So in my normal tight ass fashion I have been waiting for the X-Box to come down in price and thanks to the Game Cube being marked down both the X-Box and PS2 have followed to a small degree. I can’t remember why now but about a year ago I decided that the X-Box was more to my liking over the PS2. If anybody would like to say which he or she thinks is better and why I would like to hear it. Also, I could use your advice on games. I don’t necessarily care what type of category the game might fall into just yet although I have to admit that games like Mario 64 and Sonic the Hedge Hog have always done a good job of keeping me addicted.
The other reason besides being a tight ass that I have not seriously thought about purchasing a game consol until now is because I purchased the Nintendo 64 when it first came out and played Mario 64 for about 2 hours everyday for 28 days straight until I beat the game and had all but 1 or 2 stars. I then figured that I had enough and turned around and sold the thing and my wife has been upset about that ever since because she never really got to play with it and it has kind of been a touchy subject until recently. Fortunately for me, the weekend after I sold the thing Nintendo lowered the price to less than what I sold it for.
My wife is probably willing to get one now because I have agreed to get an extra controller and some games that we can both play at the same time. This will go over well until she remembers my completive side. I’m going to kick her ass! Unless of course it is a Tetras type game because girls seem to understand sticking an odd shaped object into a…
[EDIT] PS, DVD playback is real important to me because the room this is going in does not have a DVD player. Any thoughts on which system is better for DVD would be greatly appreciated as well.
You the man, Artemio!
Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
I bought the Nintendo GameCube a year ago. It had me hooked for 2 months. I got maybe a quarter of the way through the Super Mario Sunshine game. By that time I had a major project to work on. I had to abandon the GameCube. Then I had no time until May of this year, so I never got back into the game console. One of these days I might get back into it but not soon.
Back in the 1980's I owned the original Nintendo console. It was a stupid decision, but I sold it about a year or two after I got it. Until the arrival of the GameCube I never bought another game console. I wanted one, yet I never had the time for it. Music and other activities take all my time.
Back in the 1980's I owned the original Nintendo console. It was a stupid decision, but I sold it about a year or two after I got it. Until the arrival of the GameCube I never bought another game console. I wanted one, yet I never had the time for it. Music and other activities take all my time.
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
I really like Nintendo and would gladly get the Game Cube but it does not have a DVD player so I am going to pass on it.
The original Nintendo was awesome. I have enjoyed many of the lame game consoles by today’s standards but that one was always one that I really enjoyed.
Time wise these things are an issue for me because I find them so addictive. That is how I judge if they are any good though. If it does not grab my attention and make me hooked then I think the thing is no good. If it does grab me and make me hooked I then have a bigger problem then wasting a couple of hundred dollars and that is I’m not earning a couple of hundred dollars because I am playing with the things all of the time.
You the man, Artemio!
The original Nintendo was awesome. I have enjoyed many of the lame game consoles by today’s standards but that one was always one that I really enjoyed.
Time wise these things are an issue for me because I find them so addictive. That is how I judge if they are any good though. If it does not grab my attention and make me hooked then I think the thing is no good. If it does grab me and make me hooked I then have a bigger problem then wasting a couple of hundred dollars and that is I’m not earning a couple of hundred dollars because I am playing with the things all of the time.
You the man, Artemio!
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
FBJ,
I've got 19 year old twins in college, and a 9 year old at home.........So, starting with the original NES, we had had (and still have):
NES
Super NES
Nintendo 64
Sega Genesis
PS 1
PS 2
Game Boy Advance
Nintendo Gamecube
The PS2 is at college, but the DVD playback features are not real user friendly. A cheap DVD player is only 60 bucks nowadays.
Super Mario Sunshine is a KICK ASS game. Period. So is Luigi's Mansion.
I've got 19 year old twins in college, and a 9 year old at home.........So, starting with the original NES, we had had (and still have):
NES
Super NES
Nintendo 64
Sega Genesis
PS 1
PS 2
Game Boy Advance
Nintendo Gamecube
The PS2 is at college, but the DVD playback features are not real user friendly. A cheap DVD player is only 60 bucks nowadays.
