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[Dice]

I made a discovery after owning a PS2 and Gamecube for long enough... I discovered that I was most enjoying my PS1. How could this be? Well tons of stuff had already been released on it, information and opinions about the games were fully fleshed out, and the prices dropped down. When I look at all the wonderful games coming out on all the systems and compile a list of games I'd like even right off the top of my head, the size of that list is staggering. Even if I limit myself to only the best of the best, real AAA quality games, there are just more good games on the market than I have money and if I did have the money I wouldn't have enough time.

I've found that it's pointless to get multiple consoles just so I have the potential of buying something I'll mostly miss out on anyway due to such hard limitations. My habits of playing old games only renforces this decision, since one of the greater draws to multiconsole gaming is never suffering from a "drought" of good games. If I just hang on to an old system and pick up it's many great titles until the new consoles are 1-2 years old, any new console I pick is going to have a good selection of games that I'm not likely to fully catch up with. This happened between my PS1/PS2 and I wasn't even intentional about it.

So yeah, just between Capcom and Nintendo there are more games I want than I'll ever get, so I figure I'll just go single console and not be so teased/distracted by the prospects of games I don't have. I'll probably go with Nintendo because they seem to have the smaller number of games, plus I like their attitude these days and finally I think I still have a leaning toward them because of my childhood. So I'll just get a Revolution and pick up things on my current systems while I wait for it's list of quality titles to get big enough to shift focus to it. I do like RPG's a little much to be focusing on Nintendo, but then there are still like 15 quality RPG's on PS1 that I never got around to buying.

I am debating whether or not I'll get a DS. I think it's the best thing to happen to gaming in the last 5 years and I really want one, but it all depends on how well developers realize and utilize everything it offers. The thought of even just having both a DS and a Revolution seems a bit much to me now though. In some ways sometimes I think I'm losing interest in videogames, but when I take another look, I realize I have never played that many games and it's just the rapidly expanding industry that is creating the illusion.

I think back to the SNES days and I remember playing about 15 games, just 15 games for an entire generation, and they were the best of the best. I need to be more selective and get back to that way of playing. Picking quality games that I don't just play to beat, but can really dig into and focus on and have fun with. Eternal Darkness is what originally reminded me of this, such a deep and quality game, it has a special something I haven't seen for a long time. Then I remembered Mario 64, it wasn't that huge but I played it for 6 years. What happened there?

A greed-based industry has brainwashed me into thinking it's normal for games to be built around completing objectives and having that be it. Do your chores (filler gameplay, pointless challenges, collect-a-thons), get your treat (worthless unlockables) and that is that. I say no thanks, recognizing that I can not afford everything I'd like has make me think twice about what I like most, and realizing what I like most has make me reconsider if I genuinely liked anything else to begin with. I learned to get over graphics and genuinely enjoy older games, but I think I'm only just learning to get over gimmicks.

I'm realizing the distinction between things that keep me busy playing a game once I've started it, and what makes me want to play games in the first place. It turns out that the former and the latter are not always the same, and in fact the former is often a load of crap that tries to take the place of the latter. I'm not looking for something to motivate me to finish the game, I'm looking for fun. I'm looking for the stuff that will make me want to replay a game even after I've bought a new one. Considering what I've heard from many people about all the games they still haven't finished, perhaps they are on the same pursuit and don't even realize it.

Personally, I think I'll be able to better focus and discern what games have this if I don't have to pick them out from hundreds of titles on all consoles. This may be different for you but I just thought I'd share my view in case maybe you agree but never realized it. I also (based on my playing habits and what games I have most replayed for sheer enjoyment) feel like I may have the most luck doing this with a Nintendo system. That may also be different for you, but I'm just sharing that to tell you a little about myself. If you read all this I applaud you, and I also ask you not to try and debate with me about any of it because I'm not interested.

 

[belgurdo]

That's nice

 

[human5892]

I've always been the kind of gamer you are talking about becoming, and for me, it works great.

There are people who say that they can't imagine someone only owning one console, but I cannot imagine owning more than one. I don't have the time or the money to get all the GameCube games I'd like to play, let alone two consoles' worth of games. Even my GBA gets the shaft sometimes because of my console. I would say that on average, I get between 5-7 new console games per year, and about 1-3 GBA games per year. That is just enough for me.

