I felt the original post ragged on you too much, my bad.

Its just that I always hated how people have to make a statement with their purchase, and I think this does make a bit of it.

Its human nature to justify a purchase and be proud of it. But whatever happened to just buying something because you wanted it?

When I bought a 360 last year, the reason I did was because there were some games I wanted to play and enjoyed some of its features. I didn't buy it because I was annoyed or upset at Nintendo or to spite Sony. I bought it because I wanted it.

I plan to buy a PS3 once the budget allows for it and a couple of more games are released.

I just see each console as its own entity, with unique features and games not available anywhere else, Making it into a statement it being silly.

Well, the price is certainly a factor in my glee, but I'm also really happy because I get to play all of my favorite franchises now: MGS, R&C, God of War, Soul Calibur, etc. Additionally, I'll get to play the best version of Guitar Hero 4, and I won't have to worry about missing out on downloadable content (in any way).

The spite thing, yeah, I get it, but that's partially Nintendo's fault. They're not giving me anything to play. Meanwhile, I'm in gaming nirvana with my PS3.

Haven't played the 360, and that's because it doesn't have the franchises I care about. As for whether I'd buy a PS3 at full price, that's a tough one. I'd probably elect to buy one on Craig's List or from a friend before slapping down $400+ at Best Buy. Alternative options are always available. As it stands, I got a really freaking good deal, but I wouldn't be adverse to paying a little more.

lol The Conduit's not coming out in the next few months, and Nintendo's got nothing to do with it.  Fatal Frame has enough bugs to push it to Halloween 2009.

My laptop is also a very impressive piece of hardware, since it can download pr0n and run notepad, plus other practical diversions.

I'm aware of the PS3's roster.  I'm immediately disappointed.  I look at the price tag with tax factored in.  I'm immediately nauseated.  The direction, purpose, and prospects of the HD Twins this gen is clear to me, and is what led me to this Holy War.

I changed my post because I felt it was ragging on you and didn't want to look like an angry fanboy (God knows there are too many right now).

But my point about the 360 still stands. Their game libraries are somewhat identical with little exclusives. The PS3 does edge the 360 a little bit, but the whole I feel they are identical, and it all depends on personal preference.

I would buy a PS3 just for MGS 4 since I love the series. But I need a little more before I can justify the purchase (and I no longer buy movies, so the Blu Ray player is out of the question).

Dude! Ratchet & Clank! It's like playing a freaking PIXAR MOVIE!

It's funny that the introduction of HD movies and better broadband penetration has increased the quality of downloadable "good enough" movies on the interweb.

Price makes all the difference.  Do I want a Snickers bar or an Oh Henry?  Well I'll just buy both because the cost is so irrelevent.  But a console is priced like a stereo or a TV.  Would I want to have to buy more than one TV to watch all the channels?  No that would suck but consoles are like that.  To truly be completely satisfied you have to own ALL the consoles but you have to drop over a grand just to get the hardware alone.  That's too expensive so you pick ONE console and hope it delivers the goods.

Plus the Wii itself is expensive and I feel the cost of buying one only to have it collect dust is big waste of money.  Serious money.  Anything over a hundred bucks is not trivial.

I don't see the PS3 or X360 as being an ideal choice for me, they're just starting to look BETTER than Nintendo's offering.  During the N64 and Cube eras there were always tons of big games on the current Playstation format that I wanted that were not on the Nintendo console.  In the end I would buy both a PS1 and 2 years later for cheap just to get those games (got a PS2 early this year for Fire Pro Wrestling Returns).  But I always knew the games I REALLY wanted were for the Nintendo console because Nintendo themselves would be making them.  The Gamecube didn't do a great job of suiting my needs but having JUST a Gamecube for me was still better than having JUST a PS2.  Owning both when they were current would have been nice but in picking just one the Nintendo one was the way to go.

Right now I feel kind of like just an X360 would suit me better than just a Wii which really sucks.  I like Nintendo when they're not being patronizing non-gaming sell outs.  But the Wii is like a two game a year console for me and that's just not doing it.  At the same time I put the investment in.  So now I have to buy ANOTHER console and pay MORE money?  That sucks!  It pisses me off when people suggest that like dropping a few hundred bucks ain't no thang.

Plus I already have Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii and my guitar won't work with the other consoles so I'm kind of stuck.  I can get Guitar Hero World Tour for the X360 BUT that won't work with my existing guitar controller so it just eats up space.  But then I can get a GOOD version of Rock Band.  Arrrgh!!!

I'm not too intersted in the PS3 though aside from Metal Gear.  It's always about the exclusives and the PS3 games I'm most interested in are also on the X360 and it has so far better exclusives.  But getting one cheap like Halbred did would probably be worthwhile.

I would consider purchasing it at a cheap price if I were to get a PS3, but I've never been a big fan of the series.

I'm a Jak and Daxter man myself :D .

Also, "Its like playing a Pixar movie!"? I'm aware the game looks nice, but how does it play? In all honesty, that's not the best argument you can use, unless you are talking to a graphics whore :p .

Ratchet and Clank also plays like, well Ratchet and Clank 1-50. The visuals are nice but Pixar quality? Ehhe not too sure about that. They are good but not that good. Sounds more like you haven't played many of the so called next generation games. After seeing games like Crysis, R&C is more "that is nice looking". Personally though there is no franchise I care about on PS3, R&C is probably my favorite game for it even if it pales in comparison to Galaxy  and the rest are more shrug inducing. My PS3 gats more use as a blu-ray player which in itself is a good value considering it is the best on the market.

I stopped reading at Sillysaur.

The game is pretty much an action/adventure like the previous games. If you've played the previous games and enjoyed them you will like this, but don't expect much change. You shoot lots of stuff mixed with some exploration (though it is pretty linear for the most part). It has charming visuals and at the very least it isn't "bald space marine" visuals which gives it some freshness on the PS3. The game is polished even if it isn't horribly fresh (then again none of PS3's  big games are horribly fresh either).

