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::so you waited until 2003 to buy a console?Feb 23 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Technical purists should get the Xbox, the average gamer should get the PS2 and those suffering from old-school Nintendo nostalgia should get the Gamecube.
Why I waited until 2003 to buy a "next-generation" video game system, I have no idea. Oh wait, yeah, I got a job teaching in inner-city schools that sucked the life out of me and needed some sort of escape. I loved video games since I first plunked Xevious into our Atari 7800. Video games are such a great release from the real world; some mindless, some with better plots than movies, and some that make you want to change your name to Samus Aran. But I digress. Obviously, on a first-year teacher's salary, I couldn't buy all 3 of the big systems: Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's Playstation 2 and Nintendo's Gamecube. I had friends with each system, so I got their opinions on each and did a little research myself, including checking out epinions. But I noticed most of these console advice columns were written over a year ago. It seems that the playing field has changed a little bit now, and I felt like some sort of update should be made in case there's anyone like me out there who waited this long to get a system. Apparently the next-next-generation consoles are scheduled for 2005, so it's a great time to buy the heavily-discounted systems with stores making great deals like crazy. The following is what I came up with after my look into this world of video games. Microsoft Xbox This is a well-designed system, as we've now seen from some of the incredible graphics of a game like Apex. These are the types of games that are going to impress your friends just by one quick glance. The racing games on this system are simply awesome: Project Gotham Racing is one of the most technical and beautiful racers out there. A year after buying this game, my friend is still playing it. Microsoft has been getting a lot more third-party support lately too, which is impressive. A year ago there wasn't much said about the online capabilities of this system but now...wow. Capcom vs. SNK EO 2 might be worth a purchase of this system by itself with the ability to fight people all over the country. Microsoft leads the competition in online play. The downside is the number of quality games, but the ones that are great will simply astound you. The lower $199 price tag is nice too (originally this was $300). Get the Xbox if you want to impress your friends with graphics and blazingly fast hardware, online play, and research to find what the really good games are. Sony Playstation 2 The first system and it's got a huge selection of games. A lot of people seem to say now that the hardware pales in comparison to the GC and Xbox, but I'd disagree. If you want to play some of the most critically acclaimed games like Grand Theft Auto or Dark Cloud 2, you need this system. I believe that there are well over 300 games out for the PS2, and everything is covered...from sports games to kid puzzles. Sure, some of the first-generation games aren't that impressive by today's standards, but enough quality third-party games are being constantly created that you'll always have a huge library of new games to choose from too. Since this is the most popular system to date, chances are that you'll have a lot of friends around that want to trade games with you. You really can't go wrong with this system since just about everyone will find a bunch of great games in whatever genre they love. Get the PS2 if you want the widest variety and biggest selection of games. Nintendo Gamecube This is the system I eventually settled on, for one main reason: Nintendo nostalgia. And it's true: arguably, the most consistently awesome video game company is Nintendo. They've had their sub-par games, sure (Luigi's Mansion and probably the upcoming Warioworld), but a game like Metroid Prime could convert even the most hardened fans of the rival consoles. Nintendo constantly brings out unique, creative games that are unlike anything you've ever seen before. Animal Crossing, seemingly cutesy and a ripoff of The Sims, has probably one of the deeper gameplays of 2002. Eternal Darkness and Resident Evil Zero show that there are mature games on the system as well, one of the biggest complaints against the Cube. But quality third-party games are lacking, that's for sure. Ever since Square left Nintendo (thank goodness they're coming back now), the third-party support just doesn't feel the same. Sega and Capcom have made some great games, but there's a lot of crap out there too. If you're going to buy this system, do it for the first-party Nintendo franchises. Get the Gamecube for Nintendo first-party titles like Metroid and Zelda and multiplayer mayhem. Hope this helps your decision. Have fun!  |
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by krial
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