What console would you buy?

Kraken

Just a poll to check. And if you have more than one just type it in here some where.

Gonzo

I just bought my Gamecube on Saturday and its amazing, its feels like the good ol SNES days once again! I lost my faith with Nintendo over the N64 but it looks like they have got things perfect with the gamecube. Its technically not quite as fast as the Xbox when it comes to raw number crunching but is superior in every other way. Super Monkey Ball and Rogue Squadron 2 are jaw dropping both in terms of graphics and gameplay.

Rabies

it is hard to say which console is the best...
games make a console successful...

it is still very early for the xbox or gamecube. i have a PS2 but i'm thinking about buying a Gamecube if it gets a very good line up of games by xmas.

Hobbes

Got my Gamecube and 4 games last Friday. I have to say the machine is pretty sweet (and price of GC+3 games = price of just XBox).

The thing is tiny, quiet. The controller is very comfy and everyone who has gone near the thing over the weekend has been lacking sleep from use.

Games I got.

Luguis mansion.
I haven't gone far into it. The game is nice and the effects excellent.

Star Wars.
I don't like this Veonix seems to like it a lot but it seems to be the same thing to me (Shoot everything).

Sonic
The game is excellent. I especially like the Chao garden! Also the fact that just completing the story line for either good or bad guys doesn't mean the end of the game (Some levels you have to complete later levels to open up other areas). I've already opened up a number of new games (racing/choa challange/good/evil choa stuff) and I guess there are still quite a few to come.

The levels are huge as well!

Bloody Roar
Beat-em-up. Excellent game also if you like BEU's. The characters are very lifelike and loads of hidden moves.

Shinji

Why oh why oh bloody why do people keep posting polls with one question in the topic and an entirely different question in the poll?

Right now, I would buy a Gamecube. In fact, I just did.

However, the best console out right now is the PS2, because it has the best selection of games on it.

(FWIW, I don't think there's any excuse for not owning both of 'em, they're so bloody cheap...)

Lemming

I own a DreamCast ... and damn fine it is too

I wont be touching that con of the decade called an X-Box. Buy a fluppin' PC ffs!! :rolleyes:

As for the PS2 and GameCube .. hmm .. not sure on those two. I did get a gameboy advance recently and its sweeeeet. Plus you can plug it into the gamecube

RasTa

hmmm i want a x-box
but i want a gamecube for resident evil
but super monkey ball isnt my cup of tea,same with mario and zelda etc so i dunno im gonna wait till x-mass,but if the gamecube games look like this i might just get one of them








hmmmm actually i want a gamecube,the games im most awating are resident evils and shenmue 3

smoke.me.a.kipper

im saving for a gamecube (damn alcohol, why must you rob all my money!!) and have a ps2. will get super monkey ball when i buy the gc.

TinCool

Got my gamecube over the weekend with Rogue Squadron II and I have to say, this is the best looking game I have played in a long time. It has that Star Wars feel to it like no other Star Wars game I've played (beside the original arcade games of course). Hoping to get Super Monkey Ball this weekend provided that Game are still not sold out of it (have an €18 Euro loyalty voucher to use up).

I also own a PS2 which I have to say is pretty class to. At this moment in time if you had to chose between a PS2 and a Gamecube, I'd go with the PS2, only for the fact that it has a lot of top quality titles available for it. Having enough disposable income I didn't have to make that choice

amp

Yeah I was going to post a similar poll now that the GC is finally with us. It'll be interesting to compare it with the poll before all three were released.

Personally, I think Ninty have got people seriously thinking about the GC thanks in part to it's relatively low cost. And I'm one of them. But then the PS2 has some pretty stonking games. The flatbed truck that is the X-box holds little interest to me.

Oeneus

It still pisses me off that consoles are still using external memory cartridges which have to be bought seperately. It annoys me to death.

Memory should be taken for granted these days as it doesn't take just one night to finish games any more!

Celt

Originally posted by TinCool
Got my gamecube over the weekend with Rogue Squadron II and I have to say, this is the best looking game I have played in a long time. It has that Star Wars feel to it like no other Star Wars game I've played (beside the original arcade games of course).

