Man, each and every console generation seems to conjure up more malice between gamers. While it's amusing to keep up to date on "console wars", I find it rather disheartening that there's so much deliberate and more often than not uneducated console bashing going around. And it only seems to get worse with time. I understand that this is the "system wars" forum, but still.
Based on what I've read, I'll offer up my two cents on a few things posted. Out of the three systems, I have the ps3 and Wii, but I'm not too biased towards either, and my brother might end up getting a 360 sometime in the coming months, so I like to think of myself as somewhat open-minded. That being said, I'll be honest with my thoughts on the three systems from what I know.
Playstation 3
I like the ps3 a lot, but the sad truth is that exclusives are few and far between, and only a few are worth getting; the best example that comes to mind is MGS4. Sony also seems to be losing previously exclusive franchises quite frequently these days, which is good for business from a development perspective but doesn't exactly sell any one console in particular. FFXIII was one title I was not expecting to see go multi-platform, and the fact that it's come to that point tells you enough about Sony's current predicament; they're not the market leader anymore, and they need to be a bit more agressive in acquiring exclusives and appearing more appealing to developers.
Home looks awesome, but outside of the coming Beta, eludes the grasp of the public yet again. However, I do believe Home will be an ideal online experience, over time, but then again, it's not out yet, so how would I know? Yet besides Home, the ps3 doesn't have as much going for it online as, say, the 360, but it's adequate for someone like me who doesn't play online too often.
However, the ps3 is a much more reliable system than the 360 as it currently stands (I don't care if the failure rate's significantly lower than it previously was, as that doesn't seem to be saying much. If I fork out hundreds of dollars for a system, I expect it to work; it would be no different if my ps3 broke down, I would find it intolerable.), and I for one really like the design of the system, the controllers are similar to the ps2's but refined (Dualshock 3; I don't care much for the standard Sixaxis), it shows potential, and we'll just have to see what happens in the coming years.
Nintendo Wii
You just can't beat Nintendo's first party franchises; they're held in such high regard for a reason. The Wii was doing great until recently, when it appealed to the casual crowd a bit too strongly for my tastes. While it had previously maintained a nice balance between catering to core gamers and casual gamers, that seems to have changed; though new Zelda titles have been confirmed to be in development, and that can easily tide me over. However, most of the rest of this year seems bleak for Wii owners who prefer more traditional games. However, you still have Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, etc...which should last quite some time.
Online? While I'm not much of an online freak, it's no contest here; the Wii's online capabilities are currently the weakest of the bunch, but it's to be expected. Nintendo is new to the world of online gaming, but still, I can't help but feel as though they could offer more. With that said, there are some nifty features such as the virtual console, Wii Ware, et cetera that I appreciate. But with iffy Wi-Fi connection and a lack of online play and play options, Nintendo clearly needs some work in that aspect.
360
Don't have it, but it does have some appealing exclusives, and I'm talking about titles I expected to see on the ps3, such as RPGs and the like. Nothing that would warrant the purchase of the system alone for me, but perhaps my brother could get it for christmas.
However, I think paying simply to play online with others is a bit much. I understand the advancements over the years in online play, but my opinion is that you should be able to at least play online with your friends for no charge. Other features, sure, go ahead and charge for that, but the basics should not cost anything. I don't care how much better XBL is than the other systems online functionality, I don't wanna pay.
Another thing is the RroD, which is often used by fanboys to bash the 360. Well, I guess I can agree a bit. I expect gaming systems to work well; never had a problem with any gaming system before, never had anything break down on me. I experienced some disc scratching with a few ps2 games, but almost all of them work perfectly nonetheless, and I dunno if I can attribute that to the system or carelessness on my part. And I read earlier on in this thread that the ps2 was notorious for breaking down, especially early on, and someone hadn't known anyone who hadn't replaced thier ps2 twice, I believe. Well, I've had my ps2 since 2001, and it has never broken down on me once, and it still holds up well to this day. As far as we've come in the world of gaming, I think it's only fair to expect a dedicated gaming system to function as well as it possibly can, and no matter what, I don't see any excuse for that.
With all that said and done, I can recognize that the 360 caters the most to the core gamer at the moment, and has an already well established online service in place and exclusives that are widely praised. Most of these exclusives aren't of my personal preference, but more and more are popping up that intrigue me. But in all honesty, I can only see the ps3 gaining momentum, and the 360 will have to put up a harder fight to maintain its lead. And more reliable hardware is a must; I don't want to have to be kept on edge when playing a game because I'm afraid the system might die. That's just ludicrous, and as soon as Microsoft fixs the problem FOR GOOD, I'll change my opinion on the system, because quite frankly, at the moment I think it was simply too rushed and about as reliable as crap.
Anyways, those are my honest opinions. Now y'all enjoy gaming for what it is; fun. While it's nice to stick up for a console, fanboyism is something that I can only see detracting from the overall experience of playing simply to enjoy your time. Honestly.
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