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Don't you just think that 2001 is going to be a fantastic year of gaming? Beyond the harsh battles brewing between the big gaming giants, there are some quality games that people seem to be ignoring in the face of hardware specs being shown off at big name gaming events. Now you must be wondering which console I am referring to when I say this but in all honesty I am being quite general with most of the consoles released in the past couple of years having their 'amazing' specs being shown off in front of the all-important games line-up. Fortunately, the contests between the big gaming giants finally seem to be encouraging them to make quality games and not drop their consoles because better technology is available. In fact the last showing of specs before software, was Sony's over-hyped PlayStation 2 which took this theory to all-new heights when they went on and on about how it was 'far more powerful than the Dreamcast' and they forgot to make any games worthy of purchase.
Because of this gloomy specification comparison past, the casual gamer public seem to be obsessed with comparing consoles by their power and they truly believe that games are just a secondary issue. I am still a school student and at school I keep hearing people going on about how amazing the PS2 is and that the Dreamcast is crap. You then go up to them and ask them about Shenmue and they say they have never even heard of it! Instead, their puny little brains have been filled with 'Emotion Engine' this and 'Dolby Surround' that. If you ask them what decent games there are on PS2 they just come up with below-average games such as 'Tekken Tag Tournament' and 'Ridge Racer V'. But they still insist that even if these are crap games PS2 is better than Dreamcast because its 'just better'?!? What the hell does 'just better' mean? Why is it better? It might be more powerful but in terms of game quality, the PS2 can't even stand up to the Neo Geo Pocket Colour. And what really does my head in is the fact that the console these dick-headed casual gamers are in love with is actually winning!
Past gaming giants, Sega, are a company that does deserve to win because they realise that there is more to modern gaming than a good set of hardware specs. Sega have tried really hard in the past 12 months to try and relieve the gaming public from their Sony brainwashing and convert them to a console that actually supplies them with games that aren't 'Re-hashed Action Game Seven' or 'Dull And Plain Driving Game Four'. Sega tried to beat the competition by releasing over a dozen absolutely amazing Triple-A games such as Shenmue, Metropolis Street Racer, Jet Set Radio and Quake III Arena. To some extent this domination plan worked and Dreamcast became the best selling console over the Christmas week. But the buyers were mainly hardcore gamers who had previously been stuck in the middle of the hardcore and casual market before being claimed by Sega. Fact: Hardcore gamers can see that a console is great because of its games and not because of its list of specifications. Hardcore gamers are usually people who have been playing games for years and know what they are talking about when it comes to games. Casual gamers are people who have got into games post-1995 when they were brainwashed by Sony's 'club-image' and that is why you can guarantee that somebody who goes out getting drunk every Friday night and smashes up bus shelters will probably own a PlayStation One or Two. The name around here for people like that is townies. People who hang around in clubs, doing drugs, getting hammered and generally won't know the first thing about games.
Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not completely praising Sega and abusing Sony here. I mean Sega possibly did get their timing wrong with Dreamcast and Sony are finally making games that will appeal to a more hardcore market. What I am saying is that the damage has been done and unfortunately it looks as though the casual market is going to take over the 'proper' hardcore market. But there is hope. All of this squabbling that has been going on recently has somehow caused the creation of some absolutely fantastic games. And that leads nicely onto this year. By the end of this year the gaming market is going to be as crowded with consoles as Electronics Boutique was at the end of the Atari Jaguar launch day. Thankfully, this means that Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are all going to be battling to become king of the console market and it is a fact that top software is needed to do this. Sony have had the market almost to themselves in recent years so people have been buying their games and consoles despite them being shamefully low in quality. Now with competition finally here that is actually going to worry them, Sony and the others are going to be making some top games. Hopefully, people will then notice that it is the games that count and not the hardware. After all it is the software that provides the enjoyment and not the console. That is unless you find stroking your Dreamcast/PS2/N64 strangely arousing.
Because Sega have always figured that it is the quality of software that counts and not the hardware, I will stick by them forever. As for 2001, I look forward to seeing the delightful fruitions of the console war of 2001, the most important and potentially dramatic console war of all time.
And if people do realise that it is the games that come first, the true champion of the console world will emerge and the best console will be the one that has all of the top games. With the best console winning and providing the best software, the future of gaming will be a bright one for all.
