Battlefield 1943 heads PSN update Comments by Robert Purchese

Played BF 1943 last night on PSN - woked a treat. No server problems at all.

Thought the game was ok but nothing to write home about, what's all the fuss about with this game anyway?

Oooh goody, a Ghostbusters demo. I'll be getting that later. Hmmm now to decide wether to get 1943 for the PS3 or the PC.

Tried all three demos last night.

Battlefield 1943, which I at least could TRY online unlike the /spits with disgust/ Xbox 360 version, was OK but not really my cup o' tea so to speak. Looks very nice visually if a tad jagtastic (oddly the 360 version from the Tutorial looked worst, perhaps because it's sharper?) and the destructibility of the environment was a surprise. Shooter fans will no doubt be lapping this one up. By the way, isn't this like the ten millionth version of Battlefield?

Ghostbusters on the PS3 I was looking forward to for a laugh at how bad it looked after playing it on the PC but, in all honesty, it looked absolutely fine to me apart from the excess of nasty horrid screen tear which seems to afflict every other console game I've tried of late. Considering I've been playing the game at almost 1080p on my PC at max settings with insane amounts of AA I think the supposedly sub-par quality of the game has been grossly exaggerated.

FUEL, resolution aside, looked and played identically to the PC version I have... unsurprisingly. The loading times are a lot longer that's all.

Sucks that PSN bods seem to have it smooth on BF1943 while us XBox-ers are having major problems. It's just not fair, mummy!

Played without lag last night on xbox, was fine. Exellent game.

Don't get me wrong, when I did get in (for a whole half an hour) it was great, but I just couldn't connect to any games. I've gone from loving the Battlefield menu theme to utterly hating it now. It mocks me. IT MOCKS ME!

@Darren

Opinions based on demos isnt of much value imo.

If you go on the US PSN there is a 1943 demo. ;)

how about instead of a demo, a patch so you can *actually* get the platinum trophy for Ghostbusters? instead of the buggy mess it is at the moment...

@muscleblade - Well it is for me because that's what I primarily base my game purchasing decisions on if I can. Failing that: video reviews.

In my experience a demo released AFTER it hits the shops, as was the case with Ghostbusters and FUEL, tends to be 100% representative of the actual game. Even those released on or just before are usually 100% true to the final games too, unless they've been released many months prior to release (as these tend to be earlier builds).

Perhaps your experiences are different?

@Raajaa - Have you been in a coma since late 2007 and just woken up by any chance? "Hardly anyone has a PS3"... hahaha. You are a funny man. Dear me, almost split my sides there with laughter.

There were almost 23 million PS3s sold according to Wikipedia as of 31st March 2009 compared with 30 million Xbox 360s at the same date. Sure that's a 7 million difference but considering only a small fraction of those users will be playing Battlefield 1943 online at any time anyway and the Xbox 360 versions costs money to actually play it online, I'd say it's insignificant. There will be plenty of people playing the game on both platforms, don't kid yourself. ;)

@Darren - Also some, like me, have both systems. But I run most games on 360.

@r4z0rbl4d3 - Yeah, right, I'm sure the majority of those 23 million PS3 owners also have an Xbox 360 too. ;)

In my view, any numbers advantage the Xbox 360 has over the PS3 is negated somewhat by the fact that the PS3 offers FREE online gaming. That means any owner with an internet connection can at least try the Battlefield 1943 trial online, something you certainly cannot do on the 360 as I tried it last night... kept getting a warning about not have LIVE status, so I could only try the Tutorial. If you're like me and don't play games online much (if at all) then the PS3 and PC are far better for at least letting you sample online games.

@Darren

Well if you believe those sales figures more power to you - the real proof will be in the first system to unlock the 4th island map. I wonder who'll win?...

I've got a PS3 too (gathering dust) but repeat attempts to get friends to pick up a unit have failed (mainly due to results on this very site that consistently reveal that the PS3 version is sub-par vs the Xbox360 version - see ghostbusters most recently) - hence most of my gaming is done on my Xbox360.

"If you're like me and don't play games online much (if at all)"

Pretty sure that most gamers arent like you at all. Most people prefer playing games with others online.

@darren

And your rant against paying for the superior service the 360 offers is getting old. You have all three current gen consoles and a high end PC, but you dont want to pay for LIVE because you dont like to play games online. Thats fair enough. But if you dont play games online you dont really need Live do you? Damn you are a strange one.

@muscleblade - Rant?

Sure, I have strong views about not being able to download demos when they're released on the 360 but as far I'm aware I've never ranted about the online aspect. The only reason I continued to pay £40 per year was for those demos really as the online gaming side never appealed to me on the consoles but if people are happy to pay it for online gaming on the 360 then fine, go for it.

