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Mine is a story of great woe. It shows a history of regret and ignorance. It reveals a true-life experience that focuses on the very tragic human feelings of bitterness and emptiness. It is a lesson on making the worst of decisions about one of the most exciting questions of my young life. It is the mistake of not once, but twice making the choice to buy a Sega console, and twice being left confused and resentful.
I should have seen it coming when my neighbor’s 32X games looked exactly like all the other games he owned for the Sega Genesis. Yet, the 32X did have a couple enjoyable games, such as NBA Jam Tournament Edition. Perhaps I might have been tipped off by the fact that one of the more widely advertised games for the new Sega CD involved flying around a sewer in some kind of fighter shooting at mutant rats in hopes of reaching some place that looked like Hawaii.
Sure, I felt bad about it. I had taken years of enjoyment from playing the original Nintendo and eventually the Super Nintendo. My first fond memory of video games was when I walked downstairs one Christmas morning at age six and found my dad playing Soccer on the original console. My whole family sat around laughing when the 8-bit cheerleaders came out at half time and started dancing around the field. My dad and I spent countless hours trying to master the classics like Zelda and Castlevania, and even my mom could find enjoyment from playing the original pinball. The Super Nintendo also provided me much joy when I played the “teen” games like Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat, whose “blood” code was as widely known around the school yard as what was for lunch on Thursdays. Looking back, these fond memories should have served as an omen to me. A little voice inside of me whispered "Don't cut your ties to Nintendo," or at least not to switch over to their long time rival. Sadly, I would not listen.
The time came when I was given an all-important question. It was a question that would seem simple at first. Yet, it was a question that doomed Sega loyalists and newcomers alike to relative console obscurity. It was, as I say, "simple": Choose between receiving a Nintendo 64, a Sony Playstation, or a Sega Saturn. I can hear you all groaning as I reveal that I did indeed choose the now-fossilized Sega Saturn over the other two systems, whose consoles are still produced today. In a stroke of marketing genius, Sega hooked many people into buying the Saturn by offering three free games, all of which were arcade favorites at the time. Who could pass that up? I know I couldn’t. Did you?
The short-lived life span of the Sega Saturn was a confusing and hostile period in my life. I had just entered High School and was dealing with the pressures of growing up and fitting in. Yet because of my fatal choice, I had to deal with new and unexpected problems surrounding my relaxation outside of school. I was forced to deal with choosing a good forty-dollar game out of a sea of games that were, for the most part, horrible. Rarely, I discovered great games like World Series Baseball II, which, to me, actually realized the Saturn’s full potential. Most of the time though, I found the wrong game like D, which lasted about three hours and had a horribly cheesy story line. Nevertheless, I strode forward taking as much enjoyment out of the system as I could before it crumbled right before my eyes. In the end, I was forced to buy as many ten-dollar clearance item games as I could in order to find some solace within the desolate ruins that was my console gaming life. I vowed never to buy Sega again.
You would think that after suffering through such a horrible experience I would have learned my lesson. Unfortunately, I did not. After being disenchanted with consoles I wandered aimlessly through the PC world taking pleasure in strategy games and sports games, but there was always the void of knowing that at heart I was a console gamer. At the end of my Senior year I was doing so well in High School that my parents again offered me the choice of any console I would like to receive as a gift for that success. My choice this time was easy. I knew all the companies had their new consoles coming out soon. The choice now was between buying the Dreamcast that had just arrived, or waiting for the Playstation 2. In hindsight the choice was so simple, buy Sega and take a chance on a company that slighted me or wait six months for Playstation 2 and have access to a DVD player, new great games, and the old Playstation library. On the surface, this was the easiest choice I could have ever made. But I was a young and anxious youth. Do not judge me harshly when I tell you I once again chose to take a chance on Sega.
As compared to the Saturn, the Dreamcast actually benefitted from the efforts of many good developers' at programming new (and not-so-new) games. The Dreamcast had its heyday and actually brought good games like NBA2K1 and Shenmue to the floor. But, again, choices like these were the high point of the console's existence. The average Dreamcast game tended to resemble the weaker games in the Playstation library. For example, though the Dreamcast offered wrestling fans the game Royal Rumble, which had the same graphics and controls as Playstation’s Smack Down, the game modes were so poorly put together that even a long time WWF fan as myself would not buy it. When it was announced that Dreamcast consoles would no longer be produced, I was not surprised. I knew a system could not survive if it didn’t have the backing of EA Sports or the support of Sega's key franchises. What happened to the games that made the Genesis a success? Why didn't Sega start bringing them back until it was too late? Though I had the Dreamcast, I once again ventured into the PC world knowing that games like Fallout 2 and Half-life were unrivaled by games for the Sega system. In the end I bowed my head sorrowfully in quiet agony, and now I write to you as an embittered product of Sega’s consoles.
