The Video Game Critic

In the mid-90's the Atari Jaguar was billed as a cutting-edge 64-bit system, but it never had the games to back up that claim and was mostly ignored.  The PS3 is starting to look like that now.  Yeah, I know it's early (yada yada yada) but I'm not impressed.

Last night I had friends over and we played Virtual Fighter 5 on my PS3 for the first time.  As with most PS3 games, first there was a long, time-consuming "set up" step.  It wasn't installing any firmware this time, but claimed to be "creating user data".  In the past, creating user data took about 2 seconds, but in this case, it actually warned you that "this will take a few minutes".  After that bit of unpleasantness, we discovered a game that looked great but played mediocre, and was saddled with an absolutely horrible user interface.  In order to use a character in the versus mode, you actually had to set up some kind of user account first.  It was a confusing mess and as usual I found myself apologizing for this piece of crap known as the PS3.

I plan on reviewing the game thoroughly, but if first impressions are any indication, the Virtual Fighter series is taking a fall. 

Woah. If this were an Evil Dead movie, what Dave did was like Ash uttering the incorrect words over the Necronomicon in the cemetary......
 
Let the flames begin!
 
My two cents:
 
Ah, no, the PS3 isn't going to be the Jaguar (Sony's own games will make sure that doesn't happen).... but I've always insisted from the beginning that it will be this generation's N64. A more powerful system that is harder to dev for, and will therefore get some good games but won't compete as well against systems that are cheaper and have either better dev tools (Microsoft) or cheaper dev costs (Nintendo).
 
But..... IT IS STILL EARLY!!!! WOOHOOO!!!!! I can't wait until 2009, when the Wii is still outfront (just my prediction, fellas). It'll still be "BUT IT IS EARLY."
 
-Rob

It makes you wonder what Sony's back up plan is. Or do they even have one, when they went "all-in" like this? PS3 was supposed to have a 10 year lifespan and continous upgrades, how big of a user base do they need to keep that on track? I think with the GC we found out how many hardcore Nintendo fans are out there, I wonder how many PS 2 buyers will adopt? Mr Stringer said the "F" - word lately, as in (paraphrae), "if we fail, it will be because we tried to deliver a Mercedes." Well, when your business plan requires a massive user base to pay off, maybe you ae better off building a Volkswagon.
 
Apparently, you do not think you even have a Mercedes yet, Critic, what will it take for you to feel like your purchase has been validated?
 
 

i don't have much experience with the system, so I won't comment, but your remarks had me thinking, when exactly will it not be considered "too early" to give the system a label of success or failure, at least for the time being?  I see no problem with saying that at the present time, it is a failure.  Now, it can certainly redeem itself in the future, but I see no reason why people are always saying it's too early to decide anything, when we can just change its grade when it improves.

No, not the Jaguar, Sega SATURN, Critic!

Like the Saturn, the PS3 is not necessarily a bad next-gen system, but just as PSX had a huge head-start and better games (or the same games) by the time Saturn launched, the Saturn
didn't last very long.

I see PS3's all over the place collecting dust. Everyone I know has or wants X360 or Wii. In my eyes, sony has one chance. very QUICKLY make a "sony Dreamcast", something truly MILES ahead of either competitor and offer exclusive games with it; people gave up on Sega but with the SONY name it could work!

Or they could make a 128X for the PS2!

Looking back at my post there, I was clearly getting overly excited by a double cappucino, so I went overboard a bit. Not so much in my opinion, just the way I expressed it (-:
 
But yeah, I agree with Paul. I'm not sure its too early to deem the PS3 a failure *for the moment*. It failed, at least, to make a big splash and did not have a succesful launch.
 
If marketed very carefully and done correctly, a high price point item can overcome sticker shock. People pay BIG BUCKS for Ipods, when I can buy a little flash enabled mp3 player for fifty bucks that'll do me just fine. But Apple markets *very* well.
 
The PS3's marketing was almost designed to turn people off. That weird weeping baby.... wah?!?!
 
And, let me counter a popular counterargument right here, this old chestnut:
 
Wii caters to moms and grandpas and casual gamers, but the "leet" gamers are the ones actually buying the systems!
 
W R O N G. When I was waiting in line for my Wii shortly after launch, who was waiting in line with me? Moms. Not because they wanted one, but obviously for their kids. Now, think like a Mom for a minute: your kid asks for a new video game system for Christmas (or birthday or whatever). What do you think they will buy? Grandparents buy kids gifts also. Sometimes parents will just buy something outright, no special occasion needed, just because it looks like "fun for the whole family."
 
