Everybody has to start somewhere and gaming can be one of the tougher pastimes to get started with.
Of course you’ll want to hit up the latest and greatest games. No doubt your buddies will be quick to shower you with games you ‘have to play.’
Often people recommend you games that they love forgetting that you might not have quite the knowledge of the genre or know your way that well around a gamepad.
Below are some titles that I’d say are worth a shot for new players – if you’re completely new to gaming it might be worth sticking them on Easy as well until you find your feet.
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MAFIA II
Mafia II is a well produced, easy to get into, gangster story set in the 1940′s and beyond. It’s a third person action adventure game in the same vein as Grand Theft Auto. However the main reason I suggest this as a starter title is that it is extremely linear. You can just stick to the story without getting bogged down in side quests/open world stuff.
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JOE DANGER
Joe Danger is simple, unadulterated fun. Taking on the role of motorcycle stuntman Joe Danger, you’re tasked with revving your way through various stunts, tricks and races. You go from the left of the screen to the right rather than the world being three dimensional but this is a great game to get yourself familiar with the pad.
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CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3
The Modern Warfare franchise has been taken to task over the last few years for providing a rip roaring rollercoaster of a ride in it’s single player campaign. The issue most people have with that is that a lot of the game is ‘on-rails’ and linear. Perfect for folks looking to get to grips with their new console.
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MOTORSTORM: PACIFIC RIFT
For me Pacific Rift has been the pinnacle of the Motorstorm series. This is pick up and race at it’s very best. Choosing from a whole host of vehicles: Trucks, Bikes, Jeeps and more, you’ll be landing massive jumps and outpacing the opposition in no time.
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UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES
Nathan Drake is the poster child of the PS3 – all three of his games have been a blast from start to finish. The original game ‘Drake’s Fortune’ suffered from a few issues in terms of difficulty spikes and shooting mechanics. So I’d recommend starting with ‘Among Thieves’ instead. While there can be a lot going on with different buttons etc, the developers do a great job of guiding you through it.
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LITTLEBIGPLANET 2
Another of Sony’s marketing stars is Sackboy, whose adorable little face can be found plastered all over the place. At it’s core this is a sandbox of fun in which you can create levels or whatever you want. Luckily the game also comes with a story mode in which you can make your way through plenty of pre-created levels. Simple but addictive, this is great fun on your own or with a friend as the game supports local co-op.
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HEAVY RAIN
David Cage’s Tour De Force does have the odd hole here and there but overall this is a fantastic gaming experience. Taking control of four characters within the story, you will be doing your best to nail the Origami Killer, who has kidnapped another victim. Not played in the orthodox style of gaming, Heavy Rain will get you used to where the buttons are on the pad in no time.
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DIRT 3
One for the more serious racers out there, Dirt 3 has a touch more realism than the Motorstorm series but is a lot more forgiving than something like Gran Turismo. With a mix of rally racing and some more stunt based stuff, this is a great game to get started with if you’re interested in driving/racing games.
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So there we go, a few suggestions of titles that are worth checking out if you’re new to the world of Playstation or just looking to start playing beyond FIFA and Call Of Duty online.
Will be interested to see what you guys think and what games you would recommend to get people started?
So following on from my breakdown of gaming terms in Part 1 (see here) I thought it might be worth also sharing a few basic tips that may help new PS3 users or folks that are looking to get into gaming.
They might seem obvious but I would’ve liked someone to give me a heads up on a few of them before I learnt the hard way!
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INVERT THE Y AXIS
This is the first thing I do before starting any game but it’s really down to what suits you. Essentially when you play a game like Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption the right stick on the pad controls the movement of the camera. By default it’s set to look upwards when you press the stick forward and look down when you press the stick backwards. I just can’t control the camera with it set up like this and the Invert option reverses that (so pressing forward looks down etc). Handy tip for those gamers who keep looking at the floor instead of up at the sky This can usually be found in the OPTIONS menu under CONTROLS.
