pook

I enjoy games on my PC but want to plug a system into the TV in my media room. I'm not so into gaming that I want to spend $400 + on the Xbox 360 or the upcoming PS3 so I thought now would be a good time to get a good deal on a new original Xbox or PS2.

Which one should I buy?

xepherys

I personally recommend the Xbox, generally... but it mostly depends on the type of game you like to play. The PS2 has GREAT RPGs and Japanese games. If you're into sports or shooters (Halo/Halo 2) then the Xbox is the way to go. Generally games that are put out for both systems tend to look a little better on the Xbox, both have DVD capabilities (dunno if that means anything to you or not). At any rate, you could prolly get both for cheap on Ebay these days... with the 360 out.

Destrox

Also note that the Gamecube can be purchased for sub 80 dollars now too.

I being a RPG lover would take the PS2 route, but the Xbox certainly has a better selection of action games.

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BAMF

PS2 has megaman collections, and megaman X collection coming out in january.

MontanaXVI

I have 2 PS2's a GC, and many handhelds (no DS or PSP though)

It all really depends on what you are into, kinda like the old NES vs Genesis debate, one kicked tail for sports and action while the other was all about adventure and rpg.

PS2 has the RPG market, lots of good action and some shooters, xbox seems to have great shooters ie Halo 1 & 2, and both are about even since all the sports games pretty much cover all platforms.

gfx the xbox does tend do outdo the ps2 since it is "newer" hardware it does have this edge.

online capabilities, if you go with a newer slim ps2 it has the ethernet built in, while the old full sized models you need to pick up a network adapter that hooks into the back of the system, and MOST of the ps2 online games are free with the exceptions of FF and EQ that I know of. xbox you need to pick up the xbox live service to be able to play your games online, but I do believe it too comes right out of the box like the slim ps2 ready to go online you just need the xbox like kit which is a headset and a game I believe.

Hope more can clarify the online capabilities of the xbox as I have never played on online.

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CityOfAngels

Three businesses to help you out: Microsoft, modchipman.com, and Blockbuster.

MexicanOnABike

PS2 for the games. and it's a DVD player right out of the box. free online play.
i got it mostly for the games and the feel of the controler. the xbox controlers are all shitty. The ps2 was 170 when i bought it. 30$ less than the xbox.

i recomend the ps2.

edit: if you can, make a poll.
ps2, xbox, gamecube,

sadistikdreams

PS2, hands down. Theres thousands of games for it. Plus, you can play all those great PSOne games, so that's a plus.

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biznatch

get the ps2 for the metal gear solid series. I realize how fanboyish I sound, but these games are one of the best series ever made.
Also notice how Xbox people can only talk about one game, Halo, and its sequel? I think that's because the rest didn't really shine as much.
Get the new slimiline ps2. its hot.

CityOfAngels

I actually only liked Halo 2 for its multiplayer mayhem. I've never tried the first Halo. The fact of the matter is most of the great games on XBOX are also on PS2; but the faster speeds that come with having your games on your HDD, and the fact that many of the games ported or co-released for XBOX have better graphics (not all, mind you), makes me recommend XBOX overall. I'd say if you're going for a modified monster with an upgraded HDD, XBOX all the way. If you want games like Final Fantasy, Devil May Cry, or Metal Gear: Solid, by all means get a PS2.

PS2 was my first system between the three (PS2, XBOX, and Gamecube), and although I still love the games I played on it all those years, once I got my upgraded XBOX last Christmas season, I must say I've only played my PS2 twice and my Gamecube about 4 times total. What can I say; I'm lazy, and I like fast speeds.

t3m3st

They've all got great games. It really depends on what you're looking for. If you're a fan of First Person Shooters, go XBox if that's what you want to play. If you like Third person shooters, go PS2. If you want unique game experiences, as well as the mainstream, go PS2.

If you're looking for something for the family, go GameCube.

Tell us what you like, and we'll name some games for you to look at.

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Hat

Listen to this guy -

Both consoles are great, as is the Gamecube, it all depends on what kind of games you like.

