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With the release of the GameCube just hours away, an influx of GameCube topics will soon litter the forum like flies around t**d. As the user desperatly tries to express his excitement and enthusiasm for the new console, gamers who don't own the next-gen machine will wonder what these guys are going on about. This effect, known as the cube-effect, has already hit Japan and America, and now it's time for the European community to be swept away in the wave of hype. But is this excitement justified. Usually I'm right beside Nintendo, but when I sum up the three next-gen consoles, I'm going to have to be critical. Remeber, the descriptions below are no-where near comprehensive, and just offer a guide of what you can expect.
Xbox - First up, the Microsoft Bohemoth, Xbox. A huge developer following, a tiny software catalogue (or cakalogue if i'm being honest.) Why is this? I don't know. Hopefully the Developers are working hard on their titles, getting them just right before they release them. But I doubt it. The Xbox concentrates on raw power and the latest technology. Microsoft boast you can use you're own soundtrack for a game. The fools. In my opinion, the soundtrack and music of a game are instrumental to it's success. Besides, why not just put the FX volume on full, and have you're music CD in the background? There is a DVD player included, well, if you dish out another £20 (though if you've spent over 200 quid on the console, an extra £20 is nowt!) I have to question the DVD player (and in the PS2). When a DVD player you can record with comes down to reasonable price, everyone will buy one and have no use for their archaic player.
The Xbox isn't really selling well despite the reduction in price. I believe this is becaue Microsoft targeted a PC audience with their machine. Obviously they must have forgotten the well-known fact that most PC owners, especially the ones with £200 burning a hole in their pocket, harbour some resentment for the corporation. Still, the Xbox has one thing going for it, and it's a big thing. Halo. Although arguably a rushed-out, diluted version of the PC game, Halo is still an awesome sight. I know several people who rushed out and bought the Xbox just for Halo. That's not to say Xbox doesn't have other good games, (DOA3, PGR etc) but it does rest it's heavy load on the Halo crutch.
PlayStation 2 - Released a while back, the PS2 has slowly been building up support, and now has a huge established global base. The machine has DVD capabilities and is perfect for Joe Bloggs. With a large back-catalogue, the PS2 has every genre you can think of...well, almost. The PS2 has been bought mainly by PS owners and has targetted the casual gamer. That doesn't mean the hardcore are excluded though, with titles such as MGS2 and the FF series doing well. I'm sure the PS2 will drop in price soon to around £150, but they may lower it to £100 to give Nintendo a shock. Rumours are flying round that PS3 will be launched earlier than planned. It won't. The PS2 hasn't been out long enough to justify a format swop, and Sony won't risk upsetting their user base. When will they learn tech-specs aren't everything?
GameCube - Released May 3rd wit a price tag of just £130 (well it's cheap compared to the other two), the Cube is the latest console from Nintendo, a company with prestigious heritage. They also seem to have a history of excluding Europe from the festivities. The new price tag does go some way to dispelling that, but many cannot forgive the big N for the N64. I can, and if you don't want to miss out, you should too. There are loads of arguments from Nintendo 'haters', too kiddie, not violent. Oh come on, are you all Psychopaths. I'm not going to bother mentioning the tired arguments, and if you're that narrow-minded, no skin off my back. Aimed at everyone, the Cube has a lot of potential. The price tag suits everyone, as do the game. Critscms? No DVD player. To some people, a DVD player is an important commodity, not to me. The Cube is, as Nintendo have said, purely a games machine, not a multi-media format. The biggest gripe is no killer app...yet. But with Mario, Zelda, Starfox et al on their way, the future's bright.
Okay, i admit, I leaned a little toward Nintendo, but in the end, it's up to you and you alone can make the decision. To quote Pennywise, 'How you wanna live is up to you'
Xbox - First up, the Microsoft Bohemoth, Xbox. A huge developer following, a tiny software catalogue (or cakalogue if i'm being honest.) Why is this? I don't know. Hopefully the Developers are working hard on their titles, getting them just right before they release them. But I doubt it. The Xbox concentrates on raw power and the latest technology. Microsoft boast you can use you're own soundtrack for a game. The fools. In my opinion, the soundtrack and music of a game are instrumental to it's success. Besides, why not just put the FX volume on full, and have you're music CD in the background? There is a DVD player included, well, if you dish out another £20 (though if you've spent over 200 quid on the console, an extra £20 is nowt!) I have to question the DVD player (and in the PS2). When a DVD player you can record with comes down to reasonable price, everyone will buy one and have no use for their archaic player.
The Xbox isn't really selling well despite the reduction in price. I believe this is becaue Microsoft targeted a PC audience with their machine. Obviously they must have forgotten the well-known fact that most PC owners, especially the ones with £200 burning a hole in their pocket, harbour some resentment for the corporation. Still, the Xbox has one thing going for it, and it's a big thing. Halo. Although arguably a rushed-out, diluted version of the PC game, Halo is still an awesome sight. I know several people who rushed out and bought the Xbox just for Halo. That's not to say Xbox doesn't have other good games, (DOA3, PGR etc) but it does rest it's heavy load on the Halo crutch.
