Why you shouldn't buy a PlayStation 3...

The PlayStation 3 was the last of the current consoles to be released, and despite having about a bazillion features, it was the slowest console to generate sales, due mostly to the fact that it cost a bank-breaking $599. Although the price has come down since those early days, the PlayStation 3 may not be worth the investment. Champions tout its Blu-Ray capabilities and numerous exclusive games, but the PlayStation 3 may not be for everyone. Here are five reasons why you should just say no to the PlayStation 3.

5. You're All About Online Features

Though the PlayStation 3 features plenty of online-enabled features, when it comes to actually playing games online, the console falls flat. Sure, games like MAG buck this trend, but if you've ever tried to play Call of Duty on a PlayStation 3, you know there's a problem. In fact, if you like Call of Duty, you should just abandon hope on the PlayStation 3 altogether, as the console will not run Modern Warfare 2 (thanks to a weird update that just broke the game) and Black Ops is so hacked that you can't take two steps without being affected by some rogue exploitation glitch. Add that to the PlayStation 3's lack of cross-game chat and a persistent invite system, and you've got an online experience that is sub-par on every level.

4. You Like Playing Games Immediately

Much was said when the PlayStation 3 was released about its required install time. Sony's response? Go make a sandwich. But if you've already had lunch (or are on a carb-free diet), waiting the twenty minutes (or more, in the case of games like Gran Turismo) to play a game is a little ridiculous. I don't want to have to plan ahead for my game time, and the idea of putting a game in the machine and then going to do something else seems counter-intuitive. I recognize the idea behind game installs is a solid one, but man, sometimes I wish I could just take the longer loading screens instead. And then add this to almost-weekly firmware updates, and you may just feel like the only game to play on your PlayStation 3 is the waiting game. This is especially bad if you have a highly-scheduled life. For instance, if you only have an hour carved out for your personal game time, you can expect to spend twenty minutes updating your firmware, twenty minutes installing your game, and then you're left with twenty minutes to play. Doesn't quite seem fair, does it? If you like playing games in short bursts, or are just impatient, the PlayStation 3 isn't for you. 

3. You Don't Like Disappearing Features

While the other two home consoles have been slowly adding features to their consoles to make them more competitive in the rapidly-changing world of video games, the PlayStation 3 has been systematically taking features out of its console. First on the chopping block? PlayStation 2 backwards-compatibility. Unless you shelled out the $599 at launch, you never even got the chance to check out this feature. Next up? An alternative OS. If you were a fan of Linux, the PlayStation 3 used to allow you to use the open-source platform with your console instead of the default operating system. Now? Not so much. Though you may not have ever used these features in any great capacity, it wouldn't surprise me if even more features get axed in the future, especially in Sony's continuing war on the hacking community.

2. You Like Being Social With Your Gaming Friends

The PlayStation 3 was not built for social games. Plain and simple. If you're playing MAG and then want to talk to your niece, who is playing LEGO Harry Potter, you'll have to exit your game, she'll have to exit hers, and you'll both have to enter a communal space so you can use the voice chat feature. That's not fun. And of course, if you and said hypothetical niece have a competition going about who can get the most trophies in Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, you'll have to select her name, and then wait the 4.5 billion years it takes for the trophy system to sync both of your trophies before you can compare and contrast. Though the PlayStation Eye is the exception to the poor social offerings, and is a great way to webcam straight from the PS3 dashboard, if you want to play games, and then check out what your friends are playing, and then maybe strike up a conversation with them, you'll have to jump through some serious hoops to do so. And even though I might love my hypothetical niece, after waiting for updates and trophy synchs and mandatory installs, the last thing I want to do is waste any more time not playing a game on my PlayStation 3.

1. Homebrew And Hacking Are Your Favorite Pastimes

Look, if you like creating your own software or "modding" your console, Sony already hates you. Though piracy is an issue across all consoles, Sony has taken the most radical stance against it and is severely punishing anyone who plays games on systems that have been altered or use non-Sony approved software. Of course, you can argue about how "legal" the activities of hackers and modders are, but no matter what your intentions are, Sony won't stand for it, and you could find yourself at the receiving end of a banned PSN ID, bricked console, or, in the case of George Hotz, a nasty lawsuit. If you like modding consoles, you really need to stay away from the PS3. In fact, you should stop reading this article and never think about the console again. Sony's watching you.

