Topic: Pap's hot topic: Owning a console or a handheld

[NWR_pap64]

I'm feeling very ranty right now, so bear with me...

A friend of mine is very Anti-Nintendo. Or I should say, Anti- DS- Wii Nintendo. He's a Nintendo fan but feels betrayed because Nintendo took the company to a whole different direction with the DS and now the Wii. For years he avoided the DS like the plague, and is now doing the same with the Wii. He was given a DS for Christmas, though, and was asking people what games he should get for it. Another friend almost accused him of being a hypocrite; that after all the crap he talked about the DS he still got one. He then confessed that his views on the DS still stand and has NOT enjoyed an inch of it. He then confesses that he does intend on buying a Wii just so he can play Smash Brothers Brawl, but does not want to fall full price for a console that has the same merits as the Virtual Boy and that its guaranteed that he will NOT enjoy Wii Sports.

This is where my rant comes in.

The point of owning a console is that you WANT to fully explore it and see what it has to offer. Nowadays, videogame consoles and handhelds are considered an investment. If you spent that much money on then you might as well get the most out of them. So why do you want to buy a console if your negative views on it still stand?

Some might say; "I'm buying it just so I can tell people that I own it and have played it, and not be accused of being a troll". I'm sorry, but even if you have played it if you still carry a negative attitude towards it you can still be considered a troll.

Of course, you CAN be disappointed with a console or handheld and have the right to cry foul. I am talking about gamers who have a pre-conceived notion of a system and still carry it even after having played the console. Only now they say "And I HAVE played it and own the system, so shut up!".

So what I am getting at is if you're going to have a crappy, ignorant, fanboyish attitude towards a system, don't even bother with it. Once again, the point of owning a console is because you TRULY want it. You want to see what it has to offer and get the most out of it. See what games it has and see what it promises for the future. Owning one for the sake of winning internet arguments should NOT be a top priority. Even if you own it, guess what? You'll STILL be seen as an arrogant butthole because you decided to continue own bashing the system despite giving it "a fair chance".

So that's my rant. Sorry if it touches some nerves and I don't mean to offend, but I've been seeing this type of attitude and it annoys me. And I ain't just talking about the DS and Wii, I am talking about ALL consoles. If someone were to say "The PS3 is a piece of crap, I hate the games for it, the Blu ray sucks etc. etc. and I OWN one so I've played it" I would say "If you hate it so much why did you even bother with it?".

It just doesn't make sense...

[Nick DiMola]

People who are stubborn in that way drive me INSANE. I hate rampant fanboyism and close-mindedness. Lets put video games aside for a second here and look at the big picture. Life is all about experiences. Everyday you have new ones, and every once in a while you are given the opportunity to totally change your opinions and look at something from a different view point. When you do this you gain insight and you become a more well rounded, informed, intelligent individual. Carrying biases and negativity only spawns negativity and stifles growth. For your friend to regard the Wii and DS in such a negative light without giving them a fair shot is ignorance.

For a long time I was an overly critical person who looked at all of life in a very negative way. To relate it to gaming, the PS2 was high on my shit list and I hated it without really experiencing what it had to offer. When I finally decided to transform my views on life, I gave the system a shot and found alot to be desired on it. If you really give something a fair shot you will often find something to enjoy about it. It may not be your favorite thing, but you may have a new respect for it, and able to level with why others enjoy it so much. This directly translates to life, and how you act in different situations thrown at you. If you live your whole life with a closed mind, you will miss out on so many great things that life has to offer.

All I have to say is, if your friend wants to keep his blinders on, let him, the only person who he is hurting is himself. In the meantime, you should just tell him to really give it a fair shot and try and drop his inhibitions and just have fun with it. Just because he likes the Wii doesn't mean he is any less of a gamer. At this point, even if he likes it, I'm sure he will convince himself he hates it, but that's beside the point.

[S-U-P-E-R]

I think I share your friend's opinion about the Wii. I'm gonna plop Smash Bros in there and never take it out.

[NWR_pap64]

I should have mentioned that his views on the Wii are somewhat understandable. Even if the system is a huge success and has great games it doesn't have that one great title that proves the Wii is worth it and most third parties haven't stepped out of the "PS2 rush job port and mini game" mentality. So I don't blame him for being doubtful.

But the DS has more than proven its worth. It features some great games that span every single gaming genre. Action, adventure, platforming, simulations and even non games. Being doubtful  3 years after its release shouldn't be an excuse. You should be able to find something you like on the DS. Yet, he seems to have a negative attitude about it simply because he didn't like the controls in Phantom Hourglass (something, even DS fans have complained about).

[Kairon]

AAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!

