Before I get started, the boys over at Channel Z have their Dragon*Con video podcast (I still don’t know what the difference between “online video” and “video podcast” is), which includes GGP's very own resident jerk; me.  Check their Sept 20th 2009 update (or be lazy and click this word: Fig Apples) if you want to see me shamelessly promote this website and attempt to choke myself with a PS2 controller (or was it the NES controller?) after a few pages of horrible anime fanfiction.  You’ll probably want to see that later on, if you don’t already.

About a week ago, GGP staffer Chris Deguzman thought it'd be cute to do a small write-up on his experiences with an Xbox 360 he managed to snag.  Not only did I give it the "go ahead", but I had asked him to post it here after posting the same rant almost verbatim elsewhere.  Honestly, I've only heard one complaint, and it was from someone who also owned both a PlayStation 3 and 360 who preferred Microsoft’s console.  And I won't deny that I've been critical of Microsoft and some of their business practices.  I asked Chris to have the piece here (again, it was an opinion piece), not because I agreed with it, but because of where he was coming from.  Before, this was a guy that wasn't playing favorites, and didn't have a strong opinion of the 360.  It wasn't until he got a deal on one that he was absolutely flabbergasted with the lack of quality of the system.  He was more brutal than I could ever bring myself to be.

Quote me on this; Console Wars for the sake of fanboyism to one system manufacturer are retarded.  You’re probably not going to believe me when I say this, but the big three players are all looking to profit somehow.  Oh yes, even Nintendo.  Goddamn, especially Nintendo.  It’s a business, people.  This is not to say there’s anything wrong with having a favorite system based on the library of games or hardware capabilities.  But I felt Chris’ look at it was, under the circumstances, fair.  He made some excellent critiques, and was able to admit that there were some hardware aspects the 360 has over the PS3.

I can see where he’s coming from with the last line about the Xbox360 being mediocrity incarnate, because it’s exactly how I had felt during the 16-bit console wars.  The first 16-bit consoles I had played were the (technically 8-bit) TurboGrafx-16 and the Super Nintendo.  When I played the Sega Genesis, I couldn’t understand what drove people to prefer this system over the Super NES, and even in some cases, the Turbo.  To me, the sound quality was ear-grating, I felt that the multi-system titles were normally better on the Super NES, the controller was bulky and unmanageable, and the most of the exclusives didn’t really play that well.  Now granted, going back to the system, I learned to appreciate the Genesis.  The Sonic Genesis Compilation is often on my rotation list, and yes, I do in fact own a copy of Toejam & Earl to fill the void of what’s missing there.  So no, this is not me defending my Christmas gift from 1991.  It just baffles me how many people defended that damn thing, and still defend as if I just raped their mom when I state that I think Nintendo had the better console overall.  Sorry guys… I don’t like your favorite console, and no amount of clever marketing was going to change my mind.  Get used to it.

While I have a preferred 16-bit console, I feel that during those console wars, Sega and Nintendo had a rivalry that always forced a kind of drive to be more innovative than the other.  Competition will do that, and that’s why I was looking forward to this generation’s console wars.  I still chose Sony’s system, and I have no regrets; I had some in the beginning, but not so much now.  I’m not sure if Chris’ feelings for the 360 are as strong as my 12-year-old self’s feelings towards the Genesis were, but I do share a lot of feelings towards the 360 that I did with the Genesis.  Not entirely, however, as I’ve only played a few games in depth, and even then, not up to GGP’s requirements.  I feel like we might have alienated a lot of people, seeing as to how the 360 is one of the most popular consoles.  The truth of the matter is, we haven’t looked at a single 360 game since we launched.  Up until now, none of the staff even owned one.  So I can’t go on record and say “well, the 360 isn’t all bad, there’s… oh wait, I’ve only played its’ port of Street Fighter IV and an hour of Dead Rising.”  I’d invite anyone with a good grasp of English to write up a piece (I have, in fact, invited many 360 owners to write for the site but have received nothing.)  In the meantime, I offer you this…

My Biggest Issues with the PlayStation 3:

-    Too Little Too Late Business Decisions: Due to Sony not wanting to settle a lawsuit with Immersion Corporation before the system’s launch, the PS3 controllers lacked force feedback up until 2007.  Before that… well how about a $600 price tag?  BluRay was no excuse for any console being that high at launch.  They’ve only now reduced the price.  Sadly, almost everyone who could only afford one console bought their Wii or 360.  Why should I care? Because on my PSN friend’s list, I only know TWO of these people; the rest bought other systems.  Too little… too goddamn late.

