Blu-Ray

Does the blue ray presence in the PS3 means that the future games will be bigger too, Levels, audio and sound effects wise?

Are you sure we won't hear the programers only poor excuse for a poor game, that goes something like this: "Oh we wanted to make the game better and bigger, but we can only add "sooooo" much into a dvd disc"

Hopefully when the blue ray technology is implemented, they won't forget to add the original Japanese Dialog in some games....*cough* Dynasty warriors, *cough* Omunisha3

-- Tj

Blu-Ray doesn't necessarily mean games will be bigger in a conventional sense (the kind of sense that says you'll get 20 levels to play instead of 10). Blu-Ray does afford developers more storage space to work with (some 27GB per layer as opposed to the traditional 4.7GB), which will allow them to implement higher resolution textures, higher quality audio, and higher quality video. Basically, each and every component of a game takes up a certain amount of space. Now, while more space may logically imply a bigger game, it actually just allows these developers to work with higher quality individual components. The components that take up the most space are always textures, sounds, and videos. But yeah (if someone wanted to), it would be a lot easier to keep in things like original languages, concept art, extras, etc.

Blu-Ray is pretty exciting stuff, actually. Not only does it improve the prospect for higher quality next-gen titles on single discs without any of today's current storage constraints, it also suggest PS3 might come equipped to handle High Definition movies. Of course, Blu-Ray is one of two proprietary next-gen formats vying for the same market share. Here's where it gets tricky.

So that you won't get confused, Sonic Solutions and Ravisent Technologies worked on a proprietary format called hDVD. Due to a lack of interest in their technologies, that R&D; effort went belly-up before it could reach the consumer level. Now only two competitors remain for the next-gen medium of choice. There's Sony's Blu-Ray (backed by some 11 companies including Sony, Samsung, Panasonic / Matsushita, Philips, Dell, and HP) and then there's Toshiba and NEC's own HD-DVD (backed by fewer hardware manufacturers but more production studios and mega corporations, like Microsoft).

Blu-Ray is a 27GB per layer format that requires a new manufacturing process. HD-DVD is a 15GB per layer format that can be cranked out in mass quantities on existing DVD production lines with minimal added cost. The big HD-DVD sell is thus cost effectiveness, but its opponents claim that it comes with the price of lower quality and reduced copy protection. Toshiba and NEC assert that copy protection schemes are being worked out and while Blu-Ray may technically hold more, its doesn't use the more advanced MPEG4.AVC and VC9 codecs, which allow HD-DVD to store some 180 minutes of high definition video, leaving Blu-Ray in the dust at just 132 minutes. The argument for both goes back and forth. But how does this affect the future of games?

For games, more space and better copy protection is preferred. Sony isn't likely to give Blu-Ray away cheap to Microsoft come Xbox Next, so PS3 will be the only Blu-Ray game in town, guaranteed. Given that mass market acceptance of the new High Definition disc format is worth billions of dollars in licensing and royalty fees to whoever wins this war, it wouldn't be surprising to see Xbox Next go HD-DVD (somewhat inferior, but cheaper in terms of gaming).

You really have to take a step back to appreciate the underlying strategies that go into decisions like this. Sony isn't including Blu-Ray into PS3 because it's new, cool, or will help games. Blu-Ray is going in because the PS3 brand alone all but guarantees an eventual installed user base of millions. Millions of households with a Blu-Ray capable PS3 puts Sony in an excellent position to win the format war and make billions off its technology. The only way to counter this is to package its only competitor into the box of its largest competitor. This is why we've already seen extensive Microsoft endorsements of HD-DVD (especially as it pertains to Media Center and native Longhorn support). It'll be a hell of a fight, that's for sure. The winning standard will determine the near future of consumer level audio / video. And, the winning standard practically hinges upon which game console does best. Never thought games could affect the rest of the world, did you?

Anyway, you got an answer and the bigger picture. Hope it helped.

-- Ivan

Someone Bind Him in the Dark Place

Ok.....

here's my question.

