The PS3 doesn't need to arrive, it's already here

accord 4 me · 02-16-2009

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2...s3-already.ars

Quote:

Gamers need to stop worrying about the sales numbers of the PS3 and arguing over the merits of PlayStation Home. The truth is that the system is flush with excellent, exclusive games, and we're way past the point where you can call yourself a hardcore gamer and not own the hardware. Ars makes the case that you shouldn't wait for the PS3 to arrive: it has been here for a while now.

PlayStation fans seem to be waiting for some sea change in sales of the PlayStation 3 platform, which causes unrealistic hopes to be put on each and every high-profile game released for the system. There's a reason that flame wars erupt over the launch of games like Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4; an inordinate amount of importance is placed on each of these exclusive titles. And sales of the system remain unimpressive, which has caused even more hand-wringing and/or crowing about the state of the PS3.

If you are a serious fan of video games, however, the system has been a must-buy for longer than many gamers seem to think. While we can debate the importance of casual gaming and the success of the Wii, the fact remains that if you skip the PlayStation 3 this generation, you're going to have gaping holes in your knowledge of the state of the art.
The PlayStation 3 has big-budget shooters covered; Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 are solid competition for anything the Xbox 360 has, but that's not what's going to move systems. What makes the PS3 an important system are the smaller games that are bound to become cult hits while informing the next generation of game developers about what can and can't be done.

Sony was the first company to meld trading cards with interactivity in a way that actually made sense, even if Eye of Judgment didn't become a runaway hit. Trials of Topoq used the PlayStation Eye to turn what looked like a puzzle game into a relaxing stretching exercise. Wii Fit may be grabbing all the sales, but Sony created the first game that seems to almost trick you into doing what looks and feels like a Tai Chi work out.
We can go on, and I think we should. LittleBigPlanet took simple platforming and mixed in some powerful content-creation tools; it became the first game that you can browse with friends... every time you turn it on you can see something new and exciting.

Everyday Shooter took the dual-analog control scheme that has become irritatingly common on downloadable titles and added guitar-based music and wonderful design to turn a tired genre into something approaching art. The fact that Sony saw something in Jonathan Mak and gave him a home on the PS3 speaks well of the company's dedication to nurturing talent; Mak's is a mind that will give us great things in the future.
You also have to consider the just-released Flower when talking about games that try to do something different and succeed at melding emotions and style into an entertaining experience. Most "games-as-art experiments" forget that we're looking for—something that's worth sitting down and playing, and Flower does not fall into that trap. It's also one of the rare games that stands alone. Can you point to anything else that's like it? Other than the spiritual prequel flOw, which was also created by Jenova Chen and thatgamecompany, that is.
We don't have to gaze at our navels and talk about art to find singular games on the games, either. Metal Gear Solid 4 may have featured a somewhat overwrought story—what Hideo Kojima game doesn't?—but it was also a grand experiment in how to meld film with video games. Whether the game was successful or not, it's worth sitting down to experience a game that isn't afraid to keep you watching the story. While the talk of the length of the cutscenes was big news around the time the reviews came out, now we need to use the game to learn what we can about how cut-scenes that long should be used... if at all. But you have to play to have an informed opinion, and there's only one place to do so.
Another AAA title for the system? Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. This was a game that Frank and I argued over, as I felt that the game was going to be completely run over by the glut of games released alongside it; it felt like an also-ran before it even hit the shelves. But an hour or two into the actual gameplay and we were making phone calls; this was the game that caused us to bump Mass Effect off the front page to make room for a multi-page Uncharted review. Even today I don't regret the choice; Drake's Fortune gave us an amusingly human set of characters and set them on an incredible adventure. When a video game so easily trumps the newest Indiana Jones movie and steals most of the good things that made that film series so endearing, you know you're on to something special. We have high hopes for the sequel.

People complain about Sega not showing the love of quality or the flair for the unexpected that the company was known for years ago, but the PS3-exclusive Valkyria Chronicles did piles of things right and may well become one of the best games that almost no one plays this generation. While information on sales of the game is hard to come by, people are still talking about it and will continue to do so for some time. Don't let the snooty nature of some of the fans scare you away; this is a welcoming and beautiful strategy title.