@Halbred: if you have an HDTV, I would like to suggest that you either rent or buy "Planet Earth" on blu-ray. It is phenomenal in its visual acuity, although I was not impressed by the overall information that David Attenborough narrates mostly because I've watched alot of nature video documentaries, or follow general science news, but nonetheless there were a few surprises here and there.

R&C_ToD is a great game, 9/10. I feel that it just lacked in major boss difficulty, and bosses in general.
Oh, and you obviously can't compare any videogame to a CG based movie, at least not for a few more console generations, or a few more GPU developments for PCs.

Zach, if you don't have an HDTV, seriously get one.  I can't afford one of the $2500 big screen ones, so for the interim I got myself a 24" Dell LCD monitor for $600.  They're probably cheaper now, in the $450 range.  It's not good for a big room, obviously, but if you do most of your gaming solo it's awesome.  Once you go 1080p, you'll never go back, trust me.

I still gotta play through Ratchet & Clank.  It's buried under an avalanche of other awesome PS3 and 360 games, so it'll take a while for me to get to it.

That quote in a thread about a Sony console made me laugh for a reason that I'm sure wasn't intended.

You have no idea how often this thought runs through my head.

Yup.  I saw this on Craigslist today and thought about it, but it seemed to good to be true.  Like they'd demand to meet me in a back alley and run off with my best sneakers.

"PS3 with 14 games, memory cards - $125 (Lakewood) "

I actually seen the title of this thread as "Defecting to the Enemy Crab"

This thread is stealth lols

If you don't mind refurb, there's one for $269 http://www.ecost.com/Detail.aspx?edp=41922968 or non-open-box $289 http://www.ecost.com/Detail.aspx?edp=40483158
I got one several months ago and have been quite happy with it.

I'll get to play the best version of Guitar Hero 4

Bye, was nice knowing you.

I hate to rain on your parade but if I hadn't known you're talking about the PS3 I would have thought that's a PS2 screenshot.

YOU don't have to buy points, YOU just input your credit card info. I just think "crap, another one of those US-centric services I can't use" and hit back because I don't have a credit card and neither does anyone else here. Whoops, points cards aren't sounding so stupid now, are they?

BTW, what's with all that God of War hype? I played the first and it was decent but nothing to write home about (maybe I'm just not cut out to play beat'em ups, never understood them), where does all this GOTY talk come from?

God of War 3 is a huge question mark, I don't even think Jaffe the creator of the GoW1 and 2 even has anything to do with it. Regardless I am not too enthralled with PS3's exclusive lineup of games this fall, beyond LBP there is nothing I find remotely interesting (Sadly I don't think Afrika will make it over here so I may have to import it!) unlike the 360 and yes the Wii.

To be honest, this was where I tuned out. Perhaps its because I didn't need to hear another person justify their latest console choice to the general public. Perhaps it was because I already knew most of this, and given I haven't "drunk the Kool-aid" that doesn't mean I'm oblivious to the outside world.

All I know is words are cheap in the grand scheme of things.

stop name-dropping third party sequels in your posts, we know "Game Franchise (X+1)" is on its way

And this is why we get sequels.

I recently got a PS3 under similar circumstances (right place at the right time, got a good deal).  At the moment of purchase I was thinking - Blu Ray player.

I won't go on and on, but I have been really impressed by the PS3 and the PSN.  I know it's a small thing but storing the credit card and having it ready to go is so much simpler then the Wii reentering game.  It feels like a 'system for grownups' - it's a serious system that never feels like it's limiting you.

But my biggest surprise is the innovative games that are available.  I haven't owned a non-nintendo system since my Atari 2600, and I've been under the assumption that Nintendo made innovative games, and the rest were either copycats or just pretty graphics with no gameplay.  I've been amazed by the titles available on PSN... quirky titles like the Pixel Junk series, hardcore shooters like SSHD, demos, trailers, significant content update every week... this is what I longed for in the Virtual Console or Wii Ware that has not been fulfilled. 

I'm not selling my Wii, don't get me wrong... but all the games I'm looking forward to are on PS3.  I guess I've defected too.

You're going to rue the day you ever said this on these boards.

This is what I've been saying for a while.  The general opinon around here is that Nintendo are the ONLY ones that do ANYTHING innovative, and Microsoft and Sony are blatant copycats that do nothing new, and just bite off of Nintendo concepts.  This is completely wrong.  There are several games exclusive to PSN that Nintendo fans would hail as the best thing since sliced bread if they were on Wii (PixelJunk Eden, Echochrome, Super Stardust HD, Everyday Shooter, The Last Guy, etc.).  But of course, they're on PS3 so they're derivative junk, right?  Right.

Every company innovates.  They just do it in different ways.  Nintendo innovates with their input devices, giving people new ways to interact with games; Microsoft innovates on the networking side, creating new social communities for gamers to be a part of; Sony innovates on the hardware side, pushing technological boundaries and giving gamers new ways to connect and use their products and games.  They're all great in their own ways.

PS3 is about as grownup as Image comics circa 1992.

What's the big deal with SSDHD? I've played SSD back in the day but it didn't strike me as something that needs to be mentioned that much.

Jaffe was minimally involved with GoW2, and it turned out great.  That is to say, it's a fun and very safe sequel.

Yep, having your credit card information stored on a machine with readily available internet access sounds great! Not a risk factor in sight...

Defecating on the Enemy Crab

I don't get it, is GoW really so extraordinarily fun that it warrants GOTY nomination? Because it seemed like a fairly average game to me.

This is why, in a way, I feel kinda bad for ragging on Halbred, while feeling my thoughts are justified.

People have the right to buy whatever they want under whatever circumstance. Its their money, they have the right to do so. In Hal's case, there were some games he wanted to play on the PS3, and he's happy with the purchase. Nothing wrong with that.

