Topic: Defecting to the Enemy Camp

[Halbred]

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blogArt.cfm?artid=16527

  I was recently given an opportunity too good to pass up: a ridiculously cheap, 6-month old, 40 gig PS3 with three games, a Blu-Ray movie, two controllers, and an HDMI cable. The asking price? Are you ready for this? $300. It just doesn't get any better than that. I won't bore you with the details of how this transaction took place, or under what bizarre circumstances, but I'll simply say "HOT DAMN!" and leave it at that. I am now able to play games I genuinely care about at my leisure, and I'm finding that...*gasp*...Sony's machine is strengthening its grip on me. Aside from reviewing games and hopping onto the Mario Kart online community once and awhile, my Wii sits virtually unused. Why? Oh, here comes the relish...    

First, let's talk about the hardware. I don't have any issues with data storage. I don't have to bother with copying my VC games onto an SD card or debating which Nintendo Channels to keep. With 40 gigabytes of hard drive, I can download games like flOw and the Call of Duty 4 map expansion pack without a second thought. There are several bonus downloads in Metal Gear Solid 4, including extra camo, music for Snake's iPod, and podcasts, not to mention the sizable Metal Gear Solid database. And I don't have to buy a PS3 Points card to get any of this stuff, nor do I have to add virtual points to some virtual card. I pick flOw from the Playstation Store, pay by credit card, input the info, and BAM--it's on my hard drive.    

I can also see (all the time) all of my online buddies, and whether or not they are on or offline. I can invite them to play specific games, I can assign myself a specific avatar, and I can see their gamer info. Whenever I goddamn please! There are no silly friend codes. There's no gigantic lag period between Lindy and I inputting each other's gamer names (mine is Sillysaur) and it actually registering them. It happens immediately!    

And the games! See that screenshot? That's from Ratchet & Clank Future. That is in-game, ladies and germs. Now I am not one to jump on the graphics bandwagon, but damn. When you see an entire world--an entire universe looking this good, feeling this alive, well, it's an experience. I'm not saying that games like Super Mario Galaxy don't look good, because they look great, but there are very few Wii games that look so polished as Mario and Smash Bros. Maybe if developers would actually take advantage of the Wii's underrated graphical hardware, I wouldn't be able to complain, but they don't, and I can.    

And then there are the games. Franchises I actually give two craps about. Screw Wii Sports/Play/Fit/Music, I'm a little more excited about God of War 3. Smash Bros. is great, and I will never give it up, but Soulcalibur IV is a little more my style these days. Metal Gear Solid 4 offers up more player freedom with a traditional control scheme than any motion control gimmick ever could. Ratchet & Clank is exactly the kind of franchise Nintendo could use on its consoles. These are lighthearted, fairly simplistic exploration games which in many ways parallel the gameplay flow of Zelda titles. But R&C is on the PS3, not the Wii, so I'm forced to go to the dark side to play one of my favorite games.    

And then there are all the other options with the PS3. Interweb support, Blu-Ray, DVD, music, PSP connectivity, all sorts of hardware support. It's a really flexible machine, and it impresses me. My only real beef with it is that it won't play PS2 games, but I guess I still have a PS2, so it's not a big deal. Still, out of all the things Sony dropped from the system to make it more affordable, why not drop one of the media features? I don't really need a music folder when I already have an iPod, you know?    

The other big thing is that I'm actually looking forward to a bunch of PS3 games. Bioshock, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Ratchet & Clank: The Quest for Booty, and a few others I can't think of right now, and those are just the games releasing in the next few months! What's Nintendo offering? Fatal Frame 4 (genuinely excited about it), The Conduit, and a DS remake of an ancient SNES game. Oh, and more Wii Sports.    

Look, I'm not saying that the PS3 totally replaces the Wii, not at all. The Wii is a great system, and it will always have its place. I wouldn't give up Mario and Zelda games for the world, but the fact is that there are other franchises I care about, too, and I simply can't get them on Nintendo's machines. Additionally, the PS3 is a very impressive piece of hardware, and Sony really seems to understand that people want more than just Wii Sports 2: The Reckoning. If you stumble across the opportunity to get a PS3 for a song, I recommend you take it. It's a very impressive machine with a great roster of titles. You won't be disappointed.

[NWR_pap64]

I felt the original post ragged on you too much, my bad.

Its just that I always hated how people have to make a statement with their purchase, and I think this does make a bit of it.

