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To be honest Sega have always appealed to me in the gaming industry, they fathered my child-hood with their Master System and Mega-Drive consoles but my loyalty was divided when Sony released the Playstation console and shortly after the Sega Saturn was released I had made my mind up that no longer would my loyalties lie with Sega, Sony had persuaded me that the Playstation would deliver my gaming needs and they were right!
A company like Sony was/is re-noun for the service they deliver both visually and with their Audio systems. After watching an episode of Games-Master I saw a clip of the up and coming 'Tomb Raider 2' and at the time I hadn't witnessed anything like it! It was the summer of 97 and I had already made my Christmas wish list and sadly the Saturn was not on it. After reading all of the negative comments about how Sega had handled the launch of the Saturn and customer reviews of the product I new that I had made the right decision. Christmas morning was a bag of mixed feelings, with both a Playstation and a Nintendo 64 I was in a gaming heaven! Owning both a Nintendo games console and a very popular console from new comers Sony I felt on top of the world, with 2 of the leading consoles in my grasp the future would surely see me sticking with these companies? Or maybe not?
For many years there was discussion about a PS2 in the making and a Nintendo Dolphin but there were so many different rumours going around that nothing was confirmed for quite a while. Sega however were not holding back about there next generation console and the Sega Dreamcast was announced. After the Sega Saturn I swore never to touch a Sega product again even though I had stuck by them for many years. Sony knew that the market was moving very fast and to keep up with Sega they would have to release a follow up console to their highly popular Playstation, this brought us to the October 2000.
The biggest toy for the Christmas of 2000 was official; the PS2 was going to be the hottest machine on the market, getting hold of one was the problem. I was very anxious to get hold of the PS2 but the very high price tag and poor availability kept me from buying the console that year but the following October would see me returning to get my piece of video-gaming history. In order to get a PS2 I knew that the only option was to sell my Playstation, I had to move along with the times and this was the only way that I could afford to get a PS2, I felt disloyal getting rid of my Playstation but if I hadn't have taken evasive action I would still be playing my Atari ST!
October 19th was a great day (although double physics kept my doubts alive) as I was the proud owner of a PS2 memory card, Gran Turismo 3, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X and a receipt from Special Reserve for GTA3 which I had pre-ordered! Between October and Christmas our electricity bill had nearly doubled; gaming had entered a new dimension, life tasted good and everything seemed to be going perfectly. The game which I had focused on for many years was 'MGS2', after completing the first one 5 times through, I was awaiting the next instalment more than anything that I had ever waited for. After numerous delays 'MGS2' had a final release date for March and I was anticipating beyond all expectations, this was the only problem. The game was out of this world, the graphics were almost human and the gameplay was truly superb, after playing the game 3 times through there wasn't much else that I could do with the title, 3 years wait only amounted to 1 weeks gameplay and I was very disappointed, not with the game but I hyped the game up to be something better than it was. After that there wasn't much else I wanted for my PS2, it was time to move on once more; what route should I take?
After making an oath to stay away from the Xbox my only option was to trade my PS2 in and pre-order a GameCube, it was fate, Sony and Nintendo had dominated the majority of my gaming years and after owning Sony's next-generation console it was fate that I went with Nintendo, or was it? The 'N64' in my opinion was a very big disappointment and after the not so inspiring PS2 I did not want to make the same mistake again. I was in turmoil, Nintendo had let me down in the past, Sony had let me down this time around, there was only one console left, the 'Microsoft Xbox!'
After purchasing the Xbox there was only one thing left to do, my plan was reversing, the word ironic could be used very lightly when describing the giant U-Turn I was under-going. Last week I decided to purchase Sega's last console, the Dreamcast!
