Consoleation Retroactive: The New Old Addition
I have added another console to my library. It wasn’t an easy decision, as I wasn’t sure about the viability of getting it. For some reason, I needed something “else” to play games on… not that my PlayStation 2 library was getting old or anything, but I just felt that I had to do something to shake things up.
One option was to sell my PlayStation 3 and move to the Xbox 360. I thought about this long and hard, mainly because I do have some fear about another Dreamcast situation with the PS3. I had dropped well over $1000 combined in store credit and cash on my Dreamcast and its associated games and accessories… and it was all for naught when SEGA abruptly pulled the plug. I don’t think that Sony would do that with the PS3, but it’s possible that publishers will start pulling back third-party support and therefore leave fewer software choices for PS3 owners. That would basically leave my PS3 as a Blu-Ray player and would leave me out of this console generation altogether.
I decided not to go with this option because of what I have invested in my PS3 on the DLC side. I have over 40 downloadable games from the PlayStation Store, plus dozens of songs for Rock Band and few Guitar Hero tracks, as well. Then there are the instruments which I’d have to re-purchase for the 360… I just spent $200 on Guitar Hero World Tour with the guitar and drums, plus I still have the Les Paul from Guitar Hero III and the guitar from Rock Band. As a music gaming fan, I’d have to replace at least two guitars (drums could come later) and rebuy all of my DLC. Lastly, I have hope for Uncharted 2, more great PlayStation Store downloadables (including PSone games that Capcom is promising), and maybe a few surprises. I’ve come this far with the PS3… I guess I need to give it a little more time.
I did, however, have some stuff to trade in that I wasn’t playing… and GameStop is running a pretty good trade-in deal (up to 30% more on trade-ins)… so between that and a gift card that I got for Christmas, I had a decent sum of money to spend. Should I get more PS3 games? Maybe some DS games? How about some rare PS2 RPGs?
Nope. I got… an Xbox. Yup. I’m partying like it’s 2004 all over again. Now, before you boo me or throw shoes at me, here’s why I decided on the Xbox:
- Price: At $50 for a console, it was a decent deal. I added an extended warranty, too, so I’m set for awhile should this unit give me problems.
- Hard Drive: I’ve always liked having the ability to save game progress to HDD rather than use memory cards. It’s faster and less confusing, especially if you tend to get involved with a few different games in during the same period. The custom soundtrack feature that the HDD allows for is pretty cool, too. Racing in Burnout Revenge to my favorite music instead of what EA feeds to players is a bonus.
- Software Availability and Price: There are Xbox games that people are looking to get rid of everywhere. GameStop and FYE, for example, are practically giving a lot of them away. While the rosters aren’t current, NFL 2K5 at $1 is a steal and still has the best presentation of any football game on any console. Burnout 3 and Burnout Revenge were less than $10 apiece– which is cheaper than their PS2 counterparts. The list goes on and on, but I view it as a collection starter– similar to my PSX before those games went AWOL. For little money (less than the PS2), I can quickly build a respectable and fun game collection that’s fun as a diversion or which has games that I did miss out on during the last generation.
Not getting a 360 was a tough decision… but I’m not regretting this move. It’ll be so much easier to impulse buy an Xbox game for $5 or $10 than it will be to buy a 360 title, which can be 3-4 times that amount. I’ve begun the process of changing out last-generation multiplatform titles from my PS2 collection to the Xbox side, such as the Burnout games, Midway’s retro collections, SEGA’s ESPN sports games, and so on. If any of you out there have suggestions for XBox games, feel free to drop them in a comment here. I’ll be sure to keep you updated when I make additions to the collection.
For now, though… here’s the current list:
- Burnout Revenge
- Conker: Live and Reloaded
- Crimson Skies
- CSI
- ESPN NBA 2K5
- ESPN NFL 2K5
- ESPN NHL 2K5
- Gauntlet: Dark Legacy
- Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
- Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
- Midway Arcade Treasures
- Midway Arcade Treasures 2
- Midway Arcade Treasures 3
- Panzer Dragoon Saga
- Project Gotham Racing 2
- Sega GT 2002 / Jet Set Radio Future
- TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
- Unreal Championship 2
Three games that I bought are being exchanged today because they’re defective (Links 2004, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, NCAA Football 2005 / Top Spin)… so I’m hoping to get them replaced with working copies. I have a little bit of store credit left, too… I’d like to try and score Shenmue II and maybe one or two other games.
I know I said that I wouldn’t be posting anything else before 2009, but here you go. Happy New Year… and I’ll be back in ’09!
That…,is an unusual decision. But you will find tons and tons of quality games for no money, between used bins and eBay. Remember that you can run the Xbox in 720p via component cables (Microsoft made the “High Definition A/V Pack” with component,, composite, S-Video and optical out, plus Monster made component with an optical cable dongle, which is what I’m running) and a handful of games do support 720p (SoulCalibur II comes to mind). The only trick is finding extra Controller S gamepads, as they stopped making them about two years ago and they are increasingly difficult to find. So if you see them in a used baggie, snag a few spares.
Depending on your tastes, other worthwhile Xbox 1 games I’d recommend (if you don’t have them on PS2, where available) are The Thing, Metal Arms: Glitch in the System, XIII, KOTOR, and of course Psychonauts. I also thought Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis was great, but I am in the minority on that.
(And if you’re interested in House of the Dead III & Silent Scope with two rifle light guns in the box, let me know…)
And hey, remember, just because Sega stoppped making the Dreamcast doesn’t make your investment “all for naught” — you still had $1000 worth of Dreamcast stuff. I drive a PT Cruiser, and even though Chrysler stopped making it, I am still proud to own and enjoy it, knowing that nothing lasts forever.
Psychonauts…that is all you need to add to the Xbox list. (hehe)