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The thread title is a reference to McCain's statement about troops spending "maybe 100" years in Iraq. This, however, is not a political thread, so please don't bring politics in here. Nor is this a religious thread, or an anything-but-games-related-thread.
This post was originally intended to be placed in the Hate Nintendo because of the Wii? Too bad... thread, but since I went off on such a tangent I've decided not to sidetrack the conversation there.
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Fanboyism is vying for first with religion on my list of "things that brainwash people". Not to knock religion, but extremists (or fanboys, if the extremism stems from a console rather than a religious sect) are obnoxious.
Objectively speaking:
The PS3 is cool. It has a tried-and-true controller (despite much bashing from people making fun of the fact that "it's the SAME DAMN CONTROLLER as the PS2 and PS1") and its only major shortcoming is its high price tag.
XBOX 360 is also cool. For a Microsoft creation. It's annoying that XBOX Live subscriptions cost extra, and that some games have monthly subscription fees (meaning you pay through the nose for a game once, then 3 times a month for Live, game subscription, and internet to keep it running), but it's better than the original XBOX. Price tag is also a bit prohibitive, especially if you want that backwards-compatibility thing that MS made such a big deal of.
Then there's the Wii, which is, oddly enough, equally cool. I own one (inherited) but rarely ever play it unless it's with friends. It's not a great single-player system. Most of the games are very G-rated (Wii Sports, Mario Party 8, even Super Smash Bros. Brawl despite it's "T" rating) but there are a sprinkling of darker and/or more mature games (The Godfather, LoZ: Twilight Princess has some moments, et cetera). Some games are complete flops (Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, I'm looking at you). One thing that stands out to me is the Wii's built-in compatibility with not only the old GameCube games and controllers, but the integration of the GameCube controllers and memory cards into newer Wii-only games. SSBB being the most notable.
So all the consoles have their pros and cons:
Pros:
PS3: Games, graphics, comfortable controller, some backwards compatibility, geared towards console gamers.
360: Games, graphics, wireless controllers, intuitive menu interface, ability to mute online opponents' voice chat, geared towards console gamers.
Wii: Price tag, simple-to-use, wireless controller, radical new gameplay possibilities, backwards compatibility with GCN, GCN controller ports, GCN function integration possibilities, geared towards non-gamers.
Cons:
PS3: Price tag, annoying "triangle/square/X/circle" button naming, corded controllers, not recommended for non-gamers.
360: Price tag, wireless controller batteries, Live subscription costs, online multiplayer opponents' IQ levels, not recommended for non-gamers.
Wii: Game selection, graphics, wireless controller batteries, lack of voice chat, limited use of new gameplay systems, "novelty" image, necessary controller attachments, lack of single-player options.
These consoles are almost always viewed as competitors, but they really can't be. The Wii, weirdly enough, is very much a "party console" geared towards casual play by people who don't own the system. The big drawback there is that most content in the party type games (Mario & Sonic @ Olympics, SSBB, Mario Party 8, etc) needs to be unlocked, either through countless hours of play (as in Mario Party 8) or through time spent in single-player or 2-player co-op mode (SSBB). See No Punctuation's review of Super Smash Bros. Brawl to get an idea of what I mean.
The Wii does have its upside, in that the basic games (Wii Sports for example) can be played by almost anyone after about ten minutes of working out the controls. Those commercials aren't kidding about the old guys having bowling tournaments with Wii Sports in nursing homes.
Obviously if you're a hardcore gamer and you have to pick one, don't spring for the Wii, even if it's price is tempting. You'll have more fun with PS3 or 360, and it'll be more like what you're used to (and hopefully more like what caused you to become a hardcore gamer in the first place).
And if the console wars just make you sick, you can get about 10-12 PC games for the price of a PS3, or upgrade your system to be ready for the next round of new releases, so what're you complaining about?
TL,DR: All the systems have pros and cons. Wii has a different target demographic than 360 or PS3. Hardcore gamers will like 360/PS3 better than Wii, while casual gamers will like all about equally and non-gamers will probably like Wii the best.
