Home - Review

Home, PS3 - Free

Review by LewieP

(as of Home v1.03)

Booting up home, the first thing I got to do was create a character.

No matter what you do, the character will not look like you, they will look like someone from an awful lifestyle photoshoot.

I was unable to give my guy a beard, maybe I have to pay for that.

Miis are fun, Soniis (I think I invented that) are simply not. No matter what combination of 'dead inside' eyes, focus group fashion and overdone hairstyle you give them, they still end up looking very punchable.

One you make your character, you are transported to your coastal apartment. I must say, the game is quite pretty in a very inoffensive, clinical, way.

Here you can move things about, and sit down if you like.

I guess, you could throw some money at Sony for a new sofa...

The problem with it all, there is some great views, huge areas are visible from your balcony, but unless I am much mistaken, it is all superficial. There is no exploration, and nothing to do. Beyond your balcony, it is just eye candy.

I chose to venture out of my apartment, and see some other people. I went to my door (the only exit for the apartment), and it said "Press X to download this area", then I had to wait whilst it downloaded the area.

I don't know why it didn't just do this from when I arrived. It was the only obvious place I could go, and that would have saved me the wait.

When it does finally load, I am in the main area. It is filled with interactive adverts for Sony products. Sorry, I mean content.

There were people around, so I did the only thing the clunky broken communication interface was conducive to, making a prat of myself. I was asking "A/S/L?", asking people if they want to play chequers, then running away, and I spent a lot of time telling people I have no keyboard and dancing at them. I got quite a crowd at one point.

The minigames are beyond pointless. I have had more fun gaming on my phone, and Wii Sports nailed how to do a casual bowling game at launch, how can Sony balls up something that simple with all the time they have had.

I'll admit, I really wanted to dislike Home from the start, and it did absolutely nothing to convince me it is anything other than a waste of time, energy, and money for everyone involved.

Sony have very successfully replicated all of the tedium of everyday life, without any of the fun that could be had in a virtual world. All wrapped around a vacuous, hollow shell of a game filled with barriers, both to your time, freedom, and wallet.

lolsony.