I've only ever owned Nintendo consoles, and although there are plenty of times that I wish I could play the latest and greatest on everything, I know that the way my life is right now, it would never happen. Nintendo seems to put out the stuff that I most want to spend my time and money on, so I go with them, and have been going with them since the late 80's.

So, yeah, there's at least one other person here who does the same thing, if you're having doubts at all.

 

[sonycowboy]

I've always been the kind of gamer you are talking about becoming, and for me, it works great.

There are people who say that they can't imagine someone only owning one console, but I cannot imagine owning more than one. I don't have the time or the money to get all the GameCube games I'd like to play, let alone two consoles' worth of games. Even my GBA gets the shaft sometimes because of my console. I would say that on average, I get between 5-7 new console games per year, and about 1-3 GBA games per year. That is just enough for me.

I've only ever owned Nintendo consoles, and although there are plenty of times that I wish I could play the latest and greatest on everything, I know that the way my life is right now, it would never happen. Nintendo seems to put out the stuff that I most want to spend my time and money on, so I go with them, and have been going with them since the late 80's.

So, yeah, there's at least one other person here who does the same thing, if you're having doubts at all.

Wow! Only Nintendo consoles. I agree with the limited time and money, but you've seriously painted yourself in a corner there. There are whole genres, not to mention publishers you don't get to play by limiting yourself.

I don't have a GCN myself, but I definitely see the value. But... I could never see myself ONLY having that system.

 

[Dice]

There are whole genres, not to mention publishers you don't get to play by limiting yourself.

Think about it a little more, that is true of any system. If you can't bear to be without them I suppose multiconsole gaming is for you, but as my post said I have realized that I miss out on a lot of stuff regardless because of money and time issues. If such is the case I may as well be intentional about what I miss so I can just forget about it and focus on what I have.

 

[human5892]

Wow! Only Nintendo consoles. I agree with the limited time and money, but you've seriously painted yourself in a corner there. There are whole genres, not to mention publishers you don't get to play by limiting yourself.

I don't have a GCN myself, but I definitely see the value. But... I could never see myself ONLY having that system.

Well, it's true that I obviously have to miss out on some things, but as Dice said, that's the curse for those of us with little free time and money, no matter which system is chosen.

I do realize that a PS or PS2 would span a wider variety of genres, but as I said, at the end of the day, Nintendo software is usually what I want to play the most, even if it is at the cost of whatever genres the current Nintendo console happens to be lacking.

 

[AirBrian]

I'm in the same boat. I'm a GCN-only gamer (GBA too, but hardly play it), and it easily satisfies my gaming needs. I seriously don't understand how most of you own two, and even all three. I play games just about everyday for at least an hour, and I'm still working on my backlog from Christmas. And both PS2 and Xbox have great games as well. I could easily see myself being happy as a PS2-only or Xbox-only gamer.

My only regret about not buying a PS2 is the Gran Turismo and Metal Gear franchises. After playing MGS:TTS I'm really tempted to pick one up for MGS3 (and GT4). Luckily I've got a few friends who have PS2s and will no doubt buy those games. I just got to get them to buy Burnout 3.

 

[Gchaime]

I'm also in that boat!

I also only own a gc, and it satisfies all my gaming needs. With the average game taking atleast 30 hours to complete and me playing it for for roughly 5 hours a week it will take me months to completely finish my current collection of 5 games. And after that there are dozens of classic games that need to be bought (which can be picked up at a discount, there are several advantages to being a casual gamer.)

So what if the other systems get more games? It will take me to well in to the next generation before i have finished all the classic GC games.

 

[Alcibiades]

You're cool man, of course Capcom and Nintendo are going to satisfy, they've got a ton of cool and innovative games, and even more coming out...

you'd be hard-pressed to find replacements for games like Animal Crossing, Super Smash Brothers, and Pikmin on any other system, so you'd "back yourself" into a corner no matter which system you get if you only choose one...

Personally, I can't wait for Pikmin 2, Donkey Konga, and Killer 7...

 

[Rocket Punch]

GAHH!

I have only a Gamecube and SP and I STILL have a huge backlog of games I must finish! It works for me, maybe not other people of less discernible tastes Kidding!!

 

[Alcibiades]

GAHH!

I have only a Gamecube and SP and I STILL have a huge backlog of games I must finish! It works for me, maybe not other people of less discernible tastes Kidding!!

me too, over 20 games backlog I'd say on GCN, plus an sizable N64 backlog (at least 5-10 games), a ridiculous Dreamcast backlog (30+ games), and a few on SNES (3-5 probably)...

