I was just wondering what people think about what the best gaming system is, (Playstation, X-Box, etc.) and why.

I've been trying to decide whether it would be worthwhile to purchase one or not.

I like PS2, the range of games is brill. I don't like the "killing" games too much, but like the car racing like Gran Turismo4 and the like. Grand Theft Auto is good because of the missions you have to do.

There's also good "sensible" games, like golf, scrabble and so on.

Col

I must admit I've been leaning towards a PS2, if I do decide to buy one. I was wondering if anyone had an X-Box and if they were any good. I haven't been considering a Nintendo at all, but was interested to see if anyone had one of those they could post their opinion about.

honestly, the difference between the xbox and the ps2 isn't much. I think it really depends on what kind of games you want to play.

If your big pull in gaming is Grand Theft Auto, then I'd get a ps2, otherwise I'd probably get an xbox instead, I have both in my house (I own a ps2, my brother owns a xbox) and I find that I like the xbox controllers better, and I generally like the system better. I do think that paying for xbox live is crap though.

I would have to say the XBOX. There is less load time with it and the controllers fit my hands better.

Well, I've never owned an actual gaming system (unless you consider my wife's old Nintendo 64 that she had when we moved in together). When Nintendo first came out I wanted one really bad, but my father said, "if you want to play games then you have a computer for that. Otherwise, you can go out and buy a Nintendo with your own money." I've kinda subscribed to that belief ever since. I've always been too much of a cheap ass to spend money on both a computer and a gaming system. So basically I voted my own pc for gaming system, but from people that I've known the XBOX 360 is really incredible and blows all other gaming systems away.

I do have to say though that since I've never owned one then when I do play on one with friends I get my rear end handed to me everytime. :( Not much fun there.

Are you buying a system for yourself or for someone else? It really depends on the types of games you want to play. PS2 has more of a variety of games and as long as you are buying a most current version, you will have very fast load times (earlier versions suffered from load times, but not anymore from v7 up) so that's not really an issue. If you like RPGs, the PS2 is the way to go IMO as the RPG market is dominated in the PS2 area. If you like same old same old WWII war games, the XBox has a better selection.

I like my PS2 better.

Or, you could wait until the end of the year when the PS3 is supposed to be released. It will be pricey, but the features should better the Xbox 360, again in my opinion anyway.

I've considered buying one for us for a while now, I was just trolling for other people's opinions before I seriously started looking. It won't be a big deal to wait until Playstation 3 is released, since it will probably be that long before I could afford one anyway. :mad: Up to now we've just been using our PC, but I've been thinking about this off and on for a couple of years so I thought I would see what everyone else had to say. I appreciate all the opinions so far, if anyone else has one feel free to jump in...

Nintendo systems are quality but it seems to me the game selection is heavily branded. Meaning, if you like games based on Nintendo franchises (Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Zelda, etc.) then a Nintendo system is a good purchase. But in my (limited experience) other game systems have a wider selection of games; Nintendo is the most likely of all the systems to not have a particular popular game because of licensing and such.

That said, I still play with my Nintendo64. Still love MarioKart, still love Goldeneye, still love Ocarina of Time. Then again, I miss Risk on my Sega Genesis and Jump Man on my Commodore64, too.

I agree with Kraj on this one...I've been a Nintendo fan ever since the original 8bit system. I have a GC now and am anxiously awaiting the new system. They are playing the same proprietary game that Mac has been guilty of, refusing to license the technology for their games, so everything must come directly from them. Quality is better, but selection and price suffer the consequences. Who knows, maybe the next system will change all of that.

Kraj...if you get the chance, you should check out Everything or Nothing for GC.


EDIT: According to IGNs last word on the Nintendo Wii (http://revolution.ign.com/articles/710/710033p1.html) the Wii will indeed have the benefit of 3rd party games from of EA, SEGA, Konami, Ubisoft, Activision, SquareEnix, SNK, Atlus, Midway and THQ...and game franchises Madden, Monkey Ball, Sonic, Tony Hawk, Blitz, Metal Slug are also being ported to the Wii :D

I've considered buying one for us for a while now, I was just trolling for other people's opinions before I seriously started looking. It won't be a big deal to wait until Playstation 3 is released, since it will probably be that long before I could afford one anyway. :mad: Up to now we've just been using our PC, but I've been thinking about this off and on for a couple of years so I thought I would see what everyone else had to say. I appreciate all the opinions so far, if anyone else has one feel free to jump in...
The Playstation 2 is now reduced to $129 US dollars. Lots of good games in the Greatest Hits selection for $19.99 or less. The PS3 will cost too much for me when it is first released @ $499 stripped or $599 with larger hard drive and built-in Wi-Fi [which I want]. I will wait another year for when it will be cheaper and there will be more games available for the PS3.

