Playstation (PSone) hardware review

In a strange plot twist, I decided to make two blog posts in one week. Crazy.

Today I’m going to take a look at the PSone, or Playstation Slim that I got a while back.

The PSone was released in 2000 as a redesign for the original Playstation. It was considerably smaller and white. More importantly, however, is that it gave gamers the option to add a Sony supported LCD screen attachment to the console itself. This gave the console more portability, as it could be played anywhere as long as an outlet was available.

Original PS1 (left), PSone (right)

I have to say, the PSone is a really neat piece of technology. The screen attachment works well, and I get to use the console like I would a handheld gaming device before I go to bed. Admittedly, the only reason one would even want a PSone these days is for the screen attachment, as I’m sure just about everyone reading this blog at least owns one PS1 player in the form of a PS1, PS2 or PS3.

The screen attachment allows you to adjust the volume and brightness settings at any time with the press of a button.

The hardware itself is very lightweight, making it nearly as mobile as a handheld as mentioned earlier. Aesthetically, it looks pretty sleek, especially compared to other devices that were released at the time.

That’s about all I have to say on the subject. I can’t say that I’d recommend the PSone to everyone, because as mentioned earlier, just about every gamer has a PS1 player. The screen attachment makes the console infinitely more valuable, especially if:

A) you’re young and go on a lot of long car rides

B) you have 30-60 minutes between classes in college and want to play PS1 games

C) you haven’t hacked your PSP to play ripped PS1 games

At the very least, the PSone + screen combo pack comes at a very cheap price on eBay.

Now, if only Sony followed their own lead and released a PS2 screen attachment…

 

New Super Mario Bros. (DS): Under appreciated?

I know what you’re thinking:

“Yeah, as if a game that has sold well over 15 million copies worldwide can be under appreciated.”

Well, hear me out.

The game came out on the DS in 2006. To provide some context, the DS Lite was yet to hit North America. Gears of War hadn’t yet jump-started the graphics arms race. Heck, the PS3 and Wii weren’t even out yet.

There were a few things going for NSMB before its launch that made it an object of desire for gamers:

1. It was the first traditional Mario side-scroller since Yoshi’s Island

2. It previewed well, coupled with a great E3 demo and one of the most well-made video game commercials in recent memory.

3. It had Nintendo’s full marketing muscle behind it

Fast forward to the day of its release, and my anticipation for the game is off the charts. As a big Nintendo fan (shocker), I had been waiting for another Mario side-scroller for years. Fresh off of my trip to Best Buy to acquire the game, I popped in the game into my old black and silver DS and marveled at its graphics. Keep in mind that the DS was less than 2 years old, and was yet to become the software juggernaut that it is today. I played the first level, which did a nice job of showing what the game is in a nutshell; a new Mario game in the style of the original Super Mario Bros. with a few modern twists.

Unfortunately, I now realize that I played the game incorrectly at the time. I powered through the game quickly — and as a result didn’t go out of my way to look for all the secrets the game contains. I was satisfied with the game, but didn’t get the same joyous experience I got when playing the other mainline Mario games (minus SMB2 Japan) for the first time. I get the feeling that others shared that same sentiment, as I often hear people citing the game as “uninspired and nostalgia-driven”.

On the wake of New Super Mario Bros. Wii’s release, I decided to give the game another shot, and I’m happy to say that NSMB for DS is for real. It’s not uninspired, and it’s definitely not a cash-in that set its sights on exploiting Mario fans such as myself. The music is a mixed bag, though it’s better than I remember. The music in the first level (which is used in many levels of the game) is catchy and the music in the castle stages is another notably good song. The graphics still look colorful and vibrant, especially on the DS Lite and DSi. Admittedly, some of the models (including regular small Mario) look pixelated beyond belief, but the game’s graphics has a sort of “overachiever” demeanor reminiscent of N64 and 3D Saturn games, so I don’t mind the mess. Other than the standard Mario 1 gameplay, NSMB has some neat quirks such as wall-jumping and ground pounding which are pivotal in finding the game’s many secrets. After the first two worlds or so, the creativity definitely opens up in the level design, which is especially evident in the ghost house levels.

However, I still had some gripes with the game, ranging from minor to significant. For example, playing NSMB on a DSi is a hand-cramping nightmare. For me, the hand-cramping started after mere minutes of gameplay, due to the positioning of the jump and run buttons. It may not look pretty (in fact, I assure you that it doesn’t), but you might want to stick with the original DS when playing NSMB. My second and final gripe with the game is its forgettable, lifeless map screen. It might not sound like a big deal to most, but the map screen ultimately puts the game on the cusp of greatness rather than full fledged elite tier-dom. It makes the game feel less distinct, unlike SMB3 and World, which had lively map screens.

I’m glad I had the chance to replay NSMB DS, as I now finally understand the greatness of the title. Ranking wise, I would put it above SMB1 and SMB2 (Japan), but below the rest.