 

[TekunoRobby]

I'm telling you now, it's a fucking mission keeping up with all the great games on all platforms. I would know, I'm currently doing that with a GameCube/Playstation 2/Xbox/GameBoy Advance/Windows platforms (thankfully it's within my future career goals).

It's very cool that guys have realized your limits and decided to stick with only one platform, the costs and time you have to dedicate to multiple just isn't worth it. Life is WAY more important than playing the hottest game on any console.

 

[etiolate]

There is tons of games for any one console to fill up a schedule, let alone more than one. Which I am finding out myself. With the ps2 and GC I end up only really getting into the major releases and not able to flesh out the other games I get. I am diving into Tales of Symphonia, but that means putting away Rygar, DDR and Sonic Adventure DX.

I also have a GBA, but that serves other purposes really. I mostly play it outside of my room.

 

[Kudie]

I'm telling you now, it's a fucking mission keeping up with all the great games on all platforms. I would know, I'm currently doing that with a GameCube/Playstation 2/Xbox/GameBoy Advance/Windows platforms (thankfully it's within my future career goals).

It's very cool that guys have realized your limits and decided to stick with only one platform, the costs and time you have to dedicate to multiple just isn't worth it. Life is WAY more important than playing the hottest game on any console.

Well put. Sometimes, trying to keep up with all the games on all the platforms just becomes a chore and is no longer really fun. After all, gaming is about having fun, not about playing every hit game out there.

 

[Dave Long]

If I didn't write about games for a magazine and a web site, I would never own as many games as I do now. I've gotten some free product but I've bought tons of stuff at budget prices simply to get some experience with a title that has some significant feature I need to know about to write about games intelligently.

I envy guys that can survive on one machine. Someday, I'll probably go back to that kind of gaming. Well, I'll always need a GBA or its equivalent. I do an inordinate amount of gaming on that thing.

 

[Mr_Furious]

The industry needs to revert back to a 2 console war. Yeah yeah, I know that there's always been more than 2 machines during each gen but the 3rd is usually so insignificant. This race sees all 3 hardware companies pushing hard with their platforms with all 3 aiming to succeed come next gen. With PS3, Xbox2, Revlution, GBA, DS, & PSP all being on the market at the same time it's just going to be flat out stupid.

 

[Spike]

I've been a multiconsole owner since I first started gaming in the 80's. I simply had the income to support a multiconsole approach, but that seems to have come to an end. I don't have the funds to support it any longer, needless to say, I don't have the space in my abode.

Next gen, I will be picking up the Revolution only. It has Mario, Metroid, and Zelda, and that's all I really need. Maybe someday in the future, my financial and space situation will change, but until that time, this will remain my game plan.

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

All this talk in the wake of the greatest video game sale of all time, which I completely missed out on, thank you very much.

Video games are forever at the mercy of the hardware. Don't blame a great game because you don't have the right hardware.

Would you call a movie conoseur a fool for not watching a movie that hadn't come out on DVD?

I understand money, but time can make these things cheaper. If you really care about the games, another piece of hardware should be no obstacle at all.

 

[human5892]

Video games are forever at the mercy of the hardware. Don't blame a great game because you don't have the right hardware.

Would you call a movie conoseur a fool for not watching a movie that hadn't come out on DVD?

I understand money, but time can make these things cheaper. If you really care about the games, another piece of hardware should be no obstacle at all.

Well, I don't think anyone is "blaming" great games -- I'd love to own a copy of MGS2, for example. But it isn't on the hardware that I have, and so I accept that I can't.

And it isn't just money, it's time. Even if I had triple the income I'm getting now, that still wouldn't change the fact that I have about five hours a week to play videogames -- if that. With multiple GC games that I own still remaining unbeaten and tons more that I don't even have out there, why would I buy another console?

 

[User 406]

Yeah, lets hear it for single console gaming. No cable spaghetti, no switchboxes, a smaller pile of controllers/peripherals, no researching differences between multiplatform versions, no cluttered entertainment center you're embarrassed for guests to see, just a whole lot of great games to play.

Multiconsole owners who insist that we're "missing out" or aren't "true gamers" by owning only one system are full of it. If I bought another console and took time to play those other exclusive games, I'd still be missing out on something else, since my time is finite. Guess what, whenever I choose to spend my time on something, I'm missing out on a vast number of other things. What's important is that I'm having fun with the way I spend my time. Telling me I'm missing out because I'm not doing what you like to do is just an attempt to force your preferences on me.

