Help for son on choosing PS2 or Gamecube (1 Viewer)

Hi. Wanted to get the latest information and advice without doing hours of research, Sorry for being lazy. Going to be be buying a Gamecube or PS2 for my soon to be 12 year old. He doesn't want an XBOX. He's not worried about the DVD player. He's always been a Mario fan, and likes a lot of the gamecube games, but recognizes that PS2 has so many more games available. We'll probably be getting a big screen 16x9 HDTV in the next year or so, and he and I both like good video in games. Seems like more of the Gamecube games have 480p capability then the PS2. We both are into good sound, but our receiver does not have DPL2.

Any advice?

My reciever does not have DPL2 either, but I've found pretty decent surround sound in the games that have that mode already.
If he likes the Mario and Nintendo games a lot already, it may be the best thing to pick up the SMS bundle that's out there. It gets him Mario and a memory card right away.
True there are more games on the PS2, but a lot of games are multiplatform already. He might be best off with the Gamecube.
I don't think he'll be hurting either way.
Glen

I'd research specific games he might like for each system and then make a desicion. I have all three systems and like for different reasons. They all have something cool to offer, rest assured not matter what you choose the graphics and sounds options are all very good. By the way, I don't have DPL2 and I also get decent sound out of Gamecube...

If he's a fan of platformers, the PS2 has a hit in Ratchet & Clank. But the GC has Mario now, and Zelda early next year.

Mr. Hill:

Your question ultimately boils down to game selection. I'd say the age your son is at now (10-14 or so) tends to be the transition age between Gamecube and PS2.

I'd try and see which system has more games your child is likely to play, or perhaps more helpfully, which system will keep your son entertained the longest. Off the top of my head, here's a list of good games on the systems that are appropriate for your child:

GameCube:
Pikmin
Star Wars: Rouge Leader
Super Mario Sunshine (In GameCube $190 bundle)
Zelda (soon)
Metroid Prime (out now)
Mario Party 4
Super Monkey Ball 2 (1 if you're a penny pincher)
Disney Soccer (suprisingly deep, according to the review)
Super Mario Kart (TBA)
F-Zero (TBA)

PS2:
*Jak & Dexter (GH - $20)
Crash Bandicoot
*SSX Tricky (A Bargain - $30)
Plus a few more that escape me at the moment

Both:
Any EA Sports/Sega Sports Game (more on the sim side)
Midway NHL Hitz/NFL Blitz (for arcadey action)

I'd lean SLIGHTLY towards the Cube if your son is more into party games (i.e. 3-4 people playing), PS2 if he's not, or if he's ok with not having the Nintendo characters to play with (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon).

Brian-

Both Crash and SSX Tricky are also on GameCube.

Brennan-

Go with the Cube. It has some really good exclusive games, some good ports, and some good future games, as well as 480p. PS2 has a lot of exclusive games, but they're usually the likes of Final Fantasy games, Tomb Raider, Grand Theft Auto, or the bevy of platformers that are coming out for it. Get a GameCube now, get a PS2 later.

as far your upcoming TV set goes, the gamecube will look better on it. i have a bigscreen 16x9 HDTV and don't even run my PS2 through it (because it doesn't look all that great). all upcoming (and current) 1st party nintendo games will support 480p (and some 3rd party games); i'm not sure about the PS2's upcoming 480p list, but last i heard it wasn't large.

but i think it should ultimately come down to the games. nintendo will always support games that are fun for both younger and older gamers (important if you want to enjoy them with your son). but the PS2 also has a lot of kid friendly games, even though it doesn't exactly seem like a priority for them. however, typical kid friendly PS2 games tend to be ho-hum, but they've released some surprisingly good mascot games recently (but who knows if they can continue this trend).

for what it's worth, i enjoy my gamecube more than i do my PS2 right now. and generally speaking, i don't consider buying 'kid friendly' PS2 games (because they usually aren't good enough to buy), but i keep my eyes on basically anything nintendo does.

