It doesn't get better than Halo...never...splinter cell is incredible too. I also have PS2 and rarely play it anymore...BUT I just picked up The Getaway...had some rough reviews and a few bugs...but if you like mounds of violence, bad language and GREAT cutscenes....at least rent it...its a doozie..

 

Never played on the XBOX but heard its fun.

 

OK...now you all have my attention. We have a Playstation and it doesn't sound like it's even close to the Xbox! So am I better off switching to the Xbox or keeping my Play Station 1?

My husband plays all the car racing games, but I prefer the action games where you are searching for things, etc....and any offroad games as well

How much are the Xbox's going for now? I saw one for $150 brand new...is that a good deal? Also, what do games normally run?

 

i paid 200 bucks for my xbox and it came with 2 games. i havent seen it at 150 new anywhere so yes that is a great price. games go anywhere between $20-$50 new, but i dont buy games new, justy go on ebay and buy them there (you'll find some GREAT dealss there).

 

If you found an Xbox for $150 new, I'd say buy it. All I seen for $150 was refurbished stuff. The ones on Ebay would still be around $200 with shipping.
If you like PS1, then Xbox is going to blow your mind on graphics. I'm mad that there's not the same amount of game support out there that PS1 and PS2 has but oh well. Right now I'm stuck on Test Drive off-road, amazing graphics, good soundtrack and it features the F150 (one of the fastest on there). Then for adventure games I got Oddworld Munch's Oddysee, it is a blast to play and funny as heck. When Abe tells his buddy Munch to do something he sometimes jsut comes up with this funny little " Not gonna happen" You'd just have to play it to know and you can find it for like $15.

 

im sorry guys but you all have it wrong. PC games radically whoop on all of that. Ghost recon was game of the year . . .last year. Now i understand that PC is slightly more costly but lets lay down the facts. TV = about 400 by 600 resolution. PC = 1600 by 1200 resolution. Pc = aim with mouse (mad accuracy) xbox = controller thats bigger than the system box. PC = tons of mods, free demos, and hey .. its a computer too No intent to flame whatsoever but if you guys really wanna get into video games PC is strictly where its at.

Also, halo, as good as it is, cant really compete with the onslaught of excellent first person shooters that are offered on pc. Even dated games like half life are, in my opinion, much better than halo. Lets not forget, return to castle wolfenstien , medal of honor, unreal 2003, and lets not forget up and coming sure to be kick *** games such as doom3, unreal 2, duke nukem forever, and raven shield.

 

Thanks everyone I will check it out then.

I just like how we are able to go to blockbuster, rent some games, come home and burn them, and then have them forever. Beats ever having to buy games. You just can't beat $5 a game.


grinomyte--PC games aren't an option for me. We only have one computer in the house, and my husband is ALWAYS on it, either on his website, other message boards, or for school. I need something to keep me busy, other than t.v., while he is in the office on the computer. Thanks though

If I find something, I will post it here and make sure you guys thinks it's legit and a good buy.

 

navigirl,

if you stick with the psII you will still be able to play all of the games you already purchased for psI.

it wont improve the graphics, but you can still play them just like you are doing now.

i dont think there is a great amount of difference in the two systems that makes one dominate over the other, but it would be ashamed to make all your older games unusable by switching gaming platforms.

graphics on both are great, also you will already be familiar with the controller layout that is the same between the two ps systems.

 

Couple of things here:

I scored an amazing deal on an XBox a couple of weeks ago, so I couldn't leave it in the store! However, I have managed to avoid getting totally addicted to it yet. Of course, I could see that changing easily with Halo if I let it!

NaviGirl - I also have a PS1, and there is no comparison between the XBox and the PS1. Of course, as was already mentioned, you could step up to the PS2 and still play all of your PS1 games on it, so that wouldn't be money down the drain.

grinomyte - If you want to do an "apples to apples" comparison, show me a $200 PC that will give you the game play of a PS2/XBox/etc. You can't do it - because in the PC world you can easily spend that much on a high-end video card. Also, show me a PC with a 20"+ monitor that you can fit in a backpack and take to a friends house/on vacation/anywhere. Again - not an option. Sure, you could take a laptop, but you are sacrifing big time in terms of video quality typically. With my XBox, I can throw everything in a backpack and go anywhere that there is a TV and be blasting Covenant in no time! I will agree with you that a PC makes an excellent quality gaming system (with the right components), but bang for the buck the consoles have it beat.

