5 Disney/Marvel/LucasFilm Crossovers That Don’t Need to Happen

Not so long ago, in a Disney Studio far, far out of their minds…

Empty Space

 

1. Indiana Jones and the Magic Kingdom of the Cosmic Cube

“Aliens… I hate these guys”

Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones is called back into action, when 9 months after his honeymoon, he is approached by a mysterious man who claims to work for a secret agency by the name of S.H.I.E.L.D. He is asked to investigate a strange archeological dig site. Fascinated by the strange anomalies surrounding this site, Indy decides to dawn his hat and whip one last time. While investigating, he discovered a strange glowing blue cube. All of a sudden, lightning struck the cube and opened up a portal into outer space, sending Indy to the realm of Asgard, which is populated by Norse space gods. All of a sudden… Asgard is attacked by TIE fighters! So now the gods must fight off a man by the name of Darth Vader. Caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between realms, will Indy get back to earth in time for the birth of his second son that isn’t Shia LaBeouf?

 

2. The Avengers: Stitched Together

“Ohana means Marvel phase 2. Marvel phase 2 means, nobody gets left behind… except Spiderman”

After hearing about the events on the Hawaiian Islands, Nick Fury, of the agents of S.H.I.E.LD., told the Avengers to go out and recruit Stitch, a powerful mutant experiment. While flying there on the Helicarrier, they were attacked by a space craft and crash landed in Kauai. They were then captured by a small blue creature, who happens to be the mutant experiment they were sent to find. When the Avengers demanded to know why they were imprisoned, a 4-eyed extraterrestrial by the name of Jumba, explains that they intercepted an intergalactic message, hinting at another alien attack on Hawaii. After clearing up the misunderstanding, the Avengers are released, and they try to convince Stitch and his friends to join their team. They refuse, because they are contracted by the Grand Council of the Galactic Federation. Suddenly… they were attacked by TIE fighters! After fighting them off, a broadcast was made by a man who goes by Darth Vader. He claims that this is only the beginning, and he is on a quest to conquer the multiverse in the name of the Sith. Now Stitch and friends must team up with the Avengers, and battle for the safety of Earth!

 

3. Freaky Duck Day Afternoon

“You mean like… We’re stuck in this DUCKFEST?!”

Quacky scientist Donald Duck is dissatisfied with his published work. He believes that there is more out there to explore. One day, while experimenting with the Cosmic Cube, he opened a portal to a parallel Universe. On the other side, he is greeted by a cigar chomping duck by the name of Howard. While discussing the possibilities of what they can do with this new found discovery, Donald’s lab was attacked by, you guessed it, TIE fighters! A man, cloaked in black and wielding a red laser beam sword, takes the cosmic cube and disrupts the reality matrix. A singularity within the portal was created, and caused a reverse polarity of electrons. The portal then exploded, knocking Donald Duck unconscious. He awakes not in his lab, but in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic ducks. Cigar in bill, he runs to the nearest bathroom and looks in the mirror. To his shock… he has become Howard. And now, he has to find a way to return to his universe, find Howard in his body, and fix everything before it is too late. They are in for one Freaky Duck Day Afternoon.

 

4. Tron: Iron Man Legacy

“J.A.R.V.I.S… What the hell is happening?”

After the events of the Mandarin debacle, Tony Stark has destroyed all of his Iron Man suits. He began developing a new computer program for S.H.I.E.L.D., trying to incorporate J.A.R.V.I.S. in to the information main frame. While transferring data, J.A.R.V.I.S. malfunctions and shuts down. Once Tony reboots the system at its core, J.A.R.V.I.S. emits an intense beam of light, dissolves Mr. Stark into digital information, and downloads him wirelessly in to his mainframe. Tony finds himself in a bizarre virtual world were he meets J.A.R.V.I.S. in ‘human’ form. He explains that after Obadiah fell into the arc reactor, he was digitized and sent to the digital universe. Going under the pseudonym Clu, he plans to take over the internet using TIE fighters that shoot virus lasers. Tony and J.A.R.V.I.S. were then captured, and forced in to virtual gladiatorial games. Now, they have survive and stop Obadiah from ruining the internet!

