Do you think Fanboys are good/bad for gaming? (1 Viewer)

I have some close friends who are dedicated fanboys. They would like to see The X-box/PS2/GCN fail.
What is everyone elses opinions?
Loyalty to 1 system reminds me of a movie I saw called the "Bronx Tale".
In the movie there is a little boy who loves Mickey Mantle and has his baseball cards and idolizes him. A mob boss Sonny (played by Chazz Palminteri) tells the boy something like "Why do care about Mickey Mantle - whats he ever done for you? If your father lost his job and couldnt pay his bills do you think the Mick would care?"
So why support 1 system? Do you think Sega is offering special discounts on their new software to previous Dreamcast owners? What about those of us that got one on launch day and supported Sega when they promised "This time its for real" That the Dc is gonna be here for a long time leading the next generation. What a bunch of BS.
It honestly makes me NOT want to buy any sega games for my PS2/Xbox/GCN.
I bought a Genesis, Sega Cd, Game Gear, Saturn, And DC. I feel like sega bent me over 3 times. (I still play my Genesis and game gear)
Besides "Dont put all your eggs in 1 basket"
When I was 12 I was a nintendo fan boy - Nintendo could do no wrong (even though I knew absolutley nothing about videogames except how to play them) Then the Genesis came out with its 16-bit arcade quality graphics and a catchy commercial "Genesis does - 16 bit arcade Quality Graphics - you cant do this on Nintendo"
Then along came the SNES - oh how I hated thee - why?...
Because it could do better graphics than the Genesis. Ohh I told myself that the Genesis was faster and could do Sonic, Then came Star Fox and I was Hooked. I worked my butt off to get a SNES and then thought... "If any good game comes out then I can get it - no more hating the other systems." That was the day I became a grown up gamer and... AND THE REST IS HISTORY
Do I still hate sega?... Yes, and they are probably the one company I wouldnt buy a system from. But I have myself fully convinced and justified.
Now - back to fanboys.
People that bash the X-box and gamecube really make me laugh. How can you say something sucks if you have never played it? Oh - well Xbox sucks because its made by Microsoft. Its has a version of windows - well didnt the DC? Did anyone ever see a microsoft error message while playing a Dc game? I didnt and I got mine on launch day. People praised the windows ce in the Dc saying "now they can quickly and easily port PC games over - sweet" But with the X-box they say "All your gonna see is half assed PC ports" hmmm...
X-box has the chance to be what the PS2 should have been. It comes out of the box with a HD, and broadband capability, 4 controller ports and DVD play back (ok so you need a remote with that) all for 330.00 (I included the remote) This is stuff Sony should have included. I like the fact that I dont HAVE to spend $35 on a mem card just to save my games. Plus its got a ton of games in development - just give it a chance.
Now for some reason alot of people feel Nintendo can do no wrong. Not me. If I see another Pokemon game or Mario Party Im gonna be sick. Ditch your kiddie Image and realize that the young players of yesterday are now the grown up players of today. Now that doesnt mean I dont want my Zelda/Metroid/Mario changed to an M rated game. But give it to me. Nintendo should have launched with one of these. It has no flagship title to speak of. Im buying a CGN because of Rogue Leader - Plain and simple. This IS a KILLER APP! Give us more of these... And they will. Nintendo is a safe bet because at least every 6 months your gonna get a GREAT game from them. Thier games are innovative. I was really disappointed in Zelda GCN when I saw it (reminded me of Hermie from Rudolph) but now I cant wait for it. Its gonna be big and its gonna be great. The same with Mario Sunshine - It WILL ROCK!!! Nintendo gets alot of flack because it has a kiddie non-violent past. But look at Eternal Darkness and Conkers bad fur day... A step in the right direction.
Now last but not least My beloved PS2... ahh the hours we have spent together. (thats the only thing my wife is jealous of - lol) The PS2 is a great system. It plays all my old psx games and it plays DVDs right out of the box. Its got Madden, GTA3, Madden (I know I just love the game), GT3, MGS2, Red Faction, NHL 2002, SSX, The FF series, Twisted Metal Black ( I see a red door and I want to paint in black), ICO, silent Hill 2, Devil May Cry, AC4, Onimusha, NCAA 2002. These are just the games off the top of my head. In the next year we'll continue to see some great games. Your future is in your own hands Sony, make us proud.
So if ya want to call me a fanboy - go right ahead... Im a fanboy for all systems. All have their strenghts and weaknesses.
So basically it all boils down to us and what we buy. If you play an Xbox or GC and dont like it fine - tell us why. But to sit there and bash something youve never played or havent spent ample time with just shows ignorance. And thats just bad for those of us who love playing games.
Comments?
[Edited last by Joe Rigali on November 01, 2001 at 12:25 PM]

Nice post, Joe.
I see no reason to be a fanboy when it comes to videogames. I hope all three companies survive for a long time, because the competition between them will only mean great games for us gamers. I already own a PS2 and am getting a Gamecube. I will not be getting an Xbox anytime soon, and there are two reasons for this. 1. money and 2. just not enough games to warrant the purchase. Will I buy an Xbox later on? Maybe, if it has the games I want to play. I won't bash people for choosing one console over another. If the console they want has the games they want to play, that is great. I buy systems for games, I don't buy them for specs. I am a gamer and I enjoy playing videogames, not systems.
-Dean-
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My HT Equipment
"I've seen you and you are not cool."