Super Mario Sunshine is a KICK ASS game. Period. So is Luigi's Mansion.
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
I don't have much experience with PS2 and X-Box although I think your decision should be based upon which console offers the best games to your liking.
PS2 can play PS1 games as well, so if you have some PS1 favorites.. that's a no brainer. You'll probably be seeing some PC to X-Box ports though.. there are some for PS2 but I have a feeling you'd see more priority towards X-Box.
Personally I'd rather game on a computer.. they're always ahead of the consoles and I have a list of reasons why I prefer PC over console - but they both have drawbacks:
+ = good, - = bad
** COMPUTER **
+ download user-made modifications to characters, levels, gameplay
+can buy/download free game add-ons
+ can design your own levels, characters, weapons etc (typically first-person-shooter games)
+ can play games on a laptop anywhere
+ can make burned backups of game
+ *realistic* flight sims (never find these on console)
+ dont need to use TV (can though)
+ can make backups of mods, saved games, etc
+ in most cases, can play multiplayer free
+ may need computer for non-gaming reasons
+ can play old, classic games (older computer games or old CONSOLE games)
- pay to upgrade computers to run demanding games
- sometimes come across errors/incompatibilities
- potential for hardware failure
** CONSOLE ***
+ put game in and play
+ costs cheaper than computer
+ also a variety of games
- most first-person-shooters are played with a mouse & keyboard combination. most often, playing a first-person-shooter on a console with a gamepad can be tricky and takes time to get used to. a mouse is much more precise for aiming. boils down to user preference.
- can't customize controls *to the degree* that you can customize keyboards or pc game controllers (can assign any key and make controllers do various things, perhaps not native to the game)
- lacks every positive attribute of computers listed above
But it comes down to personal preference.
PS2 can play PS1 games as well, so if you have some PS1 favorites.. that's a no brainer. You'll probably be seeing some PC to X-Box ports though.. there are some for PS2 but I have a feeling you'd see more priority towards X-Box.
Personally I'd rather game on a computer.. they're always ahead of the consoles and I have a list of reasons why I prefer PC over console - but they both have drawbacks:
+ = good, - = bad
** COMPUTER **
+ download user-made modifications to characters, levels, gameplay
+can buy/download free game add-ons
+ can design your own levels, characters, weapons etc (typically first-person-shooter games)
+ can play games on a laptop anywhere
+ can make burned backups of game
+ *realistic* flight sims (never find these on console)
+ dont need to use TV (can though)
+ can make backups of mods, saved games, etc
+ in most cases, can play multiplayer free
+ may need computer for non-gaming reasons
+ can play old, classic games (older computer games or old CONSOLE games)
- pay to upgrade computers to run demanding games
- sometimes come across errors/incompatibilities
- potential for hardware failure
** CONSOLE ***
+ put game in and play
+ costs cheaper than computer
+ also a variety of games
- most first-person-shooters are played with a mouse & keyboard combination. most often, playing a first-person-shooter on a console with a gamepad can be tricky and takes time to get used to. a mouse is much more precise for aiming. boils down to user preference.
- can't customize controls *to the degree* that you can customize keyboards or pc game controllers (can assign any key and make controllers do various things, perhaps not native to the game)
- lacks every positive attribute of computers listed above
But it comes down to personal preference.
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
Super Mario Sunshine is positively captivating. I remember reading some background story about that game. At least one of the designers has been with the company for something like 20 years. If I remember correctly, it took roughly 6 years to create the SMS game from start to finish.
I wish that I had bought the SNES and N64 consoles when they were popular. One reason I avoided them is I felt that I would be wasting too much time. Then too I was so busy in the early part of the 1990's that I did not have much time for games.
Back in the 1980's I was offered a contract to develop a game for the Atari. Let's just say it did not work out, and I declined the offer. Through much of that decade I wanted to become a video game programmer. I had the chance. It is a long story why I chose not to pursue it. Part of the reason is that I never viewed that career as one for the long term.
I wish that I had bought the SNES and N64 consoles when they were popular. One reason I avoided them is I felt that I would be wasting too much time. Then too I was so busy in the early part of the 1990's that I did not have much time for games.
