Which Console should I buy?

[LightPhoenix]

I'm going to reccomend the X-Box. For one thing, it has two games in the Baldurs Gate series; Dark Alliance and Dark Alliance 2.

More games on multiple consoles. In fact, DA1 is on all three. And DA2 doesn't come out until late January.

One thing I'd like to note - Dark Alliance 1 (and presumably 2) are not at all like the BG games, except the D&D theme (the rules are very loosely adapted in DA1). They're fun games, but don't read the BG and expect a BG1/BG2/ID experience, because it's not.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Sadly, I can only afford one, what with Xmas coming up and all.

Anyone else have an opinion?

Doesn't everyone have opinion?

Well, if money is really tight, I'd recommend the GC only because it's $50 cheaper - that's two used games you can get right there, and still equal the price of the X-Box and PS2 consoles alone.

Another piece of advice I could give is go to www.gamefaqs.com and look up each console to get an idea of the general spread of games on each system, and maybe try and find some that are appealing to you. I know you said you didn't like RTS and FPS, are there any other genres you do or don't like? You can check them out on GameFAQs as well.

Finally, I've seen a Colecovision (a friend had one), but I never played it. I had to settle for Pong and E.T. on the Atari.

 

[John Crichton]

I'm thinking of taking the plunge and buying a console gaming system. Which game system should I buy? I've heard the Gamecube is marketed for the 15 and under crowd. Is this true? The X-box has better specs, but I have not been impressed with the games I have seen for it.

Here's a few of the games I like on the pc, if it will help.

Baldur's Gate series
Icewind Dale series
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (4 sucked)
The Ultima Series
The Might & Magic series (except nine, it sucked)


I did not like NWN, nor TOEE, nor am I a fan of fps, nor rts. To me fancy smancy graphics mean less than gameplay. I do not care to be able to climb, jump, swim, etc, if I have to push 14 buttons in some weird combo to do it. I'm 35 and my reflexes aren't what they used to be. :-(

Anyways, any help will be much appreciated.

Sounds like you dig RPGs. Look no further than the PS2 which has every genre covered, including the best selection of RPGs out there, not to mention the Final Fantasy series which you may or may not like.

The Xbox will be getting some better exclusive games next year but if I had to live with just one console (I own the major 3) it would have to be the PS2. The graphics are the least of the three but graphics, as you said, aren't everything. That and the controller is the most comfortable one out there right now, to me.

The Cube has some really cool games (Zelda, Animal Crossing and Metroid being my faves) but if you can only afford one system, I would go with the PS2 - simply because of the selection and quality of the games.

 

[Alcareru]

Sounds like you dig RPGs. Look no further than the PS2 which has every genre covered, including the best selection of RPGs out there, not to mention the Final Fantasy series which you may or may not like.

The Xbox will be getting some better exclusive games next year but if I had to live with just one console (I own the major 3) it would have to be the PS2. The graphics are the least of the three but graphics, as you said, aren't everything. That and the controller is the most comfortable one out there right now, to me.

The Cube has some really cool games (Zelda, Animal Crossing and Metroid being my faves) but if you can only afford one system, I would go with the PS2 - simply because of the selection and quality of the games.

If u can choose just 1, and online play doesnt matter to you, Id go PS2. The vast variety and quality of games outshines the competition. And its backwards compatible to PS games. And the developers love the PS2 so more good games are coming. More bang for the buck.

And even tho u sound like a RPGer, the PS2 has alot of good non rpgs (platformers etc) that re worth checking out and can be had cheap (Greatest Hits library).

I own all 3 consoles too, the Xbox being the first I purchased- was very stocked about it. But of the 3 I play it the less. Go figure.

 

[Welverin]

Sounds like you dig RPGs. Look no further than the PS2 which has every genre covered, including the best selection of RPGs out there, not to mention the Final Fantasy series which you may or may not like.

I suggest you pay absolutely no attention to John. If you're like me, and judging by the games you listed liking, you won't want to base a console purchase on console rpg's (a misnomer if ever there was one). They might not be bad for the odd diversion, but compared to pc rpg's they're a joke.

It's hard to recommend a console to based on the limited game prefences listed (as already detailed), so I'll ask a question or two.

Is there anyone else around who might use it? Who are they and how old are they (wife, kids, friends)? What do they like?

Without out knowing anything else I'll suggest a Gamecube, it's worth it just for tLoZ: The Wind Waker and Metroid Prime. It's also the cheapest currently comes with a Zelda bonus disc (tLoZ 1&2, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask); get the Gameboy Player and you have access to every Gameboy, GBC, and GBA game ever; and they may still have the free game offer going on. There are plenty of other good games available right now too.

 

[RyanL]

Lol. The last console game I owned was a colecovision, which most people don't even remember, heheh.

Unforunately, all the modern consoles are sorely lacking in the "catch the giant pixel with the vaguely anthropomorphic blob" style of game that was popular in the early 80's

-Ryan

 

[Welverin]

That's why all of those classic collections keep getting regurgitated for every new system (without adding any games).

 

[jonesy]

I would actually recommend you just get the newest version of Gameboy. More rpg's and turn-based war games than on any other..umm..console.

 

[Tsyr]

You basicly have two choice as I can see it... Gamecube doesn't have enough RPGs to make mention of, the only GOOD one (IMO) being Skies of Arcadia. And you can pick up a dreamcast and the original for probably about the same amount the game itself would cost.

Playstation has a large amount of console RPGs... The FF games, for example... But most of them are just that; Console RPGs.

X-Box has less RPGs, but then again, it has less games overall so far. It has a few real gems though: Morrowind, and Knights of the Old Republic, for example, are two insanely good RPGs. Morrowind: Game of the Year edition was just released with some content from the expansion packs for the PC included. It also has some great roleplaying games comming out... Jade Throne, Fable, etc.

It's got some other games that may or may not appeal to you as well... Shenmue II, for example. And it's got a ton of more simplistic games, some of them even using RPG settings... Dungeons and Dragons: Heros, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Hunter: The Reconing, etc.

There are some other points to consider with the two systems, as well...

Playstation does have some MMORPG games... Basicly, ok, it has Everquest. If that interests you, that's something to consider. It's not bad.

In terms of online play, X-Box is generaly the clear winner, though... With its unified X-Box Live service, it's really hard to compete with it.

If by any chance you are interested in playing DVDs with it (I doubt it, few people are anymore), X-Box wins out... It needs an extra attachment, but you wont have problems with DVDs playing in it, like the PS2 sometimes does.

One nice feature is you don't need memory cards with the X-Box... so none of those to keep track of, and buy new ones constantly. On the other hand, its harder to take a saved game to a friends house or something. You can buy memory cards for the x-box, but it kinda negates the whole purpose of the internal hard drive.

In terms of system hardware, the Playstation 2 is nearing the end of it's life... It's not bad, per say, and with a good developer, it can still really shine. But it's quantifiably not as good as the X-Box or even 'cube in that regard.

 

[Maraxle]

Having played all three, I'd have to lean toward the PS2. It has a huge catalog of games and in my opinion the least bad controller. I will not say that it's a good controller, but I like it better than the tiny GameCube controller and the awkward X-Box controller. Try each at Target or something. You might prefer one controller over the others, though your choice might be different than mine. As for the library of games, I haven't seen one title on the X-Box that makes me want to own one. GameCube has a lot of fun GC-exclusive games (mostly by Nintendo - like the Mario games, Zelda, Metroid, etc) and I think it makes an excellent second console.