After the Circuit City sale, I now have one hundred games for my PSX2, and I seriously doubt I'll ever catch up on my backlog now what with all the games coming up I want to get. Adding another system's library to that backlog would be dumb.

For you multiconsole owners who might feel a bit frayed around the edges, here's the trick: Once you realize and accept that you simply do not have time to play every good game out there, it becomes a lot easier to pass over unnecessary purchases and focus on enjoying what you like. Getting over collectoritis and the need to play what everyone else is playing will keep you from buying crap you aren't going to have time for. It takes a bit of self discipline to overcome these habits of thought, but it's well worth it in the end.

Hooray for one console!

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Well, that's great for you. Me, I feel it necessary to have the all the major systems...but that doesn't mean I have to buy a ton of games for any of them, either. I know plenty of people that own all three and have only small libraries of (less than 10) games for each. It's nice to be able to easily pick up a title you're interested in and not have to think about whether or not you own the system or not.

 

[carpal]

Good job Manky.

 

[Pellham]

well for most gamers, all they need is a PS2. for gamers who like nintendo games, they need a gamecube as well, and for gamers who are hardcore, they'll get an xbox as well. in some cases, some people will only have an xbox since that's what their parents bought them.
i think that about sums up what the console population looks like in the US.

 

[human5892]

well for most gamers, all they need is a PS2. for gamers who like nintendo games, they need a gamecube as well, and for gamers who are hardcore, they'll get an xbox as well. in some cases, some people will only have an xbox since that's what their parents bought them.
i think that about sums up what the console population looks like in the US.

I disagree that most Xbox owners are either "hardcore" gamers or kids who had their parents buy it for them out of the blue. I think the majority of people who own an Xbox have it because they wanted Halo. There are also those who are PC game-enthusasists, since the Xbox receives a lot of PC ports, as well as those who bought it simply because it's, technically speaking, the most powerful hardware available.

Of course, there are those who bought it for other games besides Halo, or for emulation purposes, or what have you, but I'm talking about the casual market, as I believe you were trying to do.

 

[Red Dolphin]

I'm exactly the same way. I find that this generation there are just too many excellent games to play. Back in the PSX/N64 era I was an N64 gamer only. And as everyone knows there was a severe lack of games on the N64. But there were a lot of brilliant games that could be played for months and months. So I didn't find the lack of games that bad most of the time. Today there are even more brilliant games plus a lot of really good games. As ppl have mentioned, even sticking to the AAA or brilliant games only it can be quite hard to keep up with all the games.

I also enjoy really getting the most out of a game. i.e. finishing it 100% or squeezing every bit of fun out of it possible. I find that really satisfing particually if its a really addictive fun game. Obviously I don't bother doing this with all games. Just the really good ones. The trouble with having so many good games to choose from is that you don't really get much out of the games you play. Sure there might be the odd great title like Halo, Smash Bros or GTA that you put heaps of time and effort into but most other games just don't get the same attention. Which means you may not be getting as much as fun out of them that you could be. Take the Burnout series. I've literally spent 100s of hours playing B1 and B2 particually multiplayer. And I've really enjoyed constantly improving my records and pushing your skills to the limits.

So basically I'm pretty happy as a GameCube only owner. I have invested in an Xbox recently though. I just cannot live withouut playing Burnout 3! And the prospect of playing it online is just too good to pass up. Plus there's some other great games I have to get like Halo, Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid. I'm also excited to be able to play all my SNES games etc on the emulator without dragging out all my consoles again.

I just wish I had this many good games to choose from when I was younger when I had the time to play them all.

 

[TTP]

I disagree. I understand the time and money constrains that may lead to this decision, buy why limiting your freedom of choice filling the tray of just one system? Look at it this way: I love reading books but heck during the time spent reading just one book other cool books are released. I'll never be able to read all of them, so I'll stick to just one publisher or look only at this corner of the book store shelf space. It's crazy. To me, the best solution is to get the major systems and choose from what the whole videogame industry has to offer. Which is what you would eventually do if there was only one system on the market.

 

[Ristamar]

I disagree. I understand the time and money constrains that may lead to this decision, buy why limiting your freedom of choice filling the tray of just one system? Look at it this way: I love reading books but heck during the time spent reading just one book other cool books are released. I'll never be able to read all of them, so I'll stick to just one publisher or look only at this corner of the book store shelf space. It's crazy. To me, the best solution is to get the major systems and choose from what the whole videogame industry has to offer. Which is what you would eventually do if there was only one system on the market.