Should I go on? PixelJunk Monsters was the reigning king of the tower defense genre on consoles... until Savage Moon came out. Speaking of the PixelJunk series, Eden is another game that has carved out its own home on the system, and these titles all deserve the somewhat rabid following they enjoy online.

When we're talking about games you can buy on the PlayStation Network, it's impossible to ignore Wipeout HD. A fast, beautiful, almost impossibly polished entry in the world of racing games. This is what we prayed games would look like when we were growing up. The fact that a game this good is available via download for only $20 shows just how much power Sony has harnessed by packing in a hard drive with every system and fully embracing digital distribution. When you can buy Burnout Paradise for $20 on the PlayStation Network and get the entire game with the slew of patches that have been released since launch, you see just how much Sony has outclassed Microsoft on this front.

The PS3 has arrived

Gamers spend way too much time arguing about whether or not Home is going to be huge. It's certainly part of the story, but the flagging online service has nothing to do with the life and death of the PS3 as a system that can play great games. It's the same thing with the sales numbers; people like to know how products are doing, and looking at sales data tells us much about where we're going and how fast we're getting there, but you can't miss the forest for the trees—neither of these two things affects the fact that the PlayStation is absolutely ablaze with brave, new, exclusive games.

This article contains no forward-looking statements. We left out all the great cross-platform games and titles that will be released in the coming years. These are games that are finished, that you can buy at the store or online right now. If you have a PS3 and have a love of games, you will run out of time and money before you run out of games to buy.

I keep hearing jokes that "next year" is perpetually the answer to the question of when the PS3 will take off, but those of us who are able to walk away from the argument know the right answer: the system is in orbit already.

what do you guys think? agree?

Keaton H. · 02-16-2009

ah you mean there is actually someone else in this world that thinks the ps3 is for hardcore gamers lol, im just playin but forreal anyone who says the ps3 is worthless or not worth the money is just hating on it because sony produced it or they are supporting their own console. i have both the 360 and the ps3, and i can honestly say i dont have a problem with either as long as they both hold up and keep workin for me. i like the 360 for halo 3 and have a few other games on it that are great, but i play the ps3 for the rest of my gaming needs and whatever else the ps3 fulfills

farfus · 02-16-2009

Im sure the ps3 is worth it for those who want it. When i want one it will be worth it also! The main thing is i do believe Sony will come out with a less expensive model, like Xbox did this past year, and it will sell a lot more, literally double, probably. Its probably the one system that people are really waiting for a price drop, then they will get it. Especially with the tv high def changeover being put off till June there is no hurry for high def... but i think the ps3 will be doing better when they have a base unit selling in the $299 or less range...

tlpn99 · 02-16-2009

Keaton you sound like me. That is pretty much why I got the 360 to play the Halo games and since then some 360 exclusives have gone to PS3. The only other reason im glad I got the 360 is for the Gears games I thought they were great to play.

I always said as soon as MGS4 comes out I will buy my PS3 as it turned out I think GTA4 was out before it so I had to upgrade my tv to appreciate the high def in gaming etc.

I do think were starting to see some excellent stuff for the PS3 now and were not even that far into it's so called life span yet, I cant wait to see what the future is gonna bring for us. My only concern is that I will end up having to buy 2 consoles again for the exclusives like say for example Gears 3 if that come out on the next 360/720 or whatever they wanna call it. I do know I will buy 2 consoles though if I want to play the games out there.

It is the parents I feel sorry for they have a kid at Christmas he wants a PS3 say or an Xbox360 then at Easter his mates who have gotten a PS3 at Christmas he wants one or his brother or sister does. They are damn expensive to buy one let alone for 2 kids. I am glad I am old enough to waste my money on what I want now.

Frenchy17 · 02-16-2009

I read that article earlier today myself and I totally 100% agree with it. I like the exclusives much better on the PS3, I just go to my buddy's house to play Gears. Everything else I need to play, I play on my PC.

accord 4 me · 02-16-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by farfus

Im sure the ps3 is worth it for those who want it. When i want one it will be worth it also! The main thing is i do believe Sony will come out with a less expensive model, like Xbox did this past year, and it will sell a lot more, literally double, probably. Its probably the one system that people are really waiting for a price drop, then they will get it. Especially with the tv high def changeover being put off till June there is no hurry for high def... but i think the ps3 will be doing better when they have a base unit selling in the $299 or less range...

what does the digital tv switch have to do with anything?

