Being into games as much as we all are, I think most of you will understand what a sad, sad situation it is when one is torn between two games that look completely and utterly awesome.  Especially when the purchase of aforementioned games means that one will have to choose not only between the games themselves, but the systems they run on (at least, for a time anyway).

Enter the Nintendo Wii, and the MS X-Box 360.  The Wii looks to be a small box of fun, even if it?s not a small box of technological wonder.  The little white box promises to revolutionize the control of future gaming, has the star power (a la Mario, Link, Samus, etc.) to back it up, and not hurt the wallet all that much.  The 360, on the other hand, is a powerhouse, designed to push polygons to bounds they have not yet known.  It?s gaming library is not very large yet, but it?s got some great titles out, and more son the way.  Ah, decisions, decisions.

The games that act as the opposite ends of my virtual gaming torture rack are The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Gears of War.  Both games that I am sure I?ll enjoy, and both that fill me with that nice, fuzzy gamer feeling when I check out their trailers and screenshots.  Being a highly anticipated election night, I find it suitable to present both sides of my argument, and if you, the reader, would like to, you may add your vote (and hopefully a little persuasive reasoning along with it) in the comments section of this blog.

I?m excited about the Wii because of a few things.  First and foremost, it looks like fun.  Working my way through a reportedly 50-70+ hour game of Zelda and using my motions as Link?s cues to slash his sword sounds awesome, and every report I?ve read on the subject have been nothing but gushing praise and admiration for the scope and quality of this game, and others.  There are quite a few other titles that look like they?ll be great, and the option of playing virtual console games and old Game Cube games (you can find used ones for dirt cheap at game stores) would be cool as well.  On top of all that, you?ve got a price that clocks in much lower than any of the competition, and you?ve got a pretty good deal looking at you.

There are only two things that concern me about he Wii ? that the controller could still become a gimmicky thing, and that the power of the system just won?t be able to keep up in developers? eyes.  I mostly don?t think the controller will become a gimmick, since Nintendo has been very dedicated to creating quality stylus experiences on the DS (a similar matter), and frankly, I don?t think they would have designed an entire system around a concept like the Wiimote without thinking it all the way through.  Third party developer support is what most worries me, but Nintendo is heading out of the gate strong, so that is still very much in the hands of how consumers react to the product.  Hopefully the lack of horsepower under the hood will not deter many as they enjoy themselves with the new control setup.

The 360 looks great to me for a much different reason than the Wii ? I?ve played it!  The system has CPU power to spare, and the games I?ve played for it look incredible, and are not a hollow, graphics-only experience. I really enjoyed the internal interface, and had a good time goofing around with X-Box Live, downloading and playing game trailers, demos, etc.  The wireless controller with rumble is completely awesome, and everything is very easy to use and fun to play around with.  Being able to interface the system with an existing computer network and exchange media between PC and 360is also a plus.  Microsoft has really learned from their past mistakes, and it?s easy to say that I like what I see.

That said, there are things that concern me about the X-Box 360 as well.  The system has been out for a full year now, and there still doesn?t seem to be all that many games out for it.  I almost want to say that it seems that developers are waiting around for the other two consoles before they really start firing on all cylinders, but there is no truth to this, so far as I know.  Perhaps it?s just that with bigger storage, and more processing power, games are taking longer to create for the ?next-gen? systems?  Regardless of the time it takes to develop a game, there is one thing I am sure that is increasing with the inclusion of higher definition content, and that is the price of games.  Price is an issue for me with the 360 in general.  $400 for the console (if I bother getting one, I?m getting a good one), $60 for games, and a small subscription fee for X-Box Live.  That, versus the $250 for the Wii console, $50 for games, and no subscription fee, looks pretty weak.  Hard to say though, because the production value is definitely there in the 360.

