I still stay grounded in my opinions though. I do think that the Xbox 360 library is very narrow in scope. How many quality Xbox 360 games do not involve shooting elements? Most of the games on the system all involve guns let alone the core titles. How many platformers, fighters, stratergy and RPG titles are on the system in contrast to shooting games? Just the fact that developers constantly put guns in the hands of their protagonists limits the scope before the core ideas are even developed.

As mentioned though I’m not interested in Live. I can definetly see the advantages, don’t get me wrong. But like I said, for me I’d rather buy games that interested my tastes more than play online. Oh and theres that time factor as well.

While I am not aware of your age or what period your gaming interest began or what period of life you are in…..I will wholeheartedly admit that the XBOX LIVE ARCADE is one of the premiere reasons to own the system.

As an older gamer…..I cannot help but love the assortment of quality games that XBL offers….so much that I have purchased over 40+ of the games…..from Bomberman, to Carcoassone, to UNO, to WORMS, to TRACK & FIELD, etc.

Now..admittedly my spendable income on games is more than the average ( I own multiples of all the consoles and have a high-end PC Rig ) and purchase on average 2 games a week…so my tastes are different and allow me a wider scope than you are probably able to experience.

I will say one of the MAJOR strengths of the 360…..and this may not apply to you as you are still a university student….is that the XBOX 360 and functionality of the LIVE Service and ease of use for multiplayer has truly begun a gaming renaissance amongst my now older married with children friends……as it just makes it easier to play with your buddies no matter where they are or if they have a baby on their lap.

The truth is…as you get older…..your gaming time either decreases or changes in some way (i.e. later in the night) as other things override, friends move, etc….and a large # of gamers can’t afford to build/maintain a high-end rig to run the latest games.

The simplicity and ease of use of the 360 and XBOX LIVE cannot be overstated……it just works and works well.
Something the Wii Online modes are completely missing, and so far the PS3 (whichi has improved) has not achieved yet.

You’ve made me realize how my article makes it appear that I am well inversed in PC gaming. Truth be told, when I step out of my current frame and remove the idea of using my brother’s laptop for PC gaming I realize just how much I might be needing that Xbox 360. You are right Steve I am fortunate to have such a life line.

Generally speaking though, as briefly highlighted in the article I am a very console orientated guy. If it wasn’t for my brother I would probably turn my back on PC gaming as; as much as it sounds I am actually not really interested in that many PC games and could live without them (old Lucasarts games excluded). I totally agree with the negatives in terms of hardware, installation, graphical tweaking etc. This would leave me with the prospect of buying an Xbox 360 right? So would I do it?

Hmmmm…tough one. I think that I would probably be extremely resistant to do so. The majority of the killer apps on the system honestly don’t grab my attention in the same way that PS3 and Wii games do. I see the appeal in these sorts of games and I personally plan on chugging through some similar titles on the PC to see if I like them more. But overall when push comes to shove; I think that the price and lack of game that particularly interest me would make me look elsewhere. Still, of course it’s a great console.

That being said, I arrive at a totally different conclusion after going through the same analysis that you do. This is no surprise- it’s like being suprised that you end up with orange juice after you start out with oranges rather than apples- but it does speak to the wide variety of opinions and gamers out there. While I make no claims that a majority of gamers would agree with me, it is clear that there are a large contingent of gamers who have either never bothered with PC gaming, or who have tried PC gaming and found the experience less than appealing. I bought my first PC in 1992. and after several PCs and several years of being frustrated by the thousands of dollars spent upgrading with middling results, I decided in the late ’90s that consoles would pretty much do for me.

And they do- like the person who posted above I like the ease of use, the low cost, the reliability (360 excluded) and the fact that when I pop in Call of Duty 4 I know it’s going to work. While you are no doubt blessed to have plenty of friends who are PC gamers, I have maybe two. On the other hand, I have at least five close friends and probably 20 hey-let’s-grab-a-beer friends who are on Xbox Live. That is my gaming community, and my way of connecting with my friends on weeknights after my wife and I have put the kids to bed and cleaned up the kitchen. The singular nature of what PC gaming was for me was fine when I was 24 and could stay out until 3 and get up at noon, but it’s a little less than satisfying as a grownup.

Yes, as a black man I find the rampant racism on Live a little off-putting, and the ratio of idiot 13-year-olds to rational adults a little daunting, but that is what the mute button is for, and it makes shooting my friends repeatedly so streamlined and easy. I am a console agnostic gamer, which means that I own Nintendo’s latest and will get the PS3 shortly- but as far as I am concerned, for MYSELF, nothing can touch Live as an outlet and hub for my social network. It’s nice to know that there exists other realms for people on the PC that provide you with the same joy that I receive- but the bottom line is that when you pit my 22 inch 16:9 monitor and fairly comfortable desk chair against my 64 inch HDTV and well broken in couch, there is no competition. Hopefully the powers that be will continue to serve all of us and continue to make us all glad that we live in what I call the second golden age of gaming.

I don’t think that it is fair to call me biased, there is just a lack of interest not bias. Do you think that players that can only afford one console are bias against the others? No, there is just more on that console that interests them. What I am doing here is pointing out, for me, what that incentive is.

Thanks for dropping by guys.

I get so sick of the PS3 vs. 360 argument because I don’t think that either console “sucks”. Each is an amazing system in its own right, but they also each have different things to offer different people. It’s a matter of preference, and I’m simply the type of gamer who’d be more inclined to enjoy the PS3.

The only online games I ever play are on my PC, I have no interest in acquiring achievements and having my name splattered all over the leaderboards (nor do I have enough time to invest in stuff like that anyway), and the PS3 offers a variety of games that I’m personally interested in.

Great blog!

Grammatical mistakes! Oh how embarrassing, I don’t view myself as much of a writer so I do my best to iron out any spelling/grammatical errors. So thanks for the heads up, I will check it out.

Hey Ken-G, thanks for dropping by too. I’m playing the original God of War ATM and it’s so satisfying.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys. ^_^

I had never really thought about it, but maybe you’re right. Maybe I don’t like the Xbox because it just feels like an inferior version of the PC. I grew up on console games like you (I am a Racketboy member after all) and I still love my retro systems and I do really enjoy what they’ve been putting out on XBLA. I just don’t think I can justify such an expensive purchase with those little downloadable games. With that being said, I plan to sell my 360 in the near future. All in all it was a good read (although a few more grammar errors than I would have liked) so keep it up.

PS I <3 my Wii and PC.