PS2 -

+Largest selection of games of any "old" console. This means that, aside from the obvious, there are a lot of AAA titles in the "platinum" or budget range
+Loads of Japanese, turn based rpgs
+Largest amount of Japanese support (ie: Capcom with Residenty Evil, Konami with Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid etc etc)
+Good selection of racers (Gran Turismo)
+GTA series...but as you're a pc gamer I'd imagine this is irrelevant
-Generally inferior versions of multiplatform games (weaker graphics, slower frame rate...eg: Splinter Cell, Burnout, Sonic, and so on)
-Less support from Western developers, so weak selection of FPS games, etc
-Terrible online network. It's free, yes, but at the cost of developer support, unfied friends list and identification, patchy feature set (some games don't have voice communication etc etc)
+/-the controller. This is a matter of personal preference, and the size of your hands.

Xbox -

+Superior graphics
+Excellent selection of FPS games
+Excellent selection of racers (on par with PS2, both have their exclusives...PGR and Forza series vs PS2 with GT and so on)
+Solid selection of action/adventure games (ie: Ninja Gaiden)
+Generally has the best versions of multiplatform games
+The ideal online network. There's a yearly fee but it's not very expensive, and well worth it considering how much better it is when compared to the PS2's
+Hard Drive, allowing you to rip custom soundtracks and use them in games
+If you can be bothered modding it you could emulate practically every previous console's games
-Poor Japanese developer support.
-Have to buy a remote to watch dvds
-Small number of budget titles, most of which are low quality
+/-RPGs. It has a couple of good ones, like KOTOR, Fable, and Morrowind, but all of these are now on PC...if you'd prefer to play on a tv this is a plus
+/-the controller. This is a matter of personal preference, and the size of your hands.

Gamecube -

+It has Nintendo games
+Best versions of Resident Evil series
+Cheapest current generation console
-No online network
-if you don't like Nintendo games you just bought an $80 paperweight

CityOfAngels

I might add a reminder that if you get a modded XBOX, read up into it if you're hoping to play online. There are ways around it, but if you don't know what you're doing, XBOX Live will ban you if your XBOX is modified or upgraded. I wish I could tell you how to get around it, but I've never used mine for online play. I'm sure you'll find further info at xbox-scene.com.

MontanaXVI

everyone is chiming in with some good ideas, but to those preaching a modded xbox, I think the poster would probably shy away from that, since then you are getting more into the PC aspect of things which is what they were trying to get away from by going with a console to begin with.

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MexicanOnABike

true that! when i got my PS2 this summer, it was completely to get away from the computer and all the setup i had to do for every games. a console is really fun to relax cuz you power it up and voila! no installs, no lenghty setup, no 6 disc instalation...

being big on FPS, if you ever played any FPS on the pc, you will never want to play em with the controlers. it's retarded. so i wouldnt get an xbox for that reason.

YaWhateva

PS2 - Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, Final Fantasy XII (soon), Metal Gear Solid Series, Devil May Cry, Onimusha, too many more to list.

GC - Resident Evil 4 (the PS2 also has it but damn does it look good on the GC), The Legend of Zelda games, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Mario Party games are fun, etc.

XBox -.........maybe Fable, but that game was nowhere near as good as it could have been, Halo sucks. That's about all the XBox had to offer.

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stevie667

Gamecube, duh.

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hulk

If there's any sort o' chillun or ladies running around, pook, the 'Cube will keep 'em happy more than any other console. And when they all toddle off to bed, you can pull out the ol' RE4 and bust some heads with a shotgun. Plenty for both parties, and this late into the cycle you won't be hurting for choice no matter what platform you chose. Decent choice of beefier RPGs, if that's your thing, and the place to go for local multiplayer fun. Mario Tennis is my latest toy, works well with alcohol

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pook

Yep... I'm looking to buy it, plug it in, get a few great games and that's that. BTW, I love games like Medal of Honor and Quake the most.

guthmund

Then I'd probably get an X-box. Medal of Honor series, Call of Duty, Unreal, Halo, the list goes on. If you're looking to branch off into other genres, the X-box will help with that as well. Not to mention online play, which is where the X-box really shines, in my opinion. Assuming that's something you're looking for.

