Please do not "play" Home

[dcheppy]

I've never felt compelled to write a user review before, until Sony gave us their long delayed creation, "home". I need to warn people before its too late(and it might be already), do not play this "game"; I wish some one had warned me. 'But, hey its free! What do I have to lose?'

Your valuable time, and all your respect for Sony. And I like Sony, they have given us great hardware with a free online network(tsk tsk Microsoft), and some stellar first party games.

The first thing you'll notice about home, is that you are going to get errors signing up. Annoying but forgivable on account of it being a new Beta. Once you're finally in the game you will be charged with creating an Avatar, which brings us to our first major problem with Home. The game has no personality. It's not that every avatar has the same personality, like the NXE avatars, they have none at all. You're only given options to make small cosmetic changes on the facial features of a generic Abercrombie model. They're all utterly soulless. in they way they move, to the your limited gesture options. The most emotion your avatar is capable of showing is a dull fist pump. The environments that you have to constantly load are no better than your lifeless ken doll. They're sterile, ad filled, and have nothing to distinguish them. Sony has filled its world with nothing worth looking at, the game themed spaces are a little bit better, but not much. Oh and did I mention the creepy silence, but if I can imagine if their was background music it would be a elevator muzak version of trendy pop songs. So what can you actually do in Sony's very clean dystopia.(but without the pretty of Mirrors Edge)

Microtransactions: Don't like your soulless empty apartment. Spend real money on generic furniture to fill it up! Really Sony?

Minigames: Yes a mediocre bowling game awaits you. If theirs an available lane. Just what I always wanted the opportunity to wait in line in a videogame.

Make new friends: good luck, because as far as I know the PS3 didn't come with a headset or keyboard so not a lot of people are talking. This aspect of home makes it an ugly internet chatroom with no focus. you want to know a good place to meet gaming friends online. In an actual game. Home just makes it harder to find people you might connect with.

What I truly don't understand is what Home is supposed to be. Sony already has a game with highly customizable avatars,(that carry about 10 times the personality of anything on the Wii or Xbox), stresses community, and has a heavy emphasis on microtransactions. Oh and this game is fun. It's called LittleBigPlanet. Play that.

 

[xitel]

You have to remember it's a beta, and there are probably changes coming. Just wait, it will hopefully get better.

 

[51gunner]

I saw that same news on the Penny Arcade site. Both times I read it, it still raises the question: whose idea was it to make finite numbers of machines/lanes/whatever available? Seriously!

 

[Dudemeister]

You have to remember it's a beta, and there are probably changes coming. Just wait, it will hopefully get better.

Seconded. Before you burn Sony's offices to the ground, remember, it's still in it's test phase.

 

[sirdanrhodes]

You have to remember it's a beta, and there are probably changes coming. Just wait, it will hopefully get better.

Seconded. Before you burn Sony's offices to the ground, remember, it's still in it's test phase.

Thirded.

 

[OuroborosChoked]

I enjoyed it. *shrug*

 

[dcheppy]

You have to remember it's a beta, and there are probably changes coming. Just wait, it will hopefully get better.

Seconded. Before you burn Sony's offices to the ground, remember, it's still in it's test phase.

Thirded.

I excused the bugs I experienced signing in, because it was a beta. And I forgive it a lack of content because it is a beta. It is possible that the interface will become less clumsy. Its also possible they fix the waiting in line issue.

What I don't see is a sudden infusion of personality into the avatars and locations. Especially since Sony would just charge you for any item that might contain some of that personality.

If Sony does make the technical changes, and addresses the lack of personality, and the community hasn't completely abandon it. If and when that happens, I'll think about jumping back in. As it stands now, and for the foreseeable future, Home is a bad game. It would take almost a complete redesign to make it worthwhile and considering how long it took to get to this stage, don't color me optimistic.

EDIT: I changed the quote to address multiple posters concerns.

 

[RAWKSTAR]

I am looking forward to seeing what it'll be like far into the new year.
I believe Sony will pick up on the downfalls of HOME fast enough, never know, might actually become enjoyable in the future!

 

[Lusty]

Moaning about bugs and a lack of content for something that's still in beta is a little unfair, don't you think?

 

[dcheppy]

Moaning about bugs and a lack of content for something that's still in beta is a little unfair, don't you think?

See my above post, but in the actual review I mention the bugs and lack of content, but my main concern is about the lack of personality and fun in the content that is there. So no, I don't think I'm being unfair.

 

[Lusty]

See my above post, but in the actual review I mention the bugs and lack of content, but my main concern is about the lack of personality and fun in the content that is there. So no, I don't think I'm being unfair.