Its human nature to justify a purchase and be proud of it. But whatever happened to just buying something because you wanted it?

When I bought a 360 last year, the reason I did was because there were some games I wanted to play and enjoyed some of its features. I didn't buy it because I was annoyed or upset at Nintendo or to spite Sony. I bought it because I wanted it.

I plan to buy a PS3 once the budget allows for it and a couple of more games are released.

I just see each console as its own entity, with unique features and games not available anywhere else, Making it into a statement it being silly.

[Halbred]

Well, the price is certainly a factor in my glee, but I'm also really happy because I get to play all of my favorite franchises now: MGS, R&C, God of War, Soul Calibur, etc. Additionally, I'll get to play the best version of Guitar Hero 4, and I won't have to worry about missing out on downloadable content (in any way).

The spite thing, yeah, I get it, but that's partially Nintendo's fault. They're not giving me anything to play. Meanwhile, I'm in gaming nirvana with my PS3.

Haven't played the 360, and that's because it doesn't have the franchises I care about. As for whether I'd buy a PS3 at full price, that's a tough one. I'd probably elect to buy one on Craig's List or from a friend before slapping down $400+ at Best Buy. Alternative options are always available. As it stands, I got a really freaking good deal, but I wouldn't be adverse to paying a little more.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

lol The Conduit's not coming out in the next few months, and Nintendo's got nothing to do with it.  Fatal Frame has enough bugs to push it to Halloween 2009.

My laptop is also a very impressive piece of hardware, since it can download pr0n and run notepad, plus other practical diversions.

I'm aware of the PS3's roster.  I'm immediately disappointed.  I look at the price tag with tax factored in.  I'm immediately nauseated.  The direction, purpose, and prospects of the HD Twins this gen is clear to me, and is what led me to this Holy War.

[NWR_pap64]

Well, the price is certainly a factor in my glee, but I'm also really happy because I get to play all of my favorite franchises now: MGS, R&C, God of War, Soul Calibur, etc. Additionally, I'll get to play the best version of Guitar Hero 4, and I won't have to worry about missing out on downloadable content (in any way).

The spite thing, yeah, I get it, but that's partially Nintendo's fault. They're not giving me anything to play. Meanwhile, I'm in gaming nirvana with my PS3.

Haven't played the 360, and that's because it doesn't have the franchises I care about. As for whether I'd buy a PS3 at full price, that's a tough one. I'd probably elect to buy one on Craig's List or from a friend before slapping down $400+ at Best Buy. Alternative options are always available. As it stands, I got a really freaking good deal, but I wouldn't be adverse to paying a little more.

I changed my post because I felt it was ragging on you and didn't want to look like an angry fanboy (God knows there are too many right now).

But my point about the 360 still stands. Their game libraries are somewhat identical with little exclusives. The PS3 does edge the 360 a little bit, but the whole I feel they are identical, and it all depends on personal preference.

I would buy a PS3 just for MGS 4 since I love the series. But I need a little more before I can justify the purchase (and I no longer buy movies, so the Blu Ray player is out of the question).

[Halbred]

Dude! Ratchet & Clank! It's like playing a freaking PIXAR MOVIE!

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

It's funny that the introduction of HD movies and better broadband penetration has increased the quality of downloadable "good enough" movies on the interweb.

[Ian Sane]

Its human nature to justify a purchase and be proud of it. But whatever happened to just buying something because you wanted it?

Price makes all the difference.  Do I want a Snickers bar or an Oh Henry?  Well I'll just buy both because the cost is so irrelevent.  But a console is priced like a stereo or a TV.  Would I want to have to buy more than one TV to watch all the channels?  No that would suck but consoles are like that.  To truly be completely satisfied you have to own ALL the consoles but you have to drop over a grand just to get the hardware alone.  That's too expensive so you pick ONE console and hope it delivers the goods.

Plus the Wii itself is expensive and I feel the cost of buying one only to have it collect dust is big waste of money.  Serious money.  Anything over a hundred bucks is not trivial.

I don't see the PS3 or X360 as being an ideal choice for me, they're just starting to look BETTER than Nintendo's offering.  During the N64 and Cube eras there were always tons of big games on the current Playstation format that I wanted that were not on the Nintendo console.  In the end I would buy both a PS1 and 2 years later for cheap just to get those games (got a PS2 early this year for Fire Pro Wrestling Returns).  But I always knew the games I REALLY wanted were for the Nintendo console because Nintendo themselves would be making them.  The Gamecube didn't do a great job of suiting my needs but having JUST a Gamecube for me was still better than having JUST a PS2.  Owning both when they were current would have been nice but in picking just one the Nintendo one was the way to go.

