I haven't seriously owned/played a console since a PS1 back in like 96. Well, I did have a game cube briefly, but it quit working within like 30 game hours spread out over 6 months.

What do you guys recommend?

I don't have a HD t.v. yet, but they are pretty inexpensive now, so I was thinking of picking one up with it.

I am pretty anti-wii - I have been pretty unhappy with my last 2 purchases of a gamecube and DS. My DS is sitting in a box in our spare room, I haven't turned it on in months. The games always seem too "kiddie" for me. I had the metroid game for my gamecube, it was pretty cool, but I dunno, I wasn't very impressed with it.

I do have highspeed internet, I'm not sure how consoles work now-adays.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

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xbox 360 and ps3 are not worth owning if you don't have an hdtv

that being said, xbox 360 is the best to get right now

HDTV is a must. I own both and use to say 360 hands down but not anymore, what type of games are you looking for? Any examples or genre would help but in the end it comes down to you.

LittleBigPlanet has been amazing and I have already started creating a level for it, even though I could be playing Gears2 or Fable2 I find myself a LBP addict.

Honestly, I haven't played a console game in so long, I don't really know what kinda games I would like.

I do want some 2 player games that my wife can play too. She is geeky so I don't need to dumb anything down for her.

Back when I had a PS1, I enjoyed the twisted metal games, resident evil.. I like soul caliber pretty well too. MetalGear is fun.

I thought about getting a PS2 since they have a massive library and the price is right. Is HD+new system better than PS2+HD ?

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Xbox 360 has Xbox Live wherein you can buy a lot of fun family type games as well as a lot of the Xbox original games. THe price is right on those too and are tons of fun.

You can also use a PC monitor in HD, I don't watch enough tv to own a very expensive one and it works well enough.

If you get a 360 make sure to get a replacement plan, you'll most likely need it.

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Avelle <Risen>
80 Mage
Ner'zhul Server (Fuck Illidan)
Avelle 75 PLD/DRG/DRK/BRD
Midgardsormr - Active again
Elidrin 75 Paladin
Midgardsormr - Retired
Elidrin 65 Ranger
Lanys T'Vyl - Retired

Not anymore. That may have been true at launch, but the problems have been resolved since mid-2007. I'd get it just to be safe, but the stigma is long-gone for the 3RROD.

Well if he get's the Red Rings of Death he should be covered for 3 years

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_t ... l_problems

Any other failure isn't covered by the 2 year extended warrenty but you're right the console does have a high failure right.

It's still a pain the ass that will leave you xboxless for 2weeks-1month. The first time took me 2weeks just to get the stupid box here because of some stupid shipping error. I would say the stigma is not gone and won't be until the next generation Xbox.

I dunno, the new builds of the 360 supposedly don't have that issue so wouldn't it be fixed?

I'm a guy too, who has been through 2 Xbox 360s and is on his 3rd... I've had 2 RRoD, but nothing since early 2007.

Btw, 3 year warranty expires November 17th, 2008. I'd get an extended warranty for 50 bones to be covered just in case.

It still happens but there is a rumor of an even newer chip that we might see sometime next year, a buddy of mine fixed his before they gave out the warrenty. I helped him and it's easy to do it yourself, you can look it up on youtube it's called xclamp replacement which works unlike the towel trick that works for a few days then stops again.

Where did you see Nov 17th is the day that they stop?

It was 3 years from the launch. Or was it 3 years from your date of purchase?

Three years from date of purchase. When I bought mine I checked the warranty online and it said mine expires in like April 2009, which is definitely not 3 years from purchase. Called up XBOX support, and they said not to go by website but to just keep the receipt for proof of purchase. And presuming the receipt has the serial number (which most, if not all, do) then they just compare it to the serial number on console for proof.

XBOX Live is a ton of fun, and extends many games. Plus like someone earlier said, you can get pretty cheaply a lot of old school games that your ... wife (I think she is wife, maybe girlfriend, dunno) would like too.

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My first 360 didn't die of RRoD it died of it's disc drive eating itself and making horrible noises. Was able to use my replacement plan and get a new 360 with hdmi. I still cringe everytime I turn mine on because I have an awful feeling something bad is going to happen. My PS3 has never stuttered or had an issue since I bought it. It's just a shame THEY DONT HAVE ANY FUCKING WORTHWHILE RPGS FOR IT YET. I'm not bitter or anything.

_________________
Avelle <Risen>
80 Mage
Ner'zhul Server (Fuck Illidan)
Avelle 75 PLD/DRG/DRK/BRD
Midgardsormr - Active again
Elidrin 75 Paladin
Midgardsormr - Retired
Elidrin 65 Ranger
Lanys T'Vyl - Retired

Like everyone else said here....HDTV is a must for next gen systems (still not all that bad on standard TV's). I recommend the Xbox 360 hands down right now. The system has the best online services, games and the new update next month looks amazing. Microsoft might have hardware issues with their system, but its by far the best platform on the market for core gamers

Oh, and the Xbox Live Arcade has TONS and tons of great content for download too!! Good times

What makes the 360 online service better? I never understood why people said that.

