Ragedays

Have you ever had one of those days where you're just perpetually angry?  It ebbs a bit, sure, but then it comes back like it was never gone and all you can do is be pissed?  Especially because that day is the one day where everything decides to fuck with you.  Well, clearly, that is my day today.  It has been a loooooong day.  Not to whinge about everything, but I got really frustrated with Darksiders (seriously, who thinks a GIANT TELEPORTING SPIDER is a good boss?), then got frustrated with Phantasy Star Portable 1 (hey, another boss fight), then I come on the computer and the ISP is fucking with me again, and I can't access Joystiq (well, I can, sometimes) or IGN.  Or like, quite a few other sites.  Yet I can load youtube videos like a motherfucker.

I'm convinced it's a modem issue as, the first time this happened, it had been with another computer that isn't this one (wouldn't get on the goddamn Skype website to download the program, took quite a few tries to load the site, which mimics how I got Joystiq to work), and while I could check once more, I refuse to believe there's something wrong with this computer again because it's inconceivable.  After modem resets, tinkering with the router, a computer restart, etc, I still can't load IGN or the images from it, and I am just beyond caring at this point, since it'll be working tomorrow or my ISP is going to find that one of its buildings has burned to the ground mysteriously.

So, unfortunately, I just can't really muster a lot in the way of content tonight.  Thanks to Siliconera, we know that MGS3 in the MGS Collection is the Subsistence version, thus raising the number of games you get with the collection from three to five (since MGS3:S came with Metal Gear 1 and 2 MSX ports, not to make mention of the two copies of Peace Walker you get, One PS3, one digital PSP) and generally being pretty goddamn cool.  We can only hope that means the version of MGS2 is Substance as well, even though that will likely mean that I have to actually beat Snake Tales this time around.

Also thanks to Siliconera, we have our first glimpse at just how this whole PSP Remaster thing looks with a neat God of War video.  Pretty standard, showing off side-by-side videos, basically to point out that the PS3 version has no jaggies and generally looks a bit better.  Interestingly enough they only used Ghost of Sparta for comparison, which I said way back when it was a rumor that GoS would look just fine as an HD title, if just for the style it carries.  It was always Chains of Olympus I worried about and, well, my fears have not been at all assuaged, despite the shiny video provided.  We'll just see how that works out, of course.

So, even though I didn't mean to, I still ended up providing some content, so that makes me a little happier.  And the rage has ebbed a bit, so I'm going to go try to push it back some more with guilty pleasures.

Transfarring, Transfarring, Transfarring

Okay.  I think I can go without spelling it wrong anymore.  Kojima said recently that 'all future games of his will feature Transfarring in some way.  Which, well, is mighty cool.  If you don't know what Transfarring is, well, I have cleverly given you a link to the actual official page on it, which might help shed some light on this three-phase project.  Yes, three phases.  Phases is probably the wrong term, though, because it's really just three different styles to implement Transfarring, which you probably know of already.

Style 1:  Transfering Transfarring your PSP and PS3 game saves for PSP Remaster games between each console.  (The example given, obviously, is Metal Gear Solid:  Peace Walker.)  So, start a game on your PSP while you're out, get home, transfarr (Yes, I'm going to keep doing this) your save to PS3 and resume!  Since the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection will feature a downloadable version of Peace Walker PSP, there's actually no reason why you shouldn't take advantage of this.  For those of us who've already bought the game, well, free code to share with a buddy, I suppose.  Or, if you bought a UMD version (like me), then now you don't have to rebuy it for Vita.

Style 2:  Transfarring between PS3 and Vita for PS2 Remastered games.  Listed as an example is the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, which, this Style is the one that is the most confusing to everyone so far, since Konami's been fairly tight-lipped about it.  Does this mean the Metal Gear Solid/Zone of the Enders (Possibly Silent Hill) Collections will also be available on the Vita?  That.....seems like it would be the only case given the context of Transfarring (Swap your saves to play on the go and/or at home), but being able to play Zone of the Enders 2 -anywhere- is a dream I dare not dream lightly.  So I'm going to wait for official word on that before I get my hopes up.

Style 3:  Transfarring between PS3 and Vita for....PS3/Vita games.  Listed here is the still-unannounced 'Fox Engine' game.  This is the one that's pretty much what we've seen already with the title Ruin that claims you'll be able to stop playing the game on your PS3 or Vita (after saving), pick up whatever you weren't playing it on, and resuming from right (or about) where you left off.  Which is fascinating technology, of course, if it works (which it didn't quite seem to do in the E3 Keynote, unfortunately.  Maybe it was just all the nervousness though.  The Ruin guys were just not prepared at all, poor dudes.) and I have no doubt that there will be -some- way to make it work.

