First up for today's gaming news extravaganza, one of the most anticipated 360 titles to date...Halo 3. Now, it's my understanding that this hasn't officially been announced by Bungie yet, but the source is fairly reliable when it comes to information such as this. After trolling around the buried stories on Digg, I came across the release date of the Halo 3 beta...which is...(drum roll)...April 15th. Apparently, Bungie isn't officially announcing the beta's release date until later this week, but there has been rumblings that the Xbox Live maintenance, which took place most of the day on Tuesday, was to increase bandwith for their estimated large amounts of downloads for the Oblivion expansion, "The Shivering Isles," and for the upcoming release of the Halo 3 multiplayer beta test. I really hope the date is legit because, as much as I'm loving Rainbow Six: Vegas online right now, a little Halo 3 action would totally hit the spot.
http://boards.ign.com/halo/b5240/139117792/p1/
Next up on today's menu, GTA IV. First a foremost, the countdown is almost done...the day is finally here...no, the game isn't coming out anytime soon...no, the hype today is all building towards the first trailer/first look ever at GTA IV will be hitting the net today in less than 7 hours. Check out the site and watch the seconds tick down until you can get your first look at one of the most anticipated games of 2007.
http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/
Last up my list for today is most likely a completely unfounded rumor, but it is still one that's causing quite a stir around the net. Theres been a little rumor going around that GTA IV is not going to be on PS3 - and yes, it is as crazy as it sounds. I myself don't really believe it is true and why should I? GTA has been one of the Playstation's flagship series...well...practically forever and theres almost no reason why it should change now. But still, people have been stating that on Rockstar's website, they have a support page built for the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV but the PS3 page is mysteriously absent. Could it be that Rockstar has stabbed Sony right in the back...or does this rumor truly prove that internet nerds (like me) really don't have anything else better to do with their time? Only time will tell...
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Command and Conquer 3
C&C 3 came out today for the PC and my god...does it look sweet or what? I myself am a huge RTS(real time strategy) game fan and have been a fan of the C&C series since the very first game. There hasn't been a C&C game released since 2005 (C&C Generals) for the PC which I didn't get a chance to play because, well, I don't have a gaming quality PC. Luckily for me, C&C 3 is coming out for the 360 within a couple of months (I'm fairly sure it's a couple of months anyway).
What is so exciting about this iteration of the C&C series is that it marks a return to the original storyline of Command and Conquer, as opposed to the alternate WWII history of the C&C: Red Alert series or the real world battles of C&C: Generals. In the future, a strange mineral/plant called Tiberium has been found on earth and it's been discovered that this substance can be used as a very effecient fuel source, unfortunately it is also a very aggressive plant and it is highly poisonous to humans. In this Tiberium filled future, two world powers struggle for dominance not only over each other, but over the world's Tiberium supply. The Global Defense Initiative, or GDI, originally started as a global defense force to work toward the elimination of terrorism and evil throughout the world while their arch-enemy, the Brotherhood of NOD, led by a mysterious man known only as Kane, seeks to rule the world and destroy the GDI by any means necessary. But as the story goes in C&C 3, times have changed and the GDI has gradually developed into a facist, worldwide government while NOD has almost seen a role reversal as the main opponents to the GDI's new world order. C&C 3 also introduces a new race of alien characters, the Scrin, that has some connection to the Tiberium which now covers most of earth.
C&C 3 also makes use of the FMV (full motion video) cut scenes that the series has become famous for and celebrities such as Billy Dee Williams, Josh Holloway(Sawyer from "Lost"), and Michael Ironside will all play characters in C&C 3. Another interesting fact about the cast of C&C 3 is that the man who played Kane in the original C&C, Joseph D. Duncan, will be reprising his role of the leader of the Brotherhood in this game.
I'm such a huge fan of the RTS genre and especially of C&C that I am more excited for C&C 3's 360 release than practically anything else right now. Even though RTS games on home console systems have historically been pretty terrible, recent games, such as Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2, have proven that with a little ingenuity, even a genre originally designed for only PC games have a place on home console systems. The reason behind console gaming never being a proper home for RTS games is all in the way the games are played on the PC and the 360. A point and click interface with a mouse and keyboard have traditionally been the only way RTS games were designed and being that most home consoles never had proper mouse perhipherals released for them, RTS gaming was almost non-existent on home consoles. But now that consoles have the power of gaming quality PC's and now that game developers have spent a considerable amount of time on the control scheme for console based RTS games, the genre is and will be making a huge impact on the console market.
