Following on from a post I made a few weeks ago defending the turn based element of JRPGs and why I feel they should never die ( http://dontteasetheoctopus.... I started to read articles pertaining mainly to the downfall of JRPGs and why they are losing favour in the West. Many writers and forum contributors have hypothesised over why and how they need to be fixed and how pretty much every other genre in gaming, particularly WRPGs, have left the JRPG floundering in their wake for a last gasp phoenix down, in an attempt to prevent them from being totally wiped out by the BioBethehemoth.
There are stats and commentary to back these claims up. PSM3 posted an article on Gamesradar back in March ( http://www.gamesradar.com/p... which told us that the Japanese software market has slumped a staggering 40% from 537 billion yen (£4 billion) to 326 billion yen (£2.5 billion) between 1997 and 2009. Whether this slump is solely down to one genre of Japanese games or the growth of the gaming market in other areas of the world is debatable. I lean towards the latter personally.
At one point the Japanese gaming market represented 50% of the global gaming market and enjoyed what many observers describe as a 'Golden Age' during the PS1 era. The thing is, Japanese developers, particularly JRPG developers, have for the most part, only ever made games they thought Japanese people would enjoy, a notion backed up by Hirokazu Hamamura, president of Enterbrain, the publisher of Famitsu, in a recent interview with Mark Cieslak of the BBC ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/...
"The Japanese don't like shooting and war games very much. They prefer playing in fantasy worlds and battling with swords. I think there is very little interest in fighting with guns and this sort of combat game."
Catering to the Western market has only recently become a major concern for Japanese publishers as gamers and critics alike round on the JRPG genre with accusations of 'Galapagosization', and undoubtedly, some of them haven't gone about making their Western move in the best way. Square Enix being a case in point. Acquiring Eidos was hypothetically, a masterstroke as they inherited two of the most recognisable brands in the Western gaming market in Tomb Raider and Hitman. Combining Square Enix's expertise in the cinematic and emotionally attached gaming experience with Eidos' successful IPs , on paper, was a fantastic match which would allow the Japanese publisher to gain a foothold in the Western gaming market. Mixing JRPGs and Western developers together though is a tricky balancing act.
Front Mission Evolved, a treasured Squaresoft licence from back in the day was handed over to Double Helix Games for development, why? Double Helix are an amalgamation of Shiny Entertainment and The Collective, Inc. who between them are responsible for some of my favourite games: Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Xbox, Earthworm Jim on SNES and MDK. However, were they well placed to take a traditional JRPG IP like Front Mission and er...evolve it? Well, despite good intentions and some nice ideas the reviewers would say no...( http://www.metacritic.com/g...
GRIN were also left out in the cold, allegedly, from this hybridisation of the lauded Square Enix IP and the Western development studio. They were rumoured to be working on a Final Fantasy XII spinoff called Fortress, as reported by Kotaku ( http://kotaku.com/5341365/g... and numerous other reputable sources shortly after GRIN went out of business in 2009. Again, allegedly, I must stress this because to my knowledge this speculation is nothing more than internet fodder and CV snooping, they were expecting a large sum of money for the development of this title but that it was taken back in house due to Square Enix issues with the quality. Why a Final Fantasy licence was given to anyone outside of the core SE development studio is anyone's guess, especially since it's one of the most successful Japanese titles in the West anyway.
Sufficed to say, it doens't make any sense to me as a fan of Japanese games, to have a Western studio develop titles which fall into that category of IP and it doens't ring true for the fans either, this is gripe #1. Look at the backlash Ninja Theory received ( http://www.escapistmagazine... when it came to light they would be developing the new Devil May Cry game. Great studio, one of the few that could probably pull this off but the fans remain extremely sceptical. This is one of the internet's few JRPG gripes I can get on board with, I wouldn't want Square Enix developing Mass Effect 3 and I wouldn't want BioWare developing FFXV. Fans of JRPGs and WRPGs appreciate the differences and enjoy each for their respective strengths. There's absolutely no need to mix them up.
Another thing that seems to piss gamers off about JRPGs are their 'cliched' storylines, gripe #2. The reluctant hero is apparently all of a sudden an alien concept to some people who presumably have grown up watching Terminator 2 on repeat to be deluded into thinking that all heroes love what they do. In many JRPG cases, you're a reluctant hero, thrown into the fray by circumstances outside of your control. A giantbomb.com blog post bemoaned this at length earlier this year ( http://www.giantbomb.com/pr... I think the thing people forget, all too often, is that this isn't a narrative device limited only to JRPGs. A reluctant hero is part and parcel of the monomyth and common to all kinds of narrative from various cultures all over the world since, well, forever.
