What is the last video game you played?

[Trent B 337]

I'm listening to the live preference confess Sony is giving right now. The Sony Playstation Network will be restored for online gaming most likely by the end of the week. People will be offered 30 days free for Playstation Plus. You'll be able to watch movies and that with the Playstation Movie thing. You will be required to change your password once the network is back up and you login.

They have not received any reports that any damage has been caused as far as the rumors about credit card information being stolen. However, they haven't ruled out the possibility that it has been stolen.

The Playstation Store will be restored sometime this month.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/30/press-release-some-playstation-network-and-qriocity-services-to-be-available-this-week/

[King Mark 3,631]

Wow, that really restores my full confidence in them

Anyways I have all these games sitting on my shelf to choose for my next game:

Dragon Age 2

FallOut New Vegas

Bayonetta

Portal

Uncharted Drake's Fortune

God of War 3

I always get stuck a few days choosing in between games after I complete one. And I only complete one at a time

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Goddammit man take a break from the RPGs! Play Uncharted, since you're so used to playing a game for 100 hours this one will be a breeze.

[Trent B 337]

Sony just posted some info on their blog regarding the passwords for the Playstation Network.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/02/playstation-network-security-update/

On Tuesday, April 26 we shared that some information that was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. Once again, we’d like to apologize to the many users who were inconvenienced and worried abut this situation.

We want to state this again given the increase in speculation about credit card information being used fraudulently. One report indicated that a group tried to sell millions of credit card numbers back to Sony. To my knowledge there is no truth to this report of a list, or that Sony was offered an opportunity to purchase the list.

One other point to clarify is from this weekend’s press conference. While the passwords that were stored were not “encrypted,” they were transformed using a cryptographic hash function. There is a difference between these two types of security measures which is why we said the passwords had not been encrypted. But I want to be very clear that the passwords were not stored in our database in cleartext form. For a description of the difference between encryption and hashing, follow this link.

To reiterate a few other security measures for your information: Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password.

Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well. To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports.

We continue to work with law enforcement and forensic experts to identify the criminals behind the attack. Once again, we apologize for causing users concern over this matter.

Our objective is to increase security so our customers can safely and confidently play games and use our network and media services. We will continue to provide updates as we have them.

[Quintus 5,399]

Thankfully I'm not reliant on PSN and in fact haven't even missed it, but I see no reason why I wouldnt put my details in with them again.

[Trent B 337]

Thankfully I'm not reliant on PSN and in fact haven't even missed it, but I see no reason why I wouldnt put my details in with them again.

I really haven't missed it either. I've found other things to do to keep me busy the last few days. I can still play Black Ops off line via split screen. Even though I'm playing against A.I. bots I still get my "fix" so to speak so I too really haven't missed it all that much.

I do agree though I'm never trusting them again with my information. I'll be buying Playstation Network cards from Wal-Mart from now on to download future map packs for other Call Of Duty games that come out.

Speaking of I guess supposedly Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is going to be a prequel to Modern Warfare 1 and 2. Hopefully it'll be just as good as the other two.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Isn't Modern Warfare 3 still in limbo? Or has the lawsuit between Activision and the two guys from Infinity Ward been settled?

It also makes no sense for it be a prequel since the sequel ended on a cliffhanger.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

If the passwords were hashed, how can they have been stolen?

[Wojo 2,453]

Serve them up with some corned beef, and they become clear.

[Quintus 5,399]

Thankfully I'm not reliant on PSN and in fact haven't even missed it, but I see no reason why I wouldnt put my details in with them again.

I really haven't missed it either. I've found other things to do to keep me busy the last few days. I can still play Black Ops off line via split screen. Even though I'm playing against A.I. bots I still get my "fix" so to speak so I too really haven't missed it all that much.

I do agree though I'm never trusting them again with my information. I'll be buying Playstation Network cards from Wal-Mart from now on to download future map packs for other Call Of Duty games that come out.

No no I said I WILL trust them with my details again

Why wouldn't I?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Yeah I probably won't make the switch to PSN cards like I initially said I would.

