DELEMA

[the_embalmer]

Do we buy a Wii or an X-Box 360?

We are swaying towards the X-box, but would like some input before jumping all the way in.
We like multiplayer style games that we can play together, but I personally also like the Nintendo specific games like Metroid and Zelda, how do we get the best of both worlds??
Help!!!

Comments

Wherein Ryan writes a novel of geekery

[saucepolicy]

I get to listen to these debates all day long at work and there's no perfect answer. It all comes down to what ~you~ most want to play. I know that you're a huge Metroid/ Zelda fan and in that respect you traditionally have no recourse other than to buy a Wii. That said, the Wii is little more than a Gamecube with an innovative motion controller. It is not a step forward in power by any means and so far it's barely living up to the hype of being a step forward in the way we interact with games. That does not mean that the games are bad, they just will never be as pretty (especially in HD). Also, as with most Nintendo consoles the best games are going to be done by Nintendo themselves and they will be few and far between. Expect your Wii to collect dust for months on end while you wait for another 1st party (Nintendo) title. 3rd party titles (like Wrestling games, for instance) will often be half-assed ports of Xbox360 or Playstation2 titles with downgraded graphics and imperfect, tacked-on motion controls-- that's just a sad economic reality of creating games on multiple platforms at once. The online capabilities (i.e., playing friends over the internet) is not nearly as sophisticated as the Xbox or Playstation 3.

Now, regarding the HD revolution, unless you actually have an HD TV (and a large one at that), using Blu-Ray or HD-DVD as a deciding factor is largely moot. You're not going to notice much of a difference on traditional televisions.

Finally, if you're debating Playstation3 vs. Xbox360, the Playstion 3 is technically more powerful, but it's also a huge pain in the ass to develop for. Currently there are far less titles available for the PS3 and they are not coming out in large numbers yet. This is of course understandable since the PS3 came out nearly a year later than the Xbox360. For games that appear on both platforms, it has been troubling to observe that many times the Xbox version is more stable (less framerate issues, glitching, etc.) because it's often the one developed first. The remaining time is devoted to moving it to the PS3, sometimes much later. That is not to say that the PS3 will ultimately lose the console war, but I think it's going to be another year before it's truly viable for anyone but hardcore games. Unless you really want to jump to HD now, in which case it's one of the cheapest Blu-Ray players available. The fact that it plays games becomes just a bonus.

I don't really think PC gaming is an avenue that is viable for you. Sure, some games play and look better on them, but it also requires a significantly higher investment, as well as regular video card and other hardware upgrades to remain ahead of the tech curve. It becomes a monkey on your back.

Personally I feel that for your level of interest in gaming, the Xbox360 is the right choice this year. It's also significantly cheaper than the Playstation3 (though more expensive than a Wii). You should play Zelda on my Wii and get it out of your system. You could even buy a Nintendo DS and play its Zelda and Metroid games on the go.

Just my two cents.

Re: Wherein Ryan writes a novel of geekery

[the_embalmer]

very good points, thanks
looking more and more like an X-box may be in our near future.
I am playing Zelda now, but have only scratched the surface of the game, its looks to be quite epic as the Zelda games usually are.
Did you finish it?
How long did it take?
With my schedule I can only get in an hr or two of play a day, and I would feel bad holding on to your system for an extended amount of time.
When do you think we will start seeing the Wii's on the used market?

Re: Wherein Ryan writes a novel of geekery

[saucepolicy]

You are more than welcome to keep the Wii until you finish Zelda (or longer, really). I really only need Zack and Wiki back at some point (to show to a team at work for research), but even that's not a high priority. As I mentioned, we hadn't even hooked the Wii back up after another friend borrowed it. I have a stack of games on the 360 that are getting all of my very limited free time.

Oh, and Zelda took me about 40 hours to finish, but I tend to go very slowly and explore every corner.

Re: Wherein Ryan writes a novel of geekery

[the_embalmer]

Cool thanks!
yeah I tend to be an explorer too.
But really, just give a tap on the shoulder if you need it back sooner for any reason.

Thanks again