The PlayStation 3 is a great console overall, and certainly benefits from being the only Blu-Ray equipped console around (hooray for pure HD!) However, just because the picture is pretty doesn't mean it's right for you, and there are plenty of reasons why you shouldn't buy a PlayStation 3.

Of course, home consoles aren't the only thing you shouldn't buy.

Top 10 Greatest Video Game Scores...

10. Shadow of the Colossus

This game's unique in that it's largely a quiet, even lonely experience. For much of the game, you're exploring the vast terrains, mountainous valleys, and deep lakes in search of the massive beasts that roam the land. Most of the adventure is actually getting to the fight, thinking about what you have to do to save a young woman and taking in the sweeping landscape the game takes place in. It's not until you enter the arena where you'll attempt to take down a Colossus that the music shows itself, but the wait is well worth it. The contrast between silence and the orchestral scores of the battles is startling at first, but when your adrenaline's pumping and you're holding onto a Colossus the size of a large mountain for dear life, it matches the action perfectly.

9. Mass Effect 2

The video games industry has no lack of sci-fi games, especially ones that include large arsenals of weapons and looming alien threats. Jack Wall composed the soundtracks for both Mass Effect games but his work really grew up in the second. The original's score was heavily inspired by 80's sci-fi movies but its successor took that and tossed in a large amount of roaring orchestral tracks that had a more foreboding tone that matched the tension Shepard and his crew undoubtedly felt about the suicide mission. They could've taken the same route many developers take and thrown in some frenetic and action-centric tracks to match Mass Effect 2's increased action but instead they took what the first game did well and improved upon it. That deserves some commendation. 

8. Dead Space (series)

The Dead Space series is known for its incredible sound design, and that's primarily the reason this game makes the list. These games aren't about adding music to match the scenarios because it would be difficult to find tracks that would work with a man being torn apart from the inside as he transforms into a Necromorph. Instead they're about creating a tense atmosphere with sounds that either makes you jump or feel like there's something quietly creeping up behind you. The second game had quite a bit more action, though it still retained many of its scares, and the score mirrors that change. Composer Jason Graves took into consideration Isaac Clarke's deteriorating mental state and made the soundtrack feel more personal. It worked.

7. Heavy Rain

This game is a very cinematic experience; its limited gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and thriller movie plot all make it more of an interactive film than a game. To work with this, it was necessary to create a unique score that was akin to a blockbuster film soundtrack. The best way to manage this was to bring on a film composer, someone who's worked with the medium Heavy Rain resembles so closely. Enter Normand Corbeil, a composer who's worked on over fifty titles to date, including Indigo Prophecy, Quantic Dreams' project prior to Heavy Rain. The final product is an intensely emotional score that made an already memorable story even more unforgettable. The most interesting aspect of the soundtrack is its evolution as the game progresses. It starts off innocent before transforming into something dark and twisted as the game's tale continues toward its climactic conclusion.

6. Final Fantasy VII

As a series Final Fantasy has some incredible music, but it's the seventh game that really takes the cake here. Widely considered one of the best games in the fantasy franchise, Final Fantasy VII's music (especially the final battle theme) is some of the best in the industry. Nobu Uematsu, who also composed eight other games in the series, composed this one all on his own. That alone is an incredible feat that definitely deserves some praise.

5. Metal Gear Solid (series)

This is the type of music that makes me want to hide under a cardboard box and listen to for hours on end. For a stealth-centric series, the Metal Gear games have action-packed tunes that work great with the loud, eccentric personality of the games. The best scores of the series are definitely the more recent ones, specifically Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater, and Guns of the Patriots, all the work of composer Harry Gregson Williams. These tracks could easily take on any big budget blockbuster Hollywood throws at us, and they'd do so without attracting the attention of the guards.

4. BioShock

This was a defining moment for the gaming industry. Irrational Games created a beautiful, moving, and original world, and their game gave us a prime defense in the endless debate over whether video games can be considered art. The only thing that could set the mood for a beautifully realized underwater utopia where science had no rules were the licensed songs from the game's era and Garry Schyman's composition. Never has a game's music been so emotional, so haunting, and worked so well within the environment you explored. If the morality of your decisions didn't get to you, the music did. And if that didn't, there's a good chance you lost your soul somewhere.