Poor analogy. It's not like you need to invest more money just to read books from other publishers and authors. I'm sure exclusive GC owners would buy PS2 games if they could play them on their GC, or vice versa. Your example might hold more water if you had to pay a fee to access other shelves or areas of the book store.

 

[User 406]

Let it also be noted that by buying and supporting only one console, we're casting our consumer votes for that one console future. ^_^

 

[human5892]

Poor analogy. It's not like you need to invest more money just to read books from other publishers and authors. I'm sure exclusive GC owners would buy PS2 games if they could play them on their GC, or vice versa. Your example might hold more water if you had to pay a fee to access other shelves or areas of the book store.

Ristamar pretty much nailed it. Nothing is preventing readers from browsing the entire store, whereas cost and (to a much lesser extent) space can be an obstacle in multi-console owning. (Incidentally, I am very much an advocate of a one-console world...as I imagine most mono-console owners would be. )

There's also the psychological tug to keep up with all major console releases if you've got more than one, which is what I think Deg was talking about in the first post of this topic.

 

[dark10x]

Poor analogy. It's not like you need to invest more money just to read books from other publishers and authors. I'm sure exclusive GC owners would buy PS2 games if they could play them on their GC, or vice versa. Your example might hold more water if you had to pay a fee to access other shelves or areas of the book store.

The problem is that many people here are claiming that money isn't the issue...

What's wrong with owning three systems, and simply purchasing the best games offered by the industry? If you can't afford it, owning one is quite understandable...but if it isn't money that is the problem, I don't see why not.

 

[human5892]

The problem is that many people here are claiming that money isn't the issue...

What's wrong with owning three systems, and simply purchasing the best games offered by the industry? If you can't afford it, owning one is quite understandable...but if it isn't money that is the problem, I don't see why not.

Well, if money is no issue, it becomes less of a problem, but some would argue that they are strapped enough for time that even the "must-buy" games on one console would be enough for them. As of this point in my life, I think I would fall into that category, actually; after all, there are still GameCube games that I own currently that aren't beaten yet, yet I still am very glad to have them, and would not replace them with games from another system.

 

[dark10x]

Well, if money is no issue, it becomes less of a problem, but some would argue that they are strapped enough for time that even the "must-buy" games on one console would be enough for them. As of this point in my life, I think I would fall into that category, actually; after all, there are still GameCube games that I own currently that aren't beaten yet, yet I still am very glad to have them, and would not replace them with games from another system.

Well that's fine, but I actually have examples of people in real life who claim to only have time for one console yet own a lot of barely average games. I can't imagine why they wouldn't just buy the best games on each console rather than fill up that space with a bunch of crap.

It seems that everyone simply has a different situation, really. You can't necessarily condemn either choice...

 

[Ristamar]

Meh. Don't believe the hype. Money is always an issue, even if you're not strapped for cash.

That being said, I'd venture that while money isn't preventing some people from purchasing 1 or 2 extra consoles, it's still a deterent. The opportunity cost of access to a new library isn't justified when they're happy playing the surplus of titles to which they already have access. Unless there's an absolute deal breaker (usually in the form of some exclusive "must have" release), the motivation to branch out simply isn't there, especially if they have accessible friends with other consoles.

 

[human5892]

Well that's fine, but I actually have examples of people in real life who claim to only have time for one console yet own a lot of barely average games. I can't imagine why they wouldn't just buy the best games on each console rather than fill up that space with a bunch of crap.

It seems that everyone simply has a different situation, really. You can't necessarily condemn either choice...

What's "crap" to you (and probably most of the rest of us) might be gold to them, though, and hence would justify their one-console decision (if the crap in question is console exclusive, obviously).

I don't think either choice should be condemned -- if you have the time and money for all three consoles, more power to you. But at the same time, I do think mono-console owners often get a lot of flak for their choice just because many people can't fathom their situation or line of thinking. For that reason, I've been glad to explain my own video game setup in this thread.

 

[dark10x]

What's "crap" to you (and probably most of the rest of us) might be gold to them, though, and hence would justify their one-console decision (if the crap in question is console exclusive, obviously).

I don't think either choice should be condemned -- if you have the time and money for all three consoles, more power to you. But at the same time, I do think mono-console owners often get a lot of flak for their choice just because many people can't fathom their situation or line of thinking. For that reason, I've been glad to explain my own video game setup in this thread.

