I’m definitely a computer gamer. I like playing MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role playing games). I also like RTSs (real time strategy) and other turn based strategy games. I will sometimes play a FPS (first person shooter), but generally only something like Mechwarrior 4, not Quake. To me, there is always one segment missing with computer based games. Sports games are always better on a console.
That said, I recently played Madden 2004 on a PS/2. I had forgotten how much I liked computer football. My last console gaming station was an original Nintendo where I tore up Super Tecmo Bowl.
So, now I’m thinking about getting a console game station. I’m leaning towards the PS/2 just because that’s what I played on. Here are a few questions for you.
What platform would you recommend?
When is the next generation coming out (ie. PS/3, Xbox 2)?
What NFL based football game would you recommend? I will be playing against friends occasionally, but I will also be doing a lot of playing against the console.
I remember a thread about Madden 2004 cheating. Being a computer programmer, this annoys me to no end. I don’t mind the other team having some precognition in regards to my play calling, but fumbling every time I touch the ball (like I think that other thread mentioned) until the console catches up would make me throw it in the trash. So, just how bad is Madden 2004 playing single player?
What other games would I maybe like? I did enjoy GTA: Vice City on the PC when a friend gave me his copy.
Any answers or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I believe XBox 2 is still in the design stages and PS3 isn’t due out until 2005.
I’d probably recommend PS2 for you, the sports games are comparable to XBOX and the RPGs are much better. How can you pass up FFX2?
FYI: I have an XBOX, PS2, Mac, IBM, nintendo 64 and original 8bit nintendo. I also have two PS1 that are totally useless due to the backwards compatiblity of PS2.
According to your tastes of RPGs, you should give the Final Fantasy games a chance. Final Fantasy is, to many people (including myself) THE exclusive RPG.
FilmGeek is correct in his dates and I agree with his/her suggestion.
If you go with the PS2 and you want a football game that doesn’t cheat, rent NCAA 2004 and see if you like it. I don’t really follow college ball but it’s fun to play.
If you liked Vice City, you gotta check out the Getaway. Not as CRAZY!!! but more realistic. And if you like The Matrix rent that.
PS2 also has some online multiplayer games like SOCOM which are bad ass. I’ve played that before with people online, and it’s freaky to talk to people while you’re playing with and against them online.
Madden doesn’t “cheat” in the way described. I have played way more of it than I should, and never noticed this. I attribute the anecdote to sour grapes.
Madden does cheat in “All-Madden” mode by ignoring computer players attributes, making all computer team players 99’s across the board. Otherwise, it plays just like All-Pro. (That’s why we play on All-Pro. My 95 speed guy should never be caught from behind by an 82 speed guy.)
Based on your stated preferences, I’d say go with PS2. I love Madden, and for a strategy gamer like yourself you’ll find the Owner/Franchise mode very deep and rewarding.
However, ESPN Football, or so I have heard, sacrifices some of the Franchise mode depth to gain a slight edge in the gameplay. I’d say rent both, and if Madden is almost as good as ESPN when playing a game, go with Madden. (Madden’s off-season is awesome.)
But my last recommendation is Halo…I always had the exact same taste as you in games, but when I played Halo I fell in love with it. I still love RTS and turn-based style, and still don’t much care for FPS games, but Halo rocks the house. I recently saw a preview of Halo 2, and I needed two towels to wipe up all the drool.
So if the Halo thing sounds intriguing, go with XBox. Otherwise, go with the cool PS2 only games…FF, GTA, etcetera. Also, Madden (and all EA game) won’t supports online play on XBox, but that wouldn’t matter if you went with ESPN Football.
Damn! I read a few reviews of Halo and it does sound cool. Maybe I should have asked about other football games. Doesn’t Sega and ESPN have football games as well? I would probably have a hard time with a NCAA based game. I like recognizing the players.
How do the controllers compare on the two systems?
I hate sports games, so I can’t help you from that angle, but generally I’d recommend getting the X-Box. It have the PS2 beat hands-down as far as hardware goes, and is making a lot of headway in catching up on the number of “must have” games as compared to the PS2.
However, if you like RPGs, especially free-form stuff like MMORPGs, there’s not much for you on consoles. The Final Fantasy games are great, make no mistake, but they’re not really role-playing games, in the sense that you never do any actual “role-playing”. Generally, you have no control over the main character’s personality, goals, morality, or even actions, outside of choosing what special attack you want to use in combat. In my (somewhat limited, admittedly) experience, this is typical of most console “RPGs”.
If you like sim-based FPS and RTS, stick to the PC. Consoles do have such games, but it’s annoying to play with their controllers.
And don’t compare PC RPGs with most of their console counterparts; it’s apples and oranges. The only hardcore RPG on a console is the Knights of the Old Order on X-Box. Morrowind is a dirty, dirty game - hire it for a while and ignore the hype. ‘Fable’ is another games that looks interesting, and is a X-Box exclusive. Final Fantasy is still a good game, but don’t expect it to be like Baldar’s Gate or Fallout.
