And again, I say... I'm back. Much time has passed since I have posted to this thing, say sorry, and thus I may end up having quite a bit to say. So, if this runs horrifically long, I apologize in advance.
The last week has seen the other two members of the "big three" finally toss their hats in the proverbial ring to vie for your holiday dollars, and sadly, I haven't been able to find the cash for either the Wii (God, I STILL hate that name!!) or the PS3. Thus I am relegated to observing the proceedings from the comfort of my Underground Lair as a reluctantly detached observer. And thus I shall likely remain for a while, at least until I get my yearly kickback from Uncle Sam. Overall there have only been a couple of complaints that I've heard on the PS3; Least severe (unless you're a massive fan of one the games in question) are the system's
incompatibility issues with roughly three percent of the existing PlayStation library, resulting in maladies ranging from slightly shifted display (
Onimusha: DOD), to unresponsive controls (
Hot Shots Golf 3/Fore), to full-on software freezes (
Gran Turismo 4, Devil May Cry). Fortunately, this is an issue that will likely be resolved pretty easily via firmware updates, though I still can't help but feel that 100% backwards compatibility is a pipe dream. Worse is the apparent
inability of the system to up/ downscale its display to meet the requirements of certain HDTVs . This one is stickier, as it may be an issue tied more to the PS3 hardware than the internal software. So, if you're planning on getting a new HD display for your shiny new PS3, be sure to check your specs.
Strangely enough, the system that I expected to perform the
best of the new two as far as system reliability is doing the worst. Nintendo has joined the "
our firmware updates destroy our systems" club, with their initial firmware update
killing the online functions of their latest console for some customers. Nintendo's response has been quite democratic; They're offering free replacements by mail for all damaged consoles, unlike M$'s solution of telling customers who are out of warranty to either pay out the nose for repair or suck it up and buy a new 360, even though the issue is clearly the fault of the company. Nice. Slightly less serious is the issue of the dinky 10-ft cord on the sensor bar, which has been
causing headaches for folks with more unorthodox entertainment center setups. I guess Nintendo just can't help it; they have to put some ridiculous hardware quirk into every system, be it the SNES' super-slow processor, the GBA's patented "impossible to see without an industrial halogen lamp" display (which later reemerged on the DS Phat), or the SP's lack of a headset port.
So, now that all of the combatants are finally on the battlefield, the speculations are flowing in as to who will be the overall victor this generation. Reports have been varied, but the only one I haven't seen mentioned as topping the charts is the Wii. It's odd, considering that the post-E3 buzz for the system was almost deafening, and there's no doubt that the price and control capabilities are tantalizing. The thing that may be the stumbling-block is the graphics. Let's face it; the
numbers plainly say the Wii is never going to see games that look even close graphically to the offerings on either the PS3 or 360, and despite what many "hardcore" people seemingly want to tell you, graphics
do matter. Great game play is a must, but if the game
looks like something that came out of a cat's ass compared to the competition's offerings, there's no question that this is a bad thing. Case in point: We're already seeing people essentially complaining that Zelda doesn't look like something wrought by the hands of God himself. It merely looks fantastic. Granted, the system's exclusive offerings aren't going to provide as much basis for comparison, but the cross-platform games will invariably suffer. But, on the flip-side, the motion-sensitive control of the Wii will provide experiences that only the PS3 will have a chance at emulating.
Personally, I still foresee the PS3 being the victor this generation, with the Wii potentially beating out the 360 for the second spot here in the States. Argue as much as you want, but one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) key to winning a console generation is to perform well in Japan. Japanese developers know their console games, and there are few viable reasons for them to bring their expertise to a console that doesn't sell on their home turf. And the 360's sales have been
beyond anemic in the Land of the Rising Sun (though I have to wonder if ads like
this are at least partly to blame). This leaves Microsoft's offering at the mercy of two things: American developers and Live. Not to say that American developers are
bad, but leaving things in their hands will insure that you will get a steady flow of first-person shooters, sports games, and GTA clones... and little else. Live will still move systems with that palette of games, but with other systems offering their own viable alternatives to Live for free, one has to wonder how long Microsoft's other killer app (besides Halo, of course) can last in its current price format. Worse strikes for MS are the hardware's rather spotty track record in regards to reliability, and their dubious design decisions to not only remove the standard hard drive that helped popularize their original console, but to stick with a nearly 10-year-old storage medium for their games.
