I’ve come to the conclusion today that I need to stop buying new games. Period!

Fact is that at the moment, I’m just not finding enough time to devote attention to playing through and enjoying the ones I’ve got, never mind playing on Live (damn you Call of Duty 4 and your addictively good multiplayer!!!).  This realisation came about when I ordered three games during the January sales, namely The Godfather, Conan, and Stranglehold.  Games I wouldn’t pay full price for, but seeing as I got all three for around £50 altogether, not bad really.

I happily placed my orders, then next time I switched the 360 on, the pile of unfinished games sitting right next to it stared at me.  They actually did stare, quite unnerving it was too; you’d be amazed how menacing a DVD case can look in the wrong light!

In that pile is Assasain’s Creed, which I’ve only managed to get about a third of the way through; Lego Star Wars Complete Saga in which not even Episode One is finished; Half Life 2: Episode 2, the surface of which has only been scratched; skate., Oh Christ, skate! One of the best skateboard games ever with tons left to do and unlock; Smackdown Vs RAW 2007; the Wii is also waiting for Super Mario Galaxy and Resi Evil 4 to be completed.

My gaming time has (rightfully so) been cut dramatically since the arrival of little Ben, and to be honest this does sound a bit pathetic considering that my son is ever so slightly more important than anything else.  But then I don’t go out on the town anymore, I don’t smoke, maybe watch the occasional DVD or film with the lady.  Gaming is my main past time and the thing I draw most enjoyment from as entertainment in my free time, so I still like to indulge when I can.

And I’ve just added three more games on top of that!  Am I frickin’ mad?

Yes, I can imagine you all nodding away right now in agreement with that last question, but then this isn’t unique to me.  The last few years has I believe, seen an increase in the amount of desirable titles being released within a certain amount of time which brings us game players (I hate the word ‘gamers’, sounds a bit too MTV-generated-label for me) into the age old predicament of which games we choose.  Especially when you’re talking £40/$60 a pop, depending on which side of the pond you’re on.

I suppose the solution is a simple choice of quit gaming altogether (highly unlikely), bite the bullet and sell off those games that I just know I’m not going to get around to playing through properly, or stop buying new ones until I’ve got through the ones I have (we’ll have PS24/7 and Xbox720 by then!).

I wonder what the best price online is for Burnout Paradise right now?…

…Damn it, I’m doing it again!!!

First off I’d like to say I do actually like Stuff magazine. So much so that for the past two years I have given a 12 month subscription of it to a friend who enjoys it just as much as I do, but I have to say I was very annoyed to find, whilst flicking through the November 2007 edition, the front cover screaming about a feature inside called “Superconsole Smackdown - PS3 (in very big letters) vs Wii (in smaller letters) - (You probably get the picture already.)

Now I’d like to add that I probably will get a Wii in the near future - the so-called “pick-up-ability” is phenomenal. My 6 year old daughter picked up the controller to play Bowling on Wii sports during the Christmas period and without any training other than that offered by the game initially she managed to beat me completely. This phenomenon is something no other console can compete with. Yet.

Anyhow, back to main topic, that being Stuff mag’s over-apparent PS3 fanboy-ism.

In the feature itself the PS3 gets an amazing 8 advantages and only 3 disadvantages. Of the eight advantages one of them is the free on-line gaming. Free, yes. I can’t disagree with that. Supported and looked-after, with a continuous feed of cash to keep it going, I think not. Another advantage is that it is backwards compatible with PS2 games. Worth remembering that one. Of the cons, they mention the lack of rumble feature and the cost. Just a little mention though. £425 isn’t too expensive is it? In the list of the nine most wonderful games for the PS3 is apparently Sonic the Hedgehog. Ummmm, a games mag this is not. Then they have a lovely page on Blu-Ray movies. Unfortunately Blu-Ray is slowly dying if the Amazon Christmas hi-def movie sales figures are anything going by.

The next console on the list is the Wii. A snip at only £180, though it’s more recently been found on sale at £169. This console has seven advantages and just four dis-advantages. One of the pro’s is its backwards compatibility with Gamecube games. Another is WiiConnect 24 which means the console updates over the net whilst it’s switched off - nice! This also has a rumble pack oh, and the mag also makes a little mention of the completely innovative control method which for me IS the Wii. Oh, and it also plays DVD’s. For the cons we get the fact that it’s not the most powerful console going and also if you’re a hardcore gamer you might not like swapping control methods again and again. Us human-folk obviously aren’t that intelligent then. Darn it.

Last, and apparently least as far as Stuff is concerned is the Xbox 360.

It has just three advantages - one of which is the sublime gaming experience as the hi-def graphics through the component output is very good. Apparently there are also a wealth of games and xbox live is a superb online experience. For the cons there is no HDMI output - true, until the Elite came along. The fan is a little loud and the power brick is a little large. Yes, I agree with both of these.

