Which game console to buy???

[Quartermoon]

First of all, you have to know that I haven't played a console game since the days of Atari. For me, and by extension for my family, it has been nothing but computer games (Mac) for years. So I am completely ignorant. (Yes, I played with Piratecat's Wii, but that was a one time thing, and I'd rather not talk about it )

But my 14 year old daughter came home the other day raving about some game her friend has called...err..Eye Toy or something. There was a camera involved and you had to move around to do things. Pretty weird.

Anyway, my husband and I are thinking it might be time to get some console game system for out girls (my other daughter is 11). Can anyone give a little advice on which one??

Here's some parameters: the girls are NOT interested in shooter games or games where you drive fast or blow things up. They do like fantasy adventure type stuff, music, fashion, pirates, and especially anime. Brie is into the Harry Potter games right now, for example. We are not interested in spending huge amounts of cash, or standing in line at 7 am hoping to get the latest thing off the truck (friends of ours did that for a Wii in December--we thought they were nuts.). We'd just like something the girls will enjoy for several years--upgrading to the latest version every year is not our style.

Thanks for helping this clueless Mom!

 

[Thanee]

I could imagine that the Sing Star games might be fun for them.

Eye Toy, AFAIK, is for Playstation and is a camera that captures the movement of the players allowing some interaction with the game that way. Similar to what the wii does with those controllers in a way.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Cergorach]

For girls I would think a Wii or PS3. Xbox360 comes across as a 'muscle' machine. 'Anime' games I think the PS3 would have the edge over the Wii. The advantage of the Wii is that it has lots of games that require activity besides mashing buttons, it seems like great fun for the entire family, unless you don't have enough room to maneuver in front of the television (and having things that break easily nearby). The Wii is also a lot cheaper then the PS3, so that might play a role as well.

Personally I would just let your girls rumage through the currently available and near future games, make a list of the games they like (most), and buy the apropriate console. Good luck and have fun, chances are that mom and dad wil be playing with it as well when the kids went to bed (mine did, way back when we had a Atari 2600)...

 

[drothgery]

Really, I'd think the best games lineup for what you say your girls are interested in is probably on the Nintendo DS handheld. Only problem there is that you'll probably have to get two of them, but that's probably cheaper than a Wii anyway (technicaly $10 more, but you won't have to deal with any crazy bundling to get two DSs).

 

[Rackhir]

The 360 is unlikely to get much in the way of "anime" games. Simply because it sells so poorly in Japan. It's strengths are mostly in the shooting/action games and a substantial number of the games for it are really aimed at an adult market.

So far the PS3 doesn't have a great deal of "family friendly" games either though. I'm not seeing anything due out anytime soon, that seems likely to appeal to your girls either. Though Rock Band (pricy at $200 for just the game) or Guitar Hero III, might be popular, but they are also available for the other consoles as well. With it's price and Blu-Ray movie capabilities it sells more the adult/enthusiast market.

Of course if you do have a HD TV (or are getting one soon), the PS3 is the best Blu-Ray player out on the market (and no more expensive than the standalone players). Blu-Ray has killed HD-DVD, the competing HD disk format. So there's no need to worry about which one is going to emerge victorious. If you can track down either a 20 gig model or a 60 gig model, those are 99% backwards compatible with the PS2 games. The 80 gig is compatible to a lesser degree and the 40 gig has no compatability.

BTW, have you considered a PS2 either new or used? There are TONS of games available for it of every size shape and description. Used games are readily available at dirt cheap prices.

The Wii is probably the best choice if you want a current gen system (it isn't much more powerful than a PS2 however) and does have a fair amount of pretty innovative games (though there is also a fair amount of shovel ware). Their virtual console also offers access to a number of classic games. It's controller does offer a lot of what your daughter liked about the Eye Toy.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I have a 15 year old daughter. She has a Wii at home with her mother and a Wii and a 360 to play with here.