That doesn't change the fact that online gaming, MMORPGs aside, is free on the other platforms which is the point I was making in defence of the PS3 and Battlefield 1943 and to counter Raajaa's claims that no-one plays games online on that system. If you're new to online gaming then being able to try demos online is surely a good thing, no? That's the point I'm making. I'm not talking about me specifically. Not everyone is a hardcore gamer, there might be a lot of people out there who only want to play the odd game online now and again.

@muscleblade - "Pretty sure that most gamers arent like you at all. Most people prefer playing games with others online."

Poppycock.

If we're talking current consoles here then the Wii has by far the largest number of owners and the least number of online games. I'd wager that the majority of its owners prefer playing games against family and friends in the same room. I've absolutely no doubt that that is part of the reason for its huge success.

I'm sure most hardcore gamers do prefer online gaming and with good reason (as shooters and racing games aren't much fun with just three other people) but you so conveniently forget that there are a lot more casual gamers these days and they see online gaming as the haven of the geeky loners, people with no reals friends. ;)

Looking at Xbox Live stats theres no doubt that most people that have the opportunity to play online do it. If you own a Wii and no other current gen console your not really a gamer imo. The Wii is just not the same thing.

Most casual gamers play WOW i believe. And playing by yourself seems more like a geeky loner to me. I play with the same people that i go to out to dinner and cinema on a Friday night for example. Real friends. I like to play singleplayer games sometimes too just like i sometmes like to be alone. Mostly i dont. Im pretty social and i bet most online gamers are compared to those who choose to never or seldom play games with others.

"they see online gaming as the haven of the geeky loners, people with no reals friends. ;) "

Dont take this the wrong way, but i have a feeling that you fit that category better than me ;-).

@muscleblade - Your view of the Wii is a little elitist IMO but it's the usual excuse that people like us usually toss out whenever someone points out that it's the best selling console by far this generation.

As for these Xbox LIVE stats, I think it's telling that even now Microsoft still refuse to say exactly how many Gold subscrbers they have, instead opting to quote total number of LIVE users, which obviously includes Silver users like myself and people wthl multiple accounts for the US and UK too. Still it makes the figures sound more impressive to the less informed, right? ;)

@muscleblade - "they see online gaming as the haven of the geeky loners, people with no reals friends. ;)

Dont take this the wrong way, but i have a feeling that you fit that category better than me. ;-)"

Actually I was speaking in general terms about how the public perceives online gaming and those who play them and was not talking specifically about you so there was really no need for that "knee-jerk" reply.

But, yes, you got me... I *am* a geek and very proud of it too! :)

I would rather pay for using a service that works (Xbox live) than not pay for something that doesn't (PSN).

The wii is primarily for small kids and over 40s who don't know any better, and the PS3 is for morons who had a PS2 and are desperately clinging to the false notion that it isn't a pile of crap!

Sorry off topic slightly!

I bought the Xbox version of BF1943 and it has only just started consistently letting me in to games. Very annoying!

I also purchased the PS3 version which works withou any problem! Managed to get into a game with a squad of 3 friends with no difficulty.

PS3 is finally benefitting from a lower install base!!

Yes, I am one of the morons still clinging to the belief ... ;)

Ghostbusters could get annoying and so deleted, haven't tried Fuel yet

Try GB guys it's giant twinky sweet!

Gonna get back on that this weekend after finishing rental Terminater (not as bad as 2/10 EG made out as a rental FYI).

BF1943 is awesome!

Bought it once my trial was over cos I wanted to play more

Tried the Ghostbusters demo and I have to say I thought it was pretty dull. If it weren't for the IP, it would just be another highly scripted, linear and generally boring shooter. I actually started getting motion sick tryin to figure out where the heck I was meant to be looking with the goggles on.

Going by the demos...

Ghostbusters is reasonably well produced, and there were some really good sequences, but trapping the ghosts at the end of the demo was just tedious. Can't imagine a whole game of that.

Fuel... well, I'm just glad I didn't actually go and fulfil my pre-order with Game. The physics make Motorstorm look like a driving simulator... the bike moves like it's mounted on a gimbal and literally bounces off trees no matter how fast you're going. The only way you can crash is by driving headlong into something like a large rock or building. That directional arrow thing over your head is really annoying too... could they really manage to come up with a better UI device than that?

The one that really surprised me was Battlefield 1943. I work for a living, and also have a family and a busy social life... therefore I suck at online multiplayer FPS's. Normally, if I'm going to play anything online, it has to be with "real" friends, not pretend ones that the PSN/XBL servers have picked for me. But, I decided to give this one a chance and was hooked pretty much instantly.

30 minutes later, I bought it. I was still laughably bad (I can only manage to get 3 kills per game) but the controls are ridiculously simple and the matches mercifully brief, so I can see myself sticking at this one until I get a bit better at it.