PS3: First Impressions
by Scott Hardie on December 9, 2006
On Tuesday, which happened to be Denise's birthday (we celebrated the night before), an acquaintance sold me a brand new Playstation 3 and I hit Best Buy to choose carefully from among the whopping half-dozen titles available. When I unpacked the system with a friend, I found it to be much bigger and heavier than I expected, but it's sleek and doesn't have any buttons; you just wave your finger over it to turn it on. The far left edge of the screen is cut off on my TV set, since the system doesn't include any display-centering option, but I hope to figure out a solution. Wireless controllers are a godsend, even if I'm disappointed to continue playing on the same lousy controller design from twelve years ago. Our first game was Tony Hawk's Project 8, which is more or less the same as any other game in the series, although I had a lot more trouble than usual getting and keeping my skater up to full speed. Eventually we got bored and switched to Call of Duty 3, my first time playing that series, and holy cow what a game. If you like action, it throws you into an immersive experience not unlike the opening of Saving Private Ryan, with violence all around you. I also picked up Marvel Ultimate Alliance to play later but I don't have high hopes for it, not liking the X-Men Legends series much.
While I'm eagerly looking forward to more games to come out, I don't really mind the lack of games available now. I didn't buy this system within weeks of launch because I just couldn't wait, I bought it because I knew this was the only opportunity I was going to get until sometime in 2008. I'm still slowly working my way through Elder Scrolls on Xbox 360 and Guitar Hero II on PS2. My overall impression of the PS3 so far is exactly what I expected: It's a powerful and expensive system that plays exactly like the PS2, and does not deserve the preeminent status that it enjoys over its much more innovative competitors from Microsoft and Nintendo.
As for the Blu-Ray player, I have yet to try it, but I'll rent some Blu-Ray discs from Netflix sooner or later. The system came with Talladega Nights but even as slim as my 2006 movie viewing has been, I'm not sure I can bring myself to watch it; the previews look so bad. I only have a regular TV anyway – HD can come later, after I track down a Wii.
St Pete gaming group: Want to come down on a Saturday night? I didn't buy all this to play it alone.
One Reply to PS3: First Impressions
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
What I Did on My Christmas Vacation
The last week and a half was some of the most fun I've had in a long time, and a much-needed vacation. I tend to take many short weekend trips each year rather than one long break, but it feels so good to be rejuvenated and rested for a change. "Christmas" came on Sunday the 23rd, dinner with my mom and Santa's usual generosity all around. Go »The Honeymoon
After our wedding, it was time for Kelly and I to enjoy our honeymoon: Ten days in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the coastline between them. We (really I, with Kelly's signoff) spent weeks researching and scheduling to pull it off, and the effort was definitely worth it, as we had ten days of bliss. We rode new rides at Disneyland, toured a movie studio and historic ship, saw whales and dolphins up close, ate lunch atop a mountain, hiked among the redwoods, explored Chinatown and Alcatraz, and along the way ate some amazing food. Go »Spiders on Drugs
Thanks, Aaron. (link) Go »Can't Blog Now...
....Must play Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion! I finally understand why they called that earlier game "EverCrack." Go »R.I.P. Bob
My friend and former co-worker Bob, who provided us with jerky at GooCon: Siesta Key, recently passed away of a sudden illness. He was a quirky dude, occasionally given to hostile pranks, but usually a delightful and friendly presence whenever he saw you. I don't know how much his service in Vietnam warped him, but he definitely wasn't like anyone else I knew, prone to making weird jokes and unexplained connections between ideas. Go »
Aaron Shurtleff | December 11, 2006
As the gaming group representative for Sony, I say, "Hell, yeah!!!"
And, while I could comment on the PS3 issues, I will not do so for now. But it would be nice of you to give the PS3 some time. :)