Playstation 3 - A Review
Well, I finally made the plunge and grabbed a PS3. $601 later and I have Resistance and flOw. I said I would post a full, honest review as soon as I was ready and I'll just add the Resistance and flOw ones later. So, let's get started.
Playstation 3:
The Purchase - F
I hate spending so much money at one time especially for a toy. The box comes with a pretty cool handle that makes the shame of slamming multiple hundreds down a lot more real. Sigh...
The Set-Up - A
The console is pretty much plug and play. Had I bought a game locally (instead later in the evening as I did) I could have been gaming in about 10 minutes. One major set back is the fact that the controller needs to be charged, but mine was fully charged within an hour which I spent getting online. (More on both later)
The sleek design of the console, smooth black surface makes it look like something out of a science fiction novel. The interface is really easy and the "Buttons" are quite cool (just a tap really is all you need). We are doing renovations so it's a bit crowded, but it looks fine standing up.
The Controller - B
The controller is neat in that it is wireless and requires no batteries. I hate buying ****ing batteries. And if it's for a game controller I hate it twice as much. The only thing that I hate more is cables. Thankfully it's both wireless and chargeable.
The weight distribution is really odd since the rumble is gone, but I, honestly, have been turning the rumble off for years anyway due to the tendinitis in my hands. The rumble just aggravated that condition. The triggers feel a bit off, but really nothing major. I don't get the SixAxis. I have no idea WHAT it does and I really don't care because I never liked motion sensors. The whole concept seems so lacking after playing an actual Virtual Reality machine in New Orleans. In that you are surrounded in a room that captures your every move. That ruined me for the bull**** motion sensoring of the Wii and to a much lesser extent the Sixaxis. Meh, I think Sony should have just spent the wasted money from that on something better.
Online Set-Up - C
Wow. This took a long time. I had to find my router, (which came up right away, but I have heard others have a long time to find it) type in a 26 digit code, ****ING TWICE, using the same pad you use for text messaging. Luckily, I am quite used to texting while driving so it didn't take me long. Both I could see as trouble.
Online and the Playstation Network Store - B
Online is quite simple to get into. After the mind numbing set-up, you can grab two or three demos, depending on your speed, and be set until the weekend. Of course, that is only the first weekend. Sony just didn't add enough demos, games, movies, and the like to really make this worth while. The set-up is like I always claimed: a free, watered down XBox Live. Free always wins me over, so I can't complain.
I like the PSN games they got and I am sure by this summer and beyond it will expand greatly. Hell, if just LittleBigPlanet comes out soon, I will jump this to an A+. The trailers are done really well for the exclusively online stuff, which I appreciate and overally that's a great experience.
I played Full-Auto 2 online for a few minutes. There was only 3 people online. Kinda disappointing, but I still consider this early stages of the cycle and expect that by Christmas, it'll beef up.
Sony just needs to really make PSN a Live alternative and fast. They should have FREE exclusive games that aren't as deep, but still fun. Also, adding some game content would be cool too. I understand it's free but I just want a little more out of it.
Games - Rating Pending
Overall: As of now, B. I didn't get to play it as much to really give it a full grade, but there is so much more I want to see out of it. I desperately need an HD TV to experience some of the content in full HD (like Blu-Ray) but that's my fault. I really feel if they pump online as a fun, viable alternative to Live, they can do some serious damage.
Tekken 5 is on PSN for $20, which isn't too bad and gives me a lot of hope of future titles being on there in full capacity. I'd love to just download some games like that and play right a way. The classic PS1 games are really cool and may incline me to get a PSP once they reall bring that line up to snuff.
I made my first purchase on PSN (flOw) and Penny Arcade exaggerated so much that I lost all respect for them. The comic is a week old, but essentially they claimed it took an act of congress to buy a ****ing game. It took me 5 minutes to get the money from my debit card, to my game wallet, (which is a nice feature so you don't double click or some **** and end up buying it multiple times. And yes, there will be morons to do this and sue Sony or something) and all of a minute to confirm it and start downloading. Don't listen to all you read.
Hope this gave SOME insight.