PlayStation 2 - Released a while back, the PS2 has slowly been building up support, and now has a huge established global base. The machine has DVD capabilities and is perfect for Joe Bloggs. With a large back-catalogue, the PS2 has every genre you can think of...well, almost. The PS2 has been bought mainly by PS owners and has targetted the casual gamer. That doesn't mean the hardcore are excluded though, with titles such as MGS2 and the FF series doing well. I'm sure the PS2 will drop in price soon to around £150, but they may lower it to £100 to give Nintendo a shock. Rumours are flying round that PS3 will be launched earlier than planned. It won't. The PS2 hasn't been out long enough to justify a format swop, and Sony won't risk upsetting their user base. When will they learn tech-specs aren't everything?
GameCube - Released May 3rd wit a price tag of just £130 (well it's cheap compared to the other two), the Cube is the latest console from Nintendo, a company with prestigious heritage. They also seem to have a history of excluding Europe from the festivities. The new price tag does go some way to dispelling that, but many cannot forgive the big N for the N64. I can, and if you don't want to miss out, you should too. There are loads of arguments from Nintendo 'haters', too kiddie, not violent. Oh come on, are you all Psychopaths. I'm not going to bother mentioning the tired arguments, and if you're that narrow-minded, no skin off my back. Aimed at everyone, the Cube has a lot of potential. The price tag suits everyone, as do the game. Critscms? No DVD player. To some people, a DVD player is an important commodity, not to me. The Cube is, as Nintendo have said, purely a games machine, not a multi-media format. The biggest gripe is no killer app...yet. But with Mario, Zelda, Starfox et al on their way, the future's bright.
Okay, i admit, I leaned a little toward Nintendo, but in the end, it's up to you and you alone can make the decision. To quote Pennywise, 'How you wanna live is up to you'
The Xbox is selling poor globaly.
It's a well known fact that most PC owners harbour a cold hatred for Bill Gates. Ya know, bugged software, high prices, etc.
It's a well known fact that most PC owners harbour a cold hatred for Bill Gates. Ya know, bugged software, high prices, etc.
uksgamer2002 wrote:
> Xbox - First up, the Microsoft Bohemoth, Xbox. A huge developer
> following, a tiny software catalogue (or cakalogue if i'm being
> honest.) Why is this? I don't know.
Perhaps because the console has only been out over here for just over a month? Bit like the PS2 with 6 titles for the 1st few weeks. Oh, and the Gamecube.
Obviously they must have forgotten the well-known fact that
> most PC owners, especially the ones with £200 burning a hole in
> their pocket, harbour some resentment for the corporation.
What? Who?
> Xbox - First up, the Microsoft Bohemoth, Xbox. A huge developer
> following, a tiny software catalogue (or cakalogue if i'm being
> honest.) Why is this? I don't know.
Perhaps because the console has only been out over here for just over a month? Bit like the PS2 with 6 titles for the 1st few weeks. Oh, and the Gamecube.
Obviously they must have forgotten the well-known fact that
> most PC owners, especially the ones with £200 burning a hole in
> their pocket, harbour some resentment for the corporation.
What? Who?
With the release of the GameCube just hours away, an influx of GameCube topics will soon litter the forum like flies around t**d. As the user desperatly tries to express his excitement and enthusiasm for the new console, gamers who don't own the next-gen machine will wonder what these guys are going on about. This effect, known as the cube-effect, has already hit Japan and America, and now it's time for the European community to be swept away in the wave of hype. But is this excitement justified. Usually I'm right beside Nintendo, but when I sum up the three next-gen consoles, I'm going to have to be critical. Remeber, the descriptions below are no-where near comprehensive, and just offer a guide of what you can expect.
Xbox - First up, the Microsoft Bohemoth, Xbox. A huge developer following, a tiny software catalogue (or cakalogue if i'm being honest.) Why is this? I don't know. Hopefully the Developers are working hard on their titles, getting them just right before they release them. But I doubt it. The Xbox concentrates on raw power and the latest technology. Microsoft boast you can use you're own soundtrack for a game. The fools. In my opinion, the soundtrack and music of a game are instrumental to it's success. Besides, why not just put the FX volume on full, and have you're music CD in the background? There is a DVD player included, well, if you dish out another £20 (though if you've spent over 200 quid on the console, an extra £20 is nowt!) I have to question the DVD player (and in the PS2). When a DVD player you can record with comes down to reasonable price, everyone will buy one and have no use for their archaic player.
The Xbox isn't really selling well despite the reduction in price. I believe this is becaue Microsoft targeted a PC audience with their machine. Obviously they must have forgotten the well-known fact that most PC owners, especially the ones with £200 burning a hole in their pocket, harbour some resentment for the corporation. Still, the Xbox has one thing going for it, and it's a big thing. Halo. Although arguably a rushed-out, diluted version of the PC game, Halo is still an awesome sight. I know several people who rushed out and bought the Xbox just for Halo. That's not to say Xbox doesn't have other good games, (DOA3, PGR etc) but it does rest it's heavy load on the Halo crutch.
