Console Clairvoyance Too
- October 26, 2001 16:42 PM PST
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Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony are about to butt their collective heads in the biggest video game play off ever. The prize? You! Here?s the GP staff?s personal takes on "the Big Holiday," a companion piece to our November 2001 print feature.
Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony are about to butt their collective heads in the biggest video game play off ever. The prize? You! Here?s the GP staff?s personal takes on "the Big Holiday," a companion piece to our November 2001 print feature.
Dr. Zombie
My answer to anyone who asks what game system to buy... PS2, Xbox, GameCube is always met with a question of my own, "What games do you like to play?" Once they answer that question, then I'm more than willing to make recommendations as to which game system they should purchase. Just because System A has more graphic powers than System B means absolutely squat when you can't play the games that you want to play. Fortunately, many of the top tier titles are coming out for all game systems (ie. Madden NFL, SSX Tricky, Tony Hawk, etc.) but that's a still a select few.
If you are interested specifically in online gaming, and you want to log on today to play someone across the country, then your best choice (and best bargain) is to buy a Dreamcast system at its super-reduced pricing and low-priced game titles. All the other game systems promises online capability in the future, but that's the key word... the "future." If you want to get online today, there's still only one console choice.
If you're interested in high-quality sports games, then I'd recommend the PlayStation 2 since they have the largest library of sports titles available (including all PlayStation/PS one games). From this large wealth of titles will most certainly be something to satisfy your sports craving. Sure, there's going to be NFL Fever 2002 at launch for the Xbox, but that's about it. What about basketball? Baseball? Soccer? It's all about immediate gratification these days, and what's the point about buying a game system that you can't play games on?
If you're looking for sheer magnitude of games to play, then the PlayStation 2 is the obvious choice. With the current library of PS2 games and the 5+years old library of original PlayStation games, you have the largest selection of gaming available for any system in the history of console gaming. So what if the PS2's graphic processor and CPU Mhz doesn't match the GameCube and Xbox? At least you?ve got the games. Frankly, the difference in graphics and processing speeds are not THAT discernible unless you are a total techfreak.
If you already have a PS2, then which new system should you purchase? That's the tougher question. Are you willing to take a risk on a brand-new, unproven game system (Xbox) with a large variety of unproven game titles (Amped, Fuzion Frenzy, Halo, etc.) or do you choose the granddaddy of video gaming and buy Nintendo's Game Cube which promises a wealth of familiar names and faces (Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race Blue, Rogue Leader, etc.) but not as large an assortment of games? How important is it that you can play DVD's on this new game system since you can already play DVDs on your PS2? Game Cube's $100 price advantage over Xbox equates to 2 more games that you can purchase at launch over the Xbox. Then again, look at the games being offered. If you already have a PS2, you can experience SSX Tricky, Madden NFL 2002, and Tony Hawk on that system, so the Xbox versions would be rather redundant. However, you CAN'T experience Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race Blue, and Rogue Leader anywhere but on the Game Cube. This zombie is in exactly this position already having a PS2 in my crypt, so I'll be wrapping my bony fingers around a Game Cube this holiday before I splurge for the more expensive Xbox. It's all a matter of choice, but after thinking out all the pro's and con's. Don't let hype dictate your spending or your gaming enjoyment. Control your video gaming, don't let the games control you.
