Movie buffs reveal next-gen console midterm grades

The movie industry has had few and far between when dealing with issues of the game industry. It is the biggest and most mature sector in the entertainment front since music. While most bickering over the next-gen console wars happened in-house, the movie buffs were unmoved by the fans’ enthusiasm for their favorite consoles and the companies backing them.

Unforgiving critics themselves, entertainment media mogul Entertainment Weekly took a step back to review their impressions of today’s next-generation consoles: the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, and Sony PlayStation 3. And it appears that they were no more excited for any of the consoles than they were the first time around.

The Xbox 360 hasn’t changed in grade at all, with their midterm impressions not changing from their first encounter with the console. They leave the grade at A- in anticipation of a price cut this year, although they do agree that the Wii may take the throne soon. They note that a strong game lineup and a good online network will keep the Xbox 360 as “the console to beat,” although it must be fair to point out that it just celebrated its first anniversary while the other two are still starting out.

The Nintendo Wii, according to Entertainment Weekly, is the probably the biggest disappointment to them – dropping from a high B+ to a low B- – after a drought of really good games had the console giving off the first signs of “Wii-nnuii.” The lackluster lineup of titles has outweighed the console’s growing sales numbers and the lack of truly online games tip the balance against the Wii’s favor. Even one of Nintendo’s big three titles is enough to bring their Wii-nthusiasm back, but as they say, “no one’s likely to care.”

The PlayStation 3 is a technological marvel to the movie critics, especially because they are fans of the high-definition movie experience. The HDMI and the Blu-Ray DVD experience is one thing to behold in the CELL-powered console, something that even the Xbox 360 Elite lacked without a packaged HD-DVD add-on.

The game lineup for the PlayStation 3 isn’t any more varied than the Wii, and Sony‘s lack of a “bold executive decision” to slash prices left the reviewers no choice other than to dip the grade. But just in case Sony does drop the price just once before Christmas, they’re temporarily notching the score at a B- from their first impression of a B.

The movie industry has had few and far between when dealing with issues of the game industry. It is the biggest and most mature sector in the entertainment front since music. While most bickering over the next-gen console wars happened in-house, the movie buffs were unmoved by the fans’ enthusiasm for their favorite consoles and the companies backing them.

Unforgiving critics themselves, entertainment media mogul Entertainment Weekly took a step back to review their impressions of today’s next-generation consoles: the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, and Sony PlayStation 3. And it appears that they were no more excited for any of the consoles than they were the first time around.

The Xbox 360 hasn’t changed in grade at all, with their midterm impressions not changing from their first encounter with the console. They leave the grade at A- in anticipation of a price cut this year, although they do agree that the Wii may take the throne soon. They note that a strong game lineup and a good online network will keep the Xbox 360 as “the console to beat,” although it must be fair to point out that it just celebrated its first anniversary while the other two are still starting out.

The Nintendo Wii, according to Entertainment Weekly, is the probably the biggest disappointment to them – dropping from a high B+ to a low B- – after a drought of really good games had the console giving off the first signs of “Wii-nnuii.” The lackluster lineup of titles has outweighed the console’s growing sales numbers and the lack of truly online games tip the balance against the Wii’s favor. Even one of Nintendo’s big three titles is enough to bring their Wii-nthusiasm back, but as they say, “no one’s likely to care.”

The PlayStation 3 is a technological marvel to the movie critics, especially because they are fans of the high-definition movie experience. The HDMI and the Blu-Ray DVD experience is one thing to behold in the CELL-powered console, something that even the Xbox 360 Elite lacked without a packaged HD-DVD add-on.

The game lineup for the PlayStation 3 isn’t any more varied than the Wii, and Sony‘s lack of a “bold executive decision” to slash prices left the reviewers no choice other than to dip the grade. But just in case Sony does drop the price just once before Christmas, they’re temporarily notching the score at a B- from their first impression of a B.