The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Who is really "in the lead"?. Nintendo fans are all foaming out of th mouth at the sight of their favourite franchises coming to the Gamecube, Microsoft fans know that they have the most powerful console ever, almost in their grasp, and Sony fans are more than content with what they have and even more content on what is coming, so who is in the best position to take advantage?
Nintendo have been doing the rounds lately, there are loads of very hi-res screenshots and videos coming and showing that the system can look pretty, but the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. Every Nintndo fan thinks that the new Nintendo games will shatter the earth and make everyone else look just a bit silly. This has been due to a massive showing from Nintendo at most of this year's major trade shows. At E3, everyone exlaimed at how much Nintendo had done with their systems, although, there is an expectation around Nintendo to provide this earth-shattering new experience, but I believe that many new Gamecube owners will be just as disappointed as some early PS2 owners were. The thing with Nintendo is that is seems to have developed a die hard, core following. These people will never buy anything but a Nintendo games system, and preach the word af the Nintendo faith, but it has a flaw. Just like the emperors new clothes, they tell us how pretty things are, and how good they will be but somewhow, no one can actually see anything solid in front of them, they have been duped. Zelda will be, another Zelda game, true to the very core of every Zelda game ever, and still trying it's best to emulate the success of the Snes version. Mario, will be another Nintendo platformer, maybe a couple of new puzzles, but nothing absolutely out of the blue that has never been done before. Luigi's mansion has little in the way of content, and isn't really being taken seriously by many. Last but not lesat, you come to the gorgeous Rogue Leader II. This game is a generic Star Wars flyer, it is prettier than any before, but it doesn't do anything new, I'm a fan of these games, so I am looking forward to seeing this one running, but it isn't exactly an earth shattering new experience.
Then there was Microsoft, the company who doesn't really know what to do next. They look at the money generated by the console industry, and agree that taking a share of the spoils would be nice. So they make a console, and try to go for the same stance as Sony. Nintendo have more or less a strangle hold over the younger gaming market, and Sony are very dominant in the 18+ area, so where does this leave Microsoft? They have nothing really to define their market. As a first party developer, they have absolutely nothing to go on. Very little comes out of Microsoft and succeeds on the PC as it is, so what did they expect from the Xbox? Well, third party support, and they got it, in bucket loads. But third party support doesn't define a console, it;s the first party game which show the direction the company is headed in. Admittedly the Xbox will have the strongest launch line up of any of the new consoles, with some well established licences making their way over, and looking better than ever before, but gamers don't really care about content, Sony have more than shown that. What Microsoft needed to do was beat people that their own game. They needed to show that they were just as good as, and then better than the competition. All they have managed to do, os make some very public mistakes, and show that at bestm they can match the output by the other two, this gives them a problem. Why will consumers leave their well eastablished brand for something else which is "just as good"?
Now we come to Sony. They have a well documented and serious line of difficulties, problems and failures with the Playstation 2, but the gamers didn't care. They have had a fairly lacklustre and slow initial year of launch, but the gamers didn't care. Sony have a massive share of the market, with an installed user base of Playstations, PSOnes and PS2 hitting almost 60% of the hardware market share. What Sony do have as a benefit over the rest is content imminent. The Internet will be upon us within mere months on th ePS2, and it is shaping up to be outstanding. With the Dreamcast the interent was never really pushed further than it was with the PC already, but with the PS2, companies are looking at the possibilities of broadband, and it is shaping up to have some outstanding content providers and online gaming capabilites. They also have excellent first party game production right acroos the world. This localised games production gives Sony a brilliant strategy point, their games can be tailored to appeal to different cultures. Sony also have a trump card with third party support, it's quite simple, no one else has just that much third party developer support. There is also the diversity and originality of the games, if you look at the games slated for PS2 release, most of the genre defining and new experiences will appear in the PS2. True their may be a lot of sequels, but no more than will be found on the Gamecube. So for all round, brilliant old school and new boundary pushing, Sony has what it takes to keep the PS2 at the top for a while.
