The Choice Of A New Generation
The upside of owning multiple consoles is not missing out on the various exclusives that hit each one. I want to play Twilight Princess? Turn on my Wii. Rather immerse myself in Mass Effect? Pop it into my 360. Unfortunately, every so often, multi-platform titles come out that leave me forced to make a very difficult choice. Which one do I buy? Now, I don't yet own a PS3, because there's no exclusives I'm compelled enough by to purchase one. That day will come, but it's currently out of the running. So do I buy the game for the Wii or the 360? Decisions, decisions...
See, it used to be so simple back in the day. When considering whether to buy a game on the Xbox or the PS2, I always went for the Xbox because the graphics were going to be just a wee bit better. (My GameCube pretty much gathered dust in between AAA Nintendo releases.) But the Wii has complicated things. Obviously, the graphics are going to be better on the 360, no question. But the Wii will have unique motion controls that can add a lot to the game-playing experience. Of course, if I buy the 360 version, I'll get the achievements. Not that I'm an achievement whore, but why miss out on the few points my limited skills can gain? What to do?
If I hadn't already played Bully on the PS2, that would be the first game that really put me at a crossroads. Do I go for the boy-kissing achievement? Or the ability to use the Wiimote to aim my slingshot and ace the mini-game classes at school? My real dilemma will be coming up with the release of Lego Indiana Jones. Smoother graphics and achievements or Wiimote whip action? And of course, eventually Lego Batman will have the same problem. Unfortunately, it would seem that the 360 is probably going to win out, and my Wii will be like my old GameCube, gathering dust in between Nintendo's biggies. If only I was a millionaire with nothing else to do during the day, then I could play them both!
Wootini
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 14 March 2008
· Comments (14)
Other stuff like this: choice, multiplatform, playstation 3, ps3, wii, xbox 360
Name: Dave
On a bit of a different front, when I choose between 360 and ps3, I always choose the latter. I just like the controller a LOT better.
As for achievements, well, it's just a matter of time before i can display my trophies in my homespace. :)
After sort of being bored by Bully on the PS2, I inexplicably bought it for the Wii, and oddly enough, fell in love with it. Bully isn't really a graphics "wow" game in the first place, and I haven't really seen the 360 version, but the Wii controls are a whole lot of fun for this game. Recommended.
Given the choice between PS3 and 360 games though.. a tough call. I've ended up going PS3 mainly because my 360 makes way too much noise for me to take it seriously. Achievements seem sort of dorky to me, but that's one man's opinion.
I always felt the graphics were a bit better on the Gamecube (and the controls just felt better, IMO), and ended up buying multiplatform games for that system. Now, of course, I'd buy a game for the 360 if I had to choose, but it doesn't seem like that will be a common occurance given the type of software being developed for the Wii.
Given PS2 and Gamecube versions of the same game (never had an Xbox).... Gamecube, every time. The controller was better, the graphics were smoother, the framerate was better, it was just better all around.
Of course, most games did not have a Gamecube version, so most of the time it was a moot point.
This time around, I'm still waiting for something that forces me to buy a 360. I'm thinking it'll be this next price drop combined with a certain number of XBLA games. (Properly done retro remakes will go a long way.) But achievements? With my gaming limited to about 12 hours a week when I do have free time and an hour or two otherwise, there's really no point.
There hasn't been a single thing that even remotely appealed to me on the PS3 to date, but we'll see how Little Big Planet turns out and how much Sony drops the price this summer or fall.
Even owning all three the only times I feel like the only times I have to choose are between 360/PS3 multiplatform releases. I almost always end up with the 360 version. Better online, comfy controller, those darn achievement points, and perhaps the worst... leaderboards! These are things that some PS3 game do here and there, but because Sony doesn't require it of all developers, getting a comparable experience is sometimes pretty uncertain. Also... TexCub, if you're reading this, check the n+ leaderboards. :p
My PS3 is quickly becoming an Everyday Shooter / Blade Runner machine with no other real purpose. The only multiplatform game I've bought for it was when Stranglehold was on sale at Amazon (quasi-HD Hard Boiled is a nice extra). Without Live-like support, it's hard to justify a $60 PS3 unless it's exclusive. Not to say that PS3 exclusive aren't good, but multiplatform efforts are not up to par.
