The Mad Dog Zone: Favorite F:AT Video Game System

All,

I could never hope to emulate the eminently successful TRASHDOME Mad Dog puts together. But I am curious about what video game system of the big three is everyone's favorite? So the best I can do is to honor Mad Dog... but make this a one-shot affair:

Welcome to the Mad Dog Zone!

So here's my point of curiosity: What is everyone's vote for their favorite videogame system between:

1. Playstation3

2. Nintendo Wii

3. XBox 360


And why?

We own all 3 systems, but my favorite by far is PS3.

The 360 is a great system, especially if you are into playing online multiplayer shooters, which I am not. I prefer playing on my own and just don't get into shooters unless they have a really strong story/single player campaign (a la Bioshock). So, for me, 360 just doesn't have enough platform exclusive non-FPS titles. Fable 2, Castle Crashers and Shadow Complex are great, but PS3's exclusive library of stuff like Infamous, Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, Pixeljunk Monsters, Pixeljunk Eden, Super Stardust HD, Buzz Quiz TV, Little Big Planet and Valkyria Chronicles seals the deal for me. If you look at what Sony has coming next year (God of War 3, Heavy Rain, White Knight Chronicles) vs. what Microsoft does (Alan Wake? Fable 3?), the gap widens. Oh, and it's a Blu-Ray player too.

Wii is a distant, distant 3rd. There are a few nice titles on Wii (Metroid Prime Collection, Mario Galaxy, Boom Blox), and it's nice for family game night, but it there's just not as much happening there as there is on the other 2 systems.

Xbox 360

And why?

I feel XBLA has better titles than PSN, better demo support, and a larger community for online gaming.

Also the lower price point, initially was in favor for the Xbox 360, however, I do now own the PS3 and it's a fine system.

360 also had some exclusives that I was really drawn too.

The Wii is a fine system with some great games, but it's primary audience is not the same type of gamer who is likely to game heavily on a PS3 or 360. There is some crossover appeal for "hardcore" gamers with the Wii, but generally I consider the Wii to simply not be a "true" competitor with the PS3 and 360 as I feel you're looking at different demographics.

Vote: Marvel Heroes

Vote: SNES

Vectrex baby!

Otherwise 360. The interface is nice, and if you compare any aspect of the console against the other two, the 360 wins nearly every time.

(Exceptions: Hardware build quality. Video playback (the PS3 is better). )

Vote: MAME

Aarontu wrote:

Vote: SNES

Exactly. Everybody knows the SNES is the best console of all times.

But, Ryan, if you wanted a purchase recommendation, I personally suggest buying a Wii.

I like Wii, mainly because it's all I have.

But that being said, I do really like the system. The games that are great are _timeless_ great, not just "cool for 2009" great. There are really just a few at that level, but I'll take one SUPER MARIO GALAXY over ten flash-in-the-pan HD games, of which there are MANY. I also like the first party Nintendo franchise titles- PUNCH-OUT, Zelda, etc...and I can't get those elsewhere.

Plus, having grown up with video games, I really enjoy the Wii as an archival system. I've got 70 or so VC games and they're some of my childhood favorites, some that I missed, and some that I've only come to love recently. GUNSTAR HEROES, SIN AND PUNISHMENT, AXELAY, SUPER GHOULS AND GHOSTS, CASTLEVANIA IV, LINK TO THE PAST, SECRET OF MANA, WAVE RACE 64, DONKEY KONG COUNTRY, OGRE BATTLE, CONTRA III, SOLDIER BLADE...so many awesome games. I don't know how many thousands of hours worth of gameplay I've got on there, and I can't imagine a year going by in my life where I don't play through SUPER METROID another time.

When the good HD games come out like that Batman title, BIOSHOCK, FALLOUT 3, SHADOW COMPLEX, LITTLE BIG PLANET, and so on come out I do feel left out and I wish that I could play them. But so what, a great game is a great game no matter when it came out or what system it's on.

When the good HD games come out like that Batman title, BIOSHOCK, FALLOUT 3, SHADOW COMPLEX, LITTLE BIG PLANET, and so on come out I do feel left out and I wish that I could play them.

