I’ll start off by stating I think the game is fairly good. Great? No. Worth $60 (plus tax)? Err … possibly. Game of the year? If EA and Bioware pony up more toys to game reviewers than Microsoft does when Halo: Reach comes out, probably. (GT5 would get ‘game of the year’ by default for finally releasing … but it won’t … so, no worries there.)

The bulk of my frustration is that I can see where this, could’ve been a truly great game instead of a mediocre game cloaked in a shroud of game reviewer hype declaring it a great game. It’s the same frustration I’ve had with Bioware games since KOTOR (although I have fond memories of KOTOR that would likely be dashed if I played it now); they focus too much on the voice acting and leave the quest and level design to rot. I have to say though, for the NPC specific missions they did some work on level design. But once you’re in it, just the same one-track corridor with random crates / barriers to hide behind. It feels, and is, forced. Same with the enemies. You get the same basic set of things to shoot at, dressed in different textures. Some of the side quests are unique, but unfortunately few are epic. I’d like to see a lot less go-here-do-this quests and more unique investigate-explore epic sideline quests to keep the game interesting. I know the idea is to keep the player engaged so that they don’t notice that the main plot line of the game only lasts four hours, but would it be that difficult to have two or three arching quests, in addition to the main plot, instead of a bunch of ‘fedex’ quests?

My next frustration: the mini-game. Come on, this isn’t 1997 anymore. The mini-game-as-in-game-action is the ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ of video games. The first time you have to pick the matching code sequence to hack a PDA, or match the symbols to bypass a security door, or move the scanner around to find the minerals on the planet isn’t so bad. By the fifteenth, sixteenth time, its old and wearying. By the middle of the game you quit bothering unless you absolutely have to. This kind of stuff is just crap, and I want to know which experienced game producer decided it was a good idea. Sure it pads the ‘game experience’ but it’s just awful. It’s damn close to ending a story with, ‘he woke and it discovered it had all been a dream.’ I mean really?!? You couldn’t have come up with something a little more engaging to the player?

The only part I found even the least bit satisfying was starting a scan of a planet (a tedious operation where you move the ‘scanner’ around on screen via the joystick and watch a line graph move / feel the controller vibrate when it registers minerals for you to then launch a probe … how a probe is physically able to mine, process, refine and deliver the minerals to your ship I’m not quite sure.) registering Rich and then leaving it Depleted when I was done. Intergalactic strip mining FTW! Is it a clever stab at greenies? Is it just stupid? Take your pick I guess.

I’m glad the little rover (that wasn’t physically big enough to fit three characters inside) missions are gone. But did you have to replace them with a shuttle that looks like a retarded dog trying to lay down when it lands?

Being that I like dungeon crawl loot collecting games I was a bit disappointed that there aren’t many new items to discover in ME2. Instead they replaced the inventory system with upgrades. I appreciate what they were trying to do, adventure games do tend to get tedious when you’re managing NPC inventories. Having NPCs manage their own inventories and the player being responsible for their own would’ve been more satisfying instead of having item collecting ripped out. Tediously mining resources in a mini-game so that I can afford to upgrade doesn’t seem like it adds much value, instead trading one time sink for another.

So what do I like about ME 2? I like that the conversation dialog isn’t as tedious as Dragon Age. I like the universe they’ve created. I like that I have a different game besides Modern Warfare 2 to play.

What’s weak sauce about it? The damn cars! They’re the same damn cars that were in Forza 2. Hello, the world has moved on since 2007. Yeah, sure, there are a couple of new cars here and there, but for the most part it’s the same old same old. Audi R10; Audi is racing the R15 now. Oh, and they felt necessary to add the Benz ML63, but not the C63 or the E63!? For that matter, they add a couple of SUVs but then neglected to put an SUV racing series. So, what? You’re supposed to race around in normal races against normal cars with a big old SUV?

W E A K sauce.