What is so exciting about this iteration of the C&C series is that it marks a return to the original storyline of Command and Conquer, as opposed to the alternate WWII history of the C&C: Red Alert series or the real world battles of C&C: Generals. In the future, a strange mineral/plant called Tiberium has been found on earth and it's been discovered that this substance can be used as a very effecient fuel source, unfortunately it is also a very aggressive plant and it is highly poisonous to humans. In this Tiberium filled future, two world powers struggle for dominance not only over each other, but over the world's Tiberium supply. The Global Defense Initiative, or GDI, originally started as a global defense force to work toward the elimination of terrorism and evil throughout the world while their arch-enemy, the Brotherhood of NOD, led by a mysterious man known only as Kane, seeks to rule the world and destroy the GDI by any means necessary. But as the story goes in C&C 3, times have changed and the GDI has gradually developed into a facist, worldwide government while NOD has almost seen a role reversal as the main opponents to the GDI's new world order. C&C 3 also introduces a new race of alien characters, the Scrin, that has some connection to the Tiberium which now covers most of earth.
C&C 3 also makes use of the FMV (full motion video) cut scenes that the series has become famous for and celebrities such as Billy Dee Williams, Josh Holloway(Sawyer from "Lost"), and Michael Ironside will all play characters in C&C 3. Another interesting fact about the cast of C&C 3 is that the man who played Kane in the original C&C, Joseph D. Duncan, will be reprising his role of the leader of the Brotherhood in this game.
I'm such a huge fan of the RTS genre and especially of C&C that I am more excited for C&C 3's 360 release than practically anything else right now. Even though RTS games on home console systems have historically been pretty terrible, recent games, such as Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2, have proven that with a little ingenuity, even a genre originally designed for only PC games have a place on home console systems. The reason behind console gaming never being a proper home for RTS games is all in the way the games are played on the PC and the 360. A point and click interface with a mouse and keyboard have traditionally been the only way RTS games were designed and being that most home consoles never had proper mouse perhipherals released for them, RTS gaming was almost non-existent on home consoles. But now that consoles have the power of gaming quality PC's and now that game developers have spent a considerable amount of time on the control scheme for console based RTS games, the genre is and will be making a huge impact on the console market.
Friday, March 23, 2007
It's official: Sony's getting desperate
After reading this article (it's a short one this time), it would be hard for anyone not to admit that Sony is getting desperate.
Under the guise of "Sony giving back to it's fans," recently at a midnight release of the PS3, Sony gave away free 46" LCD Bravia TVs to the first 100 people in line. But to me, though, it didn't seem so much like Sony was trying to show their appreciation as much as it was they were just that happy that people actually showed up to buy a PS3.
It's no secret that Sony has screwed up big time in almost every concievable way with the release of the PS3 but this just feels like Sony admitting that they screwed up big time, without actually admitting just how bad of a screw up it was. Granted this give away was a one time only thing, it still absolutely shows that Sony might finally be understanding just how far back they are in the current race for console superiority.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Sweet...more memories of my youth are being destroyed
They're the worlds most fearsome fighting team...heroes on the half shell...if you still don't know who I'm talking about then just where the hell were you in the late 80's and early 90's? Because honestly, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were such a huge part of my young life that, to this day, I still watch the original live action TMNT movies on VHS that I'm actually really surprised still work considering they're older than some of siblings.
Now, this post was originally going to be me going on and on and on about how this new TMNT movie looks like crap and how I won't be seeing it. Well...I've done some thinking and reconsidered. No, I haven't done a complete 180 and am now going to be plugging the hell of it...but I will say I'll give it a chance.
My first impressions of this movie were not good ones, I will say that. The very first trailer I saw for this movie gave away literally nothing about the movie...so I was still cautiously optimistic.
Then things went a little south when I saw the next movie trailer. (Keep in mind these were my first thoughts after seeing the first long trailer) The Turtles themselves looked a little off, Splinter looked like a fox instead of a giant mutant rat, Splinter's voice just sounded odd, Casey Jones and April O'Neil look like they're rejected character models from the movie "The Incredibles", I didn't see the Shredder or the Foot clan anywhere, and the only villains in the movie seemed to be random ass monsters "from another dimension". After coming to those conclusions, it's pretty easy to see why my feelings for TMNT turned from cautious optimism to utter disdain rather quickly.
But then I took a step back, put down the Hater-aide and decided to take a closer look at the trailer and the movie itself. After some quick sleuthing, I found out a few things that changed a few of my first impressions.
First, I found out some more about the plot which put a few aspects of the trailer into perspective. Apparently, this movie takes place after the very first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie where the Shredder has been taken out by the Turtles and the Foot is in disarray. Some years after this, a billionaire tycoon starts amassing an army of other worldly monsters and uses what remains of the Foot and his army of beasts to take over the world....somehow. Now, the plot has taken shape somewhat and some of my original gripes have been answered - even though following this storyline the events of TMNT2: Secret of the Ooze never happened which is pretty lame, in my opinion. But at least is clears up just what in the hell is up with the monsters and the Foot clan.