PlayStation 2 - Released a while back, the PS2 has slowly been building up support, and now has a huge established global base. The machine has DVD capabilities and is perfect for Joe Bloggs. With a large back-catalogue, the PS2 has every genre you can think of...well, almost. The PS2 has been bought mainly by PS owners and has targetted the casual gamer. That doesn't mean the hardcore are excluded though, with titles such as MGS2 and the FF series doing well. I'm sure the PS2 will drop in price soon to around £150, but they may lower it to £100 to give Nintendo a shock. Rumours are flying round that PS3 will be launched earlier than planned. It won't. The PS2 hasn't been out long enough to justify a format swop, and Sony won't risk upsetting their user base. When will they learn tech-specs aren't everything?
GameCube - Released May 3rd wit a price tag of just £130 (well it's cheap compared to the other two), the Cube is the latest console from Nintendo, a company with prestigious heritage. They also seem to have a history of excluding Europe from the festivities. The new price tag does go some way to dispelling that, but many cannot forgive the big N for the N64. I can, and if you don't want to miss out, you should too. There are loads of arguments from Nintendo 'haters', too kiddie, not violent. Oh come on, are you all Psychopaths. I'm not going to bother mentioning the tired arguments, and if you're that narrow-minded, no skin off my back. Aimed at everyone, the Cube has a lot of potential. The price tag suits everyone, as do the game. Critscms? No DVD player. To some people, a DVD player is an important commodity, not to me. The Cube is, as Nintendo have said, purely a games machine, not a multi-media format. The biggest gripe is no killer app...yet. But with Mario, Zelda, Starfox et al on their way, the future's bright.
Okay, i admit, I leaned a little toward Nintendo, but in the end, it's up to you and you alone can make the decision. To quote Pennywise, 'How you wanna live is up to you'
Xbox - First up, the Microsoft Bohemoth, Xbox. A huge developer following, a tiny software catalogue (or cakalogue if i'm being honest.) Why is this? I don't know. Hopefully the Developers are working hard on their titles, getting them just right before they release them. But I doubt it. The Xbox concentrates on raw power and the latest technology. Microsoft boast you can use you're own soundtrack for a game. The fools. In my opinion, the soundtrack and music of a game are instrumental to it's success. Besides, why not just put the FX volume on full, and have you're music CD in the background? There is a DVD player included, well, if you dish out another £20 (though if you've spent over 200 quid on the console, an extra £20 is nowt!) I have to question the DVD player (and in the PS2). When a DVD player you can record with comes down to reasonable price, everyone will buy one and have no use for their archaic player.
The Xbox isn't really selling well despite the reduction in price. I believe this is becaue Microsoft targeted a PC audience with their machine. Obviously they must have forgotten the well-known fact that most PC owners, especially the ones with £200 burning a hole in their pocket, harbour some resentment for the corporation. Still, the Xbox has one thing going for it, and it's a big thing. Halo. Although arguably a rushed-out, diluted version of the PC game, Halo is still an awesome sight. I know several people who rushed out and bought the Xbox just for Halo. That's not to say Xbox doesn't have other good games, (DOA3, PGR etc) but it does rest it's heavy load on the Halo crutch.
PlayStation 2 - Released a while back, the PS2 has slowly been building up support, and now has a huge established global base. The machine has DVD capabilities and is perfect for Joe Bloggs. With a large back-catalogue, the PS2 has every genre you can think of...well, almost. The PS2 has been bought mainly by PS owners and has targetted the casual gamer. That doesn't mean the hardcore are excluded though, with titles such as MGS2 and the FF series doing well. I'm sure the PS2 will drop in price soon to around £150, but they may lower it to £100 to give Nintendo a shock. Rumours are flying round that PS3 will be launched earlier than planned. It won't. The PS2 hasn't been out long enough to justify a format swop, and Sony won't risk upsetting their user base. When will they learn tech-specs aren't everything?
GameCube - Released May 3rd wit a price tag of just £130 (well it's cheap compared to the other two), the Cube is the latest console from Nintendo, a company with prestigious heritage. They also seem to have a history of excluding Europe from the festivities. The new price tag does go some way to dispelling that, but many cannot forgive the big N for the N64. I can, and if you don't want to miss out, you should too. There are loads of arguments from Nintendo 'haters', too kiddie, not violent. Oh come on, are you all Psychopaths. I'm not going to bother mentioning the tired arguments, and if you're that narrow-minded, no skin off my back. Aimed at everyone, the Cube has a lot of potential. The price tag suits everyone, as do the game. Critscms? No DVD player. To some people, a DVD player is an important commodity, not to me. The Cube is, as Nintendo have said, purely a games machine, not a multi-media format. The biggest gripe is no killer app...yet. But with Mario, Zelda, Starfox et al on their way, the future's bright.
Okay, i admit, I leaned a little toward Nintendo, but in the end, it's up to you and you alone can make the decision. To quote Pennywise, 'How you wanna live is up to you'