But what rubs me the wrong way about the thread is that this WAS made to justify the purchase to the world, rattle the Hornet's nest and claim superiority. When I say rattle the hornet's nest I mean that ever since E3 ended its cool to hate Nintendo, rag on the company, feel disgust and claim that the grass is much greener on the MS and Sony sides.

This thread would have been fine had it not been for the Nintendo claims. Like I said, people have the freedom to buy whatever they want, and if Hal wanted to chronicle the purchase and the games he enjoyed, fine. He just did a bad job at it by dropping Nintendo angst and frankly some poor arguments.

I admit that this is yet another case of "killing a mockingbird", especially since this mockingbird just wanted to sing a happy song. But the thread has some than enough points to argue against, and frankly the Nintendo angst is getting old.

Buy a PS3 or a 360, or a PSP or upgrade your computer and play the games YOU want and stop letting a material posession dictate what your current state of mind is.

We know we live in a shallow era when the reason people buy a console is because it makes them more mature...

You know a company is innovative when people have to use low-budget, downloadable games to prove their point. Seriously, if anyone claims that graphical hardware and cramming multimedia stuff into their device is "innovative" then I can do nothing but shake my head :(. Nvidia is obviously the most innovative company EVER then next to ATI because they are constantly creating better hardware!

Okay, ultimate point against Nintendo for me personally is this:

I think the Big N has really dropped the ball in general this generation in regards to its "hardcore" audience. They gave us Smash Bros., but f*cked up the online play. They f*cked it up bad, but didn't say a word about it. If anything, they denied it was a problem.
They gave us Mario Kart, and it was great, but the single-player game was really hit or miss. It was kind of the opposite of Smash Bros: Great online, questionable single-player content.
They gave us Mario Galaxy, which is still the best Nintendo game on the platform. I have NO bad things to say about Mario Galaxy. I love that game.

All of my other Wii games are from third parties. Capcom and Sega, mainly. Umbrella Chronicles, RE4, and House o' the Dead.

And what's Nintendo got up its sleeve this coming quarter? Wii Sports 2, Wii Music, and an updated port of an ancient SNES sidescroller. These are not fun times for the Nintendo faithful. Oh, sure, they're working on a new Zelda and a new Mario. News flash: We've seen ONE core Mario game and at most ONE core Zelda game for every Nintendo console since the SNES.

SNES: Super Mario World, Link to the Past (Yoshi's Island doesn't count)
N64: Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time (Majora used the same engine)
GC: Super Mario Sunshine, Wind Waker
Wii: Mario Galaxy, Twilight Princess

I am NOT holding my breath for a new Mario or a new Zelda game on the Wii. I'm sorry, I know I'm being pessimistic, but past behavior is the greatest indicator of future behavior.

Meanwhile, for ME PERSONALLY, Sony has jumped in and stole all the marbles. Bioshock, R&C, SoulCalibur IV, Call of Duty 4, God of War 3, Tomb Raider: Underworld, and a host of other games have sparked my interest for the coming months.

Here's my question: God of War 3 didn't get a gameplay trailer at E3. It got a CG teaser. We know it's in development, we're excited about it. If the Mario & Zelda teams are working on games, why not throw us a freaking teaser bone? A teaser works much better than the spoken word. Hell, Nintendo would have just showed us the word ZELDA in plain white letters on a black background and the crowd would have erupted, and we would have, too.

But that didn't happen, so I remain indifferent right now. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of my PS3.

Besides R&C and GoW3 all those are multiplatform so Sony didn't steal anything. Personally I'm looking forward to Deadly Creatures, Wario Land (Updated port of an ancient SNES side scroller? OMG talk about silly statements! Besides was Wario Land even on SNES? If so I MUST buy it!), Viva Pinata 2, Too Human, deBlob, and maybe mixed with some of those multiplatform games. But to give Sony any credit for multiplatform games is silly. Also I didn't realize anyone got excited for Tomb Raider games anymore since they are so hit and miss.

Meh...you should've gotten a 360.

I approve of this statement.

No, I don't have to use "low-budget, downloadable games" to prove my point - but I did.  When Mega Man 9 was thought to be a WiiWare exclusive, everybody was acting like it was a stroke of genius and further proof of Nintendo's unbridled innovation.  Meanwhile, games much better than Mega Man 9 are released on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade on a regular basis, but Sony and Microsoft are branded as copycats for whatever reason.

However, I feel like we've went over all of this before.  Just the fact that somebody used the phrase "grown-up" to describe the PS3 indicates that this thread will slowly degenerate into DEFINITION WARZ all over again.

All I can say is that Nintendo does not have the market cornered on innovation, but neither do Sony and Microsoft either.  Every company has made its share of idiotic decisions, but at this point every console at least has something for everybody which pleases me overall.

I'm just so tired of all the console war bitching and whining on these forums, probably because I've been a part of a lot of it and I'm tired of it.  It gets us nowhere.

/rant

Um, where exactly did this happen? I don't think anyone thought Nintendo had anything to do with the development of Mega Man 9? The only thing I heard is that it could pave the way for more new "8 bit games". Personally I was disappointed in the choice of 8 bit visuals so it sure wasn't me even if I thought it was "unique". But unique does not always mean it is great.

Tomb Raider Legend and Anniversary were fantastic games. You should try Anniversary on the Wii, at least. From what I've read, it's actually better than the PS2 original.

The PS3 Bioshock is getting exclusive content, which makes me happy, but I concede that Call of Duty 4 and SoulCalibur are also on the 360. But when it comes down to it, and again this is personal taste, I prefer Sony's unique brands (R&C, GoW) over Microsoft's (Halo).

