Postby Kanuck » Sun Dec 09, 2001 10:47 pm
Meh.
Yes, believe it or not, that's all I have to say. Oh, and one other thing, too - I feel I need to clarify what I judge a console on.
Yes, nice graphics are good, and a high framerate is cool, too. Strong sales definitely help a console gain popularity, and if all my friends think one console is cool, sure, that might sway me a little. (Though keep in mind, all my friends are PS2 fans.) Keeping the cost low is always a nice touch.
But to me, a console should be judged on their software, on their games. If PlayStation had never had Gran Turismo, or if Tony Hawk had first been released for Nintendo 64, there's a good chance that Nintendo could have come out of the last round of the console wars on top. Their launch lineup was extremely strong, with lots of quality games - I still give Mario Kart 64 a whirl now and then. Problem being, they never kept up with the good games, while PlayStation got killer app after killer app, and that's why Sony won.
I'm looking on the horizon for this generation of console wars, and it really can't be compared to any other generation, because for a large part, all of those amazing games being developed are coming out for all three systems. That's when the consoles themselves are compared based on features. GameCube is cheaper, but what about after I buy myself an ethernet adapter and a memory card? And what about when I fill that memory card to the brim, what then? That's why I'd rather have an Xbox in that situation, because the hard drive will hold lots of games, and the ethernet is built-in - I buy my Xbox, and I'm ready to go online. If all I cared about was sitting down with a buddy and racing our dream cars, I'd get a PS2, because nothing compares to GT3 (well, maybe GT2, but that's another discussion entirely). If I wanted to sit down for a hundred hours at once, playing through the biggest adventure game ever made, I'd get myself a GameCube, because Nintendo adventure games don't compare to anything else, they're vastly superior.
But dammit, I change my mind more often than the average woman, and I want it all. One minute, I might hook up my console to my composite video monitor, my cable internet connection, and my headset mic, and play online with complete and total strangers. An hour later, some buddies might knock on the door, so the four of us would take the system down to the family room, hook up the additional controllers and the nice, big television, and kick each other's asses in some party game. In my oh-so-humble opinion, that makes Xbox the superior console. IN MY OPINION. I may occasionally blur the lines between my opinions and the facts, but I just don't like people saying bad things about my preferred system based on misinformation, or a dislike for a certain rather geeky middle-aged man with more money than I could ever hope to make in a thousand years' work. So yes, I defend it, and yes, it's my favourite console. And yes, I'm a fanboy, so what?
I guess I'll just have to insert a key sentence here and there in my messages to make the message that much more obvious.
Xbox is the superior machine. [b46559]In my opinion.[/b46559] You want a GameCube? Go get one, I'm not going to be crying. Billy might, but I'd doubt that, too. [b46559]In my opinion,[/b46559] Xbox is better than GameCube or PS2. [b46559]In my opinion,[/b46559] it has the best lineup of games. And [b46559]in my opinion,[/b46559] it's easily the best purchase of the three current consoles.
Hmm, maybe "meh" wasn't all I had to say. But I have opinions, and as I'm sure some of you here and there have noticed, I like expressing it, and [b46559]in my opinion,[/b46559] there's nothing wrong with that!
I rule.