EDIT: According to IGNs last word on the Nintendo Wii (http://revolution.ign.com/articles/710/710033p1.html) the Wii will indeed have the benefit of 3rd party games from of EA, SEGA, Konami, Ubisoft, Activision, SquareEnix, SNK, Atlus, Midway and THQ...and game franchises Madden, Monkey Ball, Sonic, Tony Hawk, Blitz, Metal Slug are also being ported to the Wii :D
Sweet. I may actually have to purchase it, then. I've been contemplating getting an X-Box for cheap now that the new one is out. So many great games for it.

You know, if you just stay a generation behind you still get all the great improvements from one system to another at a fraction of the cost. You just have to be happy with what you get and not have to have the latest and greatest.

The Playstation 2 is now reduced to $129 US dollars. Lots of good games in the Greatest Hits selection for $19.99 or less. The PS3 will cost too much for me when it is first released @ $499 stripped or $599 with larger hard drive and built-in Wi-Fi [which I want]. I will wait another year for when it will be cheaper and there will be more games available for the PS3.

I tend to think along those lines too (except where my PC is concerned :o ). My husband usually likes to have the latest and greatest, but he is usually pretty sensible. I'm thinking I'll check into this...

What's wrong with a good old fashioned rubik's cube? :confused:

What's wrong with a good old fashioned rubik's cube? :confused:Nothing, Sir.

You know, I hear that as some people age, hand eye coordination diminishes and neural activity slows which creates a mental state in which one must find uncomplicated tasks to occupy an easily amused mind:rolleyes:

...you do what your life allows, I suppose:eek:

which creates a mental state in which one must find uncomplicated tasks to occupy an easily amused mind:rolleyes:


That's why they end up with Play Stations, etc. they can't find anything constructive to do :rolleyes:

That's why they end up with Play Stations, etc. they can't find anything constructive to do :rolleyes:

You mean like coming here and posting? ;)

You mean like coming here and posting? ;)
That's for educational purposes :cool: :D

That's for educational purposes :cool: :D

I do so enjoy educating you. ;) :p

I do so enjoy educating you. ;) :p
That's ok, I'm open minded and always take everything onboard :cool:

Actually, I belive that if you are geek enough and persistant enough, you can get almost any game to be for your computer. There used to be something called Alcohol 120%, which was able to copy games onto your computer. As long as you had a decrypter and an emulator, I think you could play games only for PS2 on your computer. I never got into it much, as by the time I found this I was getting out of video games.

I do know that there ARE sites on the internet that have hundreds of old sega and nintendo games that you can download for free and play on your computer. Just google "emulators". I played Mortal Kombat, Mario, Final Fantasy 6, Legend of Mana and others from these rom emulators.

I enjoy playing the old arcade games I grew up with. Instead of having to pour more quarters into the games I can play them all for free on my computer. There is an emulator called MAME32 that allows you to play the ROMs from the old arcade games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Tempest, Asteroids, and hundreds more. It has been years since I had to search for the programs and ROMs but I do recall that a web site could not have the emulators and the ROMs available for download within the same site. You had to find the MAME32 emulator on one site and find the ROMs for the version of the emulator on another site. There were plenty of sites to choose from but the effort was worth it to. The MAME32 games look, sound and play just like the original arcade games since they are using the original ROMs from the games. You just have to program your game controller to do simulate the button actions. The F3 key simulates dropping a quarter into the game. Google should help you find the game files if you are interested in a blast to the past!

I'm a bit of a game-head myself in my spare time, so I guess I'll throw in my two cents.
I own all three current gen consoles, that is the xbox, ps2 and gamecube.

I agree with the comments made earlier that ps2 and xbox are pretty much the same animal, the main differences being types of games (platform exclusive), computer power, price, controller and memory.

Platform exclusivity is becoming less of a problem, as games that once were exclusive, like the gta games, are getting multi-platform later in life. Ps2 generally holds the crown here, but then again you get the truly excellent star wars rpgs on xbox only (knights of the old republic 1 + 2), and the great-on-high-difficulty-with-a-friend halo games. Ps2 gets final fantasies (rpg), tekken (beat 'em up), god of war, eye toy etc.
Ps2 generally wins out here. Plus with xbox 360 already out I reckon releases for the xbox will wane fairly quickly, whereas ps2 has another few months under its belt yet.

xbox wins computer power. The hard drive also majorly cuts loading times in games as the games can 'buffer' information - that is store information to be used in the future on the hard drive, where it can be accessed quickly, rather than reading everything off the disk.

Price of consoles is pretty much a moot point, they are all dirt cheap now. Games however, there are loads of second hand games to buy (I don't buy any new anymore), and they're available for both. So a tie here. However xbox games are a bit cheaper at the moment.

Controllers, hmm, this all depends on the person. The Ps2 controller is probably the best designed controller. But you get used to any after a while. Xbox controller is better for things like driving games, as it has triggers as shoulder buttons, so you have better control of, say, acceleration. xbox controllers suit bigger hands better.

xbox wins on memory for game saves as it comes with a 7 gig (i think) hard drive - that saves you 40 quid right off the bat.

