Playstation 3 - My Impressions

Okay, I've had my Playstation 3 system now for a little over a week and I thought I would share my early impressions of the system. I ended up getting the 20GB model, mainly because the Wi-Fi wasn't a priority and I plan on adding a larger hard drive later anyway. Okay so I liked the all-black look better, so sue me. I also picked up Ridge Racer 7 and Resistance: Fall of Man on launch night as well. I've put about 30 hours into the system playing these two games as well as trying out some of my older Playstation and Playstation 2 games, not to mention trying out some blu-ray movies. If you've visited any of the various PS3 message boards, you'll know that not only are the Playstation 3 systems in extremely short supply, but those who've been lucky enough to get their hands on one have some strong opinions about how the system itself performs. Now I'm going to tell you what I think of the Playstation 3 system so far.

After taking some time to figure out how to get the Playstation 3 to recognize my Monster HDMI cable, I got things rolling. I played about 3 hours each of Resistance and Ridge Racer 7. Graphically the games were nice, but I think my expectations were a little too high, as they didn't "wow" me the way I had hoped they would. But I do realize these are launch games, and things are only going to get better from here. Despite the fact that I was hoping for a new controller, the Sixaxis controller gets the job done, but it's very light in your hands and does feel a little weird right at first. You'd think Sony could have at least changed the form of the controller a little bit, but I guess after the backlash they got over the now-famous "Boomerang" controller, they decided not to take any chances. The system itself is a whopper, and pretty heavy at that. I was originally going to put it on top of my Zektor component switcher, but after sitting it on top of it, I decided not to push my luck and I situated the PS3 vertically next to it.

I got my Nintendo Wii two nights later and I'll admit, it's hogged a lot of my time ever since, but that also says a lot about how disinterested in the PS3 I've become. To be honest, I've spent most of my time playing Tales of the Abyss for the PS2 and watching blu-ray movies on the PS3. I haven't even played either of my PS3 games since the Saturday afternoon before I went to pick my Wii up at midnight. Now rest assured, I have no doubt that the Playstation 3 system is going to have some outstanding games for it, and I'm excited about it. It just might be awhile. Thankfully I have my Wii and Xbox 360 to keep me busy in between intervals of great PS3 releases. That and lots of blu-ray movies, of course. Overall I'm not to impressed with the Playstation 3 launch, given the huge lack of consoles available and the low-quality of the launch titles. The one thing that keeps me going is knowing that the Playstation 2 launch didn't thrill me much either, yet I now have over 70 PS2 games in my collection, most of which I'd never part with. It's only been a bit over a week, but my rating of the Playstation 3 system so far would be about a 6.5. Let the flaming begin. : )

Wario Ware Smooth Moves - Wii

If there's one title I'm really looking forward to for the Wii, it's got to be Wario Ware Smooth Moves. I've owned every single game in the Wario Ware series, and I've loved them all. There's just something about those rapid-fire mini-games coming at you at a hundred miles an hour that's just so addictive. And imagining what those games will be like using the Wii Remote is exciting, to say the least. Wario Ware Smooth Moves is set to be released on December 13th, and it's definitely a title you should put on your wish list for Christmas. I'll have a more in-depth preview up sometime next week complete with some new screenshots of the game in action. Until then, enjoy the beautiful pink cover art for the game.

Wii Preview - Super Swing Golf

After spending about 10 hours on Wii Sports Golf already, I have to admit, Super Swing Golf has me excited. I even went in to Gamestop today and put down a reserve on this game. Super Swing Golf is set to be released on December 13th in the US and this game is looking to be amazing. Not only are the visuals in the game absolutely spectacular, but word has it that the gameplay is just as great. Building on some of the swing mechanics found in Wii Sports Golf, Super Swing Golf takes the standard game of golf and turns it into an arcade style experience complete with over-the-top type golfing holes.

My only realy complaint with Wii Sports Golf is the fact that there are only 9 holes. Super Swing Golf looks to take care of that and then some. Not only are there tons of courses, but some are downright insane looking. You can take a look at the screenshot of the game in action to the right and see what I'm talking about. Super Swing Golf is pretty much a cross between Mario Golf and Hot Shots Golf with a nice coating of Wii play control to top it off just right. If you like Wii Sports Golf, you might want to get down to your local video game retailer and reserve this one. It's looking to be quite the hot little title for December.

