Thoughts
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PSN Content in a Post-Intrusion World

By
Stan
– April 29, 2011Posted in: Links, News, Opinion

With the recent security breach of the Playstation Network, many people are expressing some hesitation at the thought of purchasing content on the PSN once it gets back up. That’s a very understandable worry, given what’s happened. The funny thing is that when the PSN does come back online it will be a much more secure and better protected system than what it previously was. However, its reasonable to expect there to be a stigma around using a service that just got hit hard by a hacker attack and lost all of your personal data and probably lost most if not all of your credit card data.

That doesn’t change the fact that there’s a lot of worthwhile content on the Playstation Network. There’s a wealth of quality PSN games, PSOne classic games, and game add-ons to choose from. So how to get all this content once the PSN comes back online? I’m sure many gamers know by now that Sony sells PSN Cards in stores that can be redeemed on the PSN for credit. They come in $20 and $50 varieties and can be found at just about any retailer that sells video games. There’s also a lot of options online as well. Amazon, Best Buy, and Gamestop all sell digital code versions of these cards, meaning that as soon as you purchase them you will have access to the code so you can redeem it immediately. From skimming the reviews Amazon’s service seems to work the smoothest for this. Both Best Buy and Gamestop reviews seemed pretty pleased with their purchases, but there were a few instances of buyers complaining that they had to wait hours or even days for their codes to be emailed to them.

What’s probably less well known is that you can purchase PSN content directly from these online retailers as well. Amazon has an entire section for the Playstation Network where you can purchase just about any game that is currently on the PSN as well as a good selection of add-on content (Rock Band tracks don’t seem to be available though, sadly). Amazon seems to have taken the most time to set up their PSN storefront, with full navigation options featured content.

Best Buy has a very sparse selection of PSN games to download. There’s less than 20 games at the time of this writing in fact. And there doesn’t seem to be any add-on content available.

Gamestop offers a bit more selection than Best Buy, with over 100 full PSN games and over 150 pieces of add-on content. Their navigation is a bit messy though. It’s basically just a search result.

If you’re looking for the quickest way to get PSN content, Amazon is your best bet. Over 1,200 games, over 650 pieces of add-on content, plus 100s of PSP and PSOne Classic games. All three retailers offer quick solutions for acquiring redeemable codes for pre-paid PSN Cards, although Amazon is again the smoothest here.

In the wake of what’s happened to the Playstation Network many gamers are going to be a lot more careful of where and who they give out their private information to. That’s understandable. I also expect that Sony is going to have to work very hard for a long time to rebuild trust in the security of their online services. But in the meantime, there’s still plenty of ways to acquire and enjoy PSN content.

Happy gaming.

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Wallpaper: Purity is a Fallacy

By
Stan
– April 7, 2011Posted in: Art

Update: Added a PSP sized one.

So, way back in 2009 I created this image, Purity is a Fallacy, as a marketing piece for my webcomic the Devil’s Gate. It’s still one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever done. Even though the Devil’s Gate is dead, a version of the main character, Youmi, has made her way over to my new comic project, Void Domain eM.

In gathering stuff to put on the new Void Domain eM site, I decided to tweak Purity is a Fallacy, playing mainly with it’s lighting. The outcome is a set of spiffy wallpapers.

1280x1024
1280×1024
1600x1200
1600×1200
1680x1050
1680×1050

1920x1080
1920×1080
Android
Android
iPhone
iPhone

PSP
PSP

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Youmi: A Warm Glow

By
Stan
– February 26, 2011Posted in: Art

This is a piece I made as a placeholder image for the Void Domain eM site. This was done back in early November. Her coat looks very “Tron-y”, but Tron hadn’t even crossed my mind when I was designing it, I just wanted something cool that had lit up bits.

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Thoughts on the Divergent Path of Motion Gaming

By
Stan
– November 13, 2010Posted in: Opinion

It occurred to me that apparently motion gaming dictates the need for asinine naming. There’s Move, Wii, and Kinect. All of which are pretty horrible. Move’s probably the best, although it would have been more accurate if the Kinect was named Move, since you’ll be doing by far the most moving with the Kinect.

