So... should I buy an Xbox?

Cafe Society
1

So, I’m a grownup. A female type of grownup. And okay, so I had a PS1 (hey, those Final Fantasy guys are pretty hot, not to mention yaoiriffic), and an N64, and enjoyed them. But the fact is, I’m really not crazy about games that are all about twitch reflexes. My favoritest (PC) game of all time is Grim Fandango, and I really, really miss having to paw through your inventory and putting the string with the cork with the sequin to come up with a way to stop the Stripper of the Damned or whatever. I think my brain isn’t really built for fast twitch-reflex runningjumpinghshooting games. So there’s not much reason for me to buy an Xbox.

Except.

I’ve acquired all these guy friends who hang out at their asshole buddy’s place playing Halo. And I’ve played Halo a few times. And I run into corners a lot. Because, hey, I’m not really built for this game. But the guys spend a lot of time at my house and would love it if I acquired an Xbox. And I’d like to do some training. So I can KICK SOME ASS. And spray some blood out the back of Asshole Buddy’s head. Oh yeah, baby. And maybe learn how to get out of the corner.

So my question is, (besides the horrible scenario of ten guys living at my house, eating my food, ignoring me for my Xbox), are there many games for the Xbox that are less fighting oriented and more thinking-inclined? I find first-person-action so disorienting - I lose my sense of direction, can’t figure out where people are shooting at me from, that sort of thing. And I have a hard time with the controls sometimes - like in Halo, there’s the look-stick and the walk-stick, which is why I keep walking into corners. I actually don’t mind getting shot so much because then I respawn somewhere else and have to find a new corner. I am pathetic.

So, anything else cool on the Xbox for somebody like me, or would it just be party paraphanelia for me, like my badass martini shaker? Would I be happier with a PS2 or something? (While I like the eye-candy in Final Fantasy games, for instance, there’s still waaaay too much fighting.) Would a Gamecube get me laughed at by my Halo guys? :slight_smile: I’d drop the cash for more than one, but my employee discount dosen’t work on consoles. Thanks!

2

Well, to be honest, there are very few thinking-inclined games on consoles in general… most of those get relegated to the PC.

Though I’m biased, and think you should get an Xbox, anyway. :smiley:

3

<snort> If you ask me, thinking games are dead as in doornail dead in any format. Which breaks my widdle heart (by hitting abababxx432e as fast as possible before it hits the ground).

4

As background: I’m also a huge fan of adventure games. It makes me sad that it seems to be a dying genre.

I haven’t bought an X-Box yet, mostly because, besides Halo, there are no games on the box that really stand out as well designed, fun, and innovative games. For PS2, there are a bunch of games that I think you’d like: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (you can be clever or have fast reflexes, either way solves most missions), ICO (a game I just can give enough praise to, one of the best translations of a classic adventure game to a 3d world), and of course Escape from Monkey Island a classic LucasArts adventure game. There are also some other RPGs that are worth checking out. I really liked Okage: Shadow King, it had a nice Warner Bros. cartoon type of humor, Kingdom Hearts sounds bizarre to me but most of my friends love it, and Xenosaga is looking pretty interesting. Deus Ex is out for PS2, it might be for other platforms to. I keep hearing heaps of praise for it, but i haven’t played it.

The Gamecube has some nice titles too. Eternal Darkness is a pretty neat game, but possibly a little too action oriented. A few of my friends have been addicted to Animal Crossing lately. The new Zelda (coming in feb.) looks like it will be pretty amazing too.

The titles that might make me get an XBox are coming out later in 2003. Fable (formerly Project Ego), which sounds like it could revolutionize console RPGs, and Psychonauts, made by Tim Schafer’s (Grim Fandango, Full Throttle) new studio.

You may want to rent an XBox and a PS2 and a few titles that sound interesting, to compare them before you make a decision.

Oh, and a final note: last stats I saw showed Sony having shipped 40 million consoles, and Microsoft and Nintendo both around 4 million. I’m not saying you should just buy the most popular console (no matter how many units nintendo sells, I’ll buy one because their games are of such high quality), but it does imply that a bigger variety of games will be avaliable on the ps2.