And I'm not talking about Wario Land, I'm talking about Kirby's Ultra Star. Wario Land is not NEARLY as fun as a straight-up Mario game. Hell, I would pay more money sooner for an upgraded Mario Land 2 than Wario Land, but that's just me.

EDITZ: Lindy is right. Each console brings something unique to the table. If it were up to me, I'd own all three. Sadly, my wallet and bank account do not allow such a luxary. I chose the PS3 because it was cheap and I love its exclusives. If my brother had offered my his 360, I probably would have bought it for Dead or Alive Xtreme 2.

Probably.

Bewbies.

I have Tomb Raider Anniversary for PC, and it is a good game but the series still is hit and miss which is too bad. Bioshock is another game I have on the PC, and I doubt I could ever play it on a console even with added content but MAYBE they will give PC owners that content!

I figure a new Mario isn't going to arrive any time soon but I do think we'll get another Zelda.  Twilight Princess is a Gamecube game.  Surely Nintendo wants to make a Zelda entirely for the Wii from the ground up.  Though I agree the vague confirmation that the Mario and Zelda teams are working on something means nothing at all.  Of course the TEAMS are working on something.  What is Nintendo going to pay them to sit around and do nothing?

Because it is so much fun!

For all we know, the Mario and Zelda teams are working on their tans, and come next time Nintendo has another public showing, will show nothing, with Reggie pointing his finger to the press saying "I said they were working on something, I didn't say they were making games!"  :P

Anway, you got a good deal Halbred. There's no denying that. If Sony offered the PS3 for 300, I'm sure many more will want to 'play beyond.'

While not particuarly innovative, Nvidia has always been better than ATI... ATI has crap drivers, even if I would have rather dealt with them as opposed to my 3DFX Voodoo back in the day. :P

You sure do have a funny idea of how economics work.

I'd imagine that if not officially released at some point, the extra content will at least be hacked and released by the community. Thank Cthulhu for PCs! ;)

You've used a sample size of three systems, two of which had a second Zelda (TP was planned for the GC after all, showing that 2 Zeldas doesn't contradict any Nintendo strategies) and you claim there are never two Zeldas on one system?

I have free access to a PS3 but i'll probably never play it again.

Sorry, that sounds more incendiary then I meant it.  Not sure I can improve what I meant without stepping into it deeper, though.  It's a feeling that I did not expect though, that's for sure.

True!  (though I still hate XBox.  You've got to have at least one console to hate, right?  :)

Seriously, I guess that I'm glad I've gone multiplatform and can appreciate more of the great gaming that is out there.

What what WHAT?!?

You, sir, have made an enemy.  Apologize this very instant.

Hey, Yoshi's Island is an excellent game (one of the SNES' best), but it's not a Mario game proper IMO.

Oh boy, another lame argument to start all over again.

Anyway, I've almost bought an enemy crab of my own a few times, but the price is a sticking point for me.  I can afford it, but it's not really worth it to me right now.  I need a price cut, a few more games I want to get the Greatest Hits pricing, or Blu-ray movies to drop in price enough to be competitive with DVDs.

I didn't know it was up to you to decide what is and isn't a proper Mario game.  Is this why you don't count Majora's Mark as a second Zelda game on N64?  Is Mega Man Legends a proper Mega Man game?  Does Metroid Prime Hunters count as a Metroid game?  Are Umbrella Chronicles, Circle of the Moon and Four Swords part of their respective series?

Hmmm...

Zach's Almighty Verdicts

Majora's Mask shall not be considered a "new" Zelda game, as it uses the exact same engine as Ocarina of Time, was released just over a year later, and isn't so much a sequel as an Alice in Wonderland sidestory.

Mega Man Legends is to be considered the first game in a new franchise, and thus not a true Mega Man game. We do not consider Mega Man X to be a part of the Mega Man proper lineage, nor do we give such heed to Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX, Mega Man Battle Network...etc.

Metroid Prime Hunters shall be considered a sidestory to the main Metroid Prime canon, not an MP game proper. Also, the Quake gameplay differentiates it from the main games to a great degree.

Umbrella Chronicles shall be considered the first game in a new RE franchise. Its railgun shooter gameplay differentiates itself from the main series. Additionally, it serves as a "summary" of the RE story from RE0 to RE3.

Four Swords is a bizarre sidestory to the proper Zelda timeline. There is virtually no crossover (except for Ganon's unexplained occurance in the GC game), and no mention of Vaati or the Four Sword is made in the main gameline. Thus, Four Swords represents its own series.

Circle of the Moon is not considered canonical by Igarashi, but its gameplay formula is so similar to the seminal PS1 classic, Symphony of the Night, that its place within the Castlevania series proper cannot be ignored. There are currently FIVE Castlevania series:

1) NES/SNES/Genesis sidescrollers featuring linear level design.
2) N64 forays into the 3D realm. Their pedegree is not seen in the recent PS2 Castlevania games.
3) PS1/DS sidescrollers featuring what's come to be known as a "Metroid-vania" level design and a focus on magic, branching plot paths, etc.
4) PS2 forays into the 3D realm. Neither one succeeded.
5) The upcoming Wii fighting game.

I have spoken.

No one listened.

I assume anyone who doesn't consider Majora's Mask a "real" Zelda game has either never played it or got crushed by the moon in their first three day cycle and haven't played it since.  It's a 3D console Zelda game made by EAD with the same general gameplay of all the other 3D console Zeldas.  But it uses the same engine!!  Yeah and TONS of sequels do that so what's your point?

Don't make me give a decree again. ;-)

I agree with you on Majora's Mask it is more of a goofy side quest that doesn't really have much to do with the series.

Man, I'll have to start issuing decrees.  It's apparently much more effective than my usual exaggerated points (and just as dramatic).

*Crys*

Where's the love? If MM came out before OOT, I think we would love it all the more.