And then, I hadn’t been paying attention and apparently I have to purchase the Limited Edition if I ever want to get the 430 Scuderia or the ZR1 (or a couple of other VIP cars that won’t be offered on the auction house or as DLC). Great plan.

Speaking of DLC. So the new F450 Italia has been announced as DLC for Forza 3. That only really presents one problem, and one of the same complaints I had about DLC for Forza 2: it’s standalone. Because it comes out so much later than the game, I’m done with the career play and then I don’t get to use the DLC cars in normal races. If only they’d add a continuing career system where you could keep going indefinitely.

With the new tracks/graphics combined with the same old cars, this just feels like a big upgrade and not an entirely new game. Sorry guys, it just isn’t that great. Oh, and I can’t fail to mention that cars that you win during the career, you can’t sell for any value, nor can you change the color. I can only assume that’s so you can’t sell them on the auction house? But if everybody gets the same cars as reward, who would need to buy them? Maybe it’s only the two cars I’ve tried to change the color of (Veyron and Z06)?

I’m sure it’ll still be the go-to game when I’m bored, but I really think they tried to get too crafty with the crippled normal release / limited edition / DLC cars later launch strategy.

The instructions say to bake the gpu, but mine fired up right away. I’m letting it sit and run for an hour or so before I put it all back together just to make sure, but it looks like; Scott 1, Crappy Chinese factory construction 0.

This is mainly for my use, because I’ve been all over the place in the last few days collecting crap to get this to work. And I’m still working on getting WMP to play the files natively so that I can get thumbnails in the WMP Library (just icing, not really necessary).

So why am I doing this instead of using encode360 to transcode the mkv to wmv? Takes too long. Takes about 12hrs on my core2duo imac to do a 2hr movie. With this method, best case scenario, all I’m doing is copying the file to remux it. Worst case, I’m back to transcoding again.

m2ts muxing for ps3 playback
Still no info yet today on if xbox360 can play m2t files. [update] answer is no. I’d be thrilled if both machines would play the video, but for now I’m happy that the ps3 runs quieter. The downside is the ps3 doesn’t have the ability to skip ahead while watching. Or maybe encode360 (windows media encoder) is auto inserting chapters into the wmv?

[update] Skip all of this and just use mkv2vob for both audio and video. Several times, when mkv2vob has wanted to transcode the video, I've been able to get around it using tsmuxer. But there have been a couple of times that the video had to be transcoded no matter what ... at this point, I'm taking the lazy, slow, way out.
First step after obtaining the MKV is to use tsMuxer link 1 link 2 link3 to load up the MKV file and check both the video and audio stream. There’s an easy quick guide with screenshots here. But if the guide link goes away the basics are, load the MKV, select the video stream, click ‘change level’ and set from 5.1 to 4.1. That’s assuming that when you looked at the video stream it was 5.1 … almost always is. Lastely, select M2TS Muxing and Start Muxing. If the audio stream was AC3 5.1 you’re done and can skip the next step and go to wmp11 streaming. PS3 will only play AC3 5.1 in a m2ts container, so if you’re mkv has a dts audio stream that’s going to need to be transcoded.

DTS to AC3
For this step we need mkv2vob link 1 link 2 link 3. Technically, mkv2vob is supposed to be a one stop shop and would transcode either audio or video for you if needed while putting the level down to 4.1, but I haven’t had good luck with it. I usually end up with ‘file corrupt’ from the ps3. But it’s very useful to transcode the DTS to AC3 for us, but requires and extra step. It’s worth mentioning that mkv2vob actually uses tsmuxer itself, so it might be worth investigating why my muxes using txmuxer work but they don’t through mkv2vob. But anyway. The crap thing here is we’re going to need plenty of disk space. Also note that there are a lot of other ways to demux the mkv and convert the dts, I’m just detailing the easiest way that I found. I’m not too worried about disk space. Although you could save a lot of time not having to copy 4-8GB each time.

