ugh... For the seven millionth time with you guys...what do you expect to change about a game licensed by a real-world organization that puts tight restrictions on what can and cannot be done? What, you want them to put a mode in where you play vertical football with Icarus wings until someone gets too close to the sun and burns out like Deion Sanders? Wait, better idea. Let's have pig football, huh? Have pigs toss around the pigskin! Seriously, I wish people would stop whining about how the game never changes. The 2K games never changed much either, besides the fact that the scores in games became more unrealistic year after year after year. Madden's got a lot of pressure on its shoulders...the same way that any major franchise has...and specifically a franchise THAT HAS TO RELEASE A NEW GAME EVERY YEAR!!! I'm not a fan of Madden, but I respect the work that these guys have to do in order to try and please their fans and still play the games when I have the chance. Just because they make a Madden game and know it's going to sell a ton of copies doesn't mean they aren't putting effort into it. Just in my time with the game so far, Madden 09 has a TON of stuff that the previous ones didn't have. The dynamic AI is a much-needed addition. The Virtual Training Center has helped me learn plays far better than previous years. The graphics are VASTLY improved over all the past years, and the grass tones are so amazing. The animations are finally varied and interesting to watch. The stats screens got a major overhaul. Other than that...it's football. It's not like you can really change the rules of it or anything...and anyone that wants to try to compare the 2K Games series (as much as I loved them despite their huge gaping flaws) needs to play the two and realize that what 2K did was made a FANTASY football game...because those scores and moves are ridiculous. ...and anyone that wants to try and claim Blitz: The League as being something amazing needs to stick their head in a meat grinder. = /
I use a Razer Diamondback right now...and the thing is perfect for everything I do, including Photoshop, gaming, and even internet browsing. The Lachesis looks great for gaming for me...but I just don't know if I'm ready to drop $70 to replace what basically looks exactly the same with a higher DPI.
Alright, nubs...let's get to having an intelligent conversation about these systems finally. I'm not the biggest fan of Gamespot, but they do offer some great articles like this one every once in a blue moon. So, in essence, here's what I've got to say: The overall gist of this article is dead-on in many ways. There is a lot that Sony has offered with the system and its capabilities, but I think it's been a sad thing to watch the consumers constantly dog it just because it didn't have every single one of these things with it when it launched. People keep acting like the 360 had everything it promised out of the box, and while it does have some unique features that Sony doesn't...the same works vice versa. Personally, for the first time in a long time, I don't think this is a console "war". I think all three of the major companies are really more focused on their own strategies to take us places in gaming that we haven't been before. The immersion with the Wii and Sixaxis controllers offer up something we've never really experienced before in gaming. Sure, there were weird peripherals with all kinds of games before this, but nothing this dedicated as to base an entire console around it. Then we've got online strategies, which Microsoft is king of, while Sony is following poorly on the heels. Regardless, it doesn't mean that Sony can't bounce back, and with something like Home, they are offering some a bit more unique for online services. XBL, however, has a great standardized format for doing online play, and it's also EXTREMELY effective. In the end, though, both companies are trying to find ways to make online gameplay work better for consoles. Then we get to the third party support. You look at a company like Epic, who is licensing the hell out of the Unreal Engine 3. I mean, seriously, they could've just horded it to themselves and not offered it to anyone, but instead, they are trying to help companies really push the envelope and make their games incredible as well! Take Sony for instance. At GDC, they offered up their own first party dev tools for everyone at a conference, FREE OF CHARGE I MIGHT ADD, just to help companies develop games better and cheaper for the PS3. This shows that the gaming community is ACTUALLY BEING A COMMUNITY! It's about time, too. Let's also look at the strategy of virtual consoles and arcades and such. XBL Arcade is offering up tons of great classic games, as well as a way for lesser known developers to get themselves noticed. At the same time, Nintendo is showing some retro love to those people that have old cartridges that don't work anymore. I mean, I'm more than happy to buy a Wii JUST FOR the virtual console, just so I don't have to try and figgit with all those cartridges and hope that my loading tray still works fine. That alone is worth the $250 for the console and the extra dough for the points cards and a classic controller. Hell, if you were even alive when the 8 bit Nintendo was around, you can remember how much those games cost BRAND NEW (by the way, that means they were far more expensive than what you have right now on CD and DVD and Blu-Ray). These guys are showing a big focus on not just the "next-generation" of games, but also remembering their roots and proving that games are just games. With Sony finally jumping on the bandwagon for this, you can expect it to become an integral part for ANY console. With all this said, I know the article is about the PlayStation 3. You basically just read pretty much anyone's top 10 reasons for why they haven't ponied up yet and bought one. I still don't even own a 360...I do have a Wii...but I plan on buying a PS3 by probably the end of the year. I would just rather have a base of games to play than nothing coming out. It's one of the mistakes I made with buying a Wii so early, but that was mostly because until the Wii, I had never gotten to buy a console the day it came out, so it was a first time experience for me at 24 years old (and a three hour wait that I'll never forget, amazingly fun). I just want people to finally start realizing that the three major consoles...they aren't competition at all. They are simply three companies with unique outlooks on how they can improve the gaming industry for home gamers that don't have a bad ass PC like me and some of the rest of us. I'm hoping that Sony, since downgraded Kutaragi's job title, can start patching up some of the public image they've conveyed and show their support for the other console companies in the same way that Nintendo and Microsoft have been able to do. They may jab jokes, but in the end, they know that without each other, they have nothing to strive for. And if you don't believe that last sentence...just look at what a lack of competition did for the Madden series...because 07 on 360 SUCKS!!!
