Why I'm Buying a Playstation 3
Now, the PS3 is still not a system I would recommend for everyone. However, I have realized that I now fit into the system's target market: I own an HDTV, and I take advantage of online capabilities. I used to scoff at a need for such things, but now that I'm in the cool crowd I am frothing for more ways to take advantage of both. If you can't take advantage of the high definition, don't buy it. If you can't take advantage of the online, don't buy it. If you don't have a job or are a college student, don't buy it. But if you're like me and have one last window to splurge before the college + work combo hits you hard, here's why you should buy it.
Games Out Now
-Resistance: Fall of Man. The atmosphere is bad-ass, the multiplayer is fairly massive, and it's from one of my favorite developers (who definitely know how to blow things up good). This will be the first purchase.
-Motorstorm. I've had a renewed interest in racing games lately (thanks to the 360's own Project Gotham 3), and this one looks wild. Mud-slinging trucks can deform tracks in real time, forcing smaller bikes and ATVs to choose between a longer but safer route, or get right in the mess and risk getting torn apart. Very aggressive racing -- right up my alley as an SSX and F-Zero fan.
-Virtua Fighter 5. The 360 version will have (potentially lag-broken) online play. The PS3 version is $30 less, and there's the possibility of a future patch to allow online play. Add in the fact that the 360's d-pad mold comes fresh from some evil monster that shits plastic for a living, and the PS3 version remains superior.
-Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Which I would buy it a heartbeat were it $20, but instead it gets the wait.
-Ridge Racer 7. This one's a maybe, and for cheap at that. I skipped 6...and, well, pretty much every core entry since the first, so I doubt I'd have issues with recycled content.
-All the online stuff which will be covered down a bit.
-PS1 and PS2 backwards compatibility, meaning I can sell my PS2 and memory cards to help soften the blow. It also means I can play my old school RPG Maker without 15-block memory restraints :O
Exclusive Games Coming Soon
-Ratchet & Clank: Future Tools of Destruction. I seriously love these guys almost as much as Sonic and Tails. That's saying a hell of a lot for my respect of this franchise. Insomniac has learned much of balancing platforming and shooting from the franchise's progression and the experiment that was Deadlocked, so I have nothing but the highest expectations here. This game will be better than Super Mario Galaxy (as always, I make statements like this in the hope of being wrong: if SMG can de damn good enough to outdo R&C, I will happily eat my hat).
-Heavenly Sword. Stunning animation (have I ever mentioned what a sucker I am for solid animation in an adventure game?) and some very cinematic action. I demand that you watch trailers for this game, lest you fail to see why it makes me all giddy. There's this one particularly jaw-dropping scene where your character slides down this massive rope (lord knows what it's tying down), then starts running along it as she jumps to a nearby cliff, right into an enemy who probably just shat himself. The story is interesting, too: the main character's clan is being slaughtered by a rival army, and as a last resort she wields a sacred sword intended for the Gods. However, the sheer power of the thing drains her very existence throughout the game. It's like she's trying to kill as many of her enemy as possible before she herself dies.
-Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Naughty Dog knows how to make a game control smoothly, and that's always half the fun for me. Add in a very interesting trio of main characters, what seems like a strong sense of adventure, and highly realistic graphics that somehow retain an almost cartoon-like flair, and I'm sold.
-Unreal Tournament 3. Not only will the PS3 version hit this holiday season, but it'll support PC mods, too. That's pretty awesome news, hopefully a sign of things to come. Plus, it's Unreal. Ultimate Nuclear Radical Epileptic Adrenaline Lasers. Er, or something like that.
-Metal Gear Solid 4. As of now this is still a PS3 exclusive, though I'd be surprised if that didn't change during E3. I'd have to see exactly what (if any) differences existed between the two versions, but if it came down between Six Axis features and rumble, I'd honestly have a hard time deciding. [Update: this bit was written before E3, and the game is still exclusive. Yay justification]
-Socom: Confrontation. I've loved what little I've played of Socom online. The build-up is intense and satisfying, and every move counts in the seconds-long gunfights. This entry will destroy the previous technical limitations and also snuff some not-so-well-received elements from Socom 3.
-Killzone 2. I'll want to wait for more gameplay impressions since the original was only moderately received, but the visual effort makes a strong indication that they're working their asses off. It really looks almost as good as the 2005 CG trailer. They should just fix the AI from the first game, and I'm set.