Launch mkv2vob and then go to the configuration tab. Make sure to set Video Transcoding to Never. A big warning will flash up, ignore it. Set Output File Extension to m2ts and Transcoding to x264 (Slow) … it’s never going to get used, but just in case. I’ve also been unselecting Boost AAC Volume and Boost DTS Volume. I may have to come back and change this after some experimentation.

Now go back to Add File and open your original MKV file and then choose a destination. This step is going to take awhile (not as long as encode360 would) so plan to fill some time. Mkv2vob is now going to copy the avc video stream and do a 2-pass transcode of the dts audio stream to ac3.

Now for the sloppy part. Now that you’ve got a m2ts file from mkv2vob with an ac3 audio stream you can try to stream it to the ps3 if you’d like. I’ve never had any success with it, but maybe if you’re streaming from tversity or twonky it’ll work? What I have to do for it to work is now open that m2ts file in tsmuxer and grab out the ac3 audio file. Now that I have the original avc stream (from the first tsmuxer demux step) and the new ac3 stream, I use tsmuxer to remux to m2ts and ps3 likes it. Delete the m2ts file that mkv2vob made. The remux process again will take a little bit, but only as long as it did to originally demux. On my computer that’s about 12min or so for a 4GB file?

Streaming M2TS to PS3
I use wmp11, so I’m not going over tversity or twonky. Tversity should be the easiest, but I never have a ton of luck getting it to work right no matter how many times I’ve played with it. The first step is getting wmp11 to recognize m2t. Sorry, skipped a small step; rename the m2ts file to m2t (probably not necessary). I tried two different combinations. Just right clicking the file and choosing ‘open with’, selecting wmp and then checking ‘always use …’ That didn’t work out so good. So then I found the following reg hack:

copy and paste this into a text file

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\MLS\Extensions]
"m2ts"="video"
"mts"="video"
"m2t"="video"
"ts"="video"


Might need a reboot at this point. Technically you can stop right here; movies will show up on the PS3 and stream in full AVC with AC3 5.1 (verify by hitting triangle while playing and select info). If you want wmp to be able to actually play the files you need to go one step further.

Download and install ffdshow. Next download Haali (Matroska) Media Splitter and install that too. You should now get a preview thumbnail in wmp and being able to play it.

The next hurdle is seeing if there’s any way to tag metadata into wmp for the movie. As it stands the PS3 doesn’t know how long the movie is, or display the thumbnail preview that wmp does. I’m still looking, and hoping, for a solution to that.

There’s also the mention that because the media streams in the m2t container are playable by the 360 that they might be playable using hdtvpump and mce. But I’m not going that far.

Still like it though. I was getting tired of trying to mine achievements on GTA IV.

I really want a reason to like my PS3; even though I’ve only turned it on three or four times since I bought it almost a year ago. It should be a great media center console, but it seems like every format is gimped in some way to protect against watching pirated movies (valid concern, but come on, just look the other way … oh wait, yeah you guys own a movie studio … okay I’ll give you that one). And then there’s forced installs on games. Who thought this was a great idea? Is the drive really that slow? Because even after the game is installed, wait times are still awful. I get home last night, and excitedly throw in Prologue hoping to get a few races in before it’s time to get Logan off to bed. And here’s how that went.

Turn on PS3. Put disc in … everything’s good up till now right? … Disc loads. And then I’m presented with a screen telling me that I have to install the game to the hard drive to play it? Really? Uh … okay. At this point I’m expecting it to take, what, 3-4 min to copy over the most accessed stuff. 25min later, I’m still staring at the creeping status bar. 25 minutes?!?! Who the hell thought this was a great idea? Because he’s an idiot. Alright, calm down, at least I get to play now right? Oh no. It then boots up and tells me that there’s an upgrade available. WTF. You didn’t think to maybe download and install the update during that 25 minute install process? Again; idiot. Okay, fine. Updates for brand new games are common with Xbox games too; but here’s where everything starts to go left. In Xbox Live world, the update takes 10-20sec to download, the Xbox reboots and you’re all good. Not so much in PS3 land. I hit okay to the update, and stare at the progress bar again for another 10 min.