Wii is something else by itself. Just about all the games I have for it are exclusives. Because of the differences in gameplay, even a good portion of multiplatform releases end up being something different on Wii.
Previous gen multiplatform I favored the Gamecube (comfy wireless controller, nice load times), PS2 (usually because of price), and then finally Xbox (which I picked up pretty late).
good call about the noise that the 360 makes. it is a bit ridiculous. games aside, i find my ps3 to be a much more pleasant experience: lack of noise, nice menu and soundset, etc.
I've got a PS3 and a Wii, so I feel like I have the best of both worlds. There was never any choice between a PS3 and 360 - I've been a sony diehard since PS1, and even now it has all the exclusives I want, as well as the most interesting upcoming ones. Achievements aren't a phenomenon I fully understand, but maybe it'll change when Home brings in Trophies.
As for the Wii, we all know about that. It has Mario, Zelda, Metroid and Pokémon. And Brawl, which is all it looks like anyone with a Wii needs right now anyway!
Yeah, not so interested in Brawl here. It may be the most fully fleshed-out and fan-service-laden button masher ever made, but it's still a button masher. I'll eventually pick it up, but Melee amused me for all of 2 days.
I've got a 360 and a wii, and I don't think I've ever once picked the wii over my 360. I just prefer a normal controller over playing with a remote, and even though people say graphics don't matter, they do to me. I'll go for a prettier version every time. There's a lot of wii games that I wish had been on the 360 though *coughnomoreheroescough*
And I'm not very into brawl either. My boyfriend has it so I play it a lot with him, but I would never pay $50 for that game.
I've got a 360 and a wii, and I don't think I've ever once picked the wii over my 360. I just prefer a normal controller over playing with a remote, and even though people say graphics don't matter, they do to me. I'll go for a prettier version every time. There's a lot of wii games that I wish had been on the 360 though *coughnomoreheroescough*
And I'm not very into brawl either. My boyfriend has it so I play it a lot with him, but I would never pay $50 for that game.
I own all 3 and I think if the 360 didn't have achievements and a games played list I would be playing my PS3 a lot more.
The Wii has been owned for a year and I've logged in under 20 hours. That is until I got Brawl and despite the hate I had for Melee I found the SSE mode made Brawl worthwhile with it's orgasmic fanboyism.
Given the choice between all 3 (and I do have all 3 systems), I'll go 360>PS3>Wii. The only Wii games I own are the exclusives, because frankly I find the control setup infuriating. And between the 360 and PS3, I go 360 because of better controller and I don't have to worry about halfassed motion controls.
Come to think of it, the only PS3 games I own are exclusives, as well, precisely because overall I prefer the 360 controller, and appreciate the lack of crappy motion controls, which more often than not ruins my experience every time I play a Wii game. If Brawl didn't have Gamecube controller support I'd never touch it, the Wiimote/Nunchuck setup is atrocious.
I have a PS3 and a 360 and for me, which console I choose depends on one thing: Are my friends going to play it? All of my friends have 360's and if I want to play with them, I'll pick it up for the 360. But if it doesn't have online or my friends generally don't seem interested, I'll usually go for the PS3 because I prefer the controller.
In dealing with third party, multiplatform releases, it's my opinion that when choosing between a Wii title and any other, the "other" should win out. Sure, the Wii may add a bit of muscle movement to the gaming experience, but didn't poor crossovers like Prince of Persia: Rival Swords teach us that the best gyroscopic titles are those made specifically or initially for the the small white system. (not to say that developers don't deserve a second chance— they always do)
At one point, I owned all three systems. The difficult decisions were those concerning the Xbox and PS3. More than a year after each has been on the market I've dropped the box for it's sleek, black, high-definition competition, and I don't worry about multiplatform releases anymore— My Wii games can only be found on the Wii.