You have stronger willpower than I...

I honestly couldn't imagine NOT buying Halo 2, MGS3, Half-Life 2, and Metroid Prime 2 this November (though HL2 could hit sooner). They are all sequels to some of my all time favorites and I have been awaiting their arrival so long. As a result, I couldn't even CHOOSE one over another.

The fact that you are able to skip so many titles in favor of owning one console is impressive, in a way. I COULD do it, but I'd rather not...

 

[SyNapSe]

If I only owned 1 console I would spend more money on games.. as is I RARELY pay $50 for a game. There are just tons of games in backlog for me to play.

If I were a GC-only owner, I would be all over ToS right now. Instead, I'll probably wait until it's $20 or $30 max.

I guess I have a question. Most of the people in this thread said they would be GC only owners. That's cool, but what would you watch DVD's on?

Why not get a PS2 or Xbox for viewing DVD's + you can buy the few AAA games that really appeal to you if you like. Their price isn't that much higher than a DVD player anymore.

 

[rawk]

I'm a GC and GBA only gamer. It's plenty for me. Yeah, there are lots of games on other consoles I'd give a try, but no deal breakers, so I'm content with my huge library of Cube games. Hell, I was pretty content with the N64 only, and no Game Boy, and after 2.5 years my Cube library is 2X of my total N64 library. So I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with just one console. And there are still supposedly great GC games I haven't played, and a bazillion good GBA games I haven't played yet.

And I watch DVDs on my DVD player.

 

[human5892]

If I only owned 1 console I would spend more money on games.. as is I RARELY pay $50 for a game. There are just tons of games in backlog for me to play.

If I were a GC-only owner, I would be all over ToS right now. Instead, I'll probably wait until it's $20 or $30 max.

I guess I have a question. Most of the people in this thread said they would be GC only owners. That's cool, but what would you watch DVD's on?

Why not get a PS2 or Xbox for viewing DVD's + you can buy the few AAA games that really appeal to you if you like. Their price isn't that much higher than a DVD player anymore.

I actually had a DVD player before my GC.

 

[AirBrian]

I guess I have a question. Most of the people in this thread said they would be GC only owners. That's cool, but what would you watch DVD's on?

Why not get a PS2 or Xbox for viewing DVD's + you can buy the few AAA games that really appeal to you if you like. Their price isn't that much higher than a DVD player anymore.

I've had a 5-disc DVD player long before PS2/Xbox/GCN came out.

 

[Poo Poo]

Ya, I'm going to go single console next gen. I'm also waiting at least a year or two before getting one so I'll know which to choose and so that it'll be less expensive.

 

[human5892]

You have stronger willpower than I...

I honestly couldn't imagine NOT buying Halo 2, MGS3, Half-Life 2, and Metroid Prime 2 this November (though HL2 could hit sooner). They are all sequels to some of my all time favorites and I have been awaiting their arrival so long. As a result, I couldn't even CHOOSE one over another.

The fact that you are able to skip so many titles in favor of owning one console is impressive, in a way. I COULD do it, but I'd rather not...

Well, don't give me too much credit -- if I had some more time and extra pocket change, I'd probably be all over a PS2, at the very least. ^_^

 

[Matlock]

Well, right now I'm kind of painted into ye olde corner of the one console bit. The GameCube gets gameplay here and there with the arcadey-type games, but the PS2 gets a high turnover of titles going in and out with a backlog that just ain't there. Maybe it's the fact I'm a jobless college student in an area where there's nothing to do, or maybe it's just a bit of a lack of a life (is that any different?) but tossing money into two consoles and a handheld was a great decision.

When one tapers off in titles, you can keep going with that and maybe catch up on another console's library. For people who want to play as many and see as many worlds as possible, it's an necessity.

'course, I still haven't finished Disgaea or GTA III/VC, heh.

Out of this gen's hardware, though, there have been a small number of games I could say have a great replay value in comparison to the others:

GB/GBA:

Tetris (original)
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Mario Golf: Advance Tour

GC:

TimeSplitters 2
Def Jam Vendetta
Beach Spikers
Super Smash Bros. Melee

PS2:

Disgaea (oh god what a timesink)
SSX3
Eyetoy: Groove
Psi-Ops
Ratchet & Clank 2

--Note that only Beach Spikers and SSBM are Cube exclusive, and SSX3 is also available on the Cube, so that would be interchangable. Still, lots of stuff on every front.