When I started gaming back in 1992 I promised to stay loyal to Sega and I feel that I have. As for the Xbox, I have got more out of gaming on my Xbox in 10 weeks than what I got out of my PS2 in 8 months. Most people would call the Xbox and Dreamcast under-dog consoles, but not me. After purchasing the Playstation and N64 back in 1998 I would not have predicted my current situation, in fact I would have said the opposite. With Sega classics and Microsoft's innovations I feel that gaming has never been as good. How ironic that I would turn to the consoles that I condemned and enjoy them more than the ones I was hoping to purchase. Is this going to be the fate of the gaming industry, the so called 'under-dogs' prevailing? Or is it just me predicting consoles before they are released? Whatever the answer is I would have never predicted my current situation, "How Ironic!"
A company like Sony was/is re-noun for the service they deliver both visually and with their Audio systems. After watching an episode of Games-Master I saw a clip of the up and coming 'Tomb Raider 2' and at the time I hadn't witnessed anything like it! It was the summer of 97 and I had already made my Christmas wish list and sadly the Saturn was not on it. After reading all of the negative comments about how Sega had handled the launch of the Saturn and customer reviews of the product I new that I had made the right decision. Christmas morning was a bag of mixed feelings, with both a Playstation and a Nintendo 64 I was in a gaming heaven! Owning both a Nintendo games console and a very popular console from new comers Sony I felt on top of the world, with 2 of the leading consoles in my grasp the future would surely see me sticking with these companies? Or maybe not?
For many years there was discussion about a PS2 in the making and a Nintendo Dolphin but there were so many different rumours going around that nothing was confirmed for quite a while. Sega however were not holding back about there next generation console and the Sega Dreamcast was announced. After the Sega Saturn I swore never to touch a Sega product again even though I had stuck by them for many years. Sony knew that the market was moving very fast and to keep up with Sega they would have to release a follow up console to their highly popular Playstation, this brought us to the October 2000.
The biggest toy for the Christmas of 2000 was official; the PS2 was going to be the hottest machine on the market, getting hold of one was the problem. I was very anxious to get hold of the PS2 but the very high price tag and poor availability kept me from buying the console that year but the following October would see me returning to get my piece of video-gaming history. In order to get a PS2 I knew that the only option was to sell my Playstation, I had to move along with the times and this was the only way that I could afford to get a PS2, I felt disloyal getting rid of my Playstation but if I hadn't have taken evasive action I would still be playing my Atari ST!
October 19th was a great day (although double physics kept my doubts alive) as I was the proud owner of a PS2 memory card, Gran Turismo 3, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X and a receipt from Special Reserve for GTA3 which I had pre-ordered! Between October and Christmas our electricity bill had nearly doubled; gaming had entered a new dimension, life tasted good and everything seemed to be going perfectly. The game which I had focused on for many years was 'MGS2', after completing the first one 5 times through, I was awaiting the next instalment more than anything that I had ever waited for. After numerous delays 'MGS2' had a final release date for March and I was anticipating beyond all expectations, this was the only problem. The game was out of this world, the graphics were almost human and the gameplay was truly superb, after playing the game 3 times through there wasn't much else that I could do with the title, 3 years wait only amounted to 1 weeks gameplay and I was very disappointed, not with the game but I hyped the game up to be something better than it was. After that there wasn't much else I wanted for my PS2, it was time to move on once more; what route should I take?
After making an oath to stay away from the Xbox my only option was to trade my PS2 in and pre-order a GameCube, it was fate, Sony and Nintendo had dominated the majority of my gaming years and after owning Sony's next-generation console it was fate that I went with Nintendo, or was it? The 'N64' in my opinion was a very big disappointment and after the not so inspiring PS2 I did not want to make the same mistake again. I was in turmoil, Nintendo had let me down in the past, Sony had let me down this time around, there was only one console left, the 'Microsoft Xbox!'
After purchasing the Xbox there was only one thing left to do, my plan was reversing, the word ironic could be used very lightly when describing the giant U-Turn I was under-going. Last week I decided to purchase Sega's last console, the Dreamcast!