I bought a PS2 due to it’s larger installed base and wider game selection. I also find the PS2 exclusive titles better then the others. The cross-console games tend to be fairly uniform, except for eye candy (X-Box best, PS2 worst, Gamecube middle). Oh, and most of the EA sport games are released on multiple formats too.
I only have an XBox, but I’ve played on the PS2. The game selection is a bit bigger, but the XBox is catching up. And like Jimmy Chitwood said, the hard drive on the XBox is great.
If you have a decent movie rental place nearby, why not rent both with a few games and see which one you prefer? And consider renting a few games that are somewhat less interesting. I found out I just LOVE snowboarding games, even though I’ve never even considered snowboarding as all that interesting.
I’ll be the one to recommend the GameCube. They just dropped the price on the system to $99. It’s has beautiful graphics (though not as good as the X-Box). Its controller is fairly easy to play with (I am not a fan of the X-Box controller) plus it has the best wireless controller around, the Wavebird. Though I will admit, the PS2 does have the best controller for playing sports. You can also buy a GameBoy Player fairly cheap to play the thousands of GameBoy games out there on your TV.
But when it comes down too it, you buy the system for its games. So here are my three recommendations that are GameCube exclusive.
Animal Crossing - It is similar to the Sims, but yet completely different. If cute bothers you, avoid the game, but if you enjoy humor and a fun time-this is a must have. Plus it has a whole bunch of old NES games to unlock.
Metroid Prime - The best game on the system. It is a FPS but is definetly not about the shooting. It’s all about exploring this gorgeous planet uncovering hidden abilities, with the occassional wildlife and pirate snipping at you. I found the controller adapted wonderfully for the player’s use.
The best compliment I can give this game is that I don’t enjoy FPS but I ended up loving it.
Eternal Darkness - It’s a mix between Resident Evil and RPG. What sells this game is its story. Extremely well done and addictive. It’s dark, gloomy and fun to play. Since it was a launch title, it gets very low publicity.
That being said, you can still get sports games for the GC.
Drawbacks:
Very little online connectivity right now (don’t know much outside of Phantasy Star Online-an MMORPG), though you have the computer for that.
PS2 is the system for RPG’s. I don’t know how much you like console RPG’s because they are a very different breed than PC RPG’s.
PS2 is also the best system for sports games. The graphics are not as good as the other systems, but the controller makes gameplay much smoother.
I would buy the X-Box just because of Fable and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Though, I think KOTOR is heading to the PC.
I gave the brief description of my likes just to give everyone an idea of what I like. For most of those things, I’ll keep playing them on a PC. MMORPGs will definitely be PC only for me. The console is just for a change of pace.
I will mostly be buying the console platform for sports games. Football is the big one. A friend of mine did show me NASCAR Thunder (or something like that) and it seemed pretty cool too. What it really came down to is that I can’t quite justify getting a console platform just to play football, so I’m trying to make sure that I get a football game that is really good and maybe have a few other titles worth getting.
I checked out a X-Box last night in a store. The graphics were nice looking for a console. That controller would definitely take some getting used to. Of course, I’m still not the best with a PS/2 controller either.
The more I think about it, maybe I should be asking everyone for their opinions on the best football game?
I can’t help with football games but unless for some reason you want the Nintendo exclusives, then Xbox is a no-brainer. It’s got the best hardware and live capability - it also has a hard drive but that wouldn’t make or break a console choice for me. PS2 would be my last choice.
Don’t forget there are two “official” controllers sold for the X-Box. The controller “S” is the smaller one (although it’s still bigger than the Playstation controller).
Whoops, forgot to mention: just to confuse you further, the GameCube just dropped in price again. But the GameCube does seem weak on the RPG front (although apparently FF: Crystal Chronicles is scheduled to come out on the GameCube in February).
I’m voting for the Xbox. I have had a PS2 since it came out and a an original PS before that. What sold me on the Xbox is 1) Halo and, 2) Xbox Live. I’m the type that plays a game from start to finish and, once finished, never play the game again. I’ve played Halo at least 7 times all the way through. Of course, you said you aren’t big on the FPS games. You may still find you like Halo and I’d suggest you rent it just to see. When Halo 2 comes out you’ll wish you had Xbox if you didn’t.
If you like the sports games, I’d still suggest Xbox for the Xbox live feature. Not only can you play other real people, you can also get downloads of the latest rosters and ratings for your teams. And, you get to talk to your opponent live (if you want to). Xbox also tracks your stats and may invite you to a tournament event, if you’re good enough.
Xbox Live is very easy to use and encompasses all the Xbox Live titles. You don’t need to sign up with a seperate website for every game.
Regarding the controller, I’d suggest the “S” controller as mentioned above. Though slightly larger it has much the same feel as the PS2 controller.
The PS2 has an online adapter which is free to use and also includes a hard drive connector (though you need to supply your own hard drive, and I haven’t seen any games using the hard drive yet). You can also play PS2 online with a modem, while Xbox Live only works with broadband.
Xbox Live charges you a subscription fee and then lets you play any game. Most PS2 games are free to play online, although a few (RPGs) charge per-game subscriptions.
