Triple post 'cos I'm the biggest PS3 fan ever? XD
'Aiight. So new news... some on-topic, some less-so but still relevant.
After some heavy gaming for the past few weeks on my beloved console... I can confirm the
PlayStation 3 rocks. XD
In the past few days, some firmware updates have come out which have been fantastic. And while the features they add aren't revolutionary, they cancel out any particular advantages the X-Box 360 ever had over the PS3.
In particular...
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Trophy System - similar to the Achievements of the 360. Whenever you achieve something particularly cool in videogames (as set by the game developers), you'll get a trophy. Not all games have trophies so far - in fact, only a handful do - but as time goes on, developers
might consider going back and adding this functionality to their old titles, thus giving them further replay value. Sure, the 360 has had this feature for many more months than the PS3 has... but that's little more than a minor argument now that they're both offering the same feature from this day forward. There's also something about levelling up and some type of RPG system?
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In-game XMB - one can now access a mini-XMB during gameplay. I haven't used it much yet as since the new firmware's come out, I haven't had LOTS of time to play iit... but I'm sure it'll be useful.
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Reassign controllers made easy - There's now a setting to reassign controllers more easily - this is done under the XMB (probably the aforementioned in-game XMB too).
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Recently announced BioShock making its way to PS3 - this supposed killer app for the 360 isn't quite so killer anymore now that it's coming out on PS3! That reduces the number of exclusives for 360 to... four, at most!
Halo 3,
Gears of War,
Fable II and
Mass Effect... in comparison to
MGS4,
Fabula Nova Crystallis (Final Fantasy XIII and Versus),
MotorStorm,
God of War III,
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (and the
main game's inevitable release)... not to mention the numerous titles they both share, like Assassin's Creed, Grand Theft Auto IV, Call of Duty 4 and Rock Band, just to name a few. The Nintendo Wii is about the only other console that offers up as many killer games for it -
Wii Sports,
Super Mario Galaxy,
Super Smash Bros Brawl,
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess,
Warioware: Smooth Moves, and numerous others.
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Those are the recent things to happen in the PlayStation world (which of course is what this thread is for).
As addendum to my initial thoughts on the console... it's only gotten bigger and better for me! Our family recently purchased a
Panasonic TH-58PY700AZ television, which, in laymen's terms... is a 58" Full HD plasma TV. I was actually contemplating the 46" Bravia X-series myself, but when Dad and I got to talking, we planned on going with the 52" X-series. Then when we saw that the 58" was the same price, we went for that.
Let it be known that eventually, when I move out, I'll probably settle for the 52" X-series just to see if its better or not. This is mainly in response to people who're like "OMG LCD's BETTER." or "PLASMA GOOD, YAAAAY". 'Cos really, they're both very good technologies. That's another topic for another time, however. I'd mainly get it just to find out whether those 52" are much better than our current 58". Given that they're the same price, I can always swap for the 58" plasma if I find it's not as cool. XDAs a result, I now game in
high-definition... and ladies and gentlement, gaming is simply beautiful. ;D
I'll admit, the main reason I wanted to start gaming in high-definition is because of Grand Theft Auto IV - the icons on your map are really small and difficult to see on a SDTV, even when you sit up close. On our old 32", everything except the map looked okay.
But now... everything is clear. Gaming fonts look much better, there's so much detail in these games that I never noticed before... some games are near lifelike in detail. For one,
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is by far the most realistic game I've ever seen. The attention to detail is so mind-blowing... it's real. And at long last, I can fully utilise the power of the console the gaming gods have bestowed upon me.
Furthermore, I've watched some Blu-ray movies on it too. I've made a number of purchases - Open Season, Pirate of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Ratatouille, and 300 (that means I need to plan some MANLY BONDING SEXY TIMES, eh Sorien?) - and they all look stunning. In comparison to their standard definition counterparts... the Blu-ray format is just, mindblowing. I've also purchased the PS3 Remote Control as well, so it very easily completes the home entertainment package.
In fact, as a result... my parents have started getting into using the console as well - I'll concede that my mother has actually picked up the controller/remote several times to watch videos and view pictures. Which is very... humbling. I'd actually be very interested in 'experimenting' by getting a Nintendo Wii with numerous casual games (like Wii Sports) and seeing which she'd gravitate towards more - the Wii and its family-friendly games, or the PS3 and its hard drive and media playback?
Finally, the online features of the PlayStation 3.... are as good as any. I'll admit, I've never used X-Box Live. Having said that... I've played a number of games online now - Call of Duty 4, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Rock Band and Metal Gear Online, with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue to follow soon - and I've experienced no difficulty with the online experience. Games are always enjoyable, and there's no lag that I've experienced. Furthermore, it's very easy and quick to join new games - joining Call of Duty 4 maps takes seconds and I'm in a round so fast it almost makes you wonder if there ARE any improvements on X-Box Live. Seriously, there's no hassle at all with the PlayStation Network... XBL, shmex-BL. Even Rock Band - where the game hasn't even been RELEASED here in New Zealand - works well over the Internet. Assuming that I'm connecting to players in the United States... I'm actually very impressed with it.
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With everything Sony's new machine now has to offer... I can't do anything but praise the PlayStation 3. I daresay it's obvious I've become a Sony fanboy once again, but I do so less on "I LIKE MINE BETTER THAN YOURS" and more on the actual merits of the machine.
Before passing final judgement on the PlayStation, I was contemplating what I'd consider to be the console's true rating - initially, I'd considered the score to be dynamic, in that it changes depending on what sort of environment you place it in. As its home increases in power, so does the score rise - in a high-def home, you really start to notice its true strength. However, this is quite the case for any of the home consoles, and not just the PlayStation 3. For example, I would've much rather played a PlayStation 2 in my previous home environment (32" CRT widescreen, surround sound) than play my friend's X-Box 360 in his (21" CRT, TV speakers).
Sure, the X-Box 360 was a more powerful console and probably does look and sound better than the PS2... but the environment I gave the PS2, dare I say, actually made it feel
better than the X-Box 360. The environment made it far more immersive than it's younger, more powerful rival. There was very little on 360 that actually caught my eye while playing it at a friends' house... even the mighty Halo 3 seemed to pale in comparison when pitted up against God of War II at my place.
It can then be said that at my home, one can explore the full functionality of any gaming console. Here, in a gamer's true paradise,
I rerate the PlayStation 3 as a perfect 10/10. Would it be that anyone else could not give it the same score and rather a different machine, I'd argue that you should look at upgrading your home environment instead of longing for another, less-perfect console.
N.B. I'd like to say that I'm mostly against the 360, as opposed to anti-Wii. I'm all for the Wii, but am just slightly disappointed that it won't take advantage of a high-tech system like ours. As a result, I probably won't get it yet... at least until I can confirm that my parents might be more inclined to play it too. They're a bit tied up with Rock Band at the moment though...