Bought a Nintendo GameCube.
I've been considering for some time buying a video game console.
Which basically leaves me with three choices. I can get a PlayStation 2, I can get a Microsoft X-Box, or I can get a Nintendo GameCube.
I ruled out PS2 immediately, because everyone has one of those. Both of my brothers, and most of my friends, have those already. So, if I want to play PS2, they're readily available. No sense in buying one, then.
Which leaves the decision between X-Box and GameCube.
I have to admit to an initial bias against X-Box, as I don't much care for Microsoft. However, I'm buying something that I'll likely use quite a bit, so like them or not, I wanted to make sure I was getting the best system.
First consideration, then is the price. GameCube comes out winning here, at $150, versus X-Box's $200 price tag.
Next, we consider games.
X-Box: There are a couple of X-Box games that look pretty cool. Halo, Oddworld, and Splinter Cell especially. However, I didn't really find a lot of games that looked like "must haves". The kind of games that I would buy immediately if I had the system.
GameCube: There's a handful of interesting looking games here, too. The big difference, though, is there's a couple of "must haves" that jump out immediately. First of all, there's Metroid Prime. This game looks amazing, and everyone I've talked to has raved about it. That, and I *loved* the old Metroid games. Next, we have the new Zelda game. I was a little uncertain when I heard they were going very cartoony, but I saw a trailer for this the other day. . . My God that looks impressive. They also have the always good Resident Evil games, Eternal Darkness (which I've heard is what Resident Evil 0 *should* have been), and the new Mario game, which ought to be entertaining. I also heard that Splinter Cell is being ported.
At this point, I was leaning towards GameCube.
Then, a friend of mine pointed out that if you pre-order the new Zelda game, they'll send you a GameCube version of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I never had an N64, so this is as good as a new game, for me. And I've heard that Ocarina was one of the best Zelda's they've done.
At this point, I was thinking I was going to go with a GameCube. . . and another friend of mine points to Nintendo's new promotion, then slated to start in a few days. The promotion is that you get a free game with the purchase of the console.
So, to sum up, I now own a GameCube. ;-)
I got Metroid Prime as my free game. I also pre-ordered the new Zelda game, and my free Ocarina of time arrived the other day. Also, I found a bunch of games on sale at ebgames.com, so I ended up picking up Hunter: The Reckoning ($10), BloodRayne ($15), and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance ($20), from there. Coincidentally, they arrived the same afternoon I bought a GameCube. ;-)
Oh, and I also took this week off work (I had a week's paid vacation, dunno how much longer I'll be there, figured I'd use it).
Which basically leaves me with three choices. I can get a PlayStation 2, I can get a Microsoft X-Box, or I can get a Nintendo GameCube.
I ruled out PS2 immediately, because everyone has one of those. Both of my brothers, and most of my friends, have those already. So, if I want to play PS2, they're readily available. No sense in buying one, then.
Which leaves the decision between X-Box and GameCube.
I have to admit to an initial bias against X-Box, as I don't much care for Microsoft. However, I'm buying something that I'll likely use quite a bit, so like them or not, I wanted to make sure I was getting the best system.
First consideration, then is the price. GameCube comes out winning here, at $150, versus X-Box's $200 price tag.
Next, we consider games.
X-Box: There are a couple of X-Box games that look pretty cool. Halo, Oddworld, and Splinter Cell especially. However, I didn't really find a lot of games that looked like "must haves". The kind of games that I would buy immediately if I had the system.
GameCube: There's a handful of interesting looking games here, too. The big difference, though, is there's a couple of "must haves" that jump out immediately. First of all, there's Metroid Prime. This game looks amazing, and everyone I've talked to has raved about it. That, and I *loved* the old Metroid games. Next, we have the new Zelda game. I was a little uncertain when I heard they were going very cartoony, but I saw a trailer for this the other day. . . My God that looks impressive. They also have the always good Resident Evil games, Eternal Darkness (which I've heard is what Resident Evil 0 *should* have been), and the new Mario game, which ought to be entertaining. I also heard that Splinter Cell is being ported.
At this point, I was leaning towards GameCube.
Then, a friend of mine pointed out that if you pre-order the new Zelda game, they'll send you a GameCube version of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I never had an N64, so this is as good as a new game, for me. And I've heard that Ocarina was one of the best Zelda's they've done.
At this point, I was thinking I was going to go with a GameCube. . . and another friend of mine points to Nintendo's new promotion, then slated to start in a few days. The promotion is that you get a free game with the purchase of the console.
So, to sum up, I now own a GameCube. ;-)
I got Metroid Prime as my free game. I also pre-ordered the new Zelda game, and my free Ocarina of time arrived the other day. Also, I found a bunch of games on sale at ebgames.com, so I ended up picking up Hunter: The Reckoning ($10), BloodRayne ($15), and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance ($20), from there. Coincidentally, they arrived the same afternoon I bought a GameCube. ;-)
Oh, and I also took this week off work (I had a week's paid vacation, dunno how much longer I'll be there, figured I'd use it).
I got something like $100 in rebates back when I bought mine (had to get a couple of games with it), so between that and the game selection, there was really no contest. If it was just for me I'd have considered the X-box, but there are no good games for it exclusively - the best games are either already on the PC or are due to come out sooner or later.
Kid games. . .
I do have to say, though, I'm impressed. They have some kiddy games, no doubt, but mostly they just have "all ages" games, like Mario and Zelda, that kids and adults can enjoy. Plus, with Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil, BloodRayne, etc, there's no shortage of blood and gore when you want it, too. ;-)
Re: Kid games. . .
Eternal Darkness.
Most of the reviews I've read have been positively glowing, but I haven't actually talked to anyone who has it.
Hunter: The Reckoning
From my understanding (I've been too busy with Metroid to play it;-), it's like an updated Gauntlet style game, based on a White Wolf setting.
Supposedly, it's okay to play alone, but a great one to play with 2-3 other people. ;-)
And for $10, why not? ;-)
Cool games except for BloodRayne, which turned out to be nifty eyecandy for the first level or two, then got very boring. Lots of quirks, and pretty dull gameplay. If you want a real scare, check out Eternal Darkness. :>
BloodRayne and Eternal Darkness.
I do plan to get Eternal Darkess, I think. . . I've been hearing a *lot* of good things about it, and it looks pretty sweet.
Rogue Leader isn't bad either.
Animal Crossing and Pikmin.
I'm hoping to check them out in a few weeks, though. ;-)
Super Smash Brothers.
I enjoy group games, too, so I'll have to check it out. ;-)
Kid's System.
I don't know that this is Nintendo's last chance for a console, though. They're actually in the planning and R&D stage for their next console, which is set to debut about the same time as the PS3 does. Also, unlike their competitors, Nintendo actually makes a little money on each GameCube they sell, as well as on royalties for the games. Thus, they can easily afford to stay in the business for quite a while. Rumor has it, too, that for a company their size, they have a *huge* wad of cash reserve in the bank.
I recently saw an interview with a Nintendo executive who said that when they leave the console market, they're leaving video games entirely. They will *not*, according to them, do like Sega has, and become a software only video game company.
Hopefully they manage to stick it out, though. Between them, Sony, and Microsoft, the competition has been really good. . . it's forcing all of them to release quality games, and it's already forced price drops in the systems.
I do really wanna play the new Dragon's Lair game. . . although, I'm a little worried, too. I thought it looked pretty cool, and I used to absolutely love the old arcade one (I remember spending a full week's allowance at one time just playing that game;-). . . but most of the reviews I've read haven't been all that good. So, I'm a little worried. I might have to try to rent it next week, see how it looks.