PS3 Demo Disc Collection | Playable games which are now unobtainable

The UK Official PlayStation magazine (OPM) was the only PS3 based magazine that handed out game demos distributed via Blu-Ray. Many other magazines couldn't afford to use Blu-Ray discs such as PSW (Playstation World) and PSM3, both opting instead to use double-sided DVD's which they tried to make up for with their list of videos, themes, pictures, save files and more. 

What makes these particular demo discs even more interesting is the fact that only the UK and some selected European countries (from my knowledge) had exclusive access to these demo discs from their regional official magazine. Finding any information on what is contained on these discs is impossible due to the limited appeal, regional exclusivity and just a lack of coverage in general.

So it's time to scour through my complete collection of these discs and find out what's on them. Here's the list of games that you will never be able to get access to ever again and which never saw a PC release. Officially of course...

Sega's Lost Arcade Game - Jet Squad | Did it ever exist?

I'm a huge fan of lost media, the fact that something got released, or was shown in some capacity only to disappear forever is fascinating to me. There's a huge list of games which we're all well aware of, however one I had not heard of until recently was Jet Squadron by Sega. It's featured in a few YouTube videos after a post on Lost Media Wiki surfaced details it's partial existence. A Sega game? Shown in the Year 2000?  Sign me up

Sega Saturn on PS1? | Sega's plans which never were

When Sega shocked the world by going third party, we all knew what this meant - Dreamcast games on competitors consoles, but Saturn games on PS One?...

Making Real Life a Game | does gamifying life work for productivity?

One thing that’s bugged me is the inspiration to be more productive, such as working on this blog, or learning a language. I’ve always found it easier to just sit at home after a hard day at work and just sit and watch YouTube to get that easy gratification fix. But I’ve been recently trying to change my lifestyle and the best way I’ve found is to turn your life into a game.

Working to a schedule is hard, it’s easy to look at it and just say “Nah” and do something else. I’ve been struggling to build those good habits, whether it be trying through a journal, planner or finding motivation on forums. 

Habitica is one of the most visually interesting of the bunch

Virtual Fighter X | The story behind VF4's early development known as VF-X

One of Sega's biggest franchises Virtual Fighter is to return some point this year in 2022 under the name Virtual Fighter X Esports. Upon it's announcement I was initially excited, then I felt confused - that name sounds awfully familiar? Well back in the year 2000, Sega's next entry in the franchise was called just that - minus the 'Esport'.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to look back at the inception of the real Virtual Fighter X back before it was known as the 4th entry in the franchise, and what Sega's plans were before it was renamed became a staple in the mainline series as we know it.

Official Logo on Sega AM2 site

Early Information on GTA 3 | Coverage of the game from the year 2000

One thing that fascinates me is looking back at early game development of popular games before they changed everything. GTA 3 was a landmark game, It changed games forever, and was a cultural phenomenon in a way not even Rockstar themselves could have imagined. Coming off of GTA2 the series had a strong fanbase, enough to warrant a sequel, but the earlier games never reached the cultural status.

Little did the world know how much the gaming industry would evolve with the release of the 3rd entry. People were interested in the sequel, and Driver 2 gave everyone a taste, but at the time the game did not garner the amount of interest it had once the game released. And this is what makes it so fascinating to look back, to see the history of GTA3 in the public eye, at a time when it was just a small blip on many people's radars...

The Most Interactive DVD Games | Playing golf with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 Family DVD Game

With the advent of the DVD and it's rise to success starting from the early 2000's, the boundaries of what the medium could offer were to be tested. Among the features of extra content and interactive menus also saw the rise of interactive media and gaming on your DVD player.

You've probably seen the countless TV series adaptions such as a Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Deal or no Deal piled among countless of other DVD's now on sale for pennies. These were basically an interactive video footage where you're essentially dictating the next scene which is about to play. The slow paced and methodical nature of these adaptions were a good fit for any generic DVD remote.

However the 2 main games I want to look at are two of the most interesting examples; PGA Tour and Tomb Raider. Trust me, they're more interesting than you think... 

Games Exclusive to Xbox One | Part 2 - Digital Games

Continuing from Part 2, we will look at the digital games that are currently only available on Xbox One consoles. Now there's not as many to look at, well to be honest - there's only 3, but they're well worth looking at. There's plenty of other games that are also on PC, or strange Asian mobile games ported over like Q, but we'll focus entirely on games you can only get on Xbox One. 

Playing Differently | Watch Dogs - No upgrade playthough

Watch Dogs didn't set the world on fire on its release, but it was still a fun game nevertheless and scratched that next-gen open world game for me at the time. One thing that struck me was how quick you can die. The game pushed for stealth; utilising the environment to your advantage. Strangely this went to odds with the fantastic gunplay, probably some of the best in an open world game of it's kind.

