Impressions: FirstPlay

Looking FirstClass…

Preview

Jennifer Allen goes for a first play with FIRSTPLAY.

Not a day goes by, it seems, without a declaration that print based media are dying out in the face of free information available on the internet. Whether this is actually the case is a topic for another day, but regardless of which side of the argument you fall on, it makes sense that a popular publishing firm such as Future would want to branch out and offer more interactive magazine-esque experiences.

The result is FirstPlay, an interactive magazine show reminiscent of Qore on the US PSN store. All the content within FirstPlay is written by the staff of Official PlayStation Magazine, and is delivered via the voice of comedian Lucy Porter. Having been given the opportunity to try out a beta episode I was surprised to see that it works extremely well.

Immediately it reminded me of my childhood days of watching Gamesmaster and Bad Influence, but fortunately with a bit more polish added to proceedings. Opening up to a series of menus offering reviews, screenshots, a network roundup and featured downloads section, it’s quickly apparent that there’s a fair amount of content in exchange for 99p and a hefty 1gb download.

Meaty HD offerings

The meat to the package is the HD review section. Our preview episode offered a review of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 along with previews of Lost Planet 2 and Super Street Fighter IV. It’s an entertaining section to view, and although the reviews don’t go into quite as much depth as written articles, there’s still a good mix of content and opinion without feeling too staid or dull. Curiously, this episode also features a review of the film Cracks. It feels a little odd and out of place, but otherwise the section is rather enjoyable indeed.

Pleasingly, there’s good use of the technology as well, with split-screens frequently used to compare games. In this episode, Battlefield Bad Company 2’s destructive element was compared to that of Just Cause 2 and Red Faction: Guerrilla, and it’s easy to see the benefit of having a direct comparison.

As much as I like Lucy Porter’s comedy, at times it does feel a bit too much like she’s reading from a script – although when it comes to the more comedic moments in the reviews, she seems to be more at ease. Hopefully, as more episodes are produced, Porter will relax into the role and become more natural.

The network roundup is quite an inspired touch. As someone who never seems to have the time to browse the PSN store as much as I’d like, it’s handy to be pointed in some interesting directions. FirstPlay’s video store does admittedly feel rather lightweight, but at least it has the decency to take a swipe at Transformers 2. The PSN roundup itself, though, is well worth a look, with the preview episode recommending a few titles and working in a preview of the Heavy Rain dynamic theme. I was also pleased to see some coverage of the PSP Mini games, although the addition of the SingStar Top 10 seems rather bizarre, with videos of PSN users singing the songs in the Top 10. If you ever worry that you’re a little eccentric, do watch this. It’ll make you feel so much better.

There’s also a screenshot gallery, but it’s a little underwhelming when compared with the other, more fine-tuned sections. Including screenshots of Mafia 2, Red Dead Redemption, FIFA World Cup and Brink is fine, but it does feel somewhat like a very pretty Powerpoint presentation with Lucy Porter providing the captions again. It’s unlikely to be something you’ll be rushing to view.

Generally, though, FirstPlay appears to be a well-presented and slick gaming show. It doesn’t try too hard to be your friend, and it doesn’t try to attract your attention through the use of half-naked women or other cheap thrills. Instead, it provides good quality information which is entertaining and well presented – far more than I’d initially hoped from the service, if I’m honest.

At 99p per episode or a three month subscription for £8.99, for 30-45 minutes of entertainment it’s also pretty good value. It’s cheaper than a magazine, and if it follows up on its promise of exclusive content for subscribers, there’s yet another reason to be excited. It launches next week, and if its forthcoming episodes can maintain the standard of the preview, it could be a very useful service indeed.