C'mon, the X-box had some fine games. KoTOR I and II, Jade Empire, DoA, Ninja Gaiden, Soul Caliber II, Both X-men : Legends games, 2 Call of Duty games and the last two Burnout games. Halo was certainly instrumental in getting the X-box to the party, but it's not as if the console is some one trick pony with nothing more to offer than Master Chief and his crew.

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Wingless

I don't have anything more to add other than the fact that you can get a GameCube now, bundled with a controller and Mario Party 7 for only $99 USD. If you subtract the cost of the controller and the game, you're getting the console for about $30.

But in the PS2 vs. Xbox debate, I have to say PS2, especially if you're wanting to get away from PC gaming. But on that same note, if you're big on computers and modding and whatnot, Xbox is 100% where you want to be.

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YaWhateva

KOTOR 1 and 2 are on the pc. Ok I forgot about DoA and Jade Empire, but Sould Caliber II is better on the GC (Spawn is dumb) and X-Men Legends and Burnout are on all the other consoles right?

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tspikes51

I'd have to say Xbox. I hadn't played anything but XBox (save GT4 on PS2) for a long while until last week, and the one thing I can't get past (but may be just a minor annoyance to some) is that memory cards take forever and they don't hold much. Also, your selection of games will be about the same, the only notable exclusives being:

PS2:
GT4
FF X and XI

XBox:
Halo 1 and 2
Forza
PGR

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YaWhateva

look at my first post, there are much more exclusives for the PS2 than those 3 games.

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“If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again.” - Bill O'Reilly

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guthmund

I didn't say they were exclusive to the X-box, but rather pointed out the fact that you wrote off the whole of Microsoft's catalog because, "Halo sucks."

You could play some of these games on the PC (along with HL2 and Doom III, two more games in the catalog that I failed to mention), assuming, of course, that your PC could play them in the first place. That point, however, is moot, because pook asked for console recommendation. Based on his subsequent replies, I think the X-box is the way to go. He also mentioned he liked playing MoH and Quake, so, while Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, the MGS series and the Final Fantasy games are certainly fantastic, you just can't compare them with what he likes. Since most games these days are cross-platform, what's the point of getting a PS2 for games you've no inclination of playing? Why not choose the console that can play what he's looking for and, for the most part, has the superior graphics?

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BAMF

PS2 - Castlevania: SOTN, Final Fantasy Tactics, Megaman
PS2 & XBOX Both have SSX-3 (a great game)
PS2 - TimeSplitters 1&2 - Great, tons of things to unlock
PS2 has katmari, and guitar heros

I think the XBOX small controller feels the best though, I find the PS2 to be too small.

Dreamcast has Typing of the Dead, Bangai-O, and Soul Calibur though. Its a tough call between dreamcast and PS2.

Id go with PS2 though, since XBOX and Dreamcast don't have 2D megaman games.

longbough

I'd say PS2 - if you can appreciate a large selection of quality games and don't need to play Halo or the "latest" games then that would be my choice. The PS and PS2 games are all terrific.

The FF series is dated if you want to compare it to modern games - but that doesn't take away the quality of the stories ... they're no less fun now than they were back then.

MontanaXVI

Have you looked into a wireless controller? I have always loved the playstation/ps2 controllers and think it is probably the best designed controller ever. But after making the move to the Logitech wireless, I think my normal p2 controller is too small and feels uncomofortable in my hands, I have small hands too btw.


http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/pr...CONTENTID=8157

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Lebell

Atari 2600.

'nuff said.

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YaWhateva

point well taken.

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CityOfAngels

Why not check the full games lists and let that affect your decision?

XBOX games: http://xbox.ign.com/index/games.html
PS2 games: http://ps2.ign.com/index/games.html
- Playstation games (Playable on PS2): http://psx.ign.com/index/games.html
Gamecube games: http://cube.ign.com/index/games.html

xepherys

I still have mine. I set it up for my 10 year-old son to play once and he just looked at me like I was the biggest idiot on the Earth. LOL


At any rate, a few other tidbits:

Xbox:
-------
+ Load speeds. The games generally load faster, cache to the hard disk and swap in the background.
+/- Controller... IMHO. This is probably the matter of greatest debate with consoles, so it's preference, but I personally think the S-Controller is the best thing ever (except, of course, the new Xbox 360 wireless controllers)
+ Halo series. No, it's not the ONLY thing Xbox has going for it, but for those of us that love it, it's damned near the pinnacle.