The mag thankfully bothers to list six HD-DVD movies that you can get and a staggering THREE games (from the wealth of games the 360 has - see advantages) that you must own. HALO isn’t even mentioned, nor is Bioshock (Didn’t that win some silly little award like Game Of The Year?). COD4, PGR4 (or 3) don’t get a mention either - in fact the games mentioned are Dead Rising, Oblivion and ruddy Table Tennis. Come on Stuff, you’re not even trying here.

One big advantage not even thought of is that it’s just a little more than half the price of the 360. With the cash saved you could get yourself five more full-price games. There is a little mention of the Xbox Live service - the fact you have to pay for it over the PS3’s free service - isn’t even mentioned. They forget to mention the console is also backwards compatible with almost the entire Xbox catalogue and with Xbox Live’s continued updates (because it’s paid for) you can download movies, TV shows and previous Xbox games, via the ‘net.

Unfortunately from the start it was plainly clear which console was going to get Stuff’s “Hot Pick” of the three and it was little surprise that the PS3 won the battle. The 360 is in fact marked with just four out of five stars. The Wii get’s the full five and the PS3 gets five plus the magical ‘Hot Pick’.

In the summing up the 360 gets little praise. Its apparent ‘old-fashioned tactics’ and ‘lack of innovation’ leave the Wii and PS3 to battle it out. The Wii gets a knock for being low-tech. Again the 360 takes a punch from the summing of the Wii as ‘un-inventive’ and apparently could only stand and watch as the Wii’s wireless controllers took on the PS3. (Have they mentioned the PS3 enough?)

The PS3 gets high-praise for being last into the field with its weaponry perfected apparently (lack of rumble feature anyone?) They claim in their summing up that the motion sensitive controller beats the innovative Wii controller hands down as it ‘pitches to the side in an evasive manoeuvre) However they have saved the best to last as the PS3’s blu-ray capabilities ‘cut through the air and the invisible Wi-Fi streams command its media hordes.’ And with that Stuff claim they have their winner.

I doubt anyone can call the PS3 perfect - the only console in my mind to come close is possibly the Wii and only if we’re ready to leave the ‘best graphics = best game’ equation out. The Wii is a next-gen console only because of its controller (which is fantastic) - the claims that the PS3’s controller whilst motion sensitive beats that of the Wii is just preposterous and stupid. It’s almost as good as saying the because the Blackberry 8820 comes with GPS built in it’s better than having a TomTom on your car dashboard. Then we move onto the blu-ray stuff, I think I’ve covered that one. It may be a re-run of Betamax and VHS but I’m afraid the HD-DVD format is winning, the fact that the PS3 is titled as the cheapest Blu-Ray player going should have given the game away really. It’s not bloody rocket science is it?

Then we come to the very last statement. The built in Wi-Fi. I must have been dreaming when the Wii effortlessly connected to the wireless network, seamlessly updating itself overnight. The 360 was a little more tricky and required an adapter, but once connected it works and can also stream movies, images, etc. using the Media Extender, software built into Windows Media Player. (Windows? Isn’t that the OS that most people use? Why yes, it is. Strange that.)

Whilst I’m certainly not paid to be an electronics, gadget or gaming journalist I do like to keep an open mind and believe that the PS3 does have some advantages over the other two consoles but by no means is it as clear a winner as they make out. In my mind the 360 and the Wii bring up the front of the battle with the PS3 following closely behind.

As I said earlier it was plainly apparent from the start which console had already won. The initial paragraph stated that the Stuff magazine crew had been caught up in the PS3 hype and they ‘know just how good it is’. I hope I never see another piece of so blatantly biased journalism again. Unfortunately I know I will. I just hope no-one reads it and takes it as fact. Don’t believe everything you read. Please. (Unless it’s on this blog!)

I’ve got a few minutes spare I thought it only fair to post a little update on here.

So what have I been up to, aside from looking after our gorgeous baby boy?

Gaming wise, I am absolutely loving Super Mario Galaxy on Wii.  There aren’t many times that I find a game lives up to the hype, but this one does.  I’ve been looking forward to it since it was announced prior to the machine’s launch, and I have not been disappointed.

Mario Sunshine was somewhat a marmite game for a lot of people, but I loved it.  My fear was that Galaxy would go the same way, but Miyamoto and his team have hit the nail on the head. This latest installment of Mario has just become the main reason to own a Nintendo Wii.  Then again, if you couldn’t say that about a Mario game on a Ninty console, there would be something seriously wrong!

Admittedly the whole 3D gravity thing is a bit of a head masher to understand, leaving you floundering with the controls, but that is soon overcome after the first few minutes.  That is it’s quickly overcome if you’re playing, as anybody watching can end up quite queasy.  If you suffer from motion sickness then definitely do not watch somebody playing this!

Aside from an occasionally awkward camera positioning, there really isn’t anything I can complain about with it, and would heartily recommend a purchase for any Wii owner.  If you haven’t got a Wii, then go get one damn it.  That is if you can find one during these ’surprising’ shortages.

On a tangent, I’m also looking for a new mobile phone, and gaming TV for my 360.  Too early to know which phone I want as I only started looking yesterday, but as for the TV.