Aiden Pearce - everyone's favourite protagonist

The game features a skill tree which offers a range of upgrades. Initially I was going to ignore this entirely. However my only exception was the hack skill tree simply because it's a unique mechanic to the game and is a core gameplay element. The other abilities on offer are arbitrary upgrades that provide no additional gameplay features. Greater accuracy? reduced recoil? Not only does this dilute the gunplay to aim and shoot, but goes against the game's push towards stealth and environmental takedowns. 

Games Exclusive to Xbox One | Part 1 - Physical Games

To say Microsoft has changed gears during the Xbox One's lifespan is a bit of an understatement. At first, their priorities were in shifting consoles and now, it's about shifting subscriptions. Microsoft will happily launch their first party games on PC and Xbox (and in rare occasions, Switch and PlayStation) as long as you play their titles.

Now the Xbox One doesn't have many exclusives to speak about, and notable first-party franchises always get a PC release. So that means, inevitably, some games have been left behind on the Xbox One. So we're going to look back at some Xbox One Exclusive games that you cannot play elsewhere.

Playing Differently | Dead Rising 4 - no combo, no exo and no skill playthrough

Rules:

• No Exo suit (if obtained one, get out straight away)
• No use of combo weapons (if obtained one through story, get out/drop it straight away)
• No Exo combo weapons
• No upgrading of any skills

Exceptions:

• Exo suit was used on the last boss as it was too difficult without it
• Going to be some anomalies in there due to how the game forces you at some point to use combo item/vehicles.

Capcom Vancouver have continuously advertised during release that Dead Rising 4 is "going back to it's roots" with the return of the main protagonist Frank West and the Willamette Mall. Though despite what the developers claim, this is most certainly not a call back to the original Dead Rising. Everything from Frank, to the combat mechanics as well as the location have had major overhauls to the point where Dead Rising 4 resembles very little of the original game. Despite the reception of changes, it's become unanimous that this game is easy, in fact - very easy. The addition of the ludicrously overpowered combo weapons became apparent with the third game, where combo weapons can be created on the fly with many having little to no balancing whatsoever. 

So I decided what better way to play the game than to play with no upgrades and avoiding combo weapons entirely. After all, the developers emphasised it's homages to the original series so I thought I'd play in a way that pays homage too. I want to play the game the developers didn't really intend and hopefully provide some much needed difficulty. I like a good challenge! 

PS3 Demo Disc Collection | Games that are no longer obtainable.

The Official PlayStation magazine (OPM) was the only PS3 based magazine that handed out game demos through a Blu-Ray disc. Many other magazines couldn't afford to use Blu-Ray such as PSW (PlayStation World) and PSM3. Instead, they decided to use double sided DVD's where they tried to make up for with their inclusion of videos, themes, pictures, save files and more. 

What makes these demo discs even more interesting is the fact that only the UK and some selected European countries (from my knowledge) were the only OPM to have access to these demo discs. Finding any information on what is contained on these discs is impossible due to the limited appeal, regional exclusivity and just a lack of coverage in general.

So it's time to scour through my complete collection of these discs and find out what's on them. Here's the list of games that you will never be able to get access to ever again and which never saw a PC release.

PS3 and Xbox 360 Games at 1080P | The definitive list

Using two main reliable sources and some research myself, this has become a definitive list of Xbox 360 and PS3 games that run in both upscaled and native 1080p. One of the websites contained a list of PS3 titles that upscaled to 1080p, while the other website documented the list of native rendering resolutions. 

However the latter has been inactive for a few years and with the help of Eurogamer's Face Off series and other sources such as developer comments and websites, I have compiled and categorised all this information to create a more focused and up-to-date list.

N64's Later Years | How the N64 sold during the new millennium

I am fascinated by the N64 in its later years. By the turn of the millenium, the N64 was beginning to age much more than its rivals on the market. Carts and single stick controllers was something of the past, yet Nintendo had to hold on for another 2 years in a fierce market dominated by disc based consoles and new emerging technologies.

So how did the N64 fare during this time?

Pre-Release | Jet Set Radio Future

Early Look is a series dedicated to looking at games long before they came out. This month is dedicated to Jet Set Radio Future and the coverage it gained over a year ahead of its Japanese release on 22nd February 2002. The game's development is truly a fascinating story and a great insight into one of Sega's most beloved titles.  

The game was originally planned for an Autumn 2001 release. 

Welcome to Input Archive - My First Post of Many

Thank you visiting! 

This will be the place to find everything strange, unheard of and interesting about gaming.

I will update the blog on a weekly basis with information such as game specifications and articles regarding unreleased consoles and games.

Enjoy!