Why the Playstation 3 has ruled me for 2 weeks...

I have long been a fan of Microsoft's Xbox 360. And yes, I have had one console die on me. It has always been something about the layout of the software. I always felt it was so easy to use. Looking back, this is what I call the Windows Mindset. But this isn't about Microsoft, the 360, or Windows.

I bought a PS3 with backwards compatibility. Not sure why they did away with it in later models, it is a wonderful feature. But wow, talk about an open platform. My wife and I played a few games when we first got it, but mostly I was dying to push the hardware and software to see how far the package would take me. This processor is supposed to be the future, right?

So I installed Linux. I installed Yellow Dog Linux. Don't be fooled, it isn't easy to do. The cell processor runs on a Power PC architecture and is complicated by having 9 (or 8, depending on if you count the system-reserved one) cores upon which to process data. Sadly, Linux dragged, the PS3 only has 256MB of RAM. I don't really understand why they skimped on that, as it seems important. Of course, some would see that as the Windows Mindset speaking (need at least 3 GB of RAM to run Vista).

So the Linux operating system failed. Yet the PS3 still shone for me, like a beacon as I came out of the Xbox 360 fog. Throughout the installation, the PS3 operating system never fought me and waited patiently as I tried to replace him. I backed up the hard drive several times that day, and never had a problem with my (luckily only one) save game. Never any corruption issues, or strange back-end permissions that keep you from doing what you feel you are entitled to do. Why shouldn't I be able to take my songs, save games, or profiles with me to use on a friend's console? I say that because I once removed the hard drive with all my Rock Band 2 songs, and took them to a friend's house. We couldn't access any of the songs. No explanation, just no. I was able to sign into my profile and everything, but could not play the songs. It was maddening.

Here, in the Playstation 3, lies an open and complete platform. Have an emergency? Backup your data. Want to watch a movie? Which genre? Would you like to buy or rent the movie?

Oh, and lastly, I'm glad I waited this long. When the PS3 first came out, I was disgusted by the original Sixaxis feather-weight controller. I'd forget I was even holding the thing. The Dualshock 2, if you didn't know, is the optimal weight.

My one, and last criticism of the PS3 controller is that the x button doesn't seem as pressure sensitive. I say that because Gran Turismo 4 on PS2 had a nice feel to the x button. It was difficult, but I could feather the throttle around turns a little. In the PS3, its all or nothing. Of course, that could just be because I was emulating. I doubt the controller's sensitivity is tuned exactly the same as the PS2 controllers. Some would say, "Declining to step forward is really a step backward."

Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox console

If you haven't already seen it, I suggest you go look at this:



Tell me that doesnt' look amazing. I'm not a drooling typical fan of Halo 3, but the 4-play coop and this kinda thing is well-placed marketing by Bungie/Microsoft. The coloring and contrast of the console is just dead-on.

Yet, the negative part about this is that its just not... all that great. I was hoping that it would be an elite console painted this nice color, but its actually a downgrade. I took this list from Xbox.com's page of features:

• Halo 3 Special Edition Console
• Halo 3 Special Edition Wireless Controller
• Halo 3 Special Edition 20GB Hard Drive
• Halo 3 Special Edition Wired Headset
• Halo 3 Special Edition Gamer Pics and Theme (Exclusive download via Xbox LIVE)
• Component HD AV Cable
• Ethernet Cable
• HDMI Port
• Play & Charge Kit
• Xbox LIVE Silver Membership
• One-month Xbox LIVE Gold Membership
• Halo 3 game not included—sold separately

Compared to the Elite, this just doesn't quite cut it for me. Maybe its the missing 120GB hard drive. Put that on one of these, and you have an instant sale to me, your typical customer.

Why not just do this? Make these things customizable? Upgradeable IN STORE. I mean, why should I buy a whole new hard drive just to have my old one sitting around at home. Seems silly. Make it like a sandwich from Subway. I want cucumbers, please, and hold the onions.

Guitar Hero 2 and Japanese News by Mercy1.0

Oh wow, Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360 seems like *such* a ripoff. $90 for the game and the controller, and if you want to buy songs from GH1 it's $6.25 for 3 songs. The price is a bit steep, considering each song would be 2 bucks and some cents for material that's already available, just on another system. Also, if it's to be believed that they're working on a Guitar Hero III (for Xbox360, Wii, and PS3) will they really be working on NEW downloadable content for GH2?

Ouendan 2 is apparently coming out in Japan during the month of May. Some of the music videos linked above are hilarious, especially Hirai Ken's Pop Star. Japanese people are crazy, but their craziness is so tasty. Who else would ever think of putting frosting on a stick and calling it Pocky?