New Hope shines on my fate with video game systems, and I once again set forth in a path down console road. I realize now that in order to find success in the game world I must look to the console as an insider who knows the prospective fates of each company. The PS2 offers longevity and promise. In the last round of the console wars, Sony established its dominance in the video game market. Like Nintendo in the days of my youth, PlayStation now offers the same entertainment for children of today. From the breathtaking graphics I’ve seen in games like Madden 2001 to the promise of a Playstation 2 network, the possibilities for the Playstation 2 seem endless. It is an exciting time in video games, it is the dawn of a new era. Many new systems will emerge from the X-box to the Game Cube with new technology and more capacity, but Playstation 2 is here NOW, establishing dominance. Is this another case of youthful impatience? Perhaps. But as this chapter of my story comes to an end I feel like I can say, “Finally, I have chosen the right one.”
~ PlanetPS2.com
I should have seen it coming when my neighbor’s 32X games looked exactly like all the other games he owned for the Sega Genesis. Yet, the 32X did have a couple enjoyable games, such as NBA Jam Tournament Edition. Perhaps I might have been tipped off by the fact that one of the more widely advertised games for the new Sega CD involved flying around a sewer in some kind of fighter shooting at mutant rats in hopes of reaching some place that looked like Hawaii.
Sure, I felt bad about it. I had taken years of enjoyment from playing the original Nintendo and eventually the Super Nintendo. My first fond memory of video games was when I walked downstairs one Christmas morning at age six and found my dad playing Soccer on the original console. My whole family sat around laughing when the 8-bit cheerleaders came out at half time and started dancing around the field. My dad and I spent countless hours trying to master the classics like Zelda and Castlevania, and even my mom could find enjoyment from playing the original pinball. The Super Nintendo also provided me much joy when I played the “teen” games like Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat, whose “blood” code was as widely known around the school yard as what was for lunch on Thursdays. Looking back, these fond memories should have served as an omen to me. A little voice inside of me whispered "Don't cut your ties to Nintendo," or at least not to switch over to their long time rival. Sadly, I would not listen.
The time came when I was given an all-important question. It was a question that would seem simple at first. Yet, it was a question that doomed Sega loyalists and newcomers alike to relative console obscurity. It was, as I say, "simple": Choose between receiving a Nintendo 64, a Sony Playstation, or a Sega Saturn. I can hear you all groaning as I reveal that I did indeed choose the now-fossilized Sega Saturn over the other two systems, whose consoles are still produced today. In a stroke of marketing genius, Sega hooked many people into buying the Saturn by offering three free games, all of which were arcade favorites at the time. Who could pass that up? I know I couldn’t. Did you?
The short-lived life span of the Sega Saturn was a confusing and hostile period in my life. I had just entered High School and was dealing with the pressures of growing up and fitting in. Yet because of my fatal choice, I had to deal with new and unexpected problems surrounding my relaxation outside of school. I was forced to deal with choosing a good forty-dollar game out of a sea of games that were, for the most part, horrible. Rarely, I discovered great games like World Series Baseball II, which, to me, actually realized the Saturn’s full potential. Most of the time though, I found the wrong game like D, which lasted about three hours and had a horribly cheesy story line. Nevertheless, I strode forward taking as much enjoyment out of the system as I could before it crumbled right before my eyes. In the end, I was forced to buy as many ten-dollar clearance item games as I could in order to find some solace within the desolate ruins that was my console gaming life. I vowed never to buy Sega again.
You would think that after suffering through such a horrible experience I would have learned my lesson. Unfortunately, I did not. After being disenchanted with consoles I wandered aimlessly through the PC world taking pleasure in strategy games and sports games, but there was always the void of knowing that at heart I was a console gamer. At the end of my Senior year I was doing so well in High School that my parents again offered me the choice of any console I would like to receive as a gift for that success. My choice this time was easy. I knew all the companies had their new consoles coming out soon. The choice now was between buying the Dreamcast that had just arrived, or waiting for the Playstation 2. In hindsight the choice was so simple, buy Sega and take a chance on a company that slighted me or wait six months for Playstation 2 and have access to a DVD player, new great games, and the old Playstation library. On the surface, this was the easiest choice I could have ever made. But I was a young and anxious youth. Do not judge me harshly when I tell you I once again chose to take a chance on Sega.
