Topic: What last gen system should I buy?

[brian577]

I've come to the realization that I've been limiting myself by relaying only on Nintendo for gaming so I've decided to buy a PS2 or Xbox even a Dreamcast, in the words of Obi Wan I'm taking my first step into a larger world.  What system would be the best choice for a guy who has been playing nothing but Nintendo games for the last 20 years.  Give me some recommendations too.

[MegaByte]

Unless you want certain games like Halo, get a PS2; it has a much wider selection of games, including PS1 games.  Most of the good Dreamcast games were ported to other systems, so you're not missing much there.

[Morari]

No, get a Dreamcast. It's easily the best console ever made. It has a great selection of games, not to mention a lot of really fun homebrew stuff available. The controllers were much more comfortable than anything else that came before it, and the VMU was an awesome (if not underused) device.

[Ian Sane]

The PS2 just has the most variety by sheer numbers alone so I recommend that.  I would only pick a Dreamcast or Xbox if there are some exclusives that just really grab your interest.

And while the Dreamcast is a great system a lot of its top games were ported or in the case of something like Soul Calibur, sequels have come out that make the original less of a must own.  Is Soul Calibur so great that it's worth owning a Dreamcast for when Soul Calibur II is on the Cube, PS2 and Xbox?  If you're to get a Dreamcast you get it because there are some exclusives that you really want that aren't on any other console.

Realistically that is the nature of old consoles.  Games get ported to newer systems so an old console just becomes less essential as time goes on.  For example at one point Ikaruga, even as an import title, was a feather in the Dreamcast's cap.  Then a localized version came out for the Gamecube.  Well that became the version to go for since it was easier to obtain.  Now Ikaruga is on XLM.  That's is by far the easiest and cheapest way to own the game now so I would not recommend Ikaruga as a must-own title that would justify a Gamecube purchase.  Of course I wouldn't recommend a Gamecube purchase at all anymore since the Wii's backwards compatibility is so good, unless you wanted the Game Boy Player.

The PS2 is also current enough that you can still find new memory cards and such in stores.  Hell you can buy the system brand new.

[brian577]

OK so far the PS2 is the most popular choice and it's also the system I was leaning towards to begin with.  The following titles are what I'm interested in starting with
Shadow of the Colossus
Psyconauts
Ratchet and Clank Series
Sly Cooper Series
Jak and Daxter series

I'm planning to go to the closest Gamestop week (which is 50 miles away), this is what I plan to buy
PS2 Slim Refurbished $60
Memory Card used $10
Ratchet and Clank $7
Sly Cooper $5
Jak and Daxter $5
they don't have any of the other titles I want in stock
Good deal or not? Any other titles I should consider? 

[Morari]

I thought that the controls felt sloppy when I played Psychonauts back in the day. I went back and played it on my PC about a year ago however, and it was a super fun game.

[BranDonk Kong]

If you're into games, then yes, PS2 is the best choice. If you want homebrew, then the Xbox is the absolute best console you can get for this purpose, period.

[TJ Spyke]

brian, do not play the PS2 port of Psychonauts, it was sloppily done (the PS2 port was handled by Budcat Creations). The controls were worse than the Xbox original, the graphics were a little worse (which was standard among almost all PS2 versions of multiplatform games), the framerate was worse, and the game had frequent reports of crashing. The Xbox original is a great game, one of the best games from last gen.

If you really want a PS2, I would suggest Kingdom Hearts as well.

[Halbred]

Yeah, the PS2 has the most games, no doubt. However, I have a soft spot for the Dreamcast. The games on that system that are good are REALLY good.

[brian577]

brian, do not play the PS2 port of Psychonauts, it was sloppily done (the PS2 port was handled by Budcat Creations). The controls were worse than the Xbox original, the graphics were a little worse (which was standard among almost all PS2 versions of multiplatform games), the framerate was worse, and the game had frequent reports of crashing. The Xbox original is a great game, one of the best games from last gen.

If you really want a PS2, I would suggest Kingdom Hearts as well.

Thanks for the advice, I'll get it off Steam instead, it's only $10.00

[TJ Spyke]

Good idea, the PC and Xbox 360 versions are practically the same. You also don't have to worry about a used version not running well (and Double Fine Productions will make at least a little bit of money from the Steam version too).

[vudu]

If you're not in a big rush, I'd recommend waiting on Psychonauts until it goes on sale again.  I picked it up for $2 on Steam back in January.

[brian577]

Any other titles I should consider?

[vudu]

Okami (if you didn't play it on Wii)
Dragon Quest VIII
Silent Hill 2

[BranDonk Kong]

Resident Evil 4...unless you've played the GameCube/Wii versions. And of course, God of War.

