Why The PS3 Will Rock
Ok, enough with all the doom and gloom, right now the PS3 is reeling from a somewhat lackluster E3 showing and the negative publicity that comes with announcing a high priced piece of hardware. It’s time to put put some things in perspective.
The real reason behind all the hubbub is that for the first time in ten years of being on top Sony appears vulnerable, and Microsoft and Nintendo fanboys are relishing every second. Appearances can be deceiving.
Find out why I think the PS3 will rock after the jump.
Ok, enough with all the doom and gloom, right now the PS3 is reeling from a somewhat lackluster E3 showing and the negative publicity that comes with announcing a high priced piece of hardware. It’s time to put put some things in perspective.
The real reason behind all the hubbub is that for the first time in ten years of being on top Sony appears vulnerable, and Microsoft and Nintendo fanboys are relishing every second. Appearances can be deceiving.
1) The PS3 games at E3 may not have looked leaps and bounds above what’s on the 360, but there are months of development time left, titles like Heavenly Sword, Warhawk, and Resistance: Fall of Man already look fantastic.
2) The only 360 game I saw on the show floor that really impressed me and that made me want a 360 was Gears of War. At the Sony booth I had fun with Motorstorm, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword and Resistance: Fall of Man, heck just days after E3 I found myself wishing I could get my hands on them again. I felt no such pining for most of the 360 games, Crackdown? Shadow Run? Saints Row? Please.
3) Nintendo isn’t a threat (no offense), they’ve successfully targeted a different demographic and aim to coexist with Sony and Microsoft, that’s why the “PSWii” and “Wii60” avatars are so popular all of a sudden. While the Wii is going to be fun, there are certain epic experiences you just won’t be able to get on it.
4) The controller will be a hit, I know because I’ve held it. For all this talk of innovation the fact is most of us still play games the same way, with a standard controller (why do you think Ninty’s releasing a “shell” for the WiiMote?) Many would agree that the Dual Shock design is perfect, which is why there was such a big ruckus when the boomerang pad was shown, why break what ‘aint broke right? Sony’s new controller keeps all the best bits of the old Dual Shock while infusing added functionality and control via the L2, R2 trigger buttons and tilt sensitivity. And all this noise about Sony copying Nintendo? Who really cares, Sony “copied” the analog stick and rumble feature from the N64 controller and implemented a better solution, who’s to say the same won’t be the case here?
5) Sony has the most powerful hardware. Sorry Microsoft fanboys but it’s true, and even you know it, right now you’re going through the same denial Sony fanboys went through when the original Xbox specs were announced. The evidence might not be so apparent just now, but it will become so in the future, this first generation of launch titles is looking just as good, if not a little better than the second generation of 360 titles. That says something.
6) You’ll get used to the price, and realise it’s probably worth it. Considering what you get in the package, a blu-ray player, 60GB hard drive, the ability to run Linux and homebrew, wifi, memory card slots, a fully fledged media centre and the most powerful gaming machine ever to grace God’s green earth, $600 really isn’t that steep.
7) Sony still has the biggest guns. There’s just no challenging Sony’s lineup, let’s quickly run though a list of titles that traditionally debut on Sony hardware:
Onimusha: We haven’t heard a peep yet, but you can bet it’s in development and if it’s predecessors are anything to go by, it’ll blow us away.
Devil May Cry: Personally, I say to hell with all the rumors, this one’s coming to the PS3 first and it’ll most likely stay there. DMC was notably absent at E3, and now we know why. Come the Tokyo Game Show we’ll get our hands on a playable build of this delightfully devilish dish.
Ratchet and Clank: The short clip we’ve seen looks amazing, Insomniac are witches, and they’ve cast a spell on us.
Jak and Daxter: Naughty Dog are capable of doing things with Sony hardware that would make you swear the team thinks in binary. Rumors abound of an MMO set in the Jak universe, the idea of a Massively Multiplayer Online Adventure Platformer has me bouncing off the walls.
Gran Turismo: It has to be emphasised that you haven’t seen a single frame of GT5. What was shown at E3 was GT4 running in 1080p. PGR what?
God of War: It’s coming, it has to be… and it will make you its manslave. Can you even fathom how amazing it’ll be fighting a giant kracken in high resolution, blood spurting and scales glistening as twin blades cut arcs of death through the frigid air? Can you?
Silent Hill: Think back to the first time Silent Hill mentally scarred you.
Final Fantasy: You will be ownt.
Kingdom Hearts: Considering how good these games looked on the PS2 hardware,
Shadow of the Colossus: You didn’t play Shadow, you experienced it
Metal Gear Solid: Kojima’s MGS games have always resonated with emotional and philosophical depth, the technical and visual artistry on display knows no peer. Plus they’ re damn cool.
Castlevania: Symphony of The Night, but real this time. Let’s see it Konami.
SOCOM: With the power of the PS3 behind them, Zipper will finally be able to deliver a SOCOM experience that runs smoothly, looks great and delivers depth of gameplay we all know and love.
Wipeout: I’d be surprised if we didn’t hear something about a Wipeout game coming to PS3 very soon and considering how much fun Wipeout pure was, a next gen Wipeout is a civic responsibility.
Lair: Have you seen this game!? No one knows exactly what it’s about, but holy aunt Jemima does it looks tasty!
Soul Reaver: Probably the most intricate and detailed story ever written for a videogame, the Soul Reaver series needs a PS3 entry. There’s no evidence of a new game in the works but it would kick much buttock to wander the landscape of Nosgoth powered by the PS3…oh, oh, Nosgoth Online!
Killzone: Conspicuously absent at E3, rumor has it Sony didn’t want to take the focus off Resistance: Fall of Man. When next we see Killzone, it’ll be big, very big
Bottom line is that E3 was only the tip of the PlayStation iceberg and it focused mainly on launch window titles and new IP’s, Sony’s saving the big guns, and it won’t be long before we start seeing and hearing more from them.