Ben D. · 02-17-2009

Oh sure. I write this a month ago, and I have to fend off hordes of idiots who continually attack us for being a "fansite." ArsTechnica writes it - and I don't even think it's as good - and everyone's like, "oh yeah, gee, maybe it's right."

Not talking about anyone in here or any of our regular readers. Just a general complaint, that's all. One we just have to deal with.

accord 4 me · 02-17-2009

maybe this can get you guys some credit after that whole fiasco? i hope so at least

farfus · 02-17-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by accord 4 me

what does the digital tv switch have to do with anything?

Let me think about it for a while accord, i had something in mind when i first wrote this. Im an old man after all...

Darth Koth · 02-17-2009

the switch over is to digital not HI-Def.

02-17-2009	#7
Ben D. Ramza's Long Lost Brother Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: CT PS3 Network ID: fathoms Posts: 1,251	Oh sure. I write this a month ago, and I have to fend off hordes of idiots who continually attack us for being a "fansite." ArsTechnica writes it - and I don't even think it's as good - and everyone's like, "oh yeah, gee, maybe it's right." Not talking about anyone in here or any of our regular readers. Just a general complaint, that's all. One we just have to deal with. __________________ "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something." -- Plato "Small minds are interested in the extraordinary, great minds in the commonplace." -- Elbert Hubbard

02-17-2009	#10
Darth Koth Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Sheffield, England PS3 Network ID: DarthKoth Posts: 1,085	the switch over is to digital not HI-Def. __________________ The Force Is With Me.......And I Still Fk Everything Up**

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02-16-2009	#2
Keaton H. Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: West Virginia PS3 Network ID: sumdawen2 Posts: 410	ah you mean there is actually someone else in this world that thinks the ps3 is for hardcore gamers lol, im just playin but forreal anyone who says the ps3 is worthless or not worth the money is just hating on it because sony produced it or they are supporting their own console. i have both the 360 and the ps3, and i can honestly say i dont have a problem with either as long as they both hold up and keep workin for me. i like the 360 for halo 3 and have a few other games on it that are great, but i play the ps3 for the rest of my gaming needs and whatever else the ps3 fulfills

02-16-2009	#3
farfus Where the hell is his cane!? Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Texas-Fort Worth PS3 Network ID: zappandthmuthers Xbox Live ID: zappandthmuther Posts: 3,199	Im sure the ps3 is worth it for those who want it. When i want one it will be worth it also! The main thing is i do believe Sony will come out with a less expensive model, like Xbox did this past year, and it will sell a lot more, literally double, probably. Its probably the one system that people are really waiting for a price drop, then they will get it. Especially with the tv high def changeover being put off till June there is no hurry for high def... but i think the ps3 will be doing better when they have a base unit selling in the $299 or less range...

02-16-2009	#4
tlpn99 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Liverpool, England PS3 Network ID: tlpn99 Posts: 907	Keaton you sound like me. That is pretty much why I got the 360 to play the Halo games and since then some 360 exclusives have gone to PS3. The only other reason im glad I got the 360 is for the Gears games I thought they were great to play. I always said as soon as MGS4 comes out I will buy my PS3 as it turned out I think GTA4 was out before it so I had to upgrade my tv to appreciate the high def in gaming etc. I do think were starting to see some excellent stuff for the PS3 now and were not even that far into it's so called life span yet, I cant wait to see what the future is gonna bring for us. My only concern is that I will end up having to buy 2 consoles again for the exclusives like say for example Gears 3 if that come out on the next 360/720 or whatever they wanna call it. I do know I will buy 2 consoles though if I want to play the games out there. It is the parents I feel sorry for they have a kid at Christmas he wants a PS3 say or an Xbox360 then at Easter his mates who have gotten a PS3 at Christmas he wants one or his brother or sister does. They are damn expensive to buy one let alone for 2 kids. I am glad I am old enough to waste my money on what I want now.

02-16-2009	#5
Frenchy17 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Texas PS2 Online ID: Frenchy17 PS3 Network ID: Frenchy17 Posts: 152	I read that article earlier today myself and I totally 100% agree with it. I like the exclusives much better on the PS3, I just go to my buddy's house to play Gears. Everything else I need to play, I play on my PC.

02-17-2009	#8
accord 4 me Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 832	maybe this can get you guys some credit after that whole fiasco? i hope so at least