Right now I feel kind of like just an X360 would suit me better than just a Wii which really sucks.  I like Nintendo when they're not being patronizing non-gaming sell outs.  But the Wii is like a two game a year console for me and that's just not doing it.  At the same time I put the investment in.  So now I have to buy ANOTHER console and pay MORE money?  That sucks!  It pisses me off when people suggest that like dropping a few hundred bucks ain't no thang.

Plus I already have Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii and my guitar won't work with the other consoles so I'm kind of stuck.  I can get Guitar Hero World Tour for the X360 BUT that won't work with my existing guitar controller so it just eats up space.  But then I can get a GOOD version of Rock Band.  Arrrgh!!!

I'm not too intersted in the PS3 though aside from Metal Gear.  It's always about the exclusives and the PS3 games I'm most interested in are also on the X360 and it has so far better exclusives.  But getting one cheap like Halbred did would probably be worthwhile.

[NWR_pap64]

Dude! Ratchet & Clank! It's like playing a freaking PIXAR MOVIE!

I would consider purchasing it at a cheap price if I were to get a PS3, but I've never been a big fan of the series.

I'm a Jak and Daxter man myself .

Also, "Its like playing a Pixar movie!"? I'm aware the game looks nice, but how does it play? In all honesty, that's not the best argument you can use, unless you are talking to a graphics whore :p .

[GoldenPhoenix]

Ratchet and Clank also plays like, well Ratchet and Clank 1-50. The visuals are nice but Pixar quality? Ehhe not too sure about that. They are good but not that good. Sounds more like you haven't played many of the so called next generation games. After seeing games like Crysis, R&C is more "that is nice looking". Personally though there is no franchise I care about on PS3, R&C is probably my favorite game for it even if it pales in comparison to Galaxy  and the rest are more shrug inducing. My PS3 gats more use as a blu-ray player which in itself is a good value considering it is the best on the market.

[ShyGuy]

I stopped reading at Sillysaur.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Dude! Ratchet & Clank! It's like playing a freaking PIXAR MOVIE!

I would consider purchasing it at a cheap price if I were to get a PS3, but I've never been a big fan of the series.

I'm a Jak and Daxter man myself .

Also, "Its like playing a Pixar movie!"? I'm aware the game looks nice, but how does it play? In all honesty, that's not the best argument you can use, unless you are talking to a graphics whore :p .

The game is pretty much an action/adventure like the previous games. If you've played the previous games and enjoyed them you will like this, but don't expect much change. You shoot lots of stuff mixed with some exploration (though it is pretty linear for the most part). It has charming visuals and at the very least it isn't "bald space marine" visuals which gives it some freshness on the PS3. The game is polished even if it isn't horribly fresh (then again none of PS3's  big games are horribly fresh either).

[Caliban]

@Halbred: if you have an HDTV, I would like to suggest that you either rent or buy "Planet Earth" on blu-ray. It is phenomenal in its visual acuity, although I was not impressed by the overall information that David Attenborough narrates mostly because I've watched alot of nature video documentaries, or follow general science news, but nonetheless there were a few surprises here and there.

R&C_ToD is a great game, 9/10. I feel that it just lacked in major boss difficulty, and bosses in general.
Oh, and you obviously can't compare any videogame to a CG based movie, at least not for a few more console generations, or a few more GPU developments for PCs.

[NWR_Lindy]

Zach, if you don't have an HDTV, seriously get one.  I can't afford one of the $2500 big screen ones, so for the interim I got myself a 24" Dell LCD monitor for $600.  They're probably cheaper now, in the $450 range.  It's not good for a big room, obviously, but if you do most of your gaming solo it's awesome.  Once you go 1080p, you'll never go back, trust me.

I still gotta play through Ratchet & Clank.  It's buried under an avalanche of other awesome PS3 and 360 games, so it'll take a while for me to get to it.

[NWR_insanolord]

Dude! Ratchet & Clank! It's like playing a freaking PIXAR MOVIE!

That quote in a thread about a Sony console made me laugh for a reason that I'm sure wasn't intended.

[D_Average]

Do I want a Snickers bar or an Oh Henry?  Well I'll just buy both because the cost is so irrelevent. 