When I started gaming back in 1992 I promised to stay loyal to Sega and I feel that I have. As for the Xbox, I have got more out of gaming on my Xbox in 10 weeks than what I got out of my PS2 in 8 months. Most people would call the Xbox and Dreamcast under-dog consoles, but not me. After purchasing the Playstation and N64 back in 1998 I would not have predicted my current situation, in fact I would have said the opposite. With Sega classics and Microsoft's innovations I feel that gaming has never been as good. How ironic that I would turn to the consoles that I condemned and enjoy them more than the ones I was hoping to purchase. Is this going to be the fate of the gaming industry, the so called 'under-dogs' prevailing? Or is it just me predicting consoles before they are released? Whatever the answer is I would have never predicted my current situation, "How Ironic!"
The game is worth getting the console alone for! I am hoping to get Shenmue within the next 2 weeks, I can't wait to play the next instalment and after Shenmue the only game that can live up to the original is the next one in the series!
Yes, role on Hong Kong indeed.
Shenmue II is even better - Hong Kong is massive: the most detailed graphics I've ever seen.
There's more fighting and mini games too [arm-wrestling, gambling, fighting comps, etc].
And on disc 4 Ryo goes in search of a magical girl called Shenhua in a place called Kowloon - the most beautiful natural landscapes I've ever seen in a videogame.
At one point she takes Ryo to a field of flowers and the wind gusts up and blows the petals of the flowers all about them - it's stunning.
As you can tell, I think Shenmue is a priceless game....
Shenmue II is even better - Hong Kong is massive: the most detailed graphics I've ever seen.
There's more fighting and mini games too [arm-wrestling, gambling, fighting comps, etc].
And on disc 4 Ryo goes in search of a magical girl called Shenhua in a place called Kowloon - the most beautiful natural landscapes I've ever seen in a videogame.
At one point she takes Ryo to a field of flowers and the wind gusts up and blows the petals of the flowers all about them - it's stunning.
As you can tell, I think Shenmue is a priceless game....
Cheers Nomad, I am loving Shenmue and to be honest I have to say its better than Halo! The game absorbed me from the outset and when I finished it yesterday it left me wanting Shenmue 2! *Loads up Shotgun and drives to Barclays bank* Sadly at the moment I am poor! Hopefully after Virtua Tennis I will pull myself around and think of a plan to get Shenmue 2. Great game and worth a Dreamcast alone, can't wait for the 2nd, role on Hong Kong!
Good post garbe.
I bought my Dreamcast on launch day back in 99, and it's still my favourite console, and probably will always be so, especially if it really does turn out to be SEGA's last console.
It's a pity more people didn't buy a DC in it's first year, then maybe now we wouldn't be talking about a commercially dead machine. Ah well, I suppose that's nothing but history now....
For me, the XBOX is the next best thing to the Dreamcast, it reminds me of it in many ways.
I know what you mean when you describe the XBOX as an under-dog, but I don't think it will remain so for long with the empire that is MicroSoft behind it.
When it comes to money and investment, MicroSoft are in a completely different league to SEGA.
Maybe your u-turn away from SOny and the PS2 is a sign of how the market is changing.... - maybe?
How you getting on with Shenmue, and what do you think of the game?
I bought my Dreamcast on launch day back in 99, and it's still my favourite console, and probably will always be so, especially if it really does turn out to be SEGA's last console.
It's a pity more people didn't buy a DC in it's first year, then maybe now we wouldn't be talking about a commercially dead machine. Ah well, I suppose that's nothing but history now....
For me, the XBOX is the next best thing to the Dreamcast, it reminds me of it in many ways.
I know what you mean when you describe the XBOX as an under-dog, but I don't think it will remain so for long with the empire that is MicroSoft behind it.
When it comes to money and investment, MicroSoft are in a completely different league to SEGA.
Maybe your u-turn away from SOny and the PS2 is a sign of how the market is changing.... - maybe?
How you getting on with Shenmue, and what do you think of the game?
To be honest Sega have always appealed to me in the gaming industry, they fathered my child-hood with their Master System and Mega-Drive consoles but my loyalty was divided when Sony released the Playstation console and shortly after the Sega Saturn was released I had made my mind up that no longer would my loyalties lie with Sega, Sony had persuaded me that the Playstation would deliver my gaming needs and they were right!
