Out with the old...
Despite the fact that everyone is talking about E3 and it's a boring subject for most by this point, I feel the need to through my considerably dusty hat into this ring. It's been a fun week of becoming reaquainted with the video game industry. I sat and thought about it all yesterday, and I realized that I haven't paid attention since Amanda and I got our PS2. Even my computer was bought mostly to run NWN and KOTOR, years after they were released. And while I have aquired some new games (EAW and Oblivion being just about the only two in the last year or so), I haven't really had much contact with the cutting edge, as it were. Now that I have some up to date info on the latest round of the console war, here goes my personal round up:
1. An Imperfect Circle
The XBox franchise has always struck me as a non-gamer's gaming system. I don't know where the impression comes from, but it's stuck in my head. The only 360 game I've seen up close is Call of Duty, or maybe it was Medal of Honor, or Generic WWII Shooter #897. The fact is, the 360 looks shinier, but I have yet to see or hear about anything new that the console is doing. Yes, it's big and mean and it can probably HD me right out of my chair, but how a game looks can only hold my attention for 3-10 minutes tops. There are exactly three games on the 360 that I have heard of that I want to play at some point: Halo 3, Gears of War, and Ninty Nine Nights. For a console that's been out for a year already to have released zero games I'm willing to even rent? Terrible. I can always hope that someone I know picks one up when the price drops this fall so I can mooch.
2. The Charm
Oh, Sony. Did you honestly believe that you were invincible atop the throne of consoledom? Don't get me wrong, the PS3 looks fantastic. And a healthy majority of the games I'm looking at playing will be out on the system. But $600 for the full system? Ouch. I realize that a large portion of the cost is the Blu-Ray drive. I also realize that I have no interest in Blu-Ray now, or for the forseeable future. Sony's trying really hard to push their proprietary shit over HD-DVD, and it comes of like a sleazy used car salesman trying to sell me a Pinto that's had a TV installed in the dash. From a certain perspective, the decision to put Blu-Ray into the PS3 makes sense: you get people who want the next PlayStation to buy into your new (unrelated) technology, you can push the medium to the top faster than normal. But if you lose sales of the PS3 because of the price of the system, you're losing the battle on two fronts. Sony, you've attacked Russia, and you'll probably pay. I will still be able to get FF12 for the PS2, so the 3 lags further and further behind in my book. It is a shiny ass console, though.
3. AndthenIsawthiskidgetrunoverbyabusandIsaid...
I'll admit, I used to be a hardcore Nintendo fanboy. Back when the only thing resembling competition was Sega, it seemed that Nintendo would always be on top (I mean, the 3DO? Come on). But then the N64 let me down, and none too gently. The system was just not as good as the PlayStation, but damn it all, I would perservere. Then Square jumped ship and swam over to Sony. Okay, this looks bad, but at least the rest of my favorite game franchises will be there. Wow, Mario 64 is not that great. Okay, Zelda? Whew, at least Ocarina is a damn good game. Ah, Castlevania! Wait, what? This is the Castlevania game for the 64? And NO Metroid? Why have you forsaken me, Nintendo? What have I done to deserve such damnation? *ahem* Sorry about that. Needless to say, I lost my way. When the next gen came around, I was not going to be burned again. And what's this? The PS2 will be backwards compatible? I can play all the PS1 games I missed by getting a 64? You are dead to me, Nintendo! Dead! *ahem* Sorry again. The Gamecube failed to even register with me. So now the next generation is coming, and what do I see? A Wii? WTF? It looks like a baby toy next to the 360 and PS3. And what's with this goofy remote? Wait, I can do what with this? All my old NES, SNES, and 64 games? The good ones? The terrible ones? And there are actual games I'm looking forward to. Smash Bros. Brawl looks awesome (Solid Fucking Snake?). Metroid Prime 3 looks awesome, and I can't wait to try the wand at an FPS. Zelda: Twilight Princess looks good, even if it's being designed mostly for the GC. Amanda is extra excited about the game where you can conduct an orchestra with the wand. Even the tennis game looks cool. And with experts guessing the price at around $250, the Wii is looking damn hard to beat.
Well, this turned into an extra long rant. My appologies. As for the actual future of my gaming purchases, we'll just have to see...