You have no idea how often this thought runs through my head.

As for whether I'd buy a PS3 at full price, that's a tough one. I'd probably elect to buy one on Craig's List or from a friend before slapping down $400+ at Best Buy. Alternative options are always available.

Yup.  I saw this on Craigslist today and thought about it, but it seemed to good to be true.  Like they'd demand to meet me in a back alley and run off with my best sneakers.

"PS3 with 14 games, memory cards - $125 (Lakewood) "

[GoldenPhoenix]

I actually seen the title of this thread as "Defecting to the Enemy Crab"

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

This thread is stealth lols

[MegaByte]

I can't afford one of the $2500 big screen ones, so for the interim I got myself a 24" Dell LCD monitor for $600.  They're probably cheaper now, in the $450 range.

If you don't mind refurb, there's one for $269 http://www.ecost.com/Detail.aspx?edp=41922968 or non-open-box $289 http://www.ecost.com/Detail.aspx?edp=40483158
I got one several months ago and have been quite happy with it.

[Jonnyboy117]

I'll get to play the best version of Guitar Hero 4

What makes you think PS3 will have the best version of World Tour?  Many people consider the Wii version of GH3 to be the best, and that's before they redid the graphics engine and enabled DLC, both of which will be in World Tour.  I think the Wii version has a very good shot at being the best overall, but the differences will be minor regardless.  That's the way it should be in a multiplatform game.

I've played an hour or so of one of the R&C games, I think the second one, and it did nothing for me.  Too many weapons, most of them silly/useless, too much collecting, and the jumping didn't feel right.

[KDR_11k]

Bye, was nice knowing you.

I hate to rain on your parade but if I hadn't known you're talking about the PS3 I would have thought that's a PS2 screenshot.

YOU don't have to buy points, YOU just input your credit card info. I just think "crap, another one of those US-centric services I can't use" and hit back because I don't have a credit card and neither does anyone else here. Whoops, points cards aren't sounding so stupid now, are they?

BTW, what's with all that God of War hype? I played the first and it was decent but nothing to write home about (maybe I'm just not cut out to play beat'em ups, never understood them), where does all this GOTY talk come from?

[GoldenPhoenix]

God of War 3 is a huge question mark, I don't even think Jaffe the creator of the GoW1 and 2 even has anything to do with it. Regardless I am not too enthralled with PS3's exclusive lineup of games this fall, beyond LBP there is nothing I find remotely interesting (Sadly I don't think Afrika will make it over here so I may have to import it!) unlike the 360 and yes the Wii.

[Shift Key]

I was recently given an opportunity too good to pass up: a ridiculously cheap, 6-month old, 40 gig PS3 words words words

To be honest, this was where I tuned out. Perhaps its because I didn't need to hear another person justify their latest console choice to the general public. Perhaps it was because I already knew most of this, and given I haven't "drunk the Kool-aid" that doesn't mean I'm oblivious to the outside world.

All I know is words are cheap in the grand scheme of things.

stop name-dropping third party sequels in your posts, we know "Game Franchise (X+1)" is on its way

[KDR_11k]

Look, I'm not saying that the PS3 totally replaces the Wii, not at all. The Wii is a great system, and it will always have its place. I wouldn't give up Mario and Zelda games for the world, but the fact is that there are other franchises I care about, too, and I simply can't get them on Nintendo's machines.

And this is why we get sequels.

[bhurak]

I recently got a PS3 under similar circumstances (right place at the right time, got a good deal).  At the moment of purchase I was thinking - Blu Ray player.

I won't go on and on, but I have been really impressed by the PS3 and the PSN.  I know it's a small thing but storing the credit card and having it ready to go is so much simpler then the Wii reentering game.  It feels like a 'system for grownups' - it's a serious system that never feels like it's limiting you.

But my biggest surprise is the innovative games that are available.  I haven't owned a non-nintendo system since my Atari 2600, and I've been under the assumption that Nintendo made innovative games, and the rest were either copycats or just pretty graphics with no gameplay.  I've been amazed by the titles available on PSN... quirky titles like the Pixel Junk series, hardcore shooters like SSHD, demos, trailers, significant content update every week... this is what I longed for in the Virtual Console or Wii Ware that has not been fulfilled. 

I'm not selling my Wii, don't get me wrong... but all the games I'm looking forward to are on PS3.  I guess I've defected too.