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RUN A BACK UP SAVE
Wherever possible you should create a second save file when saving your game and then alternate between them when you save. For a start it means if one corrupts you can use the other without having to restart the game (a nightmare scenario in those big 20+ hour games) and it also means if you wanted to experiment in games where there is story choice you can do so and then jump back to the other file if you don’t like the outcome. This takes seconds to do but is really worth it.
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DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY EASY
Players shouldn’t be scared to tone down the difficulty if they are struggling.
It sounds crazy but some people seem to think that dropping below Normal setting is some sort of crime. There are a few games I definitely wouldn’t have finished without dropping the difficulty down (Hi Bayonetta’s last boss ). Most of the time Normal is fine but I would rather finish a game than stop playing out of frustration and never see the end. There is no shame in just blasting through a game on easy and enjoying it.
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YOU ARE LIKELY TO SUCK ONLINE (AT FIRST)
It is not very realistic to expect to jump online and start topping the leaderboards. Be prepared for a hard slog of dying quite a bit while you get used to the weapons and maps on offer. Even us regular gamers have a tough time when getting used to a new game. You are likely to die, a lot. This part isn’t fun but believe me after a few hours you’ll have got your bearings and the enjoyment will arrive in spades.
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75% OF ONLINE GAMERS ARE FOOLS
I’m sorry but someone had to say it. Whether it’s people disconnecting on purpose from FIFA when they are losing, using exploits to be invicible UNDER the map to kill people in Uncharted 2 or attempting to blow up their own M-COM Stations in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 you can guarantee someone unsavoury will be in your game. You will also find one or two people shouting abuse over their headsets. Don’t let them ruin your experience. Almost all games allow you to mute people’s headsets to shut them up. With the people who like to mess up the games just finish the round, leave the room and find another one. Sometimes you’ll find a game with no idiots in, which also leads me on to my next tip…
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MAKE, AND PLAY WITH, FRIENDS
Expand your friends list by adding people you have good games with.
You’ll probably already have a few friends on your list of people that you know in the ‘real world’ but if you have a good, enjoyable game against someone don’t be afraid to ‘Add’ them as a friend. Just pop a quick message in the box saying ‘good round of Killzone 2′ or whatever so they know what they played with you and if they accept you’ll have another member of the awesome 25% of online gamers to play with.
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SWITCHING FROM HD BACK TO STANDARD
More of a technical tip than anything else but hopefully it may save someone somewhere some grief. When going back to a standard definition TV from a HD one the PS3 will not display at all because of the HD settings. To remedy this and get your PS3 back to it’s original SD settings you’ll need to have the console switched off. Press and hold the power on button (on the console itself, not on the controller) until it beeps repeatedly and you should then be greeted with the start up screen.
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USE AND ABUSE THE PLAYSTATION NETWORK
By abuse I mean grab as much of the free stuff they put up as possible. The Playstation Network has a wealth of free (and paid for) content that you can login and download. The main draw is the demos, almost every game has one nowadays and it gives you a real chance to try out some games you’re not sold on or a game in a different genre to what you usually play. I wrote about it in more detail (here) but you definitely should take advantage of this great service.
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DON’T QUIT TOO SOON
As mentioned earlier it often takes time to get used to a game and that applies as much offline as online. There are games I loved playing that I came close to quitting early on for one reason or another. My recommendation now is to give a game at least two hours of single player before you consider switching off for good. A lot of games have a tutorial section and can often start slow so it’s worth giving them a chance to see what they can really do before putting down the pad and taking the disc out.
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BACK UP YOUR SAVES AND DATA REGULARLY
You don’t *need* to do this but as someone who had a PS3 freeze up and die on him I would wholly recommend it. All you need for this is an external USB device (or something with a memeory stick, like a PSP). Connect it to you PS3, highlight your game save and press triangle, then copy. This means if you PS3 does bite the dust you can at least restart your games from a recent save. Some games, such as Red Dead Redemption and Modnation Racers, use your save game for your online profile so would also require you to start from the bottom again in multiplayer as well if you haven’t backed them up. It takes about 5 mins but is worth the hassle.