Blasphemer!
Tie Fighter rules

Mills

I'm increasingly torn between the PS2 and the GC, the PS2 is probably very marginally ahead because of it's DVD playing ability and FFX, but the Cube sounds really, really good....... can someone who knows what they're talking about give a run-down of games in the pipeline for both consoles?

X Box? No ta (Although I actually had a dream last night where someone gave me an X-Box, strangeness)

Mills, you practically took the dilemma right out of my mouth aside from the fact that i bought a PS2 . Hmm maybe shinjis right, its a sin not to own both.

Shinji

X Box? No ta (Although I actually had a dream last night where someone gave me an X-Box, strangeness)

Your dream is telling you who your real enemies are


Mmm, in terms of games pipeline, stuff I'm looking forward to on PS2 over the coming year or so:

Final Fantasy X
Xenosaga
.hack//Sign
GTA3 Vice City
Shinobi
Battle Engine Aquila
Auto Modellista
Kingdom Hearts
Soul Calibur 2
Virtua Fighter 4

And stuff on the GameCube:

Pikmin
Super Smash Bros Melee
Super Mario Summer
GC Legend of Zelda
(possible GC port of Ocarina of Time)
Perfect Dark 2
Starfox Adventures
F-Zero GC
Fire Emblem GC
Soul Calibur 2
Final Fantasy title (unnamed, possibly FF Unlimited)
Resident Evil + remakes of 2, 3, Code Veronica
Resident Evil Zero
Resident Evil 4
Phantasy Star Online 2
Sonic Adventure 3

Mossy Monk

i will be going for the PS2 very soon. the Game Cube looks good but i've always had a problem with Nintendo. it will take more than Resident Evil or Mario to change my mind. when more games are released (probably Christmas) i might go out and get one. i have no interest in the X Box

Dont be at yourself

Isn't Auto Modellista GC and XB bound as well? I'm a complete sucker for the cel-shaded look so I'll be buying it.

Oh, and I can't wait to get my grubby mits on Die Hard GC and Super Monkey Ball 2.

(possible GC port of Ocarina of Time)

I've also heard that they're bringing the nes/snes/gb Zelda games to the GC in a all-in-one namco museum type affair. Which would be nice.

(Though not as nice as shiney brand new games, admittedly)

Gonzo

GTA3 Vice City?

mission pack addon for GTA3?

tell me more!!! I want more GTA3!!! droolling

Dont be at yourself

Sony accidently let it slip, much to Rockstar's disapproval, a while ago. It's similar to what GTA:London was to the original GTA I believe. A new city (based on Miami), new cars yadda yadda yadda - we won't see real changes until GTA4.

Samurai

i was gonna go for the X-BoX but the fact that the PS2 can play DvD's that made meh choose PS2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hello every1

Retr0gamer

I've got a ps2 and think it's great but i don't know if this recent increase in excellent games will keep up. I've no interest in x-box but i will definitely be getting a gamecube during the summer. Anyone know what rare is developing for GC?

Gonzo

Rare are developing StarFoX Adventures and Perfect Dark 2 for the Gamecube. Both should be excellent. Heard yesterday that both Nindendo and Namco are to produce a Starfox remake for the Gamecube, sounds very promising, hope it turns out alot better than the N64 version coz the SNES original was amazing.

spooky donkey

well i was going to get me a PS2 but then i said to hell with it and got me another pc instead.

To hell with consoles!!!!

Bring back the atari Jaguar!!!!!!
hten we`ll see!

segadreamcast

Originally posted by Oeneus
It still pisses me off that consoles are still using external memory cartridges which have to be bought seperately. It annoys me to death.

Memory should be taken for granted these days as it doesn't take just one night to finish games any more!

XBox includes a 6GB memory card as standard... compared to the paltry offerings of the PS2 which is an 8MB memory card that you have to buy - some 768 times smaller than the Xbox memory card that's included.

The GC also has a 4MB/8MB memory card, 768 or 1,536 smaller than the XBox's memory card - which, I must say again, is included.