[Trent B 337]

Yeah I probably won't make the switch to PSN cards like I initially said I would.

Why not? Best to be safe than sorry.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

But I am relatively safe. I'm 1 in 10,000,000 credit cards stored on the PSN. Sony said they had no evidence of credit information being stolen but said that it was possible. Either way, I don't even have a credit card, it's debit. So if someone got a hold of the account number, they'd need my pin, and if they were trying to use it online, they'd need my security code. So I'm safe.

I also doubt another security breach like this would happen to Sony again.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

I also doubt another security breach like this would happen to Sony again.

Didn't a second Sony network get hacked just the other day?

[Trent B 337]

Didn't a second Sony network get hacked just the other day?

I think it was just for the PC side of gaming for Sony. People assumed the Playstation Network got hacked again or worse from the first time but the SOE (Sony Online Entertainment) server operates on a different server than the Playstation Network does.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

My point exactly: *Another* security breach *did* happen to Sony, on another network.

[Quintus 5,399]

I'll still be inputing my details with them again once they're up and running.

Y'know, the safest time to fly is in the aftermath of an attack.

[King Mark 3,631]

Started God of War 3.

Not sure if I like yet. Seems pretty linear. I hope some levels open up with some exploration. Also it has a fixed camera view, which is always a turn off to me

[Quintus 5,399]

Platform action games are and always will be linear affairs, which is what makes them good. What was you expecting? If you've ever played a Tomb Raider game you should know how such games work.

If you don't like that game I very much doubt you'll like Uncharted, either.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Started God of War 3.

Not sure if I like yet. Seems pretty linear. I hope some levels open up with some exploration. Also it has a fixed camera view, which is always a turn off to me

The only open world games are pretty much RPGs

God Of War is a hack and slash franchise. Enjoy the graphics and set pieces and just kill a bunch of muthafuckas! You do level up powers though, so I'm sure you'll love that

[King Mark 3,631]

Platform action games are and always will be linear affairs, which is what makes them good. What was you expecting? If you've ever played a Tomb Raider game you should know how such games work.

If you don't like that game I very much doubt you'll like Uncharted, either.

I liked Darksiders a lot. It was "platformy" and hack and slash, but at least there were levels you could explore and a free camera

[Quintus 5,399]

Yeah, but Darksiders has more in common with Zelda than God of War; even though Darksiders does 'borrow' a lot of gameplay, tone and ideas from GoW. I can't remember the fixed camera issue you're having - it probably wasn't a problem for me.

Give it a chance though KM, maybe you'll get into it once you start getting powerful etc. It's a brilliant game, but I guess not for everyone.

[King Mark 3,631]

Oh I'm gonna finish it for sure

By fixed camera I mean you don't get the behind the shoulder 3rd person view with the right stick to control where you look. You just get the view and camera angle the game wants to give you . I had a few JRPG's like that..Lost Odyssey,Tales of Vesperia. It kind of reduces the illusion your in a virtual world

In a way it feels more like an older game with technical limitations to render backgrounds in 3D

[Trent B 337]

The Onion regarding the next Sony Gizmo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Z6CXloh8c&feature=player_embedded

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Just a heads up, it's NSFW.

A very old video, by the way, Trent.

[Trent B 337]

Here's the latest from Sony about the Playstation Network.

Today our global network and security teams at Sony Network Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment began the final stages of internal testing of the new system, an important step towards restoring PlayStation Network and Qriocity services.

As previously mentioned, we’ve been working around the clock to rebuild the network and enhance protections of your personal data. It’s our top priority to ensure your data is safe when you begin using the services again.

We understand that many of you are eager to again enjoy the PlayStation Network and Qriocity entertainment services that you love, so we wanted you to be aware of this milestone and our progress. We will provide additional updates as soon as we can.

I bet the PSN will be back up first of next week. Get the final testing done this weekend then get everything ready to go for the public.

