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Who, in your opinion, is the best company of the big three?

Sony fanboy here.

Nintendo, easily. They make the most innovative hardware and they make the best games, both historically and in the present.

Neither

All are bad.

Used to like Microsoft but after Windows 8 and Xbox One I'm not so sure about that. Each company is in deep stinky pile of brownish substance. Would love Sony though, if they redesign PS controllers.

Because in the end, all three companies want money.

But it's funny about Win 8. For years, people wanted MS to change Windows and they did, and now the same people want MS to change Windows back.

People are stupid like that.

The big 3 have all disappointed me in the past, but I think Sony is the one saving face right now. Although MS did go back on their policies. Still a little pissed they brought them up in the first place. Nintendo...well I don't know what to say about them. I feel like Nintendo has abandoned me.

I think it would go something like

Sony - Don't really remember what pissed me off so much. Oh wait...yeah that 600 dollar price tag. That was ridiculous. Other than that I'm cool with how Sony has managed itself over the years. PS Plus giving 2 free games per month was brilliant and it makes me completely salty/jelly. PS4 is being handled well.


Xbox - Few decisions here and there that pissed me off, but nothing too bad. Decisions like rising the price of live because of stupid netflix and applications I can get for free on my PC. The original Xbox being tossed aside like a used condom is still a sore spot.

Nintendo - Nintendo has consistently managed to piss me off each generation. They refuse to keep up with the hardware of the competition and it pisses me off. I can appreciate their wiimotes and 3D 2 screened handhelds, but most of that stuff just is not for me. I am not a graphics whore(well i am but not to the point of hating a game) but I'm just salty about how Nintendo games are lagging behind and the lack of 3rd party support seals the fkn deal. Those 2 could be easily fixed if they stopped being so dense IMHO.

I don't pick favorites. I just go with what works the best each generation.

I suppose that is my stance, but I'd add what works best for me each gen.

Originally posted by Zack Fair
People are stupid like that.

The big 3 have all disappointed me in the past, but I think Sony is the one saving face right now. Although MS did go back on their policies. Still a little pissed they brought them up in the first place. Nintendo...well I don't know what to say about them. I feel like Nintendo has abandoned me.

I also feel people have short term memory.

For example, everybody has been talking good about Sony but forgot the entire PSN outage from attacks. It was down for almost a month and 77 million accounts were compromised.

But when the XBOX One announced it needs to be connected online, people suddenly forgot about it. And then started praising Sony for being customer focused!

Originally posted by Smasandian

For example, everybody has been talking good about Sony but forgot the entire PSN outage from attacks. It was down for almost a month and 77 million accounts were compromised.


Really?.........i suppose Sony had to deal with it somehow.

Yeah. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Network_outage

They were giving away free games for peoples trouble but the games were old. They were InFamous, LittleBigPlanet, Dead Nation, Super Stardust HD and Wipeout HD.

I think it might have been "Anonymous"...They also hacked many other sites at the time.

Yeah, it might of been.

It has less to do with short term memory and more to do with who is acting like the biggest shit head at the moment. Which would be Microsoft. Sony has messed up a lot in the past but the fact that they aren't at the moment instills some confidence.

Agreed.

That is true.

Originally posted by Smasandian
Because in the end, all three companies want money.

But it's funny about Win 8. For years, people wanted MS to change Windows and they did, and now the same people want MS to change Windows back. Well, let me put it to you like this my boy.

Imagine that, every day, you had stale and moldy bread on your plate. You ask your father (Microsoft) for something different. He says "Okay son", and turns around, drops his pants, squats over your plate, and takes a huge, steamy shit all over your plate.

Moldy bread starts to look real nice at that point.

It isn't enough to change, you must change for the better.

I have to admit from the start of things I wasn't a big Microsoft fan, like the original Xbox I had one but it was the last console I got out of the three being that I really loved the PS2 and Gamecube cause those two libraries made for so many unique titles and RPGs for me to explore at the time, but then next generation rolls around and I was more for the PS3 but then the 360 steals my heart for that generation while the Wii...I just used a GameCube controller and it had some solid titles but I just was shocked cause I wanted to love Nintendo like before but the Wii just came across as too different for me.. Now next Gen is around the corner once again and I feel snug in my Pro Sony chair atm, I feel like this will be the one generation where I actually may avoid one of the consoles all together (being the Xbox one) I just...Gaaaah I still want to love Nintendo like I even picked up a 3DS and I LOVE some of these titles but I want a console you know? Like I remember my first ever console being a Super Nintendo and I loved it, and the 64? Heck I played that a ton as well, the only other console I really touched in that era was the Dreamcast and all I really played was copious amounts of Power Stone just cause Wang Tang could go Super Saiyan.

