Sony Hopes Indie Games Will Lure Players to Home

gregoryg

Mad Scientist
Jul 13, 2010
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Sony Hopes Indie Games Will Lure Players to Home

Sony hopes to both appeal to new audiences and recapture old ones with a series of experimental, multiplayer-focused additions to Playstation Home.

While it is an interesting experiment in social networking, Sony's Playstation Home service has been repeatedly derided for its lack of content. Interested in changing this perception, SCEA has struck a deal with the independent development label Codename to bring a series of exclusive multiplayer titles to the service. The first four games, developed by "a mix of fan-favorite, die-hard experimental and undiscovered first-time developers," will launch over the next few months.

The first of these, Dueling Gentlemen, is a strategy title from The Odd Gentlemen, creators of the acclaimed P.B. Winterbottom. Players will outsmart their opponents and win a "old-time battle for honor and prestige" on a giant stage in Home's plaza. Lazy8 is putting together a multiplayer version of their Cogs in 3D. Cogs is a Steampunk-inspired puzzler, and the multiplayer remake will apparently transform this experience into a "dynamic public spectacle."

Codename, itself, is releasing Super Awesome Mountain RPG, a blending of board game and fantasy RPG where players create custom animated figurines and race them up a massive mountain. Finally, Indiecade award winner Peanut Gallery is putting its talent behind Minor Battle, a capture-the-flag platformer where two teams run around a four-screen cube.

According to a Sony spokesperson, the goal of the Codename deal is to boost on the social elements of Home, emphasizing the ability to "share, interact and communicate with new and existing friends." The publisher has noted that, having hit fourteen million users, Home is at a critical point at its lifecycle. They hope that these new multiplayer offerings will both attract new audiences and retain current users.

Source: TheGamerAccess [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29496/SCEA_Codename_Team_With_The_Odd_Gentlemen_Lazy8_For_Social_Games_On_PSHome.php]

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Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
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I can see it bringing some casual gamers into it...but really, the hardcore market will stay where it is most comftable...away from home!
 

Quiet Stranger

New member
Feb 4, 2006
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Jaredin said:
I can see it bringing some casual gamers into it...but really, the hardcore market will stay where it is most comftable...away from home!
I agree, I myself don't much are for Home
 

Ekonk

New member
Apr 21, 2009
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Home is horrible. Give it up, Sony, and use your talents on something else.
 

soapyshooter

That Guy
Jan 19, 2010
1,571
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Home sucks major balls. Get rid of the load screen for every step I take and maybe i'll come back. Other than bowling with friends, right now there is no reason to go there

EDIT: Oops, nothing in my reply about the new additions. Once again, pleaseeeee find a way to reduce the load screens and I'll definitely visit more. Dueling Gentlemen sounds very interesting.
 

darthzew

New member
Jun 19, 2008
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I didn't know anyone still cared about Home, I thought Sony would have just counted their losses and moved on... guess I was wrong. I still don't see Home going anywhere though.
 

BadassCyborg

New member
Feb 2, 2010
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Home is, and always will be, a steaming shit on the face of Playstation. The only appeal I could find was making my character look like a fat, bearded pedophile and harassing all the female users, but even this had limited fun. Home is crap, nuff said.
 

Xersues

DRM-free or give me death!
Dec 11, 2009
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Home isn't as non successful as many of you think. People buy lots of stuff in their store, and use it to communicate. It was released very premature from how they originally said the feature list would be, and that hurt them, but really, its not that bad. It just needs more, some reason for people to go there.

Many would say facebook is a steamy pile of shit, but a lot of people go there. They have a reason to, good or otherwise. Home doesn't do enough for the core gamer, no reason to log on and check it out. Hell just adding pet minigames where you take care of something, like your eyepet, would add more to it instantly.
 

Booze Zombie

New member
Dec 8, 2007
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Couldn't lure me to Home if you offered all the pie in the world and that what I think about that.
 

OceanRunner

New member
Mar 18, 2009
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Home sucks. If you want to chat and play games then just play COD:MW2, Borderlands, Crackdown 2 with a headset and download the indie games from PSN or XboxLIVE.
 

Jumplion

New member
Mar 10, 2008
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Personally I'd say HOME is alright. I haven't been on it a long time, but from what I've played with it a few times here and there it's really got a lot more content than people think and it's really improved from it's original release. There's 10x more spaces to go in a much more games to play with. It's really not as bad as people make it out to be.

Now, obviously HOME can seriously improve. If HOME was much more easily integrated, like you have your HOME avatar on the XMB and it shows updates with your friends, and if they gave out more things to play around with (I'm still waiting for trophies to give out HOME stuff) then it would definitely increase in value.

Also if the STOPPED WITH THE DAMN DOWNLOADING EVERY ROOM. Seriously, every single room has to be downloaded and it takes forever for some people (mainly me), and HOME would seriously benefit if it was all much more easily connected.

Really, HOME is not as shitty as people keep on complaining, most of those complaints are stuck back in 2008 or whenever it started. It can improve, and it's definitely great it's getting some more support from the Indie crowd, but it's not like you're supposed to spend 3 consecutive hours on it. It's just a cute lil' application that you play with a few minutes at a time, not something you obsess over like so many other games.
 

squid5580

Elite Member
Feb 20, 2008
5,106
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I say they integrate Home with PS Plus and do away with all the ads. Make it for gamers not marketers.
 

WilliamRLBaker

New member
Jan 8, 2010
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um...Or I could just get on the 360 and enjoy indie games without having to deal with the people...""ACTUALLY"" willing to use playstation home...
 

mjc0961

YOU'RE a pie chart.
Nov 30, 2009
3,847
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No thanks Sony. I'm not really interested in downloading your cumbersome home software just to try out a few indie games. You already tricked me once with your stupid "we have a virtual version of our E3 booth" crap that just showed us videos I had already seen by watching your E3 show in the first place.
 

Pandalisk

New member
Jan 25, 2009
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Home is far too Gimmicky for my liking regardless of what they put in.
But the games do look fun, i probably will the games a go or two, I basically use Home as an Elaborate Chess And Checkers Game anyway.
 

The Last Nomad

Lost in Ethiopia
Oct 28, 2009
1,426
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So in effect, I'd be playing a online game in which I play games with other people playing the online game... couldn't I just play online with other people in other games like Killzone 2 or whatever. I kinda thought home was away to communicate without actually having to play a game to do so...

I'm still not gonna use it though... My internet won't let me, but I'd probably give it a go if I could.
 

Mr. Gency

New member
Jan 26, 2010
1,702
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It doesn't matter what games they make for Home. I just can't play Home, anymore.

No, I mean, I literally can not play it. Every time I try, it makes me update it, then the system restarts, canceling the update.