ESPN in your section by section rating scored higher then madden in every catagory.

BUT, madden got a higher "overall"... and got more hype in your article then espn.

is this because you money whores have your palms greased by EA to say their s*** is better?

i don't care about either game personally, I just find it funny you guys cave in to the highest bidder..

in the end, if you please the right corporate giant, you get more exclusive news, early game releases/previews, screenshots, money incentives, insider info, etc. but, IGN has lost it's soul.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I remember when IGN was about HONEST reviews by game whores. NOT reviews given to the highest bidder. sure, it pays your bills...but, the integrity is gone...

I really think you guys should re-evaluate your ethics and morals, take a step back to re-evaluate, and then hit the writing block again.

i guess it's expected. money is the root of all things.

I am sorry it's ruined what ign used to stand for....

but im sure EA payed well. so all is good....right?

-- Ron

Excellent! You managed to ask a question -- I also get impressed when I see horses stamp out simple math with their hooves, so I'll give you that much and nothing more. Sure, you sort of just posed this question and then ruined any chance I had at providing a legitimate response by blindly assuming all the wrong answers on your own, but you started by actually asking it, which kind of counts for something, Mr. Equine.

Now, while you may be content with spouting off some incoherent rant riddled with a fond remembrance of days that never actually ended, I'll try and cast the fiery light of truth into your dank cave of perpetual stupidity (no doubt enshrouded by the mystical fog of dumbness). Hopefully this burning truth will overcome your uncanny ability to just randomly say crap.

Ron, editorial does not get paid by anyone for anything, ever. End of story. This includes reviews, scores, placement, and whatever hype you may or may not have perceived. No company ever bribes or pays us off, ever. That's all there is to it. There's no subconscious desire for us to rate a poor game highly or a good game poorly based on preferential publisher treatment. We call games like we see them. Period.

IGN has lost its soul, eh? First of all, if I am any sort of indication, we don't have a soul to lose. Second, if we were to lose our collective soul that does not exist, it wouldn't be because we gave one game an overall score of 9.3 and 9.4 (across PS2 and Xbox respectively) and another the score of 9.5. Genius, 9.4 and 9.3 compared to 9.5... What is wrong with you?

Because of your totally unwarranted blind assumptions and complete inability to formulate a single logical thought, I'd be willing to trade what fleeting health I have left just to see you struck down by a blazing meteor that would spare the rest of humanity from being polluted by your Species-like seed. You make flagrantly offensive, totally unsubstantiated claims about our fading moral standards and poor ethics and you're only complaint is completely invalid because, 1) The games were reviewed by two different people with two different brains, and 2) Nobody pays us anything!

I don't like sounding redundant and I don't think I'll ever be able to teach a gorilla how to play piano, so instead of extending this pointless debate, I'll just depart and wish you the speediest of deaths.

Yours forever truly and dearly,

-- Ivan

HD Loader

Guys, just curious to know what
your position is about the Hdloader,
I got one copy and a 120g Hd and
it works wonders in my PS2, of
course i own all the originals but
the fact is i can run the games
from the HD cutting load times
and keeping alive the laser of my
PS2. Greetings from México City.

-- J. Rojas

None of that changes the fact that many people use it to steal games, which is wrong. Plus, it can be argued that changing the way a game works via a third-party peripheral that overcomes first-party imposed copy protection is unlawful.

With that in mind, I'm personally all for improving the gameplay experience (provided it's legal). I see no problem with archiving a game collection and I see no problem with improving load times. For that, I like HD Loader quite a bit, too bad it's no more.

-- Ivan

A Revised Saga

Hey, just read your short history of robotech on the invasion preview and I must say it was pretty well done. I'll try to help you fill in the gaps as best as possible. It is hard because some stuff comes from the books (which Harmony gold sometimes says is unofficial) and some comes from the first five pilot episodes of robotech 2: sentinels that were never fully made.