A company like Sony was/is re-noun for the service they deliver both visually and with their Audio systems. After watching an episode of Games-Master I saw a clip of the up and coming 'Tomb Raider 2' and at the time I hadn't witnessed anything like it! It was the summer of 97 and I had already made my Christmas wish list and sadly the Saturn was not on it. After reading all of the negative comments about how Sega had handled the launch of the Saturn and customer reviews of the product I new that I had made the right decision. Christmas morning was a bag of mixed feelings, with both a Playstation and a Nintendo 64 I was in a gaming heaven! Owning both a Nintendo games console and a very popular console from new comers Sony I felt on top of the world, with 2 of the leading consoles in my grasp the future would surely see me sticking with these companies? Or maybe not?
For many years there was discussion about a PS2 in the making and a Nintendo Dolphin but there were so many different rumours going around that nothing was confirmed for quite a while. Sega however were not holding back about there next generation console and the Sega Dreamcast was announced. After the Sega Saturn I swore never to touch a Sega product again even though I had stuck by them for many years. Sony knew that the market was moving very fast and to keep up with Sega they would have to release a follow up console to their highly popular Playstation, this brought us to the October 2000.
The biggest toy for the Christmas of 2000 was official; the PS2 was going to be the hottest machine on the market, getting hold of one was the problem. I was very anxious to get hold of the PS2 but the very high price tag and poor availability kept me from buying the console that year but the following October would see me returning to get my piece of video-gaming history. In order to get a PS2 I knew that the only option was to sell my Playstation, I had to move along with the times and this was the only way that I could afford to get a PS2, I felt disloyal getting rid of my Playstation but if I hadn't have taken evasive action I would still be playing my Atari ST!
October 19th was a great day (although double physics kept my doubts alive) as I was the proud owner of a PS2 memory card, Gran Turismo 3, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X and a receipt from Special Reserve for GTA3 which I had pre-ordered! Between October and Christmas our electricity bill had nearly doubled; gaming had entered a new dimension, life tasted good and everything seemed to be going perfectly. The game which I had focused on for many years was 'MGS2', after completing the first one 5 times through, I was awaiting the next instalment more than anything that I had ever waited for. After numerous delays 'MGS2' had a final release date for March and I was anticipating beyond all expectations, this was the only problem. The game was out of this world, the graphics were almost human and the gameplay was truly superb, after playing the game 3 times through there wasn't much else that I could do with the title, 3 years wait only amounted to 1 weeks gameplay and I was very disappointed, not with the game but I hyped the game up to be something better than it was. After that there wasn't much else I wanted for my PS2, it was time to move on once more; what route should I take?
After making an oath to stay away from the Xbox my only option was to trade my PS2 in and pre-order a GameCube, it was fate, Sony and Nintendo had dominated the majority of my gaming years and after owning Sony's next-generation console it was fate that I went with Nintendo, or was it? The 'N64' in my opinion was a very big disappointment and after the not so inspiring PS2 I did not want to make the same mistake again. I was in turmoil, Nintendo had let me down in the past, Sony had let me down this time around, there was only one console left, the 'Microsoft Xbox!'
After purchasing the Xbox there was only one thing left to do, my plan was reversing, the word ironic could be used very lightly when describing the giant U-Turn I was under-going. Last week I decided to purchase Sega's last console, the Dreamcast!
When I started gaming back in 1992 I promised to stay loyal to Sega and I feel that I have. As for the Xbox, I have got more out of gaming on my Xbox in 10 weeks than what I got out of my PS2 in 8 months. Most people would call the Xbox and Dreamcast under-dog consoles, but not me. After purchasing the Playstation and N64 back in 1998 I would not have predicted my current situation, in fact I would have said the opposite. With Sega classics and Microsoft's innovations I feel that gaming has never been as good. How ironic that I would turn to the consoles that I condemned and enjoy them more than the ones I was hoping to purchase. Is this going to be the fate of the gaming industry, the so called 'under-dogs' prevailing? Or is it just me predicting consoles before they are released? Whatever the answer is I would have never predicted my current situation, "How Ironic!"