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So there you go, a few basic pointers which will hopefully be helpful to some people. If anyone else has any tips to add please feel free to leave a comment below.
I’ve often wondered what someone who doesn’t play games would make of a conversation between myself and friends about gaming.
Would they consider it mainly a foreign language as we threw abbreviations and gaming terms into the mix? Or are a lot of the terms self explanatary?
Well, as part of a new feature of basic (but hopefully not insulting ) gaming tips and recommendations I’m going to break down exactly what us gamers are going on about
Each entry is followed by a Reference Point, which is a game that you can use to see that term in action first hand.
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AI – stands for Artificial Intelligence and refers to the level of intelligence shown by the game’s NPC’s (or Non Playable Characters – see separate NPC entry). If a game is said to have ‘bad AI’ it would mean the NPC’s act, or react, in an unrealistic manner. Likewise a game with good AI would show human-esque response to your actions. (Reference Point: Killzone 2)
Analogue Stick – a thumbstick on the joypad that is used to control movement/direction within the game. Offers 360 degree movement as opposed to the slightly more restrictive D-Pad. (see separate entry for D-Pad)
The Analogue Sticks on the PS3 Pad.
Class – a specific type of character, usually found in online play. These roles usually come with different abilities. For example a Medic can heal other players whereas an Engineer might be able to repair vehicles. (Reference Point: Battlefield Bad Company 2)
D-Pad – short for Directional Pad, this is the part of the joypad that is often used to control movement. Although recently that role is now usually taken by the ‘Analogue Stick’ (see separate entry for Analogue Stick).
First Person – this refers to the viewpoint of the character you control. You view the game from the protagonists point of view. (Reference Point: Mirror’s Edge)
Mirror’s Edge: A First Person View.
FPS – stands for First Person Shooter. Normally a warfare game in which you’ll be required to shoot weapons and kill enemies to proceed. (Reference Point: Killzone 2)
Grinding – to ‘grind’ is to repeatedly carry out the same action over and over again to gain XP (see separate entry for XP). Often the domain of RPG games Grinding is usually possible in any game where you are collecting a form of currency to level up (see separate entry for ‘Level Up’) or buy new weapons etc.
HP – Hit Points (or simply Health) is the remaining amount of damage your character can take before losing a life or dying. Can be represented in a number of ways, for example by a decreasing energy bar (Reference Point: Street Fighter IV) or blood splats on the screen (Reference Point: Red Dead Redemption).
HUD – stands for Heads Up Display and refers to the overlay on your screen with information such as your score, remaining health or weapon ammunition. (Reference Point: Bayonetta)
Bayonetta: The HUD here shows lots of information for the player.
Invisible Walls – the term given to areas in a game where the character cannot move to but nothing seems to be obstructing them. For example a cliff edge where the character is unable to walk off and instead continues their walking motion but stays on the spot. Usually to help guide the player in linear games they are often seen as breaking the illusion of the game world. (Reference Point: God Of War 3)
Kill Cam – a device activated when you die, usually in an online FPS (see separate entry for FPS) which allows you to see the player that killed you, often giving away their location on the map. (Reference Point: Modern Warfare 2)
Lag - a problem in online games where the various users internet connections don’t quite match up. This can result in a frustrating delay, or ‘Lag’, for one party where the button they press doesn’t register with the game for a vital few seconds (meanwhile they have usually been killed/beaten by the opposition )
Leeroy Jenkins – As in ‘I’m gonna go Leeroy in a minute’ or ‘I Leeroy Jenkinsed that.’ To rush headfirst into battle without caring about the consequences. Inspired by the below World Of Warcraft video:
Level Up – to ‘Level Up’ is to increase your characters skill or reputation through play. Usually levelling up will lead to increased skill or bonuses. It is also a badge of honour for your time spent playing the game and a way for others to access your skill level. Tied to XP (see separate ‘XP’ entry) and similarly whilst previously linked to the RPG genre, levelling up is now included in most multiplayer game modes, regardless of genre. (Reference Point: Modern Warfare 2)
Melee - a Melee attack is one carried out at close quarters and usually involves using your weapon as a club as opposed to shooting with it or using hand to hand combat to take down an opponent.