Despite the fact that everyone is talking about E3 and it's a boring subject for most by this point, I feel the need to through my considerably dusty hat into this ring. It's been a fun week of becoming reaquainted with the video game industry. I sat and thought about it all yesterday, and I realized that I haven't paid attention since Amanda and I got our PS2. Even my computer was bought mostly to run NWN and KOTOR, years after they were released. And while I have aquired some new games (EAW and Oblivion being just about the only two in the last year or so), I haven't really had much contact with the cutting edge, as it were. Now that I have some up to date info on the latest round of the console war, here goes my personal round up:
1. An Imperfect Circle
The XBox franchise has always struck me as a non-gamer's gaming system. I don't know where the impression comes from, but it's stuck in my head. The only 360 game I've seen up close is Call of Duty, or maybe it was Medal of Honor, or Generic WWII Shooter #897. The fact is, the 360 looks shinier, but I have yet to see or hear about anything new that the console is doing. Yes, it's big and mean and it can probably HD me right out of my chair, but how a game looks can only hold my attention for 3-10 minutes tops. There are exactly three games on the 360 that I have heard of that I want to play at some point: Halo 3, Gears of War, and Ninty Nine Nights. For a console that's been out for a year already to have released zero games I'm willing to even rent? Terrible. I can always hope that someone I know picks one up when the price drops this fall so I can mooch.
2. The Charm
Oh, Sony. Did you honestly believe that you were invincible atop the throne of consoledom? Don't get me wrong, the PS3 looks fantastic. And a healthy majority of the games I'm looking at playing will be out on the system. But $600 for the full system? Ouch. I realize that a large portion of the cost is the Blu-Ray drive. I also realize that I have no interest in Blu-Ray now, or for the forseeable future. Sony's trying really hard to push their proprietary shit over HD-DVD, and it comes of like a sleazy used car salesman trying to sell me a Pinto that's had a TV installed in the dash. From a certain perspective, the decision to put Blu-Ray into the PS3 makes sense: you get people who want the next PlayStation to buy into your new (unrelated) technology, you can push the medium to the top faster than normal. But if you lose sales of the PS3 because of the price of the system, you're losing the battle on two fronts. Sony, you've attacked Russia, and you'll probably pay. I will still be able to get FF12 for the PS2, so the 3 lags further and further behind in my book. It is a shiny ass console, though.
3. AndthenIsawthiskidgetrunoverbyabusandIsaid...
I'll admit, I used to be a hardcore Nintendo fanboy. Back when the only thing resembling competition was Sega, it seemed that Nintendo would always be on top (I mean, the 3DO? Come on). But then the N64 let me down, and none too gently. The system was just not as good as the PlayStation, but damn it all, I would perservere. Then Square jumped ship and swam over to Sony. Okay, this looks bad, but at least the rest of my favorite game franchises will be there. Wow, Mario 64 is not that great. Okay, Zelda? Whew, at least Ocarina is a damn good game. Ah, Castlevania! Wait, what? This is the Castlevania game for the 64? And NO Metroid? Why have you forsaken me, Nintendo? What have I done to deserve such damnation? *ahem* Sorry about that. Needless to say, I lost my way. When the next gen came around, I was not going to be burned again. And what's this? The PS2 will be backwards compatible? I can play all the PS1 games I missed by getting a 64? You are dead to me, Nintendo! Dead! *ahem* Sorry again. The Gamecube failed to even register with me. So now the next generation is coming, and what do I see? A Wii? WTF? It looks like a baby toy next to the 360 and PS3. And what's with this goofy remote? Wait, I can do what with this? All my old NES, SNES, and 64 games? The good ones? The terrible ones? And there are actual games I'm looking forward to. Smash Bros. Brawl looks awesome (Solid Fucking Snake?). Metroid Prime 3 looks awesome, and I can't wait to try the wand at an FPS. Zelda: Twilight Princess looks good, even if it's being designed mostly for the GC. Amanda is extra excited about the game where you can conduct an orchestra with the wand. Even the tennis game looks cool. And with experts guessing the price at around $250, the Wii is looking damn hard to beat.
Well, this turned into an extra long rant. My appologies. As for the actual future of my gaming purchases, we'll just have to see...
posted by FK at 8:03 AM
3 Comments:
1. On XBox: Perfect Dark was pretty good, as was the newest Ghost Recon. Not good enough to motivate me buying one however. But it will HD you right out of your chair... so we play on a couch. *shrug*
2. Ow. My wallet. This, coupled with the fact that XBoxes will go down in price over time, will likely make me not pick up one of these.
3. Gamecube passed me by as well... but we missed some terrific shit in doing so. However, since a friend has both a GC and Resident Evil 4, I am again unmotivated. I'd like to see some really good innovative gameplay for the Nintendo Urology 2007 before I get one.
Ah, passing reference to the study of piss. What will you give us next, Nintendo?
A phallic controller. QED.
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