5

So, in other words, I really ought to buy all three consoles. :slight_smile: Just as I buy wine, whiskey, vodka, rum, beer, etc. although I don’t drink beer or much rum. Southern party hospitality will run you broke, man.

Honestly, I end up buying so few games because I expect so much out of the ones I do buy (and I do rent a few) that the number of games available dosen’t really affect me much - but there’d damned well better be those three or four I really care about. Nintendo does such well-designed games… but damn, if Mario falls down that hole one more time…

6

Well, if you don’t want to get them all…

The order I bought them in was PS2 first because it had the most variety of games, and then a Gamecube (really just for Super Smash Bros., Mario, and Zelda), and like I said, if Fable and Psychonauts are good enough, that might be reason for me to get an XBox, but nothing in their current catalog is convincing enough.

Also, don’t overlook the Gameboy Advance. Sure, its not a console, and not really for something to do when friends are hanging out at your place, but its one of the last bastions of puzzle gaming, and you can play the whole gameboy and gameboy color back catalog on it.

Oh, and if you’re frustrated by mario falling into holes, stay FAR AWAY from Super Mario Sunshine. It’s classic Mario action in every way.

7

How do you figure, pray tell?

8

I enjoy my XBox, though I’m primarily a PC gamer. I’m also a female grownup type. I play plenty of twitch games, but Halo made me sick and I had trouble with the controls, so don’t feel bad. Console game controls suck for first person shooters. So obviously your best solution is to get ten PCs and network them together.

I’m not sure I can help, because all the adventure games I get are for PC (Syberia is the best one of this year). I prefer less story-oriented games on the console, like Amped and Rallisport Challenge. You might read the reviews of XBox games on sites like Gamespy.com or Gamespot.com and see what you think of the various titles and as Hunsecker suggested, rent an XBox and a PS2 and see what you think of the titles available.

9

Forget the XBox and buy Morrowind.

10

Or buy the Xbox, the get the Xbox version of Morrowind.

11

The Xbox is my first console since the atari 2600. I have to say that console games can’t hold a candle to PC games in any aspect (save perhaps that you can sit on your couch while playing them.) BUT, I also don’t play with other people (on the Xbox) which would probably be alot of fun. Most “thinking” games, like real-time and turn based strategy and the better adventures are on the PC. Grim Fandango is the most elegant game of all time and has the best story as well. As an aside, I hope you have also played “The Longest Journey.” I’ve been playing Syberia and don’t think it’s too good. I’m a big thumbs down for Morrowind btw.

12 
            Quote: "ignoring me for my Xbox"

Isn’t that just like men, the bastards.

13

If you’re buying a console just for something to do when you’re hanging out with your friends, go with either an XBox or a GameCube, as both of them have four-player compatibility out of the box. Speaking strictly about the hardware, the XBox is definetly the way to go: with an adapter, you can play DVDs (I don’t know if the deal is still current, but when I got my XBox, the adaptor was $25 with a $30 rebate if you buy it with your Xbox) and it has a built in hard-disk. No futzing around with memory cards and all the attendent headaches those involve. Plus, you can record your own CDs to it and play them back while your playing your games. So if you like Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4, but all the rap and punk music gives you a headache, pop in a CD, copy it to the hardisk, and in ten minutes you can be busting mad tricks and sick grinds to your favorite polka band.

Software-wise, there are a lot more good games on the GameCube than on the XBox, at least for the time being. A surprisingly excellent party game is Super Monkey Ball 2. It’s got a dozen or so multi-player minigames that are all surprisingly deep and, best of all, monkey themed. Monkey Racing, Monkey Soccer, Monkey Bowling, Monkey Baseball, Monkey Fight… Really, as much simian entertainment as any human could reasonably be expected to survive.

14

I enjoy my XBox enormously. It was an excellent purchase.

OF course, I play both PC and XBox games. I can get GTA for the PC, so I had no reason to buy the PS2.