Lower prices on x-box and gamecube. Which one to choose? (1 Viewer)

[Neil Joseph]

Both are cdn$299. In the past it was the consensus that Nintendo catered to children's games but is this still the case? Which system is more durable for kids of 6-7 years of age? Which is the better choice and why?

 

[Mark Evans]

Well, there's a ton of threads hanging around on this already Neil, but I think the Cube is a safe bet for family-oriented fare, though Nintendo's making good strides in bringing in more mature content for those of us who want equal parts sugar and spice in our gaming.
And actually, Canadian retailers brought the price of the Cube down to $229.99 in response to the recent price cut. At least both Future Shop and Wal-Mart are selling for that around here.
I think kids will do fine with the inevitable plethora of Pokemon games, the new Mario, Zelda, Super Monkey Ball (whee!), Smash Bros, Luigi's Mansion, Animal Crossing, and such. But, I may be wrong

 

[Neil Joseph]

Yes you are indeed correct. I checked and it was $229, great price. I assume it uses a small CD based on the small size of the gamecube unit.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The thing is, Nintendo's image is that they are producing kiddie games, but those games being labeled as kiddie are some of the best games to ever grace a console (like Zelda and Mario). They are getting some more adult games, like the whole RE series from 0-4 and CV and Eternal Darkness. Also, a lot of games are going to be omni-console, that is, they will be on every console, so games like Turok: Evolution will be on the GameCube as well.

 

[PatrickM]

Neil, since the price drop I'm looking at getting both. The GameCube for my kid and the XBox for me since there aren't any really good children's games on XBox and may never be.

For $529 combined you can get two. Just a few weeks ago $449 would have only got you XBox.

Patrick

 

[Mark Evans]

You're quite correct Neil, the Cube uses the mini-DVDs, which have the added "bonus" of looking absolutely adorable .
The Cube's oddly shaped, but great for porting around if you need to take it places. I've taken it to friends' houses before, it transports like a dream.
So, your average Canadian twenty-something male likes it. Therefore your kids should too .

 

[Joshua Moran]

In all honesty after attending E3 this year, I would only choose a PS2 they have the most games of all varities. If you already own a PS2 then get a GameCube. X-Box is only making games that catch the PS2 and PC gamers. Nintendo is trying to make games for all geners as is the PS2. But my opinion is that both the X-Box and GameCube really don't have much coming in the next few years. At least thats how it looked at E3 which is not a good sign. Heck Sony announced that they already won the console wars with 30 million PS2's sold while Microsoft and Nintendo only have about 3 to 4 million sold.

 

[Romier S]

But my opinion is that both the X-Box and GameCube really don't have much coming in the next few years. At least thats how it looked at E3 which is not a good sign.

Not sure which E3 you were watching. Nintendo and Microsoft showings were both extensive and their biggest titles were beyond impressive (Metroid, Mario, Panzer Dragoon, Star Wars KOTOR).

 

[Dean Cooper]

Hmm, that kind of brings up a point I didn't really think about... Was there really anything at this years E3 for the PS2 that made you want to write home about? I saw a shit load of exciting stuff for the Cube and the Box, but besides the stupid "we've won the war! you guys are losers nahnahneenahnah!" statement I didn't seem to catch any new stuff in there that made me want to shit my pants for the PS2. Feel free to correct me, I'd love to see some interesting stuff for my PS2, I just haven't found it yet.
I second the get both idea, its the only way to be sure
If you can only pick one, put me down for the Xbox. I have all three, but I use the Xbox the most out of them. Morrowind, PD, Project Ego, Blinx, Vexx, Star Wars Knights of the old republic....yep, nothing exciting there...
Dean

 

[Aaron Copeland]

Not sure which E3 you were watching. Nintendo and Microsoft showings were both extensive and their biggest titles were beyond impressive (Metroid, Mario, Panzer Dragoon, Star Wars KOTOR).

Yeah, that is what I was thinking. Seriously, you also had some very, very promising games like Blinx and Tork arrive on the scene for the XBOX.

As to the question at hand, I would say the GC is probably the best bet overall for kids that age. Games like Mario, Zelda, and SFA are probably going to appeal to them more. Also, the GC is probably more durable overall since it has the flip top as opposed to the mechanical tray. But they all use optical media, so none of them can probably stand too many crashes to the floor. So no matter which one you get, I would place it on a shelf close to the floor.

Aaron

 

[James Zos]

There are a certain number of people who are always going to downplay any positive virtues the Xbox has while predicting doom for it as a system. That's the just the way it is. I'm learning to ignore this (and playing incredible games like Hunter: The Reckoning is making it a lot easier to do that.)

 

[John Berggren]

Neil :
I'd recommend the Gamecube. I trust you already have a DVD player. The gamecube looks gorgeous with S-video, and I'm sure moreso with component video.
The games that are available for the cube are fantastic. Super Smash Brothers still entertains me for hours on end. Resident Evil has me jumping out of my skin at times, and there are four sequels to go... two of which are GCN originals. This year we'll also see Mario and Metroid, both well reviewed at E3. Next year comes Zelda.
Let the games speak for themselves though - check out Link Removed and http://www.planetgamecube.com.
You should also swing by a game store and give each one a test drive. The Nintendo unit has me on controllers alone, but oh - the games.

 

[Andy Sheets]

Also, the GC is probably more durable overall since it has the flip top as opposed to the mechanical tray.

Don't forget that the Xbox has that hard drive in it, too. You don't want to kick the Xbox and scramble the data on it

 

[John Berggren]

I don't know how much they were shown at E3, but Rygar and Kingdom Hearts basically have a PS2 waiting for me in September/October.

 

[Joshua Moran]

Well guys I was one of the lucky few that got to demo Star Wars Galaxies and EQ 2 at E3. Which I think ruined E3 for me. Because after that everything else seemed dull. EQ2 is outstanding and looks as good if not better than Final Fantasy the movie. But needs a high end system to run and a GeForce 4 TI minimum. SWG is great as well but not nearly as detailed and pretty as EQ2. Metroid for the GC was decent. Knights of the old republic is just lame. Way to linear for a so called RPG. It plays like a Tomb Raider stuck in Baldurs Gate.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

When you get right down to it, we didn't really see much at E3 we weren't expecting. In fact, we saw less. Rare held back most of its games, MS didn't show off many games we hadn't already seen a screenshot or two of, and a lot of future PS2 games were absent. We didn't see FF12 or Halo 2, which are two games that I would consider console sellers for their respective consoles.

So I say don't look into the future, since we haven't seen it all yet. Look at what is there now.

 

[Mark Evans]

Yoink!
Neil, I was just doing a skim through the latest Cube news, and if you're really shopping for young kids, I think this preview for Animal Crossing over at IGN shows a lot of potential for hours of amusement...
Link Removed
I know at least one 24 year old kid who can't wait to get his hands on a copy