The Unofficial Video Game System Thread

[BuckWoody]

Well, I didn't do such a good job procuring my XBox...the wife put the kibosh on my plans. The story isn't completely tragic though, we got a Wii for the girls for Christmas. Anyone else have one? Any recommendations for some good games for the kids (age 9 & 7)? One I know we'll get, regardless of the reviews, is the High School Musical: Sing It game.

I know they have GH III for the Wii and I'd really like to have that one for the big kids to play but what of Rock Band for the Wii? Any other great games to get for the "big kids"?

[WMR]

Considering the demographic you're buying for, BW, I wouldn't recommend buying Manhunt 2, where the Wii controller is used to emulate the various methods of murdering people in an insane asylum.

The new Mario game would be a safe purchase for your kids, as would the new Metroid game, which just received glowing reviews.

[nate]

Well, I didn't do such a good job procuring my XBox...the wife put the kibosh on my plans. The story isn't completely tragic though, we got a Wii for the girls for Christmas. Anyone else have one? Any recommendations for some good games for the kids (age 9 & 7)? One I know we'll get, regardless of the reviews, is the High School Musical: Sing It game.

I know they have GH III for the Wii and I'd really like to have that one for the big kids to play but what of Rock Band for the Wii? Any other great games to get for the "big kids"?

I have the Wii and really haven't found any other interesting games besides WiiSports which is a blast at parties. 4 person tennis is awesome!

I'm hoping they come out with more games for it though. The wife likes driving games!

[WMR]

Haven't played Zelda, nate? That game is seriously badass, IMO, and I'm not even a huge Zelda guy.

[camisadelgolf]

Anyone who likes Mario 64 will also like the new Mario game. It's awesome.

[pahster]

Considering the demographic you're buying for, BW, I wouldn't recommend buying Manhunt 2, where the Wii controller is used to emulate the various methods of murdering people in an insane asylum.

The new Mario game would be a safe purchase for your kids, as would the new Metroid game, which just received glowing reviews.

Don't forget Mario Party 8. Super Paper Mario is pretty good too, but would probably bore most kids that young.

You can also play Gamecube games on the Wii (so long as you pick up a Gamecube controller). There are a lot of good games on that platform that are still worthwhile: Mario Kart, Smash Bros., Mario Baseball, etc.

[GIK]

Call of Duty 4. Get it. Now.

My friends and I used to play SOCOM regularly and this just blows it out of the water.

[Caveat Emperor]

So, the holiday season is getting near, and I'm thinking about buying myself a Christmas present of a new game system.

I don't follow video games nearly as closely as I did when I was in school -- I still buy Madden and NCAA Football for PS2, and I got Guitar Hero II a while back because I heard it was just a blast (turned out they were right -- I love the game).

From those who do follow things such as these -- which system has the current edge and is most worthy of a purchase?

I mostly play sports games and RPG games, though I have been known to get into the odd FPS game or 3P action title.

[WMR]

Xbox 360 is heads and shoulders above the PS3 right now for sports games. The frame-rate for the most recent Madden was 30 fps for PS3 while it was 60 fps for 360. Developers just haven't quite perfected the reportedly finicky PS3 programming code.

Things will probably even up quite a bit over the next couple "generations" of PS3 sports games.

I'd have to give the nod to 360 as well right now in terms of online play.

Bump for CE.

[SteelSD]

So, the holiday season is getting near, and I'm thinking about buying myself a Christmas present of a new game system.

I don't follow video games nearly as closely as I did when I was in school -- I still buy Madden and NCAA Football for PS2, and I got Guitar Hero II a while back because I heard it was just a blast (turned out they were right -- I love the game).

From those who do follow things such as these -- which system has the current edge and is most worthy of a purchase?

I mostly play sports games and RPG games, though I have been known to get into the odd FPS game or 3P action title.

The X-Box 360 is a fine system, but if you're interested in a Playstation 3, it's a great value. If looking to purchase, find a 60 GB unit. They should be available for around $429.99 if you look hard enough. Without getting too technical, the 40 GB model isn't backward-compatible with any PS2 or PS1 games and the 80 GB is reported to have better, but limited, compatibility. The 60 GB is completely backward-compatible and loses nothing functionally versus the 40 or 80 GB systems.