Full integration with xbox.com for one thing. Also, the new Xbox Live Exp update will be adding more cool features to their service. But, to answer your question...its integration that wins the day!

HDTV makes for a much more vivid experience, so if you're nitpicky about graphics make sure you have one. If you're more interested in gameplay and substance over visuals, don't worry about it too much when making your decision.

Just for clarity

Also I agree with the XB360 advice. By far the best selection of titles.

Based on the games you listed...

Capcom made Resident Evil and are going to make most of their games multiplatform and the same for Namco who made Tekken and Soul Caliber so any system minus the Wii for Tekken would work.

Twisted Metal was made by David Jaffe and he already said the next one is exclusive to the PS3 along with God of War III. Metal Gear Solid 4 already is out as a PS3 exclusive. There a rumors about it coming to the 360 twice a week but Kojima has denied them over and over again. Also the game takes a few shots at other consoles. (Snake uses a PS3 controller, Oticon talks about blu-ray being better.)

As far as two-player games go I have trouble finding one that isn't a FPS these days. I know Fable 2 had some co-op but I haven't used it yet so I don't know the deal with that. Sony has LittleBigPlanet which has up to four player co-op and is pretty much a puzzle/platforming game. Crackdown for 360 is a fun third person shooter with co-op. PS3 has Dark Kingdom which I hated but it was a beat em up co-op.

A lot of the Playstation Network/XBOX Live games have co-op but I wouldn't know crap about XBOXLive when the PSN is free but it looks like a lot of the people who post here know about Live.

You could look at the exclusives for both systems to get a better feel of what you want and are looking forward to

Edit - I don't know if price is a factor too but if you HAVE TO have Wifi the price of the 360 is the same as the PS3 and if you have an HDTV and want to watch Blu-Ray the PS3 is the best blu-ray player on the market.

Found this,
http://www.co-optimus.com/

You can browse by system and see which one has co-op and what kind (online, offline, local lan)

I still say if you don't care about Gears of War 2, you should just get a PS3.

I'd be against that suggestion. I like the PS3 but it has nowhere near the quality level of games and library that the Xbox 360 has. PSN sucks in comparison to Xbox Live as well. Even with many titles no longer being console-specific, the Xbox 360 is a better console all around.

I think you use the term "better console" too loosely. The better piece of machinery is the PS3, not the Xbox 360.

oops, didn't mean to hit Submit, but you get my point

Well, I am not so sure. The PS3 can't do anything graphically, soundwise, technically, that the Xbox 360 can not do excepting Blu-Ray.

The Xbox 360 provides a more well-rounded entertainment and video gaming experience.

Yes, and we all know "tech" sells systems, right? If that was the case, the PS3 would be number one and not Nintendo. The PS3 might be more powerful on paper, but who has the better selection of games atm? The Xbox 360 does, not the PS3.

I don't understand how you can recommend the PS3 over the Xbox 360, Neesha. Just because it was a Blu Ray player? I can understand it in that regards, but he wants a console, not a movie player

wifi?

Xbox 360 does Wi-Fi...

That's your opinion but with the games he listed he probably should get a PS3.

I think he means out of the box, you have to buy an $99 dollar addon for the 360 to have wifi making its price even with the PS3 if you need wifi.

Oh right. Yeah but if you're using your 360 or PS3 as a media center / entertainment center you really shouldn't be using Wi-Fi anyhow.

I use the PS3's wifi all the time without issue, i'm lag free on the Resistance 2 beta and when streaming TVersity. I can't comment on the 360 though because I don't own the adapter.

I had a lot of network issues not only at my house but my parents house which was just newly built and had wi-fi built into the house. Sucked balls on both Xbox 360 and PS3. ;(

It sucked balls on the Xbox 360 because the $100 addon was (and is) fucking terrible. I haven't had any problems with the PS3 and neither has anyone that I know who has one. I stand by my original statement(s). I made a post comparing the two machines in another thread and both have their pluses and minuses (I don't even take the Wii seriously when someone asks which system they should get). If I was a latecomer to the console wars, and I didn't give a shit about Gears of War 2, I'd still get the PS3 over the Xbox 360. And I think anyone who read Draagun's original post would agree that based on the games he really seems interested in, the PS3 would be the way to go. Well, anyone other than Skycrasher, who lives in a world where his sky is green and his grass is blue.

He likes co-op games. How many co-op games are there on the PS3? How many are there on the Xbox 360?

Fact is, Xbox 360 has any title worth having on the PS3. I was sad when I had to rationalize owning a PS3 by buying games that were available on the 360 but I wanted a reason to have a PS3, so I just bought the PS3 version instead.

Not a very good reason to own a console. I like the PS3 but I just think that the Xbox 360 is a better alternative considering the size of the library, the prices, and the quality of games available. In addition to that, Xbox Live and the Arcade / Xbox original titles.

Well, with the two biggest jackasses on the boards suggesting 2 different machines, I expect him to buy a Wii any day now.