Back in the 1980's I was offered a contract to develop a game for the Atari. Let's just say it did not work out, and I declined the offer. Through much of that decade I wanted to become a video game programmer. I had the chance. It is a long story why I chose not to pursue it. Part of the reason is that I never viewed that career as one for the long term.
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
Thanks mucsusn and Phait!
Getting an inexpensive DVD player and some PC games might be a good way to go? I really appreciated the pros and cons between PC and consol.
If I recall, the reason I liked the X-Box over the PS2 was that it was supposed to have better DVD for some reason or another. I think it had something to do with surround sound but like I said before I just don’t remember now why I concluded about a year ago that the X-Box was more to my likening.
Mucsusn, sounds like you are addicted to Nintendo like I am. They may not have the latest or greatest but there games are always so well done and before you know it you have not seen the sun in two weeks.
This is me getting away from the subject a little bit but seeing as I do that the most around here anyway… When I lived in Dallas my first roommates had a friend that lived in San Francisco but traveled to Dallas quit often. He seemed like he was pretty honest and had a fairly good head on his shoulders but seeing as he was hanging out with my roommates at the time I figured that something was wrong with him. We all knew that he worked for Nintendo and was sworn to secretsy about his job but one night I pried some information out of him and everything that he told me looks to have been right on. He told me that he was one of two people in America that were testing a new 64 bit game system and how only one of them could do it at a time in a top secret glass room with guards watching him after being searched on the way in and again on the way out. He said that there was only one game for it at the time and that I was going to be blown away by the weird controller that was great for 3D games. That was probably a good 5 years before the Nintendo 64 came out. The controller was very much as he described from what very little information he gave me and there was still only one game, Mario 64, when it was released. Come to think of it, I really envy that guy. He made a good living doing this and very much loved his job. I wonder what he is up to now.
You the man, Artemio!
Getting an inexpensive DVD player and some PC games might be a good way to go? I really appreciated the pros and cons between PC and consol.
If I recall, the reason I liked the X-Box over the PS2 was that it was supposed to have better DVD for some reason or another. I think it had something to do with surround sound but like I said before I just don’t remember now why I concluded about a year ago that the X-Box was more to my likening.
Mucsusn, sounds like you are addicted to Nintendo like I am. They may not have the latest or greatest but there games are always so well done and before you know it you have not seen the sun in two weeks.
This is me getting away from the subject a little bit but seeing as I do that the most around here anyway… When I lived in Dallas my first roommates had a friend that lived in San Francisco but traveled to Dallas quit often. He seemed like he was pretty honest and had a fairly good head on his shoulders but seeing as he was hanging out with my roommates at the time I figured that something was wrong with him. We all knew that he worked for Nintendo and was sworn to secretsy about his job but one night I pried some information out of him and everything that he told me looks to have been right on. He told me that he was one of two people in America that were testing a new 64 bit game system and how only one of them could do it at a time in a top secret glass room with guards watching him after being searched on the way in and again on the way out. He said that there was only one game for it at the time and that I was going to be blown away by the weird controller that was great for 3D games. That was probably a good 5 years before the Nintendo 64 came out. The controller was very much as he described from what very little information he gave me and there was still only one game, Mario 64, when it was released. Come to think of it, I really envy that guy. He made a good living doing this and very much loved his job. I wonder what he is up to now.
You the man, Artemio!
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
It looks like Nintendo is more than willing to give a lot of time to a good project.
You the man, Artemio!
You the man, Artemio!
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
Here is a quick update to this future game console that I might be getting (if I can do a quick update). So after phait’s nice pro and con list from last night I talked to my wife about getting a DVD for this bedroom that all of this is going into and to do games on our spare PC. She quickly turned that idea down because she remembered when we played games together from the Real website and we were both having to use the same keyboard at the same time and how she can’t stand to look at the monitor to play games or to be around a computer after work. That killed that idea but I really do appreciate your help, phait.
After mucsusn pointed out that the DVD on the PS2 was not that great (would still like to hear about the DVD on the X-Box) and both he and MK mentioned Nintendo games as basically being their favorites the door is now open to the Nintendo Game Cube. Nintendo has always been my favorite although I am sure that I would be blown away by any of the big threes current offerings.