She does not play the Wii much when at home at her Mom's. (Yes, she has Guitar Hero III for the Wii at home).

She does not play the Wii at here at all. She does, however, play the 360 all the time. Rock Band, in particular, for the 360 is her favorite, though she says she prefers the 360 version of Guitar Hero 2 and 3 here over the Wii version she has at home.

She was playing Rock Band on the 360 until 5:50 am this morning. I was woken up by her singing and laughing. I had to get all mean and force her to turn it off. (5:50 a.m., and I'm the bad guy?!!).

Anyways - every kid is different. But as a Wii/360 household, I can tell you that the 360 gets daily use. The Wii is turned on every other month - if that. It's not even remotely a contest. (and yes, we have about 10 Wii games so it's not that.)

The clear preference for the 360 applies to my much younger sons as well as my older daughters.

The Wii was a lot of fun when we got it over a year ago. We all played tennis and golf and bowling and it was a riot. But by the end of the Xmas holidays - that was largely it for the Wii. We went back to the 360 as our console of choice. Despite picking up many new games for the Wii over the course of time (I feel I need to stay in touch with the platform and what is available for it as part of my game development gig) the 360 is the clear favorite in my household. Whether that's age 8, 15, 18, 27 or 43; male or female.

The Wii is a toy; the 360 is a game and home entertainment console. I think that the reason the Wii is succeeding in the marketplace is that among casual users, it has some buzz and it is - above all - cheaper.

But the attach rate, the number of games that are purchased by owners of the major console systems? It's far and away the 360 that has the highest number of games owned per customer. People buy it - and they continue to buy games for it. I think that says it all.

 

[John Crichton]

Forget the next gen stuff.

Go for the PS2. Cheap, TONS of games and the best selection of any console out there.

 

[Thanee]

That was my initial thought, when I read the opening post... PS2 (reasonably cheap and lots of nice stuff out for it, and even newer games seem to be ported to it).

Dunno why I havn't posted it then, though, probably my internal you-have-no-clue-about-consoles-really-so-shut-up-already-switch turned on.

Bye
Thanee

 

[SolitonMan]

Let me add another vote for a PS2. I picked one up at Best Buy (new, they still have them and all the accessories) a couple weeks ago and I've been enjoying it a lot. I've owned an Xbox for years and enjoy that too, as well as a desktop PC outfitted for gaming (especially NWN!!).

I got the PS2 because I've not taken the plunge into the HDTV pool, and saw no advantage in a current gen console. Plus the games are pretty pricey. I got the PS2 for around $130.00, and received a $30.00 Best Buy gift card as part of the package. Then I went nuts and got Guitar Hero I, II & III, Dance Dance Revolution with a floor controller (hey, I need SOMETHING to get me off my butt!), as well as about a half dozen new and recent games like God of War 2, Final Fantasy XII, Resident Evil 4, Shadow of the Colossus, and some used games at GameStop like Half Life (which I've never played).

The real benefit will accrue when I start raiding friends' collections of PS2 games.


I hope you're able to find something fun, good luck!!

 

[Mallus]

Unfortunately, this...

We are not interested in spending huge amounts of cash...

... is at odds with this...

We'd just like something the girls will enjoy for several years--upgrading to the latest version every year is not our style.

You're going to have to decide between economy and longevity. That said, a PS2 is probably your best bet. It has the biggest/widest selection of the kinds of games your daughter like, most if not all of them at bargain prices, and the system itself is dirt cheap. But the PS2 is at the end of it's life cycle.

If you'd consider spending significantly more money, and if you have an HDTV, and if you'd use a high-definition DVD player (ie Blu-ray) --notice all the 'if's' in this sentence?-- then you may want to look at a 60-80gig PS3, one with PS2 backwards compatibility. In the long run it's the more economical option.

BTW, I'd stay away from the Xbox 360... it's a terrific system, but it doesn't have much support for the types of games you're looking for, and likely never will.