I wanted to get the opinions of people here. I've seen you mention this subject here and there, but I want to see what you think, straight out.

PS2, Gamecube, XBox.

Which one?

I've seen very positive comments from people with Gamecubes, and I must admit, after playing each console, it sure beats the other two on the controller. The XBox is just a disaster in that arena, and I've never liked Sony's contollers for either PS system. The problem is the games.

The deal breaker for me? I'm ashamed to say it: Mario Kart. Mario Kart was a main reason for buying N64 for me. It's also the main game that still gets played on that system.

I also like other games out there like GTA3, but that's an exclusive PS2 console game until 2004 (jerks).

Another thing for me to consider is that I buy new consoles at the end of their curve. I bought PS when PS2 was a few months old for $60. That's about the time I plan on getting the next one. So waiting for games isn't the thing. It's the games that will be out in the end that I'm concerned with. The Gamecube landscape is looking pretty thin to me.

So what do you guys suggest?

As much as I love the Gamecube, the PS/2 sure beats it on the sheer number of titles available.

I think you should buy the game console the same way you'd buy a computer: Decide what software you want to run, then buy the computer which runs that software.

I will say that the Gamecube's controller beats the other two by a wide margin. It's the best game controller I've ever used. I can't stand playing EA's NHL on the PS/2 because all of the buttons are the same size and arranged in a symmetrical pattern. I'm always passing when I want to shoot and vice-versa. I'm waiting for EA to port NHL to the Gamecube, I'll buy it in an instant.

Hey, by the way (sorry to hijack your thread), does anyone know if there's a such thing as an adapter that'll let me use the Gamecube controller as a joystick on my PC? That would rock.

I would have to agree with Tony, I was very impressed with the game cube, but got a PS2 for the massive amount of great games, plus its the only system that has Gran Tourismo 3 and its the main reason I upgraded anyway. I was extremely unimpressed with the XBox, they have even made it cheaper now and I would still rather pay the extra for PS2.

Just my .02

Hmm, I did see a note somewhere about a "Gamecube controller adapter (Playstation)" which sounds like it would let me use my Gamecube controller on the PS/2. That would solve my NHL problem.

Eeew yuck. I haven't seen anything more backwards in my life:

http://www.pc4d.com/games/70/play_cube_controller_adapter.shtml

Going out of your way to replace the best game controller in the industry with the worst game controller in the industry.

You think the PS2 controller is worse than the XBox? Now THAT would be horrific.

But no, I can't see why you would want that either. ewww...

ps-oh, and I've seen PS to PC convertors so I'm sure a GC to PC one probably exists...

I've seen PS to PC convertors so I'm sure a GC to PC one probably exists...

I know about the PS-PC converters, but haven't found one yet for a GC controller.

And yes, I do think the PS/2 controller is worse than the Xbox controller. I have several "issues" with the PS/2 controller. The Xbox is a mild improvement over the PS/2 but not by much. The only controller I've really genuinely liked (as opposed to "not disliking to an extreme degree") is the Gamecube controller.

Id go PS2.
Much larger ibrary available.
And most of the games that intrigued me towards an Xbox are being ported over to PS2 anyway.

And with the new low price how can you lose.

Z~

Well, the price I'm going for is a lot lower than the ones at the moment, so I'm waiting anyway.

I also can't help but look at the new mario game and Zelda, despite the new look.

I guess I'll wait and when the time comes that I can get it for the price I want, I'll see what games are out for them then.

And that behemoth of a controller that comes with the XBox is a lot more awkward to me. not just the size, but the buttons have the worst feel to me. Ugh.

I think you should buy the game console the same way you'd buy a computer: Decide what software you want to run, then buy the computer which runs that software.

I completly agree as long as this is not taken in terms of quantity. I own a Mac now due to the quality of the software and ability to get my work done. Just as I bought the GameCube for the quality of the games I have previewed at E3.