I agree that Yoshi's Island isn't a Mario game (it's a Yoshi game), but I think it's stupid to not consider Majora's Mask a Zelda game. Lots of people complained that Twilight Princess adhered too closely to the formula, but you're saying that the one Zelda that really shook things up doesn't count as a Zelda because it's too different.

So I guess Link's Awakening is not a Zelda then?  Being only a dream must suck.

Of course it's a Zelda game. In fact, it's a sequel to Link to the Past. But it's on a different platform, so it can't be counted as an SNES game.

You know, I bought all three consoles and all three of them delivered something at least a bit different from what I expected. That said, sticking to any loyalty oath to a game company is nuts. Especially with the way things change in this biz, it's nuts. I can understand taking a company's great track record into account when you decide to buy something on day one, but I think it's a really good idea to be a jaded, skeptical internet troll when making your system and software buying decisions.

I guess Halbred doesn't have a 360. Look into it, you might be (pleasantly) surprised as I was with the software and functionality. I play it most out of all of the available platforms, and I don't mean Halo.

lol, what? What the hell?

I didn't defect to the enemy camp, but Nintendo picked up camp and moved half way across the country and I was too uninterested to follow them.  And meanwhile MS and Sony are right next door and I already know the territory so what do you expect?  At least a good portion of the DS faction of Nintendo's camp hasn't gone anywhere.

I wouldn't because I hate timers in games and I especially hate "story elements" that force you to replay the same thing over and over again. For a 1 year development it was a great accomplishment but far from the fine tuned design and numerous dungeons found in other Zelda's. It was a spin-off, nothing more, nothing less.

Shows how much you understand.

The game still took as much time, if not longer, to beat as Ocarina, despite the inclusion many gamers had experience with the gameplay style after playing Ocarina.  The 4 main dungeons were the largest in the series, and were preceded by mini-dungeons, together, amounting to the work of 2 regular dungeons (aside from Ocarina Water Temple 1st-try).  On top of that, the gameplay was significantly more varied going beyond the normal 20-30 hrs of Fairy Boy Running in Tights and Poking Things.

I don't believe I said anything about its length. Pokemon Mystery dungeon is about as long as Ocarina of Time too, but that doesn't mean it is a good thing. More varied than other Zeldas? Talk about a ludicrous statement. Different, yes but more varied? Uhhh, I don't think so. Then again this is coming from the guy who thought Killer7 was wondrous in gameplay design (talk about lack of variety!). ;)

One thing I love about the Zelda series is being able to explore without any pressure, Majora's Mask made this very difficult and stressful because of the end of times timer. Not only that but I love varied dungeons and consider the boss fights in Zelda to be some of my favorites and none of the bosses impressed me much in Majora's Mask.

You got crushed by the moon, didn't you?  :D

Actually I found that vastly more entertaining than replaying the same segments over and over again. I got past the final dungeon in the game and basically quit it and never picked it up again. The eels were far more scary than the moon. My fear of the moon only went as far as "Oh no I have to play the same crap over again, what fun. Better warp back to the beginning or let it crash into me", while the eels almost gave me a heart attack.

I agree that the PS3 doesn't have a great library compared to Wii and 360 but there are a lot of gems, I recommend you try Pixel Junk: Eden it's pure gaming bliss one of the best download-able games this generation.

The DS is awesome.  I actually appreciate it more now that the Wii looks like it's going to have about two games a year that interest me.

Actually I have downloaded one of those and the games are fun. I also like Echochrome even if it plays with my head.

Two years ago, when the DS was at the same point in its life as the Wii is now, the DS was in the same position gameswise as the Wii is now. It had a good bunch of first-party stuff but only a few big third party games, and there was nothing coming from Nintendo for the rest of the year. Don't assume that the Wii won't follow the same path the DS has.

No way man.  Check out the 2006 DS lineup, starting off with the games released during the year:

Big Brain Academy
New Super Mario Bros.
Star Fox Command
Metroid Prime: Hunters
Tetris DS

They then followed those games up with this holiday lineup:

Children of Mana
Elite Beat Agents
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Nintendogs
Yoshi's Island DS

So that was the DS' third Christmas.  The Wii has been great in 2008 so far, but it looks like its totally dried up for the 2nd half of the year.  Animal Crossing and Wii Music = me no care.

Ironically, during its first years the DS was dismissed by fans and critics alike by relying on a gimmick and lacking games that sold the concept. And funny enough, many fans defected to the PSP camp when they believed the DS would not provide what they wanted in a handheld.

If I'm not mistaken Nintendogs was released towards the back end of '05, not '06, but it was definitely a strong year for the DS in any case.

You are conveniently forgetting  the DS's first and second year...

After the awesome presentation at E3, what did the DS launch with? A port of an N64 game, a demo of a game that wouldn't be released till 2006, GBA ports and mini game titles.

During the first half of 2005, gamers  were seriously wondering if the DS was worth it. While games were released and were quite good people were defecting to the PSP camp, because all bets were on it taking the world by storm.

In the last half of 2005 things DID get better with the release of titles like Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing WW. But it wasn't till the release of the DS Lite in 2006 that the DS caught on fire.

I remember clearly the first years of the DS. Even if Nintendo did show some great games and demos people believed the PSP had a better chance of beating the DS while the GBA carried Nintendo's handheld domination.

Half of the NWR staff believed the same thing. I remember asking them what they thought of fans being betrayed and preferring the PSP over the DS, and they said that the PSP was posed to offer a more traditional experience while the DS, with its untapped potential, could just brings gimmicky games.

Not even Nintendo had faith in its own product, mass producing GBAs and games in case the DS bombed. It was constantly compared to the Virtual Boy and expected it to not do well.

And the situation for the DS was indeed horrid. Half of the third party games available were GBA ports with tacked on touch screen features. Nearly all of them failed to impress, and Nintendo's own games weren't arriving soon enough.

