Play The Bill®’s blog

Breaking Down the Great System War of '06/'07

nobody@vox.com(Play The Bill®) — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:46:00 -0700

Xbox 360

The Good

*Wireless controllers

*Upgraded 1080p resolution

*Excellent online play (through Xbox Live)

*Xbox Live Arcade is a great for casual and nostaligic gamers alike.

*Can be used as a media center

*Backward capatable with a ton of original Xbox titles and the list continues to grow

The Bad

*Too many things left out at launch

-Although the ability to integrate wireless 802.11 g/a existed well before last year, Microsoft saw fit to leave this out of the unit and instead sell an add-on antenna for $100 USD.

*Game selection still isn't so hot

-Sure, the 360 has Gears of War, Dead Rising, sports games, and Oblivion. But they still don't have nearly enough RPGs and other types of games for a system that's already a year old. And there still aren't many in development.

*You need a HDTV/HD monitor to make full use of the system's next-gen graphics.

*No HDMI/DVI output

*Chip and overheating issues at launch

Summary

I own a Xbox 360. Truth be told, I bought it mainly for Dead Rising (which lived up to it's hype). But I can honestly say that it's been a great experience so far. Although lately, I'm finding a lack of titles that I'm interested in. I find myself playing more Live Arcade games and capatable original Xbox games than actual 360 discs.

PlayStation 3

The Good

*Wireless controllers

*Excellent graphic capabilities

*HDMI/DVI output

*Up to 60GB hard drive (included with the $600 premium version)

*Built in wireless 802.11 g/a Wifi

The Bad

*Price way too high compared to Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360

*Sony is forcing consumers to embrace expensive and quirky (unstable) Blu Ray technology when the "next DVD format" war has barely even started

*Only a select few exclusive games make the system a "must buy" for anyone.

*Limited backward capability with previous PlayStation system games

*Extreme shortage and faulty hardware (reported) at launch

Summary

Honestly, I have never been a PlayStation fan. I just have no interest in many of the games for the system (save the Final Fantasy games). I also, and I realize that I am one of a very small percentage, find the controller extremely uncomfortable in my hands. The fact that Sony is forcing Blu Ray down our throats and expecting everyone to embrace it is beyond rediculous given their track record with new disc technology (remember UMD that was used in Sony's PSP handheld? FAILED). A price point of $600 (you can get the useless 20GB version of the system for $200 less), coupled with the laughable production shortage is only going to help Sony linger in 3rd place this gaming generation.

Nintendo Wii

The Good

*Innovative motion sensing wireless controllers

*Built in 802.11 Wifi (which can also be used in conjuction with the Nintendo DS)

*Award winning first party exclusive franchises (Mario, Zelda, Metroid)

*Disc drive will read and play all Nintendo Gamecube games (system also include 4 ports for Gamecube controllers and 2 ports for Gamecube memory cards)

*Virtual Console allows gamers to download and play (for a charge) a gigantic back catalog of NES, SNES, N64, Turbo Grafx16, Sega Genesis, and indie games

The Bad

*Component cables not available at launch of system

-While the Wii can display 480p (which is only able to be displayed on EDTV and HDTV), the only way to display it is through component cables. While this is fine for SDTV owners, it screws HDTV owners. They will have to play the Wii with huge black bars on the side of the set's screen until they can find component cables. This is a strange move by Nintendo since the Gamecube was launched along with component cables (sold seperately) at a time when widescreen televisions were FAR from the norm.

*Useless Wii Channels

-While I guess they are nice to just have around, one wonders if the time taken to create Wii Weather and News channels could have gone to better use. Even VHF only televisions have 24 hour news and weather. We don't really need it on our gaming systems.

*Only 512MB of flash memory

-While NES games typically only take up about 50KB of memory, those who will be "old school" fanantics will be forced to buy additional memory in the form of SD memory cards. Also, when taking into consideration that the 512MB of storage is also used for Wii games saves, demo downloads, and firmware updates, one can see how easily that memory can be used.

Overall

After considering all of the pros and cons of each system in this console generation, I am able to pick the system which offers the most bang for the buck for me, personally. And that console is the Microsoft Xbox 360.

While I started gaming with Nintendo (for the most part), the only games I've truly interested in for the Wii is Zelda. The thing that really interests me about the Wii is the Virtual Console. But really, that just allows me to play Nintendo's pre-Wii titles. This is what makes the Wii come in second place in the System War for me. While I find the new control scheme extremely innovative, I can't help but to feel that it will be a bit gimmicky and probably a bit faulty this outing.

The PlayStation 3 will never grace my home entertainment center. The nearly insulting price, Sony's history of failure in new technology, and the lack of interesting titles (on a personal level) make the PS3 a garlic necklace and me a vampire.

The Xbox 360 just has the right blend of graphic capabilites, online gaming, and even a bit of old school arcade to keep me happy, busy, and in awe for years to come. Although it currently doesn't offer a large selection of games to keep me buying, the coming year will bring me to the game store again and again.

That being said, I still plan on buying a Nintendo Wii after the holidays. The Virtual Console is just too cool to pass up. And I will pretty much go anywhere that The Legend Of Zelda goes.

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Play The Bill®: A History In Gaming

nobody@vox.com(Play The Bill®) — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:40:52 -0700

What do I do now, daddy?