I mean I haven't picked up a Wii U and while it does have some titles I'm interested in, it just comes off to me as a Wii 2..not even that, more of a Wii Plus. The child in me is screaming for Nintendo to just come out with a new Console, it's as if Nintendo took a few shots in the streets and I'm holding it in my arms as it bleeds out, I'm trying to keep it alive but the blood just keeps spurting out and pooling around me. Come on Nintendo...Maybe next next Gen?..Hang in there...you'll make it...I know you will.

Yamcha's misplaced faith in Nintendo reminds me of my former self. le sigh

Originally posted by Yamcha
I have to admit from the start of things I wasn't a big Microsoft fan, like the original Xbox I had one but it was the last console I got out of the three being that I really loved the PS2 and Gamecube cause those two libraries made for so many unique titles and RPGs for me to explore at the time, but then next generation rolls around and I was more for the PS3 but then the 360 steals my heart for that generation while the Wii...I just used a GameCube controller and it had some solid titles but I just was shocked cause I wanted to love Nintendo like before but the Wii just came across as too different for me.. Now next Gen is around the corner once again and I feel snug in my Pro Sony chair atm, I feel like this will be the one generation where I actually may avoid one of the consoles all together (being the Xbox one) I just...Gaaaah I still want to love Nintendo like I even picked up a 3DS and I LOVE some of these titles but I want a console you know? Like I remember my first ever console being a Super Nintendo and I loved it, and the 64? Heck I played that a ton as well, the only other console I really touched in that era was the Dreamcast and all I really played was copious amounts of Power Stone just cause Wang Tang could go Super Saiyan.

I mean I haven't picked up a Wii U and while it does have some titles I'm interested in, it just comes off to me as a Wii 2..not even that, more of a Wii Plus. The child in me is screaming for Nintendo to just come out with a new Console, it's as if Nintendo took a few shots in the streets and I'm holding it in my arms as it bleeds out, I'm trying to keep it alive but the blood just keeps spurting out and pooling around me. Come on Nintendo...Maybe next next Gen?..Hang in there...you'll make it...I know you will.



I think they are being too dense. It wouldn't take much for them to thoroughly stomp the competition in all areas. Just make a console with hardware comparable with the competition and thats it. You can add whatever new revolutionary gimmick you want. With hardware up to date you will be getting the 3rd party support you lack and with that very same hardware your 1st party games would be owning the competition with quality visuals and whatever gaming stunt they come up with.

But I guess its too much to ask.

I don't think the hardware is the issue on why 3rd party support sucks. It's the lack of people buying the software is the reason why 3rd party supports sucks.

I disagree, or rather I'd say its both.

The reason why I don't think hardware is at fault is because the GC had a very weak 3rd party support and it was the second most powerful console.

That is true, but back then 3rd party exclusivity was a big deal.

This time around almost everything comes out for the 2 comparable consoles.

Funnily enough, I didn't notice the GC's 3rd party support being very weak at the time, but of course it became more painfully obvious during the Wii.

I agree though that hardware is part of the issue.

Originally posted by Zack Fair
That is true, but back then 3rd party exclusivity was a big deal.

This time around almost everything comes out for the 2 comparable consoles.

That's true.

I also think most people buy a Nintendo console because they want to play Nintendo games and don't really care about 3rd party support.

Nintendo has slowly molded them like that.

I rebelled against Nintendo's antics! But now I feel like coming back...I don't know how to explain it. There is just something about Zelda and the like.

u_fyOkrteqM

Zelda with 360/PS3 graphics would have owned the competition had the Wii been up to par. The Wii-U Zelda looks so slick though...I know hardware wise Xbox One/PS4 > Wii-U > 360/PS3 but still...droolio

Out of these choices, Nintendo is personally the best to me. They produce games that I like and that's really what matters. I purchased a bunch of games for the NDS, probably my most I've ever had for any console. I own a Wii and have a bunch of games for it that I enjoy. Most of the stuff that I have played on my 360 is available on PC. I have a huge stack of Gamecube games, really unique stuff that I couldn't get on xbox or ps2. So many classic, amazing games, on the N64. My major two issues with Nintendo have been recent.

1) No way to transfer (VC) games you've already purchased if your console breaks.

2) no updates or support for multiplayer games.

Other than that, I don't really have issues with Nintendo.


Outside of the three choices, Valve has been a favorite company of mine since Half-Life and CS1.6, games like TF2 and Portal only make them better.

Valve is also my favourite company as well.

Most of their games are of high quality, and some of them are considered some of best ever made. And....shooters wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for the original Half-Life.

