Home has been out for a few weeks, but the Red Bull Island that was released yesterday is the first new area to hit the service. We took the section for a spin, and unfortunately, like the rest of Home, there isn’t a whole lot to it. Set in a tropical island, the new space provides the illusion that of a huge area. You can see beaches complete with palm trees off in the distance, but where you can actually go and explore is very limited. The walkable area is restricted to a few wooden walkways, which provide access to the only real addition that the space provides (besides the Red Bull ads, of course): the airplane races.

The first thing that you’ll notice about the races is that its difficult to start one. Not because you have to wait in line like in the rest of the services in Home, but because it takes a while, for me anyways, to figure out how to enter a race (FYI, the easiest way I found was to select a near by user then continually hit left on the analog stick until I found the race). Once you get into a race, you get to select one of three places (the helicopter appeared to be unavailable while I was on the island). I tested all three and they all seemed to be pretty much the same aside from the aesthetic differences.

An important thing to note is that the plane race isn’t really a race. Instead, you have to keep the plane on track and go through a series of loops found throughout the island. Since the planes move relatively slowly, this isn’t a difficult task. Just make sure to avoid trees as they send you into a spiral dive towards the ground if you touch them. And…that’s pretty much it. There really is nothing else to do on the island other than race, and even that isn’t all that engaging. Still, it at least looks nice, and the advertising isn’t very obtrusive, so there is potential for the space to be improved with more activities and games. But as it stands, like the rest of Home, there simply isn’t enough to do. And man am I getting sick of writing that.

Post from: EveryJoe

Quick Impressions: Red Bull Island in Home

It’s Thursday, and you know what that means: another PSN update. This week we have some new games, a new Qore episode, and even a new addition to Home. There should also be a few interesting tidbits coming out CES this year, so stay tuned.

• Home is getting a new area this week, with Red Bull Island. In addition to a whole bunch of advertising, the new area will give users the chance to explore the tropical island in planes and helicopters.
• The next episode of Qore is on its way, and with it comes an exclusive F.E.A.R 2 demo.
• Sony has been showing off some very cool 3D PS3 technology at CES, unfortunately it’s only a demo for now.
• Speaking of CES, head over here to take a quick tour of Sony’s impressive booth for the event.
• Asian gamers are getting two new, very bright colors for the PSP.
• PSN favorite PixelJunk Eden has been nominated for a number of Independent Games Festival awards, including best visuals and audio

Post from: EveryJoe

Today in PlayStation: January 8, 2008