It must have been around 1984 when my father brought home a Commodore 64 home from the local electronics store. Since I was only 4 years old at the time, I don't remember much of the unit, but I remember it being plugged into a 10 inch black and white television set. The only real game I remember playing was some sort of counting game that my father always had me play. And I also remember a game that was fairly similiar to Pitfall. And I definitely remember playing Donkey Kong. I preparation of writing this entry, I called my father to inquire of the whereabouts of the system. He told me that he gave it to my uncle in the late 80's.

This controller kinda looks like a phone.....

My parents divorced in the winter of 1985. The following year, my mother moved in with her new boyfriend. His boyfriend had two kids. And his kids had an Intellivision. After having already played on my father's Atari 2600 at his house (of which I very rarely played as he only had Pong and one other game for the system), I was very taken aback by the Intellivision's controller design. I remember having a great time playing Bowling, Frogger, and other games that we had on hand. But my favorite of all was Burgertime. I played that game for hours on end until the system eventually died in early 1990.

Warping to NES

It wasn't until 1988 that the Nintendo Entertainment System would be introduced into my household. My step-brother had recieved it as a gift from his grandparents for his 9th birthday. I remember being almost more excited than he was when he opened the huge box (or what seemed huge to a eight year old) that the system came in. The console came with two controllers and one cartridge; that cartridge being Super Mario Brothers/Duckhunt. Shortly after, my mother had discovered a store called Funcoland (which we now know as GameStop/EB Games) where we could buy used games for a much cheaper price. We saved all of our allowance money to buy games at that store. We must have had at least 35 in our collection. I got Mike Tyson's Punch Out! for Christmas that same year and I was hooked from the first opening bout with Glass Joe. My step-father was the person who introduced me to The Legend of Zelda that same year. But it wouldn't be until around 1993 that I would be a complete Zelda freak. My step-brother traded the Nintendo in 1992 for a skateboard, which prompted me to buy my own NES which is still with me, in perfect working order, to this day.

Nothing too super about the 90's

For some reason, and to this day I couldn't tell you why exactly, I decided to purchase a Sega Genesis in 1993. Since my parents didn't like to buy me anything having to do with video games, I had to purchase it with my own money. Being only 12 years old at the time, jobs were hard to come by. So I saved up every penny I had and bought a Sega Genesis which came with Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Along with the system, I bought X-Men, which was really a horrible game now that I think about it. I had some other titles by that Christmas, but around that time, I had already gotten fairly decent at guitar and video games just weren't my thing anymore. I had borrowed my friend's Super Nintendo just so I could play The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past in 1994. But after I returned the system, it would be some time before the world of video games and I could reunite. My mother sold the Sega Genesis at one of her garage sales about 2 years ago for $20.

A hero of time reintroduces me to my past

Late 1997 found me without a band, without a girlfriend, and really, really bored. After hanging out at a friend's house playing Super Mario 64 on his Nintendo 64, I decided that having a video game system may be just what I needed to pass the time. So I revisited the local Funcoland, the same one I went to as a child, to buy myself a reburbished N64 along with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time. I played that game so much over the years that the game eventually stopped working. I only owned a handful of games for the system since it was only a passing hobby, really. But that same system is now sitting beside me in my office, working just fine with my second copy of OoT. In 1998, I graduated high school and found a new band, got a steady girlfriend, and once again put video games behind me.

2001 and Beyond: Where'd my money go?

In 2001, just before the terrorist attack in , I once again found myself without a band, single, and longing once more for digital entertainment in the form of video games. I purchased the following in this order:

Nintendo Gamecube

Bought this in 2001 solely to play The Legend Of Zelda: Windwaker. Also played a lot of Animal Crossing and some of the Resident Evil titles. Sold the unit last month shortly after I purchased the Xbox 360.

Nintendo Gameboy Advance SP

This was a complete impulse buy. I got bored one day in 2003 and decided to go to GameStop in search of a Gamecube game and saw one of these guys on display. After I learned that it could also play Gameboy and Gameboy Color titles, I knew I had to have it. There were, of course, Zelda games that I had no yet played that were released for Gameboy. I had a lot of fun with that little guy. I traded it in toward my original Xbox.

Xbox

The ads that Microsoft was running for Fable had me hooked. So I bought the system in early 2005. Along with Fable, I also played Star Wars Knights of the I & II. I traded in the Xbox along with the Gamecube last month.

Nintendo Dual Screen (DS) Lite

I picked up this little guy on launch day this year. I've bought a slew of games for it; DS and GBA games alike. Still keeps me entertained.

Xbox 360

Bought my X360 a bit over a year ago now. Still enjoying it, obviously.

You may notice that I make no mention here to the Sony Playstation. There is a good reason for that. It's simply that I never owned a Playstation. I didn't like anything the PS1 had to offer and honestly, I hated the controller and still do to this day. Before you shun me or tell me why it's such a great controller, let me ask you to just save your finger strengh. It's just not for me. And believe me, I tried to like it. I played The Godfather: The Game on my girlfriend's PS2, but that's it for me. I will avoid the PS2 at all costs.

(EDIT: Shortly after writing this, I fell into what you could call a "gaming drought" and purchased both Kingdom Hearts games. They have become two of my all time favorites. But I still hate the Playstation controller layout and feel. Sorry.)

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