Aye I see that, but it amounts to the same thing. The extra fun and personality will come as content is rolled out and the technology improves. I'll agree, what's there now is just a bland, if impressive, piece of technology.

 

[dcheppy]

See my above post, but in the actual review I mention the bugs and lack of content, but my main concern is about the lack of personality and fun in the content that is there. So no, I don't think I'm being unfair.

Aye I see that, but it amounts to the same thing. The extra fun and personality will come as content is rolled out and the technology improves. I'll agree, what's there now is just a bland, if impressive, piece of technology.

Maybe, but I think the problems are more entrenched than that. Successful community based games/projects relies on the creativity of its userbase. Look at second life, little big planet, and the mii's. all of these take their strengths from strong user communities. Home allows you to create nothing, and customize little. Even if sony does roll out loads of fantastic content(and given what they have now, I don't know), the indication is that they'll charge for it. They're always going to be 5 steps behind their own little big planet, which can create content a hell of a lot quicker because it comes from the community.

 

[Lusty]

Well there was a lot of talk in the early days of being able to upload your own photos and videos etc. So you'd be able to put a TV in your house and run your own videos on it, or hang pictures on the wall etc. It wouldn't be a huge leap from there to allow people to design their own clothes and such.

Whether any of this stuff ever happens remains to be seen, but that's why I think it's a bit harsh to review what is basically a blank canvas.

 

[klc0100]

I dont get why everyone's treating home like a killer app game it just a cool little bit of software that lets you hang out with people online.

 

[mokes310]

Microtransactions: Don't like your soulless empty apartment. Spend real money on generic furniture to fill it up! Really Sony?

That sucks! I don't think I'd EVER waste money on something like that. HAHAHAHA!!!

"Oh look, a new leather couch! I'm going to spend $5 on it...YIPPIE!!!"

 

[AceDiamond]

See my above post, but in the actual review I mention the bugs and lack of content, but my main concern is about the lack of personality and fun in the content that is there. So no, I don't think I'm being unfair.

Aye I see that, but it amounts to the same thing. The extra fun and personality will come as content is rolled out and the technology improves. I'll agree, what's there now is just a bland, if impressive, piece of technology.

So basically the beta is saying "yeah this is really unimpressive, but I swear it'll get better!"

Not all betas are like that.

 

[DeusFps]

So big company pours all its effort into something utterly pointless. What else is new?

 

[Jumplion]

The first thing you'll notice about home, is that you are going to get errors signing up. Annoying but forgivable on account of it being a new Beta. Once you're finally in the game you will be charged with creating an Avatar, which brings us to our first major problem with Home. The game has no personality. It's not that every avatar has the same personality, like the NXE avatars, they have none at all. You're only given options to make small cosmetic changes on the facial features of a generic Abercrombie model. They're all utterly soulless. in they way they move, to the your limited gesture options. The most emotion your avatar is capable of showing is a dull fist pump. The environments that you have to constantly load are no better than your lifeless ken doll. They're sterile, ad filled, and have nothing to distinguish them. Sony has filled its world with nothing worth looking at, the game themed spaces are a little bit better, but not much. Oh and did I mention the creepy silence, but if I can imagine if their was background music it would be a elevator muzak version of trendy pop songs. So what can you actually do in Sony's very clean dystopia.(but without the pretty of Mirrors Edge)

Personality? I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that, but there are various emotes and gestures you can do and all of them have a charm in themselves (like the dances ). Though if you mean by how you personalize your avatar, like with clothing and stuff, then I do somewhat agree with you. There is a lack of "unique" items to put on your avatar, though some Trophys are supposed to give you new stuff (and I saw someone with an IceBreaker t-shirt!)

Microtransactions: Don't like your soulless empty apartment. Spend real money on generic furniture to fill it up! Really Sony?

Yes really. It makes sense, you're getting this whole thing for free, but to get the good stuff you need to pay up. Besides, the furniture is like, what, 50 cents? A brand new home for your HOME is $4.99 which I don't think is to bad. I hate my apartment though.

Minigames: Yes a mediocre bowling game awaits you. If theirs an available lane. Just what I always wanted the opportunity to wait in line in a videogame.

I'm a little mixed on this for some reason. On one hand for some reason I like waiting in line (don't ask me) since then I can speak with some people or act like a retard. On the other hand, it's pretty stupid when I just want to play a damn game of bowling!

Make new friends: good luck, because as far as I know the PS3 didn't come with a headset or keyboard so not a lot of people are talking. This aspect of home makes it an ugly internet chatroom with no focus. you want to know a good place to meet gaming friends online. In an actual game. Home just makes it harder to find people you might connect with.