Sheesh, the XBox also plays DVD's when you buy a remote - has four players without a multitap, and has broadband connectivity. It's also the most powerful of the four - and overall, I believe, has the best launch lineup thus far including JSR Future, Halo, Project Gotham Racing (Yes, I own GT3, and I believe PGR manages to keep good balances of realism and fun, which GT3 simply did not achieve), Dead or Alive 3, Amped, Rallisport Challenge - and so many more besides.

All in all, XBox is technically the best. And all for only 299 euro.

XBox: 299
GC + Memory Card (more or less required): 239
PS2: 329

I think it goes without saying, when all of the above is presented to you - the combination of great games, breathtaking innovation and awesome technology - XBox wins hands down.

Ladies and gentlemen of the gaming jury, I rest my case. XBox is the console of this generation.

Oeneus

Will Game Cube ever get a mouse and keyboard? If so, Perfect Dark 2 would interest me very much!

Doodee

The X-Box also plays DVD's

Afaik that the X-Box is a nice machine... sure its expensive but look at when the N64 originally came out and the price of that.. Also the reason the GC is soo cheap is cause u dont have the Hardware that the X-box or PS2 has which is DVd and Class sound.. the other advantage of the X-Box is its Hard-drive.. Its really a matter of choice.
/me watches out for the CEO of Nintendo about to run him down
Hey it happened to the poor sod who invented the Gameboy after he quit to work for Neo-Geo

Vrrrrruuuummmm..

Nintendo's new Slogan
"Buy a GC or We'll run u down in our Small Japaneese Cars!"

Giblet

ah yeah but i have a feeling that xbox games will dry up. PGR is good though. But for 50 euro you could get a DC and MSR! beat that. And that broadband connection on the xbox is useless for most of us. And you'll have to buy a memory card for the xbox if ya want to bring your saved games anywhere.

Mills

Originally posted by NoelRock


XBox includes a 6GB memory card as standard... compared to the paltry offerings of the PS2 which is an 8MB memory card that you have to buy - some 768 times smaller than the Xbox memory card that's included.

The GC also has a 4MB/8MB memory card, 768 or 1,536 smaller than the XBox's memory card - which, I must say again, is included.

Sheesh, the XBox also plays DVD's when you buy a remote - has four players without a multitap, and has broadband connectivity. It's also the most powerful of the four - and overall, I believe, has the best launch lineup thus far including JSR Future, Halo, Project Gotham Racing (Yes, I own GT3, and I believe PGR manages to keep good balances of realism and fun, which GT3 simply did not achieve), Dead or Alive 3, Amped, Rallisport Challenge - and so many more besides.

All in all, XBox is technically the best. And all for only 299 euro.

XBox: 299
GC + Memory Card (more or less required): 239
PS2: 329

I think it goes without saying, when all of the above is presented to you - the combination of great games, breathtaking innovation and awesome technology - XBox wins hands down.

Ladies and gentlemen of the gaming jury, I rest my case. XBox is the console of this generation.

Was that lifted straight from an X-Box advert?

Oh and afaik you still get a whole lot of save games on one 8 meg PS2 memory card, maybe the X-Box save games are not as economical with space? Or the big HD is for internet (broadband) related things, or maybe it's just there to look nice. I don't think any of my friends with PS2s have had to buy a second mem card.

Snaga

The xbox hd is also used for ripping tracks from cd into windows media format. They can then be played in place of tracks in games that support it.

The xbox seems to have the most functionality to it (relatively pointless if you have a beefy PC), so the only way to find out which to get is to try out each console ..... though ive heard good things about the teensy gc

chernobyl

The Xbox HDD is not the revolution for the games industry that MS make out but give it a year or so and soon OS patches such as MP3/Divx/SVCD etc ect will all be seen on the Xbox.

There really is only one console to buy at the moment as pretty much any game released on a cross platform basis will appear on the PS2, but if you genuinely only want to commit to one console ( and why? ) then get a DC and sit back until christmas to see how things are going.

Dont be at yourself

Originally posted by NoelRock


XBox includes a 6GB memory card as standard... compared to the paltry offerings of the PS2 which is an 8MB memory card that you have to buy - some 768 times smaller than the Xbox memory card that's included.

The GC also has a 4MB/8MB memory card, 768 or 1,536 smaller than the XBox's memory card - which, I must say again, is included.