Well, i have had about equal time with both the xbox and gamecube and i have to say that i was way more interested in the gamecube... and it was because of one reason.. the game. (and it actually wasnt rogue leader i played, it was luigi's mansion) I will buy rogue leader no matter what anyone says because i love star wars and the game looks amazing. (so does that make me a nintendo AND a starwars fanboy??) Anyway my assesment of the Xbox was that the games weren't that great, and the price is way too steep. It's too much of a gamble at this point, and with the way the economy is going right now, the consumers will go the "safe" route which is nintendo. They haven't let consumers down yet, even with the n64. Now with the games, there was always a debate with the quality of games on psx vs the n64 and my argument was who cares if psx has 3 times the games that the n64 has if 80% of them are crap. I was more than happy buying one game for my n64 every 3 months, rather than having lots of games to choose from and being dissappointed in the quality of them. Fanboys are good for gaming.. (fangirls too!) It keeps the videogame manufacturers on their toes... oh and another point.. when the dc came out, soul calibur was so amaizing that i bought the system. Xbox has nothing out there that does that for me.
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"As long as you are out there, I can never be number one...."
My DVD List

I think the only people who pay attention to fanboys are other fanboys (and their parents, if they're who actually buys the system).
Fanboy-ism is very elementary & high school-ish. Everything is of the utmost importance then, including game consoles. Hopefully with age and maturity, they grow out of it, and just get whichever one has the games they like.

Well i know Joe, and he hasn't grown out of it yet.... He still buys transformers!
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"As long as you are out there, I can never be number one...."
My DVD List

Fanboys are good for gaming.
System-bigot fanboys are terrible for forums.

I think fanboys are good for the economy, but thats it.
They look at each console/company, decide which one they like best, choose a runner up, and then hate every other company. I think that since Nintendo and Sony have been in the business for a few years, they have more fanboys. To tell the truth, the worst fanboys I have seen are the X-Box ones.
I don't worry about fanboys. If they are going to get mad when their console isn't number one, then they are the ones getting mad, not me.

Fanboys and forums are like oil and water, brain and cancer.
They post gibberish and bring the entire forum down to their elementary level.
Also common to the fanboy mentality is the complete obliviousness to the fact that they are fanboys.
Cancer. With nothing to contribute but more cancer.

Fanboys should open their wallets and shut their mouths.

-Cranky Dave
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DVD List
"The page you are looking for is here no more. Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'"

Good topic. I too, years ago was a fanboy for the 8-bit NES, then the Genesis, then the SNES... and so on. The thing about fanboys that Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony love is that they spread the word about the systems. It's free advertising. But it's also a lot of misinformation. I work in a video store and often get asked the question as to what system to buy. I've been told that the X-Box will have '40 times better graphics than the PS2' and many other inane comments.
The enthusiasm for gaming that fanboys have is great, but I'd rather they focus their talks about great games, not the system specs. A lot of fanboy discussion is not worth reading/listening to. It all comes across as a pissing contest or a bunch of whining. It is possible to have intelligent conversation regarding gaming, though. This forum proves it. I've been playing games for 15 years, and like you guys said, I play games, not systems.
And, for the record, in regards to the latest "system war"
I own a PS2 and a Dreamcast. I will buy a 'Cube, but not on launch day. I changed my mind when I saw that only 2 games interested me until the end of the year. I figure I'll wait for Zelda, Resident Evil, or Mario Sunshine to take the plunge. As for the X-Box, Halo looks outstanding, but again, there are not a bunch of games I have to own, and they don't have the franchises Nintendo has (Zelda, et al) so an X-Box purchase isn't in the cards for me right now.
Being a college student, there's only so much $$$ to spend.
Jason
[Edited last by JasonK on November 01, 2001 at 07:42 PM]

I play whats good. Period. I can give a shit what system its on. Be it the PS2, GCN, X-box, or PC. Do I have my preferences....of course. I think we all do. But in the end its all about the quality of games. Unfortunately the system with the best games doesn't always win (R.I.P Dreamcast )
[Edited last by Romier S on November 01, 2001 at 07:49 PM]

I think it's all right to be a fanboy of a particular system, if you're passionate enough about it. This talk about how you aren't really interested in videogames if you only buy one system is bull. If you own any sort of videogame system, you are interested in videogames--maybe not as much as some, but you are still interested in them.
The problem is, most fanboys think that everyone should agree with them and only buy the system(s) and games they deem appropriate. To those people I say, get over it. Deal with the fact that not everyone loves the system(s) you own or the games that are on it, and respect their right to make their own decisions.

[Nintendo,] If I see another Pokemon game or Mario Party Im gonna be sick. Ditch your kiddie Image and realize that the young players of yesterday are now the grown up players of today.