Valve is up there because they can come up with original premises to old genres and the quality of their half life games is undeniable

Yeah, quality of any of their games is undeniable. They have a certain thing about them, it's hard to describe.

Valve, along with Rockstar North and probably a few other companies have this thing where you know it's going to be a quality game. Even if you don't like them, you can't say they aren't made well.

Nintendo's Zelda games were like that until Skyward Sword, which was a piece of shit.

its that bad huh?

I hated it. It was the combination of bad controls (I had a huge problem with the Wii Motion Plus), the first 2 hours were agonizingly boring and wasn't that interesting once everything started.

I loved Twilight Princess. I got everything in that game (which usually means I love the game) but the issues above made me realize that Zelda's are almost identical and because the game wasn't very good, the sameness showed through.

EDIT: Just looked "Skyward Sword sucks" in Google and came across a 1UP article and made me remember Fi, the most annoying thing ever in a videogame. Every two ****ing seconds, she would pop up telling me something so ****ing basic I wanted to rip my hair out. You would literally have a conversation with somebody and afterwords she pop up and paraphrase it seconds later. The worst is that the ****ing game BOLDS the piece of text you need to find out during the initial conversation....

EX. character tells you that you need to find BOSS Key to put into the BOSS door. Fi pops up telling you that the key you just found needs to be put into the door beside you.

But because there is no voice acting, the ****ing text takes forever....

I see.

Good thing Nintendo said something like revamping the way we play Zelda. Wonder what they will come up with.

They are?

I'm skeptical they will actually do something different.

From what i played of Skyward Sword, I didn't really have a problem with the controls for it.

Some people did and some people didn't but I had a very annoying time playing with the controls.

I think I sold my Wii three days after Skyward Sword. I was done.

I also know some people found it had a slow start to the game

which i agree with.

Yeah, the slow start was brutal. Nothing happened for two hours and it was like I was back in grade school but completely fake.

Its a problem with the last 2 Zelda games. Long ass tutorial levels are annoying.

I found skyward sword to be great. The controls were perfect and aside from Fi being bothersome, the game was amazing.

The ONLY Zelda game I dislike to this day is Phantom Hourglass. Total garbage.

Yeah, especially considering Zelda hasn't changed.

I don't mind tutorials, especially if they show me some cool moves I can pull off but at least make it interesting.

I hate them in sequels for games, especially when you know how to play the game.

Originally posted by Cyner
I found skyward sword to be great. The controls were perfect and aside from Fi being bothersome, the game was amazing.

The ONLY Zelda game I dislike to this day is Phantom Hourglass. Total garbage.
SS was amazing.

I get the sense that people typically pick and choose when they want to label something as not ever changing and that Nintendo is a desirable target these days, because the truth of the matter is that Skyward Sword introduced far more changes for its series than the vast majority of games out there:

1. Motion plus controls and the most responsive ones to date, that also completely changed how you fight random enemies in a Zelda game, where they follow your movements and you basically have to outthink them to land your attacks.

2. A new gameplay style that empasised the idea of one giant dungeon, incorportating much more expansive puzzle solving into the overworld.

3. A new story direction, that details a sort of origin story as well as tying into all the previous games in the series in interesting ways.

Those are all pretty big changes that drastically change how you experience the game, that along with the usual changes such as different level design, different art style, improved hardware/hardware usage, and other changes in game mechanics (such as the beetle item that added new layers to puzzle solving), alltogether make for a vastly different experience than previous games in the franchise.

Clearly Smas isn't a fan but the idea that it isn't an extremely well made game or that it isn't any different from previous Zeldas is a blatant falsehood.

1. Improving controls is not a major change. Adding motion controls is (aka Twilight Princess, which I loved).

The others I can't comment because I couldn't get past the dungeon because it was boring.

It isn't just any improvement in controls though; I would compare the change from regular motion controls to motion plus to the change from the D-pad to the analog stick. Where the motion controls in Twilight Princess basically feels like you're substituting traditional buttons with an imprecise motion, the motion controls in Skyward Sward do an entirely new thing of creating the illusion that your movements are being entirely replicated on the screen.

Plus as I said it added an entirely new dynamic to basic combat against random enemies. It completely changed your general enemy encounters which when you add them all together make up a pretty large part of the game.

Ray Park, or Nebaris?

Originally posted by Cyner
I found skyward sword to be great. The controls were perfect and aside from Fi being bothersome, the game was amazing.

The ONLY Zelda game I dislike to this day is Phantom Hourglass. Total garbage.

Spirit Tracks isn't any better.

Originally posted by Tzeentch._
Ray Park, or Nebaris?

How?

Even though I do agree that it can happen to any company, XBOX Live is a much better network than PSN (even without the compromised accounts) because they have been doing it for much longer.