Amnesia has become a dirty word in the JRPG despite the fact that Fallout: New Vegas uses it as a plot device as does Shadowrun from Australian developers, Beam Software for the SNES way back in 1993.
The hero's family being killed at an early age or the hero being the last of his kind for some reason in some JRPGs never happens in WRPGs because they're so cutting edge and fresh. *cough* Baldur's Gate *cough* Divinity 2.
Waking up one morning to discover you've come of age all of a sudden and were special for some reason with a duty to save the world never happened in Neverwinter Nights, or Dragon Age, or Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or countless other WRPGs of the same ilk did it? Actually it did so I get frustrated when I hear that JRPG storylines are cliched. Most game storylines are cliched to some extent, so sorry internet, but you're going to have to come up with a better reason for hating JRPG storylines. Here's a tip: they're too melodramatic. I'll give you that one.
So what else, ah yes, gripe #3: 'uh, how cum i can juz wlk in2 sum1s house and steal dere stuff an no1 says nuffin dats juz dumb. jprgs suck lolz lolz lolz lolz. wrpgs ftw.' I'm not going to dwell on the looting point too much because it's so ludicrous but FALLOUT! ELDER SCROLLS! NEVERWINTER! BALDUR'S GATE! ETC ETC ETC ETC to INFINITY! Not only will you nick people's stuff but you will become encumbered with some of the most pointless loot EVER seen in videogames! I loved all the above games, loved them, but would frequently have to clear my inventory of cups, plates, goblets and other pointless things that I had found in chests or people's houses.
Gripe #4 is a pretty obvious one and probably the only one I'm going to categorically agree with. Random battles. They're tired, they're annoying and dozens of JRPGs have shown us a better way of doing things by having the enemies on the map for you to engage and avoid at your leisure. Some would argue that without random battles, players won't be ready to engage some challenges further down the line as they won't be levelled up enough but I think games like Demon's Souls have shown us that gamers learn through dying. It's fairly obvious that if something wipes you easily, you'll need to go and level up before trying again.
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn Angry Birds research. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn Angry Birds research. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Bảy, 22 tháng 10, 2011
Dsnyder (User) Trainee 1 bubbles 5 in CRank Score: 21030 "" PM Add as friend Track Ignore Report 4 unfair reasons people will take your bubbles.
4.Personal grudge.
Sometimes someone will hit the bubble down button on you just because they can. You made a simple comment to them that was pure blasphemy in their eyes and now they put you closer to a bubble down in rank. How often does this happen? Hard to say but it does happen. Sometimes people dont need a reason to bubble someone down. They just need to take out their anger on someone and you just happened to be in their way at the wrong time.
3.You commented first.
No matter how objective or politically correct your post was, if it was first, it will get attacked with disagrees, which is a pretty good indicator that people are taking bubbles from you too. You see, n4g is a big congregation of gamers with many different views on gaming, and some people here are more reasonable than others. Putting up a first comment might was well be like painting a bullseye on your chest. No matter what you posted, someone will hit disagree and possibly take your bubble. Sad? Yes. Common? Sadly yes.
2.You have an opinion (that differs from the other guy).
So lets say there is a really hyped game coming out. Everyone thinks it will be great but you have your doubts and you go to post why you think this game may not be as good as its hyped up to be. All of a sudden, you are bombarded with hate comments about how wrong you are and you have been slammed with disagrees and bubble losses. On N4G, if your opinion does not match the majority, you are on the majority's shit list. Nothing you ever do will get you bubbles and you will be shunned from the comments just because they want their subjective views to be law.
1.You are not a Sony fanboy.
Look at any first comment that has to do with praising PS3. Now look at any fist comment that has to do with praising Xbox 360. You will notice that in popular news, each comment has 100 agrees to about 40 disagrees for the positive Sony comment and vice- versa for the positive 360 comment. That means that Sony fanboys make up the greatest majority of N4G and like I mentioned in #2, majority rules. If you don't like Sony, you better not get too attached to your bubbles because posting anything Sony negative, even if its just an opinion and you are not trying to troll will be the fastest and most unfair way to lose your bubbles.
