aria
Former Moderator
- Joined
- Dec 4, 1977
- Posts
- 39,546
I went to a party last night, and after a good number of drinks some of us decided to start playing the host's new X-Box and GameCube (with some PS2 worked in).
The X-Box, in all its overgrown/blown/baked glory, really didn't have much. Sure we played a bit of 2-player Halo, but for all those folks at the party who didn't really play video games (most've them) it was as appealing as watching a bunch of computer geeks playing Doom on a network (or a game of Magic <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0"> ). Eventually it just broke down to player 2 (me) trying to gun down player 1. The only funny moments were jokes at the game's expense.
after wasting time with that game we moved on to the GameCube and Super Monkey Ball. Now that's entertainment! Simple controls, well executed, equaling a superior gaming experience that everyone at the party got into (we were all in the 20-26 year range). Nothing beat the drunken' hooting and hollering as we tried to get those damn monkeys to stay on the course or glide onto a target. Nintendo f--kin' rules the party market as far as I'm concerned (Sega earned the assist on SMB). Even people who'd never really played games could have fun while getting trumped by the experienced gamers.
Finally, we started a little NBA Street tourney on PS2. Also a lot of fun (its a rare sports title that gets even non-gamers interested), but it was sort of cut short when I defeated everyone by an average score of 21-13 (Bobak! & Shaq 0\/\/nz j00).
So what's my analysis? Well the first thing that surprised me is how the X-Box, while looking all shiny and new, really didn't compete with the GC and PS2 with a bunch of people. In terms of broad appeal, the GC dominated all three. The games I mentioned really reflect the types of games that are defining each system.
Microsoft and Nintendo went into the E3 spurting off claims that their system was going to broaden the market and get non-gamers to start gaming. After seeing games like DOA3 & Halo on X-Box I don't see how the X-Box is going to appeal outside of the traditional (if not hardcore) gaming market. The GameCube, with that cool little console, fun games like SMB, and $100 cheaper had a serious chance winning out.
I have a feeling the Game Cube my start taking the "Non-gamer" audience along with its normal market share, leaving X-Box to compete with the established PS2 for the hardcore/middle market.
What are the other opinions out there? I sort of wrote this on the fly, but I want to hear other takes on the new systems in different situations.
The X-Box, in all its overgrown/blown/baked glory, really didn't have much. Sure we played a bit of 2-player Halo, but for all those folks at the party who didn't really play video games (most've them) it was as appealing as watching a bunch of computer geeks playing Doom on a network (or a game of Magic <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0"> ). Eventually it just broke down to player 2 (me) trying to gun down player 1. The only funny moments were jokes at the game's expense.
after wasting time with that game we moved on to the GameCube and Super Monkey Ball. Now that's entertainment! Simple controls, well executed, equaling a superior gaming experience that everyone at the party got into (we were all in the 20-26 year range). Nothing beat the drunken' hooting and hollering as we tried to get those damn monkeys to stay on the course or glide onto a target. Nintendo f--kin' rules the party market as far as I'm concerned (Sega earned the assist on SMB). Even people who'd never really played games could have fun while getting trumped by the experienced gamers.
Finally, we started a little NBA Street tourney on PS2. Also a lot of fun (its a rare sports title that gets even non-gamers interested), but it was sort of cut short when I defeated everyone by an average score of 21-13 (Bobak! & Shaq 0\/\/nz j00).
So what's my analysis? Well the first thing that surprised me is how the X-Box, while looking all shiny and new, really didn't compete with the GC and PS2 with a bunch of people. In terms of broad appeal, the GC dominated all three. The games I mentioned really reflect the types of games that are defining each system.
Microsoft and Nintendo went into the E3 spurting off claims that their system was going to broaden the market and get non-gamers to start gaming. After seeing games like DOA3 & Halo on X-Box I don't see how the X-Box is going to appeal outside of the traditional (if not hardcore) gaming market. The GameCube, with that cool little console, fun games like SMB, and $100 cheaper had a serious chance winning out.
I have a feeling the Game Cube my start taking the "Non-gamer" audience along with its normal market share, leaving X-Box to compete with the established PS2 for the hardcore/middle market.
What are the other opinions out there? I sort of wrote this on the fly, but I want to hear other takes on the new systems in different situations.
