The State of Play

It's been over a week now since the Xbox 360 died and got sent back for repairs and I'm feeling its loss. Apart from playing full games, I tend to use it a lot to try out any new demo's, arcade trials or view game trailers and its absence was felt all the more last week during E3 when by most accounts Microsoft did a pretty good job or releasing downloadable content. I was also in the middle of playing Forza 2: Motorsport and DiRT and had Overlord waiting in the wings which I was looking forward to playing once I'd finished with the other two. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be getting the 360 back anytime soon so I will have to lament its loss for a little longer.

I was tempted to buy a Sony PS3 when the Xbox 360 died and I think I would have gone out and bought one if the UK had received a price reduction similar to the one introduced in the US, but unfortunately as soon as the bundle pack was announced the purchase was put back on the back burner. It's not that I don't think the bundle pack is value for money (if you want those games), and yes, I could sell the games and extra SIXAXIS controller if I wanted, but it all comes down to a matter of principle. I've always thought 425 GBP (RRP) was far too expensive, and offering me some first party games and an extra controller (that I don't want) as "added value" is not going to sway my mind. I'm hoping that we will see a proper price reduction later in the year and it's then that I'll buy into the PS3.

The Wii is still sat gathering dust as I await the release of some first party titles, the first of which will be Super Paper Mario, and I sincerely hope some "AAA" titles appear for the Christmas holiday season. I have been tempted by some Virtual Console games but I'm waiting until my 10,000 or so "Stars" points I've accumulated over the years as part of Nintendo 24:7 VIP Club can be converted to Wii points and put to good use.

So where does this leave me? Well at present the power light on the PS2 is burning green once more after a long absence and I'm ploughing through "God of War 2" which I'm very much enjoying, even if it does have some frustrating, joypad throwing inducing, sections to complete.