Ben-DutkaI really never expected to be this busy at the tail end of February. Damn new hardware launch. Killing me. …but oh, what a way to go. 😉
I'm on the fence about this whole Last Guardian thing
Like many others, I'm convinced that The Last Guardian will be yet another amazing PlayStation 3 exclusive title. But also like many people, I've been worried ever since hearing of Fumito Ueda's departure from Sony. Yes, I know it technically didn't change his position in terms of his day-to-day work, but when a Sony boss (Yoshida) says things are "progressing slowly," one still has to be concerned. Therefore, I remain on the fence when I get the news that Sony is assigning other internal studios to assist with the project . I mean, there are obvious positives and negatives to this situation.
On the plus side, you get the help of talented and proven professionals that have experience working with the PS3. This in turn should result in a faster development cycle. On the downside, you have to wonder: where was this project? It just seems like it was so far behind that Sony had to make this move. I'm worried that things just weren't gelling on the initial development team and hence, management had to step in. That's just never a good sign. Still…I have hope. Don't you?
Sony might want to consider a purchase…
And while we're on the subject, here's something else I'm torn on: whether or not Sony should purchase Thatgamecompany and add them to their fantastic stable of first-party developers. Studio co-founder Jenova Chen said they plan to expand beyond PlayStation , and it sounds like that's already a done deal. Therefore, my wondering is probably all for naught (although things can always change in the future). Still, it brings up an interesting question- Such talented and innovative people should bring their creations to the biggest audience possible, right? They deserve the widespread recognition. And let's just say it, they deserve to make more money. Thatgamecompany is comprised of visionaries, plain and simple.
So expansion is the democratic thing to do. And PSN users should be thankful they finally got Limbo . That's just an example. But at the same time, I've always believed that teams that focus on one particular platform can generate singularly amazing games; defining titles for the generation, in fact. And of course, that has happened ('cough' Naughty Dog 'cough'). So are we depriving them of the chance to make an even bigger impact if they go "democratic?" Tough question.
Personal gaming debate
Well, I made it plain that I can't stop playing Final Fantasy XIII-2 . But work has to come first; I've still got more than a few Vita titles to review, the Syndicate review has to be written, and Asura's Wrath should be here tomorrow. Plus, I should also be playing Journey with whoever happens to be online from Thatgamecompany; they've set up some specified play periods for members of the press, and I should be taking part on Monday afternoon. And there's also SSX – which should be awesome – and the week after, Mass Effect 3 . 'sigh' Figures. The one time I have a really long game that I want to play a lot.
However, I have noticed that I've turned to the Vita to play games, even with FFXIII-2 sitting there. There are times when I just want to play Hot Shots or Wipeout or Rayman or Uncharted or Touch My Katamari . Those are just great titles and it really doesn't feel that much different than playing them on the PS3. I never would've believed it before I got the thing but…well, there it is.
Lastly, congrats again to our most recent giveaway winner, Andrew B. aka Serakek; he got his two free Vita games this past week. Look for more giveaways in the near future!
