If Next-Gen Is Too Pricey Go Retro 109
Via RetroGaming with Racketboy, a story in the San Francisco Chronicle suggesting that you go retro if the new consoles are too expensive. They single out the (still excellent) Sega Dreamcast console as the best buy for your money vs. enjoyment. The folks at SF Gate also mention several other older games and consoles that will allow modern gamers their fun without breaking the bank. From the article: "Scenario 4: I'm poorer than any of the characters from 'Angela's Ashes' but not quite as poor as Jim Braddock's family when the heat got shut off in 'Cinderella Man.' (I pulled this newspaper out of the recycling bin at BART.): You've presented a challenge, but not an impossible one. I saw a copy of the PC game Grim Fandango, a complete masterpiece that most people never played, for $6 on eBay. Since it came out in 1998, you can probably find an abandoned computer on the curb that will play it. You'll be experiencing about 98.5 percent of the fun that the Getty heir who bought the PS3 is having, at about 1 percent of the price. "
Exactly right (Score:1, Interesting)
A new spin on it (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:sad (Score:2, Interesting)
You can emulate damned near everything from the Atari 2600 to the Playstation, and in some cases get better results than with the original system.
LK
Re:A new spin on it (Score:2, Interesting)
I do still actually own the cartridges so it's legal too!
Really? You sure about that? Which part of Title 17 of the United States Code do you read as permitting reproduction into a different media for the purpose of playing (private performance)? 117 might apply, but you didn't reproduce the contents as an archival step, you made a transformation into a different media. Space-shifting as a fair use was built atop the Audio Home Recording Act's carveout, so I don't think RIAA v. Diamond helps you here (though happy to be proven wrong).
I'm not saying it's legal. Or that it's not. Just that it's anything but clear-cut.
Indie Games (Score:3, Interesting)
The Independent Games Festival [igf.com] is a good start. And to make things easier, there are a many sites and blogs that review indie games and make recommendations: the2bears [the2bears.com] and Shoot the Core [moonpod.com] cover shoot-em ups/STGs; Jay is Games [jayisgames.com] handles flash and casual games; and TIGSource [tigsource.com] (for which I'm an editor), Independent Gaming [blogspot.com], and Game Tunnel [gametunnel.com] cover all genres of games. You can expect to find some overlapping, but they each have plenty to search through.
Re:Blah,blah,blah,Zonk,PS3 too expensive,FUD,blah, (Score:3, Interesting)
So far, while my PS3 sampling is anything but thorough, I am yet to see any engines that are any more advanced than anything on the PS2. Graphics? Nice, and I can't argue with the sharpness. (On TV equipment I don't own, but that topic's been done to death.)
I'm sure some Grand Theft Auto 4 sort of thing will eventually knock my socks off (Grand Theft Auto 3 was the first PS2 game that I saw that I really felt like the Dreamcast couldn't have handled), but we're not there yet.
Nintendo gets the nod here, because the controller means that even though there may well never be a Wii game with an engine that the PS2 couldn't technically have handled competently, the PS2 (and the rest of the current generation) wouldn't be able to let you interact with the engine. So maybe they won't be richer or more powerful but at least they'll be different.
Game engines: The underappreciated component of gaming fun.
I'm going to have to agree with the article (Score:5, Interesting)
If you (like I) am a nostalgia style gamer there's so much fun to be had.
Graphics and online aren't everything, for those of us who enjoy a good single player experience with a good storyline - graphics help but aren't the be all and end all.
I could go into naming all the games but I don't see much point, it's opinion which counts - the fact is the PS2 and Xbox are cheap, a PC which will run games from 1985 (yes 85) to 2000 is dirt cheap and that's 15 years of gaming right there.
Now, some of it is despicably bad and just unplayable (example, X-Wing 1, fantastic game but I re-tried it recently and sorry but 320x200 is no good - it's just TOO blocky, specially on the big screens we all own now)
However Monkey Island 1, Loom, even the 256 colour version of Zak McCracken are all perfectly good games despite being dead old.
There's No one Lives forever a nice FPS with, frankly a fucking great storyline - awesome camp humour and good gameplay - it's seriously like they packed about 15 bond movies into one game.
The PS1 games will work on the PS2 and well the Xbox may have the least games for it but it can be used for NES / SNES / other old console emulation and a media centre (plus KOTOR, Fable, Psychonauts, Beyond good and Evil, Jade Empire)
I for one intend to finish Wing Commander 3 soon - it's a great game also and yet any old crappy PC can run it now.
I would recommend people go to Metacritic and pull up their listing of top games on the platforms - then pick and chose what you like.
Also be sure to get a modified PS2 or Xbox and load the games to the hard disk, if you've purchased a second hand unit of either the laser assembly could be somewhat worn and the faster load times are the ONLY way to play games in my opinion, screw noisy, slow, seeking discs
Here's the blog of a chap I know who focuses primarily on older games for the cheap price.
(excellent game on the main page at the moment too)
http://roushimsx.livejournal.com/ [livejournal.com]
Oh and the final good bulletpoint for you guys, the PS3, Xbox 360 and even the Wii will ALL still be there after you submerse yourself in a land of nostalgia for 6 months - only there will be MORE games, and CHEAPER games plus the systems could be cheaper too.
Personally, I'm hoping to hold out a good 12 - > 18 months.
Good luck.