Pax Coverage: Console Commitment is Hard; PAX has the answer!

Waffling. That's what I've been doing and there's no denying it; hemming and hawing like an indecisive diner at a restaurant trying the poor waiter's last bit of shredded patience. Since moving away from my console rich shared housing into my own place I've agonized over which next gen console to buy.

Tthe X-Box 360 has some dope games and the online community is amazing but the PS3 has Blu Ray and Little Big Planet and the Wii...screw the Wii; I'll stick with my old school Nintendo system. I might get my daughter a Wii but the damn peripherals are ridiculously expensive.

I hoped touring the floor at PAX and demoing some games would help with my decision and lo there was much help in the offing.

The 360 didn't offer me much at PAX to knock my socks off. I was kind of underwhelmed at most of the 360 presence so I tried to see if there was anything that addressed what I thought the PS3's greatest weakness was for my gaming needs; some fun multi-player stuff and that's when I came across it; the silly game that tipped it over the edge. Sure, Slam Bolt Scrappers is great

Not chopped liver

and don't get me started on Castle Crashers

Castle Crashers, also not liver that has been chopped

but there was a game who's time had finally come and offered an experience I thoroughly enjoyed and would welcome into my humble condo with both arms.
  
A little game called Hoard from Big Sandwich Games!

In Hoard you and your friends play dragons of various colors that cooperate to raid the surrounding villages and towns in an effort to build a giant hoard of treasure. There's knight slaying, wizard tower attacking, princess kidnapping action in a fun, easy to play wrapper. This was one of the funnest co-op games I've played that wasn't a first person shooter or star a guy named Mario and his crew.

Villagers, delicious and nutritious with a side of gold carts and princesses.

All player dragons contribute to a shared pool of treasure and XP so as you all play you level equally and on the fly. There's no game stopping to level and haggle over who should specialize in what. You have to decide to put your points into armor or speed or carrying capacity while dodging knights and fireballs and discussing strategy with your friends.


There are nice curveballs in game play as the level progresses including the spontaneous generation of Wizards Towers that throw lightning at you, Giants that are crazy for gold and pesky knights intent on rescuing your princess as they have no respect for midnight snacks.

Between Scrappers, Crashers and Hoard my mind was made up; PS3 it is. Of course it doesn't hurt that I was able to get one of these bad boys for the PS3 for 1/2 off:

This is your god now...

What can I say, I'm a sucker for a sexy peripheral at a great price. Now, to get that PS3...