Well, in the past Super Bowls, we have to realize that the underdogs have statistically won 2 out of 5 Super Bowls. This doesn't include Pats and Cowboys, as they are mafias in their own rights. Nonetheless, when you look at the Bears and the Colts, Alex was pretty much dead on with what he had to say. Passing game isn't going to be worth too much here, as both teams will expect it. If Grossman is on, and we know Manning will be on...then you have to watch for the running game, and in that department, I've gotta give it to the Bears. They've got a killer running team and the D to keep the Colts from getting a couple extra yards. Then again, if Manning keeps his laser arm up-to-date with the newest drivers....then Jesus...we better hope that he's working on a bugged-out version of Windows Vista. My prediction: Bears - 24; Colts - 20 Personally...I'm a Bucs fan...wish they'd get their s*** together one of these days!
I still stand by my comments that this will be an amazing jump in technology, as well as immersion for gamers. I've had some people talk some trash about my own statements, and while I don't mean squat in the pile but $250 to Nintendo, I can say with having played some of the demos at E3 that this system will definitely kick some serious ass.
Oh, all you kiddies with your goofy rants. Again, let me bestow some of that gaming wisdom on you from the ages of yore: First, the price tag is great. Incredible, actually. I don't remember which one of these guys said it in the article, but parents will see an empty PS3 shelf and they will want to go home with something for their kids, and $250 sounds good to any parent. Once a kid gets their hands on that controller, bowling and boxing and golf and tennis will be some pretty popular sports. I don't get how some people, especially like this DiscGuru101 guy can say it's overpriced! IT'S MOTION SENSING!!! Yeah, I remember that PS3 has a tilt-function controller too...and a $500 minimum on their console!!! So, which one is more overpriced now? Second, the launch lineup is great. You have Zelda, which I'm sure that everyone will buy a Wii for. However, you have Wii Sports packaged in the system. You have Call of Duty 3, and not in the Xbox 360 way of just pushing buttons. You will actually be planting the bombs...you will actually be doing more than just running around with a gun...it will be true first-person gameplay. You'll have Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, which should make tricks much easier and navigation more natural. You've got Excitetruck, which in playable form was awesome fun! I mean, how can someone honestly look at this launch lineup and say, "Well, I wish it was stronger". This launch lineup isn't about busting out seven million big names...it's not about Mario and Samus Aran and Donkey Kong and all that...it's about showing the functionality of the system, what the console is capable of, what the games are capable of. Since when did playability mean nothing in games, because all these people talking about Grand Theft Auto and Halo and Gears of War...hey, I'm sorry, but I can only take so much recycled gameplay before I'm ready for something new!!! Third, the Wii Channels are an excellent setup for EVERYDAY PEOPLE. That's the thing people are missing. "Oh, the Wii is an upgraded Gamecube, upgraded Xbox, not for serious gamers". People, 360 still has not shown me how they are going to reach non-gamers, and they promised so much they still haven't delivered on. However, the multimedia functions will definitely grasp some people, and it's not like these things are meant to be some form of super-powered PC that allows you to Photoshop everything and God knows what else. It's meant to pull in new gamers. If they get ahold of the Wii-mote, just for that moment, and see how easy it is to use, then the kid will go "Hey, you wanna try a game?". Bam, hooked. I mean, how many people don't know how to bowl a bowling ball, swing a baseball bat? IT'S FOR EVERYONE! It's about having fun, and if Wii Channels help my dad want to play, then by all means, go for it! Now, people want to complain about the pricing for the virtual console games. Let me put this in perspective for all of you people: an iTune costs, what, 99 cents each? That's for 3 minutes of music? We're talking about $10 for an N64 games, that gives you HOURS of play? So, to recap that for the idiotic: entire album on iTunes that is about 30-40 minutes long = $10......N64 game that lasts hours and hours = $10. Welcome to the world of micro-transactions, but when you are talking about micro-transactions like this...I'm game. $10 isn't overpriced to me when I look at my iPod and think about how horribly overpriced songs can be for their short amount of enjoyment time. Plus, Nintendo never said they wouldn't look into adding online capabilities to something like Contra or Track and Field...so for all we know, those Xbox Live Arcade games that feature co-op or whatever won't mean crap when I'm using the Contra code with someone else online. Overall, the Wii is an incredible deal, and my prime choice for the next-generation of consoles. How long will the hardware really last in terms of graphics or anything? Hey...Nintendo is the king of add-ons...and if I remember correctly, they did make the expansion pack for the N64...besides, GoldenEye with online play....GOLDENEYE! WITH ONLINE PLAY!!! COME ON! I'm not saying the PS3 is a piece of junk, but when you are talking about such a poor launch start-up, even though they've always had poor launch start-ups...I know that the Wii is my choice.
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