Pros, cons of three video game systems
It's time to check in on the three cheapest video game systems -- the Nintendo DS, the PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation Portable. Interesting little things are happening with each.
Sony's PlayStation 2 just dropped in price to $99. That makes it the most affordable system on the market.
The caveat for both the PlayStation 2 and Sony's hand-held PSP ($170) is there aren't enough games coming out for either. For the month of May, I count six new releases for PS 2, and five new games for PSP. It's possible to find enough good games to keep you happy. But come on, Sony. Bring the new!
On the other hand, the month of May welcomes 37 new titles for Nintendo's hand-held DS Lite -- but most DS titles are vapid or aimed at kids, such as, "I Love Beauty: Hollywood Makeover." I don't need a Hollywood makeover from a video game system.
The DS Lite ($130) is the world's best-selling game system. Parents buy the DS Lite if they're worried about mature game content, because DS games are kid-friendly. And very casual gamers, oftentimes females, prefer cute little Mario adventures, foreign language trainers and "Tetris"-like brainteasers that play easily on the little DS.
But suddenly, there are two different DS systems -- the DS Lite and the new DSi ($170). Which one is best for casual gamers and kids?
Both the DS Lite and DSi let you play any DS game, from "Gardening Mama" to "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars" and beyond.
You can also play old Game Boy Advance titles on the DS Lite. But the new DSi does not let you play Game Boy Advance disks -- or for that matter, "Guitar Hero" titles that require Game Boy Advance software.
To make up for that deficiency, you could turn the DSi into your iTunes music player. The DSi comes with an SD card slot. However, you need to own or buy an SD card and equipment to upload AAC music files onto the SD card (since iTunes plays AAC files). That sounds like work and money to me. And be warned, the DSi does not play MP3s.
As for playing games on the DSi, its twin screens are a smidgen larger than the previous DS Lite screens -- now 3.25 inches, not just 3 inches.
The DSi's other ta-da moment: It comes with two built-in cameras that take photos on par with mobile phone cameras. One camera faces inward. The other camera faces outward. That way, you can look at images of yourself and, at the same time, a friend across from you. You can also warp the images. That's silly, but it's a selling point.
Bottom lines:
The PS 2 is still a very good machine, especially if you're broke.
The PSP is excellent, but you have to scrounge for great games.
And if you already own a DS, it hardly makes sense to spend $170 to upgrade to the DSi. But if you don't own a DS and want one, you might as well choose the DSi, since you'll get extras, including downloadable games.
(Nintendo DSi retails for $170 -- Plays fun. Looks good enough. Easy to challenging games. Rating N/A. Four stars out of four.)
(Sony PlayStation 2 retails for $99 -- Plays fun. Looks very good at its best. Easy to challenging games. Rating N/A. Three stars.)
(Sony PlayStation Portable retails for $170 -- Plays very fun. Looks great. Easy to challenging games. Rating N/A. Four stars.)
What do you think? Tell me at delfman@reviewjournal.com, or post your reviews and rants at reviewjournal.com/elfman. My column appears Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
NEW IN STORES
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is a gritty action-adventure tied in to the summer movie. The plot delves into the character development of Wolverine, his bad brother, and his battles with Striker, Agent Zero, Gambit and The Blob. The action of the game makes you, playing as Wolverine, use his blades, built into the fists, to slice, dice and stab foes like so much bloody meat. Gruesome stuff ahead. The game retails for $60 for Xbox 360 and PS 3; $50 for Wii; $40 for PSP and PC; $30 for PS 2 and DS. It's rated "M" for blood, gore, intense violence and language.
"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" is based on the Ben Stiller comedy, dropping you into the museum to chat with Teddy Roosevelt and fly a dinosaur while saving people from the clutches of evil people throughout history. The Tuesday release retails for $40 for Wii and Xbox 360; $30 for DS. It's rated "E 10+" for comic mischief and fantasy violence.
"Donkey Kong Jungle Beat" is a revamped GameCube title from 2005. Back then, you played "Jungle Beat" (a good kiddie game) by pounding on a couple of peripheral, plugged-in bongos. This time, you shake the Wii wands on the beat to make Donkey Kong sprint through the jungle, picking up important bananas, and to swing vines and knock out obstacles. The Tuesday release retails for $30 for Wii. It's rated "E 10+" for cartoon violence.
"Klonoa" originally came out for the PlayStation in 1997, and now is being updated for the Wii. It was a small-time cult classic for some critics, who dug the action-adventure's mostly left-to-right platform action, where you play as a fictional animal and run, jump, bonk bad guys and get through levels. The Tuesday release retails for $30 for Wii. It's rated "E 10+" for mild cartoon violence and tobacco reference.
-- By DOUG ELFMAN