The problem is, those young players of yesterday have been replaced by the young players of today. Don't you think that kids play videogames any more?
I just don't understand people's hang up over "kiddie" games. When someone tells me that they refuse to play a game that has a slightly kid-friendly feel to it, I wonder if those same people refuse to see G- or PG-rated movies. To deny yourself the opportunity to play certain games because they feature cartoon characters is just plain stupid.
Furthermore, just because it's a Nintendo system, doesn't mean that it's just for kids or that all they make are kiddie games. Look at some of the titles that we'll be seeing on the GCN and tell me that there aren't any grown-up titles in the works. (Eternal Darkness, anyone?) The problem is, people so closely associate Nintendo's software with their hardware that they become one in the same. Look, Nintendo's software division doesn't make dark, violent games. It's just not their style. That's like expecting Pixar to come up with some ultra-violent anime-like movies. Nintendo games have been and always will be kid-friendly. That doesn't mean that no one can make games with a darker edge. The fact that the Resident Evil remakes are all coming to the GCN should provide enough evidence to prove that.
And besides, Super Mario 64 may have been a 3-D cartoon, but everyone agrees that it's one of the greatest games ever made.
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-J.Fo
"I believe you'd get your ass kicked saying something like that."

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I don't really mind the cartoon type characters it's the Fisher-price clones that turn me off a game. Its the same reason why I can only last 5 min in a Disney store. Cartoon Mario or Zelda is fine, preschool / Teletubbies / Barney type mascots have got to go. They are just TOO much.

No thanks! this would be like watching some morbid version of carebears where they beat on each other. I'll take the equally griping gameplay showing HD sexy women with camel toe and the "bounce" feature instead, thank you. ( I personally hated the original SSB so its no surprise that I don't care for the new one ) Yes I know, I'm a pig and I'm damn proud of it!
Now, to the question at hand...
Fanboys are great as a catalyst for hype. They will hit the streets and petition their system of choice to the world expressing that getting or liking anything else would be a sin of evil. Kind of like the people that stand on the side of the street waving signs during election time. I consider myself a "fan" more than a "fanboy" as I have a favorite system but will acknowledge and admire goodness on other systems without hesitation.
This generation of video game systems is going to be really different than anything we've seen before. "Its all in the games" mentality only works for the exclusive games. This Generation has already shown us that the "Killer App" exclusive games are going to be a very rare thing. For example MGS2, Spy Hunter 2, Silent Hill 2, Devil May Cry, Malise, JSRF, FFXI, Super Monkey ball, any of the EA sports games and so on are all going to be on more than one system in some form. Sure first and second party games are still going to be exclusive, but that is a small group compared to the third party games out there. Hardware, Hype and the beloved "fanboys" are going to play a bit more of an important role than normal this time around I think.
Dean
[Edited last by Dean Cooper on November 01, 2001 at 10:57 PM]

If having passionate opinions about a video game console makes one a fanboy then they are great for the industry. Those tend to be the people who are first in line to buy their favorite stuff.

Dean, that picture you posted was of Ness, the hero of Earthbound (Mother 2 in Japan) an RPG for the Super Nintendo, one of the most original, funny, and surreal games I've ever played. The reason why he looks so "kiddie" is because the creators were trying to emulate the simplistic graphics of the orginal 8-bit Nintendo game.
Hopefully, Nintendo is working on a Gamecube sequel to Earthbound.
[Edited last by Richard Kim on November 02, 2001 at 09:44 AM]

Oh I know Ness, and I did like earthbound. I was simply trying to give the most obvious example that came to my mind as to why Nintendo has such a "kiddy" image problem and was not really an intentional attack on SSB. I agree that SSB is a very successful game because of that odd use of these characters, its just something about it that doesn't click for me. I like majority of the people here don't really give a rats ass about what people think is cool or not anymore, if the game is compelling enough to me, I'll play it. SSB isn't one of these games (for me), I'd much rather see the hot chicks duke it out instead.
Dean
[Edited last by Dean Cooper on November 02, 2001 at 10:19 AM]

Really, are fanboys good for anything? I suppose you'd have to define fanboyishness more specifically, as to what seperates a fanboy from an enthusiast. Is it that a fanboy is evangelistic? He dismisses the competition quickly? He's tunnel-visioned?
I suppose a fanboy may be good for a company, economically - that fanboy is likely to buy without discrimination, although they can turn vicious when disappointed. But that type of consumer is also never really on the lookout for anything new; catering to the fanboys tends to cause stagnation at best and irrelevence to the broader audience at worst.

If a "fanboy" is just a fan of a particular gaming system, then I've got no problem. In that case, I'm a Nintendo fanboy. I like their games, "kiddie" and all.
But to me "fanboy" means a teenage fanatic, who thinks "Nintendo r00lz!!!!" and "M$ XBOX is for suck0rZ!!" and you're a lame, loser, diaper baby if you don't agree and only buy the GCN system.
Those kind of fanboys are tedious.

The "Fanboy" type I was referring to is someone who "at all costs" defends their chosen system. regardless of what they have seen/heard their system is better because:
They own it
They preordered it
They want to own it
I own a PS2, Preordered a GCN, and will be trying to score an X-box at launch. I hope that all 3 systems kick ass and have a ton of great games. I would like to see all 3 do very well.