A company like Sony was/is re-noun for the service they deliver both visually and with their Audio systems. After watching an episode of Games-Master I saw a clip of the up and coming 'Tomb Raider 2' and at the time I hadn't witnessed anything like it! It was the summer of 97 and I had already made my Christmas wish list and sadly the Saturn was not on it. After reading all of the negative comments about how Sega had handled the launch of the Saturn and customer reviews of the product I new that I had made the right decision. Christmas morning was a bag of mixed feelings, with both a Playstation and a Nintendo 64 I was in a gaming heaven! Owning both a Nintendo games console and a very popular console from new comers Sony I felt on top of the world, with 2 of the leading consoles in my grasp the future would surely see me sticking with these companies? Or maybe not?
For many years there was discussion about a PS2 in the making and a Nintendo Dolphin but there were so many different rumours going around that nothing was confirmed for quite a while. Sega however were not holding back about there next generation console and the Sega Dreamcast was announced. After the Sega Saturn I swore never to touch a Sega product again even though I had stuck by them for many years. Sony knew that the market was moving very fast and to keep up with Sega they would have to release a follow up console to their highly popular Playstation, this brought us to the October 2000.
The biggest toy for the Christmas of 2000 was official; the PS2 was going to be the hottest machine on the market, getting hold of one was the problem. I was very anxious to get hold of the PS2 but the very high price tag and poor availability kept me from buying the console that year but the following October would see me returning to get my piece of video-gaming history. In order to get a PS2 I knew that the only option was to sell my Playstation, I had to move along with the times and this was the only way that I could afford to get a PS2, I felt disloyal getting rid of my Playstation but if I hadn't have taken evasive action I would still be playing my Atari ST!
October 19th was a great day (although double physics kept my doubts alive) as I was the proud owner of a PS2 memory card, Gran Turismo 3, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X and a receipt from Special Reserve for GTA3 which I had pre-ordered! Between October and Christmas our electricity bill had nearly doubled; gaming had entered a new dimension, life tasted good and everything seemed to be going perfectly. The game which I had focused on for many years was 'MGS2', after completing the first one 5 times through, I was awaiting the next instalment more than anything that I had ever waited for. After numerous delays 'MGS2' had a final release date for March and I was anticipating beyond all expectations, this was the only problem. The game was out of this world, the graphics were almost human and the gameplay was truly superb, after playing the game 3 times through there wasn't much else that I could do with the title, 3 years wait only amounted to 1 weeks gameplay and I was very disappointed, not with the game but I hyped the game up to be something better than it was. After that there wasn't much else I wanted for my PS2, it was time to move on once more; what route should I take?
After making an oath to stay away from the Xbox my only option was to trade my PS2 in and pre-order a GameCube, it was fate, Sony and Nintendo had dominated the majority of my gaming years and after owning Sony's next-generation console it was fate that I went with Nintendo, or was it? The 'N64' in my opinion was a very big disappointment and after the not so inspiring PS2 I did not want to make the same mistake again. I was in turmoil, Nintendo had let me down in the past, Sony had let me down this time around, there was only one console left, the 'Microsoft Xbox!'
After purchasing the Xbox there was only one thing left to do, my plan was reversing, the word ironic could be used very lightly when describing the giant U-Turn I was under-going. Last week I decided to purchase Sega's last console, the Dreamcast!
When I started gaming back in 1992 I promised to stay loyal to Sega and I feel that I have. As for the Xbox, I have got more out of gaming on my Xbox in 10 weeks than what I got out of my PS2 in 8 months. Most people would call the Xbox and Dreamcast under-dog consoles, but not me. After purchasing the Playstation and N64 back in 1998 I would not have predicted my current situation, in fact I would have said the opposite. With Sega classics and Microsoft's innovations I feel that gaming has never been as good. How ironic that I would turn to the consoles that I condemned and enjoy them more than the ones I was hoping to purchase. Is this going to be the fate of the gaming industry, the so called 'under-dogs' prevailing? Or is it just me predicting consoles before they are released? Whatever the answer is I would have never predicted my current situation, "How Ironic!"