In this feature we’re going to leave all the fanboyism at the door.
Despite the fact that this is a PS3 Web site I do take some pride in knowing that we don’t pander to Sony and certainly don’t pretend Microsoft don’t exist: I personally keep both consoles (and a Wii) at the side of the television and of late it’s the 360 that has seen the most playtime, my recent acquisition of PlayTV notwithstanding.
Why? Perhaps it’s just a case of catching up with all the Xbox games I’ve missed whilst hammering the hell out of the PS3 for the last 12 months, catching up with Gears or getting involved with the whole Community Games angle, or perhaps it’s just nice to have the option to play all the games released.
But such whimsical fence-sitting doesn’t help with this article, which is intended to do just one thing: decide the victor of 2009. Yes, there’s going to be an awful lot of educated guesswork here, because naturally we don’t kn... More »
For years, Sony's PlayStation 2 dominated the hearts, minds, and wallets of consumers everywhere. The competing Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube consoles struggled to stay visible in the shadow of its popularity.
Apart from that success, though, Sony's prominence as an electronics company had been sliding in recent years. The PlayStation brand became its crown jewel.
But when the PS3 came out to compete with the Xbox 360, its steep price (due to the inclusion of a Blu-ray player, a feature many people didn't yet understand or want) and disasterous PR problems led to a much slower start than was expected. Post-launch, Sony failed to emphasize the console's biggest success — highly original indie and casual games available on the PlayStation Network service.
Such affordable and widely accessible games played a part in the PS2's succe... More »
The arguments leveled against Sony's PlayStation 3 when it first launched in late 2006 were both numerous and legitimate. Lack of software - a common refrain at the start of every new generation - led the charge, but the price tag concern wasn't too far behind.
Then, not much later, we started to see the unfortunate trend of poor 360-to-PS3 ports. The reason for this was simple: developers weren't used to the PS3's complex new architecture and in stark contrast, they had a firm grasp of the year-old Xbox 360.
Therefore, we end up with inferior PS3 versions of games like The Orange Box and F.E.A.R., among others. It wasn't long before this caught on and the mainstream buying public would issue two arguments- 1. the PS3 has no games (which we've already laid to rest), and 2. the PS3 version is always worse than the 360 version.
Yep, it's time to drop the hammer on that latter argument, too, because it hasn't been true for most of 2008 and won't be... More »
The XBox 360 had a great year in 2008, featuring a couple of great exclusives in Gears of War 2 and Fable II. In 2009, here are the top 5 exclusive picks:
Halo 3: ODST - Given Microsoft’s complete lack of clarity on their 2009 line-up, the only title that they’re currently (and exclusively) offering in 2009 that I am interested in is Halo 3: ODST. Despite Halo 3 being somewhat of a disappointment to me, I find myself irresistibly excited by the prospect of a new Halo game.
The series still has some kick ass weapons, great maps and fantastic controls to boot—and with it being Bungie developed, it’s a safe bet to be one of the better titles of the year. It certainly doesn’t hurt that it’ll be a budget priced game, either.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope - I’m a sucker for RPG’s, and I’m also a sucker for Star Ocean games. I remember playing the first Star Ocean way back when it was first released. I’ll be truthful in sa... More »
Everyone is asking whether or not 2008 could be considered "the year of the PS3," and while it certainly closed the gap, the system still has a long ways to go from a sales perspective.
And while we're 100% certain the console will have the best exclusives in 2009 (do we really have to list those again?), this is a time for reflection. So...did the PS3 have the best software this year? Did the exclusives outstrip that of the competition?
As for the best games of the year, it had Grand Theft Auto IV, but there's no doubt that the driving software force in 2008 for the PS3 was Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Many will put this up against Gears of War 2 and GTAIV for their Game of the Year pick, and... well, the Wii doesn't even have games, does it?
Yeah. No, it doesn't. So it's a two-horse race for this year, and because most everything is multiplatform these days, maybe it's best to compare the PS3's "Big 3" against the 360's "Big 3."
... More »
(10) 
