farbot.com

New features on the PS3 haven't exactly been kind to older games, but the new adhocParty feature, currently only live in Japan, is going to change that trend at least when it comes to PSP titles. AdhocParty, in case you've missed the coverage so far, is basically voice chat, matchmaking and tunneling software for the PlayStation 3 that will let you connect select adhoc-multiplayer-only PSP titles to other gamers across the internet and voice chat with them using the PS3 while you play. It turns out that some older games are compatible with it.

It's no secret that publishers hate used video game purchases. The resale of the game gives the publisher and developer zero compensation for their work and the resale is very highly profitable for stores that specialize in this kind of thing. With the advent of broadband-connected consoles publishers of all types have started to embrace methods of rewarding those who buy their games new at retail and there may be other ways to make buying new the best way for hardcore gamers to go.

Publishers are trying to reduce the appeal of buying a game or peripheral used instead of new. Microsoft includes a special code with Gears Of War 2 to give buyers a Flashback Map Pack. Nintendo will be including a code with the Wii Speak peripheral to download the program needed to chat on the web. Both of these allow the publisher or manufacturer to sell this content later to those who buy those items used, not quite penalizing the purchaser of the used item.

Stephen Totilo at the MTV Multiplayer blog has an inspired idea on how publishers can put a dent in used game sales, enticing consumers to buy a game brand new. It's so simple that I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned it.

The dust has settled around the reviews for the T-Mobile G1 and the phone actually received its first "update" in the form of a security-related patch last week. We'll get into that patch in a moment. First my impressions of how the reviewers received the phone and its capabilities.

A Good Start
The phone succeeds as a first go at an Android phone and all reviewers have said that OS revisions and Marketplace applications for the phone will make it truly shine in the future. There are complaints about the stock software loaded on it, but none too serious, and different reviewers appreciate the screen and slide-out keyboard differently. The phone design itself didn't overwhelm any of them -- something I'd agree with just from a visual point of view -- but the OS seemed quite fast and responsive and for a 1.0 OS in some cases beat out the usability of Windows Mobile, at least up until the recent 6.x releases of Windows Mobile. One big standout success on the phone -- something highlighted in the Engadget Podcast -- is the Notification system. It's something that is apparently extensible by Marketplace apps which should produce some very exciting innovations in the always-connected applications space.

The Tokyo Game Show wrapped up earlier this month as a bit underwhelming for Sony. I did see something that made me point and ask "Wha?" It's a newly announced PSN game called Spelunker, which is actually going to be a remake of a beastly hard old arcade game. I don't quite know what the developer is going after, and I do think they need to pay closer attention to what's hitting the PS3 these days.

Why would I say that? Because the screen shot alone makes me think this game would be perfectly do-able in LittleBigPlanet at a cost of an additional zero dollars and zero cents. I'm just sayin.

The LittleBigPlanet servers are up now and you can now redeem your preorder bonus coupons. With luck the Astronaut download will be up on the PSN soon. I'm not able to reach my PS3 yet so I can't tell what's up.

Seen on Joystiq and PS3Fanboy.

This week we found out that Capcom will be getting a custom-branded PlayStation Store for their own content. Apparently publishing a variety of games on the PlayStation Network gets you this level of attention, but I'm not convinced they deserve special treatment.

The Gamers With Jobs Conference Call guys are all sharp guys and as intelligent gamers focused on putting on a good show every week for a couple of years now they play lots of games and recognize good reader feedback when they read it. In Episode 104 they got a free nugget of wisdom from a reader email.

A person writing in mentioned how after enjoying many RPGs and their side quests with his wife they started running into side quest burnout. They were getting sick of doing them and tried to figure out why something they used to enjoy was becoming a chore. They figured it out by, when considering a side quest, asking themselves a simple question that I think isn't just applicable to side quests but to a game as a whole: Is this something you want to do or something you want to have done.

It's something to consider when looking at buying a game. Are you considering it just to be part of the new "in thing" online or offline, or do you genuinely want to play it? I can think of a game or two I've bought that fit that category. Can you?

I suppose it's part of my American identity but one of my video game weaknesses is video game currency. It makes games just a bit more addicting for me whether I'm collecting Grand Theft Auto dollars, Ratchet and Clank bolts, Devil May Cry orbs, or even Metal Gear Solid 4 Drebin Points. I'll crawl out onto a raging battlefield to scoop up dropped guns for those puppies even though I almost never need to use them. It's found money, so how can I just walk away? The sound is a key part of it, too. The blips of Drebin Points and whoomp of Devil May Cry orbs can't hold a candle to the king of game currency -- Ratchet and Clank bolts. The jangling of those bolts as you scoop them up and they literally float into your account must've been designed by someone with some serious psychology chops. The clicking of the studs in Lego Star Wars probably comes in second mostly because I liked Legos so much as a kid.

As an Android phone the T-Mobile G1 promises to be the most open telephone platform in the United States, perhaps with the exception of the OpenMoko phone I've read about. But as a phone backed by a major cell carrier the G1 has a chance to have a noticeable effect on the mobile data space. Based on Engadget's coverage of the launch here are my impressions broken down as a brief set of pro's and con's.

I'll go with the good news first, then the not-so-good news.

+/- $179 2-year-contract G1.
+ $399 contract-free G1
+ Tethering allowed, but monitored.
+ Amazon music store integration.
+/- Data plans had 1GB limit, under review.
- Data plans are a bit much: $25 for 400 msg, $35 for unlimited.
- No headphone jack, must use proprietary dongle instead to connect headset.

Final Fantasy XI is still alive and kicking and getting regular content updates across all three platforms it runs on -- the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360. The next update in development will add something very interesting that seems to be aimed squarely at the higher-level players of the game who may be getting bored.

A new Level Sync feature will allow higher-level players to "power down" and adventure with lower-level ones and earn rewards similar to how the lower-level players would earn them. It scales them down to the lower-level player so they can access lower-level areas with them and will also scale their equipment down. This way high-level players don't have to scrounge around for lower-level equipment to go adventuring with their lower-level pals.

This sounds like an inspired game feature and shows that the FFXI team is committed to retaining as many higher-level players as possible by letting them enjoy earlier areas they might have enjoyed again with other lower-level friends. This should also boost mentoring as well since there's incentives for letting higher-level players replay these areas.

For my own adventures in FFXI, check out this thread. For the details on the content update see the Newsletter Issue 26.

Sony's actually ramping up the marketing for LittleBigPlanet, currently headed our way possibly as early as October 21st. A new Blog post today features a video created like a documentary about SackBoys as if they were wild animals. It's very good, covers most of what the gameplay is about in an entertaining way, and reveals a new tidbit about enemies SackBoy will face. Is this a tutorial video that will ship with the game? I hope so, especially since there's a hint of another one coming soon.

Seen on The PlayStation Blog.