Sheesh, the XBox also plays DVD's when you buy a remote - has four players without a multitap, and has broadband connectivity. It's also the most powerful of the

I play games, not statistics though.

And the games I want to play are by in large GameCube bound.

Shinji

Ladies and gentlemen of the gaming jury, I rest my case. XBox is the console of this generation.

Misery loves company. You just bought an Xbox, didn't you?


Oh yes, by the way, your comments on the hard drive are not only factually inaccurate (only 1gb of that space can actually be used for save games, the rest being set aside for settings and caching purposes, and besides, the whole point of a card is that it's removable - something the Xbox bodges horribly by having many games whose saves are so large they won't fit on a removable card, bit of a bummer if your console fails...) but are also entirely beside the point - as are your comments on technical abilities.

Do you know, out of the last generation of consoles, what the single most powerful and technically advanced one was? A console which also had internal save RAM?

Yep. The Sega Saturn.

Q.E.D.

chernobyl

My battery died and i lost all my nights anf VF saves...bah
VF4 this friday and the only thing that has improved is graphics.

Shinji

You reckon? :eek:

I really like VF4 - it feels a lot more solid and responsive than the previous games, and the AI training mode is absolutely bloody superb. Definitely entertaining enough to tide me over until Soul Calibur II, although I think SC might still be pulled out for late night drunken fun....

entropi

Originally posted by Shinji





Mmm, in terms of games pipeline, stuff I'm looking forward to on PS2 over the coming year or so:



Shinobi

Shinobi... wtf!!!

I LOVED this game in the arcade ffs.... lovely


oh,and i want a PC, so i can play DaoC @ home instead of DNC all the time [ not that i hate dnc ]

Doodee

Any1 know when the Japaneese Version of the X-Box Controller is set to come out??

Eager to get one.

Dont be at yourself

Err, its not.

They brought out a smaller version of the XBox joypad that was similar to the Japanese one in the US and said that if there was demand for it in Europe, they'd release it. That's the last that was said about it.

segadreamcast

Originally posted by Shinji


Misery loves company. You just bought an Xbox, didn't you?


Oh yes, by the way, your comments on the hard drive are not only factually inaccurate (only 1gb of that space can actually be used for save games, the rest being set aside for settings and caching purposes, and besides, the whole point of a card is that it's removable - something the Xbox bodges horribly by having many games whose saves are so large they won't fit on a removable card, bit of a bummer if your console fails...) but are also entirely beside the point - as are your comments on technical abilities.

Do you know, out of the last generation of consoles, what the single most powerful and technically advanced one was? A console which also had internal save RAM?

Yep. The Sega Saturn.

Q.E.D.

OK, first off the game saves aren't that large - considering the XBox also has a memory card to remove saves and transfer them to other XBox consoles.

Again, another one of your points is entirely invalid - oodles of people have complained time and time again about their memory cards failing, it's just as likely to happen to an official memory card as it is to a Hard Drive.

And we move onto your last point. The Sega Saturn. The Saturn was poorly put together, rushed through development, and after originally being intended for 2D purposes, they tried to change it to 3D. It was a mess. A spontaneous, occasionally loveable mess, but a mess nonetheless.

Was that lifted straight from an X-Box advert?

Poo. I wish :P Maybe they'll give me a job writing their adverts...my rant certainly beats the mosquito advert by a long shot, wouldn't you agree --_--

segadreamcast

Originally posted by NekkidBibleMan


I play games, not statistics though.

And the games I want to play are by in large GameCube bound.

I love the way you chose the part of my post that didn't mention games - and decided to ignore the part that mentions the masterpieces that came out on launch day. GameCube had a good launch lineup - but I still think PGR was the white knight that claimed it for XBox.

Praetorian

I would get a PS2 but only for MGS2...In fact Retro can I borrow yours? Sure your doing exams n e way atm :P

I would get an X-Box but I think all its good games will come out on the pc eventually anyway. Hmm I need a DVD player for my telly.

I dont like Nintendo. In fact I really dont like that little man that runs around getting high on mushrooms :P

BUT OMG that Star Wars game looks fantastico!

Maybe Ill just get all three...that way I wont miss out on any great games!

