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Quality goes cheap...
Data Crystal
Pencil Artist
in Zocalo v2.0
So, now it's official. The Nintendo GameCube has been going for 99 dollars in the US for a while now, and in Europe the price is soon dropping to a 100e's. So, even though this is a highly concentrated pc-bunch, I highly recommend taking one home.
I don't know why this makes me feel damn gloomy because if anything, the price drop should tremendously boost the sales of the console and it's overall support... It's probably just the fact that they even HAD to drop the price to get the people's attention that's bugging me, it's just unbelievable to me. Sure, we're talking about a console that's made by Nintendo and it's pretty cute and some of the games aren't all black, grey & brown as every game nowadays _SHOULD_ be but...
I'm not exactly certain why I'm writing this here either, this hardly seems like a thing to rant about but it just pisses me off. I paid a full 199 from my console right in the beginning but that doesn't bother me one bit, it's more than paid for itself in every aspect. That's not what bothers me at all... It's just that are we like this? Us gamers, that is. Most of us play something game-based here, every new release of a major computer / console game brings up something in at least few individuals here, everone's drooling for HL2 and hell, we wouldn't even be here if it wouldn't have been for a Babylon 5 -based game that never got to be. Is the world really this now? If every game on one platform isn't about killing someone, fighting a bloody war or torturing your fellow man it's considered a 'kid' thing? Really, I almost find this freakin' revolting, makes me want to go out there and blow my brains out...
Ahh... ok, I think I should stop now, I'm just venting here, I just got depressed allofasudden and I don't know exactly why but this whole GC pricedrop -thingy seemed to trigger it. Sound ridiculous, I know, but still...
Ah, fine. Mainly I just wanted to say that I bought the bugger in 02 -a few months after it's release- and the whole experience took me WAY back, back to a frame of mind I thought I'd forgot completely already. Do any of you guys remember the "good old days" when you genuinely felt that the game you played was purely fun, no matter how simple the idea or how simple the idea of the game was? Pong? Old platformers? Arcades? Basically, just having fun playing a game that wasn't meant to be an expression of art or something that appeals to your dark side. When you had fun just hopping around with those 3 pixels or bumping a pixel with a row of pixels and you'd just stay there playing for hours utterly amazed by how something so simple could possibly be so much fun and that it actually interested you? That's what the 'Cube brought up in me, even if it was for only a few hours, that's something I think people can't really put a price on...
I'm not stating here that Retro is the way to go, I'm just saying that the modern games have lost the original thing that brought people to them in the first place. They aren't exactly fun anymore. The industry's grown up, and so have the games. I mean, I love some of the new titles, Tron 2.0, both Thief -games, both System Shocks, but now that I think of it, the reason I like them is that they offer something new or completely unprecedented, something that you've never either seen or tried before.So in effect, they capured part of the thrill of trying out something completely new, which is imho one of the biggest reasons why we play these games at all. It's just that the current "games for the masses" -scene where every new game is a repetition of the old killing & maiming & blowing things up is really starting to get me down... and the fact that very few people are willing to try anything new anymore, or that those trying to offer new ideas are usually spat upon and driven bankrupt. More or less.
Agh, I don't even know what I'm writing about here anymore, turned into quite a rant. Don't slaughter me for this, I'm probably not in the sanest possible mood right now, but my opinions are the same nevertheless.
That about covers it, and I'm tired of typing already. Just wanted to say that if you want to open the window of the built-with-shit black box you currently live in to get a breath of fresh air, the opportunity's out there.
And if you want to do the same when it comes to video games, it's only 99 bucks.
Highly recommended.
Out.
I don't know why this makes me feel damn gloomy because if anything, the price drop should tremendously boost the sales of the console and it's overall support... It's probably just the fact that they even HAD to drop the price to get the people's attention that's bugging me, it's just unbelievable to me. Sure, we're talking about a console that's made by Nintendo and it's pretty cute and some of the games aren't all black, grey & brown as every game nowadays _SHOULD_ be but...