I have those systems, I don't buy those titles, and I still don't feel left out.

When something like Punch-Out!!! gets released, I run out on Day One and buy it, and I'm almost never disappointed.

My Xbox and PS3 I mostly use to play Gyruss and Dig Dug.

Vote: Wii

The problem I have with Virtual Console is that they're straight up ports of the games from other systems.

In some cases, this is fine, particularly with games that many gamers may not have got to play.

But, then again, I could just download the ROM and play on my PC. I know there is merit to paying developers for their work and the ease of using a gamepad and playing on your tv is something that can not be denied.

I just wish the games were updated in some way - those capable of an update that is.

Take for example the stuff Sega has been releasing from the Genesis on XBLA and PSN.

A lot of these games supported two or more players, such as Gunstar Heroes which was recently released, and now you can play the game, with another person online.

That is a big deal for me.

Particularly as the impetus for multiplayer action is changing from playing a game with 3 or your friends in the same room, to playing a game with three or more of your friends online.

I like the stuff on WiiWare I just wish they had Demos, but Nintendo's online is pretty subpar anyway.

Vote: PC.

I already own one. It can run some great games from just a few years ago, and those games are very inexpensive now. The downside is that I don't have the specs to run the newest games, but I don't feel the overwhelming urge to play the newest games immediately.

SNES for life!

Out of those three it's kinda unreasonable to have Wii in with the other two. It has such a different vibe and for me fills a very different niche. I don't know how I'd compare it to the other two in my mind really. It's definitely awesome though.

Of the other two, I'd go with 360, mostly because Live is just such a great implementation and for me being a dude that grew up always playing games with friends in the living room, it's really great to be able to get a lot of that same feeling with friends that are now spread out all over the place. Both have some exclusives that I'm way into, but at about an equal split. I think Live Arcade has better stuff than PSN though.

A lot of great stuff is also available on PC, which I think is way too often overlooked in the console wars. A lot of the best recent console stuff is on PC (Bioshock, L4D, Portal, Mass Effect), plus there are a bunch of PC exclusives that rule like Civ IV. Not to mention WoW.

It's a great and terrible time to be a gamer. So many great games, but that also means that I end up missing stuff or not playing it as much as I should because there is just TOO much.

Vote: Playstation 3

Here's the scoop. I originally bought Playstation 3 and had to send it back 3 times and I never even played it all that much. The third time Sony sent a replacement I decided to turn the whole outfit back to Gamestop and we picked up a Wii.

I like the Wii games we got: Marble Saga Kornokopia just lures everyone in left and right. My wife loves the Lego games so we have those for her. Plus I am about 2 weeks from becoming a dad for the first time, so I figured the baby could play that because everything is G rated. Super Mario Galaxy is a fun game, BTW.

Turns out that because of our video camera, we needed a Blue-ray player to play the video of our Scotland Trip. So off to the store. The new PS3 is a much better design than the old one...and for $70.00 more.... well why not? Now I own Playstation 3 again. (Even though a lot of my good friends have XBox360.)

So why Playstation 3. The graphics are phenomenal. And the *NEW* games they have coming out seal the deal. Right now I only have one: IL-2 Sturmnovik. An incredible flight game... so far.

But here are some of the upcoming games (some exclusive, some not) that make me vote for it:

F1 2010
Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Castlevania: Lord of Shadows
Uncharted II: Drake's Fortune
Heavy Rain
The Saboteur
Assassin's Creed II

I like Wii. Just more of a party experience without a ton of meat and potatoes. If we we're voting for all time then my vote would be: Intellivision.

PC has been mentioned a couple times. I don't say PC because it's not really a "console". The PC has transcended above and beyond the "console wars" some time ago. It requires a bit of computer-literacy to use, but a good PC does everything that every console does, not to mention all the games that are exclusive or best for PC.

Gimme a keyboard and mouse over a gamepad for any FPS or strategy game!

For the platformers/shmups, there's always USB gamepads and controller adapters.

As far as consoles go, I'm a big fan of the SNES and N64. I also liked PS1 and PS2, though not so much to be a fanboy.