P.S. Long live the Dr3aMca$t

logic1

Originally posted by NoelRock

Ladies and gentlemen of the gaming jury, I rest my case. XBox is the console of this generation.

Keep it then. I want a next generation console.

.logic.

segadreamcast

*Loved his Dreamcast* *Sigh* *Sniffle*

segadreamcast

Originally posted by logic1


Keep it then. I want a next generation console.

.logic.

Enjoy waiting for your PS3 in 2005 then... let me know how that turns out.

Dont be at yourself

I'll adress the rest now then.

[1]has four players without a multitap, and has [2]broadband connectivity. It's also the most powerful of the four - and overall, I believe, has the [3]best launch lineup thus far including JSR Future, Halo, Project Gotham Racing (Yes, I own GT3, and I believe PGR manages to keep good balances of realism and fun, which GT3 simply did not achieve), Dead or Alive 3, Amped, Rallisport Challenge - and so many more besides.

1. Four players without a multi-tap. So does GC, GC and N64.

2. I must admit, I do love the broadband connectivity though. I cannot wait until Microsoft get their finger out and either admit that they're not going anwhere near the mess that is Europe when it comes to broadband or actually announce their online plans for Europe.

But hey, with all that waiting (and boy, that's a whole lot of waiting), Ireland might actually have broadband!

Then all I'll need are some multi-player games.

3. I'll give you Halo. I'll even give you JSR:F, at a stretch (if it wasn't so fantastically outshone by its big brother, natch). I will not, however, agree that games which are essentially prettier looking versions of games that appeared on consoles long since gone constitute the best launch line-up ever. Where's the originality? Where's the "Ooh, I haven't seen this on other consoles" factor? Wanna know? Its in Super Monkey Ball. Its in Luigi's Mansion.

And, lets face it, there is very, very little in the XBox's upcoming releases that look like changing things. Unless you can see originality in the plague of third person adventures and first person shooters, that is.

chernobyl

Originally posted by NekkidBibleMan
I'll adress the rest now then.

And, lets face it, there is very, very little in the XBox's upcoming releases that look like changing things.

Now thats not like you Nekki, but maybe this is a prespective thing but thats an unfounded statement.

segadreamcast

Originally posted by NekkidBibleMan
I'll adress the rest now then.



1. Four players without a multi-tap. So does GC, GC and N64.

2. I must admit, I do love the broadband connectivity though. I cannot wait until Microsoft get their finger out and either admit that they're not going anwhere near the mess that is Europe when it comes to broadband or actually announce their online plans for Europe.

But hey, with all that waiting (and boy, that's a whole lot of waiting), Ireland might actually have broadband!

Then all I'll need are some multi-player games.

3. I'll give you Halo. I'll even give you JSR:F, at a stretch (if it wasn't so fantastically outshone by its big brother, natch). I will not, however, agree that games which are essentially prettier looking versions of games that appeared on consoles long since gone constitute the best launch line-up ever. Where's the originality? Where's the "Ooh, I haven't seen this on other consoles" factor? Wanna know? Its in Super Monkey Ball. Its in Luigi's Mansion.

And, lets face it, there is very, very little in the XBox's upcoming releases that look like changing things. Unless you can see originality in the plague of third person adventures and first person shooters, that is.

And off we go:

1. The multiplayer point was showing one way in which XBox is superior to PS2, just like the DVD point shows how PS2 and XBox are superior to GC. See also; the Hard Drive point - showing how the XBox bounces the GC and PS2 out of the water because you have to *buy* a memory card for those - and not only that, the memory card is extremely small compared to the hard drive.

2. I-stream is launching next week. More people have broadband access now.

3. Munch's Oddysee? The game that PS2 fanboys were screaming about until they decided to leap ship to XBox? Super Monkey Ball - ah yes, a sequel is already on its way, how original. Luigi's Mansion - moreso, scraping the bottom of the barrel than innovation, which is blatantly obvious judging by its hiderous length.

On a final note - I won't deny it. Super Monkey Ball is a great game. Overall though, it's not exactly a must-have, and certainly isn't a "Halo" for GameCube.

Dont be at yourself

To Chernobyl:

Oh, I don't know.

