PS2 or Game Cube?

[Craig]

Wait! I think I know the obvious answer, but listen first.

Randy, Eric, Speed, others,

My 9 year old son (Eric) plays with our neighbors boy at their house often. My neighbor is in the video game industry and has the 3 latest platforms and all the latest games.

My son want's a game cube for xmas and I've been trying to talk him into a PS2 as it seems to me that it is superior and has the best games made for it. He says that all the games he likes are on the Game Cube and never plays the PS2. Remember he's 9 not 14 and no he's not a car nut like his dad

So he's not playing Grand Theft Auto.

Because once I purchase any one platform and start buying all the games I will have a substantial investment, so I'm worried that after the smoke clears the only viable platform standing will be the PS2.

Even if the GC and XBox are still in production I'm smart enough to know that sales ultimately decide which platform the good games are made for. Also he's not going to be 9 forever but he's a terrific kid and I want to get him what he wants.

So which is it for the long haul, Game Cube or PS2?

 

[FuryNSX]

Originally posted by Craig:
My son want's a game cube for xmas and ........ He says that all the games he likes are on the Game Cube and never plays the PS2.

Sounds like a difficult question, but I think that pretty much sums it up. I don't think you can really go wrong with the PS2 or GC. It's pretty obvious the PS2 is not gonna go away. (Well, at least not for a few years until the PS3 comes out.

) And the GC has some pretty solid exclusive titles (particularly the Mario line). I'd feel comfortable getting either one. Bottom line is, your son had specific reasons (i.e. certain games) why he likes a GC, and not the typical "Well, just.....'cuz."

------------------
1995 NSX-T
1999 3.2TL
2001 Odyssey
1992 SC400

 

[Craig]

Thanks Randy, I didn't know that Game Cube was that solid. And, yes...Eric loves Mario and stuff like that.

BTW. are you going to Pahrump with the Dali group in Dec?

[This message has been edited by Craig (edited 25 October 2002).]

 

[burbel]

I would have to agree - Gamecube, all the way. By the time your son is old enough to "appreciate" the games for the PS2, most likely the PS3 will be coming out, as well as the Xbox 2. Gamecubes are great for younger players, PS2, IIRC, targets folks in the 19-25 bracket.

 

[MYNSX]

PS2 Kicks butt!!
Need for speed and grand torismo are awesome!! WWW.MYNSX.COM

 

[FuryNSX]

Originally posted by Craig:
BTW. are you going to Pahrump with the Dali group in Dec?

Craig,
Yeah, at the moment, I currently plan on going.

Haven't tracked the car in a while, y'know.

burbel is right. Target audience for the PS2 is teen to adult males.



------------------
1995 NSX-T
1999 3.2TL
2001 Odyssey
1992 SC400

 

[Craig]

Good info thanks people. May have to get PS2 for me and GCube for Big E.

 

[akira3d]

Originally posted by Craig:
Good info thanks people. May have to get PS2 for me and GCube for Big E.

Hey! "Big E" was my nickname when I played Little League...

Anyway, here are my thoughts. I should preface this with the fact I own both a Gamecube AND a PS2 (and a GameBoy Advance)...and, of course, I'm a Sony developer:

I just read an alarming article that said that Nintendo would have to sell 15-20 million Gamecubes worldwide over the lifetime of the product to stay in the game console manufacturing business. Thus far, I think they've sold around 8 million worldwide (2.3 in the U.S.). By comparison, Sony has sold more than 10 million PS2s in the U.S. alone!

Currently, Gamecube is the number three console in the U.S. marketplace behind X-Box and PS2. PS2's outsell it more than four-to-one...and, even more startling, Sony has sold more PSone's this year alone! I think Nintendo's position is similar elsewhere in the world, with slight edges over X-Box in just a few territories.

I'm not saying that Nintendo may pull a Sega and exit the market early, but it is something to be concerned about...especially at the rate they are releasing titles for the system. I personally own only a couple of games on the Gamecube vs. a couple dozen on PS2. Every month so many PS2 titles come out that I find myself limiting myself to how many PS2 titles I should buy...Gamecube titles seem to take an eternity.

Gamecube and Nintendo definitely specialize more in the kinds of games that children Eric's age play, especially the Mario and Zelda games, but there are plenty of top-quality family-friendly fare on PS2 as well, most notably Rayman Revolution, Sly Cooper, the upcoming Ratchet and Clank, and (shameless plug) Jak and Daxter (which is now selling at the discount price of $20). And, of course, there's nothing not family friendly about Gran Turismo 3 or any of the stellar sports titles on PS2.

The problem is Nintendo is taking too long to get their marquee titles on the market. As I said before, I only own two games on GC (Luigi's Mansion and Star Wars: Rogue Leader). I'd like to get Mario Sunshine and Zelda (when it comes out). I found Star Fox kinda disappointing and I'm not sure what else is in the pipeline.