 

5. Star Wars Infinity: Revenge of the Phantom Mouse

 

“When I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the master.”

Luke Skywalker, now a Jedi Master, was teaching young padawans in the newly formed Jedi Academy. During meditation training, he begins to feel a strange disturbance in the force. He gets a vision of Tatooine being destroyed by Darth Vader. Shocked and confused, he talks to the ghost of his father about his vision. Anakin is also confused and concerned, and does not know what this vision means. Luke gathers Han Solo and Leia, and travels to Tatooine using the Millennium Falcon. On the way, they were caught in an unusually strong gravitational pull, and crash landed on an unknown planet. When they left their ship, they witnessed a very frightening sight: a gaping whole in all of space time reality. They are attacked and captured by two formidable figures. One is a titan by the name of Thanos, and the other is none other than Darth Vader. They describe their plans of conquering the multiverses, using the rebuilt imperial army, and the Infinity Gauntlet to jump between realities. Luke snaps, and demands to know who is behind the mask that once belonged to his father. The imposter Darth Vader slowly takes off his helmet, and reveals who he really is… Loki. Laughing, he puts on the infinity gauntlet, points to the wormhole, and says four dreadful words that shook Luke, Han, and Leia to their core:

“Release the TIE fighters.”

 

So fellow OOUies, what are the crossovers YOU don’t want to happen? What crossovers DO you want to happen? Whatever they are, comment below, and let One of Us know!

 

Via The Wrap

 

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Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar’ Teaser Has Arrived!

Rejoice OOU.netties! The trailer to Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated project Interstellar has finally been released! It will be premiered before The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. But guess what? You don’t have to go out and spend your money, if all you want to do is see the trailer! We here at OneofUs.net have connections… internet connections. So just because we love you guys so much, we have the teaser for you down below.

Teaser is right. This trailer gives us almost nothing except stock footage, a voice over, and a shot of Matthew McConaughy after watching Fool’s Gold. The only thing this trailer really gives us is the tone. Even then, I can’t tell what Nolan is trying to accomplish. I’m not sure if it’s going to be: (A) dark and moody(as per usual), (B) inspirational and wonderful, or (C) all of the above. From the sounds of it, it seems to be relying a lot on the human ambition of trying to venture in to the great beyond, to boldly go where no man has gone before. My IMDB-fu skills tell me that nothing about the plot has been revealed other than this sentence:

“A group of explorers make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.”

 

 

Looks like our pal Chris is playing this one pretty close to the chest. If I can place my bets, maybe Matthew McConaughey’s character is some sort of space researcher that discovers this wormhole. He wants to go out and explore it, but the researchers are telling him that it’s too dangerous and no way in HELL are they going to do that. He becomes obsessed with this project, so much so that it destroys him and his familial relationships. Now with nothing, he was some how able to convince his superiors to allow him and a small crew to explore this wormhole. Malfunctions happen, and they land on a mysterious planet inhabited by intellectual apes. It so happens that they have entered a parallel universe, and the planet is actually earth. They have entered… the Twilight Zone.

So fellow OOUies, what are your guesses on what the plot is? Best answer gets a virtual high-five! Whatever your ideas are, comment below, and let One of Us know!

Via Youtube, IMDB

 

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‘The Purge 2’ Has Found Its Leading Actor

Right now, Blumhouse Productions does nothing but churn out money making movies. Sure the films vary in quality, but if your movie has Blumhouse’s seal of approval, then the odds are you are in line to make some money. The Purge, some people’s chagrin, followed this formula and was one of those financial hits. Of course, this means a sequel was all but inevitable and Blumhouse has already selected its leading man. Frank Grillo will be starring in the second Purge film.

