That Which We Call a Rose

Just a quickie. I really need a new tag line: "Analogue Musings on the Digital" is pretty prententious.

The Holy Grail

Well, I've finally managed it, I've finally got my hands on a PS3, which makes me a multi-consolist or something.

I'll be honest, my 360 is going to remain my go-to system, but I'm enjoying the games on the PS3. What I'm not enjoying, is the PS3 itself. The XMB does have a certain minimalist charm, but it's all so po-faced that it takes a bit of the fun out of it.

Not only that, but the idea of installing demos still doesn't sit right with me. Take the Heavenly Sword demo. It's about a gig in size and is literally ten minutes long. What the hell am I installing? I could understand it if I was playing the game from a disc, but on a demo I've downloaded, and especially one that is so short? I am positively baffled.

It's all well and good Sony making a lot of noise about how you have to pay extra for a hard drive on the 360, but I would counter that argument with the idea that there are no games on the Xbox that you can't play without a hard drive. It's disingenuous to claim that it's a luxury when it's clearly a necessity.

Confused By Capcom

I can't figure Capcom out sometimes, and for once this has nothing to do with Resident Evil 5. What's baffling me is their demos, and the disparities between them. One of the hallmarks of Capcom's third-person adventure titles is an excellent demo. Even when the product itself turns out to unimpressive, the demo is almost always amazing. I bought Devil May Cry 4 on the strength of the demo, obviously unaware that the set piece battle with Berial would be repeated three times.

When it comes to fighting games though, Capcom seem to lose the plot. I downloaded the demo for Marvel Vs Capcom 2 from Xbox Live, only to discover that the only gameplay on offer was local multiplayer. Perhaps I'm just a friendless hermit, but it strikes me as presumptuous on Capcom's part that I even have a second controller, let alone someone to hand it to on a Sunday night.

It would seem to me that the point of a demo is to provide gamers with the opportunity to see if they would enjoy a game. Beating up a completely stationary Captain America is hardly a compelling gameplay experience.