-edit-Not to mention PC gaming. Solitaire, SkiFree, Diablo 2...all that nice kinda stuff that has a huge timesink along with it.


of course, that's only what I own, but I could see myself living off of those titles.

 

[TTP]

Poor analogy. It's not like you need to invest more money just to read books from other publishers and authors. I'm sure exclusive GC owners would buy PS2 games if they could play them on their GC, or vice versa. Your example might hold more water if you had to pay a fee to access other shelves or areas of the book store.

The analogy was just to point out how limitative is to stick with one platform in terms of choice. It wasn't my intention to make an analogy cost wise as it doesn't seem to be the issue with Dice.

 

[Teddman]

That's nice

Best post.

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

Taking the money issue out for a second, if you stick to one platform, you are letting that one platform tell you want games you can and cannot play. Like Dark10x said, if you only buy the truely good games or games that you truely enjoy on each platform, then your backlog, if any, shouldn't be any larger than a one console owner.

Don't buy one console and feel the need to fill in library gaps with 6.8s and shit that ran across all three platforms anyway, buy all the platforms and get the game son each that you like: the great ones that are console specific, or the best versions of games you enjoy.

 

[human5892]

Taking the money issue out for a second, if you stick to one platform, you are letting that one platform tell you want games you can and cannot play. Like Dark10x said, if you only buy the truely good games or games that you truely enjoy on each platform, then your backlog, if any, shouldn't be any larger than a one console owner.

Don't buy one console and feel the need to fill in library gaps with 6.8s and shit that ran across all three platforms anyway, buy all the platforms and get the game son each that you like: the great ones that are console specific, or the best versions of games you enjoy.

I don't fill my library with shit. I fill it with games I want to play. If the console I owned did not offer games I wanted to play, I'd get a different one.

I have 18 games for my GameCube, and except for one or two, I love every single one. They are almost all GameCube exclusive titles, as well.

 

[Matlock]

Man, I hate to get on your ass again, but I can't help but take note of the huge hypocrisy here.

After the Circuit City sale, I now have one hundred games for my PSX2, and I seriously doubt I'll ever catch up on my backlog now what with all the games coming up I want to get.

An impressive collection, that's for sure. But...!

For you multiconsole owners who might feel a bit frayed around the edges, here's the trick: Once you realize and accept that you simply do not have time to play every good game out there, it becomes a lot easier to pass over unnecessary purchases and focus on enjoying what you like. Getting over collectoritis and the need to play what everyone else is playing will keep you from buying crap you aren't going to have time for. It takes a bit of self discipline to overcome these habits of thought, but it's well worth it in the end.

After having 100+ titles and a backlog you doubt you'll ever match...you preach about "not making unneccessary purchases" and "getting over collectoritis?" Sounds like you've caught the bug a long time ago, lad.

 

[Ristamar]

Taking the money issue out for a second, if you stick to one platform, you are letting that one platform tell you want games you can and cannot play.

True, but keep in mind the X-factor in this whole equation; the PC. I wonder how many "one console owners" also have a PC, especially GC owners. A lot of the great exclusives on PS2 and XBOX (Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear, KoTOR, Halo, etc.) make their way to the PC, sometimes in a superior form. The main problem is they often arrive much later than their console brethren, but if you can wait... *shrug*

 

[Blackace]

After the Circuit City sale, I now have one hundred games for my PSX2, and I seriously doubt I'll ever catch up on my backlog now what with all the games coming up I want to get. Adding another system's library to that backlog would be dumb.

it becomes a lot easier to pass over unnecessary purchases and focus on enjoying what you like.

Getting over collectoritis and the need to play what everyone else is playing will keep you from buying crap you aren't going to have time for.


It takes a bit of self discipline to overcome these habits of thought, but it's well worth it in the end.

Hooray for one console!

not that's bad or anything...but you tell people that one console is better.... but yet have over 100 games that you'll never play...

as for me I own all 3 plus the sp...and I buy about 2 or 3 games a month... the best ones coming out for any giving console... I don't buy everything for every console... I have around 40 games for all 4... so I don't really know what the beef is....

 

[TTP]

If the console I owned did not offer games I wanted to play, I'd get a different one.

But what if you make the switch and all of a sudden one of those games you wanted to play is released on the system you have just got rid of? You make the switch again, prey for a conversion or just say "shit happens"?