GC:
----
+ Killer Seven... so not Nintendo, but oh so cool...
- Controller. This I don't think is too debateable... Nintendo's controllers have never been known for weight/sturdiness. It feels like a toy, and that's not good.

PS/2:
------
+ Katamari Damacy
- Long load times... seriously. Compared to Xbox, it takes forever to load between GTA data sets. Ugh!

Pragma

I own all three systems - and I wouldn't really recommend the GameCube (not enough games I'd enjoy playing - or at least games I don't own on other systems already).

Split between the PS2 and the XBox, it depends what type of games you like playing. If you like fighting games and RPGs, go for the PS2. If you like racing games and FPS games, go for the XBox. You can get sports games on either.

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thephuse

I only have a PS2, but my roommates have xbox and GC..
I love the FF's, GTA(when they first came out) and unique fighting games like Victorious Boxes, Virtua Fighter 4)... But lately, I havent gotten into a PS2 game that much.. I hope DQ8 changes that.

PS2 seems to get the interesting, 'different' games that are a fun change of pace.

GC, I dont play a lot, but when a bunch of the guys are around, Mario party and Smash Bros are always the best fun..

I however have been playing a LOT of sports games recently.. and Madden, MVP have been ruling my life, and the games just run sooo much faster on the Xbox, and crisper too.. the PS2 loading time for Madden is just ridiculous(anyone else feel that? of is my PS2 dying?.. and are the newer models any faster?) .. and the saves on the hdd is nice too

so I guess, GC for Nintendo fans(I'm one! and I havent met a Nintendo game i disliked)
XBox for FPS and Sports games
and PS2 if you're wanting to get a change of pace from the PC games u've been playing..

ps-i was just looking, but there seems to be a looot of cool PS2 games coming out next yr.. its my preference, but FF12, Kingdom Hearts 2, FF7 spinoffs, and a game called Otaki seem very interesting

I didnt look at 360 games cuz I have no interest in buying one... but the XBox's library seems to be coming to a close.. as most of their exclusive games will be on the 360... But I'm getting MVP06 NCAA Baseball for the Xbox foh shizzle!

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hulk

I'll debate it It's my controller of choice, both for the button placement (except in Soul Calibur, icky) and the overall feel. The Wavebird is the most awesome controller ever! A bit cramped for my gigantic hands but so is the normal PS2 and S-controller, so there.

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stevie667

I would also beg to differ. My controllers have taken abuse that would have killed any other system. Granted, i have managed to completly destroy two of them, but my radiator looks like it's had a sledge hammer taken to it, and i did suffer some nasty cuts trying to rip the damned things apart.

100x the abuse i've ever seen a PS1/2 or x-box controller take.

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portwineboy

eb games has a bundle like this for $129, basically refurb console and used Metal Gear Solid 2

Refurbished PlayStation 2 Game System with Game Bundle Includes:

* Refurbished PlayStation 2 Console
* Refurbished 3rd Party Controller
* Refurbished A/V Cable
* Refurbished power cord
* Pre-Played Metal Gear Solid 2

Does anyone know if that's a good price point? Given that I've never played Metal Gear Solid 1, am I missing out on needed stuff?

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thephuse

I never played MGS1 when I played MGS2 Sons of Liberty.. and I loved it... so much so that I played the first one on the GC afterwards.. the Twin Snakes remake of the first one...

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portwineboy

I went for a PS2, spent an entire weekend playing FF X. I bought the PS2 new and really like the form factor (tiny.)

For someone who avoided consoles for over 10 years I have to say I've probably been missing out on a lot of content I'd enjoy. The nice thing about getting a PS2 after all these years is that I can find tons of great stuff in the bargain bin. $12 for FFX? I'm there!

The bad side is now I'm going to be hitting every EB Games in town to search the bargain bin.

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