Movies released by Blumhouse often don’t carry A list names and The Purge 2 isn’t aiming to break tradition. Grillo is a great actor that you might recognize from movies like The Fighter and The Grey, a film were I think he was especially good. He also had a role in the Mother’s Day remake, another home invasion film, and I believe his performance was the strongest aspect of that picture. Grillo’s not a box office draw, so Blumhouse is likely hedging their bets on return business from the first film and hoping that people who hated it might come back to see if they could execute a little better.

James DeMonaco is returning to write, direct and produce the sequel for the studio. No news on where DeMonaco plans to take with the world he set up from the first film, but I’m really hoping for a little more outside action as opposed to just another home invasion scenario like in the first film. I’m in what appears to be the minority of people who didn’t hate The Purge, but I recognized a lot of the problems people had with it and I too just want to see DeMonaco take a few chances with the sequel since it will likely have a bigger yet still small budget.

What are your thoughts on Frank Grillo’s casting? Do you even want to see a sequel to The Purge? Who would rather have directing/starring? Sound off below!

Via: Deadline

 

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Big Finishing Move: ‘Doctor Who: Blood Of The Daleks Parts 1 & 2’

Howdy-ho good neighbors and welcome back to Big Finishing Move, where I take a look at the Doctor Who audio dramas produced by Big Finish and let you know if they are worth your hard-earned nickels and dimes. Today’s edition will focus on a two-part adventure featuring the Eighth Doctor.

Soon after Big Finish convinced Paul McGann to reprise his role as the Eighth Doctor, the light bulb flashed on over their collective heads and the company realized the huge opportunity they had with his participation. The Eighth Doctor’s era was this large gaping hole in Doctor Who ripe with potential. The fans were hungry for more adventures and the writers could do almost anything they wanted as there were not any continuity issues with the classic series to get in their way. In this fertile ground, the stories known as the Eighth Doctor Adventures were born.

These stories presented opportunities to introduce new characters and pit them against classic threats. The writers had already achieved great success with the creation of Charley Pollard, but it was decided that a new companion would accompany the Doctor for this series. Enter one Lucie Miller, a less-than-enthusiastic TARDIS traveler from the mid-2000s. Of course, our heroes needed to face off against a compelling threat. Who better to vex the Eighth Doctor in the inaugural outing of his own series than his most famous adversaries? Thus, the series opened with a two-parter, Blood of the Daleks.

TARDIS Team: The Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller

The first thing you’ll notice while listening to Blood of the Daleks is how much the Doctor and Lucie don’t get along. With Charley, there had been an almost immediate connection between him and the Doctor. Conversely, Lucie is dropped into the TARDIS for reasons beyond her own understanding and begins to annoy the hell out of the Doctor without delay. Violating someone’s home is certainly not the best way to start a new relationship and the Doctor is rightfully pissed about the situation. He promptly tries to drop Lucie off back where she belongs in 2006, but the Time Lords, ever the pushy jerks, have put a barrier up preventing the Doctor from returning Lucie. Instead, the pair is dropped into the  post-apocalyptic world of Red Rocket Rising.

Between Lucie’s cagey approach to everything and landing on a planet that has well and truly been through hell, the Doctor decides to forgo his usual “let’s check this out” bit and tries to get off the planet. Before he can though, three people running from an angry mob crash their car right into the TARDIS. Leaping into action to save them from the wreckage, the Doctor and Lucie find themselves split up from each other and the TARDIS and in way over their heads. Without giving too much away, somebody is trying to pull a Davros here on Red Rocket Rising, and the whole planet is paying for that sin.

What makes this title work is that none of the characters know the entirety of the situation at the same time. It is set up to keep every character off balance and forces them to react based on the limited information they have. Through those actions, a deeper sense of character is discovered. We get to see what makes all of the characters tick, and not all of it  is pleasant, even in the case of the Doctor himself. This isn’t a happy story, this is a tale of desperation and having people and situations forced on you. Even when the day is saved, the clever Whovian may discover a little hint at the ultimate fate of the people of Red Rocket Rising, and it isn’t pretty.