[King Mark 3,631]

The damage is already done, the personal data of everyone is already stolen. What does it matter if it gets stolen again

[Koray Savas 2,251]

You're right, they should just shut down the PSN forever, or just bring it back up without any added security since, of course, the damage was already done.

[Trent B 337]

You're right, they should just shut down the PSN forever, or just bring it back up without any added security since, of course, the damage was already done.

Sarcasm is the recourse of the weak minded. Just kidding.

Anyways I think those that have bought them an X-Box because they couldn't wait for Sony to bring the PSN back up are way too impatient and have a gaming addiction. I've gone for a week without playing anything because I was simply in no mood to do so. If I need my gaming "fix", I could easily play split screen against AI bots. Grant it's not the same as playing against real people but it's still fun.

Personally I would rather have Sony take their time to really enhance security before bringing the Playstation Network back up. Basically would rather have them do it right so this incident doesn't happen again.

The only way I would get an X-Box is if the Playstation Network was NEVER brought back on. However, Sony knows that would absolutely bury their company if they never brought it back.

[King Mark 3,631]

This is mainly affecting gamers playing online shooters like Black Ops, which I never plan to

A lot of people still only play single player games and I'd never buy a game where the main contents is for online co-op playing. I've never played a MMORPG like World of Warcraft either

PS: God of War 3 is pretty good after all, even if I still don't like the fixed camera. But it seems pretty short, I think I'm about 3/4 through the story in 2 nights.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The downtime hasn't affected me at all. Past couple days I've been cleaning up all the campaign trophies for Medal Of Honor.

[Trent B 337]

The downtime hasn't affected me at all. Past couple days I've been cleaning up all the campaign trophies for Medal Of Honor.

Ya it hasn't effected me either. I can still play via split screen as I said and I'm fine with that. I don't have the $400+ that it would cost to get a new X-Box (controllers, pay for XBL and such). I am willing to wait this one out.

I know yesterday Sony updated saying that they've started the final stages of internal testing of the new network. One would think the Playstation Network would be back online by first part of next week.

[Quintus 5,399]

I've just been playing Halo online as usual. My ps3 got booted up tonight for the first time since before the outage even happened and that was only to watch Machete.

I should be thankful really - if Xbox Live went down for a fortnight I'd be missing it after a week, particularly for Halo.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Well XBL did go down for a couple weeks a few years ago.

[Quintus 5,399]

That was before Reach and before I spent much time in the house

[King Mark 3,631]

Finished God of War 3.

It's the shortest game I played yet on a console, glad I only paid 20$ for it. I guess they want me to do a second play through with a bunch of items I found in the first that were unusable, but I'll move on to other things . The last few bosses were also hard enough on Normal difficulty (God mode), so I don't see myself ramping up the difficulty level just to get extra finger cramps.

The story was a bit confusing,I guess you had to do the first 2 or know more about Greek mythology beforehand. Other than that the game looked pretty good, aside from the previously mentioned fixed camera which kind of reminds you your playing a videogame all the time instead of exploring in a virtual world. None of the in game puzzles were especially hard, it's one of the few times I never got stuck or had to look for an answer in an online play through. The biggest pain in the ass was solving a "guitar hero" style note mini game in the middle of the game, since I never played those games it took me an hour to play the fucking song correctly (longer than it took me to beat Zeus). Oh and I'm not a big fan of "quick time event" button pressing in general, like those to finish off the bosses here.

All in all, if you want to play a similar game but way better, play Darksiders

[Quintus 5,399]

No surprises that a die-hard rpg fan thought it was too short. I thought it was a very good length - for a platform action game. Perfectly paced and about the same length as Uncharted 2. I wouldn't want games like them to be any more prolonged than they could be.

A fat filling of RPGs has had a detrimental effect on your judgement of games, methinks.