I currently use a 19″ widescreen Samsung TV/Monitor hybrid but want to upgrade to 26″ of widescreen HD lubness.  I’m working through some suggestions from a few of the rather lovely chaps over at Consoles & Conkers, so as and when I have a decision I’ll post up what I get.  Now then, where’s my tape measure to find out if that 32″ one I saw will fit?

You may notice that things are a litle quiet around here at the moment.  With Phil off on his business travels, Paul being completely swamped in real work, and me working on Project BD, posting on here has quietened down somewhat.

The only other thing that’s keeping me busy at home is Xbox Live, as I seem to have got back into Call of Duty 3 online again.  Despite the fact that last night was extremely frustrating as I spent most of my time either being dropped out of games by my crappy connection, or ending up in a room virtually empty or totally full, making tactical play a bloody nightmare.

I still can believe that people who host games on it don’t manage to change the map around.  Sure Eder Dam is a good map, but three plus times in a row!  I still say Fuel Plant is the most shite map available as well.

Maybe I should try Rainbow Six again?

I’m even now considering selling my Nintendo Wii, although my wife wasn’t happy at that thought as she enjoys a bit of Rayman Raving Rabbibs here and there.  However, apart from that, I haven’t played a game on the thing since about two months ago, and not much is drawing me back.  Maybe Paul wasn’t so mad for selling his after all!

Hopefully the next post will be less ’stream of concious’, and more having a point to it.  Why did I start typing this up anyway?

He doesn’t really, least I don’t think he does :s

Paranoia aside, I was the one that nagged him to get Zelda on his now soon to be sold Nintendo Wii.  Dunno why the daft arse actually listened to me in the first place, but I should have shut up after about two minutes of telling him about Zelda :TP.  The key phrase was, “I don’t like Zelda,” but I can go on a bit when I get excited about something.

Sorry dude

I must admit however, that I’m beginning to share Paul’s apathy towards the Wii.  It’s like I’m almost trying to make excuses and feign interest to myself about new games for the system.  Yet I look at the launch line up and can count two titles from memory that peak my interest; Mario Galaxy and Heat Seeker.  Even latter I have reservations about.

As I typed on a forum earlier today, part of me wishes I’d waited 12 months before buying into the new console.  Just a shame I can’t stop the ‘Magpie effect’, as I’ve now dubbed it.  A phrase dictionary entry may read something like:

Magpie Effect - to see a new glitter piece of kit, that promises lots of new things, and cannot be resisted.  Especially when you have money burning a hole in your pocket.

We can’t be the only ones thinking this way, can we?

…still going! Well for about 4 days anyway.

You may recall in this post that I was thinking about getting rid of my Nintendo Wii. The bad news is that I’m actually getting shut. It’s on eBay right this minute. Considering the fact that I’ve used it about 5 or 6 times since I bought it, it’s just been sat there gathering dust since I bought it on launch day. A waste of money to be honest with you.

I’ve played several games on it, including Red Steel (crap), Rayman: Ravid Rabids (not bad) and Zelda (Dunacn, I hate you ). They’ve hardly been out of their cases. Gem is pretty annoyed with me right now, as she actually got it for all of us to play on, but even the kids can’t be bothered either.

Good bye Wii. You have a bloody stupid name, and I just can’t be bothered with you. I’d rather spend the hours trying to find them last few effin’ orbs on Crackdown. And play Call of Duty 3 that my mate has let me borrow for a while.

If you want to buy it, go here.

You probably remember me mentioning buying this one a few days ago.  Well I thought I’d post back and give a few impressions.

Firstly the sound, graphics, all that jazz are quite funky, if sometimes a littel functional and bland at times.  DJ Atomica returns on Radio Big to provide quips (repeated over and over) and musical interludes.  Characters return from previous games like Mac and Elise with a couple of extras added in for variety.

Once again, you have three peaks to conquer, with various challenges to take on including tournaments.  Personally I prefer the the races, as the Big Air type trials are somewhat cumbersome, let down I feel by the control method, but more on that in a moment.

Aside from other competitors on course, the whole thing feels empty, lifeless almost.  Ok, I know you’re on a mountain side and it’s hardly going to be thronging with spectators, but there’s a feeling of isolation that begins to branch into breaking that veil of disbelief suspension.  That I’ve never found in the previous titles and it’s quite an alienating experience.

The biggest difference, and for me almost the biggest problem area, is…..well I bet you can guess what I’m going to say.

Control method. Looking like I’m juggling the controllers when all I want to do is turn and jump off a ramp for some trickage mid-air makes me feel like I’m not really in control of what’s going on. You can still do all the usual spins and grabs, handled by 3D directional control of the Wiimote and Nunchuk respectively, but it just doesn’t feel as fun.  Yeah I know, it sounds stupid doesn’t it!  Here we have a control method that in theory would be great for high speed jinks and trickery down a snowy slope, but I can’t help feeling detached.

I’m enjoying it overall, but I can’t help the nagging feeling that I want to go play SSX 3 instead on the Xbox.  It just doesn’t better that experience sadly.