While everyone is on their A-game on this one, the standout performance goes to Sheridan Smith as Lucie Miller without question. Smith has to balance her character between two extremes, as Lucie has to be both irritating and endearing at the same time. She gets to show several sides of the character during the course of this story. Smith starts by playing her as a brash child, but as the story peels away the layers we see a deeper and more caring person underneath. The story required Smith to be able to play foil and partner to McGann’s Doctor from word one, and she pulls it off beautifully.

This tale is a bleak and sordid one, so anybody seeking for a lighthearted romp should definitely look elsewhere. However, if you’re up for a challenging and grim tale, look no further than this story. This tale is one I’ve often found myself revisiting, and I always find something new to impress me. What I noticed this time is how well writer Steve Lyons added important details into what you at first think are throwaway lines, only to expose the significance of the information later on in moments of revelation. This is a story that rewards you for paying attention.

 

Purchase Doctor Who: Blood Of The Daleks Parts 1 & 2 Here:

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Don’t forget that Big Finish isn’t the only game in town when it comes to audio dramas. One Of Us has its own audio drama, headed by our leaders Brian Salisbury and Christopher Lawrence Cox, called Infinite Variations. For next time, just in time for the holidays, grab some hot cocoa and hold on tight, because we’ll be covering:

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Check out previous Big Finishing Move reviews here:

Phantasmagoria

The Fearmonger

The Light At The End

The Spectre of Lanyon Moor

Storm Warning

 

 

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Inside The Locker: Snow Balls

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On this week’s show, the guys again adopt a more conversational style as they take a pine-tar-soaked nerdstick to a number of the week’s biggest sports headlines.

Will Mack Brown return to Texas? Will that immediately have us singing Mark Morrison songs? (Yes) Why did the Mariners pay soooooo much for Robinson Cano? Is the Pacers/Heat situation a legit rivalry? And what was with all the games in the snow this week?! Amazing!

All those questions are addressed, geek references flow as freely as the copious amounts of beer in the studio, the particulars of the final ITL Fantasy Football showdown are decided, and we read more of your tweeted candidates for our various awards.

 

Oh, and don’t forget to join our ITL group for what we’re dubbing Thunderbowl! Using ESPN’s College Bowl Mania, we’re gathering your picks for the winners of the various college bowl games. No limit on the number of participants so join now!

 

Make sure to follow us all on Twitter!! Hey, Calvin Johnson, can you believe there are still people out there not following ITL on Twitter?

The Show Account–@ITLCast
Brian–@BriguySalisbury
J.C.–@jcdeleon1
Elliott–@ITLElliott
Adam–@the_beef

 

Be careful out there, snow makes things slippery

 

‘World War Z’ Sequel Has Its Director

I don’t think anyone expected World War Z to be good, let alone that it would be something of a sleeper hit upon its release. As it just so happens, the film was not half bad and it was indeed a hit – defying everyone’s expectations after all the production woes and script rewrites. Naturally, success breeds sequel opportunities and World War Z‘s sequel has found its director in Juan Antonio Bayona.

Bayona is known most notably for the highly acclaimed ghost spooker, The Orphanage, which I have shamefully still not seen. His most recent film however, The Impossible, might be the one that sells me on his role in a World War Z sequel, if only because that’s the only movie of his I’ve actually seen. Forster, who directed World War Z, did handle some of the big set pieces well enough, but Bayona delivered a scene in The Impossible that was as terrifying as it was incredible in its technical aspects. The tsunami scene from The Impossible was a stunning achievement for a film that for the most part flew under the radar among mainstream audiences and I strongly recommend checking it out if you haven’t.

Aside from what I think Bayona can deliver in terms of thrills he achieved just as much emotionally in The Impossible– even if it was very manipulative in that way. I don’t know if World War Z has room for the kind of emotion on display in a true story like The Impossible, but I believe he can deliver a lot more on that front than Forster did in his film. I’m imagining the two stark differences in Bayona’s filmography between The Orphanage and The Impossible are what make him an attractive choice to the studio since he obviously has what it takes to both thrill and chill audiences and my interest in the sequel has shot up significantly with this news.