 

Thanks guys....

You do have a point though...if I just upgrade to PS2, then I won't loose all the games we have acquired over the years.

I think I will just stick with what we have for now...and maybe once we have kids, that will be my excuse to upgrade
Although, I am sure they will come out with more games by then...but I am content with what I have.

Besides, I need that extra $200 to fill up my BIG gasoline tank in my Navi (that was for the enviromentalists a-holes)

 

JDMnar. yes yes you have a very valid point. The portablility i cant really argue too much except for us fanatics do have these things called lan bags. oh nevermind its too crazy but. Yes an xbox is a mere 200 bucks or so but you also do have to have a tv. Now you might say most people have a tv but most people have a computer too. Also you can build a system for a mere 1000 bucks and im not talking cheap stuff either. I built one less than 3 months ago for a buddy. AMD 2100 gf4 ti4200 with audigy a really fast hd and a 21 inch monitor to boot. Not to mention all the added features of the use of a computer. Like i said i have no intention of flaming at all but im just lettin you guys know that theres a much better gaming platform that exists out there. Some of the things that the pc can do will blow you away graphically and gameplay wise. I really have yet to see that in a console.

One thing tho, consoles rule at parties and gatherings etc so i cant argue that. . .as good as a pc game might be its boring to have one person playing and others just watching. Also consoles rule in the sports game area. Partly because for some reason, i included, pc gamers typically arent into sports games, must be all the nerdness lol

I guess my big beef is actually with xbox. The thing is truly inferior and honestly ive yet to see a single game that came out of it that was really worthy. Halo yes i know was good, but i can think at least 10 games in the genre that eat it alive. PS2 on the other hand at least has mgs 2 ffx and im sure quite a few other good games out.

Anyway just an idea for some of you to pursue if you like, ill tell you right off if you love video games (and i mean really really love em) pc is the place to be.

 

doh hit submit twice on accident.

^^^^ =

 

You need to check out Morrowind Prophecies...and no the pc version is not better or superior in any way...same goes for Max Payne... The fact that these xbox game versions are 100% as good as any pc version,makes your opinion just that,an opinion.[see the reveiws]
Sony2 is not up to par with the pc versions,but the xbox is.
Xbox will play high def games when the software is there...will your pc?
Sony does not even have dd/dts during gameplay,or is it hdtv capable,not to mention the xbox is a music juke box to boot.

I don't see how anyone could find anything negative to say about x box,other than it has some catching up to do in the software department.
Pc games are generally played by one person and have how many years advantage over XBOX...so lets compare apples to apples here.
You will not catch me hooking up my pc to my 15k audio/video systym anytime soon either...that spot is reserverd for the XBOX.....which btw is more powerful than my pc

 

Well - I on occasion make my money by moving/configuring/installing/etc PCs, and I can safely say that there is no way in h#ll that i am going to lug one around for fun!

Here again - you are overlooking something. The TV doesn't have to meet any special requirements for you to hook an Xbox up to it. If it doesn't have Svideo or composite input, $8.92 will get you an RF Modulator at Wal-Mart and you are good to go. Can you say the same about loading Splinter Cell or any of the other newer, graphics-intensive games on that old Pentium Pro 200 your neighbor has? I don't think so. Sure - if everyone that you visit has your $1000 system, you can take the time and install the software on their PC, and then ONE of you can play it.

Give me $1000 and I will give you an XBox, a new TV AND a PC that will do everything that any non-gamer would require at home.

More versatile? Yes, I would agree with that. Better? You would have to define "better".

This is certainly an opinion, but I can't say that I agree with it.

 

Agreed, they can be heavy. But its sometimes worth it to goto lan parties where you can play in 32 vs 32 games without fear of lag and top it off with all the junk food and beer you can want. The computers not bad, its the 90 pound monitor thats a pain.

nevertheless you still need a tv, and that isnt typically cheap. Course its also a tv, wih tv features, as is a computer with computer features.

About the 1000 bucks your right you can probably get all 3, point taken.

On to ib fast.

