by EmperorJeramyu » Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:43 pm
Just got back from long visit to the local Gamestop. Got a chance to play both the PS3 and the Wii.
PS3:
The menu system was really weird. It came off as very impersonal. Selecting a game was easy enough.
The first game I played was NBA 07. The first thing I saw after the uncomfortably long load time was a control explanation with about 90000 button explanations. The controls were different for both offense and defense, and given the 2000 buttons on the controller, it was really much too complicated. Once I started up the game, I had to sit through an unskippable and boring introduction. Finally, the game started. As I mashed on the buttons, I came to a realization: I wasn't actually playing. Yes, after trying to memorize all those buttons, and sitting through the introduction, I was treated to watching two computers play against each other.
This did give me a time to check out the graphics. They were really good, TOO GOOD. Seriously, every player in this game is permanently drenched in glistening sweat (despite only having had played for 3 seconds), and their uniforms are apparently made of water, since they were constantly shaking and waving around in a COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC MANNER. So much for realistic graphics.
Eventually the game decided to let me play, but I couldn't remember all of the controls, so it was kind of a struggle. Also, the game apparently hid from me that I was playing two player, so my brother had to pick up the other controller. In his words "I think the shoulder buttons give you penalties".
Ok, so that was only one game. I decided to give the other one a shot. Some racing game called "Motostorm" or something. After the long load times, I selected from the "Massive Damage" race category, as opposed to the other one, which was like "Vehicular homicide" or something. As I pushed on the accelerator at the start of the race, I couldn't help but notice "Wow, this game uses a LOT of motion blur. Yeah... a lot... Ok... Yeah, real life ISN'T THIS BLURRY.". The car was kinda sluggish, but I sorta got used to it. Then I crashed my car, which is SUPER AWESOME. Your car literally breaks into a billion distinct pieces, and it's even better if you overheat your turbo, because then your car just explodes. Sadly, crashing is probably the only really fun part of the game.
As I was flying over a jump, I saw a sign with an arrow on it. I slammed on the breaks , and curved. The back of my car BARELY scraped the bottom of the sign. Then my car blew up. Another realization dawned on my: the environments in this game aren't destructible in any way at all. Not even the smallest, flimsiest looking piece of scenery would even MOVE if you slammed into it at a billion miles per hour. Just... wow. The graphics were good, but the game was just poop, except for the crashes. I also ended up driving a dirt bike too, and wouldn't you know it, the driver was female, wearing a skin-tight suit with a very distinct line for her ass crack.
Finally, the two guys who were whoring the Wii for like an hour left, and I got my chance.
Nintendo Wii:
The controller was nice and comfy in my hand. The menu screen was vibrant and very descriptive of what I could select. Navigating the menus was easy enough, and I booted up the game they had there: Excite truck.
This game is a blast. It's super fun, even if all you're doing is crashing like every 4 seconds like I was at first. It took me a few races to get used to the control, but after awhile it seemed totally natural. The steering was responsive and intuitive, and the game was just fun. Soon I was racking up tons of points for doing ridiculous jumps, driving through the forests, and crashing into other drivers. It's definitely tricky to hit jumps at the right angles to get through all the rings in the air, but doing turbo jumps is just awesome. I raced along with some other guy, and it was great. It may have felt a little like a tech demo, but for as cheap as it was, I'd say it's worth it for a launch game. Unfortunately, the store closed just as I was really getting into it. The graphics were not astounding, but who cares? It's fun!
Conclusion: Playing the Playstation 3 felt very dull and too familiar. The Wii was new and interesting, and the mechanics (as far as I could test them) of the controller work great. I think I'm going to be spending a lot of time at Gamestop from now on...
"Unfortunately, the dragon only speaks in Napalm, a curious ancient language that you don't really need to speak to understand."