I'm not exactly certain why I'm writing this here either, this hardly seems like a thing to rant about but it just pisses me off. I paid a full 199 from my console right in the beginning but that doesn't bother me one bit, it's more than paid for itself in every aspect. That's not what bothers me at all... It's just that are we like this? Us gamers, that is. Most of us play something game-based here, every new release of a major computer / console game brings up something in at least few individuals here, everone's drooling for HL2 and hell, we wouldn't even be here if it wouldn't have been for a Babylon 5 -based game that never got to be. Is the world really this now? If every game on one platform isn't about killing someone, fighting a bloody war or torturing your fellow man it's considered a 'kid' thing? Really, I almost find this freakin' revolting, makes me want to go out there and blow my brains out...
Ahh... ok, I think I should stop now, I'm just venting here, I just got depressed allofasudden and I don't know exactly why but this whole GC pricedrop -thingy seemed to trigger it. Sound ridiculous, I know, but still...
Ah, fine. Mainly I just wanted to say that I bought the bugger in 02 -a few months after it's release- and the whole experience took me WAY back, back to a frame of mind I thought I'd forgot completely already. Do any of you guys remember the "good old days" when you genuinely felt that the game you played was purely fun, no matter how simple the idea or how simple the idea of the game was? Pong? Old platformers? Arcades? Basically, just having fun playing a game that wasn't meant to be an expression of art or something that appeals to your dark side. When you had fun just hopping around with those 3 pixels or bumping a pixel with a row of pixels and you'd just stay there playing for hours utterly amazed by how something so simple could possibly be so much fun and that it actually interested you? That's what the 'Cube brought up in me, even if it was for only a few hours, that's something I think people can't really put a price on...
I'm not stating here that Retro is the way to go, I'm just saying that the modern games have lost the original thing that brought people to them in the first place. They aren't exactly fun anymore. The industry's grown up, and so have the games. I mean, I love some of the new titles, Tron 2.0, both Thief -games, both System Shocks, but now that I think of it, the reason I like them is that they offer something new or completely unprecedented, something that you've never either seen or tried before.So in effect, they capured part of the thrill of trying out something completely new, which is imho one of the biggest reasons why we play these games at all. It's just that the current "games for the masses" -scene where every new game is a repetition of the old killing & maiming & blowing things up is really starting to get me down... and the fact that very few people are willing to try anything new anymore, or that those trying to offer new ideas are usually spat upon and driven bankrupt. More or less.
Agh, I don't even know what I'm writing about here anymore, turned into quite a rant. Don't slaughter me for this, I'm probably not in the sanest possible mood right now, but my opinions are the same nevertheless.
That about covers it, and I'm tired of typing already. Just wanted to say that if you want to open the window of the built-with-shit black box you currently live in to get a breath of fresh air, the opportunity's out there.
And if you want to do the same when it comes to video games, it's only 99 bucks.
Highly recommended.
Out.
Comments
Anyway.
When I saw the price drop, I went to Wal-mart (today, actually) and was extremely tempted to purchase one on the spot (My engligh class was canceled and I forgot, so I had an hour to bust before my next class started. Stupid college) And when I searched through the games, I was... shocked... to see titles such as "Splinter Cell" and... and... damn my memory. Anywho. Quite a few games on th roster weren't those kiddie games I origionally saw. Infact, one of the new Metal Gear Solid games is suppose to be a "Gamecube Exclusive". Enough incentive for me, being a die hard MGS fan.
I guess you oculd say I'm a more violence oriented gamer, owning titles such as GTA3, Vice City, Splinter Cell, MGS2:Substance, Quake III, Unreal Tournament, Operation Flashpoint, but in all honesty, it's not the violence that I enjoy (okay.. I do love the occasional headshot on UT, BUT WHO DOESNT! :)) but the competitive drive behind wanting to beat the game. Ever since I was little, I would buy a game withthe intent to [i]win[/i]. Marathon, Mortal Kombat 2, etc...
...dear lord. I've started ranting, too. hehehehe...
The moral of the story is: It's sad that it's taken such a price drop to get people interested in this system, but hopefully this will boost the sales, along with the inclusion of a more... wider variety of games.
But what are you ranting about? Are you saying GC is the only console with "good" non-violent games? Because it isn't, and classifying games as "violent" and "non-violent" is just stupid; I buy so-called violent games because they are fun. I never really thought Pong was a great game because it was simple; why are less advanced games better? I never got into gaming until I started playing StarCraft... I liked the complexity, the strategy, and the story. I don't like simple games, I don't like violent games, I like [i]good[/i] games.