Did you like World War Z? Are you excited about a sequel? What do you think of Juan Antonio Bayona’s work? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

Via: Variety

 

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‘Bad Words’ Red Band Trailer Needs Its Mouth Washed Out With Soap

Jason Bateman’s directorial debut, Bad Words, debuted at the Toronto International Film Fest to some pretty positive word of mouth. The film was under my radar until news that the film’s writer, Andrew Dodge, was also penning a script for a comedy starring Peter Dinklage where the actor poses as an actual leprechaun. Well, the red band trailer for Bad Words has surfaced online and I must say that at the very least I’m intrigued.

Based from the trailer, Bad Words has a distinct Bad Santa vibe, except that it’s not about a thief who likes to rob malls on Christmas Eve nor does it appear to take place around Christmas at all. It is however about a guy who has no problem cursing around kids and being inappropriate around everyone in general. This foul-mouthed individual takes a young outcast under his wing to forge an unlikely friendship. Beyond that, it’s about a 40 something year old, played by Bateman, that never graduated the 8th grade and so he finds a loophole to compete in grade school spelling bees. There seems to be some other alternative reason which is hinted at in the trailer, but nothing explicit enough to form any theories. Check out the trailer for yourself below.

 

 

Like I said, the trailer gives this film a huge Bad Santa vibe and I happen to love Bad Santa quite a bit – although I think this type of crude character fits Billy Bob more than Bateman. I like Bateman he just never quite fit into the crude humor niche for me, although I could be swayed since he does do sarcasm quite well and I do like him as an actor in general. The trailer is very funny and brings the R rated comedy goods, so I am indeed interested to see how the final product turned out.

What are your thoughts on the red band trailer for Bad Words? Do you like Jason Bateman? Do you too get the Bad Santa vibe? Sound off below!

 

chirstmas

The 100 Most Essential Films According to The Alamo Drafthouse

List making has been around for awhile. Some scholars have even speculated that list-making may have existed before the Internet, though of course Buzzfeed has 5 reasons why that’s just a hoax. But in our current listicle-centered world, how do you know which lists are the good lists? Allow me to enlighten you: the ones that come from the fine folks at the Alamo Drafthouse are the good lists.

As you may well know, the Alamo Drafthouse is an Austin-based chain of movie theaters currently expanding around the country, bringing their signature programming and famed no-talking policy to movie lovers everywhere. If movies are a religion then the Alamo is church. And what’s church without a few lists, right Martin Luther?

Perhaps equal parts inspired by and in opposition to famous film lists like the annual Sight & Sound polls, the AFI 100, and perhaps the IMDb bottom 100, Tim and the programming team for the Alamo decided to come up with their own list of 100 films. Maybe they wouldn’t be the 100 best films, or the 100 most well-known films, but dammit they’d be 100 fun films that the Alamo staff love. And thus was born the Alamo 100.

Tim along with programmers, R.J. LaForce, Greg MacLennan, Sarah Pitre, Joe Ziemba and Tommy Swenson each submitted a list of their most cherished films, all 100 of them. Then through mysterious mathematical algorithms known only to Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson, a single list of 100 films was assimilated.

Alamo100-List

The list is impressive, an overview of cinema from the mainstream to the fringes, from Chaplin to Step Up 2: The Streets. Classics like Casablanca and City Lights sit side by side with cult films like Brazil and Bottle Rocket. Romantic comedies like You’ve Got Mail stare in awe at Jess Franco’s sleaze-filled Succubus. The Dark Knight can duke it out with Danger Diabolik while singing the soundtrack to Streets of Fire.

While there’s no specific plan for when and where, the Alamo will begin playing films from its list at locations across the country. They even had little buttons made to commemorate each screening. You can check out the full list as well as the lists that each programmer submitted at the Alamo 100 website.

Check drafthouse.com for screening information and showtimes.

Movie Review: ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’

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A new era begins at oneofus.net. A time involving a gang of ne’er do wells who have gathered to tell you of the now. A list of rather unusual suspects bringing you…Highly Suspect Reviews!