On the Sony side, though, one should note that Grand Theft Auto III's sales are certainly making an impact on the market and I'm guessing that PS2 will be inundated with more mature themed games as a result. And I'm guessing Jak and Daxter didn't sell better than it did because the typical PS2 owner is, in general, older.

And keep in mind that PS2 is also a DVD player AND backwards compatible to the entire library of PSone titles. With quality (and discount) PSone series like the Spyro and (shameless plug) Crash Bandicoot, you'll have more than enough titles to choose from. Gamecube doesn't play DVDs, nor is it backwards compatible with other Nintendo game systems.

I still like Gamecube, but have been somewhat disappointed with its library thus far. I actually play my GameBoy Advance more...

One more thing. Many developers are just churning out games for all of the systems to hedge their bets. Of those games, many are first targeting the PS2 due to its penetration in the marketplace and then simply porting the titles over...in which case the PS2 version ends up being silghtly superior. If they target the X-Box, the PS2 and Gamecube versions tend to be comparable to the point where there's really no distinction. In other words, only the system exclusive titles make the difference in whether or not one system is worth getting over another.

------------------
--akira3D
'00 Acura NSX-T (red/black), '97 Honda Civic HX (black), '01 Lexus IS300 (black/black)
"Reality is better than the dream..."

akira3d.com/nsx

[This message has been edited by akira3d (edited 25 October 2002).]

 

[4AU4LIFE]

PS2 fits in glove box very well.

------------------
ALL NSX
92 RED/BLACK 5-SPEED

 

[PHOEN$X]

Branching out on this topic...what video games have been released (and for what platforms) that feature the NSX? Is this in the FAQ? I took a quick peep and didn't find anything.

I was playing Gran Turismo 3 at Sam's Club yesterday, but the gold NSX I raced didn't handle as well as my real NSX

 

[akira3d]

Another thing of interest I forgot to mention is that Nintendo let Rare go to Microsoft. Lately that doesn't mean all that much since Rare hasn't been all that hot, but some of SNES and N64's biggest selling titles were developed by Rare (Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Diddy Kong Racing, DK64).

Originally posted by PHOEN$X:
Branching out on this topic...what video games have been released (and for what platforms) that feature the NSX? Is this in the FAQ?

The ones I can think of off the top of my head are:

STUNTS (PC)

NEED FOR SPEED (PSX/PC/3DO)

GRAN TURISMO 1 & 2 (PSX)

GRAN TURISMO 3 (PS2)

TOKYO HIGHWAY BATTLE (PSX)

TOKYO XTREME RACER 2 (DREAMCAST)

TOKYO XTREME RACER ZERO (PS2)

DRIVING EMOTION TYPE S (PS2)

AUTO MODELISTA (PS2)

SEGA GT2002 (XBOX)


There are more...I just can't think of them at the moment. Strange that I'm not aware of any Gamecube games featuring the NSX.

I posted screens only from the games that I personally own.

[This message has been edited by akira3d (edited 25 October 2002).]

 

[PHOEN$X]

Wow! Cool, Akira! Which game (of the ones that you own) do you think is the best? I've been thinking about a game console for a long time now, but have resisted the idea because I spend all day in front of a 'puter at work. However, if the driving experience is second to the NSX it might be worth it

 

[maomaonsx]

Originally posted by Craig:
Wait! I think I know the obvious answer, but listen first.

Randy, Eric, Speed, others,

My 9 year old son (Eric) plays with our neighbors boy at their house often. My neighbor is in the video game industry and has the 3 latest platforms and all the latest games.

My son want's a game cube for xmas and I've been trying to talk him into a PS2 as it seems to me that it is superior and has the best games made for it. He says that all the games he likes are on the Game Cube and never plays the PS2. Remember he's 9 not 14 and no he's not a car nut like his dad

So he's not playing Grand Theft Auto.

Because once I purchase any one platform and start buying all the games I will have a substantial investment, so I'm worried that after the smoke clears the only viable platform standing will be the PS2.

Even if the GC and XBox are still in production I'm smart enough to know that sales ultimately decide which platform the good games are made for. Also he's not going to be 9 forever but he's a terrific kid and I want to get him what he wants.

So which is it for the long haul, Game Cube or PS2?

He's your son, buy him both. Surely money is not your problem.

------------------
George W
Porsche 996 for sale!

 

[akira3d]

Wow! Cool, Akira! Which game (of the ones that you own) do you think is the best?

There's no contest. Gran Turismo 3 is by far the best, most realistic, most customizable, and prettiest looking of all the games, features the largest number of NSXs (including JGTC racing models), and even supports 6 players (if you have six PS2s, six copies of GT3, six i-Link cables, and a 6-port Firewire hub). The two player split screen works great too...the game never drops bellow 60fps.

The biggest gripe I have with GT3 is the lack of crashes.

Secondary gripe is with Electronic Arts for tying up the high-end exotics (Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche, etc.) in exclusive licensing deals...but that does position the NSX as one of the best cars in GT3.

