A Fanboy Debate to End All Debates

Contributed by Andrew Weymes--I have yet to meet a fanboy in real life, but the Internet is brimming with them. I'll get this out of the way right now: I own all three current generation consoles, and I prefer my Playstation 3. Am I a fanboy? I don't think so, but you can be the judge of that.

I am more than willing to play a game that catches my interest on the Xbox 360, or Wii. In fact, I own a few 360 games right now. The Xbox 360 had a year headstart, and with games like Gears of War, and a few solid RPGs, it's definitely a console to own. Xbox 360 fanboys love to act as if the 360 doesn't have any flaws, though. They love to act as if Microsoft dealt with the RROD issue and shouldn't be mentioned ever again. I'm glad that Microsoft has extended their warranty, but in all honesty, if they wouldn't have, very few people would buy their next console. I like my Xbox 360, but there is a reason I buy all of my multi-console games on the PS3, and it's because so far, my PS3 has been very reliable.

Xbox 360 fanboys also refuse to acknowledge the superiority of Blu Ray over DVD. We may as well argue about how VHS is better than DVD. They have to accept that Blu Ray won. Blu Ray has more storage space, therefore more things can be added without the inclusion of another disk. It's that simple.

A relatively small issue is the noise that the Xbox 360 makes. Sometimes, I cover my head while playing my 360 out of fear of it launching itself into my ceiling, and bringing debris down upon my head. As I said, it's a minor issue, but it is something few people complain about.

Don't get the wrong idea about me. This is not an entirely pro-PS3 article. PS3 fanboys have some silly things to say regarding the Xbox 360 as well. We all remember PS3 fanboys going on, and on about how achievements are silly, and that you play games for the enjoyment of the game, and not to gain rewards. I suppose that entire argument went out the window when Sony announced trophies. The same people that said achievements are silly are probably addicted to acquiring every possible trophy a game has to offer. I wouldn't be surprised if games that support the trophy system sell more than games that don't at the moment. Sony is messing up a little in my opinion. They need to make trophy support mandatory very soon, similar to Microsoft making achievements mandatory. Achievements, and trophies are just a next generation way of getting the high score in an arcade game. It's not some new idea, it's been around forever.

I notice that PS3 fanboys are also very bitter about the JRPG support that the Xbox 360 has been getting, so everytime a review isn't great for a game such as Infinite Undiscovery, they go off on how they wouldn't want it anyway, because it's crap. I believe they're kidding themselves. Most JRPGs don't receive great ratings, unless they have amazing graphics, and mind-blowing cutscenes, but that doesn't mean that they aren't enjoyable. If you enjoy JRPGs, and turned based combat, most likely you can get into most JRPGs as long as the story is decent.

Fanboys love to rip apart each consoles exclusives, but in the end, they're not hurting anyone besides themselves by not playing enjoyable games. When I picture a raging fanboy, I picture a younger male that just doesn't have enough money to purchase a second console, or a person with a very limited interest in video games, meaning that they only have a 360 to play Gears of War 2, or some other competitive online game. Personally, I give the edge to the PS3 when it comes to exclusives, but the 360 has exclusives that make it a system worth owning in my opinion.

I would be lying if I said that I didn't find fanboys very entertaining. Imagine N4G without the raging arguments over which console is a failure. It just wouldn't be the same. I wouldn't giggle nearly as much. Some fanboys even make some valid points now and then, but then their next comment about Xbots being homosexuals or vice versa usually nullifies that reasonable comment they made earlier. If any fanboys exist that can provide a reasonable explanation on why they refuse to play excellent games that another console has to offer besides not having the money, I would love to hear it. As for me, I'll still prefer my Playstation 3 because of the reliability, and the inclusion of a Blu Ray player, but I'll probably be playing my Xbox 360 later on tonight, because I haven't finished Mass Effect yet, and I had better before the holiday rush begins.