The GameCube is the only system with Smash Brothers (an awesome 4 player game that isn't as button twitch as most fighting games, and is a blast), Ethernal Darkness (one of the only games I know of in recent times that not only screws with your character, but also with you, excellent horror game), Metroid Prime (killer game, feels like the classic Metroid games, and the FPS control issue is not a problem here), Legend of Zelda (looks kinda cute, but some awesome things are done with the art style.), StarFox Adventures (plays just like Zelda 64, and the fur is awesome), Mario Shunshine (many people are awaiting this one, though personally I lost interest around the N64 days. Didn't really check it out yet). And if you haven't played Resident Evil yet, the remakes on the Cube are awesome.

Beyond that, you have your typical sports games, fighting games, and many others. The GameCube is not being completly ignored by 3rd party developers like the N64 was. Personally, for $150 and the price of a few games, your money will be well spent. The PS2 is nice, but I have enough fill of aimless generic games on my PC, and I still have yet to see a system seller for me on the PS2. The XBox? Well my controller issues are resolved once Steel Battalion comes out. Screw the bulky controller (and even the new S version), I'll take a 40 button dual joystick controller for my mech simulator game

Are some of those titles you listed available now? Or were they all upcoming stuff you saw at E3 this year?

Good point about the quality/quantity thing... As far as I'm concerned Rogue Leader was worth the price of the entire system.

I totally agree with the idea of ``software you want''. But, for me, the killer is Gran Turismo. I just think it's the greatest idea ever for a racing game because of the fact that it incorporates off-track management. It's the only game in its class on any platform. (Although GT2 was better than GT3 except for the graphics; there were more cars and more tracks.)

But I've gotta see this 40-button controller for Steel Battalion. Anyone have pictures? I can't seem to find any on Google.

I say the only way to go it get a three but, if I had to get one I would get the GCN just because you won't be able to play mario and zelda on anything else. It just depends on which games you wan't.

As for the controller the GCN wireless RF controller is the greatest I hope some third party makes one for ps2 and xbox.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Rogue Leader. Don't let Loren know

Lets see:

Smash Brothers is out
Ethernal Darkness is out
Resident Evil is out
Resident Evil (the next one can't remember the name) will be soon
Starfox is not, but should be soon
Mario will be out in a month
Metroid by christmas
Zelda early next year

As far as GT2/3, I agree, it's an awesome game and is a system seller for the PS2. Just not for me though, I don't really like many sports or racing games, unless played at a proper arcade like Dave & Busters.

Let me dig up my pictures of the Steel Battalion controller from E3 this year.

You can get the import mario sunshine from japan now. I got one from hong kong last week.

As for the controller the GCN wireless RF controller is the greatest I hope some third party makes one for ps2 and xbox.

I completly agree, the wavebird is awesome. I grabbed one alongside Ethernal Darkness. Not having to drag the cube out to play is is even better. And it's cheep enough to afford 2 or 4 for multiplayer wireless fun. Of course the reason it's so great is that it's first party, and matches the GameCube controller almost exactly. No thrid party controller for the other systems would be able to beat it.

And the Steel Battalion photo is here Be warned, it's a 781k image, I didn't want to compress it in any way, most of the labels are readable on this one.

That's the coolest thing I've ever seen. And that's supposed to come with the game?

I think it's more like the game comes with the controller.

Yep, it comes with the game, and it's the only way to play it. It will retail for I believe $150. The game will just be single player, but there is an expansion in the works already and XBox Live support will be built into the expansion.

Some people are suckers for racing games. Me? Mech games for sure. I'd own one of the Battletech pods at the Dave & Busters in Denver if I had the spare change to afford one. This, combined with an XBox running VGA to a 27 inch monitor should keep me happy enough for now

See, you just listed every game that I'm interested in. Those are definitely reasons for me to buy the GC. It just seems like Nintendo made their box with gaming in mind. The others were looking to give you home theater components. Screw that! I have a DVD player that doesn't require me to buy another remote.

Anyway, as I thought the GC looks like a winner for me. I like GTA3 and ICO, but I'd be willing to bet the prior will be released to all the consoles after that damn contract runs out. I also don't like racing games, so GT3 doesn't interest me in the least.