Nintendo have been doing the rounds lately, there are loads of very hi-res screenshots and videos coming and showing that the system can look pretty, but the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. Every Nintndo fan thinks that the new Nintendo games will shatter the earth and make everyone else look just a bit silly. This has been due to a massive showing from Nintendo at most of this year's major trade shows. At E3, everyone exlaimed at how much Nintendo had done with their systems, although, there is an expectation around Nintendo to provide this earth-shattering new experience, but I believe that many new Gamecube owners will be just as disappointed as some early PS2 owners were. The thing with Nintendo is that is seems to have developed a die hard, core following. These people will never buy anything but a Nintendo games system, and preach the word af the Nintendo faith, but it has a flaw. Just like the emperors new clothes, they tell us how pretty things are, and how good they will be but somewhow, no one can actually see anything solid in front of them, they have been duped. Zelda will be, another Zelda game, true to the very core of every Zelda game ever, and still trying it's best to emulate the success of the Snes version. Mario, will be another Nintendo platformer, maybe a couple of new puzzles, but nothing absolutely out of the blue that has never been done before. Luigi's mansion has little in the way of content, and isn't really being taken seriously by many. Last but not lesat, you come to the gorgeous Rogue Leader II. This game is a generic Star Wars flyer, it is prettier than any before, but it doesn't do anything new, I'm a fan of these games, so I am looking forward to seeing this one running, but it isn't exactly an earth shattering new experience.
Then there was Microsoft, the company who doesn't really know what to do next. They look at the money generated by the console industry, and agree that taking a share of the spoils would be nice. So they make a console, and try to go for the same stance as Sony. Nintendo have more or less a strangle hold over the younger gaming market, and Sony are very dominant in the 18+ area, so where does this leave Microsoft? They have nothing really to define their market. As a first party developer, they have absolutely nothing to go on. Very little comes out of Microsoft and succeeds on the PC as it is, so what did they expect from the Xbox? Well, third party support, and they got it, in bucket loads. But third party support doesn't define a console, it;s the first party game which show the direction the company is headed in. Admittedly the Xbox will have the strongest launch line up of any of the new consoles, with some well established licences making their way over, and looking better than ever before, but gamers don't really care about content, Sony have more than shown that. What Microsoft needed to do was beat people that their own game. They needed to show that they were just as good as, and then better than the competition. All they have managed to do, os make some very public mistakes, and show that at bestm they can match the output by the other two, this gives them a problem. Why will consumers leave their well eastablished brand for something else which is "just as good"?
Now we come to Sony. They have a well documented and serious line of difficulties, problems and failures with the Playstation 2, but the gamers didn't care. They have had a fairly lacklustre and slow initial year of launch, but the gamers didn't care. Sony have a massive share of the market, with an installed user base of Playstations, PSOnes and PS2 hitting almost 60% of the hardware market share. What Sony do have as a benefit over the rest is content imminent. The Internet will be upon us within mere months on th ePS2, and it is shaping up to be outstanding. With the Dreamcast the interent was never really pushed further than it was with the PC already, but with the PS2, companies are looking at the possibilities of broadband, and it is shaping up to have some outstanding content providers and online gaming capabilites. They also have excellent first party game production right acroos the world. This localised games production gives Sony a brilliant strategy point, their games can be tailored to appeal to different cultures. Sony also have a trump card with third party support, it's quite simple, no one else has just that much third party developer support. There is also the diversity and originality of the games, if you look at the games slated for PS2 release, most of the genre defining and new experiences will appear in the PS2. True their may be a lot of sequels, but no more than will be found on the Gamecube. So for all round, brilliant old school and new boundary pushing, Sony has what it takes to keep the PS2 at the top for a while.
Page:
Wave Race is comparable to SSX (the best PS2 launch game) in that it's a fast furious fun beautiful extreme sports game which shows off the machines capabilities and attracts a wide audience.
Luigi's Mansion is incredibly original (and puts the PS2's launch to shame in that area).
It wasn't overly ground breaking or genre defining but it wasn't meant to be. Simply a nice quality game to play, a quick breath of fresh air, something original and new.
The only complaints I've heard is that it doesn't last long enough.
And then there's Monkey Ball.
Screams Fun, Originality, and Multiplayer in your ear.
It's a surperb long lasting game (the first one I'll buy) and despite being a 3 year old arcade conversion it's absolutley brilliant.
This a brilliant combination of titles that shouts "quality over quantity" and gives a great range for just 3 games.
Just one of these games should easily last a gamer until the next wave come out.
And I know that Monkey Ball is also coming to the PS2 but I'm certain that it won't truly be appreciated in the same way.
