favorite video game systems

hey–

used to be a big nintendo and sega genesis fan back when i was a kid, but i have lost touch with the gaming industry over the years.

any opinions on the new nintendo wii?

what is your favorite video game system?

Nintendo Wii is one of the best and most innovative product to hit the market in a long, long time. This is more than just for gaming. It is, IMO, the best product of 2006 by far.

iP: totally agree!

i actually lost touch with gaming for a while too somewhere around quake 3.
i think it probably depends on what type of game you like to play but ive found the wii to be the most fun product. wii tennis is the shit

Depends on the market subset you are looking at.

WII while innovative…sort of there were attempts to put motion sensitive controllers, with similar (used only one controller) control methodology on the PS1, PS2, and original Xbox. However, Wii pulled it off.

Nintendo is going after the family gaming. Hence the adds depicting multigenerational people in a party type setting.

I read a report in one of the gaming magazines shortly after the launch. It was an interview with someone from Nintendo in reply to the magazine ripping them a new one by not creating a system on par with the power and graphics of Sony and Microsoft. The response was that they are not competing with those systems. They are targeting the family game nite crowd. Therefore, they are competing with Hasbro, and Milton Bradley.

PS3 is targeting the all-in-one entertainment system. Ads showcasing the graphics, blu-ray, and free online community

XBox360 is targeting the more MLG type players. Great graphics, dependable processor, lightning quick LAN parties. Ads focussing on the games, but most advertising is put into the now more frequent televised Halo2 and GOW turnaments on TNT, USA, Spike, and other channels.

However, other than the direct network link to your PC, and the wireless (controllers and network) neither have revolutionized the category.

So which one is best depends on what category of gamer you fall into. Personally I fall in-between the PS3 and the 360 but opted for the 360 elite(just traded in the Pro) because of the dominance in the “shooter” game category with GOW and Halo series, and the still more comprehensive XBox live. Although Sony’s online service is free and quickly catching up.

Good points wrt to what your preferences are. I am taking nothing away from the quality and playability of the Xbox.

I am a sports and RPG gamer (when I can fit them in between work and kids). I haven’t owned a console system since the Atari 2600 (no laughing). My brother had the original Nintendo. I enjoyed it, but was more interested in chasing girls than playing Metroid.

I was talking to a friend who told me about Madden NFL for Wii. Using the interaction of the controllers sounds wayyyy cool. Pump fakes with the controller.

Its the fact that the Wii has made computer games a whole body experience is what I love about it. I have talked to people saying how they BROKE A SWEAT playing Nintendo sports. BEING SORE after playing Nintendo Boxing. When was the last time you heard anyone talk about pulling anything more than a thumb muscle playing games?

Its taken a 25 year old industry and kicked it in the ass.

So true. And it was a much needed kick. BTW I still have the 2600…last I checked 3-4 yrs ago it still worked! How about the pong II, with 4 variations of the same game?!? I still break it out and play squash with my wife when we are at my parents.

I hope that the other two will take not and start to integrate more movement based control into their systems…dance revolution and Guitar hero are a star I guess…but a week one.

Well I sit our exercise ball to play, and I have gotten so into it on a couple of occasions that I have rolled off backwards landing on one of my sons toys…so I do get a soar back from time to time. :slight_smile: :laughing:

I have to say, the only games I play today are racing simulators. I’m still using my PS2 for the time being while waiting for Sony to release Gran Turismo HD. I have felt pain after playing this game. At first is was thumb aching. Then, my wife got me a steering wheel for christmas. Unfortunately, they are very difficult to set up comfortably, therefore, my back is usually in so much pain after 30 minutes that I have to give up hehe!

Aesthetically, I always liked the TurboGrafx-16. They had cool (at the time for a pimply teenager) packaging too:

The Atari 2600 though, will always be close to my heart. It’s kind of like a VW Beetle. You know it is a poor excuse for transportation, but you have all kinds of memories attached to it (whether experienced, or through media). You want it to be the greatest, even if it wasn’t:

You especially have to love the fake wood on the front and the bauhaus-like font.

How disappointing was it when they released Pac Man on the 2600?!?