Wii Sports - Ranking the Games

After spending about 14 hours with Wii Sports, I've decided to rank the games in the package and give a few impressions of how they each stack up. I can safely say that I have played Wii Sports way more than any of the other 5 Wii launch titles I bought, and this is one solid pack-in. Having said that, the package isn't perfect and there is one stinker in the group that's about to be weeded out. Read on.

1. Wii Golf - If there's one game in the Wii Sports package that I just can't put down, it's Wii Golf. Maybe it's the simplicity of the game, or maybe it's just the realism the game features, I just can't seem to put a finger on it. But of all the games in this package, this is the best of the bunch. It was a tough call between this one and number two, but Wii Golf is still my favorite. And I don't even like golf in real life. 9.2

2. Wii Tennis - As I said, it was a close call. Wii Tennis is about as much fun as you can have if you've got a couple of people to play with. Wii Golf is the best single player game in the package, but Wii Tennis wins out with multiple players. Swing mechanics are very life-like and realistic, and the game gets really challenging as you progress further along in the rankings. If you're going to throw a gaming party, Wii Tennis will likely steal the show. 9.0

3. Wii Bowling - Wii Bowling is another gaming party must-play. It's about as close to real bowling as you can get without having to rent the smelly shoes. The mechanics are very realistic, and the game also features a lot of game play considering it's a simplistic part of a pack-in. Even the sound effects in the game are very true-to-life. As far as multi-player goes, this one is right behind Tennis as far as fun goes. 8.8

4. Wii Baseball - Here's where the fun begins to rapidly drop off. Don't get me wrong, Baseball is fun, there's just not much to it. You basically only get to pitch and bat. And pitching isn't very deep as far as gameplay goes. The control is a bit too touchy when you're batting, and a bit too non-existent when you're pitching. This is one of the Wii Sports games that you'll likely play a few times and then not touch again. It's still decent, but it needed a little more work. 6.5

Wii Boxing - This is the "stinker" I mentioned above. This game has horrible control and isn't much fun to play at all. This game had some potential, as you'll see in the few brief decent moments the game has in it, but they're few and far between. In all honesty this game shouldn't have even been included in the package as it's no fun at all. Just be thankful it's part of, what is otherwise, an amazing sports game package. My advice is stick to the other 4 games in the package and leave this one alone, unless you just like being tortured with non-responsive play control. 3.0

In the end, Wii Sports proves that each of these games has a lot of potential as far as full-version games go. I know the Wii Sports Golf has made me very excited about Super Swing Golf for the Wii. It's supposed to offer a much deeper play experience and builds heavily on the control system used in the Wii Sports version. I hope other developers follow suit and created upgraded versions of each of these games. But for now, Wii Sports should keep sports fans busy.

Pepto-Bismol PSP

Man they weren't kidding when they said this new Sony PSP was pink. It's pink and then some. I have to admit, it's a much deeper and brighter shade of pink than the DS Lite color. I was afraid I wouldn't like it since my wife got the pink DS Lite and I wasn't too impressed with the color of pink it was, but this pink PSP is a beauty. I'll have some more pics of my pink PSP tomorrow for anyone interested.

Some fun stuff coming on Black Friday!

My pink PSP system is coming via UPS tomorrow and I'm going to snap a bunch of pics of it and let you know how I like it. I'm also going to rank the Wii Sports games and tell you which ones are worth playing and which ones needed a LOT more work. Should have the posts up by about 7pm CST tomorrow evening.

Get it or Forget it? - Wii Virtual Console Games

I'm a big fan of classic video games. Maybe that's the reason that until recently I still had 8 classic systems connected to my TV. But with the introduction of the Wii and its Virtual Console, I'm hoping that I can safely pack away the classic systems and get my old school gaming fix from the Wii's Virtual Console. Needless to say, the night I got my Wii, the first thing I bought was four (4) 2000 Point Wii cards and I didn't waste any time before downloading all of the available Virtual Console games. I've played them all for about an hour, but I've beaten all of them before anyway, so it was mainly a refresher course than anything. At present time, there are 13 classic games available for download, and today I'm going to give you my impressions on the games and let you know which ones are worth getting, and which ones are worth forgetting.