[NWR_insanolord]

There is absolutely no reason to play RE4 on the PS2. If you haven't played it, play it on the Wii. It controls like it was designed for the Wii; I was unable to play RE5 because I was used to the much better Wii controls.

[brian577]

I've already played RE:4 and Okami on the Wii, how about some platformers I haven't considered or Zelda style games?

[KnowsNothing]

I'm just going to list every game I own for the PS2 and what I think of them...I don't really have too many.  My experience with the PS2 has honestly been underwhelming and for all the praise it got I had over 9000 times more fun with my gamecube...

Shadow of the Colossus: definitely my favorite PS2 game, though to me it didn't QUITE live up to the hype that surrounded it.  The terrible controls/textures/camera/framerate detract from what could have been a really amazing experience.  Plus I personally found the barren wasteland more lazy than artistic, although maybe it was simply due to technical limitations...

Ico:  Very atmospheric puzzle/platformer by the same guys as SotC and to me just as good.  Check it out.

Final Fantasy X: Couldn't get past the future-pop atmosphere and boy band characters.  Only played the introduction!

Final Fantasy XII: Got about 14 hours into this one before putting it away.  Interesting but ultimately kind of boring battle system and pretty bad plot/characters.

Dragon Quest VII: Never played it.  I don't have it in me to play this game.

Burnout 3: AWESOME GAME.  The best of the entire series.

Gran Turismo 4: Self-proclaimed driving simulator that paradoxically has no vehicle damage whatsoever.  Someday I'll learn how to steer those damn cars...

Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal: Reasonably satisfying third person shooter/platformer.  I never played any of the other games in the series and I'm not particularly interested in ever getting around to them but I would recommend trying the series out.

Katamari Damacy: Biggest WTF game ever.  Pretty funny, awesome music, really fun for a while...but I never really got comfortable with the controls and eventually the repetition got to me.  I bust this game out every once in a while but never for too long.

Metal Gear Solid 3: I don't understand how anyone can like this series but to each their own.

[brian577]

2 days till I buy the system, any other titles?

[DAaaMan64]

Burnout: Revenge is better than 3. Do that.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Almost with out argument, the best version is on the PS2. The GC/Xbox version was developed by someone else, and for some reason, their version sucked.

[TJ Spyke]

The Xbox version is much better, but I would still suggest the PS2 version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. GTA III is almost impossible to play now because the controls feel so archaic an the graphics are so-so, Vice City is a little better. San Andreas is the best of the last gen trilogy (I am aware that Take-Two ported the two PSP games to the PS2, but I never played either one).

[jrlibrarian]

If you want a last gen system you could get a wii but only if you like dancing games and party game shovelware.

Could we please refrain from bashing Nintendo in a thread that has absolutely nothing to do with the Wii? Thank you.
 
I'm not much of a shooter fan, so while I had the Xbox, I wasn't able to find many games I wanted to play there. Therefore, I would go for a PS2, especially for the backwards-compatibility. Now that I look back, I see that KnowsNothing pretty much posted almost every game I was going to recommend. Hope you have a great time with your new system.

[broodwars]

I'd recommend some games for you, but I'm into RPGs and it doesn't look like you are.  Still, if you want to get your feet wet in the genre, I'd recommend Shin Megami Tensei Personas 3 or 4 (especially 4).  They tend to appeal to people who don't usually like JRPGs (which is hilarious considering how Japanese they are).  Similarly, Wild Arms 5 is a blast.  If you find yourself liking those games, check out Final Fantasy X.
 
Also, if you're into Survival Horror, Fatal Frames 2 and (supposedly, I haven't played it) 3 are pretty good if unusual.

[Morari]

The Xbox version is much better, but I would still suggest the PS2 version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. GTA III is almost impossible to play now because the controls feel so archaic an the graphics are so-so, Vice City is a little better. San Andreas is the best of the last gen trilogy (I am aware that Take-Two ported the two PSP games to the PS2, but I never played either one).

The PC version is much, much better.

I agree though, GTA3 felt terribly archaic the moment it was released. All of the 3D games in the series have though. I imagine it has a lot to do with them being built around gamepads, which wasn't as big of a downfall with the 2D top down perspective of before.

If you just have to play a 3D GTA though, make sure it is San Andreas. Gang banger plot aside, it's the best.

[TJ Spyke]

I hated that they took out plane controls and parachuting in GTA IV. I loved taking a plane and flying it high above Las Venturas, then jumping out of a plane and parachuting down. I also loved riding a ATV through through Back O Beyond. I didn't like the dating aspect though as it just happened way too much, same with eating.

I have to disagree on the controls for the later games though. The controls are fine in SA and IV.