It didn’t even look like Pac Man! And don’t get me started on the sound!

ohhhhhh…the pain.

I stopped playing video games at Golden Eye for N64… but then tried a Wii out and was immediately hooked… 4 player tennis kid! The mini duckhunt game in the play pack is also hot.

yo:

i havent played that mini game, im going to get on that,
oh golden eye though i remember that… all those multi-player first person shooters were hitting on something big i think… getting everybody envolved and into it makes it that much more of a memorable experience, it’s just more fun too to blast at your buddys,

i liked racing games alot too… f-zero anybody?

My favorite system is still the SNES. It combined decent graphics with FUN games. Most modern systems have forgotten about fun. I want to sit down and not have 2 hours of tutorials and videos just to play the game.

Dude, F Zero was THE BEST. The SNES one was great too. They need a Wii version! I think that is what Nintendo does really well. It’s about getting a bunch of people together to have fun.

in college a guy actually bought a huge projection screen TV (no names, aheem, Ryan Case) so he could throw a huge Mario Cart party. Your score was multiplied by how many ounces of Bear you could drink, the magic multiplier being 64 of course… He returned the TV the next day.

My parents came out to visit last week and it was great seeing them freak out playing the wii with my wife, my bro,his girlfriend, and I… the boxing tournament we set up was the best… though it is weird to box against your Mom’s Mii character.

that’s funny; wife, baby, and I were back home for son’s first birthday a couple weeks back and we took our wii. We often take the PS2 or my brother in law will bring the X box so we can play the newest GTA installment or Halo, but this time it wasn’t just my wife, brother in-law, or me playing…my dad and I bowled a few games, my sister tried her hand at some golf, my cousin’s husband jumped in on the action, and me and my grandma played tennis!
-have to try boxing my mom next time Yo :smiling_imp:

and how many people have broken a sweat, or even gotten a little soar from some over enthusiastic wii boxing.

I played the xbox 360 and Wii for the first time this past weekend.

Xbox 360: I only wanted to play a car racing game. I couldn’t figure out the options. My brother-in-law had xbox-live and it was prompting me to sign in. I was confused. He had to get me to the game part. Once in the game, I didn’t bother using all the options because I kept confusing buttons. All in all, alot of frustration.

Wii: I pluged it up, turned it on and in 2 minutes was playing a game with my brother-in-law. I never needed instructions. We all laughed at editing our miis (those in the know will know what I"m talking about. Those who don’t, rent one!). It was a none-stop blast.

I’ve been saying for years that nothing was as fun as the 2600, now someone has done it. Retro-gaming with better graphics!

Yes, retro…I don’t want to hear anyone arguing that Wii-play is an excellent simulator of baseball.

The day after a big tennis tourney my arm always feels like it’s going to fall off… not to mention my wife always seems to “accidentally” hit me as hard as she can when she backhands…

Just got Mario Party 8 last weekend, it’s a great 4 player.

So far I have:

Sport Pack
Play Pack
Cars (It sucks)
Paper Mario (very fun, but only a 1 player)
SSX Snowboarding (it’s OK)
Mario Party 8 (very fun)

Any other recommendations? I hear the operation game is great and of course Tiger Woods.

hi,

my favorite video game system is Handheld video game.

The effect of Guitar Hero for Wii on our Converse PDX Christmas party:

http://michaeld2lo.spymac.com/movies/xmas07med.mov

Excitebike was always a favorite of mine. Also a huge fan of F-Zero, but does anyone remember RC-Pro/Am? That game was sweet. As far as I can remember is was the first “3D” driving game where you weren’t positioned behind the car, you had to follow it around the screen. Excellent game.

As for newer stuff, I’m a fan of XBox only because of Halo. I’ve never gotten so pissed off at someone I have never met because they stole the rocket launcher I wanted to use… Its just great interaction.

I think F Zero is on the list of games you can download for the Virtual Console…in case you’re in need an old school fix.

Tecmo Bowl is the only sports game you need though. (And it’s available on the VC as well)

Tecmo Bowl is the only sports game you need though.

Yes! I call Raiders!