Recommended Playstation 3 Games for PS3 Fans

Rock Band - Better than Guitar Hero? From the standpoint of multiplayer, yes. Beating drums and singing (if you can sing) is so much fun with everyone in the room to enjoy (or abhor) it. For me, it quickly became a family favorite. Even Grandma got into it. It really hearkens back to her time when the family would sit around and sing songs, but now it's in a cool, digital kind of way. Forget the Wii. Rock Band is the new game of choice for old folks.

The single player aspect has everything you would get from Guitar Hero and more. This time you can create your own rocker and go on tour with random bands until you reach the top. It's original, but in the end it plays the same as Guitar Hero in that you do a set of songs for a location and move on to get more songs. One of the things that I expected in Guitar Hero was the ability to "Rock Out" by hitting any buttons that you want. You can do this with the drums especially well, indicated by highlighting all of the drum bars on screen. You can hit whatever you want and it really adds the chance to be original in game. Some songs end with the band going nuts on their part, and if the last note is landed, you get a bonus. The game isn't optimized for single player, and the guitar parts are simple compared to GH3. Expert is about on the level of hard with a few exceptions.

Multiplayer gives you the chance to make a band and rise the ranks of stardom. Our band, for example, was called "Doo Doo Stains"
You start local and the number of fans you gain determines what you can unlock from venues and concerts to your own jet (Seeing "Doo Doo Stains" on the side of a jet: priceless).
So basically you all play your parts (singing, drums, guitar, bass). If one person fails, you can use your "Energy" (ala star power in GH) to save that person. But if they fail 3 times, they are out and the band gradually loses until everyone fails. So basically, if one person can't carry their weight, then the band will fail.
Deploying energy works differently for each instrument:
Guitar is the same as GH star power
Singing energy is deployed by "Free styling" during special parts of the songs indicated by yellow highlights across the bar
Drums is triggered by hitting the green cymbal at the end of a free run.

You can mix and match anyone in the band with the exception of the band leader. So if you want you lead singer to be the leader, that person will have to be playing each time the band plays (which means that Gamertag will have to be logged in). The interface takes some getting used to , but once you realize the level of customization, you will never be able to go back to Guitar Hero.

The track selection is good, but I prefer the Guitar Hero selection. But with downloadable content you can't go wrong.
There is already a Metallica and a David Bowie pack if your into either of those, along with many individual songs ("Fortunate Son" FTW!)

So what should you do?
Buy it all if you have friends to play it with. It'll be worth the hefty price tag.
Otherwise, pick which instrument you like and try it out online.

Purchase Rock Band

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - this game has great gameplay. The guns are all different and have their strengths and weaknesses, which are great because the online mode has so many weapons and attachments. The perks are also important and change battle greatly. The combination of all this leaves a gameplay that always changes and never gets old. The online gameplay is supported by classes, challenges, and leaderboards. It's Multiplayer is only surpassed by Halo 3 IMO. Campaign is more limited. The guns are very fun to use in both MP and SP. In campaign though, you can use a mini gun and a plane. The lack of a tank mission is disappointing though. Since CoD 4 has a great gameplay that stays fresh as of now and it has many unlockables for more fun, it deserves a 9.9 out of 10 for gameplay.

Purchase Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Assassin's Creed - Assassin's Creed features an open world setting similar to that of which the Legend of Zelda series and the Grand Theft Auto Series takes place in. Only, this game is enhanced with amazing visual graphics, attention to detail, and historical actuality.
When wondering around the world collecting information on targets and assassinating them, you visit cities such as Jerusalem which feature graphical designs of the temple where the profit mohammed was believed to ascend to heaven and due to the time period...no Solomons temple.
Speaking of the time period, the story takes place in two of them. One of them is in the future...a bartender named Desmond is being experimented on, forcing him to live through the memories of his ancestor who is Arabic(ish), assassinating various evil people, most of which associated with the ongoing third crusade.
Other than the compelling storyline and historical actualities Assassin's Creed features a "Just Right" difficulty level, an easy to learn combat system, and unlike other stealth games, the ability to randomly kill people.
The attention to detail and minor quests, along with the main mission will keep you hooked on to this game for hours and hours.

Purchase Assassin's Creed

Having owned a PlayStation 3 and an Xbox 360, I can say without bias that both are great systems and we should all be excited at the competition for this generation of video game consoles.

