Console wars

Recently a kid asked me for my opinion on which console is better because he was thinking of buying the fancy "new" shrunken PS2. My opinion in a nutshell- why the hell did you ask me that stupid question? Just like how all people are equal, all gaming platforms should be treated with equal respect. Sadly this is not the case.

The Third Place
Sony's PSone, PS2, and soon to be released PSP, are the arch nemeses of Nintendo and Xbox fanboys...and girls for political correctness. Me, a Nintendo-child (NES, SNES, N64[though a Playstation rep convinced me to wait 4 friggin' years for the next gens and not get the N64 or PSone], GB, GBA) and Xbox owner, I should be very biased against Sony. Well, that's true in some aspects. I believe Sony is worse than Microsoft in their actions of taking over every electronic industry. Think about it, Sony is in more fields than Microsoft, so please hackers, stop screwing up our PCs and firebomb Sony.

Anyhoo... the PS2 is the market leader. It has the largest library of games, which means lots of good games and lots of crap games too. PS2 owners tend to own games belonging to the Final Fantasy series, Gran Turismo series and GTA series. This is a gross generalisation, but if you like those games then Sony is the way to go. Remember, most other games are now multiplatform. While I am on my soapbox, I would like to add: their controller sucks ergonomically- Gamecube and Xbox controller S all the way!


Teh Uber Box
Ah, the controversial Microsoft Xbox. It's got the highest specs, as well as size weight and ugliness factor. People hate it because it's by Bill Gates and it's a wannabe PC. Oh, and it's American. But put your differences aside, the box has its fair share of must haves. Halo, and Halo 2 are basically THE reason why you should own an Xbox. And if you own an Xbox, you should own either or both games. True, some people do not like the FPS genre, but *shrugs*. The trump card for the Xbox is its online service Live, as it sure beats suscribing to multiple services with Sony's NE.

Second in market share, the Xbox has a small library of games in contrast to PS2. Xbox owners tend to own shooters, racers and sports sims. RPGs, are not too popular as the popular Jap RPGs are absent- They just had to can True Fantasy Live Online, idiots. However, Xbox owners tend to own... shit, as an Xbox owner I don't even know what they tend to own. Well, noteable games for the Xbox are: Halo, Halo 2, Project Gotham Racing 2, Full Spectrum Warrior, Fable, KOTOR, Phantom Crash, Dead or Alive[I'll let you decide which one ;)] and other miscellaneous Live enabled games. I must say, Fable and KOTOR tell a good yarn, PGR2 and Sega GT 2002 are good racers, and system linked Halo is sheer blautastic.


The expensive paperweight
I like Nintendo, they make fun games. Too bad many people have a wrong view of this ancient company and their games. The Gamecube's only good use now is to whack people with. That's right, if people piss you off because you got a purple paperweight, you can use the cube to smash someone because of its shape and built in handle. No, the cube is good, it's just that Nintendo failed to market it well and people these days want fancy graphics, blood and guts, and fan service- NOT plumbers, cel shaded pointy eared kids, and "cute" monsters.

The Gamecube has a measly fraction of the market share. Not many people own the cube because of this. If they only released the Panasonic Q globally things may be different. The Q is a DVD player that can play Gamecube games, NOT a console that can play DVD movies which the other consoles are. I would have bought a Q- it looks awesome. Anyway, noteable games on the Gamecube are quite few. However, they are quality stuff. You can't go wrong with the Zelda series, I personally dislike the appearance of the cel shaded Windwaker but my friend (A PS2 fanboy) says its fun so go figure. Please note, a new Zelda game is coming out and it looks brilliant. Smash Bros, Metroid Prime, and Mario Sunshine are also noteworthy.

With the Gamecube at a hundred bucks, I say it's worth buying. Keep Nintendo alive, let them learn from their mistakes. Besides, you gotta get it for the new Zelda game.

The GBA on the otherhand, is the market leader in handhelds. I don't need to say anything about it, it owns the Ngage, and will step aside for its brother, the Nintendo DS.


My argument got lost somewhere up there, but nevermind I will conclude this first part of the console wars. Each platform has their special unique type of game. That should be the main factor in deciding which console is better. The PS2 caters for a larger and wider audience, but the Xbox satisfies just as well. The Gamecube is just a disappointment, but at roughly $100, it looks mighty appealing. I now leave you with the following thought: Xbox Live + Halo 2 or Mech Assault or Wolfenstein = Multiplayer BLAUfest = FUN!

Stay tuned for the next battle, between handhelds!