-White Knight Story. Seriously, have you seen this crazy shit? If not, go. Now. To be fair, this one probably won't be coming soon, in fact it can't come soon enough, but it demands a mention.
-Overview: much more variety than the 360's shooter-filled lineup (not at all to say I'm unimpressed with the 360 selection). I'm a huge fan of adventure games, and there are several high profile (and exclusive) entries in that genre coming this year.
Online
-Online play is free. So while it may not be quite as expertly organized as Xbox Live, I won't feel like I'm bleeding money every day I don't spend on it.
-Awesome downloadable content. Super Stardust HD has been called a Geometry Wars killer, Flow is ultra-surreal, and Little Big Planet is its own kind of amazing beast. Add on PS1 games that I can play on my TV or take on the go via PSP, and I'm hyped. Really, imagine how cool it would be if Nintendo allowed you to transfer Virtual Console games over to the DS.
-The firmware updates are past the point of fixing what shouldn't have been broke in the first place, and are now adding new features regularly.
-Home may not be the best idea as a media center (I fear accessing programs will be a slow process), but as a means to display your gaming success through visible trophies? Sounds much cooler than Achievement Points.
Features
-Price is lowered. Used 60 gig system will cost me $411 after tax.
-Upscaled resolution for older games.
-Hardware emulation will soon be replaced by the lesser (that is, until it fully blossoms from firmware updates over a two year span) software emulation, so that's more incentive for action now rather than later.
-Built-in WiFi. This is the best tech feature in the Wii, and now I can actually make use of it.
-Blu-Ray may or may not win over HD-DVD, and I don't really care if it does. Now that I have an HDTV, I can fully appreciate the difference made by these discs.
-Six Axis is what the Wii should have been. I'm doubtful waggle can ever replace the efficiency of button input, so the best implementation for traditional games (aka non-minigame-games) is as a secondary method of control.
Nintendo Wii (yes, I'm listing it as a reason to buy a PS3)
-...Is not even serving its purpose as a solid alternative system to the 360. There are four games I know of that I truly want: Metroid Prime 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, and No More Heroes. I want this system to succeed in more than sales, I want it to succeed in promise.
Oh, and I should mention...
-Sony really kicked ass at E3, eh? I'll have to make an E3 post next.
Think I've lost my mind? Think I've made a fair point? Comments, people!
Games Out Now
-Resistance: Fall of Man. The atmosphere is bad-ass, the multiplayer is fairly massive, and it's from one of my favorite developers (who definitely know how to blow things up good). This will be the first purchase.
-Motorstorm. I've had a renewed interest in racing games lately (thanks to the 360's own Project Gotham 3), and this one looks wild. Mud-slinging trucks can deform tracks in real time, forcing smaller bikes and ATVs to choose between a longer but safer route, or get right in the mess and risk getting torn apart. Very aggressive racing -- right up my alley as an SSX and F-Zero fan.
-Virtua Fighter 5. The 360 version will have (potentially lag-broken) online play. The PS3 version is $30 less, and there's the possibility of a future patch to allow online play. Add in the fact that the 360's d-pad mold comes fresh from some evil monster that shits plastic for a living, and the PS3 version remains superior.
-Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Which I would buy it a heartbeat were it $20, but instead it gets the wait.
-Ridge Racer 7. This one's a maybe, and for cheap at that. I skipped 6...and, well, pretty much every core entry since the first, so I doubt I'd have issues with recycled content.
-All the online stuff which will be covered down a bit.
-PS1 and PS2 backwards compatibility, meaning I can sell my PS2 and memory cards to help soften the blow. It also means I can play my old school RPG Maker without 15-block memory restraints :O
Exclusive Games Coming Soon
-Ratchet & Clank: Future Tools of Destruction. I seriously love these guys almost as much as Sonic and Tails. That's saying a hell of a lot for my respect of this franchise. Insomniac has learned much of balancing platforming and shooting from the franchise's progression and the experiment that was Deadlocked, so I have nothing but the highest expectations here. This game will be better than Super Mario Galaxy (as always, I make statements like this in the hope of being wrong: if SMG can de damn good enough to outdo R&C, I will happily eat my hat).