Next, and you'll have to pardon me as I can't find the source where I got this info, but it seems that TMNT is going to be following the old comic Turtles storyline, in regards to Master Splinter anyway. It seems that in this movie, Master Splinter isn't the rat owned by Hamato Yoshi, Shredder's old adversary - rather, in this story, Splinter IS a mutated Hamato Yoshi...which doesn't really make sense to me since I've never read a single Turtles comic but whatever. Now I can't be sure if this is true or totally false but it could explain why Splinter looks the way he does.
In the end, though, I'm still not really excited for this movie. Just because I was a huge Turtles fan back in the day, doesn't mean I'm turning my back on my childhood idols by speaking ill of a movie based on a franchise that hasn't had a meaningful contribution to the series since Tokka and Rahzar (The monsters from TMNT2: Secret of the Ooze for those of you not "in the know"). I'm just sick of people giving me looks like I kicked a puppy when I say "I'm not so sure about the new TMNT movie."
Just because it's a new TMNT movie doesn't mean it will be good. Remember the third live action Turtles movie? Because I wish I didn't.
Now, this post was originally going to be me going on and on and on about how this new TMNT movie looks like crap and how I won't be seeing it. Well...I've done some thinking and reconsidered. No, I haven't done a complete 180 and am now going to be plugging the hell of it...but I will say I'll give it a chance.
My first impressions of this movie were not good ones, I will say that. The very first trailer I saw for this movie gave away literally nothing about the movie...so I was still cautiously optimistic.
Then things went a little south when I saw the next movie trailer. (Keep in mind these were my first thoughts after seeing the first long trailer) The Turtles themselves looked a little off, Splinter looked like a fox instead of a giant mutant rat, Splinter's voice just sounded odd, Casey Jones and April O'Neil look like they're rejected character models from the movie "The Incredibles", I didn't see the Shredder or the Foot clan anywhere, and the only villains in the movie seemed to be random ass monsters "from another dimension". After coming to those conclusions, it's pretty easy to see why my feelings for TMNT turned from cautious optimism to utter disdain rather quickly.
But then I took a step back, put down the Hater-aide and decided to take a closer look at the trailer and the movie itself. After some quick sleuthing, I found out a few things that changed a few of my first impressions.
First, I found out some more about the plot which put a few aspects of the trailer into perspective. Apparently, this movie takes place after the very first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie where the Shredder has been taken out by the Turtles and the Foot is in disarray. Some years after this, a billionaire tycoon starts amassing an army of other worldly monsters and uses what remains of the Foot and his army of beasts to take over the world....somehow. Now, the plot has taken shape somewhat and some of my original gripes have been answered - even though following this storyline the events of TMNT2: Secret of the Ooze never happened which is pretty lame, in my opinion. But at least is clears up just what in the hell is up with the monsters and the Foot clan.
Next, and you'll have to pardon me as I can't find the source where I got this info, but it seems that TMNT is going to be following the old comic Turtles storyline, in regards to Master Splinter anyway. It seems that in this movie, Master Splinter isn't the rat owned by Hamato Yoshi, Shredder's old adversary - rather, in this story, Splinter IS a mutated Hamato Yoshi...which doesn't really make sense to me since I've never read a single Turtles comic but whatever. Now I can't be sure if this is true or totally false but it could explain why Splinter looks the way he does.
In the end, though, I'm still not really excited for this movie. Just because I was a huge Turtles fan back in the day, doesn't mean I'm turning my back on my childhood idols by speaking ill of a movie based on a franchise that hasn't had a meaningful contribution to the series since Tokka and Rahzar (The monsters from TMNT2: Secret of the Ooze for those of you not "in the know"). I'm just sick of people giving me looks like I kicked a puppy when I say "I'm not so sure about the new TMNT movie."
Just because it's a new TMNT movie doesn't mean it will be good. Remember the third live action Turtles movie? Because I wish I didn't.
Monday, March 5, 2007
I can't write a title accurate enough to describe how mad I am
Everything I am about to write pertains to information I found in an article on the New York Times website. And this is the URL.
Is it just me, or are people getting dumber these days? Because honestly, after reading this article it just really seems to me that people will look for ANY excuse they can to blame the government for all of the worlds problems. Don't get me wrong, I don't really support anything our government is doing these days but honestly...comparing characters from a movie based on a graphic novel thats based on actual events from thousands of years ago to our current government and president sounds a little ridiculous.
