Comments on: Shopping on Home: The New Mall

By: Kassadee Marie

Kassadee Marie — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:50:15 +0000

I went to the mall recently to specifically check for changes and updates,looking at every store window and going into those that had lobbies. Some of the stores are keeping up with new items they have to offer and some are not. I think those store which do not update their content are missing an opportunity to advertise, interest new customers and ensure the return of the long time customers.

By: GoodBytes

GoodBytes — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:27:36 +0000

SCEA using content from SCEE now. That’s a first.
EU has had those store fronts in their Shopping Centres for a very long time.
I still don’t understand why SCEA didn’t bother to change the floor of the NDreams store to make it match NA’s mall.

By: SORROW-83

SORROW-83 — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:02:53 +0000

IMO,I preferred the old mall, much better designed and welcoming!
Separate the two mall is really not a good idea, it makes even less desire to go there.
It would have been much smarter to keep the mall in his initial form and just re-design the shops, change the background music and some menus detailed aesthetic!
Moreover, the impression of claustrophobia that emerges is unbearable.
I feel the xmb being much more convenient …
a “fail” from my point of view.

By: Kassadee Marie

Kassadee Marie — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:00:56 +0000

Thank you!

By: Kid Fleetfoot

Kid Fleetfoot — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:30:49 +0000

I miss the stairs but I guess elevators are the in things nowadays.

By: Burbie52

Burbie52 — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:32:11 +0000

I too agree that the new mall is a great improvement of the older version. I will rarely use the mall though as I will still probably use the navigator for my buying. I like the convenience of shopping in my Harbor with no distractions. Good review Kassadee.

By: Gideon

Gideon — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:09:34 +0000

Im glad to see you active Kassadee! Well done on the review. I tend to disagree with the assessment but I can see the appeal of the new design.

By: NorseGamer

NorseGamer — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:40:08 +0000

I really dig the new Mall format. Sure, we can access everything via Navigator, but I’ve always personally felt that every time we have to use the Navigator to go somewhere or do something, it pulls us out of the immersive experience, rather than deepening it.

What the new mall could really benefit from — heck, what Home in general could benefit from — is *sound* design. Too much of Home feels like running through a silent movie; one of the great subliminals in the Hub is the background walla that really does make you feel like you’re in some sort of futuristic version of Euston Station. I’m hoping more of Home will start to offer a more comprehensive aural experience to compliment the excellent visuals.

I don’t pretend to understand the female fascination with shoes, but then we all have our shopaholic hot buttons. Put me in a gourmet cheese shop, for instance, and I’m like a fat kid in a Fiddle Faddle factory.

There is something about being able to actually walk into some of those stores, isn’t there? I know it’s a minor detail, but it somehow adds to the sense of realism. I’d love to see publishing showcases from more developers — nDreams, LOOT and especially Lockwood have really nailed it — but this new mall is definitely an improvement over the old one.

By: BONZO

BONZO — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:28:33 +0000

I do like the new design of the Mall, with stores you can actually go into and see some of the stuff, but they really could have taken it a step further. They could have had more of a showcase like Lockwood, where you could preview some of the active items. I am really jonesing to get that beat machine but I would like to try it out before i buy it. Same with the new boombox, but it is better than just flashing you into the store app.