Alright, I’m calming down now, the update is just about done. Why I didn’t just go make myself a drink or get a couple of beers I don’t know. Good thing I didn’t though, by now I would’ve been tanked. Oh, but what’s this?!? “There was an error downloading the update”. Oh peachy. One of the warnings about the update was that it may erase saved data. So do I try to download the update again, or go ahead and play risking that whatever progress I make I’ll have to repeat once I do the update? Fuck it. I’ve waited almost an hour now, I’m playing the god damn game. And this shit better be mind blowing for all of this.

I do have to say I liked the PS3 / GT5 interface a lot better than Xbox’s. But that’s about where it ends. There are so many menu item confirmation dialogs I almost feel like I’m playing a computer game circa 1993. But at least those menus should be snappy since the game is installed to the hard drive right? Oh no. There’s still a 10-20 sec pause between menus … more time than Xbox’s wait time running straight off the drive. So what’s the point of making the user sit through a 45min install if they’re still being kept waiting for the normal load times?

But how’s the game? I keep having to remind myself, this isn’t actually a game, it’s just a preview for the full game that’s still a year off. I’d have to expect that the physics engine is all done by now though and that they’re just working on content. But there are rumors that they’re finally being pressured into including a damage model. Polyphony and Sony would like to have you think of this as a simulator; but it’s really a game. Forza 2 seems to have them trumped on physics. [edit: yes, I had the physics set to 'professional' and not 'standard'] Cars in GT5 don’t have any feeling of mass, no matter what you’re driving they turn at the same rate. The only difference being if they understeer or oversteer first. Forza 2 and GT5 both suffer with the same tire squeel noise for every type of tire; tie there. Hint: racing slicks don’t squeel when they slide, they make a scuffing sound. There is no weight transfer in GT5 except the visual bob of the screen under braking. But all cars corner perfectly flat; no body lean. GT5 does get the nod for putting in wind noise at high speeds. However, they’re using it as way for the player to detect when they’re “drafting” (wind noise goes silent when drafting); which is modelled so unrealistically that it’s almost laughable. You can “draft” in GT5 from a 1/4 mile back.

And without damage modeling, the fastest way around the track in GT5 is still to barrel into a corner full steam and bounce off opponent cars.

So Forza gets the upper hand in physics, but wow does GT5 look pretty. Not as anti-aliased as I was expecting. Forza gets a lot of flack for jagged edges, but I noticed plenty in GT5. But the in car view takes me straight back to the original, great, Need For Speed. And I do have to mention that I like the PS3 analog controller better than Xbox’s. In Forza, the analog stick doesn’t have much ‘analog’ to it, so I find myself just sawing at it using on/off to steering in a mild arc for corners that don’t require full lock. PS3′s have a lot more analog, so less sawing. And I still need to buy one of the new controllers with vibration feedback. I know Sony was stuck in a lawsuit about that, but again; idiotic not to include the vibration controller with the system when the Xbox does.

I’m harsh on GT5 because I expected more. I’ll still happily play it, but it doesn’t live up to the hype. It’s still gonna sell a bazillion copies and be the best seller on PS3 for years, but the developers really should be ashamed of their half-ass effort that’s taken 5yrs.

I still like it though; I’m a sucker for RPGs. And as much as I hate fedex quests, I still do them to see what kind of special trinket I’m going to get to collect. Every nook and crannie of the game has to get explored. Every dialog option. Every dungeon crawled.

A lot has been made about the real time combat system, is it a shooter or is it an RPG? I don’t mind the real time combat. It’s not as good, or fluid, as a tactical shooter but it’s a lot less jarring than the traditional turn based combat of traditional RPGs where everybody stands around until it’s their turn to do something. Do I think, given another year of development time they could’ve made it better? Yeah, there’s room for improvement.