-    Missing PS2 backwards compatibility:  Now I’m lucky to own an original 60 GB launch system ($450 hardly used went a hell of a long way), but Sony systems aren’t exactly known for standing the test of time.  Sad as I own an original NES that still works, but bricked my PS1 and PS2 due to shoddy system designs, and I really shouldn’t have to buy the same thing twice.  Software emulation was what was used in some earlier models.  I say bring that back.

-    Development Woes: The few times I’ve played both versions of a multi-port game, both systems presented the games equally, except in control where the DualShock 3 will always win over the “Xboxerang.”  But it’s pretty well documented that there are those games that one system will present more capable over the other.  So far, I see the PS3 ports getting the most negative feedback here.  Both Sony and developers can be blamed here.  Sony for not providing adequate development tools for developers coming from PC development, because Gabe Newell needs his hand held after spending way too much of his time programming for Microsoft to even know that there are actually, in fact, other assembly languages outside of x86.  And for programmers being too lazy to actually learn said other languages (Believe it or not, most vets will even tell you this, but the NES and PS1 were much harder to develop for than the PS3!)

-    Lack of Indies: Would it KILL Sony to help indie developers just a little bit more than they have been?  This is one aspect that Microsoft really has going for the 360 that the PS3 really needs to pick up the pace on, because unimaginative titles like “Burn Zombie Burn!” and that really weak Lemmings remake just aren’t cutting it.

-    Not enough exclusives or putting any effort into outbidding Microsoft’s timed exclusive deals.  And not the pointless one-month long ones.  I honestly have no reason to pick up Grand Theft Auto 4 anymore, because what’s on the disc isn’t enough to keep me coming back.  The only effort I’ve seen is playing as the Joker in that Batman game. Wow, yeah, that’s like three hours of gameplay?

-    Online play.  It’s still awful.  It’s a non-issue for me right now, except with Street Fighter 4, but it won’t be when Final Fantasy XIV launches.  I thought Sony learned their lesson with the PS2, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.  But meh, you get what you paid for I suppose.  360 and PC are the ultimate online platforms, but if you are like me and think online play is painfully overrated, then it's moot point.

-    PSOne Variety.  This is a huge issue in the North America and Europe PSN Stores.  Asia and Japan have it better here, as there’s a very large catalog that includes some of the more obscure titles.  But in the west, we’re just now starting to get a few big name classics.  The sad part is… I already own the original PS1 discs for most of these.  Come on guys, one release a week is pittance; give us more!  Atlus alone has a back catalog of titles that have yet to see release.

-    "Region-Free" my butt! For a region-free system, they sure did set the restrictions on what you can’t import online; which sums up to ANYTHING.  Sure, I could go through all the trouble of setting up accounts in all the nations and buying a PSN pre-paid card, but that’s a lot of trouble just for Dark Mist.  And why the hell shouldn’t I be able to buy DLC from other regions?  You advertise a region free console for the most part; make it region free.  Furthermore, why am I downloading a demo for a game that’s slated for release in my region from another PSN Store region when all regions should get it?  I don’t even care to hear the excuse (and I know full well what the excuses usually are), it’s unacceptable.

Now I’m fully aware most of my complaints are issues that are honestly, and I mean this without the typical misinformed backpedaling one would expect from one of Sony’s PR guys, being worked out or in the works.  But my point is, I can probably document more grievances towards the system I actually own than the ones I don’t.  Chris owns both systems.  He has a right to complain.  Me?  I don’t care who says my console sucks, I’m just tired of the opposite company pulling potshot business moves that aren’t meant to benefit them in anyway except to believe me to think that because I’m getting the latest digital distro-game a month later, in an attempt to mislead me to believe I bought the wrong console.  And I can’t say it’s worked with anyone else I know who owns a Wii or PS3.  “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t” managed to sell systems without causing anyone that kind of headache.  Sega never punished Super NES owners by paying off Capcom to release Street Fighter 2 Turbo on their console a month earlier than the SNES version (yes I know it was retitled “Special Champion Edition” on the Genesis, but we all knew it was the same game.) 

At the end of the day… form your own opinion, and go with what you’re comfortable with.

And if you ever disagree, it means you are wrong.

Welcome to the hell that is my mindframe. Minus the cotton.