But let me backtrack for a second and explain if you didn't read the article. Short and skinny of it is according to several sources and interviews with the director, people all over the world, not just in America, are drawing comparisons between President Bush and the current administration and Xerxes or Leonidas from the upcoming film "300." The comparisons being Bush/Xerxes as a mad invader bent on conquering a foreign land that his father could not and Bush/Leonidas in the way that both are willing to sacrifice anything in the pursuit of freedom. But apparently some people have gone as far to say that "300" is nothing but an American funded propaganda film. Now you may not be as psyched as I am for this movie, so let me enlighten those who may not know about "300" - the film is based on a series of comics written by Frank Miller (who also wrote "Sin City"). The story behind "300" revolves around the events which led up to the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC Greece. Granted, Miller took a lot of liberties in creating the world of "300" but it is still loosely based on actual, historical events.
So let me get back to the article I referenced at the top of the post. Right off the bat, I'd like to say that my quarrel is not with the writer of this article, just the occurances he is making light of. Admittedly, it will be quite hard for me to convey just how mad reading this article made me because I've felt for a loooooong time that people tend to read way too much into all forms of media. Whether it be literature, magazine or newspaper articles, paintings, TV shows, movies, whatever...I've been alive long enough to know that people always try way too hard to find some deep seeded meaning in absolutely everything. Why does everything have to have some deeper meaning? Why can't anything be taken at face value anymore and be admired for what it is and not what you think it is? Why can't a picture or a painting be admired for the skill it took to produce and not what the artist might have been trying to say? Why can't a great piece of writing be admired for being a great piece of writing instead of being inspected, torn apart, and turned inside out to try and find some kind hidden meaning which may or may not exist? Perhaps I'm alone on this one...but this practice is getting very old and annoying to me.
I suppose it was this particular topic that set me off now more than ever before. I have been going insane with anticipation to see "300." I've been reading up on the actual events that took place in history and been scouring the internet for photos from the movie, articles about how it was made, any trailers...anything I can get my hands on basically. I even recently "acquired" the entire "300" comic book but have yet to read it because I want to be totally in awe of everything I see in the movie.
But this article set me off so much because it just speaks volumes to me about how insanely idiotic most people are anymore. To insinuate that Zack Snyder, the director, or Frank Miller intended either of the main characters (Xerxes and Leonidas) to be a representation of George "Dubya" Bush is pretty insulting to both Miller and Snyder. Why is it insulting, you ask? Because for one, "300" is based on a graphic novel and an actual event that really happened a few thousand years ago and for two "300" was written TWO YEARS (1998) before George Bush was even elected! How could Miller have possibly intended for either of those two characters to portray a president who hadn't even been elected? Now you might be saying, "But Joe...perhaps the director put his own personal spin on it," and while usually in Hollywood if a movie is based on a book or god forbid a video game, the source material is usually not followed very closely. But in the case of "300", the graphic novel was used as not only story boards for the movie, but many of the lines of dialog were also taken straight from the the novel. Instead heres an idea...maybe "300" is about the graphic novel that it's based on and isn't a propaganda film with a hidden agenda. I couldn't have put it better myself than it was put in the headline of the NY Times article - "That Film's Real Message? It Could Be: 'Buy a Ticket'"
I suppose the old saying that "There's no such thing as bad publicity" could apply to this topic but still...I've tried to hold my tongue for long enough about people reading too much into anything and everything these days but after this, I just couldn't take it anymore. It's depressing, but I think humans as a species have reached a new depth of stupidity I can't even fathom anymore when people start stating that a comic book writer intended for characters in his work, which were based on real people, to be comparable to a president who wouldn't be elected for another two years. This isn't to say that the comparisons can't be drawn...but to say that the comparisons were the intentions of Miller and Snyder is ludicrous.
I don't know...perhaps I'm too much of a nerd and take stuff like comics and games too seriously when I start writing blog posts like this but hey...this is my blog and I'll voice whatever opinion I want.
Is it just me, or are people getting dumber these days? Because honestly, after reading this article it just really seems to me that people will look for ANY excuse they can to blame the government for all of the worlds problems. Don't get me wrong, I don't really support anything our government is doing these days but honestly...comparing characters from a movie based on a graphic novel thats based on actual events from thousands of years ago to our current government and president sounds a little ridiculous.
