts an unflattering light on the whole thing; your attitude shifts from "well, this is dull, but it was free" to "well, this is dull, and you want to charge me to extend the dullness? Screw you!"

I don't hate it. It just seems pointless. There are seeds of a good idea in there; if I had loads of free stuff to personalise my apartment, and I could invite Bezzies around, and you could browse my trophy room, and it had a rich gaming history in there (like my two years of 360 achievements), that'd be cool. I spent ages arranging my house in Oblivion and I would very much had liked the opportunity to show it off to other people with the game. But it doesn't, and likely never will. I cannot believe this was three years in the making, and I suspect it boils down to a serious lack of focus on Sony's part. They don't know what it's supposed to be either.

Trousers · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 3073

I had a shitty day on Friday so consoled myself with a console. A PS3 no less, complete with LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2 and Motorstorm: Cardiff Rift (Torchwood Edition) for £280 ish chalks.

My overall impressions are pretty much in line with other peoples in that it's pretty much silent compared to the 360, games look virtually identical to the 360 (jaggies very evident but it is on a different screen at the moment so once I've hooked it up to the big screen it may look better - having said that it's on 1080p at the moment and the big screen only goes up to 720p) and the XMB is a nice streamlined way to access pretty much eveything you need.

I downloaded Home out of curiosity and it's fair to say so far it's easily the worst thing about the console when comparing it with the 360. It looks like a Sony exec has walked into a board meeting with pages of a Next and Ikea catalogue stuck together by his 5 year old daughter and someone has thought it was a proposal rather than something for him to stick up on the wall of his office.

As a side note is there a list of BeeX PS3 Chummery that I can harvest so that we can all meet up in Home and compare hats? edit: Ignore this - I found it using a marvellous invention : eyes. I will shortly be adding you all, I'll meet you near the pond. I'll be the one rave dancing.

Mimi · **Joined:** 27th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 26073

Where is this thing your eyes have found, trousers? I'd like to add you as chums to my profile to shate LBP levels and 'stuff' but have never been abel to find such list either.

Will buy some eyes soon.

markg · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 16639

I was looking at new phone contracts and I can get a PS3 for "free" (probably about £150 when all's said and done), I can't even talk myself into being remotely interested. I'm quite dismayed about it as I'd like a new console to play about with.

metalangel · **Posted:** Sun Dec 21, 2008 17:02

I also saw a rather good PS3 deal in Asda yesterday but again, what games does it have that I can't already get for 360? None of the exclusives are worth it!

Also, Home < Sadville, at least until you can transform into an anthropomorphic fox with a giant, waggling 20 foot cock and go around bumming people in Home.

Mr Dave · **Posted:** Sun Dec 21, 2008 18:49

Mimistletoe wrote:

Where is this thing your eyes have found, trousers? I'd like to add you as chums to my profile to shate LBP levels and 'stuff' but have never been abel to find such list either.

Will buy some eyes soon.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=92

Curiosity · **Posted:** Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:31

I keep on seeing this thread and every time I think it's about poor LewieP having issues at home and being all sad and depressed.

:'(

...and then I read that it's about the PS3!

:'(

LewieP · **Joined:** 29th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 7600

Clausiosity wrote:

I keep on seeing this thread and every time I think it's about poor LewieP having issues at home and being all sad and depressed.

:'(

...and then I read that it's about the PS3!

:'(

Rodafowa · **Posted:** Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:09

Doctor GlyNadolig wrote:

my two years of 360 achievements

For a Gamerscore of 7000?

N00b.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:26

marktheheraldangels wrote:

I was looking at new phone contracts and I can get a PS3 for "free" (probably about £150 when all's said and done), I can't even talk myself into being remotely interested. I'm quite dismayed about it as I'd like a new console to play about with.

You'd be better off getting a Wii. But don't get a Wii.

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

Rudolfowa wrote:

Doctor GlyNadolig wrote:

my two years of 360 achievements

For a Gamerscore of 7000? N00b.