There's not been anything yet that makes it worth selling your PS2 for but it's early days yet.
As for the PS2's huge advantage in Third Party support, that's because it's the only system around.
Once the others are released then the titles will roll.
And devellopers may start to get ticked off with the PS2's awkwardness.
I say "May"...
You can never predict what happens in the Game industry.
Resident Evil becoming Gamecube exclusive?
Sony dropping the price of the PS2 to 200?
You never know what'll happen next...
Luigi's Mansion is incredibly original (and puts the PS2's launch to shame in that area).
It wasn't overly ground breaking or genre defining but it wasn't meant to be. Simply a nice quality game to play, a quick breath of fresh air, something original and new.
The only complaints I've heard is that it doesn't last long enough.
And then there's Monkey Ball.
Screams Fun, Originality, and Multiplayer in your ear.
It's a surperb long lasting game (the first one I'll buy) and despite being a 3 year old arcade conversion it's absolutley brilliant.
This a brilliant combination of titles that shouts "quality over quantity" and gives a great range for just 3 games.
Just one of these games should easily last a gamer until the next wave come out.
And I know that Monkey Ball is also coming to the PS2 but I'm certain that it won't truly be appreciated in the same way.
There's not been anything yet that makes it worth selling your PS2 for but it's early days yet.
As for the PS2's huge advantage in Third Party support, that's because it's the only system around.
Once the others are released then the titles will roll.
And devellopers may start to get ticked off with the PS2's awkwardness.
I say "May"...
You can never predict what happens in the Game industry.
Resident Evil becoming Gamecube exclusive?
Sony dropping the price of the PS2 to 200?
You never know what'll happen next...
Game: Joins 'Slap Bonus Today' line...
I know what to expect from most things... as soon as I saw the author of this topic I knew there'd be lines about how the Gamecube lacks this and that.
Really, I know what to expect from Gamecube... a lot of the Playstation 2 Fans don't seem to realise how much of a diamond mine the Gamecube is... is really is so easy to develop for... It may be based around PC architecture unlike the PS2 architecture of, well, the PS2 - and we know that the PS2 wins a few rounds when it comes to comparing the two, but look at all the PC exclusives... there's those Command and Conquer thingys where you fight those army people... and then there's all those cool first person shooters that stand laughing at the console incarnations...
The Gamecube may have flaws, but lack of developers and poor gameplay aren't included... I mean, despite the low-key Gamecube laugh, there haven't been any bad games released... in fact, the GC games being released in the next 6 months all look good... where as the PS2 has Moto GP, H30 Surfing and bloody Fantavision! - Please!
Nintendo are very clever, and even if the gamecube is a complete flop, which it won't be, Nintendo still have PokÈmon and the GBA... He who dares wins, and all that... I mean, Sony can pawn their crappy black 'radiator' off to as many fruitcakes as they want, but they'll never beat the GBA... The developers have come in droves as will the games... Nintendo will make a packet, everybody's happy.
One day people will get bored of Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo and Fifa 2269, maybe even Mario and Zelda, but they won't get bored or gaming on the move - GBA rules... okay so the screen is crap and most of the games will be below average, but who cares... a win is a win!
Game
(PS: This is one of my bias Nintendo rants, ignore it where you can, but feel free to hurl abuse should it be so unbearable!)
I know what to expect from most things... as soon as I saw the author of this topic I knew there'd be lines about how the Gamecube lacks this and that.
Really, I know what to expect from Gamecube... a lot of the Playstation 2 Fans don't seem to realise how much of a diamond mine the Gamecube is... is really is so easy to develop for... It may be based around PC architecture unlike the PS2 architecture of, well, the PS2 - and we know that the PS2 wins a few rounds when it comes to comparing the two, but look at all the PC exclusives... there's those Command and Conquer thingys where you fight those army people... and then there's all those cool first person shooters that stand laughing at the console incarnations...
The Gamecube may have flaws, but lack of developers and poor gameplay aren't included... I mean, despite the low-key Gamecube laugh, there haven't been any bad games released... in fact, the GC games being released in the next 6 months all look good... where as the PS2 has Moto GP, H30 Surfing and bloody Fantavision! - Please!