But let me backtrack for a second and explain if you didn't read the article. Short and skinny of it is according to several sources and interviews with the director, people all over the world, not just in America, are drawing comparisons between President Bush and the current administration and Xerxes or Leonidas from the upcoming film "300." The comparisons being Bush/Xerxes as a mad invader bent on conquering a foreign land that his father could not and Bush/Leonidas in the way that both are willing to sacrifice anything in the pursuit of freedom. But apparently some people have gone as far to say that "300" is nothing but an American funded propaganda film. Now you may not be as psyched as I am for this movie, so let me enlighten those who may not know about "300" - the film is based on a series of comics written by Frank Miller (who also wrote "Sin City"). The story behind "300" revolves around the events which led up to the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC Greece. Granted, Miller took a lot of liberties in creating the world of "300" but it is still loosely based on actual, historical events.
So let me get back to the article I referenced at the top of the post. Right off the bat, I'd like to say that my quarrel is not with the writer of this article, just the occurances he is making light of. Admittedly, it will be quite hard for me to convey just how mad reading this article made me because I've felt for a loooooong time that people tend to read way too much into all forms of media. Whether it be literature, magazine or newspaper articles, paintings, TV shows, movies, whatever...I've been alive long enough to know that people always try way too hard to find some deep seeded meaning in absolutely everything. Why does everything have to have some deeper meaning? Why can't anything be taken at face value anymore and be admired for what it is and not what you think it is? Why can't a picture or a painting be admired for the skill it took to produce and not what the artist might have been trying to say? Why can't a great piece of writing be admired for being a great piece of writing instead of being inspected, torn apart, and turned inside out to try and find some kind hidden meaning which may or may not exist? Perhaps I'm alone on this one...but this practice is getting very old and annoying to me.
I suppose it was this particular topic that set me off now more than ever before. I have been going insane with anticipation to see "300." I've been reading up on the actual events that took place in history and been scouring the internet for photos from the movie, articles about how it was made, any trailers...anything I can get my hands on basically. I even recently "acquired" the entire "300" comic book but have yet to read it because I want to be totally in awe of everything I see in the movie.
But this article set me off so much because it just speaks volumes to me about how insanely idiotic most people are anymore. To insinuate that Zack Snyder, the director, or Frank Miller intended either of the main characters (Xerxes and Leonidas) to be a representation of George "Dubya" Bush is pretty insulting to both Miller and Snyder. Why is it insulting, you ask? Because for one, "300" is based on a graphic novel and an actual event that really happened a few thousand years ago and for two "300" was written TWO YEARS (1998) before George Bush was even elected! How could Miller have possibly intended for either of those two characters to portray a president who hadn't even been elected? Now you might be saying, "But Joe...perhaps the director put his own personal spin on it," and while usually in Hollywood if a movie is based on a book or god forbid a video game, the source material is usually not followed very closely. But in the case of "300", the graphic novel was used as not only story boards for the movie, but many of the lines of dialog were also taken straight from the the novel. Instead heres an idea...maybe "300" is about the graphic novel that it's based on and isn't a propaganda film with a hidden agenda. I couldn't have put it better myself than it was put in the headline of the NY Times article - "That Film's Real Message? It Could Be: 'Buy a Ticket'"
I suppose the old saying that "There's no such thing as bad publicity" could apply to this topic but still...I've tried to hold my tongue for long enough about people reading too much into anything and everything these days but after this, I just couldn't take it anymore. It's depressing, but I think humans as a species have reached a new depth of stupidity I can't even fathom anymore when people start stating that a comic book writer intended for characters in his work, which were based on real people, to be comparable to a president who wouldn't be elected for another two years. This isn't to say that the comparisons can't be drawn...but to say that the comparisons were the intentions of Miller and Snyder is ludicrous.
I don't know...perhaps I'm too much of a nerd and take stuff like comics and games too seriously when I start writing blog posts like this but hey...this is my blog and I'll voice whatever opinion I want.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Sony Is Retarded
There...I said it. Sony is, without a doubt in my warped from too much metal and video games mind, retarded. It's absolutely mind boggling to watch the clear winner of the last few eras of the console wars, consistently screw up this time around with the PS3 and consistently be completely arrogant and ignorant about just how badly they've messed up. If I've already lost you...let me go back and start from the beginning...
A long, long time ago...an insidious company named Sony released a device which took control of and also destroyed many people’s lives - a device called the "Playstation". After years of industry dominance and leaving all competitors in the dust, the Playstation had a son...or maybe it was his brother...actually, I'm not sure what familial terms to put this in...soooo...lets just move on. Regardless of all that, the Playstation eventually passed on it's cape and scepter to the Playstation 2, which continued to utterly decimate everything that stood in its path.
But, like all great empires in the history of the world...the Playstation brand faltered. Though the Playstation 2 seemed like it could do no wrong and it thoroughly had its way with all its competition...things took a turn.
