metman86

Need some help/advice. I am a father of a 8 year old boy who loves to play Nintendo 64 and playstation 1. He plays everything from 007 Games to super smash brothers. He is hinting, well , more than hinting, that he wants to get a Game Cube. This is where I need help. Is Playstation 2 the way to go or is Game Cube a better option, I understand it may be a matter of personal preference but if you were in my position and had to go either way what would it be? Please explain why if you could, and thank you in advance.

Josh H

For someone that's 8 years old I'd go with a gamecube. It has several games that appeal to children, bur are also great for adults like us (assuming you like to play games). Some that are already out are Super Monkey Ball, Luigi's Mansion and Sonic Adventure Battle, and Super Smash Bros. Several more are do out this year, including Super Mario Sunshine, and maybe the new Zelda.

Plus, if you're into games, there are many games aimed at an older audience out, and coming out this year such as: Star Wars Rogue Leader (fine for kids, but probably too hard), Resident Evil (RE 0 is also due in October), sports games, Eternal Darkness, Metroid Prime (shouldn't be too violent and likely fine for your kid) etc.

To top it off, the Gamecube is $100 less than the PS2. The PS2 is rumored to be dropping in price at E3 in May, to either $249 or $199. However, if this occurs, it's likely that the GCN (and X-box) will drop in price as well. Personally, I think if the PS2 drops to $249, the GCN will either remain at $199 or drop to $179 and if the PS2 goes to $199 the GCN will drop to $149.

Groucho

What were some of your son's favorite games on the PSX and N64? That'll give us a better idea of which system will closer match his tastes.

You've already mentioned Super Smash Brothers and 007. Based on that, and your son's age, and the fact that he's specifically mentioned the system, I would suggest the Gamecube.

young

if he was my kid, i'd get the gamecube. that should tide him over for a couple of years.

joshd2012

GameCube. Young audience and cheeper.

Liver&Onions

But if he likes dancing games you should get him a PS2.

FonMan

Well the GameCube is definately designed with his age group in mind. I would stick with that unless you like to play, then go with the XBOX (oh, that was not an option ) Ok, then the PS2

madmike

If he's hinting that he wants a Cube, then why not get him that one? It's cheaper anyway.

Groucho

I disagree that if you want to play the console, that the PS2 or XBOX is your only option. It all depends on your own personal tastes. I'm an adult, but my console gaming tastes happen to fall towards the Cube.

metman86

I guess the biggest thing that I was worried about was if you guys thought that game cube was going to be around for a while. Unlike Dreamcast.
Games like Turok, rainbow 6, 007 series games, and Star Wars will these be available on the Cube? He likes the action games as well as the Mario games. And how about Tony Hawk?
What is E3?
OK no more questions, I promise.
Thanks for all your advice.
OOPs I lied, one more question, would you guys hold on to your old N64 and playstations along with all the games or would you unload them?
Now I'm finished, thanks again.

Groucho

Don't worry...all three consoles will make it through their five year lifecycles, including the Gamecube.

Turok is coming for all three consoles, and the latest 007 is already out for all three consoles. Tony Hawk is out for all three consoles as well. Generally, the Xbox version is the best for these games, although when it's ported three ways it's not by a huge margin.

Each console has it's own different Star Wars games coming, so you may want to check the offerings against what your son likes to play.

Mario and Zelda games are obviously going to be for the Cube only.

Also, if your son has a Gameboy Advance, several games on the Gamecube will offer the ability to link to it, which is a plus.

I would hold onto the old games for "old times" sake. Retro gaming is always fun.

Josh H

Nintendo will always be around. They are a very profitable company. They have killer first party games that bring in a ton of money, as does the gameboy series. Plus they have a loyal fan base.

Sega was doomed by a series of failures (Sega CD, 32x, and Saturn) that killed consumer support. That and piracy is the main reason the Dreamcast died.

gcribbs

I hate to disagree however the PS2 allows you to play the PS1 titles as well as the larger PS2 library. It seems to me that the best choice for a single console is the PS2. Personally I would say both since it seems that some games from the GC library would be interesting to the 8 year old.

I would sell the PS1 for a few bucks( I sold mine plus a few games for $50) and make your GC purchase easier. also if you wait till after E3 and buy then the additional money saved will make both more affordable.

Just my opinion

Chaos

E3 is where all the game developers and console makers show off. E3 is where price cuts will be announced, and where all the biggest games will be shown off for the upcoming year.
Basically, E3 is where the game developers show off what's coming out during this year game-wise and console-wise. E3 is where there'll be news about Mario, Zelda, and Metroid and what they'll be like. It's the biggest game show for the year.

Drexl

Well, if it was just about the games, I would go with the GC, as that does seem like a better choice for kids.

However, I have to ask: does he have his own DVD player? If not, then for the love of God, go with the PS2, unless this system is going to be connected to a TV that already has a player connected to it.

Chaos

If the kid wants a Cube, get him a Cube. GCN has Mario, Zelda, and all the classics.

JadeTiger

Offering my 2cents. My son was 8 when we bought our first console the playstation. I liked that the library of games was larger, and I knew when I bought it (the playstation) that both Nintendo, and Playstation were working on new consoles (the Game Cube, and the PS2). The one thing that swayed me was the fact that Playstation seemed to have more respect for its customers since the PS2 was going to be backwards compatable, which ment that the latest game would still have play value, and not just be a drink coaster.

I guess I liked that the older games could still be used in the PS2.

The choice is yours, but if you go with the PS2, you already have a few games to play on it.

kvrdave

I'd go with the cube just because the games tend to be more geared toward the age. However, PS2 titles are getting slashed in price, but ususally because it is a suck title.

I tend to believe that Nintendo does a better job of having a better quality of games overall, whereas Sony will let anyone make games for them no matter how bad they are (JMO).

blakwngbrd

Umm...I beg to differ. The PS2 titles that are getting official price slashes are the Greatest Hits titles. In order to qualify as a Greatest Hits title a game must meet the following criteria: it must have sold over 400,000 copies, and it must have been on the market for at least nine months. I find it a little hard to believe that titles that have sold over 400k copies are "suck" titles. Just my $0.02...

ScandalUMD

Dreamcast was not made by Nintendo. Unlike Sega, which foundered for years, Nintendo consistently turned profits throughout the lifespan of the N64. What's more, Gamecube is cheaper, more portable, and looks to be more durable.

Turok was an N64 staple. The sequel will likely see a Gamecube port. As for 007, the Cube got the mediocre "Agent Under Fire," but, more importantly, it will be the only console to get Perfect Dark games, which are the real successors to Goldeneye, made by the Goldeneye team. Rainbow 6 is a good PC series that hasn't translated well to consoles, but with Resident Evil and Eternal Darkness, there should be plenty of action to go around.

And of course, Metroid promises to be a top quality action game.

Damn. Now I want a Gamecube...

Josh H

Yep, Turok is coming out for all three systems.

jim_mailman1962

get him both! then buy lots and lots of games for each system and play forever!

metman86

My son (the eight year older) says "buy both", I say "buy both" but the problem is that my wife is definitely NOT saying buy both. You guys have been a great help, thanks for all the advice.

Chaos

So??? What's the final decision?

gcribbs

sell the PS1 for $50 bucks or so. throw in a couple of games you no longer want if needed to get that price. waiting till after E3 will net you $150 saved. tell her you will be able to buy both for only 348.00 plus tax- $50 for the PS1 and for $299 or the price of the PS2 now you have both paid for.

personally this just makes sense. you are being smart and finding a great deal.

I hear Thunderball is selling a PS2 maybe he will part with it for even less than $199