Sometimes someone will hit the bubble down button on you just because they can. You made a simple comment to them that was pure blasphemy in their eyes and now they put you closer to a bubble down in rank. How often does this happen? Hard to say but it does happen. Sometimes people dont need a reason to bubble someone down. They just need to take out their anger on someone and you just happened to be in their way at the wrong time.
3.You commented first.
No matter how objective or politically correct your post was, if it was first, it will get attacked with disagrees, which is a pretty good indicator that people are taking bubbles from you too. You see, n4g is a big congregation of gamers with many different views on gaming, and some people here are more reasonable than others. Putting up a first comment might was well be like painting a bullseye on your chest. No matter what you posted, someone will hit disagree and possibly take your bubble. Sad? Yes. Common? Sadly yes.
2.You have an opinion (that differs from the other guy).
So lets say there is a really hyped game coming out. Everyone thinks it will be great but you have your doubts and you go to post why you think this game may not be as good as its hyped up to be. All of a sudden, you are bombarded with hate comments about how wrong you are and you have been slammed with disagrees and bubble losses. On N4G, if your opinion does not match the majority, you are on the majority's shit list. Nothing you ever do will get you bubbles and you will be shunned from the comments just because they want their subjective views to be law.
1.You are not a Sony fanboy.
Look at any first comment that has to do with praising PS3. Now look at any fist comment that has to do with praising Xbox 360. You will notice that in popular news, each comment has 100 agrees to about 40 disagrees for the positive Sony comment and vice- versa for the positive 360 comment. That means that Sony fanboys make up the greatest majority of N4G and like I mentioned in #2, majority rules. If you don't like Sony, you better not get too attached to your bubbles because posting anything Sony negative, even if its just an opinion and you are not trying to troll will be the fastest and most unfair way to lose your bubbles.
Thứ Bảy, 15 tháng 10, 2011
The continuing misrepresentation of a small crisis.
Well, in about 9 days if PSN is still not back up, it will be a month since PSN was taken offline due to a security breach.
This event has shown just how sorry a state gaming journalism is really in. So much misinformation being spread around as though it were fact, no fact or source checking, random no-name bloggers and forum posters having their words taken as the gospel truth all in an attempt to continue tarnish Sony's reputation. To what end? Only the purveyors of these falsehoods really know. But let's break down everything that's happened and see how the lies and misinformation have been spread.
LIE #1: Sony were using outdated Apache software and no firewalls on the PSN servers, which was basically telling hackers to walk right on in.
Breakdown: This lie came up when a testimony was made during the congressional hearing about this issue by one Dr. Eugene Spafford. He claimed, based ONLY ON READING FORUM POSTS AND OTHER MAILINGS, that Sony was running outdated and unpatched Apache software with no firewall installed. Now before I go into why this is a lie, it's worth noting that the dates of these so called forum posts and mailings were for months ago and should have no bearing on recent events. What should be important is the latest data concerning this. And that's where the proof that this is a lie comes into effect. The site Beyond3D did their own semi-detective work using everyone's favorite spy, Google.
Using a Google cache method, members of Beyond3D were able to discover that not long prior to the breach, Sony was using the LATEST version of Apache software, fully patched, as well as showing that the good Dr. actually had no knowledge of what Sony's current security methods really were. Here's the direct link to the "investigation".
http://forum.beyond3d.com/s...
You'll note that the current software version was in place even BEFORE the attack took place. Which means Sony's security was perfectly fine. I can't personally confirm this right now, but I've heard that the hackers used a worm to bypass the firewall and then later tricked PSN into believing they were developers, i.e. a trusted source, for which there are likely different security measures. But that's unconfirmed.
Lie #2: Credit Card information was unencrpyted and in plain text.
Breakdown: This was spread around everywhere based on lack of accurate communication and misinformation. You can't pick any one source, it's enough to just say that it was said everywhere. This was disproven by Sony themselves who released an official statement that stated that CC information was encrypted. The messages sent out were a precautionary measure because CC fraud happens every day even with the information encrypted. The security experts and law enforcement also had access to see if the info was unencrpyted, and to date no official statement refuting what Sony has stated as been released. The claim that personal information such as phone numbers and addresses were in plain text however seems to be true. But what's worth remembering is that such things are public domain. Google can find anything or anyone it seems.
These two examples are lies, but there are also other forms of misinformation and general FUD that have been spread around.