As the next generation of the console wars loomed on the horizon, the world waited anxiously to see just what Sony would do next. The Playstation 1 and 2 were major successes of earth shattering proportions and people expected Sony to literally blow our asses off again with the Playstation 3.
But things went awry.
Microsoft struck the first, and perhaps fatal, blow in this round of the console wars by releasing their system, the Xbox 360, almost a year before Sony planned to drop their new hardware. Though, as the Dreamcast proved, being first doesn't always guarantee victory.
Unfortunately, years of being on top had made Sony arrogant to the fact that they were not perfect and far from untouchable in the video game market. Sony assumed that they had a veritable stranglehold on the casual gaming market while still having enough games and features to sate even the most hardcore of gamers.
When the PS3 was first announced, speculation ran rampant all over the internet as fanboys and haters literally wet themselves in anticipation of Sonys new console. How much would it cost? What features would come "stock", so to speak, on the PS3? What would their line up of launch titles look like? What was going to be Sony's online strategy? As time went on and these questions were answered...support for Sony began to drop lower and lower.
Once Sony started to release information about the PS3, things only seemed to get worse. It almost felt like Sony was trying as hard as they could to ruin their storied video game franchise. And after hearing of most of these facts...I started to wonder if I'd even bother with the Playstation 3.
First off and probably most importantly, the price tag was crazy. $600? Really? That thing better know the meaning of life or be made out of gold and encrusted with jewels for that kinda price. But seriously, for that price tag it must have some amazing features. But as you probably could've guessed by now...the PS3 didn't have so much of a "wow" factor as it had a "meh" factor.
So the console is $600...what exactly are gamers getting? Well first of all they are getting graphics which hardly look better, if not exactly the same, as graphics that can be found on the Xbox 360. Secondly, Sony created a a new wireless controller for the PS3, named the SIXAXIS, which sounded great at first...until it was found out that Sony was ditching rumble functions in this new controller in favor of motion sensing capabilities similar to that of the Nintendo Wii controller. Now, this might not sound like such a horrible idea to some but it wasn't so much the fact that Sony didn't include the rumble feature, it was the way in which they handled not including the rumble feature. At the time, Sony claimed that including the rumble feature in their wireless controller would be too difficult...even though its something that the 360 seems to pull off rather easily. Plus, the SIXAXIS just doesn't feel as solid as the old Dual Shocks do. They feel flimsy, some of the shoulder buttons are slippery and just all around feel more like a third party controller than a first party, Sony made product.
So its expensive and the controller's worse? Why's it so expensive then, you ask? The answer to that lies in a decision that Sony has decided to back %100. Every now and then new, similar technologies come out almost simultaneously and eventually one wins out over the other and becomes the dominant form of media. It happened with beta and VHS, DVD and laser disc, mini disc and MP3 and now it's Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Sony has decided to back Blu-Ray technology and included it in the PS3. From a strictly financial standpoint, buying a $600 PS3 for the Blu-Ray player is a steal considering that a stand alone Blu-Ray player starts retailing at $1000.(Even though it appears Sony may be releasing a cheaper, stand alone Blu-Ray player...buts that niether here nor there in my argument) But the 360 also has an HD-DVD perhipheral that, even at an extra $200, may prove to be more worth the buy than the PS3.
But as an avid gamer, the most important part of the PS3 puzzle is its game library. And as time went on...you can probably guess whats coming...things didn't look so good for Sony. As the days passed, Sony began to lose more and more exclusive titles. The first and foremost important title being Grand Theft Auto 4 releasing on both consoles on the same day...which is absolutely huge for Microsoft and horrible for Sony. The GTA series has sold plenty of Playstations on its own and when gamers are faced with the choice of playing GTA 4 for $400 or for $600 - I think the choice is pretty obvious. But not only GTA 4 but other games such as Assassins Creed and possibly even Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots could be coming to the 360. In my honest opinion, a console with a weak exclusive game library that has a price tag of $600 just is not worth it. I'll admit, some of Sony's upcoming games look interesting (especially Heavenly Sword and Lair) but as it stands right now, Sony's PS3 game library is seriously lacking considering that most of the PS3 library are multiplatform games that can be found on the 360 as well.
Combine all these hardware/software concerns together with the fact that Sony's PS3 online community doesn't look like it is shaping up to be nearly as strong as Xbox Live Marketplace and you have all the makings of another Dreamcast or Saturn (pardon me for picking on poor ol' Sega). And as if this wasn't enough, I wouldn't plan on seeing a PS3 price drop for quite some time, and by that I mean at the very least a year.