3. Halo (series)

Martin O'Donnell is one of the most renowned video game composers out there, and nowadays most of his work can be found in Bungie's games. O'Donnell's work (with the help of fellow composer Michael Salvatori) on the Halo series made humanity's fight for survival against the relentless onslaught of the Covenant feel even more epic. Halo's theme song is now one of the most easily recognized tracks in video game history, and rightly so. Hopefully the future of the series stays bright, and not to mention easy on the ears, now that Bungie won't be involved with the franchise any longer.

2. Super Mario (series)

You had to see this one coming. Halo's music might be widely recognized by gamers, but even my grandma, who's never seen nor played a video game in her life, knows the Mario theme song. Mario is the industry's most iconic character and the tracks that accompany many of the games he's in are just as fun and catchy as his personality and trademark tagline. It'sa Me, Mario!

1. Silent Hill (series)

Silent Hill takes the top spot because the soundtracks are arguably the most important element in the game. Sure, there are interesting characters, iconic bad guys, and the widely recognized foggy town aesthetic, but the music is what people remember most fondly about the games, even to this day. As time passed and the quality of the games lost their luster the music has always retained its eerie, industrial sound. In fact, Akira Yamaoka's soundtracks for the games were so incredible they were used in the Silent Hill film, and even though Yamaoka left Konami to work on the upcoming Shadows of the Damned, there are rumors he'll be composing the soundtrack for the next film, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (insert 3D-induced groan here). Yamaoka may have left the series he's worked on since the beginning, but that doesn't mean his shoes can't be filled. Composer Dan Licht (Dexter TV series) will be creating the score for the next game in the series, Silent Hill: Downpour, and from the few tracks that have leaked out so far, Downpour's soundtrack will be just as remarkable.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Confirmed...

The newest iteration of the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, has just been officially confirmed by Capcom and will be released sometime late this year for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Operation Raccoon City will let you play as an Umbrella corporation agent tasked with covering up the events of Resident Evil 2. In addition to the new focus, Operation Raccoon City will feature squad-based gameplay that will allow you to experience the story in teams of four.

If you want a more competitive experience, however, the game will also support competitive multiplayer where you can play as either the Umbrella Corporation or US government agents. Sounds good to us! We'll have a full preview of Operation Raccoon City with more information soon, so stay tuned!

3DS Already More Popular Than Wii?

People were excited for the Wii. Some even waited hours outside stores just to be the first to experience Nintendo's new console. However, it seems that the 3DS has already trumped the Wii in one key area: pre-orders. Pre-orders for Nintendo's new handheld are a little more than double those of the Wii, and the 3DS has been confirmed as Amazon UK's most pre-ordered device ever.

Of course, as we all know, pre-orders don't necessarily translate to sales, but we'll have more numbers for you (including day one sales) later this week. However, if early indicators are to be believed, the 3DS is going to have huge first-week sales.

Spider-Man Web-Slinging Again Soon

Though the Spider-Man franchise hasn't produced AAA games in the past, last year's Web of Shadows wasn't bad, and it's multi-verse approach to the gameplay met with modest critical praise. Though many thought it wasn't enough to get the Spider-Man game series back on track, apparently you can't keep a good Superhero down for long, as an announcement is going to be made about the next Spider-Man game at this year's WonderCon, which kicks off on April 2nd.

No specifics were given about what kind of game it will be (the rumor mill is saying it will be a tie-in with the new movie, but I'm hoping for another Web of Shadows), but we'll keep you informed no matter what happens!

Highest Grossing Game This Generation? Not What You Think

Sure, we all know that Call of Duty: Black Ops is the best-selling console game so far this generation. But highest-grossing? Nope. Black Ops plays second banana to a surprising champ: Guitar Hero 3! How did this happen? Well, Guitar Hero 3 was more expensive than Black Ops, and probably a whole lot cheaper to produce.

These results are via the NPD, and aside from the unlikely champion, there aren't many surprises. Rounding out the top five are Wii Fit, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Rock Band. If these are anything to go by, this console generation is all about Call of Duty and plastic peripherals. It's kind of depressing, actually.