"Sony didn't have due-diligence in protecting out information"
-Wrong.
"Sony should have told us day one everything that was going on"
-They didn't have all the information, and they owe us and the shareholders an accurate statement first and foremost. Look at what happened when they said "we don't know what happened but we're checking into it." Everyone got pissed. Now picture that exact statement, only right on the day they shut down PSN. You think you'd be happy?
"Sony's lying about when PSN will come back up"
-Except they never set a firm date. They told you when they HOPE to have it back up.
The point of this blog is just to show that so many sites have been fanning the flames of hate, disregarding truth and failing at basic source/fact checking. It's all about "teh hitz" and spreading controversy. This created a needless, yet very large, stain on Sony's reputation. One they didn't need as the problem with PSN was bad enough.
This event has shown just how sorry a state gaming journalism is really in. So much misinformation being spread around as though it were fact, no fact or source checking, random no-name bloggers and forum posters having their words taken as the gospel truth all in an attempt to continue tarnish Sony's reputation. To what end? Only the purveyors of these falsehoods really know. But let's break down everything that's happened and see how the lies and misinformation have been spread.
LIE #1: Sony were using outdated Apache software and no firewalls on the PSN servers, which was basically telling hackers to walk right on in.
Breakdown: This lie came up when a testimony was made during the congressional hearing about this issue by one Dr. Eugene Spafford. He claimed, based ONLY ON READING FORUM POSTS AND OTHER MAILINGS, that Sony was running outdated and unpatched Apache software with no firewall installed. Now before I go into why this is a lie, it's worth noting that the dates of these so called forum posts and mailings were for months ago and should have no bearing on recent events. What should be important is the latest data concerning this. And that's where the proof that this is a lie comes into effect. The site Beyond3D did their own semi-detective work using everyone's favorite spy, Google.
Using a Google cache method, members of Beyond3D were able to discover that not long prior to the breach, Sony was using the LATEST version of Apache software, fully patched, as well as showing that the good Dr. actually had no knowledge of what Sony's current security methods really were. Here's the direct link to the "investigation".
http://forum.beyond3d.com/s...
You'll note that the current software version was in place even BEFORE the attack took place. Which means Sony's security was perfectly fine. I can't personally confirm this right now, but I've heard that the hackers used a worm to bypass the firewall and then later tricked PSN into believing they were developers, i.e. a trusted source, for which there are likely different security measures. But that's unconfirmed.
Lie #2: Credit Card information was unencrpyted and in plain text.
Breakdown: This was spread around everywhere based on lack of accurate communication and misinformation. You can't pick any one source, it's enough to just say that it was said everywhere. This was disproven by Sony themselves who released an official statement that stated that CC information was encrypted. The messages sent out were a precautionary measure because CC fraud happens every day even with the information encrypted. The security experts and law enforcement also had access to see if the info was unencrpyted, and to date no official statement refuting what Sony has stated as been released. The claim that personal information such as phone numbers and addresses were in plain text however seems to be true. But what's worth remembering is that such things are public domain. Google can find anything or anyone it seems.
These two examples are lies, but there are also other forms of misinformation and general FUD that have been spread around.
"Sony didn't have due-diligence in protecting out information"
-Wrong.
"Sony should have told us day one everything that was going on"
-They didn't have all the information, and they owe us and the shareholders an accurate statement first and foremost. Look at what happened when they said "we don't know what happened but we're checking into it." Everyone got pissed. Now picture that exact statement, only right on the day they shut down PSN. You think you'd be happy?
"Sony's lying about when PSN will come back up"
-Except they never set a firm date. They told you when they HOPE to have it back up.
The point of this blog is just to show that so many sites have been fanning the flames of hate, disregarding truth and failing at basic source/fact checking. It's all about "teh hitz" and spreading controversy. This created a needless, yet very large, stain on Sony's reputation. One they didn't need as the problem with PSN was bad enough.
Blade Kitten, The game you didn't play
Ok this is going to be one of THOSE kind of blog posts, you know the ones where a person bangs on about a game nobody bothered to play and the author rags on people for not buying it. Ok I hope it doesn't turn out like that but I thought I'd give a warning to be on the safe side.