Altered Beast (Genesis) - I loved this game in the arcades years ago, and was thrilled to see it as the pack-in game when the Sega Genesis system went on sale here in the US. I bet I spent days trying to beat this game, and it's always been one of my favorites. I'll admit that the game just didn't age very well, and although it might have been impressive back in the day, the game just doesn't hold up very well in 2006. If you're a diehard fan of the game, go ahead and grab it, but otherwise, you might want to pass on this one. [FORGET IT]

Bomberman '93 (Turbografx 16) - Bomberman is another game series I've loved for a long time. It's the ultimate party game. Bomberman 93 represents the best version of the game on the TG16 system and the Virtual Console version looks and plays perfectly. Whether you're a Bomberman fan or not, you owe it to yourself to pick this game up and then throw a Bomberman party. Because even all these years later, this is still one of the best multiplayer games out there. [GET IT]

Bonk's Adventure (Turbografx 16) - Anyone that owned a TG16 system years ago surely remember the cranky caveman Bonk. No one could forget the smoke pouring out of Bonk's ears each time he gulped down a peice of spicy meat. While some complain that the controls are a bit stiff, this is still one of my all-time favorite platformers. Of all the VC games I've played so far, Bonk's Adventure looks the best. Beautiful and vibrant colors and smooth scrolling make this one good looking classic game. Fans of the series will definitely want to grab this one off the VC, and gamers who never got a chance to experience Bonk's Adventure the first time around need to get it as well and see what they missed out on. [GET IT]

Donkey Kong (NES) - Donkey Kong was and still is one of my all-time favorite arcade games from the 80's. Very few games in history have taken more of my hard-earned money than this one. I'd have no problem picking this as the best of the VC so far if this weren't the chopped-down NES version of the game. For some strange reason, the "Cement Factory" level was not included in this version and I've never gotten over it. This would have been a near-perfect arcade port if this level had been included, but as it is, Donkey Kong for the NES just doesn't hold up missing this level. [FORGET IT]

F-Zero (SNES) - F-Zero was one of the many showcases for Nintendo's SNES "Mode-7" graphics capabilities. The game used the scaling and rotation to the limits and also showed a great amount of speed. The game took the Mario Kart type racing into the future and came up with one of the gems of the Super NES launch period. The only problem is that this game hasn't aged well at all and just doesn't have that "wow" factor anymore. With that being said, the gameplay just doesn't have enough without the awe-inspiring visuals to make me give it a recommendation. [FORGET IT]

Mario Bros. (NES) - Mario Bros. is another arcade game that took my lunch money daily in junior high school. Not only was the game outstanding as a one-player experience, but when you played the game cooperatively, it became even more fun. The NES version is near arcade-perfect and still one of the best Nintendo arcade titles from the 80's. The graphics are getting a bit dated and the fact that this game was basically included with each and every Super Mario re-release on the Game Boy Advance system, it's kind of hard to recommend this one. If you haven't played the GBA versions of the game to death, you might pick this one up for old time's sake, but otherwise this one's been done enough. [FORGET IT]

Pinball (NES) - I have to admit, I have a soft spot for video pinball games. I bought this game for my NES years ago and played it until I thought my thumb was going to fall off. You're basically either a pinball fan or you're not, but if you are, this is one well-done video pinball experience that you don't want to miss. It's not Devil's Crush, but it's still a lot of fun, especially as a "pick up and play" game. The graphics are looking a bit dates, but what NES game's graphics aren't at this point. [GET IT]

Sim City (SNES) - To be honest, I was never a big fan of this game series to begin with. I've tried to get into it, but to no avail. The graphics on the game are substandard, and even the gameplay doesn't really grab me. I may come back to it later on and give it another go, but for now I just can't find enough reasons to pick this one up unless you're just a big fan of the game itself. [FORGET IT]

