Playstation 3....

I've always been into and a fan of the Xbox consoles from Original, 360, Xbox one & Series S. So it's no surprise that the only PlayStation console I've owned has been a Playstation 3. Or maybe that should be a surprise..... Why did an Xboxer get a Pony Slaystation! Simples... I wanted in on a PS3 only FPS. As long as it lasted Dust 514 was 'something special'(to me); But that's just the nostalgia talking, it wasn't a perfect game; But it ticked a lot of boxes.

CCP Games

I've waffled on about old Xbox consoles and the games I've purchased to 'complete' or at least 'round out' their collection. It's a personal thing. One persons favorite game is another's worst. As is I'm really happy with the old hardware and games I've kept and gotten. In looking through the online side of a second hand hardware/games chain of stores, I kept going back and looking at PS3 games. My 360 stuff was always respectable and I've already 'completed' my retro Xbox 'needs'(here, here and here). But the PS 3 road not taken was of interest. After a lot of hemming and hawing I finally took the plunge and splashed out on a bunch of cheap PS3 games. In fact the main hassle with buying them was that the postage and packing was 50% of the entire purchase value! 2 Euro adds up when your getting a bunch of games! Why do it now, I'm no collector, but I do like the idea of owning stuff I've missed, intentionally passed up or never got a chance to 'be into'. Yea the road not taken.... It seems interesting now. Seeing 'game collectors' talk on Youtube about the cycles that consoles and their games go through, now 'felt' like the time to pick up some PS3 games to enhance what I've already got. Right now, 'that time' means plentiful games still available at a cheap price. Not that any I've chosen will age like wine. For me I'm just looking to have a rounded out collection of games I'd like to play/see/experience; See what I missed. That isn't the worst future proofing... For me and this collection. If and when I ever get space to permanently setup things... Whole other story.

I've only bought one game for the PS3 previously. Heavy Rain, second hand for €10 a good few years ago. I got Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus free with the PS3 when I got it initially(no other choice, bundle that it was). 

However I did get a few from a friend who was getting rid of a bunch of PS3 stuff a few years ago. So I inherited GTA 5, Saints Row the Third, Mirrors Edge, Metal gear solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Elder scrolls IV: Oblivion and R.U.S.E. Not a bad bunch at all! 

All that said I've been surprised that the second hand hardware is still priced at high values(at least here in ireland). Second hand controllers going for 40 - 50 and even 70 euro for special editions. Console iterations from original PS3 to super slim going for 100 - 150 and up. 

I have a PS3 super slim and is 'boxed'. To buy that today, second hand, boxed, they are going for €180+. With a coloured boxed PS3 super slim going for €200. 

Maybe I spoke too soon... Prices are going up and up. Crazy. These second hand stores really know how to screw a person over...

I'd say it would be cheaper to find a private seller but after looking at that side of the market those prices are even more insane!

If you can get one from a friend, they're a friend indeed.

So back to a second hand retailer and €2 P&P per game seems more reasonable.

In picking games I went for exclusives or at the very least more Playstation-esque games; Games not exclusive but considered bigger PS games... I'm an Xbox head so I've only my view of what PS 3 was in it's hayday(the enemy.....I joke, I joke). Plus I threw in ones that were cross playform, that I'd not played to get just for fun. As well as some nostalgia thrown in for good measure...... A set of criteria best described as knowing it when I seen it.

So what did I buy(bare with me! Their not all 'classics'):

Virtua Fighter 5, a game series I've not played on any platform since doing so in an actual arcade in the mid 90's. I've always tended more towards Street Fighter and Dead or Alive on console so to get something different for a PS3 collection, this seemed to fit the bill. €2

Brutal Legend is a game I've always heard a lot about but never gotten, one for this new collection just for those reasons. €4

I was tempted to get Fuel but Burnout Paradise Ultimate seemed more bang for buck. And as I've played the need for speed games on xbox......I was looking for a more recent version of the Burnout series for this haul but this was the best version in the moment. Speed and glorious crashes await... €4

Haze had some hype back in the day. That didn't last long once the game came out. Not that it's terrible it just 'under-delivered' and did a lot that was 'meh'... Or am I being too charitable, guess I'll find out.

€2 just to say I own it and have played it.....

Uncharted, 2 and 3.... Because I've not played any of the games. I've heard the hype and seen some interesting gamplay. Given I've been into Tomb raider and Indiana Jones games in the past these games should please me. Drakes Fortune €2, Among Thieves €2, Drakes Deception €3. 