You had stated in your post that the PS2 has "so many more games available" and it sounds like that may influence your decision. Although the system does have a lot more games, I would be more concerned about how many games you actually plan to buy (or rent) instead of how many were available. Furthermore, I would look to see how many of those games you do wish to buy are exclusive to only one system. I myself own an XBox and couldn't be happier, although I am considering picking up a Gamecube with Metroid for an extra $20 this week (that's a sweet deal!). Although the PS2 is a good system, I think that it is simply overpriced in the current market:

Gamecube Bundle ($190):
System itself
251 memory card
Mario Sunshine

Gamecube only ($150):
System itself
*can pick up metroid for an extra twenty bucks

Xbox ($200 or $200 with a $20 gift card if you know where to look):
System itself (with a huge hard drive which eliminates the need for memory cards at twenty bucks a pop)
Jet Set Radio Future
Sega GT 2002
The new and improved controller

PS2 ($200):
System only
No games or memory cards included
*Has only a few quality titles that are exclusive to the system

The mario bundle only has a 59 memory card

Its all about the games, decide based on titles alone that is all you really need to do. ALTHOUGH keep in mind one thing Sony has already done the backwards compatibility thing and Nintendo has always avoided it. I knwo myself i own more PS1 games than PS2 games even though i never owned a PS1. by buying a PS2 it is more likely in the years to come as he gets older the games will still be good and get used, personally i find nothign more depressing than having to play roms on my computer because my old NES dosent work and the games i own are now useless.

I would get a gamecube now and wait for the Playstation 3 =)

Definitely gamecube. The games are excellent. Mario is worth buying the system for. Animal Crossing is awesome. Zelda will surely be excellent, and the rumor goes that the first 100K or more pressings of Zelda will contain a GC version of Ocarina of Time and Ura Zelda.

It all boils down to game interests. If faced with that choice I would have a tough time. I think that the PS2 would be the better investment because it will have more longetivity, more games, etc.

If your som is a doehard Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Nintendo classic characters fan, then the Cube is an easy choice.

The Cube is better in many ways than the PS2 but it is still only a good SECOND system.

The rumor about the first 100k preorders for Zelda is only in effect for Japan and has been confirmed. There aren't any plans for a US equivalent that have been revealed.

Thanks for the advice everyone, looks like he wants to go for the Gamecube because it has the most games that he wants to play.

Brennan

If anything, Nintendo would release OoT and MM instead of Ura Zelda in America. If they released Ura Zelda, they'd need to translate the whole thing, and it's not really worth it. For all we know they could be making a Zelda Anthology disc that this is just a preview for.

As much of a Playstation2 junkie as I am (41 games and counting) a Gamecube might be the best choice for the age he is now. If he were older, I'd say PS2 hands down, there are many, many, many more PS2 games out there, and of high-quality. The gamecube has excellent games tuned more towards the younger gamer, such as Mario Sunshine, Animal Crossing, StarFox Adventures and the upcoming Legend of Zelda. Not only that, but Nintendo will release an add-on for the gamecube that will allow it to play Gameboy Advance games in a few months, so that will expand the library of kid-friendly games immensely.

I own all 3 consoles and too be honest, I dont' know which I would pick if I could only have one.

I like HT (duh), both the Xbox (720) and GC support 480P, Xbox 5.1 and GC DPLII.

PS2? very few (Tekken4 and...if any) 480P games let alone 5.1 in game (used for cut scenes it seems).

Games. Most game that are 'PS2 exclusive' the blockbluster ones (Metal Gear, Hawk), end up coming to another platform sooner or later (unless they SONY in house).

From my perspective (I work in the games industry as well as an avid gamer) you have the PS2 and Xbox targetting the same market (18-24) with the GC shooting for 8-24 (or so it would seem).

Then there is the 'cool' factor.

GC is NOT cool amongst 'friends'
Xbox IS cool, amongst 'friends', mostly to those that have a GC only.
PS2 is the 'norm'.

If I could only have two, I would take GC and Xbox. Just for the fact that they offer the best combo of gameing styles, almost to an extreme for each platform, that and they cater to my HT gear.

Only one? I think it would have to be GC. Based purely on games like Metroid, Zelda, Mario, F-Zero, etc. Yeah they are re-hashes of old franchises, but oh what franchises they are! and HT support.