Picking up after the destruction of earth, the REF supposedly always knew where the home planet of the Robotech masters was, they were going with the newly built sdf-3 to try to broker a peace deal. Unfortunately for them, when they went to hyperspace to the Masters' home planet (Tirol I believe, but don't quote me on that) the masters had already left the planet. So basically they kinda passed each other in hyperspace going to each others planets. When the REF got to the master's home planet, all of the masters remaining ships from their war with the Invid had already left for earth with their remaining protoculture and all of their able-bodied people. They left the young and old on their home planet.

The 2nd story arc of robotech is important because the Southern Cross battles the Masters on Earth and their actions cause the Invid to be drawn to Earth. At the end of the southern cross story line, a clone of Zor Prime destroys the last remaining robotech master mothership over the mountain that has the ruins of the sdf-1 and the protoculture matrix. Remember the sdf-1 and 2 were destroyed at the end of the first story arc. Zor wanted to destroy the protoculture matrix so that no one would bother Earth again and the Invid wouldn't come. Unfortunately when he blew the ship up, it opened up the mountain and spread the flowers of life that had blossomed in the protoculture matrix. This is what beacons the Invid to earth, where they eventually show up and wipe out the remainder of Earth's defense…Scott benard shows up…and then I guess the game story kicks in…

-- David

Awesome! Thank you for the update, David. I also just found this Robotech Timeline that seems to clear up a bunch.

-- Ivan

Preorder This

Why do so many publishers want us to pre-order their damn game?

-- Jose

Strong preorder campaigns are more directly related to retailers than they are publishers. While I'm positive publishers encourage them so that they can better project sales figures and put money earned on the books the moment it comes in, it's the retailer who makes the most off of strong preorders, ensuring consumers return to the store on launch day and perhaps even make an impulse purchase. Strong preorder campaigns also help retailers determine the appropriate amount of shelf space to allot to a single title. And shelf space is a precious commodity.

So, while preorders put money on the books for publishers and help them gauge interest and create accurate sales forecasts, it's the retailer who benefits most.

-- Ivan

Homeward Bound

Ivan, you need to come back to PC IGN. I was just reading the old letters (Someone linked me to them). You know you still love PC.

-- George

No doubt. But, I've found a good home here. It'll take a few more months before we start kicking as much industry ass as Fatty, Steve, and I did on PC, but it'll happen.

-- Ivan

Clone and Copy

I have dug this site for a while. I was really sad about tonight because I really came to trust you guys about stuff. Tonight when I wanted to decide which system had the best spiderman graphics (game is basically the same) I saw that you have the same review word for word for xbox and game cube. You guys really let me down. I still love you but I would love it if you could bring the bar back up to what I know you are capable of.
big fan of ign,

-- Daniel

There are simply too many games for us to cover to make individually reviewing each a viable option. To remedy this problem, we often include comments specific to a platform, or simply provide a head-to-head article that directly compares each of the games on each of the systems. There is such an article available for Spider-Man 2, but it is part of our Insider subscription service, if you're interested in that.

If you're not, I'll answer your question for you: Xbox looks quite a bit better, offers higher-resolution graphics and textures, a longer draw distance, a consistently smoother framerate, and a less drastic LOD system. It is definitely the prettiest of the four games (PC, PS2, GameCube, Xbox).

-- Ivan

Till Next Time

Well folks... I'm being sent to London and Amsterdam for all of next week to see Killzone, Getaway: Black Monday, and ATV Offroad Fury 3. My life is an odd mixture of surprisingly low lows and incredibly high highs.

Yep, there is a darn good chance I might actually die on this trip (what with all the drinking, whoring, gaming, and gambling to be done), but I'm really looking forward to it. Even though I've been across Europe a thousand times, I've never actually hit Amsterdam or England proper. I find the allure of European cards, a free and legal red light district, and too many beers to count too much to deny. Hopefully when / if I return I'll still have all my limbs and all my eyes. If not, I regret nothing less than everything!

-- Ivan "Deez Nuts" Sulic