Nintendo’s 4 year experiment with forging a new direction of gaming has been hit or miss. For Nintendo’s bottom line, it’s been a resounding success. For everyone else, eh not so much. The monolith of money that has been the Wii has attracted big name developers and publishers which has led to a number of big name franchises seeing the light of day on the machine. Unfortunately most of them haven’t really sold very well. Most have either sold OK, or just downright poorly. Quality has little bearing, or maybe even a negative effect, as many of the better made Wii games haven’t sold well at all. Except for Nintendo’s. But Nintendo is the exception, with the bonus that being the console maker as well, they clearly had the best idea of what you should do with it. Nintendo’s titles also clearly blur the boundary between “core” and “casual” games, as they’ve done for 25 years now.

What the Wii has proven to me is that motion controls for dedicated core games just doesn’t work. Core games, and core gamers, demand a different level or precision, a deeper level of control. There’s a reason that the 360 and PS3 controllers have 4 face buttons, 4 shoulder buttons, a directional pad, and two analog sticks. For the most part core games demand quick and responsive multitasking. Dodging an attack and countering with a combo while adjusting the camera. Strafing, shooting, while cycling through your grenade types. This is the kind of controls that motion game just isn’t built for. Not naturally anyway. That doesn’t mean that motion gaming is necessarily inferior, it’s just different, and demands a different type of gameplay. One that’s more streamlined. One that’s more accessible. Basically motion gaming, Wii style anyway, is tailored for a more casual experience.

So where are we, heading in 2011, in regards to motion gaming? The Wii, much like Nintendo’s previous two consoles, has become once again a Nintendo machine. That is, it’s line-up is dominated by first party franchises and games. Third party developers have found the most success by pumping out light casual games, while the third party core game well is drying up fairly quickly. Currently it’s identity is a casual party console with the occasional “core” Nintendo game. It’ll remain successful for a while still, and with 2011 likely being “All 3DS, All the Time”, as far as Nintendo is concerned, don’t expect to hear much about a Wii successor until 2012, giving the Wii one more solid holiday season before it really starts to quietly fade into the night.

While Nintendo’s first foray into motion gaming is on it’s last legs, it’s inspired offspring have just arrived. The Move and the Kinect present two very different strategies to the future of motion gaming.
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Otakon 2010

By
Stan
– August 8, 2010Posted in: Events

For the last four years Otakon marked the end of the first half of the summer for me, and this year was no exception. If you’re not familiar with Otakon, it is a 3-day anime convention held every year around the end of July at the Baltimore Convention Center, in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s one of the larger anime conventions in the country, certainly on the east coast.

Honestly I think I’m beginning to suffer anime con fatigue. 8 anime cons in 6 years (plus 2 sci-fi and 1 comic convention), and they’re beginning to lose their luster a little bit. It was still fun though! Just being in Baltimore is a blast, and seeing over 29,000 geeks together in one place is a sight to behold. That’s the best part of anime cons, having that feeling like you can just completely be yourself.

For those that don’t know what there is to do at an anime con, here’s a quick rundown: A video game room; an Artist’s Alley, where independent artists can take commissions and sell their art; discussion panels on a slew of topics; workshops that range from art to ninja training; a cosplay masquerade; a rave; video rooms showing anime and asian movies at all times of the day; autograph sessions and Q&As with guests. Every year I hit the video game room at least once. Got my butt kicked in Super Street Fighter 4. I ended up hitting the dealer’s room like 3 times! Grabbed (the outstanding) Girl Who Leapt Through Time, a couple t-shirts, an Azumanga Daioh towel and a couple stuffed animals. Dealer’s room was a bit of a letdown this year. Sure there’s like a 100 vendors down there, but they all sell the same stuff! There’s like maybe actually 20 real kinds of vendors, just repeated over and over. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some cool stuff down there, but for how many vendors you have there you’d think there would be a bit more variety going on. And what was with all the Gundam toys? There were a LOT more than usual. Vendors who I remember getting stuff from in the past seemed to be all about the Gundam this year.
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