From my blog:

Overall, what I like isn't something that can be experienced after playing a few games. I started to notice the difference over time. The little conveniences add up, showing just how well it's all put together.

As I played both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network more than more, I noticed a marked a divide between the ways both systems are set up. Xbox Live is just more conducive to forming a community than PSN is. There are more opportunities to communicate, more opportunities to play with each other and more attention given to community members on Xbox Live.

MS recognizes that subscribers are more than just a group of people that play online. XBL is the means by which those members stay cohesive and active. XBL is how that random group of folks becomes a community, by allowing them to meet up with other people in ways that make sense. The end result is a much less random experience if you take advantage of what's there:

• Cross-game invites - In my eyes, more important than cross-game chat. This isn't a simple text message either. No matter what you and your friends are doing on the console (playing different games, watching a movie, listening to music, whatever), I can send an invite. All a friend needs to do is open my message and click accept and he'll be pulled right into my session. The Xbox Live implementation is universal and not on a game-by-game basis. Old games, new games, arcade games, dashboard. Doesn't matter. It works.
• Party system - Up to 8 friends can party up and launch into games together, again, no matter whateveryone is doing. Or you can stay in separate games and just chat. Much like the Halo 3 party system, but at the OS level.
• Community staff - They are both visible and accessible. From Major Nelson's news and shows, Trixie's organization of girl gamers, StepTo's policy enforcement to the community developer and ambassador programs. Their response to the MW2 javelin glitch is a prime example. Although the onus of the responsiblity was solely on the shoulders of Infinity Ward, MS went above and beyond by actively seeking out the exploiters and suspending them. StepTo made public statement almost immediately. Sony's response was from a nameless rep with flat statement that they don't plan on doing anything. One is an example of service. The other is the absence of service.
• Community events - This isn't just the themed game nights on the Community Calendar. It's the Game With Fame, gaming with devs and my personal fave, Community PlayDate where I can game with people from a featured fan site. These events are easily seen, even if I'm not looking for it. Which brings me to....
• Better integration of features - Each feature is fleshed out and thought it put into how one part affects another. This isn't the scattershot, half implemented approach we see from Sony. We need only look at achievements/trophies, integration with Xbox.com and Playstation.com as good examples of this. It translates into the difference in their chatpad designs and the implementation of social networking functions.

Granted, MS really screwed up with the hardware and they're stuggling with the pricing of content like Games on Demand, but Xbox Live... they totally got right. PS3 graphics and disc storage be damned. If I had to choose all over again, I'd still pick the Xbox 360 mostly because of their implementation of Xbox Live.

VoodooHak

/thread

I love how no one has responded to this. Facts, facts and more facts and you get crickets for a response.

It literally took me about 5 seconds to swap discs while playing Mass Effect 2. If we as a society have gotten THAT lazy, then it's time to spend a few hours every day on a treadmill.

ouch, but thats why im renting it, since it, like gow3 (imo), doesnt have any replay value for the most part, and im not going to spend 60 on a 10-12 hour game that has no replay value.mtradr43

You would not have survived in the days when games had no online.

GamingXP gave it a 92 and the UK POM gave it a 90. Clearly a flop. Just drives home further how much credibility this review doesn't have.

Indigo Prophecy got an 83 for the PS2 on Metacritic, an 84 on Xbox and an 85 on PC. Reviews for HR will probably settle into the same range.

Will rent for the 360 and save money for God of War 3

Another PS3 flop? Ouch..tough year for cows so far..

GrannyGoat

There are 8.5's and 9's out there for this as well. These guys gave ME2 a 7 so their credibility is shoddy at best.

[QUOTE="LiquidSnake1001"]

http://www.n4g.com/ps3/News-469314.aspx

Review by another French Site.

RPG-explorer

No shooting, no explosions, no option to put on a headset and scream into someones ear with a squeaky voice = slow, dull story

[QUOTE="Hopkins_J"]

Seriously, what's so appealing about it? All you do is climb stuff and shoot people. It's very repetitive.

13C

Have you played. Its not repetitive at all. Jumping from truck to truck as they explode, running throught a moving train, exploing a lost city, running around the city, climbing the ice mountains and facing those things.

Such awesome sequences indeed. Only thing I didn't like about the game was how quickly the ending seemed to arrive.

It's sad that you have people that want this game to fail. It just means that we'll get more generic FPS. Now where is my billionth sequel with the Call of Duty name on it?!

Good. Hopefully the reviews from IGN and other high profile sites are just as good. We need more games like this so we get less churned out sequels like MW2. It seems that unless it has explosions, co-op or some other form of MP, it's "dull". No wonder we get war game clones, it's what the masses tell companies they want.