[NWR_pap64]

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
AAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!

If you're "AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH"-ing about the PH controls lets be fair here! Some love it, others don't. But the thread isn't about that. That's a whole different topic, so move it along!

[oohhboy]

"Betrayed". Let me highlight that word. The guy was way over invested into the whole affair emotionally. He also never really understood what Nintendo was about.

He also needs a life. Being in contact with you doesn't count.

[Ian Sane]

I say you buy a videogame system to play games you otherwise couldn't play if you didn't.  How many game that needs to be depends on the individual but for some one is enough.

I only own four Wii games:
Wii Sports
Metroid Prime 3
Super Mario Galaxy
MLB Power Pros

Wii Sports came with the console and I don't think I would have bothered buying it if it didn't so that doesn't count.  Power Pros is also on the PS2 so I didn't buy a Wii for that because I could buy a PS2 for a lot less money and there's a fair handful of titles for it that I wouldn't mind having.  So I currently own the Wii for two games.  Of the games annouced SSB is only one I can think of that I also want to get.  So I wouldn't say I'm a big Wii fan and I'm certainly not a fan of the direction Nintendo has gone in on the DS and the Wii.  I don't own many DS games either as I also have only four titles for it and it's been out for years.

So really I own these systems just because there's a handful of games that I really want that require them.  I don't really like either of them and would consider both to be Nintendo's worst portable and console (VB would be excluded since it's sort of it's own thing).  If I was tight on money I probably wouldn't bother with either of them.  So if this guy is going to get a Wii just for SSB Brawl then he isn't really a hyprocrite.  Like me he has a killer game he wants that happens to be exclusive to a console that otherwise doesn't interest him.  He's not a hyprocrite with the DS either since it was a gift.  I don't want a PSP but if someone bought me one I would keep it and look into finding something worth playing.

And although it doesn't apply in this example in some cases where someone craps on a console despite owning it could be because when they got it they liked its potential but it ultimately didn't live up to expectations.  I didn't care for the Cube that much in the last few years for example despite being very enthusiastic about it before it launched.  As Nintendo switched from Yamauchi to Iwata I noticed a subtle change in their game output and I went from being interested in damn near every significant Cube release to being almost totally disinterested.

[Kairon]

Buu..bu...Iwata is our savior!!! *boggle* (j/k)

Yeah, I'm not too sure this is actually about the console, but about the person's relationship with the company. Fanboyism has its positives as well as its negatives, and while it has the power to bring some people closer to the company they support, it can also sever their ties just as strongly.

I guess I'm lucky that as Nintendo has changed, so far I've been in-line with each step. It's ironic actually, because I sometimes think that the games that are out which speak to me most are very UN-Nintendo... GTA, for example, even though I tend to get bored of the game, the urban-city-sim aspect of it is a siren song to me.

I actually used to count myself as a Blizzard fanboy, but don't anymore because of a misunderstanding of what Blizzard was and what they are intent on delivering to me. I've become disenchanted with their future projects actually. It may be sacrilege, but I'm not too hyped for StarCraft 2 right now... Oh, don't get me wrong. SC2 will be amazing and Blizzard is still top-notch, but they just don't inspire me that much anymore.

It's one thing to own a console, or prefer a console based on the games it offers. That stuff makes sense. That stuff is measurable. But I think that the only true successful fandoms are those that are based on something beyond the mercantile relationship of creator-consumer. Real fandom isn't cemented in money, in ownership, in the number of games one owns or even one likes. Real fandom is cemented in the will, desire, and maybe even delusion, to see beyond the pile of chips and transistors to some transcendant emotion or quality.

[GoldenPhoenix]

That is why I own all the system, I really don't care much for blind fanboi attitudes. Personally I see no problem with being a "fanboi" of a particular system, but if that keeps you from playing or ignoring other systems is ridiculous. I love Nintendo and Nintendo systems, and I would call myself a fanboi (fangirl?) but I also am open to other systems and experiences.  

[Maverick]

Quote
Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
(fangirl?)

"fangurl"

[Smash_Brother]

Fangoyle?

I know just who Pap is talking about and this guy is actually a bigger curmudgeon than Ian when it comes to the Wii (Ian came around and bought one, eventually, and I didn't even have to buy it for him like I might have to do for this guy).

Even if all I had played was Wii Sports, I'd still think my Wii purchase was warranted. That said, Zelda, Red Steel, Zack and Wiki, RE:UC, etc. were all just icing on the cake.

