To walk, or not to walk... that is the question

So recently I bought a couple of games from gamestop and have been trying to beat them. Between the Devil May Cry series, Hitman series, Lost Odyssey, Resistance, and a few others, I don't have the time like I used to anymore. Of course I am upset but when you enter the real world you realize you have more important things to do than kill bamas on Halo 3 and COD4.

Looking at my now growing mass of video games on my entertainment center and with a Nintendo Wii coming in, I can't dedicate the time to explore the beauty of games completely in depth as I would like. This brought me to the toughest question of my gaming career, "Should I use a walkthrough or tough the game out and explore all its intrcacies?" So I made a list.

Advantage:
1) a walkthrough will save me time (what is important in the level what is not)
2) a walkthrough will tell me where all the hidden items are
3) a walkthrough is free online (ign, gamefaqs)
4) I have to read (which I don't have time to do during the day) and
5) a walkthrough lets me get through games in 2 days as opposed to 2 weeks

Disadvantage:
1) I have someone telling me what to do and when (which makes the game lose its element of surprise)
2) I lose any credibility as a real gamer and
3) I have to look back and forth between the laptop and tv

I decided I would rather lose my title as a real gamer and run through as many games as possible so I could later critique them and caompare them with newer games. For example comparing the Devil May Cry series, Lost Odyssey to any other rpg etc.

Please share your thoughts and ideas on this... bama.

PS3's 2.40 Firmware Is Out!!!

That's right! Firmware 2.40 is out! Go and download it and experience the in-game XMB greatest. The first game to support trophies is Super Stardust HD, which was patched for trophy support.

I've got 5 trophies so far, but damn SSHD's trophies are rough to get. T_T

Happy Gaming!

In-Game XMB - July 2nd

It's official. The much anticipated 2.40 firmware for the PS3 will be released on July 2nd (this Wednesday). Many of the features in this firmware are way overdue, but at least they are finally coming out. Some of these features include: in-game xmb, sending/receiving messages during a game, trophy support, clock, custom soundtracks, etc.

The PlayStation blog has a video walkthrough of some of the features of 2.40. Check it out!
In-Game XMB
Trophies

And now I leave you with a slew of images from 2.40:

GT5 Prologue in the background, XMB in the foreground


Compare Throphies

User Profile

Trophy Collection

Trophies

Custom Soundtrack Control

Google Internet Search

Trophy Completion

More "Gamer Card" Screenshots

Here are some more PSN "gamer card" screenshot. As you can see in the second screenshot, there are features that are similar to XBL's current setup such as the compare trophy feature. Good stuff!

Soulcalibur IV Character Select Screen

It's not completely finished yet, but here is the character select screen for Soulcalibur IV. This is the PS3 version since it has Darth Vader in it, but there are still 4 blank spots. One of them would probably be The Apprentice from The Force Unleashed (new Star Wars game). There's also a rumor that Kratos from the God of War series will be a PS3 exclusive character. Only time will tell.

On a side note, the character portraits look really nice since they are using the character concept art. Man I can't wait until this game come out! July 29th cannot come any faster.

Soulcalibur IV Character Select Screen

Rumor: PSN Trophy Screen?

As PS3's 2.40 firmware inches closer and closer to arrival, one has to wonder how the trophy system will work. There are two screenshots floating around on the internet showing the PS3 "gamer card."

Looking at these pictures, it seems that the "gamer card" system will work in levels. You get a trophy in a game and it'll give you "exp" to will increase your level. The higher the level, the more trophies you have. XBL watch out!

PS3 "Gamer Card" ???

Trophies?

In-Game XMB officially announced for PS3! Fanboys wet themselves!

In a post today on the Playstation blog, Eric Lempel (director of PSN Operations) confirmed that firmware update 2.40 will bring in-game XMB access and enable trophies, among other features being announced soon. The post has no news of a date for the update, only mentioning that update 2.36 will come soon and bring with it system stability for certain titles.

Until then, fanboys can go over their friends houses who have the Xbox 360 and check out the features coming to the PS3, that have been available since the 360's launch.

UPDATE: Firmware update 2.36 is now live! The wait is on for 2.40!