My rant is over, too. :)
They did no advertising/marketing, just believing that their name alone would sell the console. But the problem is that everywhere you look you see an X-Box Add, a comercial, an article in a mag etc...
And the fact that we now get the first(!) price-cut in europe (nintendo of europe said until now: "people buy the console, why should we drop the price?", when the X-Box and PS2 had the same price after their price-cuts, and they had DVD-player capabilities... every noob that has no idea of the hardware or quality games thus took the x-box (and the ps2 to some extend).
Makers of good consoles not so long ago ?
I had both a genesis(megadrive), and the next one along, whose name totally escapes me. Great console.
That doesnt mean instant success.
X-box and Playstation do not survive on console sales, in fact, according to most industry pundits, they make a loss on consoles, they survive and thrive on royalties from software developers whom they do absolutely everything they can to encourage them to take up the console. they try and make it easy to program for them, give them support and tools to build with etc etc.
titles = success
Nintendo just doesnt have enough titles to tip the balance in thier favour. I'm pretty sure Nintendo will become either a publisher or a developer for one of the other consoles or for PC games.
It sold allot of consoles. Many parents I've spoken to use their XB/PS2 as their primary DVD player (and a few use them as secondary ones).
I predicted at GDC way back when that the 3" minidisk would be a flop. I hate to be right, but, well, to quote Arnold..."where there's smoke..."
The good news is that I hear that the next generation nintendo will address just this, but it may be too little, too late. One of the great frustrations the buyers (not neccessarily the players) have is that every new nintendo uses new formats...there is no backward compatability. The PS2 raised the bar in that arena. I'm sure that XB2 will have emulator capability as well.
On to the XB2: We know already that XB2 will use ATI Video (!), and there is a rumor floating about that XB2 will use the same IBM-made PowerPC chip that powers Apple's G5 line of PCs. Now [b][i]that's[/b][/i] horsepower....
-R.
[B]
I had both a genesis(megadrive), and the next one along, whose name totally escapes me. Great console.
[/B][/QUOTE]
Saturn?
Dreamcast?
Most likely you're talking about Saturn, it came after Megadrive.
[B]Nintendo's fatal error was underestimating the demand that Millenium Generation console users wanted DVD capabilities.
It sold allot of consoles. Many parents I've spoken to use their XB/PS2 as their primary DVD player (and a few use them as secondary ones). [/B][/QUOTE]
I have to say, i don't fully agree: The problem with such multiple purpose devices is, that the disc-drive is stressed more than with just single purpose devices, and if it dies, both your DVD player and the console are gone. Also a major problem i think is the "online" hype. Everywhere you hear that X-Box and PS2 is online capable (noone ever mentioned that the GC was the first console where online play was started, at least here in Europe the broadband and modem adapters + PSO were released before X-Box Live, and onlineplay worked)
[B][QUOTE]
I predicted at GDC way back when that the 3" minidisk would be a flop. I hate to be right, but, well, to quote Arnold..."where there's smoke..."
[/B][/QUOTE]
But the good thing about it is that software piracy isn't that big a problem like on the X-Box or PS2.
[B][QUOTE]
One of the great frustrations the buyers (not neccessarily the players) have is that every new nintendo uses new formats...there is no backward compatability. The PS2 raised the bar in that arena. I'm sure that XB2 will have emulator capability as well.
[/B][/QUOTE] I totally agree. Though it still might be possible to do a GC2-GC backwars compatibility (at least the GC uses a disk ;) )
[B][QUOTE]
On to the XB2: We know already that XB2 will use ATI Video (!), and there is a rumor floating about that XB2 will use the same IBM-made PowerPC chip that powers Apple's G5 line of PCs. Now [b][i]that's[/b][/i] horsepower....
[/B][/QUOTE]
A horse power that's allready in the GC nowadays...
I still think that with a decent marketing Campaign the GC would have easily surpassed the X-Box in sales.