I'm not anti-XBox or pro-Ninty/Sony. I believe that its the games that matter and when you're talking about investing in a new console you have to be pretty certain that there's going to be enough quality software out there to satisfy you.

The Playstation2 has shown that.

The GameCube is looking almost certain to show that - Nintendo have perhaps the premier games development teams on the planet and already the release list has a dozen games that I've earmarked for purchase.

The XBox? Halo. What else? Project Ego. Beyond that? There's very little in the way of format exclusive titles that would make me want an Xbox. Its problem, as far as I'm concerned, is its lack of eastern-style games. Even the games by Japanese developers are heavily westernised and frankly that's not something that appeals to me. I don't want to play identikit shooting games - I want Rez, I want ICO, I want Super Monkey Ball.

To NoelRock \m/:

1. The hardware is superior in that regard. Where are the multiplayer games? Again, there's sweet fuck all if you look past Halo.

Regarding memory cards vs harddrives: I'm a social gamer - I often take my THPS skater or PES team around to a friend's house on my memory card. That's something I can't do without spending a disgusting amount of money. And lets face it, harddrives are *far* less reliable than official memory cards.

2. Sorry, I meant affordable, useable broadband as opposed to i-stream.

3. Have you played Munch's Oddysee? It really isn't very good. Pretty, yes but ultimately it pales in comparison to much older examples of the genre.

And the sequel to Super Monkey Ball seems to be more than just a lazy update. A quest mode, new mini-games and more are promised. As for Luigi's Mansion, while it's not exactly a long game it is very polished, packed with lovely little easter-eggs and lets face it, it is innovative.

I agree though, currently the GC has no "killer app", not in the system selling sense at any rate. It does, however, offer a lot more diversity in its lineup than the XBox does and there is a whole bunch of system-sellers in store for us by the end of the year.

segadreamcast

Originally posted by NekkidBibleMan
The GameCube is looking almost certain to show that - Nintendo have perhaps the premier games development teams on the planet and already the release list has a dozen games that I've earmarked for purchase.

I'd be thinking more along the lines of Sega having the best development teams... even you said it yourself, twice infact, Super Monkey Ball a Sega game thankfully, glad to see them doing well and getting the appreciation they deserve.

Personally speaking though - I think GameCube is fairly similar to DC, and as much as I love my DC, I want something different, bold, cutting edge, more sophisticated gaming with racers, horror games, FPS and such.

Super Smash Brothers Melee, Mario Sunshine, Super Monkey Ball...all virtually the same styles of graphics; bright, colourful, bold. Eventually it looks like N64 in a way with Mario Party, Mario 64 and Smash Brothers...

Shinji

OK, first off the game saves aren't that large - considering the XBox also has a memory card to remove saves and transfer them to other XBox consoles.

Right, but my point was that this actually doesn't work for rather a lot of games, partially because Microsoft failed to implement TRC requirements for the memory card functions, and mostly because the actual handling of the memory cards by the Xbox API is a complete and utter cock-up. Like the stunning way that if you copy over a savegame for a particular game to your hard drive, even if there is an existing one there it overwrites it without prompting.... Nice one Microsoft!

Again, another one of your points is entirely invalid - oodles of people have complained time and time again about their memory cards failing, it's just as likely to happen to an official memory card as it is to a Hard Drive.

Actually, that's entirely untrue. The failure rate on official PS2 memory cards is well under 1% - I seem to recall one of the SCEE guys mentioning that it was something like one in eight thousand at launch, and a hell of a lot better since. The failure rate on Xboxes as a whole is about 1:1400 so far according to the last figures I saw. Hard drives have physical, moving components and are MUCH more liable to fail than solid state memory.

And we move onto your last point. The Sega Saturn. The Saturn was poorly put together, rushed through development, and after originally being intended for 2D purposes, they tried to change it to 3D. It was a mess. A spontaneous, occasionally loveable mess, but a mess nonetheless.

Apart from the 2D/3D thing (yeah, 3D took them by surprise in ways, although it's worth noting that the Saturn was still capable of better 3D performance than the PSX on paper...) that's a bit harsh.