So if anybody could give me some input on what they think of the X-Box DVD features and usability I would appreciate it and hearing more comparisons between the PS2, X-Box and Game Cube would be appreciated.
One last though. At $99.00 the Game Cube seems awfully attractive.
You the man, Artemio!
After mucsusn pointed out that the DVD on the PS2 was not that great (would still like to hear about the DVD on the X-Box) and both he and MK mentioned Nintendo games as basically being their favorites the door is now open to the Nintendo Game Cube. Nintendo has always been my favorite although I am sure that I would be blown away by any of the big threes current offerings.
So if anybody could give me some input on what they think of the X-Box DVD features and usability I would appreciate it and hearing more comparisons between the PS2, X-Box and Game Cube would be appreciated.
One last though. At $99.00 the Game Cube seems awfully attractive.
You the man, Artemio!
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
FatBoyJim:
If you had a 2nd computer, you could hook both up and play with/against eachother. Another thing to keep in mind is if your PC's meet the requirements for software. I'm assuming you know enough about computers to know if your current PC is more than enough to run a game with decent to good performance.
But I'm siding with you - consoles are a better deal for co-gaming.
If you had a 2nd computer, you could hook both up and play with/against eachother. Another thing to keep in mind is if your PC's meet the requirements for software. I'm assuming you know enough about computers to know if your current PC is more than enough to run a game with decent to good performance.
But I'm siding with you - consoles are a better deal for co-gaming.
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
Again, I really appreciate your input phait. Your suggestion of being able to use both computers networked together is a great idea and one that I would enjoy but unfortunately my wife won’t go for it. I don’t know much about PC gaming but I am guessing that my 400-megahertz PII and my 600-megahertz PIII would only get me so far and that I would not be able to fully enjoy many of today’s popular PC games. Also, both of my computers are in my converted garage and I think my wife would appreciate me getting our daughter and myself out of the garage more because we spend all day in here as it is. Thanks again!
You the man, Artemio!
You the man, Artemio!
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
The appeal of the GameCube is both its low price and the Super Mario Sunshine game. Some people buy Nintendo game consoles just to play the Mario games. I understand that perfectly, as SMS is the best Mario game yet.
Each of the 3 game consoles has its advantages and disadvantages. You have to decide upon your style of gaming and then choose accordingly. The latest PC games have astounding features, but then you must have a very high performance machine to run them. This year the graphics seem to have improved even more once again.
I would not worry much about having a built-in DVD player. Those units are not expensive, if you really want one.
Each of the 3 game consoles has its advantages and disadvantages. You have to decide upon your style of gaming and then choose accordingly. The latest PC games have astounding features, but then you must have a very high performance machine to run them. This year the graphics seem to have improved even more once again.
I would not worry much about having a built-in DVD player. Those units are not expensive, if you really want one.
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
FBJ
As a general safe rule for video game requirements on a PC, I would do this. Let's say this game requires MINIMUM of:
500 Mhz Pentium or equivalent (AMD, etc)
128 MB RAM
32 MB accelerated graphics card
I would make sure my system is at least:
600-700 Mhz
256 to 1GB RAM
64 to 256 video card
I installed Unreal Tournament 2003 demo on my Powerbook. It runs fine at all resolutions and high detail - although on some levels it can slow down. I attribute this to the fact the graphics card is only 32MB. The game would really shine on 128 MB or more. Also my RAM currently is 256.
The PC that I have, and still have.. (we're getting a new one and I'm building a new one sometime) is about 7 years old:
150 Mhz Cyrix (this brand doesn't really have a rep. for performance)
96 MB RAM (came with 16!)
2 MB video card (non-accelerated)
When I had 16 MB RAM and 48 MB RAM I found that generally that any game which required a minimum of 90 Mhz, sometimes 100 Mhz would perform well. Anything higher, even 120 Mhz - would perform less and would really dull the experience. Games also have a "recommended" specs list for the game, but *sometimes* that can be more than what you would really need. It's always good to be safe and be at least a bit ahead of the game's minimum requirements.
