PS Store or Xbox Live Marketplace?

In recent months I've been able to experience the PS Store.  Since my main console of choice at the moment is still the Xbox 360, I can't help but compare the two online stores to hopefully come to a decision on which is better.  It also has to be said that the version of the PSN that I'm using happens to be on the Vita, so the features of the network are limited by a mobile version so I won't be comparing the Xbox Live features to the PSN ones, that just won't work with the discrepancies in the versions.  Hence, we'll just talk about the shopping experience.

I think the biggest item on everyone's mind when it comes right down to it is the price of the games.  Full-fledged video games, those released in stores and as a downloadables, are priced the same as what they are in stores.  A brand-new 360 game hits the $60 price range while a PSVita game lands at about $40.  Since both networks seem to price their download games at the same rate, equal to that of a physical copy, neither have an advantage.  However, when we come down to the prices of other games, things change.  Advantage: Neither

On the Vita there's the option to download full PSP games, the prices on these range from $5-30 depending on how recent the release was.  The most common games hit the $10-15 amount.  When we look at how the 360 compares, we see that the original Xbox games that are out there don't get quite as low priced as the PSP games.  Though we're looking at the difference between a console game and a portable game, I still think that the PSN gets the advantage here.  I'd much rather get FFT for $10 than some crappy original Xbox game like Prince of Persia.  Advantage: PSN

PS Store on the Vita.

I want to talk about Apps even though the Xbox 360 is a console and the Vita is a new mobile device.  Essentially I'd just like to compare Netflix, since both systems have that as an option.  Neither really beats the other, Netflix is Netflix, and I'm sure we'd see the same when we compare the two Facebook apps to one another.  Advantage: Neither

Let's now talk about Safety and Security...  The PSN track record is awful, we all know that.  I've had my Xbox Live account hacked into though, while my PSN account is still perfectly fine.  Even though my Live experience has been worse than my PS Store one, I have to give the advantage to the Marketplace here.  Even when I had problems, my issues were resolved successfully with my money being returned within a two week time period.  On top of all of that I got a free month of Xbox Live for the issue.  The PSNs recurring issues and vulnerabilities are just too much.  Advantage: Xbox Live

How the Marketplace is organized is pretty aggravating.  You have to figure out what category the game you want is in; Indie, Arcade, full, etc; and then navigate there to find it.  The PS Store is essentially the same way, so there's really no deviation between the two.  I find that both frustrate me unless I know exactly where I'm going, and browsing is usually out of the question.  Advantage: Neither

Last, but not least, let's talk about content.  What do both of these network stores contain?  Obviously we're looking at games the whole time, but what kind of games?  The PS Store has cross-play, PSP, PSVita and Mini games.  The Marketplace has Arcade and Full.  Now, the PSN may have some more variety, but the Arcade for Xbox Live is a powerhouse for games like The Simpsons and X-Men.  However, both systems have a large amount of Indie games, and I hate Indie games...violently hate them.  So with the Indie games balancing out, I have to give the Marketplace kudos for content; bringing back awesome Arcade titles just can't be beat.  Advantage: Xbox Live


Okay, so I can't come up with a clear winner, but, hey, who cares?  I'll have fun getting demos and games from both of the networks and take advantage of the best of both worlds.  Did you really think there'd be a different outcome?

Day 21: The Arcade

You have to love this carpeting, it adds "atmosphere."

How many of us can recall the glorious days of the arcade?  Not even I can fully remember when these impressive collections of video gaming cabinets were spread across the nation, I just didn't have the opportunity due to the fact that these types of facilities have been relegated to the Chuck E. Cheese's and State Fairs of the world.  Sure I've been able to partake of the arcades in those places, but they retain just a portion of their former glory.

The reason I bring this up is that I recently visited a state fair and had a chance to play some arcade goodness.  I couldn't find any purely retro games like Defender, Asteroids, or Joust.  Not even a 1942 or 1943 was around, but there were still some excellent games.  I want to take a minute and look at the difference between those older games and the newer ones.  Silent Scope was something that caught my eye, and I ended up spending a good while playing with one of my friends.  This is an interesting specimen, there's a screen, of course that shows what you would see from a normal perspective just looking out across the city, but there's also a screen within the scope that shows what you would see from that perspective.  Essentially you use the large screen to find your target and use the scope to take them out.  It's a great game, but it's limited by a ridiculous timer that's there to essentially make you spend as much money as possible.  The timer starts at the beginning of every level and if it runs out during that level you lose and need to insert more quarters.  Every kill gains you some time, but you're always fighting against that damn clock.  The same idea has been applied to such games as Time Crisis.  If you can't beat the clock, you better have fifty fucking dollars in quarters or tokens.  Looking at an earlier, but much better, game reveals that arcades have become much more commercial as they have aged and come to a state of degradation.

That's right, six fucking players.  Booyah.

The Xmen arcade game is arguably the best of its kind.  Where else can you find such side-scrolling, six player, boss-fighting, and super power goodness?  Well, the Xbox Live Arcade is one such spot.  You'll be hard pressed to find this game in any remnant arcade, but you can find it on the Marketplace.  As we continue to lose such gems as the above and gain some of the more commercial games such as Time Crisis and Silent Scope, we are seeing the older arcade games return in full force on various online marketplaces or websites.  Microsoft even created a virtual arcade to be used on the 360 called the Game Room where you can purchase all of the old arcade games, mascots, and memorabilia from the past and place it into your very own, customizable arcade.  If you're an older gamer, or just want to experience that retro arcade for the first time, I highly recommend something like Game Room.

I miss the older game days where you could find The Simpsons, Turtles in Time, and Xmen all in the same location.  Sure, some of these games are being ported, or have been ported, to consoles, but the only way that you can naturally experience them nowadays is if you're lucky enough to find one of those cabinets at a bowling alley or have the ability to use an emulator that you can modify into an arcade cabinet.  

Long story short, I feel like arcade gaming has gone the way of the dinosaurs.  It's a dying organism and the attempts to save it have been lackluster at best, but unfortunately no one really wants to leave their home to play video games.  I realize that this is in large part due to the rise of console and portable gaming, but it saddens me that such a great piece of gaming history is being reduced to nothing.  I propose that we should all experience the arcade, through whatever means we have available, and make a decision to support those local and dying arcades, no matter the form they come in.  Though the commercial aspects of arcades have become something of a nuisance, we should still support these entities as they are the building blocks of video gaming.  So get out there and play Silent Scope, or whatever other crappy, expensive games are out there and save the natural history of video gaming.  You can be an Indiana Jones-esque archaeologist and find old, treasured games like Asteroids, or you can be a futuristic explorer and find such creations as the below.

What the fuck is this abomination supposed to do?