Life Snippets #6: PlayStation 3, WOOT!

I haven't been posting a new Life Snippets episode for a while, mainly because there is nothing interesting to blog about. It's just post-exam school life - slacking off, playing PSP, and hanging out.

Until today. My mom took me to the game store and she got me a PlayStation 3. It was the console of my dreams! Also, I am a Sony supporter. I own PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and now, PlayStation 3. My handphone is Sony Ericsson. My video cam is a Sony Handycam. The TV in the den below is a Sony Bravia. My old laptop is a Sony Vaio. My new name is Sonny.

Because PS3 games do not come cheap, I choosed the game Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) which is the reason why I bought the PS3. The game shop clerk kept asking me to buy other games, such as Battlefield: Bad Company, Uncharted: Drake's Mission, Burnout Paradise and more. Then he offered me Dead Space and Metal Gear Solid 4. I gladly dejected these offerings. I was on the way to keep the PS3 in the car when two guys in their 20s exclaimed "Wah! A PlayStation3! This guy, damn rich hor?" while pointing at my box. I tried to escape this but they stopped me. They asked me the price of it. "My mom paid RM1599 for the console, RM210 for the disc", I told them. They both nodded. Then one of them said, "I'm working now, save up for PlayStation3. I wanna play GTA IV too. I already owned all the rest of the GTA series, but was forced to buy a PS3 to play GTA IV. Anyway, it's time to move on to a new console." Then they both waved me off and entered a shop specializing in imported Italian-made step dustbins and extendable arm clothesline.

After that, we headed to IKEA to buy a new TV rack. My room is so claustrophobic, I decided to move the TV and the other gaming consoles to the family area outside my room. It was quite a tiring move. First, I had to assemble the TV rack which seemed easy but pretty tedious. Then I had to move the TV to the new rack. Luckily the TV is a Samsung flatscreen and not some heavy, bulky CRT so moving it was a breeze. Then I had to remove the PlayStation 2 and the DVD player. The PlayStation 2 was placed in my mom's room and the DVD player is to be next to my PS3. Then I set up the PlayStation 3 and took a quick shower.

My hands were trembling with joy when I approached the touch panel on the PS3. I gently felt it with my finger and the PS3 came alive. I set the time and date settings and network settings and etc., and brought out my GTA IV. I opened the case and took out the Liberty City Guide and the Liberty City Map which has a complete road layout of all four boroughs and also another Liberty City Map of the subway system. Sweet!

I carefully took out the disc and slotted it into the PS3. The PS3 doesn't have any stupid disc trays, just like my mom's MacBook. I started playing GTA IV with the SixAxis DualShock 3 wireless controller charging. I removed the cable when it was fully charged, and it felt pretty nice without annoying tangly cables, at last.

GTA IV gameplay took me by surpise. The first mission is to drive to your cousin Roman Bellic's 'mansion' near Hove Beach. They changed the controls completely for this game. Luckily they give you and option to switch to Classic Controls, which I am more accustomed to after playing GTA: San Andreas, Vice City Stories and Liberty City Stories. Also the vehicle handling seems to be updated, and it feels harder to manouvre around the city now without hitting a lamp post, a pedestrian or a station wagon at least once. Maybe needs some practice, but there are major changes to this title. Now you have to hotwire a car (parked) before stealing it, and pedestrians call the cops if you do something to them. Try to run off in a parked exotic vehicle and the alarms will keep buzzing, signalling a good day to the police in the vicinity. I learnt this the hard way, on my way back to Roman's ratnest I found out that the Hove Beach police station is at the corner of my block. Oh shit.

Now I feel tired from gaming and assembling and walking around malls so I will end the day with a blog post, and see ya!