Let me tell you about Blade Kitten. It original started off as a game idea from Australia based Krome Studios' Steve Stamatiadis who also created Ty the Tasmanian Tiger and worked on the PSP, Wii and PS2 Star Wars forced unleashed games. Because of those projects getting in the way he decided to make it into a online comic series. The comics can be purchased by the way so if you are interested in Blade Kitten after reading this go to the official site at http://bladekitten.com/.
The comic series has a small amount of fame and is an independent comic series. The story is also based after the game. The comics are also ongoing so it's still telling it's story. The game on the other hand isn't a full game. Why you may ask? Well it's an episodic game that's in 2 parts and Atari has only released 1 of the episodes. Atari hasn't released episode 2 because not many people bought episode 1.
The game itself is a cel shaded 2.5D action platformer inspired by classic Castlevania games. The game focuses on exploration over combat. The controls are simple enough for kids to play and the story is enjoyable but you can tell that there is suppose to be more to it when you finish it. The games short for it's price tag but it's length will depend on what you do. If you rush through the stages it can be don't in a little over an hour but if you focus on finding all the treasure chest and skiffs it can take about 4 or more hours depending on the player. Admittedly the replay value is limited to just grinding for Hex and finding what you missed so you can unlock costumes, buy all the weapons and max out Kit Ballard's health and stamina. Episode 2 has improvements but we may never see it because it's release will be determined by sales.
The game is fun in my opinion but if you've read the reviews of the big boy reviewers they all pretty much said it's meh except Eurogamer who liked it. I have a review here on my blog site http://ultimablackmage.blog... so you can read it if you want my full opinion and a little more info on the game. What was the biggest complaint of the top of my head was the fact that enemies were too easy to kill. Now this didn't bug me but they are easy to kill. Again I remind you that the game is inspired by classic Castlevania games where the enemies where killed with a strike or 2 from your whip. The story is also complained about but I remind you it's only HALF A GAME.
I'm not asking people to buy the game, I'm asking you download the trial and then decide if you want to buy it. Even give the comics a read, they're pretty good. I admit I'm a bit bias towards Blade Kitten and patriotic towards it too since it's Australian made but it's worth a try. Unfortunately you can't download the PS3 version for obvious reasons but it's the same quality on all of them and it's probably dropped in price too. Also don't let that T rating in America fool you, this game is appropriate for kids and they will most likely enjoy the colorful visuals and cartoon like appearance.
If you do enjoy the game tell Atari you like it and want the second episode DLC to be released via email or Twitter. If enough people ask for it we may be able to pressure them to release it. I've been hounding them since November whenever I can and I can't do it alone.
Let me tell you about Blade Kitten. It original started off as a game idea from Australia based Krome Studios' Steve Stamatiadis who also created Ty the Tasmanian Tiger and worked on the PSP, Wii and PS2 Star Wars forced unleashed games. Because of those projects getting in the way he decided to make it into a online comic series. The comics can be purchased by the way so if you are interested in Blade Kitten after reading this go to the official site at http://bladekitten.com/.
The comic series has a small amount of fame and is an independent comic series. The story is also based after the game. The comics are also ongoing so it's still telling it's story. The game on the other hand isn't a full game. Why you may ask? Well it's an episodic game that's in 2 parts and Atari has only released 1 of the episodes. Atari hasn't released episode 2 because not many people bought episode 1.
The game itself is a cel shaded 2.5D action platformer inspired by classic Castlevania games. The game focuses on exploration over combat. The controls are simple enough for kids to play and the story is enjoyable but you can tell that there is suppose to be more to it when you finish it. The games short for it's price tag but it's length will depend on what you do. If you rush through the stages it can be don't in a little over an hour but if you focus on finding all the treasure chest and skiffs it can take about 4 or more hours depending on the player. Admittedly the replay value is limited to just grinding for Hex and finding what you missed so you can unlock costumes, buy all the weapons and max out Kit Ballard's health and stamina. Episode 2 has improvements but we may never see it because it's release will be determined by sales.
The game is fun in my opinion but if you've read the reviews of the big boy reviewers they all pretty much said it's meh except Eurogamer who liked it. I have a review here on my blog site http://ultimablackmage.blog... so you can read it if you want my full opinion and a little more info on the game. What was the biggest complaint of the top of my head was the fact that enemies were too easy to kill. Now this didn't bug me but they are easy to kill. Again I remind you that the game is inspired by classic Castlevania games where the enemies where killed with a strike or 2 from your whip. The story is also complained about but I remind you it's only HALF A GAME.