Oh but wait...the shenanigans don't stop there. Just to give you an idea of the kind of people who are in charge at Sony...in a recent interview with EGM magazine, Jack Tretton, Sony Computer Entertainment America's president, Tretton offered anybody who could find and take a picture of a PS3 sitting on the shelf, unbought, $1,200. I'll say that again for those of you who perhaps aren't following as closely...Jack Tretton offered anyone who could find a PS3 on a store shelf in America $1,200 for it. In fact, the fine gentlemen at Penny Arcade took Mr. Tretton up on his challenge and, surprise surprise, found many an unsold PS3 sitting lonely on store shelves. They found so many, within minutes of starting out on their quest, that if Tretton were to actually own up to his challenge he would be paying Penny Arcade over $13,000. (To see the comic of which I'm speaking, follow this URL: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/02/10 )
Mr. Tretton, along with the rest of Sony, also seem to suffer from the collective illusion that PS3s are selling like hot cakes and that Sony is having problems keeping them on the shelves. According to many video game retailors, there are plenty of PS3s to be had but Sony apparently doesn't think so. In an article I found from GWN.com, Tretton seems to think that PS3s are selling so well that they won't be able to completely restock stores until "April or May." (http://www.gwn.com/news/story.php/id/11467/
Sony_Denies_PS3_Is_Readily_Available.html )
In fact, it appears that less than half of all PS3s shipped have been sold. The importance here being that shipped only means sold to stores whereas the number of consoles sold is the actual number of consoles bought by consumers. According to VGcharts.com, somewhere around 4 million PS3s have shipped to America and Japan, but only around 1.8 million has been sold - with less than a million sold in Japan, a market which Sony usually dominates. (http://www.vgcharts.org/news/news.php?id=111)
To be honest, in writing this post I kinda feel like I'm stabbing an old friend in the back and then twisting the knife a little because over the years, my PS1 and PS2 have given me more good times than I can count. I honestly really, really, really hope that Sony can get their act together and salvage their product. I do, I really do. But Sony has just dug themselves such a deep hole and then refused to acknowledge just how deep that hole is...I don't know when or if they can get themselves out of it.
A long, long time ago...an insidious company named Sony released a device which took control of and also destroyed many people’s lives - a device called the "Playstation". After years of industry dominance and leaving all competitors in the dust, the Playstation had a son...or maybe it was his brother...actually, I'm not sure what familial terms to put this in...soooo...lets just move on. Regardless of all that, the Playstation eventually passed on it's cape and scepter to the Playstation 2, which continued to utterly decimate everything that stood in its path.
But, like all great empires in the history of the world...the Playstation brand faltered. Though the Playstation 2 seemed like it could do no wrong and it thoroughly had its way with all its competition...things took a turn.
As the next generation of the console wars loomed on the horizon, the world waited anxiously to see just what Sony would do next. The Playstation 1 and 2 were major successes of earth shattering proportions and people expected Sony to literally blow our asses off again with the Playstation 3.
But things went awry.
Microsoft struck the first, and perhaps fatal, blow in this round of the console wars by releasing their system, the Xbox 360, almost a year before Sony planned to drop their new hardware. Though, as the Dreamcast proved, being first doesn't always guarantee victory.
Unfortunately, years of being on top had made Sony arrogant to the fact that they were not perfect and far from untouchable in the video game market. Sony assumed that they had a veritable stranglehold on the casual gaming market while still having enough games and features to sate even the most hardcore of gamers.
When the PS3 was first announced, speculation ran rampant all over the internet as fanboys and haters literally wet themselves in anticipation of Sonys new console. How much would it cost? What features would come "stock", so to speak, on the PS3? What would their line up of launch titles look like? What was going to be Sony's online strategy? As time went on and these questions were answered...support for Sony began to drop lower and lower.
Once Sony started to release information about the PS3, things only seemed to get worse. It almost felt like Sony was trying as hard as they could to ruin their storied video game franchise. And after hearing of most of these facts...I started to wonder if I'd even bother with the Playstation 3.
First off and probably most importantly, the price tag was crazy. $600? Really? That thing better know the meaning of life or be made out of gold and encrusted with jewels for that kinda price. But seriously, for that price tag it must have some amazing features. But as you probably could've guessed by now...the PS3 didn't have so much of a "wow" factor as it had a "meh" factor.
So the console is $600...what exactly are gamers getting? Well first of all they are getting graphics which hardly look better, if not exactly the same, as graphics that can be found on the Xbox 360. Secondly, Sony created a a new wireless controller for the PS3, named the SIXAXIS, which sounded great at first...until it was found out that Sony was ditching rumble functions in this new controller in favor of motion sensing capabilities similar to that of the Nintendo Wii controller. Now, this might not sound like such a horrible idea to some but it wasn't so much the fact that Sony didn't include the rumble feature, it was the way in which they handled not including the rumble feature. At the time, Sony claimed that including the rumble feature in their wireless controller would be too difficult...even though its something that the 360 seems to pull off rather easily. Plus, the SIXAXIS just doesn't feel as solid as the old Dual Shocks do. They feel flimsy, some of the shoulder buttons are slippery and just all around feel more like a third party controller than a first party, Sony made product.