Some advantages for the PS3 versus the X-Box 360:

1. Cell processor. It's a beast.

2. Non-proprietary hard drive. Can be upgraded with a regular 2.5" SATA 5400 or 7200 RPM notebook hard drive of any size.

3. Blu-Ray movie disc playback out of the box. Also the best Blu-Ray player currently made.

4. Runs cooler and quiter. Does not require a device like the "Intercooler" in an effort to keep heat output down.

5. Free Playstation Network access.

6. Reported to have a lower failure rate.

Some advantages for the X-Box 360 versus the PS3:

1. Larger stable of quality exclusive games.

2. Less expensive purchase price if gaming is the only focus (external HD DVD drive required for high-def movie playback)

3. X-Box Live online is currently more robust than Playstation Network.

Now, I don't own a 360 and don't want anyone to think I'm trying to steer you away from the machine. But another nice thing about the PS3 is that it can serve as a media hub by wirelessly recognizing media servers on your computer such as Windows Media Center 11, TVersity, and Orb. Using the PS3, you can access photos, music, and video stored on your computer via your wireless internet and play them on your TV or sound system. I don't know if the 360 offers that, but it's pretty cool.

I was a PS3 early adopter (December 2006) and have been through the lean days when pretty much all there was to play was Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm. That was ok though as I mainly purchased for Blu Ray movie playback (own over 60 Blu Ray flicks now). The games are getting better as the programmers are getting used to things and I've heard rave reviews of Call of Duty 4 (as GIK noted). Rock Band should help push the system forward too. Looking ahead, the PS3 guts will allow for more game functionality and better graphics than the X-Box future lineup. Whether or not programmers will take advantage of that is the question.

Both are good systems, though- each with their own pros and cons. Whichever you decide to buy, have fun!

[Degenerate39]

Call of Duty 4. Get it. Now.

My friends and I used to play SOCOM regularly and this just blows it out of the water.

SOCOM is my favorite online game so if Call of Duty 4 blows it out of the water then I'm going to get that.

[Yachtzee]

Ugh. I made the mistake of taking Guitar Hero II to my parents' house for a little family fun. Unfortunately, some of the grandkids decided it would be more fun to roughhouse, came running into the room with the Xbox360, and one of them just happened to crash into the console while we were getting ready to play. There is now a nice circular scratch running completely around the disc. Is there something I can do to fix this, or is the disc toast?

The good news is, the Xbox360 console (wasn't mine anyway) still works.

[HumnHilghtFreel]

Ugh. I made the mistake of taking Guitar Hero II to my parents' house for a little family fun. Unfortunately, some of the grandkids decided it would be more fun to roughhouse, came running into the room with the Xbox360, and one of them just happened to crash into the console while we were getting ready to play. There is now a nice circular scratch running completely around the disc. Is there something I can do to fix this, or is the disc toast?

The good news is, the Xbox360 console (wasn't mine anyway) still works.

A home remedy that I've heard works, but never tried, is to boil the disc if it isn't a deep scratch. Apparently it will peel away thin layer on the disc making it readable.

A safer bet would be to take it to a video store, a lot of them have machines that polish out scratches, at least the one I go to does. Usually costs about $5

[GAC]

If it wasn't for video games (and having three teens).... my wife and I could have retired ten years ago.

It's a never ending cycle. My oldest boy, who will soon be 19, just got an XBox 360. And of course there was the wireless adapter we had to buy that cost $100 so he can save the world on-line and in head-to-head competition. And lets not forget the $60 for the 2 yr service extension.

And guess what mostly comprises his Christmas list this year?

Oh if time travel only existed. I'd go back to the day at WalMarts almost 20 years ago when my wife picked up that Sega Genesis system and thought it would be a great gift for our firstborn.

Just like mother's milk leads to heroin..... first it was Sega, then Nintendo 64, then GameCube, then XBox.

And don't get me started on all the little hand held thingamajigs they have!

So what is the next evolution? Some sort of virtual reality tank that you step into?

[WMR]

Okay, so what are the differences between the 40 gig, 60 gig, and 80 gig PS3's BESIDES the hard drive space?