Reconnecting with my PS3
I work in the same office as one-time PSM editor Stephen Frost. He’s about as hardcore a Sony fan as I’ve ever met – but to his credit, he never talks down the other systems. He simply makes it clear that his favorite systems have always had the word “PlayStation” in their name.
We stood in line together outside of the (now closed) Sony PlayStation store at the Metreon in San Francisco to buy our PS3s. The wait was more than 48 hours…. that’s right, two nights sleeping outside like a bum, just to get our hands on the new machine. I bought it with Resistance, and after all the hype and waiting, found myself underwhelmed. The graphics of Resistance paled in comparison to Gears of War, there was no in game XMB, and all of my friends were on Xbox 360. Adding insult to injury, third party games tended to run more smoothly on Microsoft’s box.
Which meant… since launch, if I’ve had a choice, I have always purchased the 360 version. But now, things are changing.
First off, Sony has almost entirely fixed my issues with how their online service works. I can now access the dashboard at any time, and it’s easier to jump into my friends’ games.
Second, the first party games are really connecting for me. I was really impressed with Killzone 2 (still pushing through it), and I LOVE Infamous… that’s the type of game that I’m thinking of when I’m not playing it. And to top it off, I thought the most exciting game of the E3 show – by far – was Uncharted 2. I can’t wait.
Finally, the third-party games are really starting to show some juice. I just pre-ordered Ghostbusters and Batman Arkham Asylum on PS3 (gotta play as the Joker).
Finally, the PSN store rules. FFVII on PS3 and PSP? Awesome. Truly innovative games like Flower and Fat Princess? Kick Ass.
I still have an affection for Xbox 360, but I’m really starting to like living in PlayStation land.
I actually largely agree with you. I just spent a good amount of time with the PS3 recently (played/completed inFAMOUS), and I haven’t really touched it for gaming in a while before that. The in-game XMB was great and I’m starting to feel more connected to my friends when I’m playing the PS3. This is no small thing to me.
I can’t get past that controller, though. I mean, it’s not HORRIBLE by any stretch, especially with a dev like Sucker Punch who tightens up the looseness found in many games. But I don’t think I’ll ever prefer it to the 360 controller. So I’m not going to start buying cross-platform games on PS3. I’ll be playing it more and more, though.
The present belongs to PS3 too. Have you seen the game lineup of the past 12 months? It far surpasses the 360’s titles in terms of quality.
Whilst the 360 may have more titles, thats because a) it’s been out longer b)it’s becoming a shovelware platform.