So its expensive and the controller's worse? Why's it so expensive then, you ask? The answer to that lies in a decision that Sony has decided to back %100. Every now and then new, similar technologies come out almost simultaneously and eventually one wins out over the other and becomes the dominant form of media. It happened with beta and VHS, DVD and laser disc, mini disc and MP3 and now it's Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Sony has decided to back Blu-Ray technology and included it in the PS3. From a strictly financial standpoint, buying a $600 PS3 for the Blu-Ray player is a steal considering that a stand alone Blu-Ray player starts retailing at $1000.(Even though it appears Sony may be releasing a cheaper, stand alone Blu-Ray player...buts that niether here nor there in my argument) But the 360 also has an HD-DVD perhipheral that, even at an extra $200, may prove to be more worth the buy than the PS3.
But as an avid gamer, the most important part of the PS3 puzzle is its game library. And as time went on...you can probably guess whats coming...things didn't look so good for Sony. As the days passed, Sony began to lose more and more exclusive titles. The first and foremost important title being Grand Theft Auto 4 releasing on both consoles on the same day...which is absolutely huge for Microsoft and horrible for Sony. The GTA series has sold plenty of Playstations on its own and when gamers are faced with the choice of playing GTA 4 for $400 or for $600 - I think the choice is pretty obvious. But not only GTA 4 but other games such as Assassins Creed and possibly even Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots could be coming to the 360. In my honest opinion, a console with a weak exclusive game library that has a price tag of $600 just is not worth it. I'll admit, some of Sony's upcoming games look interesting (especially Heavenly Sword and Lair) but as it stands right now, Sony's PS3 game library is seriously lacking considering that most of the PS3 library are multiplatform games that can be found on the 360 as well.
Combine all these hardware/software concerns together with the fact that Sony's PS3 online community doesn't look like it is shaping up to be nearly as strong as Xbox Live Marketplace and you have all the makings of another Dreamcast or Saturn (pardon me for picking on poor ol' Sega). And as if this wasn't enough, I wouldn't plan on seeing a PS3 price drop for quite some time, and by that I mean at the very least a year.
Oh but wait...the shenanigans don't stop there. Just to give you an idea of the kind of people who are in charge at Sony...in a recent interview with EGM magazine, Jack Tretton, Sony Computer Entertainment America's president, Tretton offered anybody who could find and take a picture of a PS3 sitting on the shelf, unbought, $1,200. I'll say that again for those of you who perhaps aren't following as closely...Jack Tretton offered anyone who could find a PS3 on a store shelf in America $1,200 for it. In fact, the fine gentlemen at Penny Arcade took Mr. Tretton up on his challenge and, surprise surprise, found many an unsold PS3 sitting lonely on store shelves. They found so many, within minutes of starting out on their quest, that if Tretton were to actually own up to his challenge he would be paying Penny Arcade over $13,000. (To see the comic of which I'm speaking, follow this URL: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/02/10 )
Mr. Tretton, along with the rest of Sony, also seem to suffer from the collective illusion that PS3s are selling like hot cakes and that Sony is having problems keeping them on the shelves. According to many video game retailors, there are plenty of PS3s to be had but Sony apparently doesn't think so. In an article I found from GWN.com, Tretton seems to think that PS3s are selling so well that they won't be able to completely restock stores until "April or May." (http://www.gwn.com/news/story.php/id/11467/
Sony_Denies_PS3_Is_Readily_Available.html )
In fact, it appears that less than half of all PS3s shipped have been sold. The importance here being that shipped only means sold to stores whereas the number of consoles sold is the actual number of consoles bought by consumers. According to VGcharts.com, somewhere around 4 million PS3s have shipped to America and Japan, but only around 1.8 million has been sold - with less than a million sold in Japan, a market which Sony usually dominates. (http://www.vgcharts.org/news/news.php?id=111)
To be honest, in writing this post I kinda feel like I'm stabbing an old friend in the back and then twisting the knife a little because over the years, my PS1 and PS2 have given me more good times than I can count. I honestly really, really, really hope that Sony can get their act together and salvage their product. I do, I really do. But Sony has just dug themselves such a deep hole and then refused to acknowledge just how deep that hole is...I don't know when or if they can get themselves out of it.
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