Originally I was going to ignore this blog, then I decided it would be a good idea to post my gaming related rants over here where people might actually care, instead of cluttering up my main blog with them. So, here's the first one.

So today I finally went and got an Xbox 360, thus completing my collection of game consoles. XD PSWii60 for the win! Or something.

My initial impressions of the 360...are actually quite good, although I hate having to pay extra for EVERY damn thing. It's not as loud as I expected; louder than the PS3 or the Wii yes, but no worse than my PS2. (I turned on my PS2 the other day and was blown away by how loud it seems after getting used to the new and quieter consoles, heh.) The power supply...is **** HUGE. O_O And I can see why the heat is an issue. I'd only had it running for about twenty minutes, and I put my hand in the space over the console and it practically felt like an oven. Hotter than the Wii gets, for sure; and I'm pretty sure it's hotter than the PS3 as well, although I'd have to do a comparison to be sure. It definitely gets hotter faster.

As for games...lmao, I'm pissed at Gamestop. I went there to buy Dead Rising (and ended up walking out with that and DMC3, because for some odd reason I can't walk into a game store and buy any form of game without also walking out with a game for some form of PlayStation. but I digress). I got them both used, they were cheaper, all was well...until I got home and tried to play Dead Rising. Case says Dead Rising. Tag says Dead Rising. Case has Dead Rising manual inside. Case does NOT have Dead Rising disc inside. Case has Dead or Alive 4 disc inside. So, I played DOA4 for a bit and I'm taking it back tomorrow. XD

I also downloaded Doom from the XBox Live Arcade. XD Man, I love that game. Brings back memories, rofl.

Okay, so. Based on my admittedly so far limited experience with all three consoles, here's what I think:

Graphics: Haven't played enough different games to tell. DOA4 on the 360 looks better than NFS Carbon on the PS3 (on my SDTV), but since DOA4 is an exclusive and NFS Carbon is multi-plat, that's not really a fair comparison. Wii comes in last place, obviously. It's slightly better than PS2 era consoles, but not by much.

Online: 360 by a landslide. The PS3 just doesn't have enough features/content to make it worthwhile yet, although at least you can get everything for free. And the Wii...doesn't even really HAVE online. Although, it would be nice to have a web browser in the 360 like in the other two. As far as the prices for downloadable content goes...honestly, I think the Wii's prices are just about right. The 360's content is overpriced, and the PS3's is underpriced (not that I'm complaining, mind you).

Features: In general, the PS3. For features that I'll actually use, the 360. The only extra features on the PS3 I have that much of a use for are music streaming, which I can't get to work, and Web browsing. It's nice to have the Blu-ray player when my parents want to hook it up to their HDTV, but eh. The 360 has music streaming (that works!), can play said music during games, lets you chat on MSN...and it's all integrated very smoothly.

Reliability: Well, I think we all know who the loser is here. With that said, none of mine have given me any trouble so far. I'll probably update my blog with whining when they do. =D

Controller: PS3. Only because I love the PlayStation controller. Always have, always will. The 360 controller is just an odd fusion of a PS2 and a Gamecube controller. And the Wii controller, while nifty, is basically just a gimmick that gets old fast and can often get in the way of traditional game design.

Basic Design: PS3, definitely. It's gorgeous. I love big sexy black things. =D XD

Games: This is just personal preference, really. So, let's break it down for me--the exclusive games I want for each console, that I can think of off the top of my head. PS3 games: FF13 (definitely), FF13 Versus (definitely), Heavenly Sword (probably). Potentially Kingdom Hearts 3 (definitely). 360 games: Dead Rising (definitely), Blue Dragon (definitely), Lost Oddyssey (probably). Wii games: Super Smash Brothers Brawl (possibly), Super Mario Galaxy (maaaybe), RE4 Wii (definitely), RE: Umbrella Chronicles (definitely), Manhunt 2 (maybe). So, the victor? Actually...it's about a three-way tie. Which is why I have all three. =D They all have at least two games that are a must-have for me, and enough potential titles to justify the purchase--although the Wii's potential titles are iffier than the other two.

Backwards Compatability: Tie between the PS3 and the Wii. The Wii's backwards compatability is very thorough; when you put in a Gamecube game, it basically becomes a Gamecube (coughbecauseitisonecough). You can't use the Wii controller, can't go back to the Wii menu, nothin'. It doesn't have BC further back than that, though. And while you can download older games from the Virtual Console, there's not that great of a selection, and you can't guarantee the games you want to play will ever come. The PS3, on the other hand--while it doesn't magically transform into a PS2, it can play all PS2 games AND PS1 games with no problem. (Unless you're unlucky enough to live in Europe. In which case, as the PS3 Elite joke ad says, #$#$@# you! =P XD)

Price: Well, not price, really. It's obvious that the Wii is the winner as far as price goes. But as far as how much you're really getting out of your money...I can't say yet whether to vote for the 360 or the PS3 for this one. I need more experience with the 360 first. With that said, it's definitely not the Wii. The Wii may be the cheapest, but you also get what you pay for.

Overall Winner: THEY'RE ALL THREE AWESOME. =D My least favorite right now is the Wii, however. It's great for playing with friends and family, really fun at first, great as a secondary console or for party games. But for a primary console, standing on its own merits, it just wouldn't work too well. I got tired of it pretty quickly, and I've found that a lot of people who consider themselves gamers (or "hardcore" gamers) do.

Oh yes, and my soap opera of the consoles continues. XD When I unpackaged my 360, I was telling it, "Welcome to the family, buddy. Just...stay with me. DON'T GO INTO THE LIGHT!!" Then I turned around to face my PS2, PS3, and Wii...and I swear I could feel them glaring at me. The hatred was almost visible. XD Maybe I should go make sure my consoles haven't killed each other... o_O