Next-Gen Console Round-Up.
Someone had asked on a web board for advice about which next-gen console to buy, and this was my response.
Firstly, I’ll say I own all 3 consoles and each one has its strengths and weaknesses and I do not regret buying any of them. I will also state that I am a medium-core type gamer - I don’t have the time to play to consider myself “hardcore” but I have a lot of disposable income so I buy quite a few games and at least get to play part of them before the next big game comes along, so I have quite a bit of play time on a large variety of games. I’ve also been gaming forever (since the Atari Pong).
Right now if you do not have HD-TV then you do not need either the Xbox 360 or the PS3. Those systems only show their main strength which is really awesome high-def graphics on a HD-TV (and preferably a bigger one, like 40″+). If you’re still on standard def and can’t afford a new TV, then by all means, the Wii is the best system to own right now hand’s down. Stick with PS2 and/or Xbox original until you can upgrade your TV for more traditional type games.
Besides, the Wii plays all GameCube games so there’s a lot of traditional-control games there you may not have gotten to if you didn’t have a cube. The Wii does support progressive-scan 480p if you get the component cables for it, so in that mode the graphics look pretty decent on games where they take the time to code to the Wii’s hardware (versus a cheap PS2-port, which unfortunately is what Wii is getting a lot of).
As far as game library, the Xbox 360 has by far the best selection for someone who is a more “traditional” gamer. They are kind of weak in the “platformer” genre (like Jak, Ratchet, and/or Mario) but most other genres are fairly well covered. On multi-platform games the 360 version is usually superior, because the graphics are going to be either the best or just slightly under what the PS3’s are, but with 360’s excellent Xbox Live online service there is usually a lot of extended features only available on the 360. Additionally, the 360 has been around for 2 years instead of just 1 and has built up a library of quite a few excellent exclusive titles you can’t get on any other console. Games like Bioshock, Blue Dragon, Gears of War, Eternal Sonata, Halo 3, etc.
With an installed base of over 10 million users (not counting the thousands of units no doubt sold recently with Halo 3’s release), its the 2nd largest (and only 2nd by a thin margin) and a platform that a lot of developers world wide are promising to release games for. Microsoft has done a good job of “stealing” a lot of developers that had been PS2 exclusive during the last generation to now write games for the 360. It’s no longer a gaming industry dominated by Sony - it’s a much more level playing field now so the PS3 is not going to get as many exclusives as the PS2 did, and multi-platform games will be much more common.
Now, on to the Wii.. this platform is a heck of a lot of fun for “party” based multiplayer. If you have a lot of friends who like to come over or a family who likes to play games together, this platform is seriously a lot of fun and a great bargain compared to the other contenders. Even the free pack-in game Wii Sports can be hours and hours of hilarious multi-player goodness. The controls may seem somewhat gimmicky at first, but as you play the Wii more and more they become rather intuitive.
The Will is set up to have a really good fall season. They have some really top notch games coming out soon and the game’s library will start to finally make a console purchase seem very worthwhile. The top games for this system are Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a fantastic action/adventure game, and Metroid Prime 3, a top notch first person shooter with a unique control style that works very well, Super Paper Mario, a classic RPG/platformer game with a really neat mechanic of switching back and forth from 2D world to 3D world, and a lot of other games that are definitely worth a rent if not a purchase which can be a lot of fun as well (especially for multiplayer). So, while the 360 does have probably more A+ titles than the Wii does, the Wii probably has enough to keep you entertained especially if you happen to be a fan of Nintendo-style games.
And as for the PS3, well there’s Resistance Fall of Man which looks and controls great (first person shooter), there’s Heavenly Sword, which is essentially a souped-up God of War style game with awesome sound and graphics, and … not a whole lot else. If you never played Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox then the Ninja Gaiden Sigma remake for the PS3 is definitely worth playing. There’s also Virtua Fighter 5, but the 360 version is going to have enhanced graphics and online play modes that the PS3 lacks. But one thing the PS3 has going for it is that the hardware is rock solid great, and the Blu-Ray drive is fantastic if you like to watch movies. We’ve been using the PS3 mostly as a Blu-Ray player and switched our Netflix over to renting BD’s instead of DVD’s, and we’re really enjoying it. Like I said before, this platform is essentially only justifiable if you have a HD-TV, especially considering it’s high price tag relative to the other systems. I figure the PS3 is going to really start getting some must-have exclusive titles around late 2008 and will really be worth a look then (especially if they get a price drop too).
One final thing about the PS3 - the 60gb model they are slowly selling out of is the only model that has full (99%) backwards compatibility with PS1 and PS2 games (because it has the PS2 chips built into it). Once the 60gbs are gone (and they are no longer being produced) then you will be stuck with one of the newer models which only has limited backwards compatibility via software emulation (about 55% as of this post). The only reason I decided to go buy a PS3 now instead of waiting until more games came out for it was that I have a really large library of PS1 and PS2 games and wanted to be able to play them on the PS3, because it up converts the graphics for those games into high-def resolutions (720p or 1080p). Eventually Sony may get their software emulation working better but I felt it was worthwhile to get the ones that had the old PS2 chips in them for full hardware compatibility mode. If backwards compatibility is a serious concern for you, then I highly recommend getting the 60gb model now before they sell out.