And GT2 had far more cars available than GT3...but that will surely be remedied with the next online-capable installment of the Gran Turismo series (on PS2 of course).

 

[D'Ecosse]

Craig, let's be honest here - YOU want the PS2 while your son wants the GB
Maybe you need to drop a hint to Mom as to what Craig wants from Santa

 

[Tom Larkins]

At 40 yrs of age, i'm late to the show and purchased my first console 1 yr ago. Its an xbox. While I don't keep up on all this stuff, I can tell you from what i've seen so far, they have few games I would let my 5 & 9 year old play in comparison to the others mentioned here. I wasn't aware that GT2 was available for the xbox, the do have GothamCityRacing with the Ferrari's & Porsche. No expert, but on a 64" big screen and mad cats system its alot of fun. They have a world rally game, I only wished they had something w/tracks i'm familar with. Any imput from others is welcomed. Signed video stupid

 

[NSXLNT]

I own all 3 systems because I like the variety of games. There are a lot of games you'll get on PS2 that you won't on GameCube or XBOX, there are a lot of games on GameCube that you won't get on PS2 or XBOX, etc. etc. etc. Like Halo on XBOX is a great game, which was one of the main reasons I got the XBOX. I really like Resident Evil on GameCube, and right when I heard that they were remaking Resident Evil, and putting all the other RE games on the GameCube, I went to EB and pre-ordered one right away. I also am looking forward to any Zelda games they will make, and Metriod Prime. And for the PS2, well, I got that 'cause the PS was just that damn good.

Anyway, since you both want different things, I have to say get them both! They are both great consoles with great games. Yes, I know, the GC doesn't have many games, but there will be a lot more, they're just taking longer to make them.

 

[Craig]

Originally posted by maomaonsx:
Surely money is not your problem.

And I'm trying to keep it that way

Tom, your not late, you've seem to have beaten me...I just turned 40 two weeks ago and we (Eric) won't have one until xmas!

Thanks for all the feedback the decision has been made. After visiting the store today and seeing that there are 4x the amount of games for the PS2 than the other platforms, including great and inexpensive PS1 games, the decision was easy. There's lots of kids stuff too...he won't be disapointed. If he want's to play GC he can go down the street.

BTW, D'Ecosse...does GT 3 have Willow Springs on it?

 

[D'Ecosse]

Originally posted by Craig:
BTW, D'Ecosse...does GT 3 have Willow Springs on it?

You must've cross-referenced us Craig - think you want akira3d to answer that.
All my money going on my real-life NSX, lots still on my wish-list to able to have a PS2 (would be nice though - Santa, are you watching?)

 

[Joel]

I didn't read all the posts above but here's my take.

Just get both. They lowered all the prices on every console. PS goes for $200 and GC for what...$100?

 

[sabashioyaki]

Xbox just came out with a package deal for the holidays. It includes the consol, Sega GT, Jet Set Radio Future, and the DVD remote for $199. If you have any interest in playing online, and have broadband, get the Xbox. PS2 has the best games but slowest platform. Xbox is the most powerful with the best graphics, but there aren't too many good games out. GC is great for kids, but they too lack games.

 

[FuryNSX]

Originally posted by Joel:
PS goes for $200 and GC for what...$100?

No, the GC is still $150. I doubt that will be changing before Xmas.



------------------
1995 NSX-T
1999 3.2TL
2001 Odyssey
1992 SC400

 

[effer]

What about PC games?

Anybody tried Geoff Crammond's GP3?

It is considered as the best racing car simulator ( Formula 1 ).

I roughly counted more than 10 at the power of 50 car set up combinations.

You virtually have all telemetry information to improve your car set up.

You see effects on car's handling
( understeer, oversteer, aerodynamic drag and downforce, bodyroll, braking distribution, spinning, tire wear and its temperature rising ... )

I like GT3 and I wonder the day we will play with real car simulators respecting real differences between them ( we are going torward this... ), but some big exotic names are really afraid of that! ( This is why IMO they only want to be alone in a game... )

You can make a 0-60 of more than 5 sec with a Diablo or a 996TT if you are not too rough on the clutch and not too high in the rev...

Get the GC for your son and also buy the PS2 for you: you can rationalize its buying in saying that you bought also a DVD player
( PS2 )!

Try GP3 on your PC, you will be amazed...

 

[Craig]

Originally posted by D'Ecosse:
You must've cross-referenced us Craig - think you want akira3d to answer that.
All my money going on my real-life NSX, lots still on my wish-list to able to have a PS2 (would be nice though - Santa, are you watching?)

D'Ecosse, Actually it was an obscure refrence to your post on what I really wanted Santa to bring me for Xmas.

I thought it was a little vauge too.

I've been spending some time at Willow lately and figured if my son got the PS2, Dad could get Gran Turismo and practice getting his lap times down at Willow.

 

[gheba_nsx]

effer, on the PC we are now on GP4!