Curiously, a lot of games weren't mentioned, but key of all is the already announced but on rocky waters Metal Gear Rising.  Metal Gear Rising would certainly be considered an "Upcoming title" and, with the touchscreens on the Vita, it would seem a natural candidate for the precise cutting the game has been shown to offer.  If the 360 version gets Kinect support (which, well, -was- announced, of course), it's possible the PS3 might get Move support as well and if all works out like it seems, then we just might get to cut watermelons on the go.  (Also support structures and soldiers.)  Perhaps that's even been what's holding the game up.

Konami's attempt at best E3 Line-up is respectable

Do you see this image?  This image right here, above this line?  Yeah.  You see it.  And you better get used to seeing it, because it is officially a thing that is happening.  Contrary to what the tagline says, the Metal Gear Solid Collection (Featuring, as it shows on the image, MGS2, 3 and Peace Walker) will be a multi-platform release on both the PS3 and 360, so not only will 360 owners (who presumably never owned a PS2) be able to play MGS3 without buying a 3DS, but they'll be able to take a swing at Peace Walker as well.  Of course, PS3 owners have the edge, seeing as Konami stated that the version of Peace Walker is 'Transfarrable'.  No, I'm not making that word up.  Anyways, PS3 owners who also own Peace Walker will be able to treat the game as one of the upcoming "PSP Remasters" in that you'll be able to move your save from one game to the other.  If that means PW will be locked out of Trophies/Achievements, I don't know, but we'll see.

Also announced by Konami today was a Silent Hill Collection, which bundles Silent Hill 2 and 3 together.  That's about all that's known about it.  Do you need to know much else, though?  It's Silent Hill 2.  And it's Silent Hill 3.  They are together.  On one disk.  The consoles it'll release on are technically unspecified at the moment, but PS3/360 is expected.

And finally, the third Collection announced was....wait for it...

HELL.

YES.

The Zone of the Enders HD Collection will, obviously, feature Zone of the Enders 1 and 2 (Sorry, no Fist of Mars for the GBA.  Let's all shed a solitary tear.) up-ported in the usual Collection style, etc. etc.  It will be amazing.  Because the games?  They are amazing.  And they will be even more amazing when they're in the Haitch Dees.  The collection also touts another "Transfarring" feature, but just for what, it's hard to say, as it's tied to a "Future announcement".  Say...the Sony E3 conference is in the future...

(I am really, really, really hoping this means a Zone of the Enders game in PSV.  I will buy seven. 

....not really.  I will buy one though.)

PSP Remaster Series Inbound

While Chance beat me to the punch on this one, and as much as I hate to do, essentially, the same article he has, I did bring it up first.  All due respect, of course.  Still, while this is pretty much all the proof one would need to expect to be playing the two side-stories of Kratos on the PS3, word hasn't officially been dropped for NA or anywhere that is Japan yet, even though it might not be all that necessary.  With E3 coming up, they just might wait til then to bring it up to the general public, though, since this is kind of a big thing that they can make a big to-do about, even though everyone knows about it already now.  Especially since there was a press release about it.  (When I say general public, I pretty much mean there hasn't been a playstation blog post about it yet.)

Of course, this begs the question, "Why should we care?", and the answers are numerous and simple.  Not only will there be cross-compatibility between both versions, insofar as Game Saves goes (Sort of like how PSOne games work currently.  You can freely transfer your save between PS3 and PSP and continue playing just where you left off on the go), but the PS3 versions will likely see graphical updates and possibly even extra content.  (And I would suspect trophies.(And I would be wrong. Ffffuuu-))  And it could possibly mean a release of certain games we'd never see otherwise because Sega is a company full of assholes and trolls.  Not only that, but if said games are released on PS3, their graphical update might include the lovely style the original had that the two portable titles just can't swing.

So far, the only title confirmed for this treatment is Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, which means it'll be the first game to be on the Wii, PSP and PS3 simultaneously which kind of blows my mind.  Hopefully the release of the PS3 version will mirror the Wii version moreso, as I've heard a few things were cut in transition to the PSP (namely underwater battles) that were new and neat to the series.  But even without those, I'm sure Japan will be happy.  I mean, I'll be happy with what we get, since it'll likely prove to everyone that, hey, the PSP did, in fact, have a ton of good games.  Now, as far as what I really want?  Aside from VC, give me a Metal Gear Ac!d bundle if you really want to impress me.