Nintendo are very clever, and even if the gamecube is a complete flop, which it won't be, Nintendo still have PokÈmon and the GBA... He who dares wins, and all that... I mean, Sony can pawn their crappy black 'radiator' off to as many fruitcakes as they want, but they'll never beat the GBA... The developers have come in droves as will the games... Nintendo will make a packet, everybody's happy.
One day people will get bored of Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo and Fifa 2269, maybe even Mario and Zelda, but they won't get bored or gaming on the move - GBA rules... okay so the screen is crap and most of the games will be below average, but who cares... a win is a win!
Game
(PS: This is one of my bias Nintendo rants, ignore it where you can, but feel free to hurl abuse should it be so unbearable!)
Pffhh??? I meant What Computer. Most sincere apologies.
But they're fools at Which?.
It's interesting that in What Computer, they mention the all the major consoles as just "The PlayStation2, 1 and X-Box" (note, they actually spelt it X-Box, as opposed to the proper spelling of Xbox).
Who is really "in the lead"?. Nintendo fans are all foaming out of th mouth at the sight of their favourite franchises coming to the Gamecube, Microsoft fans know that they have the most powerful console ever, almost in their grasp, and Sony fans are more than content with what they have and even more content on what is coming, so who is in the best position to take advantage?
Nintendo have been doing the rounds lately, there are loads of very hi-res screenshots and videos coming and showing that the system can look pretty, but the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. Every Nintndo fan thinks that the new Nintendo games will shatter the earth and make everyone else look just a bit silly. This has been due to a massive showing from Nintendo at most of this year's major trade shows. At E3, everyone exlaimed at how much Nintendo had done with their systems, although, there is an expectation around Nintendo to provide this earth-shattering new experience, but I believe that many new Gamecube owners will be just as disappointed as some early PS2 owners were. The thing with Nintendo is that is seems to have developed a die hard, core following. These people will never buy anything but a Nintendo games system, and preach the word af the Nintendo faith, but it has a flaw. Just like the emperors new clothes, they tell us how pretty things are, and how good they will be but somewhow, no one can actually see anything solid in front of them, they have been duped. Zelda will be, another Zelda game, true to the very core of every Zelda game ever, and still trying it's best to emulate the success of the Snes version. Mario, will be another Nintendo platformer, maybe a couple of new puzzles, but nothing absolutely out of the blue that has never been done before. Luigi's mansion has little in the way of content, and isn't really being taken seriously by many. Last but not lesat, you come to the gorgeous Rogue Leader II. This game is a generic Star Wars flyer, it is prettier than any before, but it doesn't do anything new, I'm a fan of these games, so I am looking forward to seeing this one running, but it isn't exactly an earth shattering new experience.
Then there was Microsoft, the company who doesn't really know what to do next. They look at the money generated by the console industry, and agree that taking a share of the spoils would be nice. So they make a console, and try to go for the same stance as Sony. Nintendo have more or less a strangle hold over the younger gaming market, and Sony are very dominant in the 18+ area, so where does this leave Microsoft? They have nothing really to define their market. As a first party developer, they have absolutely nothing to go on. Very little comes out of Microsoft and succeeds on the PC as it is, so what did they expect from the Xbox? Well, third party support, and they got it, in bucket loads. But third party support doesn't define a console, it;s the first party game which show the direction the company is headed in. Admittedly the Xbox will have the strongest launch line up of any of the new consoles, with some well established licences making their way over, and looking better than ever before, but gamers don't really care about content, Sony have more than shown that. What Microsoft needed to do was beat people that their own game. They needed to show that they were just as good as, and then better than the competition. All they have managed to do, os make some very public mistakes, and show that at bestm they can match the output by the other two, this gives them a problem. Why will consumers leave their well eastablished brand for something else which is "just as good"?
Now we come to Sony. They have a well documented and serious line of difficulties, problems and failures with the Playstation 2, but the gamers didn't care. They have had a fairly lacklustre and slow initial year of launch, but the gamers didn't care. Sony have a massive share of the market, with an installed user base of Playstations, PSOnes and PS2 hitting almost 60% of the hardware market share. What Sony do have as a benefit over the rest is content imminent. The Internet will be upon us within mere months on th ePS2, and it is shaping up to be outstanding. With the Dreamcast the interent was never really pushed further than it was with the PC already, but with the PS2, companies are looking at the possibilities of broadband, and it is shaping up to have some outstanding content providers and online gaming capabilites. They also have excellent first party game production right acroos the world. This localised games production gives Sony a brilliant strategy point, their games can be tailored to appeal to different cultures. Sony also have a trump card with third party support, it's quite simple, no one else has just that much third party developer support. There is also the diversity and originality of the games, if you look at the games slated for PS2 release, most of the genre defining and new experiences will appear in the PS2. True their may be a lot of sequels, but no more than will be found on the Gamecube. So for all round, brilliant old school and new boundary pushing, Sony has what it takes to keep the PS2 at the top for a while.