Yeah, the addon for wireless for the Xbox 360 is a joke, but wired>all if you plan on downloading demos and large game content. I could use the WiFi on my PS3 I guess, but I rather have the faster downloads myself. Hmm thinking of WiFi, I'll test it out tonight on the PS3 just for kicks.

You say wired is better than wireless for downloading demos and game content, but make no mention of playing games online? lol

You are one peculiar kid.

They're different.

Online game play is designed around the lowest common denominator. Other things aren't.

I don't even know what that means.

Online game play is designed for low bandwidth users. Digital media and downloadable games and such are made for high bandwidth users.

So games take 12 minutes to download instead of 16 minutes? Still seems like a pretty weak selling point as to why "wired is better than all oMgz!". I'll take the neatness of wifi over the extra 4 minutes any day.

Wireless networks do not provide the same reliability and speed as wired networks. You're a fucking dolt to say otherwise. Par for the course though. Much like a lot of other things, you are arguing to be contrary.

The difference between a 1.5mbps connection and 20 mbps connection is staggering, esp. when having other computers on the same network. (1.5mbps is pretty average in the US.)

I don't know where I argued that the speed and reliability was the same on either. I have NEVER had a problem with my wifi setup. I am going by my experiences only. I don't have a T1 at home so maybe I just don't notice the huge difference you mention (even though I know it exists). Anyway, I'm not arguing to be contrary. I am arguing because I think Melfice's point is silly. Most Arcade games don't exactly take forever to download anyway. I'm going home now.

That's not fact at all, that's your opinion. He might like other games then you and like he stated he likes Twisted Metal and Metal Gear both are exclusives. Shit if I didn't have a PS3 right now I would buy one right now just for LittleBigPlanet.

You sound like a Wii fan. Distracted by gimmicks. Hehe.

Yes LittleBigPlanet is a gimmick, they need to make them space marines who shoot aliens, that's the ticket to originality. Maybe you just like the 360 so much because it's easy to mod and you cannot afford games that's how you sound anyway. Hehe.

I just spend the money I'd spend on CDs, movies, and video games, on other things -- like going out with my buddies to the bar to catch sports games, going out to dinner at nice restaurants with my friends and family, saving more for an out-of-state move. It's not about income. I am very financially secure. Secure enough to not have to work through law school.

PS: I bought a PS3 at launch, and sold it a couple months back because I literally never played it, and was a better spend of the 550$ I got for it to rent a Penske truck. Hehe.

I'm not talking about the Live Arcade games...rather the 1 + gig demo downloads on both systems. Yeah, wireless is much slower than using a wired connection to the internet. For multiplayer, its not going to be much of a difference at all. But, I'm talking about demo downloads, and they are not small by any means



Who is this Melfice you speak of?!? /grin

I am leaning toward 360 and ps2 is still in the running.

Those titles I listed, those are from so many years ago, games really aren't the same anymore, I don't think.

It wasn't the co-op on Twisted metal (2)that I liked - it was the vs.

As far as metal gear, I am sure there are plenty of other games in that "style". So I am not really dead set on having those "exclusive" titles. It would be kinda like me getting a Wii because I liked the original legend of zelda or super mario brothers.

What kinda price range are we talking here for these systems? I know they offer different packages and stuff, but what is really the "bare minimum" someone should get? I don't want to spend 400 dollars and then realize I got the shitty system.. If that makes any sense.

OH, and blue-ray isn't a big deal for me either - least not until the price of blue ray burners and blanks come down more =))

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Anything other than the $199 Xbox 360 is fine. The $199 one doesn't have a harddrive, which you will want.

Well, I ended up putting my DS on craigslist and got a trade for a PS2 and about a dozen games.

I never played my DS (didn't even have any games for it), it was in a box in the spare bedroom. So far I like the PS2 and I like the vast selection of used games out there for cheap. I picked up like 6 older sports games at gamestop for 18 bucks today.

Once we get our HD tv, I might get a 360, but this is perfect for us for right now. I appreciate the advice!

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Ugh =/ You should've waited and saved for a PS3 or XB360. With the PS3 you're getting everything and a bag of chips to go with your PS2 games(there were a few very minor backwards compatibility issues with a few games, but much of it has been fixed with hardware updates).

Oh well. If you like old school RPGs make sure to pick up DW8 =p FF12 wasn't too bad either if you can get past the MMO-style combat system.

I stand corrected. A PS2!

With your PS2 try Champions of Norrath or the sequel. It is a pretty good two player RPG, My son and I had a lot of fun with it and started replaying it again last week since we haven't found anything similar we like on the Xbox 360 yet.

I liked the originally Champions better but that's just me =p

That sounds fun Hunee - we will give it a try. I have been looking at "top" lists of PS2 games and it looks like there is a ton of fun out there to be had.

Any other really good 2 player games? We have racing, fighting, boxing, baseball, football, basketball covered. Could really use something 2 player and unique but not super hard.

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The Lego Star Wars are simple but a ton of fun for co-op play.