Finally, the wavebird is just awesome. I've been waiting for a controller like that my whole life (sad). I can just see a four-player Smash Brothers game completely wireless. Sweeeeeeet.

One last thing, does anyone know anything about a possibility for a new Mario Kart game? That would be so killer, I'd be willing to buy a Gamecube right now. I want that game so bad...

here's a little old info
http://cube.ign.com/articles/136/136574p1.html

I don't think you have to worry about nintendo not making a mario kart game for GCN. I doubt it will be this year though they already have too many games coming out before christmas.

I know how people on this board dislike microsoft (or M$) But the XBOX is a awesome product. Nowhere near as cool and usful as the Empeg, but none the less, i think it is the best gaming console on the market today. Graphics blow away PS2 and GameCube. And its only $199. XBOX, XBOX, XBOX!
Load times are very sort, no memory cards, built in hard drive, lan card, very very very nice product. Must say, it is the best microsoft product out today!

Forgot to mention the huge amount of games currently out. Just looked on xbox.com, and there around probally around 75-100? didn't really feel like counting them, but he is a direct link to the games section.

I've played PS2 a few times, the graphics were WAY to slow for me. You would get going, and the ps2 would just crap out, totally loose massive amounts of frames. Xbox, no way. No frame loss, exact ultra high framerate all the time, no matter how good you are at the game. Never a lock up, always ultra fast and willing to consume you for days of straight game play.

With all the videogame consoles the best one depends on what games you want. mario kart will never be on xbox. the best thing to do it just but them all.

I dont really think that framerates or graphics is really what makes a game. Sure, it is nice to have high res 3d rendered stuff, but it does not make the game more enjoyable or playable. For example, there are many racing games that are more realistic than Mario Kart, but very few are as fun. Even Mario Golf or Mario Tennis are much more fun to play than their realistic equivalents in my opinion. Gameplay is more important than graphics, and that is why Nintendo has been able to do so well in the console market. As far as I could tell, the only reason that the Sony Playstation did so well is because of the mod chip.

YES!

That's the killer. I'm buying it.

(It's only announced though. But I'm sure they'll make it)

I'm buying a Gamecube.

I have a $75 gift card to Best Buy (girlfriend's parents are great), so I think $75 for a game system is pretty damned good. I was going to sell my Tivo and upgrade to a series 2 with the card so I could use broadband, but instructions on the Tivo forum have come up on how to use serial to connect to another PC and connect that way. I don't have a problem with that.

So as soon as I can, I'm going to good ol BB and picking up a GC, a wavebird, and one game. But which one is my question. What do you guys suggest as the first game I get for this thing?

Sorry, Tony, I'm not really interested in Rogue Leader. Drakino you suggested these as standouts:


Smash Brothers is out
Ethernal Darkness is out
Resident Evil is out
Resident Evil (the next one can't remember the name) will be soon
Starfox is not, but should be soon
Mario will be out in a month
Metroid by christmas
Zelda early next year


Smash Brothers is a good possibility, because people are really raving about how fun it is. That's what I'm looking for. Fun. I don't care about realism (FOX made good points about this).

Frankly, my favorite games are: Final Fantasy II/IV (that's 2 slash 4 ), Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, and the first Mega Man X game. Those games stand out to me as the most pure fun games I have ever played. I'm still amazed at how playable that Mega Man game is. I wonder if it says anything that these were all on SNES? Oh well.

Anyway, that's the question. What game to buy?

ps-am I the only one who couldn't care less about online gaming with these consoles?

The only reason I stopped playing Smash Brothers on the N64 was because I picked it up on the GameCube. It's well worth it as a first game if you can get several friends togther.

Oh, and one I forgot, Super Monkey Ball. It's a bit odd, but tons of fun can be had with it's single and multiplayer modes.

I have heard of Super Monkey Ball. That's a good possibility. Thanks for the suggestions.

By the way, what's the average price of a Gamecube game?

*edit*
One last question: can anyone recommend a good video game review site? I usually use Game Revolution, and allgame.com is sometimes good, but any others?

