The Bus

$520 for the console, a retro controller, two Nunchucks, one extra controller, Red Steel, Excite Truck, and Metal Slug Anthology. That's not bad for four games (one of which is really 5.5 games). I might swap out Red Steel if it gets poor reviews. I might hold off on the retro controller. $450 is doable. That's an excellent value, IMO.

(I'm not a huge fan of Zelda).

I probably spent about $800 within the first few weeks of the Xbox 360 launch.

GreenMonkey

I'll get the retro controller when there's a few games worth downloading on the VC. I've still got my SNES & NES and plenty of real controllers.

Besides, I'm hoping someone comes up with a NES or SNES->Wii adapter like they have NES->usb Nothing like the real thing

The D-pad sucks on GC controllers for serious retro gaming use. I got by with the analog stick for the Mega Man collection but I don't think that would work for all games.

Supermallet

I'd buy an SNES retro controller, but I'm a total SNES whore. Also, I did love the feel of the N64 controller, and a retro controller may be preferrable for those if they made the analog sticks more durable.

Michael Corvin

This is going to sound silly, but I hung onto my Gold N64 controller despite selling the system. I loved the N64 controller. The 360 has become my top choice, followed by the Wavebird and N64. So I would love an adapter for the N64.

mmconhea

I like the 64 controllers so much I have an adapter to use them on the PC.

Despite being a hardcore Nintendo fan, preordering every system since SNES, loving my DS and was really looking forward to the Wii, I have decided yesterday after much research, to forgo pre-ordering the system and to buy *cringe* a 360 instead. It's only $100 more.

Nintendo is really disappointing me with this launch. It seems liek the Same old Nintendo, new controller. Zelda is really the only killer app, and it won't be killer for long. Even the big N knows that, which is probably why they pushed back the GC release.
The other titles look interesting, but interest is not what I buy a system for. I need solid, proven titles. All I've heard from people is that the WiiMote is a questionable device.... Ingenious, but no-one has quite figured out how to use it properly in a game.

I'll be keeping an eye on the reviews of the games though and waiting to buy a 360 until then, just in case... but with Nintendo's high prices on support and accessories and lack of strong launch support and online... I can't wait until they get more in line.

Also I have all the VC games already on my PC with a 64 controller to boot. I think Nintendo is shooting themselves in the foot charging a starting price of $5 for a NES game. Makes me embarrassed to be a fan. c'mon.

Jeremy517

Like Opera?

Don't think of it as incentives. Just think of it as Nintendo treating their customers well.

Jeremy517

Not even close. Consoles with worse US launch lineups:

Atari 2600
Atari Jaguar
Gamecube
Nintendo 64
Sega Master System (I think. Can't find a list anywhere)
Sega Genesis
Sega Saturn
SNES
Sony Playstation

I'd argue that the Dreamcast lineup was worse also, but that is probably debatable.

Michael Corvin

Which has bumped it down my buy list now. I haven't had too hard a time with the DS version. There are some frustrating moments, but I'd hate to see it too much easier. Afterall, not everyone is cut out to be a surgeon.

Josh H

I think those two are debatable. They had Mario 64 and Super Mario World which were consensus AAA must play games and were exclusive.

The only consensus AAA must play Wii launch game is Zelda, and one can just wait 3 weeks and get the GC version.

The Wii has more games, and some of the others maybe ok, so one could say it is a better launch b/c of variety.

But as I said in your other thread, there has never been a launch that had more than 1 must play title for me, so I just judge by the main game that is getting me to buy the system rather than wait.

And zelda with a new control scheme, while enough to get me to bite, isn't enough for me to call it a better launch than the N64 with the innovation offered by Mario 64.

Jeremy517

I wasn't factoring Zelda being on GC later into the comparison, since not everyone will have a GC and the game will play differently. I was just considering it an AAA title (based on Zelda's history, since we haven't played it). With the Wii, SNES, and N64 all having one AAA title, I went to the lesser titles, of which I felt Wii had an advantage. I can see your point though.

UncleGramps

$492.14 w/tax for me, for the system + 1 extra wiimote and nunchuk + 3 launch titles. I'll be picking up the component cable as well. The only question so far is which launch titles to get. Zelda is a definite, and then I'll pick two from this list depending on what the early reviews have to say:

Excite Truck
Madden NFL 2007 (not a Madden fan, but the control scheme has me interested)
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Red Steel
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Trauma Center: Second Opinion

It might be tough to choose...maybe I'll end up with 4 games at launch.

GreenMonkey

The PS2 launch was terrible too. The only PS2 game I had for almost a year was Tekken Tag Tourney. I played mostly PS1 games for the first year. My wife went through a couple of iffy titles like Smuggler's Run.

Minus TTT, we later got addicted to SSX tricky. So maybe SSX as a launch title was OK. But the rest of it? Sport, Sports, Racing, Racing and Dynasty Warriors 2 Oh, and don't forget Fantavision!


There's rarely any proven titles at launch. I think Zelda as a launch game is WAY better than any other system since the Dreamcast's Soul Calibur.

And Nintendo doesn't make bad controllers. I doubt they would chance that much money on a "questionable device". Plenty of people have commented on how awesome it is, just as many as have denounced it (most of whom are other-console fanboys).

Josh H

While not my cup of tea, I think many would put Halo for the X-box and Call of Duty 2 for the 360 up their with Soul Calibur.

Michael Corvin

Yeah, but neither game was a sure thing. Before the XBox launch, what the fuck was Halo? Call of Duty 2? Unlikely hit, that hadn't really proven itself either. How many of the 1 million in sales actually played Call of Duty 1? I'm betting the figure isn't high. Our FPS nation craved a solid title. MS pushed PD0 on us, but COD2 was the runaway hit.

If I'm not mistaken Soul Caliber was already an arcade hit, no? Meaning Zelda is the first "sure launch title" since SC.

Josh H

Good point, was just thinking AAA launch title rather that "sure" launch title as so many recent launches have been lacking must buy games generally (PS2, GC, DS, PSP etc.).