As a general safe rule for video game requirements on a PC, I would do this. Let's say this game requires MINIMUM of:
500 Mhz Pentium or equivalent (AMD, etc)
128 MB RAM
32 MB accelerated graphics card
I would make sure my system is at least:
600-700 Mhz
256 to 1GB RAM
64 to 256 video card
I installed Unreal Tournament 2003 demo on my Powerbook. It runs fine at all resolutions and high detail - although on some levels it can slow down. I attribute this to the fact the graphics card is only 32MB. The game would really shine on 128 MB or more. Also my RAM currently is 256.
The PC that I have, and still have.. (we're getting a new one and I'm building a new one sometime) is about 7 years old:
150 Mhz Cyrix (this brand doesn't really have a rep. for performance)
96 MB RAM (came with 16!)
2 MB video card (non-accelerated)
When I had 16 MB RAM and 48 MB RAM I found that generally that any game which required a minimum of 90 Mhz, sometimes 100 Mhz would perform well. Anything higher, even 120 Mhz - would perform less and would really dull the experience. Games also have a "recommended" specs list for the game, but *sometimes* that can be more than what you would really need. It's always good to be safe and be at least a bit ahead of the game's minimum requirements.
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
I can't say enough how good Mario Sunshine is..........smart, fun, good story, great game play.........it will keep you busy for months. As a semi-functioning adult, I seldom play more than 20-30 minutes at a time, but it always draws you back.
I've been chasing the PC holy grail ever since my first 12 MHz 286. The real difference I see in PC versus console is:
A console gives you and developers a stable platform to work with. I still play a few of the original NES games every now and then, as well as the other systems. Now that my twins are away in college, the 9 year old and I have them all set up side by side on a dresser in a spare bedroom with a 13 inch TV and some beanbag chairs.
On the other hand, I have some great DOS based PC games that are worthless under 32 bit Windows unless I go to extraneous efforts to get them to work. And game developers constantly pushing the hardware envelope, leaving me to play hardware catch up. I am busy enough already.
When I set down to play a video game.............I just want to PLAY!
So, IMHO, the 99 dollar Gamecube is a steal. Good controller, excellent graphics, and small footprint.
I've been chasing the PC holy grail ever since my first 12 MHz 286. The real difference I see in PC versus console is:
A console gives you and developers a stable platform to work with. I still play a few of the original NES games every now and then, as well as the other systems. Now that my twins are away in college, the 9 year old and I have them all set up side by side on a dresser in a spare bedroom with a 13 inch TV and some beanbag chairs.
On the other hand, I have some great DOS based PC games that are worthless under 32 bit Windows unless I go to extraneous efforts to get them to work. And game developers constantly pushing the hardware envelope, leaving me to play hardware catch up. I am busy enough already.
When I set down to play a video game.............I just want to PLAY!
So, IMHO, the 99 dollar Gamecube is a steal. Good controller, excellent graphics, and small footprint.
Re: Attn: Tony Clifton and all other gamers
Thanks guys for getting back to me once again. You all make very good points and I feel I am getting the guidance that I desired.
The addictiveness of Nintendo seems to work on most of us. One of the first games that I really became addicted to was Super Mario Bros. I did not catch on to it until it was out in the arcades for so long that nobody was even playing it much anymore. An old friend of mine was playing it one day and I watched him for a very long time and figured out a lot of the game and the next thing I new we were hanging out again like old friends and playing that game constantly. To date the best game I have ever played was Mario 64. Don’t laugh too much at this because this is where my gaming days ended and I have not tried any of the offerings since then.
You the man, Artemio!
The addictiveness of Nintendo seems to work on most of us. One of the first games that I really became addicted to was Super Mario Bros. I did not catch on to it until it was out in the arcades for so long that nobody was even playing it much anymore. An old friend of mine was playing it one day and I watched him for a very long time and figured out a lot of the game and the next thing I new we were hanging out again like old friends and playing that game constantly. To date the best game I have ever played was Mario 64. Don’t laugh too much at this because this is where my gaming days ended and I have not tried any of the offerings since then.
You the man, Artemio!