Video Games Archives

Xbox 360 vs. PS3: Which is Less Bad?

AUGUST 16, 2007

Although I am a proud owner of the Nintendo Wii, I've decided my home is big enough for another game console. Unfortunately, I can't choose. I've been bouncing back and forth between the two for a few weeks now and I'm still deadlocked. I'm hoping you all can help me decide. Here's my list of pros and cons for each device.

In the end, it seems somewhat even. The gist is that PS3 is expensive and I won't have friends to play with online and the Xbox 360 is missing some exclusives, can't play HD movies and has severe quality control problems. I am completely torn and I'm dying to play Madden 08 and pick some other next-gen titles I've been missing out on. If you've got any insight, I'd love to hear it as I'm completely deadlocked.

Addendum: I forgot to mention when I wrote this last night that Dan was kind enough to let me try out both consoles at his place. Sony definitely won style points for the menu systems and their extras were great. I liked the X360 as well, but wasn't quite as impressed. And this morning my buddy Jason sent me info on getting $150 rebate on the PS3, which is currently tipping the scale in Sony's favor.

Posted in Video Games at 11:45 pm.
3 Comments |

Blip Festival and 8-Bit

NOVEMBER 30, 2006

The Blip Festival hit NYC tonight and is sticking around through the weekend. It's a festival of chiptunes and many of the big names will be here including Nullsleep, Bit Shifter and Cory Arcangel.

On Saturday at 3pm there will be a screening of 8 Bit, a movie all about chiptunes. I saw it at MoMA a couple months ago and really enjoyed it. Hell, it's only $5.

I'm wishing I could see Cory Arcangel's new flim, Super Mario Movie, which will be played at 8pm on Saturday to start of the evening's festivities. I'd also recommend you check out Nullsleep's presentation about creating chiptunes, NES Music: From Concept To Cartridge, on Sunday from 2pm-4pm.

I think I might check out the show tomorrow night if anyone's interested.

Posted in Music\TV\Film\Media, Video Games at 11:53 pm.
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Bob Dob's Video Game Inspired Art

NOVEMBER 14, 2006

Jason pointed out this great Nintendo-inspired artwork from Bob Dob. The paintings above are my favorite, but I also loved this one and this one. Lucky for us, we can buy some of his work here and here.

Posted in Art, Video Games at 1:06 am.
1 Comment |

Hello Onyx

SEPTEMBER 12, 2006

Today, I am upgrading to a small, sleek DS Lite Onyx. I do love my Mario Kart DS, but it's a little too big and clunky. Time for something svelte. Since it's no fun to get a system without a game, I also picked up New Super Mario Brothers.

In other Nintendo news, I'm excited about the possibility of a $150 price point for the Wii. Although the leak is from Vibe magazine, I think this is more trustworthy than if the scan was from a gaming mag. It's often a non-industry publication that forgets us fanboys get the shivers when we hear the words Shigeru Miyamoto.

If the console ends up being $150, which we'll find out for sure on Thursday at Nintendo's Wii event, the Big N will sell a boatload of these consoles and take a dominant role in the console market again. Aside from always having Nintendo's back, I'm happy that a product that innovates while promoting fun over graphics is going have a major role in the next wave of video games.

Peace out Sony. Take your $600 PS3 and shove it.

Posted in Video Games at 8:51 am.
2 Comments |

Edge and the State of Video Games

SEPTEMBER 13, 2005

While home in Chicago a couple weekends ago, I happened upon a most welcomed surprise while browsing the periodicals: Edge Magazine. Edge is published in the UK and is one of the few video game magazines that isn't geared towards 12-16 year-olds. It's also the only game mag I still find tolerable since the departure of Next Generation (now an online magazine focused on industry news).

Previously, Edge wasn't available in the U.S. at all, even from newsstands, which is why I got all excited. It also turns out they're now offering stateside subscriptions for about $80 instead of what used to be $120. Issues are selling on the newsstands for eight bucks.

Edge caters to the video game fan who's looking for more than a three-sentence preview with a page of photos. Their analysis is in-depth and the reviews are thorough. In the two issues I've read this week, a lot of words were devoted to the soon-to-arrive Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Since Edge delves deeper than "Project Gotham Racing 3 will look sick," it's easy to get a sense of how these new consoles may not be all they're cracked up to be.

The Next Generation Could Disappoint

Each developer profiled in Edge mentioned that the cost of development for the X360 and PS3 will be significantly higher. One Japanese house said they'd have to charge $100 for games based on the predicted costs, even though they know that isn't feasible. If that's the case, we're looking at a dark age for creativity in video games. The system isn't really set up to support indie games and the major players aren't going to put $10 million down for an unproven commodity, at least that's the fear.

Hollywood is facing similar issues, the difference being that people can make feature length films for hundreds or thousands of dollars (and have) while that's just impossible for a console game. Does this mean we'll have to wait until the end of a new console's life-cycle before seeing innovative games from small firms? Hopefully the small studios have a strong fight-or-flight mechanism that'll help them innovate quickly.

My fears were realized this year when Madden 06 was the only football title on the shelves this fall. EA Sports purchased the sole rights to the NFL license for the next five years, which means no one else can have NFL players or logos anywhere in their game. Some were hoping this would prod the others to think fast and create unusual football titles. Well, the NFL season is upon us and that didn't happen. This isn't a result of rising costs but it is indicative of the lack of risk-taking.

So, We're Screwed?

I doubt it, but only because I think the five-year product cycle of consoles we know now will cease to exist. The new consoles are too expensive for most people—the Xbox 360 starts at $299, but the cheapest pre-order package at Gamestop is $699 and the PS3 will be at least that expensive—which means people will hold onto their consoles longer.* Developers will keep churning out Xbox and PS2 titles because they're cheap to make, they know the hardware, the upfront cost is lower and the profits will be greater. We'll then see the PS2 still going strong into 2007 and possibly 2008.

Although your casual gamer or gadget-freak will pine for the newest console, if a game is good it won't matter what console it's on (Halo certainly sold a lot of Xboxes), especially if prices stay high and new games go for $60. In other words, I don't think the new consoles will bring in the gamers' apocalypse, but it will certainly shake up the industry. Sony and Microsoft may get taught a harsh lesson, but everyone will come out okay in the end.

* This is also why I think Nintendo may be due for a renaissance. The Revolution should come in cheaper than the other two, and Nintendo historically has a much higher percentage of quality games.

Posted in Video Games at 9:11 am.
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