I'm not asking people to buy the game, I'm asking you download the trial and then decide if you want to buy it. Even give the comics a read, they're pretty good. I admit I'm a bit bias towards Blade Kitten and patriotic towards it too since it's Australian made but it's worth a try. Unfortunately you can't download the PS3 version for obvious reasons but it's the same quality on all of them and it's probably dropped in price too. Also don't let that T rating in America fool you, this game is appropriate for kids and they will most likely enjoy the colorful visuals and cartoon like appearance.
If you do enjoy the game tell Atari you like it and want the second episode DLC to be released via email or Twitter. If enough people ask for it we may be able to pressure them to release it. I've been hounding them since November whenever I can and I can't do it alone.
Thứ Sáu, 14 tháng 10, 2011
Go Commando with N4G to win an Xbox 360 and Gears 3 from GameStop!
N4G and GameStop want you to Go Commando with us on September 20! Don't think you get less than a cool breeze for your efforts: pledging to Go Commando could win you an Xbox 360 and a copy of Gears of War 3 courtesy of GameStop!
Prize: An Xbox 360 250GB console and a copy of Gears of War 3
How to enter: Comment below with your pledge to Go Commando September 20th! You have until September 27, 11:59 PM PST to enter.
Quick Notes:
-Contest available to US residents (GameStop's rules, not ours, so deal!)
-One entry per member. Spamming or creating multiple accounts will be a DQ
-Questions & comments can be directed to Cat ( http://n4g.com/user/home/ca... )
-While Go Commando Day is September 20, we're giving you until September 27, 11:59 PM PST to enter.
-All Prizing provided by GameStop
For complete sweepstakes rules: http://n4g.com/general/Game...
More about GameStop's incentives:
GameStop ( www.gamestop.com ) has some serious incentives to go with their Gears of War 3 pre-orders, and is encouraging fans to Go Commando on September 20th - show your support (or lack thereof) on the FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/ev...
and with the #GoCommandoDay hashtag.
They're giving away prizes to pre-order customers right up to October 3. By pre-ordering the game at an GameStop or at www.gamestop.com use your receipt info to enter a code once a day on the "Go Commando" website, www.gamestop.com/gearsofwar . The grand prize is a 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer with daily prizes of XBL memberships, an ATV, flatscreen TVs and autographed Gears 3 concept art.
Prize: An Xbox 360 250GB console and a copy of Gears of War 3
How to enter: Comment below with your pledge to Go Commando September 20th! You have until September 27, 11:59 PM PST to enter.
Quick Notes:
-Contest available to US residents (GameStop's rules, not ours, so deal!)
-One entry per member. Spamming or creating multiple accounts will be a DQ
-Questions & comments can be directed to Cat ( http://n4g.com/user/home/ca... )
-While Go Commando Day is September 20, we're giving you until September 27, 11:59 PM PST to enter.
-All Prizing provided by GameStop
For complete sweepstakes rules: http://n4g.com/general/Game...
More about GameStop's incentives:
GameStop ( www.gamestop.com ) has some serious incentives to go with their Gears of War 3 pre-orders, and is encouraging fans to Go Commando on September 20th - show your support (or lack thereof) on the FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/ev...
and with the #GoCommandoDay hashtag.
They're giving away prizes to pre-order customers right up to October 3. By pre-ordering the game at an GameStop or at www.gamestop.com use your receipt info to enter a code once a day on the "Go Commando" website, www.gamestop.com/gearsofwar . The grand prize is a 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer with daily prizes of XBL memberships, an ATV, flatscreen TVs and autographed Gears 3 concept art.
Some problems I have with Sony
I am a proud Playstation fan. I own a PS1, PS2, PS3, and 2 versions of a PSP. Been gaming on Playstation consoles for a long time and am pretty satisfied with my experiences for the most part. However, there are some things that Sony does that really frustrate me.
Omitting moments where it is crucial to have the most accurate and up to date information possible; my first problem is with Sony notifying PS users of things like maintenance schedules and the like. Oftentimes when Sony is going to do maintenance, the ONLY way to know about it is through the blog or on sites like this one. Sony SHOULD be notifying users through their PSN accounts and emails, but I have yet to ever receive such notification. One user here stated that Sony do not send messages to PSN accounts because it would be impossible to tell if it was an official Sony message or some spammer/hacker trying to work one over on you. But I say that, considering Sony has complete control over PSN, they could easily implement a way to let people know if they are sending an official message. It's incredibly frustrating to try and do something on PSN, only to be met with vague error codes or a message stating the service is under maintenance AFTER you tried doing something.