The Good:
The 40gb PS3 comes with increased Wireless and Bluetooth range and reliability, and new components that reduce energy by 32.5% of previous models. The heat difference between this and other models is incredible. This things runs very cool for hours.

All PS3 models can connect to the internet for online gaming, shopping, web-browsing, and even medical research for Stanford when you aren't playing. It is nice that the PS3's user-base tends to be older and it doesn't come with a headset, so you don't get much of the 9-year-olds running around screaming during games. And the PS3 has better sound features and hard drive space than the entry level xbox 360.

Another huge feature is that the PS3 plays hi-definition movies on a format called blu-ray. I just purchased an HDTV and the picture of Blu-Ray movies is 3D-like and incredible. Games are also played on Blu-Ray discs and several games have already maxed out on Blu_Ray's massive storage capacity. In other words, as HDTV's become more popular, this format will likely become the medium that people watch new movies on. The games on PS3 in the very near future will not fit on the DVD discs that the xbox uses. Another great thing is that the PS3 upscales regular DVD's, which means all DVD's, despite their age, look OUTSTANDING on my television.

The Bad:
But the 40gb PS3 doesn't get everything right. While the 40gb model plays 100% of PS1 games it can NOT play PS2 games like other models can. But after playing recent PS3 games like Call of Duty 4, I realized I don't want to play my old PS2 games anymore, since they just can't compare to this experience.

Second, it doesn't let you keep your music playing once you launch a program, enter the store, or go to a settings menu. And you can't message friends in a game like the 360 can. What's more, Sony's store has a hideous interface (especially on Standard Definition TVs), is clumsy, and needs a serious redesign. The good news is that, it's not nearly as bad as everyone claims and it should get an overhaul this holiday season once Sony launches a new interface. Also, unlike Xbox, the service is free, which is awesome and has caused me to buy several great inexpensive games from the PS store.

Another issue is that the PS3 uses new Cell processor technology so developers have to invest a lot of time to learn how to use the PS3. This has meant that the games for both the 360 and PS3 have tended to look much better on the 360 with the PS3 versions being half-hearted ports. However, developers like Midway, Capcom, and many more are starting to realize this problem, get the hang of things, and prioritize PS3 development first. So recent PS3 games like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune are looking spectacular.

And finally, this model only has two USB ports and they don't include an HDMI cord OR component cables in the PS3 box. So you HAVE to buy one of them separately otherwise the picture will look terrible on an HD or digital TV. They also don't include an ethernet cable, which was a surprise.

The Verdict:
This generation of game consoles is a win-win and I was on the fence for a year before getting and then returning my xbox for a PS3. The main factors for me were quality assurance, longevity, and value. The PS3 simply feels like it is a more sleek higher end unit. It has never frozen on me like my 360, and has a 1% failure rate as opposed to the 33% failure rate for the 360. Further, the PS3 is projected by many financial analysts as lasting for a long time. The xbox 360 might be outdated by late 2009, but the PS3 has a ton of untapped potential.

Several recent exclusive games like Lair, Heavenly Sword, and Ratchet and Clank have looked incredible despite the product being less than a year old. And in my opinion, they look better and have more characters and action on screen than any game I've ever played on another console. And finally, feature for feature, the PS3 is a way better deal than the xbox 360. You get a Hi-Def player, wireless capability, an optional use as a home computer, a web browser, media center, cutting-edge video game machine, and 5 free blu-ray movies if you fill out the rebate form before the January deadline.

In addition, the VARIETY of games on PS3 is astounding. There are Playstation Eye Camera games that let your body movements interact with the game, Sixaxis controller games that focus on tilting your hands to steer, the whole gamut of traditional game types, arcade games you can download from the Playstation store, and revolutionary games like Echochrome, Little Big Planet, and the Home social network. There is something for everyone which I feel is a balance that isn't struck as well with the PS3's competitors.

While both the 360 and PS3 are great systems, the PS3 definitely is a better long-term investment because it can do so much more than just play video games and will only get better with each firmware update. To put it in two words, the PS3 really is "future proof."

Purchase PlayStation 3 40GB Spider-Man Movie Pack

Have you ever heard of a mini washer dryer? I didn't know such a machine existed till last week. This machine does both functions of a washing machine and a dryer! Not only is it small, but it can be more powerful than some washing machines out there. Do not underestimate a mini washer dryer.