So why am I really writing this now?  Why did I write up a huge blog that many of you out there will probably just skim through? Because I am largely considering getting a 360 tomorrow, with the release of Gears of War.  I?ve got the day off, I?ve got an extra bit of money coming to me this month, and I?m dying for some entertainment.  Should I get a 360?  Should I hold out for a Wii?  Should I just screw the whole thing and stick to my regiment of Counter-Strike: Source and various other games?  You decide, ?06.

By the way, to everyone who read every last bit of this mess, I appreciate that, and any input you might leave for me!  Thanks!

Why not get both! *laugh*

Now I will warn you, I may be a bit bias here on my decision, as I have been getting Nintendo products since the NES.  But I personally would wait to get my hands on a Wii than running out for an X-Box 360.  Main reason?  Game selection.

Right now, the Wii has more titles I am interested it (most being around at launch) then the X-Box 360 (which has been out an entire year).  Nintendo also seems to have some major game points coming down the pipe as well (Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Galaxies, Metroid Prime III) so if you plan to only get one console for a long time, the Wii seems like the a better option if you want game selection.

The Wii also brings something new to the table.  Unlike the other consoles which are just more powerful versions of previous gen (with minor changes or updates).  The Wii seems to be adding a lot of innovation to their build.  The controller is an obvious, but some smaller details like Mii's and the channels are also new directions.  (I personally can't wait to make a Mii and pwn in Wii Sports with a goofy guy that represents me)

I guess, for me having every single Nintendo console, it's a no brainer which console I'm going to be buying first.  And it comes with a low price point to boot!  Gives me more cash to put into getting more games rather than into the hardware itself.  For me, game selection is above all else.  And from what I've seen, Nintendo appears to be making the most games I am looking forward to owning.

~Brandon

Steve Jobs once made a comment that went like "software sells hardware". That comment is very much how I feel about this current "console battle". At the moment wii seems to have the software that I like the best but that may change. Furthermore, wii has that "innovation" thing that the other consoles seem to lack, however, the 360 (or rather MS) has Peter Molyneux and Lionhead producing games exclusively for them, but given the time (3 years at least) that lionhead needs to make games, It'll be a while before we see any of those promised games.

While wii has a few gimmicky features (eg. mii's), I'm certainly leaning towards that console if only for the game selection. (a lot like Shaltif). 

I will buy the XBOX 360 somewhere down the line, primarily for Oblivion, Mass Effect (by BioWare), and Halo 3.

I need to take a look at Gears of War I suppose (since you might be a buying a system because of it, heh).

Personally niether of those consoles has anything at all I'm interested in.  The 360 games all look a bit dull and PC-like (and I already owned the first Xbox and was so unimpressed I sold it on soon after), and the Wii stuff really does look gimmicky (and nothing kills my being immersed in a game more than seeing my own arm flailing around in front of me) and I hated the DS games that used the stylus and touchscreen crap.

For me this is the best time to get some real cheap bargains for current consoles.  Plenty of games, as good as if not better, than most of the stuff coming out are now dropping in price.  And most of them should run on the next console I buy (well I PS3 should be able to play my PS2 games, I ain't sure if the other consoles are fully compatible with their predecessors games, that xbox patch business sounds idiotic).  Have bought so many more games in last 6 months than I usually do.  Am bit behind with them all too...

I too am not overly fussed with the next gen, yet.

I bought the PS2 and Gamecube and launch, and an Xbox eventually.  All great machines in their own way.

However, the 360 just hasn't attracted me yet.  It really does seem to be turning into a PC in the style of games it offers - this is just a personal thing, but FPSs, racing games etc... it's not what I enjoy playing to be honest.

The Wii is interesting, but I'm not convinced yet.  I was ultimately disappointed with the DS - for me good games are good games.  A novel control method is interesting at first, but after 10 minutes it's all about the game.  Good games are good games, no matter how they are played.  I eventually sold my DS, I just became fed up of buying highly rated games and being fed up with them after half an hour.

I am look forward to the PS3 more at this stage.  But that's not really based on the machine itself, more what the PS2 offered.  The PS2 has far and away the best range of software of the last generation, and I guess I'm hoping the PS3 will offer the same stuff.

