For Xbox 360 owners, Sony’s PlayStation 3 can be a tough sell. Many of its best games (“Rock Band 2,” “Fallout 3” and “Grand Theft Auto IV,” to name a few) are playable on the 360 or PC. The machine includes a Blu-ray high-definition DVD player, but standalone players sell for far less than the PS3’s $400 or $500 price tag. With more than enough games to play on the 360 and Wii, you can understand why I haven’t rushed out to pick up a PS3.
That said, I’m blogging about video games. I should have Sony’s console, and now that the holidays (and their associated expenses) are behind me, it seemed like a great time to pick one up.
It’ll be a few days before I get a chance to hook up my PS3, stumble around “Home” and download some PlayStation Network games. In the meantime, here are a few games I’m looking forward to playing:
“LittleBigPlanet” (rated E, $60): If Sony’s cute, craft-inspired platform game that emphasizes content created by gamers was bundled with the console, I’d already have one by now.
“Valkyria Chronicles” (rated T, $60): This “Final Fantasy Tactics”-style strategy role-playing game has won rave reviews for its story’s mashup of World War II and more traditional Japanese RPG conventions.
“MLB 09: The Show” (rated E, $60): Sony’s
baseball game for next season isn’t on the market yet, but I’m thrilled
to have an option available to me beyond “MLB 2K9.” I’m happy to try
both, but I still have a foul taste in my mouth from when, after I
played through a whole season of “MLB 2K7,” a game-breaking bug froze the game, preventing my
first-place Cardinals from advancing to the postseason.
“Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction” (rated E10+, officially $60 but probably available for cheaper): Yeah, I’m a sucker for platform-style games, and other than the excellent “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” (rated E10+, $40 on Xbox 360) and “Super Mario Galaxy” (rated E, $50 on Wii), I haven’t played many good ones this generation.
“Resistance: Fall of Man” (rated M, $30): With “Left 4 Dead” and “Gears of War 2” hogging a lot of my time on the 360 right now, I’m not sure when I’ll get around to catching up with Sony’s newest flagship franchise. And I’m not a big shooter fan, in general. But the price is right on this one.
“Echochrome” (rated E, $10 PSN download): At last year’s Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, I waited around for 20 minutes for a chance to play this puzzle game inspired by the art of MC Escher. I never got a turn.
“PixelJunk Eden” (rated E, $10 PSN download): I’ve loved Q Entertainment’s “Lumines Live” on the 360. I’m willing to give them another shot with this psychedelic blend of puzzles and platforming.
“The Last Guy” (rated E10+, $10 PSN download): If I can’t find any buddies to blast zombies in “Left 4 Dead” on the 360, I may well fire up this single-player, save-people-from-zombies title.