-Heavenly Sword. Stunning animation (have I ever mentioned what a sucker I am for solid animation in an adventure game?) and some very cinematic action. I demand that you watch trailers for this game, lest you fail to see why it makes me all giddy. There's this one particularly jaw-dropping scene where your character slides down this massive rope (lord knows what it's tying down), then starts running along it as she jumps to a nearby cliff, right into an enemy who probably just shat himself. The story is interesting, too: the main character's clan is being slaughtered by a rival army, and as a last resort she wields a sacred sword intended for the Gods. However, the sheer power of the thing drains her very existence throughout the game. It's like she's trying to kill as many of her enemy as possible before she herself dies.
-Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Naughty Dog knows how to make a game control smoothly, and that's always half the fun for me. Add in a very interesting trio of main characters, what seems like a strong sense of adventure, and highly realistic graphics that somehow retain an almost cartoon-like flair, and I'm sold.
-Unreal Tournament 3. Not only will the PS3 version hit this holiday season, but it'll support PC mods, too. That's pretty awesome news, hopefully a sign of things to come. Plus, it's Unreal. Ultimate Nuclear Radical Epileptic Adrenaline Lasers. Er, or something like that.
-Metal Gear Solid 4. As of now this is still a PS3 exclusive, though I'd be surprised if that didn't change during E3. I'd have to see exactly what (if any) differences existed between the two versions, but if it came down between Six Axis features and rumble, I'd honestly have a hard time deciding. [Update: this bit was written before E3, and the game is still exclusive. Yay justification]
-Socom: Confrontation. I've loved what little I've played of Socom online. The build-up is intense and satisfying, and every move counts in the seconds-long gunfights. This entry will destroy the previous technical limitations and also snuff some not-so-well-received elements from Socom 3.
-Killzone 2. I'll want to wait for more gameplay impressions since the original was only moderately received, but the visual effort makes a strong indication that they're working their asses off. It really looks almost as good as the 2005 CG trailer. They should just fix the AI from the first game, and I'm set.
-White Knight Story. Seriously, have you seen this crazy shit? If not, go. Now. To be fair, this one probably won't be coming soon, in fact it can't come soon enough, but it demands a mention.
-Overview: much more variety than the 360's shooter-filled lineup (not at all to say I'm unimpressed with the 360 selection). I'm a huge fan of adventure games, and there are several high profile (and exclusive) entries in that genre coming this year.
Online
-Online play is free. So while it may not be quite as expertly organized as Xbox Live, I won't feel like I'm bleeding money every day I don't spend on it.
-Awesome downloadable content. Super Stardust HD has been called a Geometry Wars killer, Flow is ultra-surreal, and Little Big Planet is its own kind of amazing beast. Add on PS1 games that I can play on my TV or take on the go via PSP, and I'm hyped. Really, imagine how cool it would be if Nintendo allowed you to transfer Virtual Console games over to the DS.
-The firmware updates are past the point of fixing what shouldn't have been broke in the first place, and are now adding new features regularly.
-Home may not be the best idea as a media center (I fear accessing programs will be a slow process), but as a means to display your gaming success through visible trophies? Sounds much cooler than Achievement Points.
Features
-Price is lowered. Used 60 gig system will cost me $411 after tax.
-Upscaled resolution for older games.
-Hardware emulation will soon be replaced by the lesser (that is, until it fully blossoms from firmware updates over a two year span) software emulation, so that's more incentive for action now rather than later.
-Built-in WiFi. This is the best tech feature in the Wii, and now I can actually make use of it.
-Blu-Ray may or may not win over HD-DVD, and I don't really care if it does. Now that I have an HDTV, I can fully appreciate the difference made by these discs.
-Six Axis is what the Wii should have been. I'm doubtful waggle can ever replace the efficiency of button input, so the best implementation for traditional games (aka non-minigame-games) is as a secondary method of control.
Nintendo Wii (yes, I'm listing it as a reason to buy a PS3)
-...Is not even serving its purpose as a solid alternative system to the 360. There are four games I know of that I truly want: Metroid Prime 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, and No More Heroes. I want this system to succeed in more than sales, I want it to succeed in promise.
Oh, and I should mention...
-Sony really kicked ass at E3, eh? I'll have to make an E3 post next.
Think I've lost my mind? Think I've made a fair point? Comments, people!