A true gamer, whether he is a professional or a person who plays for fun, has no prejudices when it comes to video games. A true gamer has the ability to see the “Pros” and “Cons” of each console, and can enjoy them all. Gaming is more or less an art form, and while some artists excel at different types of art, everyone appreciates all art forms in general. Now, I’ve been an avid video game player ever since I got my hands on an NES controller, and since I’ve grown up, I’ve learned to distinguish what each major game company chooses to put most of their effort into. Of course, this is it in my opinion, but I think any true gamer can appreciate them.
Now my first topic would be the Xbox 360. Yeah, most likely it was released before it was ready to be released which led to all the hype about the “Red Rings of Death” and other such things that could It might have been avoided if they had taken the time to look at the hardware and software a bit more, but nonetheless, this is probably my favorite of all the systems. Now, what separates Microsoft and its Xbox system is that it is a company based in the United States, which until Xbox came along was not the best place to make video games. They have to compete with the likes of Sony, who were the first to take CD gaming to the next level in console gaming, and of course Nintendo, who were in the gaming business for over ten years before the advent of from Sony PlayStation. . Of course, it had some minor competition like Atari, Sega and others, but that’s beside the point.
Sega put up a good fight, but their credibility was shattered with the Sega Saturn and the Dreamcast (I actually loved the Dreamcast, but apparently most people didn’t). Either way, Microsoft has some seasoned competition, and seeing as this is merely their second console system, I think they’re putting up a decent fight. Now, Microsoft’s claim to fame is obviously the Halo series, which was one of the main reasons I bought the Xbox 360, which was to get my greedy hands on Halo 3. Now, Microsoft clearly has a death grip on the sect of computer games. , since I think more people have Windows-based operating systems, which most, if not all, computer games are compatible with. They took this and applied it to their Console, thus giving birth to the Xbox Live network, something that all current Next-Gen systems have taken and modified for themselves.
This alone gives Xbox and Microsoft an edge over the others, because they originated, or at least popularized, the idea of online console gaming. I think PlayStation 2 had something that allowed online play, but in my opinion, it was never very popular. Now, the advantages of Xbox 360 are that the controller is much smaller and easier to handle than the original Xbox controller, which was huge. It’s pretty compact, at least compared to the PlayStation 3, and can fit almost anywhere. The graphics are decent and they have a lot of good titles like Fable, Halo and Left 4 Dead which are probably their main moneymakers, again IMO. The downsides to this are that if you are standing vertically, you are easily knocked over. I lost my first copy of Halo 3 because my dog bumped into the system and knocked it over, and the CD went off track and was badly scratched. Also, you have the Red Rings of Death, which created a lot of frustration. Overall, on a scale of one to ten, I think the 360 should get a seven, mostly because it combines fun gameplay with good graphics.
Now we move on to the Nintendo Wii, by far one of the most fun video game systems I’ve ever played. Sure, they don’t have many big-name serious titles aside from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, but all of their games are fun, even if they seem a bit childish. The idea of having in-game objects controlled, for the most part, by your own movements is absolutely great, and games like Wii Fit, Mario Kart, and Mario vs. Sonic: Olympics takes this to its full potential. Encourage players not to sit around all day and to get up and move around. Also, the idea of being able to download old school games like Super Mario Bros 3 and other awesome games was the main reason I wanted a Wii to begin with.
Sure, it sounds like an oxymoron, buying a Next-Gen system to play Oldie games like that, but hey, that’s what made me fall in love with Nintendo in the first place. Now, in terms of the downsides, one of the main downsides is that the Wii lacks serious titles, games of the kind that I and my fellow hardcore gamers have come to appreciate (Basically serious RPGs, like Final Fantasy, or FPS like Halo). That’s probably the main reason so many players don’t take it seriously. A second disadvantage would be its lack of graphics. Microsoft and Sony are competing in the realm of realism, they’re trying to make their games feel like you’re actually there doing all the stuff in the game, whereas the Wii doesn’t put as much emphasis on this aspect, again. it’s a minor drawback, but still, a lot of us hardcore gamers like to play games that will keep us coming back, and the Wii certainly excels at that.
And finally, we come to the PlayStation 3. This came in at number three on my list, mainly because Sony deviated from what made me fall in love with the PlayStation in the first place, and that was the sheer abundance of amazing RPGs. I remember being about ten or twelve years old, sitting on my PlayStation for hours on weekends, playing games like Final Fantasy 8, Grandia, Legends of Dragoon, etc., and getting wrapped up in the story and the characters. It was a lot like reading a really good book, you read it and you read it, you fall in love with it and then you’re sad once it’s over. This was the same feeling I had with most of the RPGs available on Playstation. The PlayStation 2 wasn’t that disappointing, I mean they had some decent RPG titles like Final Fantasy 10, Orphan and other titles I can’t remember, but not as many as the Playstation.
PlayStation 3 also scored low due to the silly idea of making two of the three different systems, without being able to play PlayStation 2 or 1 games. The basic PlayStation 3 can’t even play games from the past, it was made solely for its Blu- Ray’s capabilities and to play games created solely for PlayStation 3. The second in the scale can only play PlayStation 2 games, and the most expensive of the group can play almost all the main titles of the last two systems. It seems stupid to me that they would do that, but then again, that’s just my opinion. Now some of the advantages of PlayStation 3 are its beautiful graphics. Nearly every major PlayStation 3 title has superb graphics, almost making you think you’re watching what’s going on behind a window. The ability to browse websites when connected online with the PlayStation 3 is also a very nice capability.
All in all, each system has its own unique feature that sets it apart from the rest of them. The Wii has its fun and playability with its different titles, the Xbox 360 is the closest thing to a combination of visually pleasing and playability, and the PlayStation 3 makes it beautiful to sit there and play its games. In the end, you have to take the good with the bad when it comes to games, because no system is going to be perfect and meet the expectations of every Gamer who buys them, because whether we admit it or not, we are all a bit picky.