The Wii has tons of momentum on its side, with a control scheme that has been fully embraced by the masses, easy-to-use online functionality, a ton of rock-solid download-able content, backwards compatibility with the 'Cube, and an excellent price point. The only hurdle that really needs to be overcome is Nintendo's shaky third party support. The Gamecube got a few non-Nintendo games worth mentioning, but many were
ports /
re-imaginings/
ruinations of previously released games. And that was on a system with a standard controller. The possibilities for absolute dreck from a third party on a system with a non-standard control method just boggle my mind. Sadly, we're
already seeing signs of it, as attempts to add "new, exciting" features to capitalize on the Wii (and PS3)'s motion sensitivity are already driving excellent franchises off cliffs. Granted, more time with the system will let developers become a bit more adept at bending the "Wiimote" to their maniacal purpose, but until then....
The PS3 handily overcomes the issue of third-party support, and it's hardware is overflowing with both power and potential (
Linux with your PS3, anyone?). The control method combines the time-tested Dual Shock (minus the "shock" thanks to that wonderful little
spot of legal unpleasantness a while back) with the motion sensitivity that's all the rage right now. It seems that it's painful for a lot of folks to admit, but Sony's horse is pretty much the one to beat. The things that really hurt the PS3 are the sticker price and hardware availability. Everyone and their brother was ready to run down to their local game emporium and reserve a system after E3 '05, but the E3 '06 bombshell announcement of the price took the wind out of pretty much everyone's sails. Gamers are downright pissed about the prospect of shelling out 600 clams for a system, and developers are rightfully worried about the potentially small installed base of PS3 users. The delayed launch and short supply of units when the system finally did reach store shelves have both been pretty major setbacks as well. But with plenty of exclusive software coming down the pipe (
for now at least), improved production methods, and inevitable and price drops should let the PS3 climb back on the horse and ride into the limelight.
In "systems that I currently own in something other than my dampest of dreams" news,
Guitar Hero 2 and
Capcom Classic Collection Vol. 2 have both hit, and both are quite excellent, as expected. The only real cause for debate over GH2 seems to have been whether the track list this time around is better or worse that the original, but I prefer to leave that little scrap to the audiophiles. All I know is I gots me some Rolling Stones and
Dethklok songs, co-op, and a practice mode, which honestly is more than I truly felt that I deserved. CCC2 seems to have spurred similar debate, and I would say that the argument could be very convincingly made that this one isn't quite as strong as the previous outing. But when the previous collection had three revs of
Street Fighter II, every
Ghosts 'n Goblins game up through
Super GnG,
Final Fight,
Gun.Smoke,
Mercs,
1942,
1943,
1943 Kai, and a slew of other b-list titles, the follow-up is almost guaranteed to look a bit pale by comparison. Thankfully for them, I really wanted
Black Tiger and
Street Fighter. Speaking of the previously mentioned GnG games,
Ultimate Ghouls 'n Ghosts on PSP has been impressing me quite a bit. The graphics are solid, the game play is tight (and HARD AS SIN, natch), and the added mechanics (magic, shields, collectible items, open-ended questing) are all implemented well. But as good as it is, I still desperately want
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. God, it looks positively delectable!
And in random political news, the winds of change are already blowin' hard and strong on Capitol Hill, I tells ya!! It's only been a month and the new Democratic majority has already got this whole Iraq thing all ironed out for us. Yesiree. All it took was a different perspective on things, and viola! We're on the fast train to now-town!
Their plan: Stay the course.
OK, let me make sure I heard this properly. So.... you're saying that your bold new strategy for Iraq is to....
continue doing what we've been doing.
Wow.
It's exactly that kind of think-outside-the-box mindset that won you the election, isn't it, Dems? Kudos.
Currently playing:
PS2-- Guitar Hero II, Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2
PS-- Final Fantasy Tactics
PSP-- Ultimate Ghosts n' Goblins, Guilty Gear Judgment