But now, look where it is now. Its a phenomenon with everyone, casual and hardcore alike, and having major titles like a Kingdom Hearts prequel and the true sequel to a Dragon Quest.

Will the Wii have the same luck? Things between the DS and the Wii are different, and the console has to face different hurdles for it to reach the same status as the DS.

But my point still stands, the DS had the same uncertainty the Wii is creating in gamers, but fate proved otherwise.

As has been pointed out, Nintendogs was released in 2005. Of the rest of them only one of them (Yoshi's Island DS) is a Nintendo game (If I remember correctly, Elite Beat Agents was only published by Nintendo in North America). My point is that the DS was in this same position early in its life and it has come to be what it is. The DS got out of it earlier than the Wii, but the Wii was in a much bigger hole to begin with.

Uh...no I wasn't.  I didn't include ithe first two years because that's not what we were talking about.  Insanolord and I were specifically talking about DS vs. Wii at this point in both of their lifecycles (basically, two years in, just before their third Christmas).

And I'm saying that the period before each console's third Christmas is vastly different.  At this point in the DS' lifecycle, there was a must-have game coming out literally every month.  I was seriously buying a killer DS game every month.  In August 2006 I was looking forward to Castlevania: PoR, Elite Beat Agents, and Yoshi's Island DS, and I had already bought Big Brain Academy, New Super Mario Bros., Star Fox Command, Metroid Prime: Hunters, and Tetris DS earlier in the year.  In August 2008, the year has been great so far (Brawl, Okami, PES 2008, Mario Kart Wii), but there's nothing else I want until 2009 (literally).  That's a big difference to me.

Deadly Creatures, Animal Crossing, deBlob, Fatal Frame IV (I bet it will be out this year), and even SPRay looks extremely promising. Oh yeah there is also Wario Land. We need to differentiate between what WE like when it comes to a systems games and the quality of those games. All the above games I've listed have potential to be high quality titles (Yes even AC). Really the lists are comparable in that there is a mixture of different types of games. I have no doubt I'm forgetting some other 3rd party titles as well (maybe even some stellar multiplatform games). In fact I wouldn't be the least surprised if the average metacritic score for my mentioned titles is comparable to the ones on your list for DS.

when will silks stop crying about the lack of games and get over it? when will GP stop trying to flaunt shit games as reasons to own a wii?

how many times can we trainwreck new threads with the same old idiotic argument? when will the idiocy end?

When will Dasmos say anything worthwhile or the least bit respectful? Who knows, but tune in next week

NWR seriously needs to just shut up shop. Close the site down completely or rebrand it.

so basically copying/pasting the same argument over the course of 3 or 4 pages in 50 different threads is worthwhile? please.

or at least just a major staff overhaul. something needs to change.

Pretty much. As it stands, NWR is like a chocolate ice cream forum run by people that hate chocolate ice cream.

That hurts, that really hurts. Dasmos said a mean thing, I am so sad now. I bet Lindy is heartbroken as well because when Dasmos speaks people must listen.

nwr will never change.

oh lol you edited it. nice one!

That's going to be pretty hard to do.

Its understandable that a Nintendo based website needs to be run by people who at the very least like Nintendo. However, that doesn't mean that the staff needs to love Nintendo 24/7. We are not running a Church or a cult here (though fandom does lean towards one way or the other...).

If the editors of a Nintendo site enjoy playing 360 games, and like to talk about them its their right. If they enjoy PS3 games more than Wii games, its their life.

Telling the NWR staff to change their attitude, that their opinion sucks or that what they say is irrelevant to the site would be censoring them, especially if they are the ones that run the show (without the staff we wouldn't even be discussing this).

So even if there's a staff overhaul and the members are more accepting of Nintendo's ways the same debacle would happen again and again.

I'd like to underscore that Halbred bought a PS3 and hasn't "played the 360."

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/luigidude/Nintendogods.jpg

Oh, I have no problems with the multiplatform love (how dare people play video games!), but the staff shit on Nintendo non-stop these days and hop on all the rolleyes.gif internet forum bandwagons. The Ian style angst isn't helping traffic or anything, NWR's been dead for like three years now. That's why I suggested it should be rebranded or something, it's clear the majority of people on staff here no longer have interest in Nintendo. That's cool, start over! Make it an Atari Lynx forum for lol.

This...And an Atari Lynx forum would be hilarious, if not ironically fitting!

I know you're being humorous but, I was thinking, NWR's Podcast is one of my favorites, it's well produced and the personalities interact well.  It'd be great to see the show go multi-platform.  I'd love to hear the guys talk more about the other systems.

What I'm more thinking about is... Where's the "nongames"? If my mother wanted a new game, what could I get for HER? All that gets listed in this thread is hardcore games.

Hey, I like Nintendo.  I don't agree with everything they do, but I like them.  All I said was that the Wii platform doesn't have anything that I - ME, PERSONALLY - am interested in until 2009.  I never said that there aren't any games that other people might like.  I never told you how to live your life, or said anything about your mom.  I mean, if you can't handle Nintendo criticism on a Nintendo board, what are YOU guys doing here?

I could go on all day about the DS games that I'm looking forward to this year, but I'm the anti-Nintendo troll, so I suppose I'm not allowed to do that.

Personally, NWR is my favorite Nintendo centric site due to their "fair and balanced" criticism and praise of the big N.  Other fanboy sites I've found make me not want to live another day.  I feel sorry for them, as romantic allegiance to one corporation is a serious brain disease, spreading faster with each new holiday season.

Again, you guys fail to understand. But it's NWR, so that's to be expected I guess.

Any blockbuster ATARI LYNX games coming out in 2008?

KLAX 2: REVENGE OF KLAX

Would you prefer us to be a Nintendo mouthpiece or propaganda machine?  There's a place you can go for that: it's called www.nintendo.com.