First lets take a look at some specs. No doubt you get tons of bang for your buck with an xbox, but were still talking massively dated equipment already. 733 mhz proc, 300 mhz vid processor, and 64 mg or ddr ram (that was a bad mistake considering how cheap ddr is but whatever)

In terms of pure spec, i at least double the proc mgz. On to the video card. The nvidia vid card is based on the vanta chipset which means we're working with directx 7 support. To the laymen this simply means the card wont take advantage of dx8 o r 9 features which include vertex shaders and pixel shaders (very realistic water effects and very impressive hair type effects. Not to mention no AA (takes out jaggies from rendered edges) and with a general lack of ram the texture levels drop dramatically. Also in the sound department, nothing really competes with the audigy 2 in terms of digital sound, period. You can get into the really high end stuff but for a typical home user the audigy two provides the single most advanced piece of digital audio hardware in existence right now.

So with all this in mind this quote is somewhat right but somewhat wrong. Yes the game content is exactly the same but graphically the xbox just cant step. Max Payne is a little older and ive seen it rendered on xbox rather well, but the textures are lowered, the poly count isnt as high, and overall the graphical marvel of the game just isnt done justice on the xbox, esp with a regular tv. Just goto the www.maxpayne.com and take a good look at the screen shots, not to mention the xboxb screens are rendered on a computer, so your gettin the high resolution that you wont at home.

As for morrowind i havent seen it on xbox but i can tell right off the no dx8 support means the game just wont look as outright gorgeous as it did on the original render.

The plain and simple is graphically pc takes the lead if you have the lead end pc. Not saying that everyone does, or even wants one, but the option exists and its far suprior.

Sound wise again, pc takes the cake. As we move on to fully rendered 7.1 audio (yes its pushing it too far but hey ill take whatever is thrown at me) sound in games are becoming more and more brilliant and in multiplayer games, a real necessity.

I think its gettin plainly obviuos where the hardware stands, its a little old. But graphics dont really make a game, its what the game has to offer. In which case im gonna have to say the pc wins again. You said PC games were mostly single player, which is somewhat true. Most games are pointed in that direction. The one thing that i cant argue that the xbox has is, with one, you can invite your buddies over for brews and play with a bunch of people and everyones gonna have fun, you just cant do that with a pc which is somewhat of a downer.

However multiplaying on pc's has existed for many years, all the way back when doom was played so much it shut down major internet lines across the country due to traffic. Nowadays its gone much further with a vast number of first person shooter multiplayer games and not to mention ( the greater evil) massively multiplayer online role playing games, where you walk in worlds and see hundreds of people all which are people just like you at computers in theyre homes. Top this all off with a keyboard (a nice feature for multiplay) and voice chat and the pc becomes the ultimate multiplayer platform. For the extremist ( i dont even mess with this) you can have multiple pcs but its rather costly. Depending on the situation i say its somewhat tied out. If your looking for party fun, then yes xbox is it. But for good online fun, its definately in the computer. And if you guys think your addicted you should see everquest people. Ive heard of more divorces, job loss, family breakups and general social breakdown due to that game than anything else period. ( i guess aside from poor upbringings, which are way to common these days)

Lastly, i think one of the greatest things that console gamers never grasp about pc games is the versitility. Go buy half life for pc and youve just bought about 300 games for the price of one. HL mod community is beyond large. Im sure youve heard of counterstrike, guess what its a free mod and its the single largest fps online community in existence. There are just tons of others all for free many of which have landed magazine reviews, public boxed releases, and overall praise from the community. Day of defeat, opera, action, just to name a few.

Theres more, remember maxpayne. If you wanted to play the game as neo from the matrix and kick and punch people in the slo mo, no problem, its a free mod. Morrowind, has a very large collection of official mods that expand your adventures. Pretty much every game has a huge mod list to expand your fun, all for free.

So in all i gotta say, if your willing to pay you should really consider hooking up the pc to that 15k system. It wont be useful when you have friends over, but itll be a blast when you startup unreal tourny 2003 for the first time esp if you have an hd tv.

Ok sorry for long post, i have too much time on my hands at work. Anyway, again i dont intend to flame but i just thought you guys outta consider it. Ive been a pretty avid video game fan for a long time (both console and pc) and i just think that pc takes the cake. The only real exception ive seen is sports games where consoles just kick ***. I dont know if this will convince anyone as it does take quite a bit of initial investment, but check it out and im sure youll be impressed.

Lastly, boy does it suck to try aiming without a mouse.
Good times!