RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Games and Tech So I'm considering buying a new game system.

Which one should I get?

what are your interests, focusessesies, and requirements?

then allow rob to reccomend nintendo after posting them....

Damnit, you posted that before I...

It will always boil down to Mario...that's our Rob.

thankfully, the judgements come without reading my posts. its as if animalman was still here

but when you're done...

if wednesday's preference is to play games online, i'd steer him towards xbox. if his preference is to play the largest library possible, i'd steer him towards ps2. if he loves 2D side-scrollers, i'd steer him towards a GBA.

for gaming, i prefer nintendo consoles. its ok for gamers to have a gaming preference. most do. its also ok to select your own preference. you'd both do well to remember that!

in this instance, i figured i'd find out what wednesday's video gaming interests were before providing the assistance he requested, since he's the one who is actually going to be, hopefully, playing the system.

I think the wonderswan is your best bet.

A lot of my friends bought XBOXs when the UK price tag dropped below £100. It's an ugly piece of technology - a hotch potch of components which lacks the design focus of the Gamecube, however it is still a very good console and there are some quality games available for it. I initially turned my nose up at the controller, which looks clumsy and unwieldly. When I actually picked one up I found it very comfortable and easy to use. You're never straining to reach a button.

I don't know anyone who owns a Gamecube so I can't comment on it. The platform hasn't really been supported in the UK.

The PS2 must be coming to the end of its life and it's definitely lagging behind the other two systems in terms of its capabilities. I've heard rumours that the new slimline station has been suffering from overheating problems.

If I could afford one of the three play-at-home consoles, I would probably go for the XBOX.

I own a GBA which is currently my only gaming platform. Ideally I'd like another console for home use and the GBA as a supplemental thing that I could play in bed or on the train. That's not a criticism of the GBA, which is a wonderful, well designed system. It's just that sometimes I do hanker after nicer graphics and broader gameplay.

There are certain things that the GBA doesn't do very well such as first person shooters. Where it excels are in the inventive, playful titles that tend to creep out of Japan - games like Wario Ware; tactical games such as Advance Wars 1&2, which are both superb, and roleplaying titles like Golden Sun and Final Fantasy Tactics. The two Metroid games that came out on this system are both excellent - totally revived my interest in side scrollers. The GBA has also become a repository for titles that were hits on older gaming consoles.

One possible drawback with the GBA is that you may begin to see the more inventive games beginning to come out on the superior, but slightly less portable, Nintendo DS, as software houses shift their priorities over to the new system.


Related Links:


digitaldawg's review of the original GBA

ZOD's review of the GBA SP

allan1's review of the Gamecube

Rob's assessment of the Nintendo DS

Mighty ZOD reviews an XBOX

digitaldawg's impressions of the XBOX

If you want quality over quantity and don't care about extra stuff like online play or DVD player, get a gamecube.
If you want to play Halo and the best versions of sports games, get a X-Box.
If you want to get a console that has a DVD player, online play and has the Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy games get a PS2.

bw7 makes a good pitch for the gba, and really it shouldn't be ignored. but i can relate with the need to play a home console.

really, beyond that, you're not all that picky. essentially, you can't go wrong with any of the three. they all have their pros and cons. they're all relatively similar in price and technological abilities.

at this point, it simply depends on which games most catch your eye and interest. so, here's a list of the more appealing games for each system. granted, some games appear (or will appear) on more than one of the consoles, but those listed are most closely associated with the console its listed under, and typically perform the best there.

gamecube:

• metroid prime
• the legend of zelda: wind waker
• super smash brothers
• resident evil 4
• eternal darkness
• pikmin
• soul calibur II

ps2:

• GTA
• metal gear
• jak and daxter
• ratchet and clank
• final fantasy
• red faction
• castlevania

xbox:

• halo
• splinter cell
• ninja gaiden
• star wars: knights of the old republic
• dead or alive
• mech assault
• fables

which consoles can play DVDs?

xbox and ps2 each have built in dvd function.

both sell a remote for about $25-35, but ps2 permits the ability to control the dvd player via the wired ps2 controller (the xbox requires the purchase of the remote).

hizzah!

I just bought a snes.

Best 21 quid I ever spent.

Can't recommend it enough.

Thats a system I will always keep. So many classic games to play on it.

I've seen the snes go for 20 dollars at non-franchise gaming stores. The games sometimes cost more depending on the supply/demand.

21 Quid would be about 35 of your Yankee dollars.

I live in South Florida. My dollars aren't Yankee, they're Cuban/Hatian/Jamaican/Elderly.

If I can find an SNES that cheap, I'll probably get it, just for nostalgia's sake.

But I'm more concerned about the current prices of the PS2, X-box, and Gamecube, plus what games they come with. I saw an TV ad yesterday that said the GC was going for $99.99 /w Double Dash (sorely missing from Rob's list). That sounded like a good deal.

The flaws I see with the Gamecube are that the controllers are funky and that it doesn't play DVDs and has no real online options. But for $99 and double dash for free I think its worth it.

Florida huh? Where abouts?

I recently moved from Miami, Florida to Pembroke Pines, Florida, which is just north of Miami.

I didn't dislike Miami but I didn't like it either.

I really like living in Pembroke Pines, though.

Ah, an old favourite.

You might have some trouble finding a PS2.

Damn, that's the console I was leaning towards. I guess it's to be expected with GTA:SA on the market.

the article says that they will have more in stock later this month. It also didn't mention the original PS2s. Some stores still might have those.

Yeah, but I think I'd wanna go skinny, unless that costs more without providing any REAL bonus features.

Both versions cost the same. The original version can also use the PS2 harddrive. You need that for some games like Final Fantasy 11 and some games have downloadable content.

Wait, so the skinny version actually provides less?

you still need to but the harddrive separately. But the harddrive is incompatible with the skinny verson.

well that's ASS. i'd go with the big, bulky version then, unless they have plans to make a skinny version that's hard drive compatible.

i'm still not dead set on a PS2, though. i'd still like to know more about prices and junk.

there really aren't much advantages of the slim ps2 vs the regular ps2, other than it being a newer model. it can't do anything the original can't ... in fact, it can't do somethings the original can! the only major difference, of course, is that it takes up less room ... but if your playing area allows it, thats not necessary.

if you decide you wanna go the sony route, just go for the older model ps2 -- you could even get a like-new used one or refurbished one for $75

Never buy refurbished electronics.

I've never had problems with refurbished electronics...as long as you buy them from some place like EB Games or other gaming store.

the warranty life on the refurbished one i got was the same as a new one so i bought the refurbished.....

I'd never even considered buying refurbished, but if it had the same warranty, I'd look into it. There's a mall by my house with a bunch of electronic stores. I'll look into it.

I just got into a pretty bad accident that did a few hundred dollars worth of damage to my car, so I might have to put off buying one until after Christmas.

most of you good shops offer to replace it under a certain timeframe it varies from store to store....

Do they offer an extended service plan on refurbs?

Also I wonder if any video stores still gent out gaming systems.