So, this week I didn’t really get much to review as far as games go. What little i did receive, i received kind of late into the week, and thus never got a chance to accurately review. So, next week, you have a few reviews of games (and actually, some DVDs too) to look forward to, but as for this week…

Well, i figured i’d take a moment to talk about the impending Console Wars. As i’m sure most of you out there who read my column know, there are not one but TWO systems coming out this holiday season. The Playstation 3 is due out on November 17th, and the Nintendo Revo…erm, i mean the Nintendo Wii is due out before Thanksgiving. Both systems are offering something new as far as the “next generation” of gaming is concerned, but each has vastly different ideas of what exactly that might be.

The Playstation 3 is taking steps, as of this May’s E3, to distance itself from being “just” a video game system. Now that consumers have been hit with the extraordinary sticker shock of the system’s price, Sony Playstation creator Ken Kutaragi claims that the system is in actuality a “computer” rather than a gaming system. Sure, this sounds good on paper, but let’s be honest here, you’re just trying to save your ass from further explanation as to why your new system is $600. Sure, if they didn’t include the Blu-ray technology it would probably cost around $300 less, but that’s neither here nor there. Most folks out there don’t want to spend six hundred clams on a game system…no matter HOW hardcore they are. Plus, it seems that the delays in the system’s release haven’t been for any one real reason other than they seem to be trying to see what the competition is doing. For example, Ninendo’s controller has movement sensitivity, so what does Sony do? They add gyros to the controller, offering “six directions of movement…all without external sensors”…an obvious dig at Nintendo’s neccessary reflective strips to pick up signals from it’s “Wii-mote”. They also returned to the old controller style, after most who saw the old “batarang” style controller threw up in thier cornflakes. Finally, they seemed to be lying in wait to see how Xbox 360 would fair…would thier launch be a good one, what kind of graphics would be available…and would thier HD-DVD drive be used for games or JUST HD-DVDs, considering HD-DVD is the nearest competition to Sony’s Blu-Ray format.

And now that we mention it…since Blu-ray is such a new technology, the price of games is going to increase as well. Most who bothered to lay down the coin for the Xbox 360 recognize the ten dollar increase from $50 to $60 for their new next gen games, but rumor has it that for the PS3, game prices could range from $50 to $100 for individual titles. Why? Because it’s so costly to make a Blu-ray disc, apparently. Sure, it has amazing storage power, and most games that are often multiple discs could be contained on one Blu-ray disc, but the price increase it just another thing to draw folks back from investing in the system.

The final straw to break the camel’s back here? For me most of all, it’s about games. So far from what I’ve seen, there is very little coming to PS3 that impresses me. Sure, METAL GEAR SOLID 4 has me sporting some major nerd wood, but beyond that, there’s very little to get my motor purring. The graphics output from the system, while impressive, doesn’t seem to me to be much difference between what we can now see on Xbox 360. And now that developers and publishers are trying to shy away from console exclusive titles, both PS3 and 360 will have the same games on either console. In fact, as it stands, of the 25 or so launch titles for the PS3, only five are actually exclusive, and they’re first party Sony produced and published titles (and aren’t really all that impressive…I mean, who’s really clamoring for GENJI 2?). We won’t see a decent game for the system until roughly February or March when Sony’s HEAVENY SWORD or Ubisoft’s ASSASSIN’S CREED drop (though, once again from the rumor mill, AC may not be PS3 exclusive for much longer anyway). It’s these reasons that has me doubting that i’ll be picking up the system this November, and possibly just waiting on it entirely until both A) I have the scratch to drop on the system and B) that there’s something worth playing on it…that i can’t get anywhere else. MGS4, I’m looking your way.

So, that leaves us with the Nintendo Revolution. Now, I know i’m not the first to say this, but I have to put it out there in my column. I hate the name WII. In fact, I refuse to even CALL it the Wii. It looks like they misspelled Wifi. It sounds…well…Wii-tarded. I can just see the ad campaign coming now… “What are you off to do today Jake?” “I’m going home to play with my Wii!”. Parents will be sure to pick it up after they hear that.

And get this…in the press release that Nintendo issued to reveal the name, they said they chose it (and that bizarre spelling) because it’s pronounced “We” no matter what language you speak. Sure, unless you’re American. No, i’m not saying it’s pronounced something differently in America it’s just…well, let’s admit it. Many Americans…we’re not the sharpest peanut in the turd. I’ve worked retail. I’ve met them. I know there’s going to be every third parent coming up to request a new Nintendo “Why”. It’s going to happen, and I’m going to be unable to stop myself from pointing and laughing.

Still, from the two systems due this year, the REVOLUTION (remember, I refuse to reffer to it by it’s other name) has me the most excited. It’s not just the prospect of the new ZELDA game…it’s how we’ll PLAY that ZELDA game. The controller scheme from the Revolution version of the game (released on the same day as the Gamecube version..as well as the Revolution system itself) includes the ability to shoot arrows with the controllers, fish by actually casting a line, and thrusting your sword around. For once, beyond DDR, games may actually be a workout! Not to mention that the graphics are a great improvement over the standard Gamecube.

But as I’ve said before, it’s not even about graphics for Nintendo. There’s no interest with them to compete with the big boys this time around. For the Big N, “next gen” means playing video games in a new way. Graphics can get shinier, but that’s no innovation. The first innovation was from different colored dots on the Atari’s and Commodors to more sprites and 8-bit and 16-bit graphics. Then the move from 2D to 3D. Now…we just have HD 3D? Nintendo says nay. Next innovation should be to truly make games interactive…and the Revolution is just that.

Sure, they have the games to back it up, too. Each title that’s been announced for the system has me excited. SUPER MARIO GALAXY, SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL, RED STEEL, TONY HAWK’S DOWNHILL JAM, PROJECT H.A.M.M.E.R., EXCITE TRUCK…I’m thrilled to peices to see and play these. Plus, the Virtual Console, where you’ll be able to download NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis and Turbo Grafix 16 games, as well as being backwards compatible to the Gamecube discs? Sign me up this November for one of these. The rumored $250 price tag certainly helps too.

Sure, these are just my opinions, but i’m sure i make sense to some of you out there. Why don’t you drop me a line and let me know what YOU think, dear gamers, of the upcoming systems? Hit me up at RandomHajileSN@aol.com and share your opinions.

Then next week, i’ll try to post them…along with the normal review crap. ‘Til then, friends…

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