This hurts--I used to be able to recommend GS to friends, and I've always enjoyed the site's news and generally insightful reviews. GS has a lot of content, going back quite a few years. But this? This kills it. So many staff members lost in the last year, and now Gerstmann? Over a negative review? What will the Hot Spot be like after this? This isn't the GS that I loved. Oh well, the 1UpYours Podcast is better anyway. So long, guys.

WeeWeeJumbo.

I listened to that podcast a few times, and I got the impression that the difference is small--less blur and other motion effects, slightly "different" textures. Even Shane, Mr Sony Defense Force himself, couldn't bring himself to say that the textures were better on the PS3 version, only that they were "different."

Both versions also apparently run at the same frame rate;Mr SDFwas about to say there was a differencebetween the two,but then he corrected himself. I do think that a standard XBL integration will mess up the game's built-in game initiation mechanic, but judging at least from the podcast, there isn't yet reason to believe that the PS3 version of Burnout Paradise will be miles ahead of the 360 version. It could change between now and the game's release, but will it?

I think it definitely has some gameplay flaws that a lot of reviewers willfully ignore when they talk about it, but that's because of the game's amazing strengths. It's one of those rare games that succeed in every presentational aspect, and so well that the flaws in its execution are overshadowed. I mean, when was the last time you played a game that was also a comment on Objectivism? Or that bothered to touch on issues like eugenics, the implications of cosmetic surgery, the legitimacy of authority? This is not to mention the score and the voice acting, which are pretty amazing, or, of course, the graphics.

The game is linear, but the gameplay is sandbox-ish, where the player has a lot of options in most combat scenarios. It's possible to fight in a very boring way, but it's also possible (and rewarding) to use clever, alternative solutions, and that adds a lot. I do agree that the gunplay isn't very interesting (as long as you admit that plasmid play is awesome), and I do think they shouldn't have bothered with the Vita-Chambers. I load from my last save whenever I die. The AI is sometimes a little simple. But it's pretty coolwhen a splicer jumps into water after you've set him on fire, then runs to a healing station, only to die at the station because you've hacked it. And Rosies are very good at avoiding proximity mines. The game definitely has its flaws, but in the eyes of most reviewers (and most people who've played it) its strengths outweigh its weaknesses by a wide margin.

lol, honestly though i found the story in God of War 2 to be cheese. The acting was just so over the top and the plot was pretty thin.kevy619

Hm, interesting. I have NGB and GoW1 and GoW2 (and DMC3--I don't know, I just think it's necessary to say that), and I definitely think NGB is the cream of last generation's hack and slash crop, but I give full props to GoW's non-game elements. The storyline itself is not that amazing or surprising, but the storytelling is absolutely top-tier, in my opinion. Maybe some people chafe at Kratos' personality; I guess I can understand that. But his badassery is really well-conveyed in GoW; I mean, compare Kratos' badassery to Dante's, from DMC3. Kratos comes across as a living nightmare; Dante comes across as an embarrassing cartoon. Ryu comes across as this... ninja, which is cool, but it's hard to feel like you're actually in his shoes; the gameplay definitely makes the player feel like he is becoming a ninja in real life, but the only things I really remember about Ryu as a character in the Ninja Gaiden story are his name and voice (he's a tenor). What is he fighting for, again? A sword, or something?

The set pieces and boss designs in GoW are also much more interesting than those in NG; GoW feels more like a ****c action-adventure game, which fits, considering that NG is really a fighting game. Also, I think God of War's soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard in all my years of gaming. I love me some NGB, but I can't remember the soundtrack at all, even when I really try.

Ninja Gaiden is by far the better game, and God of War isnt the uber hit that people think it is. I think Ninja Gaiden 2 will outsell God of War 1 or 2 easily. I havent seen God of War 3 yet, so I wont comment on it.kevy619

What do you mean when you say GoW isn't the uber hit that people think it is?

It's bizarre to me that there are arguments over the gameplay in this comparison; GoW 1 and 2 are obviously button mashers, and the NG games are obviously much more technically demanding. Each series was built from the ground up to appeal to different crowds. To say that GoW isn't a button masher is to say that David Jaffe didn't succeed in building the crowd-pleaser that we all know he built. And we know he built a crowd-pleaser, not a DMC3, not a NGB.

GOD OF WAR IS MUCH EASIER AND MUCH SIMPLER THAN NINJA GAIDEN. So if you want to choose which one you favor, please, do yourself a favor and stop trying to champion the enormous complexity of God of War's fighting engine;that's ridiculous. Yes, there are a lot of dope moves, but you only need to know about two or three of them. That's partly because the enemies are sandbags, and partly becauseyour moves strike in all directions at a high speed and range. Calling a favorite between the two series really indicates what is more important to you: are non-game elements like storyline, music, dialogue and voice acting more important? Or is core gameplay more important? Yes, in a perfect world, every game would have both: God of War would have cunning enemies that force the player to choose his moves carefully, the moves wouldn't reach halfway across the screen in all directions, magic wouldn't be so effective and inexpensive; and Ninja Gaiden would have dialogue, plotline and musical score that we'd remember longer than a few seconds. Alas. Alack.

I do think it's just a cop-out though, to discount superior gameplay (as in Ninja Gaiden) because it isn't backed up by an engaging storyline. Doesn't that disqualify every sports, racing, and fighting game from the 'good games' list, not to mention most multiplayer games in general?Top-quality gameplay is its own justification. Can't we take that for granted by now?

Agreed 100%, the hypocrisy surrounding the three Gaidens is as extreme as it ever gets, here in SW.