I dont really think that framerates or graphics is really what makes a game.

Absolutely correct!

I still find "DOOM" and "DOOM II" to be among the most playable and entertaining games I have ever tried -- yet their graphics quality is laughable by today's standards.

DOOM is wonderful for mindless entertainment -- if it moves, shoot it before it shoots you -- and the balance of the weaponry whereby every weapon has both strengths and weaknesses is superb. (One subtlety I always appreciated is the "spread" of the double-barrelled shotgun is such that the single-barrel is more effective at longer ranges.)

I prefer DOOM to a game that is targeted towards the "serious" gamer -- one who is willing to put in literally hours of practice in order to become competent enough to just survive from one level to the next. Maybe I am just getting old and slow, but I find most new games to be so difficult that I am not willing to go through the learning curve required to play them. I don't want to work that hard in order to play.

tanstaafl.

If you take until the 26th I would get mario sunshine. Also pikmin is great and can be found for 25.00 used

Gamecube all the way. It's a nice little system. Make sure to buy plenty of first-party software too.

Bruno

(mmmm-excellent.... ATI still gets royalties for every GCN sold. Mmmexcellent.... )

ATI still gets royalties for every GCN sold.

Has it made up for the amount ATI paid for ArtX yet? Just curious, I know ArtX is doing a ton of other things for ATI as well.

Well I'm pround to annouce that just last night I gave ATI more money...I mean, I bought a Gamecube. It certainly is a nice little machine. All totalled I got:

Gamecube (indigo, one controller)
Super Smash Brothers Melee
Wavebird
59 block memory card

I only played for about an hour, but was blown away. The graphics and speed of this thing are incredible. I only played through on the "very easy" level to get used to it, and I could barely keep up! I mean, it was incredibly easy and all, but everything goes so fast! I kinda miss the good ol days of Street Fighter II (the original)

Anyway, I'm loving it. I'll be playing it much more in the coming weeks.

but everything goes so fast!

I always thought the N64 version was fast, then I put it away for a bit. Got the GameCube and didn't notice much difference, it seemed a bit faster. Plugged the N64 back in, and was amazed at how much the sped up the battle. Slow mode on the GameCube version is close to the normal speed on the N64.

Oh, and next time you get a memory card, get the 251 block one. Blocks go by quick when you get a few games.

Yeah, I figured at under $10 bucks a pop, I'd just use one for this game. Then I can keep it in the game's case. Plus, I don't plan on buying too many games (maybe three total by Christmas), so it's fine for me for now. Plus, I believe Smash Brothers only takes up, at maximum, 14 blocks. For me it will only take 11. Depending on the next game I buy, that'll be plenty.

Unfortunately, now I have to decide which game to buy next. Most likely Mario...

Cool. Don't you just love those controllers?

By the way, it depends on the game, but the finger triggers have a "button" at the bottom of their travel. So you can squeeze the trigger down to the bottom for a throttle, and then give it that "extra squeeze" to click that last button for a turbo. I know you said you weren't interested in Rogue Leader, but it's one of the games that implements that feature.

And let me just second the recommendation for Super Monkey Ball. I don't care about its main single-player game, but the party games are awesome. I can play 10-round Monkey Target all night long with my daughter. Damn addictive.

Heh, yeah the controller is just soooo comfortable to me. The best one I've ever used. A few people have thought otherwise, but I guess people's hands are just different.

Yeah, I noticed that extra click in the L/R buttons. Frankly, if there were one complaint I have about the controllers, it's that those bottuns are kinda clunky. Hell, they seem to have about an inch of travel, which is a lot when you're desperately trying to stop Link from busting your skull in

But yeah, I've quite impressed with the system. I think my next game will be Resident Evil 1 (the remake). I never played the original, and now's my chance

it's that those bottuns are kinda clunky. Hell, they seem to have about an inch of travel, which is a lot when you're desperately trying to stop Link from busting your skull in

That's the thing, they're not just buttons, they're analog throttles. The distance of their travel is important when they are being used for games which need them to behave like analog controls.