Because of this gloomy specification comparison past, the casual gamer public seem to be obsessed with comparing consoles by their power and they truly believe that games are just a secondary issue. I am still a school student and at school I keep hearing people going on about how amazing the PS2 is and that the Dreamcast is crap. You then go up to them and ask them about Shenmue and they say they have never even heard of it! Instead, their puny little brains have been filled with 'Emotion Engine' this and 'Dolby Surround' that. If you ask them what decent games there are on PS2 they just come up with below-average games such as 'Tekken Tag Tournament' and 'Ridge Racer V'. But they still insist that even if these are crap games PS2 is better than Dreamcast because its 'just better'?!? What the hell does 'just better' mean? Why is it better? It might be more powerful but in terms of game quality, the PS2 can't even stand up to the Neo Geo Pocket Colour. And what really does my head in is the fact that the console these dick-headed casual gamers are in love with is actually winning!
Past gaming giants, Sega, are a company that does deserve to win because they realise that there is more to modern gaming than a good set of hardware specs. Sega have tried really hard in the past 12 months to try and relieve the gaming public from their Sony brainwashing and convert them to a console that actually supplies them with games that aren't 'Re-hashed Action Game Seven' or 'Dull And Plain Driving Game Four'. Sega tried to beat the competition by releasing over a dozen absolutely amazing Triple-A games such as Shenmue, Metropolis Street Racer, Jet Set Radio and Quake III Arena. To some extent this domination plan worked and Dreamcast became the best selling console over the Christmas week. But the buyers were mainly hardcore gamers who had previously been stuck in the middle of the hardcore and casual market before being claimed by Sega. Fact: Hardcore gamers can see that a console is great because of its games and not because of its list of specifications. Hardcore gamers are usually people who have been playing games for years and know what they are talking about when it comes to games. Casual gamers are people who have got into games post-1995 when they were brainwashed by Sony's 'club-image' and that is why you can guarantee that somebody who goes out getting drunk every Friday night and smashes up bus shelters will probably own a PlayStation One or Two. The name around here for people like that is townies. People who hang around in clubs, doing drugs, getting hammered and generally won't know the first thing about games.
Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not completely praising Sega and abusing Sony here. I mean Sega possibly did get their timing wrong with Dreamcast and Sony are finally making games that will appeal to a more hardcore market. What I am saying is that the damage has been done and unfortunately it looks as though the casual market is going to take over the 'proper' hardcore market. But there is hope. All of this squabbling that has been going on recently has somehow caused the creation of some absolutely fantastic games. And that leads nicely onto this year. By the end of this year the gaming market is going to be as crowded with consoles as Electronics Boutique was at the end of the Atari Jaguar launch day. Thankfully, this means that Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are all going to be battling to become king of the console market and it is a fact that top software is needed to do this. Sony have had the market almost to themselves in recent years so people have been buying their games and consoles despite them being shamefully low in quality. Now with competition finally here that is actually going to worry them, Sony and the others are going to be making some top games. Hopefully, people will then notice that it is the games that count and not the hardware. After all it is the software that provides the enjoyment and not the console. That is unless you find stroking your Dreamcast/PS2/N64 strangely arousing.
Because Sega have always figured that it is the quality of software that counts and not the hardware, I will stick by them forever. As for 2001, I look forward to seeing the delightful fruitions of the console war of 2001, the most important and potentially dramatic console war of all time.
And if people do realise that it is the games that come first, the true champion of the console world will emerge and the best console will be the one that has all of the top games. With the best console winning and providing the best software, the future of gaming will be a bright one for all.
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My thoughts on the new next-gen consoles? PS2 is now starting to look good after a rather pants start with GT3 and MGS2. Gamecube looks good with some games like Mario, Zelda and Pokémon, all of which are no doubt classics that are going to be brought to this console. My personal opinion is that Xbox looks best because lots of companies are developing for it. Xbox problems include no online play until 2004. But overall, all of the systems are to get Sega developing for them so really we're spoilt for choice!
So what? There's still plenty more than the X-Box can offer besides Mario.
I hate platformers....
But never fear, X-Box is nearly here.
But never fear, X-Box is nearly here.
MArio is the best platforming series ever what's wrong?
Will it have Mario Games on it?
GC will produce the better games FM what's wrong with it?
...yes, but mainly games.
Why because it plays Music CD's?
Shame, I'll just have to get an X-Box then...
No it won't play CD's only Gamecube GAME CD's
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