So that's those two.

Now for the gamecube.

I love the cube. It's the weakest in terms of range of games, power etc. but the games it does have, if you read up on the ones available, are real gems - the mario series, zelda series, pikmin, metroid and many others, are gaming experiences you won't get anywhere but on a nintendo console. I found the controller gimmicky at first but you get used to it.

Summing up, if I was you, and it's your first real foray into gaming, I'd get a ps2. Best chance for swapping games, best game availability, still current etc.

But try out the others if you get a chance. Especially the cube. If nintendo appeals you'll be a fan for life.

Gimme a shout if you wanna talk more, okay?
And I'm done, phew!
:D

Oh another thing I forgot to mention is that xbox and gamecube have four ports for joypads, making it easy to have multiplayer gaming sessions (if thats your thing.)

You would have to buy a multitap to have the same experience on a ps2.

Oh another thing I forgot to mention is that xbox and gamecube have four ports for joypads, making it easy to have multiplayer gaming sessions (if thats your thing.)

You would have to buy a multitap to have the same experience on a ps2.Easy fix for multi-players on the PS2... Mad Catz PlayStation®2 Slim 70000 Series Multi-Port (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Mad-Catz-PlayStation-2-Slim-70000-Series-Multi-Port-MOV08608-/sem/rpsm/oid/150752/catOid/-13861/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do)

I personally prefer my PC.

Also, for all of you who want emulators for the old systems such as all of the ataris, nintendo, genesis, snes, arcade (including mame), etc., check out Zophar.net. The Playstation 2 and Xbox have not been perfectly emulated yet and emulators for those systems, as well as any more recent systems, are still being developed and are probably years away from being perfected. Next generation consoles are much more complicated and it takes an expensive computer just to run emulators for the effectively. Roms are pretty easy to come by as well, just do a search in google.

What are the best Emulator for each console series?

What are the best Emulator for each console series?

For super nintendo - zsnes
For Sega Megadrive - Genecyst (I think)
For NES - Nesticle (I think again)
For arcade - MAME

What particular platform were you hoping to emulate?

Okay I did some researching as I've been out of the loop a while, and here's my new revised list of the (apparently) best emulators for various platforms.

For super nintendo - zsnes
For Sega Megadrive - Genecyst (I think) or Gens
For NES - Nesticle (I think again)
For arcade - MAME
For TurboGrafix 16/PC Engine - Magic Engine
For GameBoy Advance - VisualBoy Advance (Can't believe I forgot that one!)
For PSOne - ePSXe (not sure if this is roms or disks)
For Sega MasterSystem/Game Gear - FreezeSMS

As always, any more info required? Gimme a shout!
-Spud.

ps2 rockKs man ;)

I'm not a huge gamer myself (I still play my old NES from time to time), but my girlfriend and and I have decided to get a Wii for our Christmas gifts to each other. She's a huge Mario/Zelda fan, and the Nintendo titles are the ones that appeal to both of us.

They're now saying it could sell for as low as $170, so that's right up our alley. The wireless controllers should at least give me some exercise though the cold winter months when I'm usually hibernating. :p

I'm not a huge gamer myself (I still play my old NES from time to time), but my girlfriend and and I have decided to get a Wii for our Christmas gifts to each other. She's a huge Mario/Zelda fan, and the Nintendo titles are the ones that appeal to both of us.

They're now saying it could sell for as low as $170, so that's right up our alley. The wireless controllers should at least give me some exercise though the cold winter months when I'm usually hibernating. :p
Want exercise with your games? Get a PS2 & EyeToy! :D
We actually bought it because my wife wanted to use EyeToy Kinetic to exercise with (months later, still hasn't...) but the "regular" EyeToy games can get pretty hectic too.

I still use PC for most of my gaming though.

Xbox 360 is my console of choice at the moment.

I still prefer the PC though as i like the Command & Conquer / Age of Empires type games.

I like PS2, the range of games is brill. I don't like the "killing" games too much, but like the car racing like Gran Turismo4 and the like. Grand Theft Auto is good because of the missions you have to do.

There's also good "sensible" games, like golf, scrabble and so on.

Col

!$??%!?!#What? Did I just read that you actually like GOLF??? The game though, not the real thing...well, it's a start because that's what usually starts the fascination with the real sport is some exposure to it somewhere!

Good for you!;)

XBOX = Microsoft = Dodgy Software (XBOX is better for playing with mates)
Playstation = Sony = Good technology = better quality (Playstation is better for playing alone, many more single player games)

Anyway thats my opinon, personaly i have a gamecube, but thats coz i like the nintendo games, smash bros, zelda etc. I also cant be botherd to download emulators.

Until a console can do all the stuff a PC can, I'll stick with my PC
(which I need to upgrade soon... if I can convince my wife :D )