This post was originally intended to be placed in the Hate Nintendo because of the Wii? Too bad... thread, but since I went off on such a tangent I've decided not to sidetrack the conversation there.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Fanboyism is vying for first with religion on my list of "things that brainwash people". Not to knock religion, but extremists (or fanboys, if the extremism stems from a console rather than a religious sect) are obnoxious.
Objectively speaking:
The PS3 is cool. It has a tried-and-true controller (despite much bashing from people making fun of the fact that "it's the SAME DAMN CONTROLLER as the PS2 and PS1") and its only major shortcoming is its high price tag.
XBOX 360 is also cool. For a Microsoft creation. It's annoying that XBOX Live subscriptions cost extra, and that some games have monthly subscription fees (meaning you pay through the nose for a game once, then 3 times a month for Live, game subscription, and internet to keep it running), but it's better than the original XBOX. Price tag is also a bit prohibitive, especially if you want that backwards-compatibility thing that MS made such a big deal of.
Then there's the Wii, which is, oddly enough, equally cool. I own one (inherited) but rarely ever play it unless it's with friends. It's not a great single-player system. Most of the games are very G-rated (Wii Sports, Mario Party 8, even Super Smash Bros. Brawl despite it's "T" rating) but there are a sprinkling of darker and/or more mature games (The Godfather, LoZ: Twilight Princess has some moments, et cetera). Some games are complete flops (Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, I'm looking at you). One thing that stands out to me is the Wii's built-in compatibility with not only the old GameCube games and controllers, but the integration of the GameCube controllers and memory cards into newer Wii-only games. SSBB being the most notable.
So all the consoles have their pros and cons:
Pros:
PS3: Games, graphics, comfortable controller, some backwards compatibility, geared towards console gamers.
360: Games, graphics, wireless controllers, intuitive menu interface, ability to mute online opponents' voice chat, geared towards console gamers.
Wii: Price tag, simple-to-use, wireless controller, radical new gameplay possibilities, backwards compatibility with GCN, GCN controller ports, GCN function integration possibilities, geared towards non-gamers.
Cons:
PS3: Price tag, annoying "triangle/square/X/circle" button naming, corded controllers, not recommended for non-gamers.
360: Price tag, wireless controller batteries, Live subscription costs, online multiplayer opponents' IQ levels, not recommended for non-gamers.
Wii: Game selection, graphics, wireless controller batteries, lack of voice chat, limited use of new gameplay systems, "novelty" image, necessary controller attachments, lack of single-player options.
These consoles are almost always viewed as competitors, but they really can't be. The Wii, weirdly enough, is very much a "party console" geared towards casual play by people who don't own the system. The big drawback there is that most content in the party type games (Mario & Sonic @ Olympics, SSBB, Mario Party 8, etc) needs to be unlocked, either through countless hours of play (as in Mario Party 8) or through time spent in single-player or 2-player co-op mode (SSBB). See No Punctuation's review of Super Smash Bros. Brawl to get an idea of what I mean.
The Wii does have its upside, in that the basic games (Wii Sports for example) can be played by almost anyone after about ten minutes of working out the controls. Those commercials aren't kidding about the old guys having bowling tournaments with Wii Sports in nursing homes.
Obviously if you're a hardcore gamer and you have to pick one, don't spring for the Wii, even if it's price is tempting. You'll have more fun with PS3 or 360, and it'll be more like what you're used to (and hopefully more like what caused you to become a hardcore gamer in the first place).
And if the console wars just make you sick, you can get about 10-12 PC games for the price of a PS3, or upgrade your system to be ready for the next round of new releases, so what're you complaining about?
TL,DR: All the systems have pros and cons. Wii has a different target demographic than 360 or PS3. Hardcore gamers will like 360/PS3 better than Wii, while casual gamers will like all about equally and non-gamers will probably like Wii the best.
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