€7 for the three Uncharted games. Pretty good!

A playstation game of legend for €10; I've heard all the ruckus about the second game but maybe I'll get to see it from a fresh perspective once I get a hold of the first game and actually know about it.

Gran Tourismo is a PlayStation icon... I couldn't skip getting Gran Tourism 5 for €6

Given my love of Xcom Enemy Unknown/Within and my newfound joy with Chimera Squad; The Bureau was a good choice for this PS3 collection, €2. I was considering getting Xcom Unknown but I've played it to death on PC and have it free (from Games with gold, June 2016) on XBox... PS3 deserved the next option...

The next few are a bit (more)nostalgic in my choices; As they are games I've played on other platforms.

When my wife had her Wii setup one of the games we played a lot was a basic version of Monopoly, over time that evolved to Monopoly Streets. As with all things over time things get swapped and loaned. The Wii went unused for a while ...... then put in the attic... parts given away..... I saw the PS 3 version of Streets, so had to get it. €6

I've not played Fifa games in a long long time. Not properly since the mid 90's (megadrive/genesis before that) to the 2000's. I have good memories of the 2010 SA game on PC and saw the 2014 world cup version as well so picked up both. Besides I think it's from 2017 on that it's started to slide in quality.....

Brazil €4

And €0.50 for SA (As of posting this I've gotten an e-mail saying that the sole copy in their stock can't be found! Refund it is, pity as the SA game on PC was a good one).

Fallout 3. A game I got on my original Xbox 360 but one that I started and never 'got into'. Which is strange since I was so into Fallout 4. One of the few 360 games I ever traded in. I was tempted to get New Vegas instead but I've no nostalgia for it whereas Fallout 3 at least gets a look from that angle... Worth another try on PS 3. Not going to delve to far.... Famous last words. €4

All in all it added up to €54.50 worth of games + €30 postage and packing... Before refund. Yea PnP is a killer even at €2 per item.... 

Only having the one controller that came with the PS3 was never really a concern. Especially as I played Dust 514 with mouse and keyboard. However as all things PS3 hardware are now commercially unavailable and the second hand hardware is already pricey(or cheap for a reason); However I found a decent, cheap and new(new for real) PS3 controller to fill the need for a second controller. I pickled up a Gioteck VX3 Wireless controller for €12. A controller that takes batteries so long-term a good choice as well. Not a problem now but give it another 10 years and then some, maybe there'll be battery problems with 'official' controllers. Trying to think longterm here as well..... Easier to replace 2 AA than rip the case open and source an internal battery. At a stage like that a wired wireless controller would be a thing....

I didn't expect much from it but after getting and trying it out it's surprised me. It may be cheap but it's not got that feel in the hand. It's a clone of a clone but it works well. It's got a shape that fits well in my hands, buttons are al dente(not to mushy and not rock hard) and the sticks are likewise good. The grips are nicely textured and have a shape that fits my own grip style(little fingers with leverage). I can't complain at all about it. I was surprised. €12. New and very usable.... 

All in all I think I've rounded out a good little collection.

And as I'm about to post this I get a knock on the door and it's the postman with an armful of padded packages, they've all arrived!!

The Godfather....

 

EA may not be the flavor of the month(Year? Decade?) but a search of games from 2006(for PC) lead me to a game I'd played; The Godfather. A thematic GTA-ish game that I played to bits back in the day. I'm no massive fan of the film but I do like it and the trilogy(not getting mired in the which is better lark). It's a decent to good game, even with nostalgia glasses on these days. 

My original disk installed on Windows 10 with no issues. The only problem was with playing the movie clips in game. There's a workaround where you need to rename the 'movies' folder within the install directory. A pity as progress in game is linked to the overall story of the first movie and plays those clips to link the game to the movie. 

It's not all bad as the in game scenes still work perfectly fine so is very playable and still follow the story. Looking at the game graphics with a modern eye is 50/50, some things are passable and others are aged. Even for it's day it wasn't bleeding edge. 

There's give and take and even with no nostalgia and a bit of forgiveness for a 15 year old game it still has playability.

A Casual Carebear Gamer

The body shot aiming works even if the lock on system is a bit aggressive.

The cover system works. No complaints there.

The GTA-esque in game systems also work. Save points, skill levels, progression ranks. They work.

Unlocking all the execution styles was interesting and a bit of a motivation as I recall.

Character customization is good given the limitations of the day. Still, getting a 'proper' hat was a big thing.

