Well, I have to write an entry about Sony. What to do, what to do... Well, I've made it this far in the tournament using the personal approach, and why fix something that isn't broken? Before I begin, I believe I should make it clear that I am a Nintendo fanboy, but I have been branching out within the past few years. However, I do not own any Sony consoles (or any other non-Nintendo consoles); I guess that pretty much shatters any chance for me trying to earn a spot on "The Tester" :( I know that was a terrible joke, but I'm trying to include all that I know about Sony (I'm also trying to add some humor here, don't fault me for trying). Basically, what you are about to read are a few of the ramblings that I've had inside my head this past week concerning Sony (which will have a lot of comparisons to Nintendo, so forgive me if I sound like I'm going off topic) Because of my horriible time management (and embedding) abilities, I can only provide links to all the images, videoes, and pages. So without further ado, let's begin, shall we?

A Whole New World (if you didnt get the reference, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVxUUotm1P4)

One of the first things I would like to say about Sony is that I owe them big time; had it have not been for Sony and the Playstation consoles, I would have never opened my eyes to all of the amazing games developed by companies outside of Nintendo. In my particular case, I'm practically infatuated with platformers. Ever since I played Super Mario 64, I was convinced that only Nintendo knew how to make great games. However, things changed the second my couisin introduced me to some of the greatest PS1/PS2 exclusives ever: Crash Bandicoot, Spyro The Dragon, Sly Cooper, and Jak and Daxter. The second I played the games, I was a changed person. Each game provided platforming experiences that felt similar, but also did a lot of things differently. Whether I was collecting Wumpa fruit, power crystals, gems, Precursor Orbs, Power Cells, or freeing dragons, I saw more of what every good platformer needs. While I used to beat myself up over liking games that weren't made by the Big N, I now look back and see it as me realizing that there were other good games out there. Unfortunately, it took me about thirteen years for me to gain the courage to finally leave my comfort zone, but better late than never I suppose. Once again, thank you Sony, for helping me realize that all I want is to play great games, no matter which company creates them.

The Amazing DualShock

Probably one of the biggest positives that I have to say about the Playstation consoles would have to be the symbolic DualShock controller. How many game companies who make consoles can say that they've essentially used the same controller for not just two, but THREE of their consoles? The DualShock has learned some new tricks over the years such as Sixaxis motion controls, but never lost its integrity along the way; kind of like how some (if only I could say "all") celebrities can actually manage their lives and stay out of trouble. In addition, the controllers never felt dated in my opinion, which is a true a testament to the visionaries who designed the DualShock. While the analog sticks made the Hadoken motion feel a little awkward at first, I've come to embrace the difference, and eventually became accustomed to the stick. As I write this paragraph, a thought just came to my mind: can you imagine how much less painful some of the minigames from the original Mario Party could have been if they used the DualShock's analog stick? I guess me and the bruises on my right palm can only imagine...

The Face of Sony?

This topic may not be all that significant to some, but for some reason, it is to me. if you were to ask a gamer to name the big three's mascots, they'll say Mario, Master Chief, and then have to take some time to think of Sony's. The problem? There isn't an official mascot. Actually, I have to take that back. Upon using the world's most credible resource in the known universe, Wikipedia (sarcasm), apparently the mascot for Sony of Japan is a small white cat-like creature named Toro, you can read more about him here (for some reason, I can't get the link to work): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toro_(cartoon_character). As "interesting" as Toro is (maybe my opinion will change when I see him fight to the death in Street Fighter X Tekken), I think Sony could do better. It's a shame that characters such as Crash or Spyro made the move to multiplatform, (and made some of the worst business decisions of their careers) as they would have made great official mascots. So, which characters could Sony make ridiculous merchandise for if they haven't done so already? One possible suggestion would be to have two mascots. The hardcore audience can be represented through characters such as Nathan Drake or Kratos, and have a character such as Sackboy represent the more casual/younger audience.

Doing what Nintendon't (I know the reference is about a different company, but the line was so fitting for this paragraph)

As much as it pains me to say this, but in many ways, Sony has made decisions about their consoles that I wish Nintendo would have taken. For example, while the Nintendo 64 is my absolute favorite console, I feel that the PS1 stole some of its thunder because Sony took a few steps that Nintendo could and should have, but didn't. The biggest is probably Sony's decision to release games on CDs as opposes to cartridges, which lead to cheaper games, better graphics (not a huge gripe for me since I'm not all that big on graphics), and even allowed gamers to listen to their own CDs (a feature that I wouldn't use, but I know a lot of people who did and loved it). Ever since then, it's as if Nintendo has been playing catch-up, only to be one or two steps behind. There is another example that I'd like to address: the PS Vita. This time, it would appear that Sony is doing what I want Nintendo to do more frequently - learning about what the audience wants and how to meet those desires. I like the effort, but I think Sony went a little overboard with the execution (what am I suppossed to do with a rear touch screen that I can't even see?) I could provide many more examples (like comparing the Wii to the PS3 and the Move, but I think I'd better wrap this up before things get too long.

Originally when I thought about what I was going to write, I thought I was going to have a lot of hate towards Sony, as they weren't Nintendo (Wait, did I unintentionally end up bashing Nintendo instead?). I guess Sony has helped teach me that everything in this world, even in the gaming industry, is not as black and white as I previously thought. You know, a favorite song of mine emphasizes this point quite nicely in my opinion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2AitTPI5U0&ob=av2n

Sony, you may not be my all-time favorite gaming company, but you most definitely have my utmost respect. With that, I believe that accounts for all of my Sony rambles. If I made any sense at all, and you liked what you've read, then please vote for this entry (or if you liked GameJudge's entry more, then go ahead and vote for that one instead). Also, please let me know what you liked and/or didn't like. May the better g1 win GameJudge!