Soccer (NES) - I borrowed this game from a friend years ago and I hated it. I don't say that about many games, but I just didn't find one thing about this game I liked. Not only am I not a big soccer fan, but there are tons of other soccer games out there that are way better than this one. Of all the VC games I've downloaded, this one is my least favorite. And by a pretty significant margin as well. [FORGET IT]

Solomon's Key (NES) - Now here's an off-beat title that deserves your time. Think of this as a puzzle platformer with a twist. It's one of those addicitve kind of games that once you start playing, it's hard to put it down. You have to find the key and unlock the door in the room. This starts off very easy, and soon increases in difficulty. As simplistic as the game is, control-wise, it's one of the most addictive games you'll likely encounter. For some reason the game has always reminded me of the NES game "Legacy of the Wizard" with its' look.If you like something a little different, this is your game. [GET IT]

Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) - What else needs to be said about Sonic the Hedgehog. This is one of the greatest platformers of all time, and single-handedly sold millions of Sega Genesis systems. The game still looks and plays great, even all these years later. There is a small amount of slowdown in some places, but that's to be expected given the lack of the blast processing of the Genesis system. Overall this is one of the best VC games so far and a must-have for any fan of old-school platormers. [GET IT]

Super Mario 64 (N64) - THE best VC game so far and one of the greatest games ever made. This game was what the Nintendo 64 system was all about and it was also one of the first 3-D platformer/adventure games ever made. The game looks absolutely stunning on the Wii in progressive scan and is a testament to just how powerful the N64 system really was, even early on. If you love video games, you absolutely must own this game. [GET IT]

Wario's Woods (NES) - This is a great little puzzle game in which the more you play it, the more you WANT to play it. It's nothing terribly original, it's just fun. If you appreciate a fun puzzler, this is a dandy. But if you're expecting a Wario Land type game, you might want to look elsewhere. [GET IT]
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Got My Wii...

Got my Wii at midnight on the 19th and I've been playing it ever since. I'm going to give some reviews of the 4 Wii games I purchased: Rayman Raving Rabbids, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, and ExciteTruck as soon as I have some more time to put into them. Tomorrow I'll be putting up my Virtual Console shoppers guide which lets you know which Virtual Console games are worth purchasing and which ones are not. And I should know, I've downloaded every single one of them. : )

The Holy Grail of the Wii?

It would seem so if you ask many HDTV owners who've been clamoring for months now trying to make sure they'll have the component cables they need in order to connect to their HDTVs and get the 480p widescreen output. I bugged Nintendo until they sent all the people that had been emailing a letter the other night letting us in on an "exclusive" offer to buy the component cables ahead of time. Well word quickly spread and the phone lines at Nintendo's online store were flooded with people trying to order the cables. In truth, some got through and some didn't. I got my cables today via UPS so I'm set for tomorrow night's Wii launch. I'll post plenty of Wii pics and impressions tomorrow night late.

My Gaming Rig.....

It's been a long time coming, but I finally got my digital Cybershot camera back from the repair shop today so I finally snapped a pic of my new gaming rig. This setup is for the next-gen systems: Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3. I have the Wii and PS3 preordered and should have them both by Sunday. I'll snap a new pic then. The LCD HDTV is a Samsung white 40" model LN-S4052D. It's a beauty. I also got the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player the other day and King Kong looks wicked in HD. The Dolby 5.1 speaker system is a Logitech Z-5500 and let me tell you, worth every penny. I watched The Empire Strikes Back the other night and I swear during the snow speeder scene it sounded like a 747 buzzed my house. The component/Dolby 5.1 switcher is a Zektor and is also worth every cent of the $250 it cost me. No video or audio signal loss at all. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away.

Sony PSP - All New Colors!

Sony's obviously taken a page out of Baskin Robbins' book and added three more PSP flavors for Japanese gamers. Not only can you get the traditional black and white PSP systems, but starting in November, Sony will be releasing a new PSP color every couple of weeks. The pink PSP system will debut on November 22nd followed by the silver PSP on December 14th and then the blue PSP a week later. No word yet on whether or not these new colors will make it to US shores, but considering we've yet to see an additional color so far here in the US, it's not looking terribly likely. I've preordered a pink PSP from Play-Asia and I'll post pics the day I get it.