Motion Control – brought to public attention by the Nintendo Wii, Motion Control is a way of controlling the game without using a traditional joypad where the game will base the character movements on the movements you make in real life. Sony and Microsoft have their own versions incoming shortly.
Noob – Someone new to playing games. Often used as a derogatory term for somebody acting stupidly within an online game.
NPC – stands for Non Playable Character, someone in the game world that you have no control over. Usually reserved for single player games, this would be any character in the game world you can interact with but that you do not use as part of the game. (Reference Point: Grand Theft Auto IV)
GTA IV: Roman would be classed as an NPC.
Owned / pwned – to be ‘Owned’ is to be beaten convincingly by an opponent. As in ‘I’m getting owned by this guy.’ Pwned is actually just a typing error as the O key is next to the P key on the keyboard. Resulting in people typing too quickly and putting ‘Pwned’ instead of ‘Owned.’
PSN / XBL – Playstation Network and X-Box Live are the two main format holders online networks. These are the hubs of online play for each console. Here you will log in to play online, download demos and take advantage of various benefits.
QTE – stands for Quick Time Event, whereby the character you control will have their usual control method disabled and you will instead be required to press the corresponding button icon that appears on screen to trigger the next event. Has become a staple way to finish off a boss battle. (Reference Point: God Of War 3)
God Of War 3′s QTE System in action – you must match the direction on the Analogue Stick.
RPG – stands for Role Playing Game. A genre of game where your character begins as a blank slate and as the game progresses you choose the skills your character becomes proficient in. These games normally take up a huge amount of time as they require a big investment in the character. (Reference Point: World Of Warcraft)
JRPG – simply a Japanese Role Playing Game. These are often different from Western RPG’s in terms of story and feel. They have the same general aspects but are usually easy to tell apart from RPG’s. (Reference Point: Final Fantasy 13)
RTS – stands for Real Time Strategy. A genre of gaming that often requires great thought and strategic planning. Often involves war or invasions but is played from the viewpoint of a commander, giving orders etc rather than someone on the battlefield. Not all of these are combat based, some are business or economically based. (Reference Point: Civilisation IV)
Sandbox – a Sandbox game is one that takes place in an environment in which you are free to explore and do whatever you like. This would be opposed to more linear games where the story and levels are played out in tightly designed situations. (Reference Point: Red Dead Redemption)
Spawn (Or Respawn) – to put your player into the game world. This can be when the game starts or following death. Usually following a short time penalty in online play (often between 5 and 10 seconds). As in ‘Hold on, I’m just respawning.’ (Reference Point: Battlefield Bad Company 2)
Battlefield Bad Company 2 also gives you the option to respawn at a teammate’s location.
Spawn Camping – To camp, or wait, outside the specific spot where the opposing team spawn back into the game world so that you can kill them immediately. Frowned upon by most of the gaming community but is a big problem in a lot of games. (Reference Point: Modern Warfare 2)
Third Person – a viewpoint whereby you can actually see the entire character you are controlling. (Reference Point: Grand Theft Auto IV)
Trophy – an achievement unlocked by performing a specific act within the game world, set by the makers of the game. These vary greatly from game to game but are recorded all together on your online profile so others can view what you have and haven’t unlocked compared to themselves.
XP (Or EXP) – Experience Points. Most commonly found in RPG games as a way of ‘levelling up’ (see separate ‘Level Up’ entry) your character. Has recently crept into the other genres via multiplayer, where you will now often find yourself being given XP for competing in online modes of the game. (Reference Point: World Of Warcraft)
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So there we go, a look at some of the commonly used gaming terms.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve got any to add, any you would like explained that I’ve missed or if you’ve spotted any mistakes in the above.
This can usually be found in the OPTIONS menu under CONTROLS.
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