Same with the graphics. They’re gorgeous … for the most part. But it comes at a heavy price. Lots of stutter, lots of screen tearing and tons of texture pop-up. You even get texture pop-up in the middle of cut scenes! However, because it’s not an all out action shooter, it really doesn’t matter. I’ll take the static graphic quality over framerate in an RPG.

I don’t see the explorable areas being much bigger than KOTOR, and the beginning “planet” is really just a linear corridor with sky painted in. Hopefully that’ll change as the game goes on.

Lot of people have complained about the load times. I don’t notice it. Doesn’t seem any worse than any other game with large areas. In fact, load times seem considerably shorter than Halo 3′s. And with all the voice acting, I’m having a hard time getting my head around them fitting this thing on a single DVD. This game really could’ve made an argument for blu-ray’s bigger capacity if they’d developed it on the PS3. I’d be really curious how much of a dual layer DVD they used, if they filled the thing or if they actually had room to spare.

So far I haven’t played it long enough to see the possibility of a second play-through even though they’ve structured it so that you unlock some content on your first run through to be used in your second. But we’ll see. For now I’m just happy to have a game to really sink into.

Everything in time. I’m starting to get better, but now I’m in that gray area where I’ll have one really good game, proceeded by another where I get my ass kicked around like a chew toy. There’s no consistency. At least now it feels like if I were to stick with it, there’s the possibility I’d climb the ranks.

But that’s the point. Where’s the need to be investing so much time to enjoy a game? With more and more game developers ditching the single player part of their games and focusing on multiplayer there really needs to be a casual arena for people who just want to jump in and have fun without investing weeks of their lives. The competition is really alienating to the casual gamer. But massive multiplayer is still in it’s teenage stage so it’s still got some polishing needed.

This is not the great game Halo was. Like Bioshock, the single player is simply a narrative to be interacted with. It’s strength lies in multiplayer, and sadly I don’t think we’re likely to see many more, if any, single player games that aren’t RPG.

My initial complaint is that it feels very short. I’m nowhere near finished, so I can’t claim to have seen the whole thing, but I’ve heard there’s only 10 levels. I’ve played for an hour and a half and I’m on level 4. My second complaint is the huge jump in difficulty between Normal and Heroic. On Normal you can bust around and feel like superhuman gamer destroying everything in your path. Heroic you’re reduced to hiding behind rocks and scrounging for enemy weapons because you had to unload all your ammo on the first Brute. Normal, enemies stand around waiting to get pummelled. Heroic, the AI suddenly jumps to life. It’s such a striking contrast.

My second complaint is moving the action button up to the right bumper. I’ve never been comfortable hitting bumper buttons, and now when I’m trying to grenade a wraith or take over a ghost I’ve got to stop, wait for the RB dialog to pop up and then find that button. Frustrating. I know, my life is just never easy. But the new usable items are cool … when I remember to use them … so I don’t know why I’m really complaining.

There’s no real sense of exploration or mystery like there was in Halo. It’s more of the same that you’ve already seen. I’m hoping that statement proves false down the road.

Levels feel even more rail than Halo 2, which is saying something. Halo was rail too, but at least they took some time to give you the illusion that you were in a bigger environment than you really were. I keep hearing there are some massive environments, but so far I’ve seen 2′ wide jungle corridors (when did you ever see a corridor in a jungle?) and a USNC base that I had to traverse 4 different times. Talk about fedex quest.

As usual, I’m just griping because it didn’t blow me away like I was expecting. Can’t complain about graphics, or sound or control. What I’m really complaining about is, why did this take so long? I see nothing particularly special. Is it a good game? Yeah, undoubtedly. But to not be as good as the original game is a sin.

[update]
Finished the game; disappointed, the single player campaign is about 1/2 of what it was in 1 and 2. On Normal it’s just too easy. And I hate Flood.