Nintendo have been doing the rounds lately, there are loads of very hi-res screenshots and videos coming and showing that the system can look pretty, but the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. Every Nintndo fan thinks that the new Nintendo games will shatter the earth and make everyone else look just a bit silly. This has been due to a massive showing from Nintendo at most of this year's major trade shows. At E3, everyone exlaimed at how much Nintendo had done with their systems, although, there is an expectation around Nintendo to provide this earth-shattering new experience, but I believe that many new Gamecube owners will be just as disappointed as some early PS2 owners were. The thing with Nintendo is that is seems to have developed a die hard, core following. These people will never buy anything but a Nintendo games system, and preach the word af the Nintendo faith, but it has a flaw. Just like the emperors new clothes, they tell us how pretty things are, and how good they will be but somewhow, no one can actually see anything solid in front of them, they have been duped. Zelda will be, another Zelda game, true to the very core of every Zelda game ever, and still trying it's best to emulate the success of the Snes version. Mario, will be another Nintendo platformer, maybe a couple of new puzzles, but nothing absolutely out of the blue that has never been done before. Luigi's mansion has little in the way of content, and isn't really being taken seriously by many. Last but not lesat, you come to the gorgeous Rogue Leader II. This game is a generic Star Wars flyer, it is prettier than any before, but it doesn't do anything new, I'm a fan of these games, so I am looking forward to seeing this one running, but it isn't exactly an earth shattering new experience.
Then there was Microsoft, the company who doesn't really know what to do next. They look at the money generated by the console industry, and agree that taking a share of the spoils would be nice. So they make a console, and try to go for the same stance as Sony. Nintendo have more or less a strangle hold over the younger gaming market, and Sony are very dominant in the 18+ area, so where does this leave Microsoft? They have nothing really to define their market. As a first party developer, they have absolutely nothing to go on. Very little comes out of Microsoft and succeeds on the PC as it is, so what did they expect from the Xbox? Well, third party support, and they got it, in bucket loads. But third party support doesn't define a console, it;s the first party game which show the direction the company is headed in. Admittedly the Xbox will have the strongest launch line up of any of the new consoles, with some well established licences making their way over, and looking better than ever before, but gamers don't really care about content, Sony have more than shown that. What Microsoft needed to do was beat people that their own game. They needed to show that they were just as good as, and then better than the competition. All they have managed to do, os make some very public mistakes, and show that at bestm they can match the output by the other two, this gives them a problem. Why will consumers leave their well eastablished brand for something else which is "just as good"?
Now we come to Sony. They have a well documented and serious line of difficulties, problems and failures with the Playstation 2, but the gamers didn't care. They have had a fairly lacklustre and slow initial year of launch, but the gamers didn't care. Sony have a massive share of the market, with an installed user base of Playstations, PSOnes and PS2 hitting almost 60% of the hardware market share. What Sony do have as a benefit over the rest is content imminent. The Internet will be upon us within mere months on th ePS2, and it is shaping up to be outstanding. With the Dreamcast the interent was never really pushed further than it was with the PC already, but with the PS2, companies are looking at the possibilities of broadband, and it is shaping up to have some outstanding content providers and online gaming capabilites. They also have excellent first party game production right acroos the world. This localised games production gives Sony a brilliant strategy point, their games can be tailored to appeal to different cultures. Sony also have a trump card with third party support, it's quite simple, no one else has just that much third party developer support. There is also the diversity and originality of the games, if you look at the games slated for PS2 release, most of the genre defining and new experiences will appear in the PS2. True their may be a lot of sequels, but no more than will be found on the Gamecube. So for all round, brilliant old school and new boundary pushing, Sony has what it takes to keep the PS2 at the top for a while.
Page: