The Fix on it's way...
Thanks to the efforts of someone I love more than anything in the world, I was able to order a new Blu-Ray drive laser and deck for my PS3. It should arrive in the next 4 days and when it gets here I'll test to see if It was the Blu-Ray lens. If it does work that will make me feel so much better and allow me to game on again with Ratchet and Clank (the game I was playing while this event happened).
Sony has announced it's features of update 3.10 firmware update for the PS3. This will allow FaceBook integration with the PS3 so that you can post on your wall from your PS3 as well as share game information such as what you purchased last from the PSN store automatically posting the trophy's you have gotten. You have the option to turn these items off so that you are not promted and it doesn't share to your FaceBook. Though my only consern is when you get a trophy sometimes (like in the case of a shooter) things are really frantic and a messege popping up asking me if I want that trophy loaded or not could throw some things off. I'm not sure if will pause the game and ask or you just answer yes or no when you start the game. If it's the later then it should be fine and just post it without detracting gameplay.
They also said that, while not in this update but in future ones, that developers will have a chance to (I hate hearting that phrase) place flags for Facebook for certain events. So things like "XXXXXxxx beat Chapter 1 in Resistance" or things like that. My only fear here is that they will just use the trophys as the guidling. So when you get the "Kill 100 enemies" trophy it will nail your Facebook with "XXXXxxxx killed 100 enemies" one right after the other. If not used properly it's a bit redundant. Sony in house developers may be able to make this feature unique but other 3rd parties like Capcom, EA (ha ha same thing), Ubisoft will all just copy paste trophy events to game events. Sony gave the option for 3rd parties to allow for in-game music to their games and so far I think only 1 (street fighter 4) has actually done it.
That special someone I mentioned at the top also let me borrow her PS2 so I can get my fanboys fill of Sony's games (blood was getting thin from the Gamecube and I must FEED!) and so I don't tempt fait with my PS3. Thanks again, honey.
Apparently if left uncheck eventually you will lose both DVD and Blu-Ray play back. So now I am left with choosing a game to play while this is going down. It's going to end up having to be started over since most games have very limited gameplay once you get to a sertain point.
I played my Jp version of Final Fantasy VII yesturday. One of the few things I can do with my PS3. I must say that it feels realy good playing the JP version but the only thing I don't like about it are some of the questions you need to answer. I never really payed attention to where they showed up on the selection so choosing the wrong one requires a start over or a hope that I get Tifa as the date in GoldSaucer. I'm none to fluient in Japanese let alone their writen language, and I hope this expossure will help me down the road should I need it.
Final Fanatsy XIII was a game that I was looking forward to. Its set to be the first Square Enix game set on the PS3 that's actually developed by them. At first I was very excited since it was something new and a Final Fantasy, but, the more and more I hear about it the less thrilled I am.
For starters they left out the Japanese audio option on the US release so you need to the English Dub. I hate English dubs. All of them. I stick by the fact that if you are going to play someones game then you should listen to what this man wanted it to sound like in the first place. On top the fact that you are pissing all over the talented men and woman that brought the Jp version to life and replacing them with untalented US "stable actors" part of the Voice actors union that requires that all actors get work regardless of wether they suck or not.
I also found out that Nobou Uematsu is not doing any of the music for FF XIII. The project will be headed by the Co-Composer for FFX. Nobou did I believe write the openning song FFXIII which will be replaced in the US version with a Leona Lewis song, "My Hands". The song doesn't even fit Final Fantasy XIII in anyway as it was writen 6-12 months ago. Square is trying to "westernize" in order to try to gain market, but they forgot that the reason why we liked their games is because THEY WEREN'T WESTERNIZED. I mean why the hell does everything have to come to the US on a silver "don't worry we made it especially for you" platter? Why can't we be bothered to go out and learn a few things about other cultures and what they do? Instead it's "Well you're probably not going to understand that so we need to put this in, oh and this may be to hard to we are going to tweak that, and oh you don't like hearing this so we will put that in.." Christ almighty, I'm insulted to be lumped in with those whining 14 year olds that do nothing but kick and scream at mommy and daddy because he has to read subtitles. The same group of people that think games should be light easy and unmotivating. The same group and goes right out and buys things just because they have a pop song, a stars face, or a your friend bloody got it. It makes me sick. When I play a game from Japan I EXPECT it to be JAPANESE.
Localization quite honestly is an act of censorship. That's were I am going with this. It's cencorship and it needs to stop. Not only are you altering the origanal intention of the Director by doing it, you are sheilding my eyes from other cultures. Yes I don't get that Japanese pop culture joke but god forbid I get off my ass and go online and look it up. Maybe I will be intruduced to something that I never knew exsisted. Something new and fresh from some talented men and women. Nope, sorry bro, you're American so you obviously can't think outside the box or your own boarders so you have to be catered to like special ed kids that don't like red apples they like blue, blue apples so you need to get them blue apples or they'll never eat again. So instead of showing something new and fresh lets toss out a pop culture joke from the states, the one about Britnay Spears that was old in 1999.
Sorry I ranted and it ran kinda long. STOP LOCILIZATION. It insults my intelligence, as if my gramhar and spelling wasn't doing that enough.