[King Mark 3,631]

Yeah I think the last one I played (Last Remnant) was about 100 hours. But it's cool, these JRPG's have complex battle mechanics and intricacies that take half the game to master. When you barely survive the ordeal of beating the final boss after 100 hours of grinding, weapon and stat upgrading, optimizing your strategies, you really feel like you've accomplished something. Last Remnant was pretty hard, I read a lot of people giving up on it like Demon's Souls

For God of War, sure there was a ton of combos to learn, but you can still beat the game using the same weapon all the time and the same 2 or 3 moves .I used the Blades of Exile for the entire game, except Zeus where I had to use the electrocuting whip thingy

I have Uncharted so I guess I could follow up with that one

[Quintus 5,399]

Yeah I think the last one I played (Last Remnant) was about 100 hours. But it's cool, these JRPG's have complex battle mechanics and intricacies that take half the game to master. When you barely survive the ordeal of beating the final boss after 100 hours of grinding, weapon and stat upgrading, optimizing your strategies...

Ugh. I'm happy for you that you love those qualities in a game; but if I played the same titles I'd get done for child neglect and my girlfriend would probably leave me.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

God Of War is a very linear franchise. The stories pick up right where they left off in the previous games. Also, that "song" you're referring too wasn't too hard. Took me a little bit to figure it out, but definitely not a whole hour. What did you think of the sex mini-game?

[Quintus 5,399]

For me, GoW had a VERY hard boss battle near the end of the game - the dog thingy at the gate with centurion backup. It was hard because I didn't level up the one weapon which would have made it MUCH easier.

Grrr, scarred for life.

[King Mark 3,631]

I re-did the sex mini game several times , expecting different rewards afterwards...but there wasn't. I was also surprised to see nudity in a game like this I'm sure kids could easily sneak this game past their parents

What was hard about the song puzzle is that I'm no good at Guitar Hero, so I had to basically memorize it before I beat it

For me, GoW had a VERY hard boss battle near the end of the game - the dog thingy at the gate with centurion backup. It was hard because I didn't level up the one weapon which would have made it MUCH easier.

Grrr, scarred for life.

You mean that 3 headed fire dog thing with Satyrs protecting it? Yeah it took me several tries and it was the hardest fight in the game

I dunno, all of my weapons were maxed out by the end of the game

[Quintus 5,399]

Yeah, I nearly threw in the towel at that point. I should have levelled up whatever weapon gave the Medusa's head - it made the fight much easier, apparently.

It was the one weapon I'd spent nothing on. Unlucky, I suppose. I beat it eventually, through trial and error.

[King Mark 3,631]

I kept dying AFTER I killed the dog thing.The guards just kept deflecting my blows and eventually killing me

The only thing is I feel like I kind of cheated on the Zeus fight. The whip had an electrocuting spell that shaved off about 90% of his health right off the bat...I'm sure the battle was meant to last much longer,I mean the first part that plays in 2D.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

When you finally kill Zeus, I spent like 5 minutes punching his head in. I didn't realize that you had to stop in order for the cutscene to continue

[King Mark 3,631]

me too, I thought it was a bug and I'd have to re-do it

I might pick up God of War Collection which includes HD version of GOW 1 and 2

[Koray Savas 2,251]

KM playing older games?

I got the Collection and III all at the same time, so it was a nice flowing experience on my end.

[King Mark 3,631]

well, only because they've been upgraded to HD graphics

I'd do the same with the older Final Fantasy titles if they got a current gen graphics overhaul

I managed to get Record of Agarest War in the used game section, it's the first ever copy (new or used ) I ever see of this JRPG (another long one, says 80 hours+ on the box). I guess it must have been something of a rare import because there are only 4 online reviews and the game only has english sub-titles (voices in Japanese)

[Quintus 5,399]

Managed to nab a Gears 3 Beta code of eBay yesterday for three quid. Bargain.

I got completely owned by high rankers. I'll try again today. Gears was always a hard game online, such a steep learning curve. My cup of tea.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

well, only because they've been upgraded to HD graphics

I'd do the same with the older Final Fantasy titles if they got a current gen graphics overhaul

There's a difference between HD upgrade and next gen graphics. The HD revamps of older games don't look like they were made for the PS3. They're significantly cleaned up, and that's about it.