I'll readily admit that certain members of the site, myself included, have railed against Nintendo more than was necessary as of late.  I'm making a conscious effort to get away from lashing out like I have in the past, since it's not constructive.  But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop calling Nintendo out for stuff that I think they're doing wrong.  At the same time, I'm going to praise them for stuff they're doing right.

But don't get mad at me for your over-reaction to my criticism.

Don't let Lindy lull you into a false sense of security, he is secretly planning an attack on Nintendo HQ with both land and air giant crabs.

Uh, nobody's getting mad here Silks. Unless you want me to pretend I am or something so we can have yet another fun thread!

Nope, I'd rather avoid that entirely.

Oops!  Looks like you forgot a couple letters!  Its www.gonintendo.com    ;)

I'd hate NWR to go the way of gonintendo whenever RMC fetches stuff from neogaf he doesn't even see if they are credible sources or pieces of news. Some people on Neogaf lol'd when RMC reported something but ended up to be a made up thing from one of the forum posters. Neogaf has gonintendo censored/banned.

I have no opinion. I look i read i laugh i move on. Does that mean i fail to understand?

No, I understand completely what you mean.

As we say around here, the problem is not that the NWR staff are upset at Nintendo or believe that Nintendo is abandoning the hardcore. The problem is how OFTEN they make the claims and how they say it.

No one likes constant ranting and bitching, no matter the subject. Its OK to vent if it really frustrating you, but when you do it often it annoys people and makes them feel as if you want to shove your thoughts down your throat.

This is something that happens often at NWR. It seems that a game can't be discussed without someone dropping angst onto the subject, or discuss the Wii's lineup without claiming it sucks. Granted, this sort of thing happens all the time (we are on the interwebs mind you), but that doesn't mean its any less annoying.

This thread is an example of this. I'm not anyone to tell Hal how to write a personal blog. If he wanted to chronicle his PS3 purchase, its his right. However, some of the comments reeked of spite and superiority, making it LOOK like he is somehow better for buying a PS3.

The NWR members are no better. We LOVE to rattle the hornet's nest and get a masochistic joy out of discussing a never ending debate where everyone ends up looking foolish.

Finally, the Nintendo angst IS getting old. Yes, Nintendo's E3 show sucked major amounts of ass. Wii Music holds little promise and yes, more core games should have been shown.

The second week of August is nearly upon us, and people are STILL talking about the E3 of phail. At this point we are beating a dead horse.

And now for the tl:dr version: The NWR staff has the right to whine and bitch, but whine, bitch and troll too much and it gets annoying. The annoyed members aren't making it better.

Best internet ever.

How did I miss this?  I like my PS3 as a media machine and a PS2.  I really don't have a use for it as an actual PS3 except for Pixel Junk Monsters and a few other titles.  I got mine because I knew I wanted the backward compatibility so, I took the plunge.  I don't really regret it because it has been much more useful then my Wii...

Well no one's opinion has changed.  The issue is still relevent because the "problem" hasn't been "fixed" or even addressed.  And what the hell else is there to talk about?  Part of the problem with the E3 showing was so little was annouced.  So it isn't like there are all these great core games in the works to talk about and get hyped about.  If there was some big game on the way we could talk about that instead.  There is no big game to talk about.  That's the point.

Frankly I only consider something whining if things have changed, your problem is solved, and you're just complaining about something that USED to affect you but doesn't anymore.  If the problem is still there then why can't you complain about it?

Eventually though I figure if Nintendo doesn't address the core gamer neglect issue that everyone who cares about it will just give up on them and have no reason to visit this site anymore.

You don't really count though, Ian. You gave up on video games like seven years ago and have trolled every single thread since, switching your complaints depending on the topic.

That's outrageous!  It's only been like three years.


;)

7 years already?  My my, the GameCube lasted pretty long!

LOL, your an ass.

My wallet's hurting a bit lately, since I snagged Boom Blox and then Mario Kart (I actually found on in-store today!), as well as FF IV DS last week. I have some PS2 titles yet to play in the reserves as well, but I'm certainly happy with my PS3 so far, and that's without it really being used as a PS3! (hah!) I wouldn't say there's a crapload of games I'm interested in for PS3 or 360 (out or upcoming), but there are certainly enough I'd like to check out.

Eh, I say turnabout is fairplay.

When the PS3 was getting ready to be released and people started making negative comments about it, people loved posting that stuff. Especially when it was somebody who you thought should be trumpting Sony products like an editor of a Playstation magazine. So to me, just because people are negative with Nintendo wven if they are associated with something Nintendo, like a fansite, is just the nature of the beast. If one wants to mock those who do it against "enemy" consoles, one should be willing to accept it when it happens to their console.

The truth is, the game shortage (if you can call it that) is only a problem if you've owned a Wii since day 1 and have 48 titles already. I bought in a Wii in May this year. There are quite a few older titles I'd like to pick up as well as many DS games still and even a few rare Gamecube games. I'm not to worried about what the rest of the year holds. I may have too many games to play already anyways. It helps too if you try not to buy games at full price. Looking for the best deals on games allows you to buy more games but it also means that you don't buy every game you can. If you're waiting for something to lower it's price, you'll always have games to buy in the future. However, this advice is not for everyone.

I still stick to one console only for my gaming needs. I do consider a console a big investment not only in money but in time as well and while there are some games that interest me on other consoles, I just don't think it's worth the time or investment to get more than one console. As well, I really don't pay much attention to what the other consoles offer. It may seem like living in a bubble but the truth is, why should I care? I made my choice to go with a certain console and I'm going to stick it out with that console. Even if the amount of games I end up getting for the Wii are less than the amount I picked up for the GameCube or DS, at the end of the day, it will still be more than I would have wanted from either of the competitors so for me, it's a good choice come rain or come shine.

And then there's retro gaming. I still play games from my old systems because I love those games and start longing to play them again. There's the time factor again. Do people just stop playing old games and keep hoping from one new thing to the next?