Our first foray in the world of theatrical release reviews is for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Join Christopher Lawrence Cox, Martin Thomas, Beau Paul, and Brian Salisbury as they negotiate the tricksy waters of the second prequel to their precious LOTR films.

And this is only the first review…and only the first line-up. Oneofus.net is determined to build our own community within the community of dedicated film reviewers that will rotate in and out…with many familiar voices appearing and becoming new members of the Unusual Suspects team.

So please, check out our first review right here and keep your eyes peeled for further developments from Highly Suspect Reviews. For example, listen to this installment to find out how YOU can help us decide on our rating scale! For now, things are a bit…arbitrary.

So… Who won the (seventh) console war?

It’s been a feud that has lasted for generations. With each iteration of each console fuelling a whole new debate cycle. I’ve always of course participated in the so called “console war” but I’ve always thought it’s unfair at the inception of any new console to declare any form of winner. Therefore, since we’re at the advent of a new console generation I thought I’d take a look back at the previous generation and lay out the potential for each for “winner”.

So what does it come too? Simply the number of consoles sold? Evidently not otherwise the Wii would be declared the winner instantly. Much is to do with personal taste as solid numbers, so let’s take a look at each of the consoles and the reasons they could be declared the winner.

Wii

Way back in 2005 Nintendo released a little console called the Wii. The Wii is incredibly Vital to even this generation of consoles at it set the way for motion controls way before it was expected or standard. It felt revolutionary. Wii Sports, bundled with every console was a fantastic introduction to a new way of playing games. It opened gaming up to a whole new demographic of gamers – the elderly, families, children. All kinds of new people were playing games and they were playing them on the Wii. In those first years, the Wii was a financial success and sold… alot.

The Wii had something else that no other developer had – Nintendo’s portfolio of games and characters and in those first years they certainly delivered a plethora of gaming delights targeted at the masses – Mario Galaxy, Zelda, Metroid, Mario Kart and so on. A lack of HD or online features couldn’t stop these games being some of the best iterations of their franchises.

So should we stop there? Is it game over for any other console? I don’t think so. Nintendo had a lot to rely on those early years. However when the mushrooms dried up and Zelda was saved the third party support was increasingly poor. Whilst Nintendo had their flagship titles to use these controls, third party found it difficult to create anything worthwhile and over the years we saw an increase in poor ports, awful movie tie in games on par (or worse) than the stuff the PS2 was still getting. Over the years, the Wii became a barren wasteland of titles. Nintendo seemed to get lazy, offering the odd new Mario game every couple years instead of genuine support – something which still plagues them and has dented them considerably today with the Wii U.

Ultimately, the Wii U was exciting for that initial year or two, especially for those who loved Nintendo. But it wasn’t next generation, and the more time we spent with next generation, the more the Wii fell by the wayside. It was very isolating and behind with the times in so many respects (again Ala Wii U). To me, it felt like what the underrated Gamecube should have been.

I’d be remiss not to mention the equally successful and lasting DS which has offered a similar experience in terms of top tier Nintendo franchises and a strew of third party games that very rarely make the cut. The newer 3DS offers an almost console like experience (Nintendo console anyway) and the support has finally began to increase to a much more comfortable position but alas, in first party only.

Xbox 360

Microsoft, I’m sure were very happy with the success of the Xbox. No it didn’t sell as many as the mammoth PS2 but it did begin to look to the future of gaming – online platforms, indie games, voice chat – all things we know and love to this day. Xbox also defined the console first person shooter with Bungie’s Halo. The Xbox 360 was the first truly next generation console.

Microsoft launched strong, but had a rocky beginning with many Xbox’s suffering the now legend Red Ring of death. Whilst Sony wasn’t immune to its own problems, this is a sore spot in the debate between the two consoles. The Xbox was technically inferior to the PS3 although offered an easier platform for development, therefore, games generally looked the same on both consoles with the odd stand out performing better on xbox 360 (looking at you Bethesda).