Written by Mercy1.0

Xbox 360 Elite harddrive complaints

I'm not going to tell you what you're going to do. You're going to stop complaining about the Xbox 360's hard drive being so expensive.

You want more space? But they 20 GB one and follow the instructions on my previous post.
Xbox360 Hard drive upgrade.

Yeah, do that. Get a 320GB SATA drive and pop it into the 20GB chassis and you're fine. no bothers, no worries, just fine. I really don't see this as being difficult.

Here comes the Glory of Microsoft. Straight from France, the news is "Xbox 360 loves you". Underneath the link, there is a beautiful video about how while the PS3 was releasing, Microsoft's local marketing director decided that they were going to have some fun. They rented a barge and floated it down the nearby canal and really stole the PS3's show.

If you don't already know, PS3 is now worldwide. Yippee, yeah, whatever.

Forza Two Chair of Destiny

Ummm, please tell me I can have this. I want it. Surround sound speakers, triple screens, foot-pedals, steering wheel, oh man.

also three 360s, not to mention the 3 hi-def flat screens. This is looking like $8000.00 of merchandise. If I'm ever rich, one of these is going into my house.

Forza Motorsport 2 Preview

Forza Motorsport 2 is being developed and published by Microsoft for the Xbox 360. Planned release date is May 2nd, 2007. I expect this to be pushed back.


My first experience with Forza Motorsports series was with the XBox version of it. Of course, it was the only version to have ever existed, so its pointless to delineate which version it was. Anyway, my friend had come over, and he was addicted to Grand Turismo for the PS2.

We went to Blockbuster to look for Grand Turismo, assuming they would have one of the most popular racing games of all time... No, apparently not. I saw Forza Motorsports there, and was like, "Hmm, I've heard good things about this one, wanna give it a try?"

We took it home, and I loved it immediately. The controls were quick to learn, and hard to master (accelerator and brake on the rear pressure-sensitive triggers). To my friend, this was a complete departure from the accelerator and brake buttons of X and O. To me, it was <3.

On to the Preview!
You may hear me say how much Forza was love for me. I loved the non-linear layout and the way you could accomplish and complete races in the way you chose, with the car you chose, at the time you chose, and no sooner. I loved the pressure-sensitivity of the triggers, and how accurate they were. How does this carry over to Forza Motorsports 2?

This game was designed physics up, creating a more realistic racing game than ever before. They've included damage, layers upon layers of customization, beautiful graphics, and a unique money system.

First off, they took the original layout of non-linear play, and just built on top of the already successful formula, which is gold to me. Looking to race the heavyweights, and don't really care about the lightweights? Well, you don't HAVE to finish the lightweights, you can play heavyweights whenever you want.

Next, they increased the damage modeling of the cars, INCLUDING persistent pieces of your car on the track after they are knocked off. You can see this at minute 1:30.

Gamevideo.com

The layers upon layers of customization (minute 5:35 in the video) include thousands of layers on each side of the car. If I wanted to put a body vinyl, and then a decal, and then a decal on top of that, with a nice blue color highlighting it, you can do that.

Also, the player interaction is phenomenal. Everything from AMAZING force feedback (I suggest Microsoft's wheel, it has received GREAT reviews, and is wireless) to the console's networking ability to output to three monitors a surround view of the game (minute 4:10 in the video). I highly suggest you check it out.

Anyway, as I said before, the game is THE racing game. Grand Turismo comes nowhere close in terms of horsepower, capability, sustainability, and replayability.

XBOX 360 promoting PS3 down under?

Microsoft's Xbox 360 was apparently used to promote the Playstation 3 recently by an Australian electronics store called Harvey Norman.
As you can see by the photograph, there's a cardboard cutout sitting overtop something in a pretty display case. Because Australia hasn't actually received any PS3s yet, this is the only way to advertise, apparently.

Its unknown as to what exactly the Xbox 360 is doing underneath the display cutout. Is it promoting Xbox360 games as Playstation 3 games? Are they using it to play videos about how wonderful the PlayStation 3 is? They may as well sell the Xbox 360 and give up on the PS3, but that's just my opinion if they are this desperate.

The photo and information was taken from Xbox360Fanboy's blog site at http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/02/15/ps3-kiosk-can-you-spot-the-360/

No Next-Gen Contest

It has been said by many that there is a heavy competition between these three consoles and it is going to be a war. I would have to agree that there is a limited money source, and they are definitely all competing for the same money. Yet, I find it difficult to believe they are all competing in the same race.