Of course, the truth is I play games far far less than I used to, so it's pretty academic.  If I bought a Wii or 360 any time soon, R2S9 might never get released...

well, personally, what i've read has been to the contrary.  i have read from gushing from income-driven game press (magazines, websites like ign, et al); but you must really consider that they are being pampered directly by nintendo.  of course they're going to sing nothing but praises.

i must say that i find it a bit odd that nintendo has not allowed anyone to play the gamecube version of the game.  are they afraid of something?  like, perhaps people we be able to fully understand that it does have the preferred control scheme (since it was in fact designed directly for it; and has been in dev for almost 5 years as such)?  dunno.  but it's pretty strange to me.  the n needs a big wii launch game, and without tp, they really have absolutely nothing.

here's a couple of blogs - cutting out the pr b.s. - on their experiences with the wii rev of twilight princess
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scary thing about this one is that this cat is clearly a loz fanatic to the highest degree:
http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/message?board.id=zelda&message.id=2073581#M2073581


here's one more that's super recent (and it's more indifferent, so it's nice to have a balanced perspective):
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/feature/handson-the-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess-212137.php

and a quote from some guy at the kotaku blog site in an open question/answer session:
"Q: Above all, is this game TOTALLY AWESOME?
 A: The game has an epic feel, no doubt. I'm not taking back my disappointment with some of the graphics and some of the controls, but overall I had a great time playing. Zelda fans will be pleased. (And who isn't a Zelda fan?)"

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man, you must really love multi-platform shovel ports and kid's cartoon license games  :P
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/the-best-buy-papers/rumor-the-wii-launch-day-games-212451.php

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anyhow, i'm not trying to be negative at all.  in fact, i hope it turns out super dope.  but, for me, it's all about being cautious and not buying into too much hype.  it's definitely a "must experience myself before i ever will truly know" type of deal.

i'd suggest just waiting until the wii hits, play it yourself, and then you can truly know where you should place your moolah.

and, i agree with fugly 186.25% - it's all about the games.  if the game is well designed and super fun, then i could play it with my toaster for all i care.  just rock out the wonderful games and make us all happy  :)

From that list:

Wii-Call of Duty 3
Wii-Excite Truck
Wii-Gt Pro Series
Wii-Metal Slug Anthology
Wii-Red Steel
Wii-Splinter Cell Double Agent
Wii-Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
Wii-The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Which is more than I can say for the other consoles.  And this doesn't mention other games coming later this year nor the games for the years to come (and the games listed on the Virtual console).  So, for now, Nintendo has my vote for most game selection 'that I'm interested in'.

It is nice to know I can get all of that on day one, thanks for pointing that out ;).  Also can't wait for elebits, another title that looks interesting.

~Brandon

Ain't a couple of those available for other machines anyway?  And Metal Slug Anthology?  MS3 is the only one worth owning in my opinion.  The ones before feel too small, and the ones after it are just appalling retreads...


Anyways I tried to avoid it but talking to Grash last night on IRC made me go take a look at Metal Gear Solid 4.  MGS is easily one of my most favorite game series of all time and has my favorite games character (Solid Snake, whom I a bit gutted to see is in the new Smash Bros apparently, a series I loooathe with a passion).   Having now watched the videos and stuff, I can easily say it is the only next gen game I seen I really want to own.  I hope the neighbors here allow me some peace and quiet so I can finish MGS3 in time.

Motorstorm for the PS3 is the most exciting game I've seen in action so far.  Looks fantastic fun.

And yeah, that Wii list that Shaltif has posted seems strangely uninspiring to me.  Still, each to his own!


What I have found though is that Nintendo fans are really excited about the Wii because they feel it is a return to form for Nintendo, and a lot of them feel / hope that the Wii will be a massive success, DS style. 

Nintendo are certainly trying something different - it'll be interesting to see how it pans out.  How the 'lack of power' will affect sales, how Joe Public will take to the new controller.  Just a shame the Wii doesn't come with at least 2 controllers out of the box.