That brings me to my next point. Sony should be training its support staff to know what the frickin' error codes are all about. 80% of the time, Sony customer service don't even know what the error codes mean, nor do they acknowledge there is even a problem. For example, error code 80010514. That code means the Blu-Ray diode is done and you need a new one. But the only way to find that out is through the forums, not through official Sony channels because they don't know anything or don't acknowledge the problem. You'd think since it's their system, Sony should know about the error codes since they programmed the codes into the system to begin with. Sony needs to have better communication within the company so as to facilitate the resolution of consumer issues more quickly and efficiently.
My next problem with them is their sloth like speed at fixing their PSN site on the internet, if they are even bothering to fix it at all. There is an Account Management site where you can make PSN account changes on your PC without needing to use your PS3 or PSP. Changes such as adding funds, changing Billing information, that kind of thing. But ever since the PSN hack of April, that site has been down with a message saying the servers are down for maintenance. It's been almost 5 months. How long does it take to do whatever the hell they are doing with those servers?
My final issue with Sony is their lack of support for WPA2 on the PSP. I'm not sure about the PSP Go, but both of my PSP's do not support my security settings for my wireless network, thus I can't connect to my own internet connection because it uses a WPA2 AES security function. So even if I have a problem with PSN on my PS3, I can't fix it on PC because the site is down and I can't fix it on PSP because I can't connect thanks to the use of a wireless b card in my version of the PSP.
Like I said, I love the Playstation brand and applaud Sony for the monumental "right" moves they made with the brand. But some of the wrong moves they've made are VERY frustrating to solve on your own, and a waste of time to try and solve through customer service. I think that Kaz needs to light a fire underneath his employees to get these problems resolved quickly, but I doubt that will happen any time soon.
Omitting moments where it is crucial to have the most accurate and up to date information possible; my first problem is with Sony notifying PS users of things like maintenance schedules and the like. Oftentimes when Sony is going to do maintenance, the ONLY way to know about it is through the blog or on sites like this one. Sony SHOULD be notifying users through their PSN accounts and emails, but I have yet to ever receive such notification. One user here stated that Sony do not send messages to PSN accounts because it would be impossible to tell if it was an official Sony message or some spammer/hacker trying to work one over on you. But I say that, considering Sony has complete control over PSN, they could easily implement a way to let people know if they are sending an official message. It's incredibly frustrating to try and do something on PSN, only to be met with vague error codes or a message stating the service is under maintenance AFTER you tried doing something.
That brings me to my next point. Sony should be training its support staff to know what the frickin' error codes are all about. 80% of the time, Sony customer service don't even know what the error codes mean, nor do they acknowledge there is even a problem. For example, error code 80010514. That code means the Blu-Ray diode is done and you need a new one. But the only way to find that out is through the forums, not through official Sony channels because they don't know anything or don't acknowledge the problem. You'd think since it's their system, Sony should know about the error codes since they programmed the codes into the system to begin with. Sony needs to have better communication within the company so as to facilitate the resolution of consumer issues more quickly and efficiently.
My next problem with them is their sloth like speed at fixing their PSN site on the internet, if they are even bothering to fix it at all. There is an Account Management site where you can make PSN account changes on your PC without needing to use your PS3 or PSP. Changes such as adding funds, changing Billing information, that kind of thing. But ever since the PSN hack of April, that site has been down with a message saying the servers are down for maintenance. It's been almost 5 months. How long does it take to do whatever the hell they are doing with those servers?
My final issue with Sony is their lack of support for WPA2 on the PSP. I'm not sure about the PSP Go, but both of my PSP's do not support my security settings for my wireless network, thus I can't connect to my own internet connection because it uses a WPA2 AES security function. So even if I have a problem with PSN on my PS3, I can't fix it on PC because the site is down and I can't fix it on PSP because I can't connect thanks to the use of a wireless b card in my version of the PSP.
Like I said, I love the Playstation brand and applaud Sony for the monumental "right" moves they made with the brand. But some of the wrong moves they've made are VERY frustrating to solve on your own, and a waste of time to try and solve through customer service. I think that Kaz needs to light a fire underneath his employees to get these problems resolved quickly, but I doubt that will happen any time soon.
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