The thing about the Wii is that I accept the fact that it's a concept which is just about a year and six months old and it's too radically different for devs to really get their heads around it in that short a time. Anyone believing otherwise is automatically setting themselves up for disappointment. Realistically, businesses don't adapt THAT quickly. There's going to be a great deal of trial and error before devs find their way when it comes to figuring out concepts and game ideas which really, really work to make for entertaining games.

We've seen some promising attempts, but the real meat isn't here yet.

[Caliban]

Quote
Originally posted by: pap64
I should have mentioned that his views on the Wii are somewhat understandable. Even if the system is a huge success and has great games it doesn't have that one great title that proves the Wii is worth it and most third parties haven't stepped out of the "PS2 rush job port and mini game" mentality. So I don't blame him for being doubtful.

But the DS has more than proven its worth. It features some great games that span every single gaming genre. Action, adventure, platforming, simulations and even non games. Being doubtful  3 years after its release shouldn't be an excuse. You should be able to find something you like on the DS. Yet, he seems to have a negative attitude about it simply because he didn't like the controls in Phantom Hourglass (something, even DS fans have complained about).

I agree with your view on the excellent plethora of DS games.
However, there is at least one Wii game worth of purchase with the console, Super Mario Galaxy, and I could name a few more that really show Nintendo's magic but that would just be of my opinion anyway.
About your friend, I can see what you're saying, fortunately my gaming friends aren't such d!cks.  

[Kairon]

I don't have friends.... &<

[Adrock]

Getting a Wii was worth it for me if only because I knew that at some point a new Smash Bros. was coming out and I wanted to be there for it. The games I bought a long the way (Zelda, RE4, Metroid, Mario) were simply pit stops on the way to Brawl and while I enjoyed them, I still, admittedly, bought the system for one game. It's the same reason I bought a Gamecube at launch without a single game. I'm sure I'll buy other games for Wii, but there's only one reason I bought a Wii. Even after plowing through X or Y title, I'll still come back to Smash.

Anyway, I agree with pap for the most part. Console bias is pointless. Buy a console if you'll find something you enjoy on it. For example, I'll probably get a PS3 eventually and I know I want a PSP sometime this year. I'm not a fan of Sony hardware because from my experience they're shoddily made, but I'll bite the bullet and take another chance because they've got games I want.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Adrock,
        Oddly enough sony and microsoft swapped on the console that craps out the most, the xbox 360 is perhaps the worst reliable manufactured videogame console EVER the PS3 is actually a solid reliable console. But do people stop buying the 360 just because it craps out? Nope because it has a really good game library and xbox vs 360 the main difference is that the 360 is getting solid japanese support this time around which is making Sony have a run for their money (well not in Japan) but everywhere else. But I agree with everyone console bias is trivial we buy consoles for games since whats the point of buying a console if theres no games on the console that interest you?  

[ShyGuy]

People are spiteful and unaware. Nothing new here.

[Caliban]

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
I don't have friends.... &<

Lies.

[Mario]

Who cares, ignore ignorance

[Chozo Ghost]

Quote
Originally posted by: Adrock
Getting a Wii was worth it for me if only because I knew that at some point a new Smash Bros. was coming out and I wanted to be there for it. The games I bought a long the way (Zelda, RE4, Metroid, Mario) were simply pit stops on the way to Brawl and while I enjoyed them, I still, admittedly, bought the system for one game. It's the same reason I bought a Gamecube at launch without a single game. I'm sure I'll buy other games for Wii, but there's only one reason I bought a Wii. Even after plowing through X or Y title, I'll still come back to Smash.

Anyway, I agree with pap for the most part. Console bias is pointless. Buy a console if you'll find something you enjoy on it. For example, I'll probably get a PS3 eventually and I know I want a PSP sometime this year. I'm not a fan of Sony hardware because from my experience they're shoddily made, but I'll bite the bullet and take another chance because they've got games I want.

I sense a great disturbance in the fanboi force.

[Darkheart]

Oh c'mon this guy sounds like my best friend.  Though he likes his Ds still.  He bought a Wii at launch and after playing a few mediocre Wii titles, he sold it by Christmas and vowed never to buy one again even if it was heavily discounted.  He said Mario or Smash wouldnt bring him back in.  Hes tired of Nintendo and switched to Wow and the 360.

But this sort of mentality is with a lot of gamers.  Even I said I will not get the Ps3 until it gets significantly cheaper.  I will only buy the system once they release the FF games on it pure and simple.  

You buy the system for the games you want on it.  Some games seem to merit them self the console purchase alone.

[Infernal Monkey]

Wii and DS shouldn't have games that I don't like!! Why do people like these games??!! I DON'T!!! YOU SHOULDN'T EITHER!!! I'm going straight to the internet with this!

[Kairon]

The internet <3s you.