Making it to Underboss is the 'end game' and there are no more main quests. Still there's plenty to do. Assassinations, extort every business, take over all the rockets, exterminate all the other families.

Also, buy all safe-houses for 100% completion of all content. Then you become Don. I liked the game but I was not into the end game grind for the sake of it. Some things never change for me. I ended the gameplay and moved on to other games having enjoyed my stay.

With this recent reinstall I spent about an hour in game from scratch to readjust and play the game. It was still fun. It's aged but the gameplay is still there.

Unreal Tournament....

Going though some old software and saves I came across a zipped folder of my original Unreal Tournament install(from 1999/00's). Which still works on a Win 10 PC(same one I mentioned here a few years ago). 

A real blast from the past to see the old local stats being processed for matches from 2003!

Nostalgia got the better of me so I did a few matches, as I used to do against bots. Still a fun game, even with a bot match. 

I may have only hit a returning stride halfway through the first match but here's the full first match:

A Casual Carebear Gamer

Euro Truck Simulator....

Euro Truck Simulator, yea the first one. 

https://eurotrucksimulator.com/

Curiosity and a google search brought me to the v1.3 demo (a version build from 2009 it seems). 

The demo is timed (1 hour) and ran under Windows 10 with no problem for me.

There's some nice options to alter in game for 'modern' systems.

Having only known ETS 2 it was a strange feeling to be sitting in the first game and have so much that was both familiar and not(game manual). I really was surprised at the looks. Not just that it's an over 10 year old game(it is of it's time); But that so many in game assets are familiar from seeing them in ETS 2. ETS is the real DNA of the second game. More so than I would have thought. ETS a proud parent indeed.  

However no 'licensed' trucks to see here, the in game names have been changed. Like a lot of other games alternative names are used to mimic out of game brands(Scania = Swift, Volvo = Valiant, Mercedes = Majestic). Not that it really matters for gameplay.

Options in the game world are bare-bones compared to ETS 2, like the menu's; Functionality over form. Still not a bad thing. Again the base DNA of ETS 2 shows through.

ETS 2 may do a lot more than just a custom paint job but all things start somewhere. If there was no 'change' option for paint colours in ETS it would have been a bigger deal in ETS 2.

While there's so much that's familiar there are two things that stuck out to me about the trucks with an ETS 2 eye(and ear). 

On the minus side(a big one for me) Truck physics are like driving a top heavy wet sponge on ice; Controlling them is an understatement in overcompensation. Takes some getting used to, even after 40 minutes I was put off by it(yet I wanted more).

On the Plus side. The trucks have some basic yet great sound effects. The working clunk and shuffle of the trucks in action; Like the pneumatic's hissing a few seconds after stopping. It's all more pronounced and good to hear. I need to readjust ETS 2 audio to bring those out more.

From the basics to the advanced looking back at ETS and knowing ETS 2 there are two sayings that are very true going between the games. 

          - The more things change the more they stay the same. 

          - If it ain't broke don't fix it(enhance it!).

Driver progression....

The job points at depots and the UI are basic, functional and so familiar. 

Otherwise I can see what was and why it was added or 'upgraded' in ETS 2.

Like the map and a lack of GPS..... Driving via road signs for directions.... All the time... shocking! Almost like it's a real simulation or something...... I jest, I jest! :) 

The more I've played the demo the more I've seen and appreciate it and what was taken into ETS 2(really is more than people know). P still turns on the wipers. L still toggles lights. Indicators, Parking break and Horn, they all activate the same way as ETS 2. It's easy to see how things in ETS 2 have developed/progressed. Jobs still work the same way(mostly). Sleeping, refueling and repairing all act the same way in ETS. All familiar but a little different.

For an 'older' game it's visuals aren't off-putting. Picture is worth a thousand words....

If it wasn't for the handling of the trucks I'd be spending more time with the demo and probably consider getting the full game on this winters Steam sale for €.99 cent. ETS, good to see, if not to stay. If the demo wasn't timed I think I'd potter about with it some more, maybe even looking forf a mod or two. I've not tried resetting/reinstalling it and it's really not that important to me. Not even the full game on sale is now tempting. So like I said, glad to see and be in for some retro show and tell but back to ETS 2 for me. Time for me to stop waffling now.....

*EDIT(14-04-2022)

SCS have updated the old ETS 2 trailer with a 2022 version! ETS, ETS 2, a long way traveled, more road to go!

SCS Software