As compared to the Saturn, the Dreamcast actually benefitted from the efforts of many good developers' at programming new (and not-so-new) games. The Dreamcast had its heyday and actually brought good games like NBA2K1 and Shenmue to the floor. But, again, choices like these were the high point of the console's existence. The average Dreamcast game tended to resemble the weaker games in the Playstation library. For example, though the Dreamcast offered wrestling fans the game Royal Rumble, which had the same graphics and controls as Playstation’s Smack Down, the game modes were so poorly put together that even a long time WWF fan as myself would not buy it. When it was announced that Dreamcast consoles would no longer be produced, I was not surprised. I knew a system could not survive if it didn’t have the backing of EA Sports or the support of Sega's key franchises. What happened to the games that made the Genesis a success? Why didn't Sega start bringing them back until it was too late? Though I had the Dreamcast, I once again ventured into the PC world knowing that games like Fallout 2 and Half-life were unrivaled by games for the Sega system. In the end I bowed my head sorrowfully in quiet agony, and now I write to you as an embittered product of Sega’s consoles.
New Hope shines on my fate with video game systems, and I once again set forth in a path down console road. I realize now that in order to find success in the game world I must look to the console as an insider who knows the prospective fates of each company. The PS2 offers longevity and promise. In the last round of the console wars, Sony established its dominance in the video game market. Like Nintendo in the days of my youth, PlayStation now offers the same entertainment for children of today. From the breathtaking graphics I’ve seen in games like Madden 2001 to the promise of a Playstation 2 network, the possibilities for the Playstation 2 seem endless. It is an exciting time in video games, it is the dawn of a new era. Many new systems will emerge from the X-box to the Game Cube with new technology and more capacity, but Playstation 2 is here NOW, establishing dominance. Is this another case of youthful impatience? Perhaps. But as this chapter of my story comes to an end I feel like I can say, “Finally, I have chosen the right one.”
~ PlanetPS2.com
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Regardless of wether or not its a rip off, its true.
I had a Master system, then a MD, then a PS1. I have mates who went down the 32x, megaCD and saturn road, and they are gutted.
I definately feel secure about the future of my PS2. Sony have blatantly dominated the market for years, even with competition of higher spec machines from Sega and Nintendo.
Though the Gamecube is going to be strong, I am not worried. Sony arent the kind to release a more powerful machine to argue it, as they did with PS1. Nintendo also have their "for kids" image to fight to appeal to the audience that can afford one. (I'll get a lot of hate-mail for that one!)
X-Box is no threat at all. They have a lot to fight, (windows-haters, gates-haters, bullyboy tactics...) and the PS2. Their showing at E3 was pants, and PS2 will be established by the time its out. By the time X-Box gets its first software update PS2 will have GTN on the shelves.
People on this site complain that its flooded with Sony biased types. The reason for it is that its simply a great machine.
I had a Master system, then a MD, then a PS1. I have mates who went down the 32x, megaCD and saturn road, and they are gutted.
I definately feel secure about the future of my PS2. Sony have blatantly dominated the market for years, even with competition of higher spec machines from Sega and Nintendo.
Though the Gamecube is going to be strong, I am not worried. Sony arent the kind to release a more powerful machine to argue it, as they did with PS1. Nintendo also have their "for kids" image to fight to appeal to the audience that can afford one. (I'll get a lot of hate-mail for that one!)
X-Box is no threat at all. They have a lot to fight, (windows-haters, gates-haters, bullyboy tactics...) and the PS2. Their showing at E3 was pants, and PS2 will be established by the time its out. By the time X-Box gets its first software update PS2 will have GTN on the shelves.
People on this site complain that its flooded with Sony biased types. The reason for it is that its simply a great machine.
emmm, me, never :P
Bonus wrote:
> Sonic this was only posted today!!
And If it wins I don't want
> it, I was taking the mic!
ummm... I was JOKING! I saw the joke in that you were paradying GAME's win. Hence the ";)" next to my name... u didn't think I was serious
Sonic
> Sonic this was only posted today!!
And If it wins I don't want
> it, I was taking the mic!
ummm... I was JOKING! I saw the joke in that you were paradying GAME's win. Hence the ";)" next to my name... u didn't think I was serious
Sonic
Sonic this was only posted today!!
And If it wins I don't want it, I was taking the mic!
And If it wins I don't want it, I was taking the mic!
surely this should have won GAD??? are the staff mad!
Sonic ;)
Sonic ;)
True...
Does that post even look like something I would/could have written, no!! But it is another way for me to be a pain in the neck!!!
I know you're extracting the urine but still...
If Game can copy something writing up the GC, then I'll copy something writing up the PS2, all is fair in love and war!!
I'm taking the p**s!!!!! Get it?????
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