And at $250, you can afford to purchase one without knowing much about video games: would a parent that wasn't a gamer buy a super expensive game system for their family when they don't know much to begin with? Were many parents buying Neo Geo's back in the day for family entertainment!?!
 
Anyhow, I'm probably really painting myself in the corner as a Wii apologist. I really do genuinely want all 3 consoles to succeed. But it just so happens that I really like what Nintendo is doing this generation, and I'm not afraid to say it out loud. I think what they've done has been great for the industry as a whole. Doesn't make me a fanboy, IMO.
 
To use a sports analogy: College football is always better when Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, Michigan, the Florida schools etc. are competitive and interesting. In baseball, as much as I hate to say it, the sport is more fun when the Red Sox and Yankees are at each other's throats.
 
In other words, now that Nintendo has come back so strong with DS and Wii, the industry is better off. It's more interesting when such a big name is competitive again.
 
-Rob

I will call the PS3 launch a "relative failure".  Its relative because if the Wii wasn't flying off the shelf people wouldn't be claiming the end of Sony so soon...rather they would be focused on Nintendo's latest screwup.

So far Sony is pulling the status quo for there system.  Sony never comes out swinging, but rather they have the endurance to go all the way in a 12 round bout.  I think the Wii is gonna be leading very shortly (summer it will tie the 360 and winter it will pull away).  Eventually the Wii is going to lose steam and after 2 or 3 years I expect the juggernauts to pull within reach.  Price cuts and AAA titles for both the 360 and PS3 will help sell systems.  Nintendo has to stay innovative to keep ahead of the competition.  Microsoft's complete and utter failure in Japan will eventually hurt it and help its competitors.

In short...no the PS3 isn't the Atari Jaguar or the N64.  It will have tons of games and tons of 3rd party support.  Something neither of those systems had.  It already has fun games and it has a handful of bonafide blockbusters as well.  I don't think you can call the system a total failure until all the cards are laid out on the table...The dealer has just dealt and we haven't even gotten to the flop yet.  Each company is holding their cards close to their chest and we don't know who has the ace up their sleeve...

I've said this before, but has an eventual first place system started off this poorly in the past? Don't they normally fly off the shelves like hotcakes?
 
Last month I was very optimistic about the PS3... but a month later I see tons of Wii titles being announced and the Xbox 360 stealing exclusives.
 
If the Wii offers innovation and a party atmosphere and the 360 delivers on "kick-assery" and excellent online, what is gonna be Sony's saving grace? First party games? That sounds like 3rd place Nintendo from last generation.
 
Lair, God of War 3.................. Killzone. Resident Evil 5. It could still happen for Sony, but my optimism is shrinking. I hope they pull it around.
 
Mr. Suitmaster X

I am willing to make a prediction.  If (remember, this is an if) the PS3 continues to underperform and is labeled a failure in the end, it will be entirely the fault of Sony's handling of th PSP.  Now, before anyone starts anything, I am not saying the PSP is a bad piece of hardware, or that it doesn't have a solid library now.  What I am saying is that with things like the "all I want for Xmas" thing tarnishing the system going into it second Christmas, and with the early focus on UMD, and the slow to build library of good exclusives, and general poor marketing once the system hit, I think Sony is the main reason this thing is in a distant 2nd place.  I believe that will be the main reason for poor PS3 performance for one reason: the Nintendo DS.

Think about it. 

If the PSP had destroyed the DS, the Playstation brand would have become even more synonymous with videogames.

If the DS had done poorly it would have made Nintendo look weaker going into the Wii launch.

If the DS had failed, the gaming press and then the public would not have given the Wii a chance of succeeding, and it would have been impossible for Nintendo to spin any good press about the Wii.  I mean, the DS and Wii share te same philosophy, who'd believe it would work for the Wii if it hadn't worked for the DS?

If the Wii had consequently done poorly out of the gate, the PS3 would likely look much better during its launch, because it wouldn't be being compared to a sales juggernaut.

If the DS had sold poorly, it would be a no-brainer that the next Dragon Quest (THE franchise in Japan) would have been on a Sony system.

If the DS had not turned Japan back into a Nintendo paradise, then Sony would have the Japanese market mostly all to itself with consoles again this generation.  I know Japan isn't the biggest market, but with so many developers there it's an important one, and besides, completely owning one of three markets goes a long way toward profitability.

Thus, the handling of the PSP has been Sony's biggest screw up, mainly because they had a chance to, and did not kill (or at least severely injure) the DS when they had the chance.