It's sort of like movies. Truth is, there isn't a whole lot that interests me in the coming months. The only movie I know I'm going to on opening weekend is Quantum of Solace. There are a couple of movies that I might go to if I learn more about them or see more details. That doesn't mean I'm out of luck. There are still other movies that have been released that I want to see as well as many classic films I've never seen yet. People are too busy only looking at what's ahead they miss what's already around them and what they have already passed by.

Dang, my posts are big blocks of text. I try not to do that because people will skip by them but I guess that's just me.

No it doesn't, not at all. Nintendo stated they won't do pricedrops anymore so waiting for them just leaves you with no games. I've got 12 games in total (including Wii Play and Sports) despite getting my Wii a week after launch and there's no games in the back log that I have any desire left to purchase (that desire peaks at release or a bit before that and slowly degrades, by the time I can afford a game it's already hit zero). Looking for good deals on the Wii is futile, there are none (unless you enjoy garbage like Barnyard or Bratz).

Nintendo rarely ever discount games. Luckily shops do though!

Robbing yourself of seeing the X-Files?! Poor, poor boy.

This new James Bond looks better suited for an SS uniform anyway. His facial structure just reeks of that stereotypical film Nazi look.

X-Files is already out. Thus not part of movies yet to come but part of the movies that have been released that might be worth seeing.

While the new Bond may not be the most handsome, he might be the closest to Ian Fleming's original interpretation of him. A man with looks closer to the common man i.e. rough features, and thus look a little out of place in the high-society world he now navigates. You saw that in Casino Royale where he gets tossed a set of car keys as though he were a valet and when Vesper says he wears his suit with scorn.

KDR_11K:

Like Bill said, you can find deals at game stores if you don't mind buying used games. Honestly, you can often get a game still brand new with all the instruction manuals and unscratched case this way. It sucks that Nintendo doesn't want to lower prices this generation but there are other ways around. You just have to keep your eyes open. What often happens is that after awhile, the store will get a whole stack of the same game used and lower the price on those used games to start clearing stock. Sometimes a store will drop $20 off the price for a week. You just have to keep your eyes open.

The hardest thing about this generation is peripherals. Even if you can get the game cheap, you still may need to buy some peripheral for it. It's a hard generation to find deals. Fortunately, the DS and GC still have things to offer. I just found Beyond Good and Evil for $9 last night. I have my weekend planned. Still, the Wii isn't even 2 years old yet so I'm not worried, the deals will come.

Used games are like 5€ off (and often don't even follow when the game gets a pricedrop, there's plenty of used games that you can get CHEAPER new!), wow, what a deal. Sure, I do see special sales on used games, usually really old ones (and when it's not old ones it's bad ones). I could have gotten XBox or PS2 (or GC but I think I bought pretty much everything I ever considered on that system) games for cheap I guess...

Indeed. Used games aren't worth it when you can buy the title new for just a few bucks more. I did just pick up Wave Race: Blue Storm for $5 in and of itself the other day. :)

Well, it takes a VERY long time for games to drop that low so of course there are none for the Wii (save for a few shitty movie tie-ins from the near-launch period).

ooh good game.

KDR, have you tried buying games online since usually you can get a discount ordering online. Personally I hope there isn't a player's choice on the DS or Wii since they look ugly on Sony and MS systems.

Discounts? Dunno, never seen any special deals online (don't know any sites for buying in this country outside of Amazon, anyway). Sometimes they're a few Euros cheaper but shipping costs can easily negate that.

Just got Power Pros today at C City for 15.  Great deal considering the 08 version isn't too much different.

Learn the ways of the force

www.cheapassgamer.com

That looks like a US-centric website.

Not sure on that one, but nonetheless, its a pretty good site.  In using it over the past year I've probably picked up at least 10 good deals I found from that site.  My only gripe is I wish the site was organized a little better.

I tried it and it redirected to a UK variant - cheap arse gamer..

I haven't heard much about '08. It was just released last month, right? It sure could have used plenty of changes. Limiting the Wii controls and Miis to just one game mode was dumb if nothing else. And as much as I liked the weird RPG elements, I utterly failed to get my guy to the big leagues, then didn't feel like trying again. :P

Yeah, no motion controls in the regular game is a HUGE oversight.  Additionally, the base running and fielding is a tad clunky.  Considering, these elements are in the new iteration, no real reason to upgrade.  That said, I'm still having a ton of fun with the game as it reminds me of one of my favorites as a youth, Extra Innings for the SNES.  Definitely worth 15 for anyone who hasn't picked it up yet and looking for a good baseball experience.

What's your point? OoT used the Super Mario 64 engine.

Honestly. It's a big reason why I don't visit this place much anymore.

Self hate. gotta love it

Stick around.  Things will be a lot friendlier around here going forward.

Silks I noticed you have been nicer about Nintendo recently.Does that mean you had a change in heart?

My constantly negative attitude was having a detrimental impact on the forums.  I changed my viewpoint on things 180 degrees when I realized that the very same behavior that I was exhibiting - and therefore encouraging - was the type of behavior that, as a staff member,  I should be discouraging by leading by example.

Lindy was visited by 3 ghosts last night that showed him the error of his ways.

The Three Musty Fears?

Wario Land has restored some of my faith in the Big N. They still have some tricks up their sleeves for the faithful, but they just need to deliver on a more regular basis!

damn! i only recently started reading these staff blogs (i normally avoid anything blog-like) and i had the same thought but you beat me to it.

Ever since I saw Tropic Thunder,  I can't help hear Kirks voice in my head read your posts....

Kirk as himself or Kirk as Sgt. Osiris?

The Sgt of course, that voice made the movie for me, hilarious!

the acting made the movie for me ;)
i still quote lines (his in particular) from it with friends, and hence the avatar and sig combo.

but i dont wanna derail this thread so thats all i'll say.