[B]But what are you ranting about? Are you saying GC is the only console with "good" non-violent games? Because it isn't, and classifying games as "violent" and "non-violent" is just stupid; I buy so-called violent games because they are fun. I never really thought Pong was a great game because it was simple; why are less advanced games better? I never got into gaming until I started playing StarCraft... I liked the complexity, the strategy, and the story. I don't like simple games, I don't like violent games, I like [i]good[/i] games.
My rant is over, too. :) [/B][/QUOTE]
Noo... not saying that at all. I love violence in games, it's one of those great stress-relievers that you just can't beat. You don't want to beat a man to a pulp IRL, if you want to even consider trying, it's better that you do that in a game.
And it's not the violence, GC's jam-packed with different levels of violent games too, just that it also offers those less-selling titles that took me back so many years. Coveting after lost innocence or some such when it comes to games, I suppose...
And as for Sega, it still kills me that Dreamcast never got the success it deserved. Anyone who's either seen and/or tried either the Shen Mue series on DC or Soul Calibur know it was WAY ahead of it's time when it comes to tech. DC's Soul Calibur 1's graphics have only now been surpassed by consoles, and we're talking about a machine that came out in 1998... In fact, the moment I heard that the soon-to-be-released Nintendo GameCube was the platform that Namco's Soul Calibur 2 was primarily developed to, I decided to buy the damn thing. :) And that's coming from a hardcore PC-man who hadn't owned a console before.
And if I'd be the type that bets, I'd bet 10 to 1 on the fact that the GC's successor is backwards compatible. If nothing else, even if this price drop kills the GC for good, it at least spreads the console and it's games enough so that the potential buyers of the 'new' console are intrigued by the possibility of their games being backwards compatible.
"We have a bunch of games already. We can play them AND the new ones on this one? Cool. "
That's the way Sony went, that's where the future is. Even for Nintendo, they must've seen that by now.
And about the DVD, thingy: The GC2 will definitely have a DVD -playback possibility. That's such a standard already after PS2 & XBOX that Nintendo can't afford to back out on that. And because it spins discs, it's most probably backwards compatible too. The GC games are dvd's. just 3,5 -format. :) But anyways, I actually considered all three consoles, but since I knew that I'd only want to play games with it, I liked the idea of a pure game console that didn't have any included thingamabobs that -even if stated otherwise- raise the price. GC was the cheapest of the three from the beginning, and it still is. I like that, because the quality of the games is still top-notch.
Although I do admit that I'm easy to please. To me it probably would have been enough to get Soul Calibur 2 to the console, so far Rogue Squadron 2, Resident Evil, RE Zero, Pikmin, The new Mortal Kombat and Wind Waker have been just major added bonuses. :)
In fact, I think I'll shut down me' comp now and take a few rounds of SC2... IMHO the best beat'em-up out there. and my listing includes all the Virtua Fighters, One Must Fall, Street Fighters, Sango Fighter, Stick Fighter 2, Primal Rage & Mortal Kombat's 1-5. Beats 'em all. Actually left me thniking... am I the only one to think that there hasn't been a decent fighting game for the PC after One Must Fall 2097 and Virtua Fighter 2? Guess not. Damn.
G'night.
*plugs out cord*
They are undercuting the other two by making it 99$ cuz Sony and M$ cannot afford to lower there prices again. Might make them force there hand into the next console, killing the sales of the current console and then after they come out nintendo can release the next console by them. Killing all and being #1 again. :D
"They are a dying people, let them pass."
My roomate just bought his second XBox because the thing jusst couldnt read any discs.
thing is maybe 15 months old.
should never happen, and i doubt it would with a nintendo product.
[B]should never happen, and i doubt it would with a nintendo product. [/B][/QUOTE]
[i]*ahem*[/i] 8-bit Nintendo!! [i]*ahem*[/i]
[B] And when I searched through the games, I was... shocked... to see titles such as "Splinter Cell" and... and... damn my memory. [/B][/QUOTE]
Gotta watch on these though..... not the same release version, and some of these titles are slimmed down versions of Xbox releases or PC ones.... I bought Ghost Recon for our GC and was fairly dissapointed with how stripped down it was....
Price drops??? I can remember friends who WAITED in line to fork out about $700 for an XBox when they came out and now they're what.... $199? Maybe?
Was always a nintendo person myself, but the release notes on the new Playstation thats supposed to be announced next week sounds like it'll blow GC and XBox away.....