This I find is completely wrong. Everyone talks with everyone in HOME and everyone interacts with everyone else. Wether it be dancing or congradulating someone on a strike/turkey, people are always talking and it's really easy to just randomly go up to someone and say hi. I have no idea how you're getting this idea.

What I truly don't understand is what Home is supposed to be. Sony already has a game with highly customizable avatars,(that carry about 10 times the personality of anything on the Wii or Xbox), stresses community, and has a heavy emphasis on microtransactions. Oh and this game is fun. It's called LittleBigPlanet. Play that.

While I do love LittleBigPlanet "bewrry bewrry much!", it's somewhat limited in socialization with people. In LBP, you can only be with 3 other people and talk with eachother. In HOME you are talking with the entire community all the time. It's much more social, I think, than LBP (though that doesn't mean LBP is awesome....I <3 sackboy).

HOME is an application, it's meant to keep you occupied for 10 or so minutes at a time. It's not a game, and there's no shame in saying it. It's obviously not a reason to get a PS3, because if anything it's a pimped up IM service with some cool features tossed to the side.

I guess you have to be in the right mindset to "enjoy" HOME or something. I fairly enjoyed it for what it's worth, but it definately has it's problems (like the schizsophrenic load times).

 

[dcheppy]

Personality? I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that, but there are various emotes and gestures you can do and all of them have a charm in themselves (like the dances ). Though if you mean by how you personalize your avatar, like with clothing and stuff, then I do somewhat agree with you. There is a lack of "unique" items to put on your avatar, though some Trophys are supposed to give you new stuff (and I saw someone with an IceBreaker t-shirt!)

I didn't find any of the emotes charming in the least. Maybe I'm spoiled, but if you compare them to the emotes, dances, and gestures in games like the sims, or even the simple reactions of the xbox and wii avatars, it just doesn't even come close. The avatars, even the entire direction of the game has no overall style. It's basically real life, but cleaner and more corporate.

HOME is an application, it's meant to keep you occupied for 10 or so minutes at a time. It's not a game, and there's no shame in saying it. It's obviously not a reason to get a PS3, because if anything it's a pimped up IM service with some cool features tossed to the side.

You bring up a good point, the frequency and length of loading in Home is unacceptable given its meant to be digested in small doses, especially.

You may be right that I don't have the right frame of mind to enjoy Home. I'd rather talk to people playing games that I like.(like the lobby in resistance 2 where you can talk to everyone) I'm glad you like it. To each his own. people like you will convince sony to keep investing and maybe one day it'll be worth coming back to.

 

[Jumplion]

Personality? I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that, but there are various emotes and gestures you can do and all of them have a charm in themselves (like the dances ). Though if you mean by how you personalize your avatar, like with clothing and stuff, then I do somewhat agree with you. There is a lack of "unique" items to put on your avatar, though some Trophys are supposed to give you new stuff (and I saw someone with an IceBreaker t-shirt!)

I didn't find any of the emotes charming in the least. Maybe I'm spoiled, but if you compare them to the emotes, dances, and gestures in games like the sims, or even the simple reactions of the xbox and wii avatars, it just doesn't even come close. The avatars, even the entire direction of the game has no overall style. It's basically real life, but cleaner and more corporate.

Ah, I see what you're saying. Hell, I'll admit that the avatars look fugly when they're viewed at a certain angle, though usualy the camera is far enough to view everyone. Though, there's an instant charm to any emotes when you add a dastardly-bastardly-evil-guy's moustache in the mix.

HOME is an application, it's meant to keep you occupied for 10 or so minutes at a time. It's not a game, and there's no shame in saying it. It's obviously not a reason to get a PS3, because if anything it's a pimped up IM service with some cool features tossed to the side.

You bring up a good point, the frequency and length of loading in Home is unacceptable given its meant to be digested in small doses, especially.

You may be right that I don't have the right frame of mind to enjoy Home. I'd rather talk to people playing games that I like.(like the lobby in resistance 2 where you can talk to everyone) I'm glad you like it. To each his own. people like you will convince sony to keep investing and maybe one day it'll be worth coming back to.

Yes, like I said in my own impression of HOME (which sounds surprisingly negative on my behalf), the loading times can be atrocious at times which, yet again, reinforces my thoughts on this.

Though, on the resistance 2 thing, there are supposed to be specific rooms dedicated to one game or a company or so that you can meet up with people of the same interest. (See: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Sully's Bar space or either one of the Farcry 2 spaces). They're an easy way to meet up with people of the same interest with you.

And there are clubs, though I'm not sure if you have to pay for htem or not. Hopefully the Escapist will create one for the PS3 owners out there, but I think there's a limit to how many people can join (31 last time I remember).

Oy, I'm going on a rant, sorry.