Yeah, I know it. The earliest achievement I can find on my gamercard is 17/1/2007, so it's coming up on two years.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10173

SnowAngel wrote:

I also saw a rather good PS3 deal in Asda yesterday but again, what games does it have that I can't already get for 360? None of the exclusives are worth it!

Wipeout HD comes close.

That's the only game I've got for mine, my main priority was getting an excellent, almost infinitely future-proof* BluRay (and silent** DVD) player that will also do games at some point.

* Not like those ones that were obsoleted when they added PiP to the spec, or the newer ones that will be obsoleted when they add something else memory-and-or-CPU-y to it. Until the PS4 arrives and Sony start going "Eh? What's a Pee essS Threeeeee?"

** I'm looking at yoooooou 360!

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

Saint Bikolas wrote:

* Not like those ones that were obsoleted when they added PiP to the spec, or the newer ones that will be obsoleted when they add something else memory-and-or-CPU-y to it. Until the PS4 arrives and Sony start going "Eh? What's a Pee essS Threeeeee?"

They've stopped all that now, BD Profile 2 (also known as BD-Live, the one that specs Ethernet and 1Gb flash RAM) is the final planned revision to BluRay.

Trousers · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 3073

Doctor GlyNadolig wrote:

Rudolfowa wrote:

Doctor GlyNadolig wrote:

my two years of 360 achievements

For a Gamerscore of 7000? N00b.

Yeah, I know it. The earliest achievement I can find on my gamercard is 17/1/2007, so it's coming up on two years.

Interestingly (or not as the case may be) my earliest achievements are all on the 21/11/2005 from Zero Hour for a fair few games which I would never subsequently pick up because they are utter shite.

When I got back to the UK I didn't pick a 360 up for another 6 months as generally I was very underwhelmed. Since then and especially now comparing it to the PS3 ("teh real next gen!!" etc.) and the likes of Home it's amazing how far it's come.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10173

The problem with adding upgradeability and that to consumer devices is that the PHBs will always be trying to "improve" them. Especially if they can potentially cause a few repeat sales in the process as older stuff "accidentally" can't cope. Especially if the PHBs are the MPAA - "Hey, don't worry - the changes don't stop you watching BluRays. But you might need a new one to get HD out of it with these new codecs!"

Cynical, me?

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

Saint Bikolas wrote:

The problem with adding upgradeability and that to consumer devices is that the PHBs will always be trying to "improve" them. Especially if they can potentially cause a few repeat sales in the process as older stuff "accidentally" can't cope. Especially if the PHBs are the MPAA - "Hey, don't worry - the changes don't stop you watching BluRays. But you might need a new one to get HD out of it with these new codecs!"

Actually, BluRay can do that without changing the player. They did so recently and it's broken the ability of AnyDVD to rip BD discs, and might take a few months to fix according to SlySoft. At the moment a number of recent releases are unrippable.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10173

Mm, but what happens when they run out of things they can do with current players to foil the rippers? Apart from inventing SuperRay, I mean.

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

Saint Bikolas wrote:

Mm, but what happens when they run out of things they can do with current players to foil the rippers? Apart from inventing SuperRay, I mean.

It'll be the SuperRay thing. But that won't be for some time yet I expect. The whole point of BD+ is that it's a decryption routine running in a secure VM on the player -- in other words it's a software platform, not a hardware one. This gives them a lot more moves in the cat-and-mouse game with the hackers before they give up.

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

Holy crap, Sony have launched something very, very slightly interesting to do in Home. This is at least one billion times more interesting than the rest of it put together.

Zio · **Joined:** 31st Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 6093

The Red Bull Air Race thingy is quite fun in Home, considering it's free. There's a puzzle game in the arcades, I think it's called Carriage Return, or something like that, which is pretty fun too, of Tetris style puzzlers float your boat.

Curiosity · **Posted:** Tue Mar 24, 2009 17:05

The bloke who lives in the flat above me is an animator for Sony who works on 'Home'.

I got drunk and told him it was shit, before backtracking and saying, "But I'm sure the animation is excellent".

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