The three systems; the Sony Playstation 3, the Nintendo Wii, and the Microsoft Xbox 360 are three completely distinct consoles and can be viewed quite simply in this way.

Xbox 360: In 3-4 months, it will be seen how limited this hardware is when compared to the Playstation 3. Yet, developing for the Xbox 360 has been seen as relatively easy with their powerful development tools and large US customer base. As well, for any game that wishes to be online, the XBOX 360 is the only place to be. Ignore the pricing here for a second and think purely of online performance and matchmaking. There shouldn't be any argument. The Simple Truth about Xbox 360 is that it is the Online Now machine.

Nintendo Wii: This is yesterday's System of Nostalgia. It is easy to build, efficient and intuitive on all fronts. Ignore the corporations trying to shove the Living Room Media Center garbage down your throat and maybe you can see what this is. Its fun. Its a party system. It is not meant to be played online. It is meant for you to invite over all of your friends, grab a bunch of controllers and just go at it. No wires, no strings attached (except the extreme rarity and cost of the controllers). Just be gentle. Laughs are guaranteed.

Playstation 3: Despite all rumors, this is a great device. The only problem is that it is built for the future. And for once, it is not bull coming out of Sony's mouth. This system is a year ahead of its time. It may not be a great system right now, but give it 1-2 years and nothing will come close. The System of Tomorrow.

So who wins? That's like trying to say "He won the olympics because he won the hurdle race!" "No no no, it was the pole-vaulter!" "What are you two talking about, he won because he broke the world record in breast stroke!"

They are three completely different consoles, each with their own qualities. Which do you want, a system you can play tonight online, a system you can play with friends tomorrow, or a system that might work really really nicely in a year or two? Hey, that's your choice, but in the end, everybody wins.

Gears of War Review (Xbox360)

Gears of War is an excellent game on the Xbox 360 developed by Epic Games. Epic Games is the same company that created the Unreal Tournament engine, famous for use throughout most high-end graphical games. It was published by Microsoft and released November 7th, 2006.

• User Interface:

o Pros: Excellent player interaction. Menus are easy to read on a standard definition TV. Options are robust enough that you can change things to make sure they are the way you like them. Setting up the cooperative play is simple. The cover system on the control scheme is amazingly simple and innovative. How many people with guns run through a field shooting at their enemies while juking/jumping up and down? Usually we sit behind cover and blast them while they're reloading. Reminded me of the arcade game Time Crisis. This is good.

o Cons: None. Some minor bugs with the engine, especially online.

· Graphic Detail:

o Pros: Amazing detail. It looks great on an SDTV using composite cables. I can't imagine what it would look like with components and maybe progressive scan. 720p, 1080p, whatever, it would just look amazing. The texturing is amazing, and the whole color style of the Gears of war world really immerses you.

o Cons: In some places, minor bugs jump out, and sometimes you can't grab this gun because its on top of this shelf. And the environment, while mildly interactive, could use even more work. The whole "shooting the wall makes this circular black texture that disappears" thing was cool back around Duke Nukem 3D. Make some new particle physics so we can really chew away the wall if we so chose. or the chair, or the bleach bottle.

· Storyline:

o Pros: Good storyline. Not completely random, it actually makes some sense if you really felt like diving into it. I'm glad they didn't put more of a focus on it, because we really just came here to kill some bad guys. Replayability is strong with multiple difficulty levels and multiple paths.

o Cons: As you will always hear, it is linear. You can't go the wrong way, you can't do the wrong thing. Only one way forward really. Some would argue that there is more than one way, because of all the paths; but no, its still linear.

· Fun Factor:

o Pros: This game is a lot of fun. There are many ways to kill a bad guy, including shooting them in the knees and then walking up and stomping them to death. My favorite is the Grenade Tag. My friend and I killed General RAAM (final boss) with a grenade tag after a couple of preparation shots. Also, I'm glad for once that the bad guys aren't the only ones who can use the turrets. For once in a game, we get to turn around and shoot right back at them. I have shot some of them so hard with a turret, that my friend was like, "I was just shooting at this guy, and then he evaporated in front of the turret!" Yes, that's what I call fun. Then, you can kick around their bodies for even more enjoyment. Oh, how delicious this is.

o Cons: Cons? I dunno, some of the levels got kind of old. The kryll annoyed me after awhile.

Wrap-Up: Great game, with high replayability. 10 out of 10. Terrifying, cinematic, thrilling, and fun. Definitely better than watching a movie, kinda felt like we were playing one instead. Play with a friend!

Buy/Rental/Never: BUY!