Of course, if I were to point out that the Xbox was rather poorly put together and rushed through development (witness the current clashes between MS and NVIDIA over dev support, the utterly mangled libraries, the poor controller design, the constant dropping of the specs while some titles were already in dev...), originally intended for set-top box purposes (it's now fairly common knowledge that Xbox started life as a project called "HomeStation", which was designed as a .NET application box for your TV which would also play games and 3D apps) and then adapted for games console use.... Well, sounds like a mess really.

Now thats not like you Nekki, but maybe this is a prespective thing but thats an unfounded statement.

Really? Prove him wrong then. Show me the stunners in the forthcoming Xbox line-up that are going to have me wetting my pants in anticipation. I'm hoping some will show up at E3, because frankly right now it's looking bleak. And the Xbox is just too damned big to use as a doorstop.

the DVD point shows how PS2 and XBox are superior to GC.

Rubbish. The kind of folk who buy games consoles in Europe already own DVD players. They don't really care if the console ships with DVD playback or not, it's simply a non-issue. It was practically a non-issue when PS2 was released.

DVD playback is a nice bonus on a piece of consumer hardware. To a games console, and that's what we're discussing here, it's meaningless.

I-stream is launching next week. More people have broadband access now.

Uhhhhhhhh. Have you any concept what a small percentage of people even in the UK have got broadband? It's a non-starter right now.

Munch's Oddysee? The game that PS2 fanboys were screaming about until they decided to leap ship to XBox?

Do you want to know the real story about that one? The story where Oddworld were unceremoniously dumped by Infogrames because they couldn't make the game work on PS2 due to having no coding talent whatsoever? Where Lorne Lanning spent a trade show wandering about whinging about how Sony hated him? Where Microsoft gave them a huge money hat and bought them the (utterly cack) NetImmerse engine so they wouldn't have to code anything themselves?

Of course, the conclusion of the story is where the final game produced was frankly, an utter pile of cack, sold sod all units and proved a massive disappointment even to those who had liked the first two games, but lets not let the facts get in the way of a good bit of Xbox fanboyism, eh?




Oh, and as for your comments on originality.... Can I point out that your so-called "white knight" of the Xbox launch was a quick and dirty port of a Dreamcast game? That Halo, far from being "Combat Evolved", is a collection of cliches from PC FPS games of the last while, and while it certainly has its moments, is ultimately a dull and unsatisfying FPS game which any PC gamer will grow tired of very quickly? That DoA3 /is/ DoA2 with prettier graphics?



Not that it's worth arguing over really. People have voted with their feet. Xbox is holding on with its fingernails in Europe, has failed beyond all hope of redemption in Japan, and isn't doing half as well in the USA as everyone seems to think - software sales on it there have been DIRE since Christmas.

Buying an Xbox is possibly the poorest investment a games player could make right now.

Dont be at yourself

Sega are certainly up there with the best development teams and are one of the XBox's only rays of hope in my opinion.

Interesting side note: The SMB team are currently developing the GC exclusive titles Super Monkey Ball 2 and F-Zero.

Initial signs suggest that the GC won't be just another DC too. Sales figures are high, the number of third party developers are high and Nintendo are pushing it very aggressively.

You want horrors? Resident Evil, GC exclusive. You want FPS? Perfect Dark. Die Hard. Metroid.

Lastly, the Mario games have no choice but to base their look on the source material really. They can't have a 6 foot tall trenchcoat clad, crack smoking, gun-toting protaganist - its Mario. Mario is bright, Mario is colourful.

With all that said though, Nintendo are showing signs of diversity. Zelda is unlike anything seen before in the world of videogames and Metroid Prime hardly fits the "bright and colourful" brief.

chernobyl

Originally posted by Shinji

Really? Prove him wrong then. Show me the stunners in the forthcoming Xbox line-up that are going to have me wetting my pants in anticipation.

I could not possibly comment on such matters Shinji considering i have never witnessed you wetting your pants and could not come to any conclusion of one type of game = cack and the other = wet pants.

.......... but i will list what i am looking foward to (Xbox only).

CMR3
Duke Nukem Forever
Morrowind
LOTR (one can only hope)
House of the Dead 3
Hunter
MotoGP
Project Ego
Sega GT
Soul Calibur 2
Unreal