One of the things that divides opinion is first party games and Xbox certainly had a number to chose from throughout the years. From Halo, Alan Wake, Dead Rising, Forza, there was plenty only available on the 360, not to mention the collection and platform for independent developers – something which PS3 grew into in the later years after it’s notable success.

Although not the best-selling console of the seventh-generation, the Xbox 360 was deemed to be the most influential, by emphasizing digital media distribution and online gaming through Xbox Live, and by popularizing achievement points that, whilst niche are almost standard in some form. PC Magazine considered the Xbox 360 the prototype for online gaming as it “proved that online gaming communities could thrive in the console space”.

Five years after the Xbox 360’s original debut, the well-received (it was!) motion capture camera was released, which set the record of being the fastest selling consumer electronic device in history, and extended the life of console offering a whole new way to play and navigate. The tech however wasn’t quite there and admittedly very little of it was used in a genuinely exciting way. Clearly inspired by the Wii, the Kinect was perhaps a proof of concept more than anything, and a glimpse of what to come in the future.

PS3

After the PS2, Sony were no doubt pretty confident about their next generation console being the best. So much so, they packed it full of power. Arguably, more power than developers knew what to do with. This inclusion made the system hard to develop for and also very expensive upon launch which dented sales figures and the overall image of the console. PS3 did introduce the Blu Ray drive and for many, was the most accessible way to see the next generation of movies.

Whilst bursting with power and features, the PS3 menu, similar to the PSP felt very dated and often difficult to navigate (especially compared to the 360’s blades).

The PS3 offered many of the same online features as the 360 (online play, demos etc) but in a more infantile presentation and less supported fashion. It was by no means bad, just not as impressive though of course they certainly refined it as they went on.

The PS3 had something consistently strong throughout it’s life – First Party games. Whilst relative, I’d argue that Sony had the best and most variety of first party exclusives including God of War, Heavy Rain, Uncharted and so on. Sony also demonstrated a commitment to first party which only created even better games as the console went on whereas Microsoft support seemed to fall by the wayside.

Whilst introduced late in the cycle, PS3 also has one major advantage over the 360 – PS+. IT was always a point of discussion with Microsoft charging for online and sony not. Sony introduced a paid version of Playstation online but the perks of paying a small fee a month were damn impressive. Full games that change each month, and not just little or old games, but AAA quality, often new titles. This feature still dominates the two consoles, with Microsoft offering a similar games with gold feature, offering two games a month which fails to excite or impress.

Sony have also had success with their portable own portable devise the PSP. Whilst being overshadowed by the sales of the DS, the PSP offered a number of genuinely great games such as GTA and MGS. It was an interesting device that was ultimately lost in the sea of smart phones and tablets that entered the market.

So who won?

This question is quite difficult and many points come down to personal taste, favourite exclusives, what controller they prefer, what their friends play and so on. It’s necessary to mention the growing popularity of PC gaming this generation with the advent of Steam and more powerful systems. I don’t have a great amount of experience with PC gaming but it has certainly proved to be a viable form of gaming with considerable benefits in terms of price and accessibility. PC gaming isn’t perfect, with the advent of the good such as Steam, we have a number of other game delivery platforms such as Origin.

Taking each console as an entire experience since 2005, I think the Xbox 360 edges it ever so slightly. It has done more (for better or worse) to inspire both the last generation and the generation we find ourselves in from online play, distribution and media. 360 was a little more consistent over the years than both the Wii and the PS3. However, I will say this, the last couple years Sony have seemingly genuinely learned from their mistakes and turned it around for the ps3. At this moment in time, the PS3 is the best console to buy of the last generation and that’s incredibly exciting for me to go back and play all those things I missed first time round. PS3 is certainly going out on a high. These improvements reflect the transition to PS4 also and I believe that’s why the PS4 seems like the better choice right now than the Xbox One who seem to have a air of arrogance around them which is ultimately disappointing (though not as arrogant as the Wii U).

So what do you think was the overall winner of the previous console war? Why? comment below your personal highs and low.

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