Monthly Archives: November 2006

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After playing the PS3 several times at different stores and thinking about it too much I have…realized that I don’t hate it as much as I thought I should…I guess. Before I played it, it was a foregone conclusion: $600 for a console, that only adds the incremental bump in graphics is stupid. Stoopid even. Then I played it. Now, I wasn’t blown away or anything, and my conclusion is still essentially the same. However, the graphics are pretty. They allow you to see individual parts of a car as it gets smashed against a boulder. It’s kinda neat. So, when it comes down in price, gets rid of some dumb limitations (see these for a starter, and there are many more around if you look) and if Sony ever actually produces anywhere near the numbers (rumor is that they won’t even reach 500,000 in the “launch window” which is pitiful); basically if they can start doing anything right after the series of many missteps they’ve made in the last couple of years it could be a great system.

Anyways, games are fun and with stunning graphics they’re funner. However, a choice between a PS3 and a Wii is a choice between the most high-end game console that would complement a state-of-the-art home theater system and better and innovative gameplay. I’m more interested in new ways to play, graphics have been improving for years, it’s not a novel advance like the Wiimote is.

What I’m wondering is if PS3 developers are scrapping PS3 plans and switching development to other systems as a result of the extremely limited availability of the PS3…oh wait, they’re already doing that (see Grand Theft Auto 4 and Assassin’s Creed, among others)…and did you see that Sony’s stock has been going down since the new Playstation launch? Things are bad in Sony land.

Looks like it’ll be a Wii60 combo for me this generation.

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I spent the afternoon and evening playing my friend Bret’s Wii. I give it 4 out of 5 tinkles. Why not a perfect 5? On its own the system as a concept and implementation is perfect, however, if there’s not a lot of 3rd party support it will go the way of the Gamecube. So pending much support and more clever implementation of the Wiimote and overall control scheme, it’s perfect. Seriously, it’s great. My only gripe was with the controls in Wii Boxing, which needs some tuning.

Downloading games and using the Virtual Console (and the system menus in general) was great. The tiny little bumps while “mousing” (wii-ing?) over things made it tactile and the system was responsive and provided nice little aural feedback noise upon selections, similar to how a TiVo does, only more elegantly. In fact, the whole “whiteness” of the thing, along with its size and the whole crisp feel to everything reminded me a lot of the Dreamcast. Let’s hope this isn’t Nintendo’s last console though…

Playing Zelda: TP was much MUCH easier than I’ve read about. All the reports I had read said that everyone should expect at it to take at least 20 – 30 min. to get used to the new controls. Try 5. I was completely comfortable with using the Wiimote and Nunchuk after 5 minutes. Maybe it was the first game those other reviewers used, while I got acclimated to everything by playing most of Wii Sports beforehand. Twilight Princess, at least the 10 minutes I played, was great. I feel it sucking me in already…

I’ve gotta ending these paragraphs like that…the only other game I got to play was Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam which looks and sounds retarded. It’s great. In fact the gameplay was so fun that I decided that if/when I get my own Wii, that will be the second game I purchase (cuz TP has to be the first).

And now I shall expound on my deep wisdom regarding the PS3.