Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with consoles

PS2 game recommendation needed for a PS2 virgin

n3rt — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 07:03:44 -0800

I've just purchased a Playstation2 [yes *2*, I'm relapsing into gaming at this age and never owned one] and I'm looking for some recommendations of any genre for mindless, quick, fun that doesn't involve long spells of extended gaming.

The XBox 360/PS3 war rages on.

spamguy — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:29:00 -0800

Almost time to buy a current-gen console, but I'm morally split between XBox 360 and PS3. I love my PS2 to death. It's the first and thus far only console I've ever owned. (My parents always figured the family Mac was good enough for gaming.) I'm slowly exhausting my list of games I want/need to play, and I'm sick of having a widescreen TV that can't play widescreen games. It's nigh time for me to start living in 2009 and get a current-gen console.

It's an even battle between the XBox 360 and the PS3. I feel a complex web of emotions here. I loathe Microsoft, and will go to great lengths to avoid giving them money. (Hypocrite alert: my MacBook Pro uses a MS laser mouse.) This doesn't necessarily make me a Sony fanboy: they've botched PS3 management so badly that I don't feel they've earned that $X00 premium. On the other other hand, Microsoft's 'red ring of death' plague shows just as much laziness and incompetence. So yes, as I said, a complex web. Do you see it as rational to spend $X00 more on a PS3 simply on moral principle? Which of the three evils is the biggest?

This is not quite the same question as one that was asked more than a year ago. Still, as a secondary question, I'm curious to know how the battle has changed since then. Personally, I see 2008 as a big win for the XBox. LittleBigPlanet and PlayStation Home were duds, while XBox won a port to Final Fantasy XIII and (I'm putting money on it) Metal Gear Solid 4.

Why aren't there any 3rd party wireless controllers for current game consoles?

pwnguin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:32:56 -0800

Why aren't there any 3rd party wireless controllers for current game consoles? As far as I can tell, none of the current consoles have 3rd party wireless controllers. This breaks a long tradition of a plethora of sometimes crappy but still compatible controllers and accessories. What might explain the situation?

Getting back to Social Gaming

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:08:50 -0800

Getting back to social gaming/console gaming, and other related considerations from an ex-hXc gamer. I've been for the better part of the last 5 years, a solo gamer, dwelling in the realms of an mmorpg or just playing games like CivIV/Elder Scrolls/F.E.A.R./Puzzle Quest/Patapons alone.

In my youth, ever since the early 90s I'd been an avid gamer, buying up practically every console since NES, until the PS2 where I sort of dwindled off into the PC world, and then entered adult life where I try to save as much money as I can for tuition and rent and such.

I have a girlfriend who I've been slowly inducting into the game world by showing her some of the best games that aren't for serious gamers (like Patapons/Katamari Damacy/Loco Roco/Puzzle Quest/Baldur's Gate etc...). Considering the way that gaming has been going since the Wii and franchises like Guitar Hero (which we both LOVE, and bought GHII for my old PS2 only to have the console die in a matter of days - ugh!) I think we could both benefit from having a fun multiplayer game on the side.

The problem is, I still don't have the money to be a serious gamer, and frankly I don't have the time even if I could find the money with the work I do, and school for a better part of the year, so I'm considering my options here carefully since it would be more of a distraction than an all-out hobby.

I'm looking ahead towards an anniversary gift that would be to both of our pleasure for something like a PS3 (or Xbox or Wii) with GH: World Tour or Rock Band as an idea that I've been toying around with.

The problem is a money thing coupled with the knowledge that I lack at this moment considering that I don't follow gaming trends nearly enough to make this judgment call, I was wondering if anyone had a guesstimate about when prices might come down for any of the consoles, and if anyone could help me decide between them considering my investment would ideally be minimal, and while I have a background in hXc gaming, it's not so much my priority these days.

I guess I'm looking for constructive opinions, like "The Wii might be a good choice since it doesn't emphasize bleeding-edge visuals, which means it might have more years than the PS3/Xbox" or "The Xbox is probably going to fail in 6 months anyway", or dates of price trends since our anniversary is a few months away!

I realize fanboyism is at a prime with a topic like this, but I wouldn't be opposed to any discussion this thread might generate, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves if it remains constructive.

I also appreciate comments from persons who are recently discovering casual, social gaming and how you find it to be from a financial/time-investment perspective.

I'm looking for help compiling a top 20 "must play" list of essential videogames.

monkeyagent — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:10:31 -0800

I'm looking for help compiling a top 20 "must play" list of essential videogames. I have a friend (female, if it matters) who wants to actively get into gaming (has no previous experience with the medium short of the original Sonic/Mario games and Guitar Hero) and has asked me to pick out some games that would "catch them up", so to speak. The idea around the games on the list is that they will be representative of their particular genre and will be indispensable experiences for any self-respecting gaming nerd. I'm asking for help on this because my list, I think, has a bit too much bias (lots of Blizzard, Nintendo, and indie games) for such a concise list.

The games on the list can include anything from early consoles, to PCs, to portable, to even flash and everything in between (Although I would like to avoid pinball/arcade cabinets, unless you feel they are extremely necessary). Please list the platform along with the software. Offer as many suggestions as you like, but please consider them carefully.

How can I get exercise with me Wii?

SteveInMaine — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 05:53:00 -0800

Which Wii games are best for good aerobic exercise in single player mode? I recently bought this game console. As winter is barreling down on us in the northeast and I'll be spending more time indoors, I'd like to take advantage of it to help me get some much needed exercise.

I'm looking for games that would be fun for an older fart, with the provision that they provide me some decent aerobic exercise. I'm enjoying Wii Sports, and sports games are okay in general, but I'd prefer something that offers a little adventure and thought stimulation as well.

And since our TV room is tight and my sweetie isn't into the whole video game thing anyway, I'd prefer something that will work for a single player.

Any ideas?

Multiple Gaming Platforms, need one plug...

bkeene12 — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:38:42 -0800

I have a Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii and a Playstation 3. I want one plug for all four. I am looking for a unit/container that will house all of my gaming machines and have one universal plug that goes from the container into the TV. Anyone seen something along these lines? Google wasn't much help as I am not sure what this thing would be called.

Ahhh, yeah, that game kicked ass

B(oYo)BIES — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 23:57:39 -0800

Help me build a list of must have games for old and new consoles. So we are talking console games for systems from the old to the new. What are your all-time favorite games? Do you still remember the cheat codes? What is your all-time favorite console?

Ultimately, I will be using this list to create a big folder of kick-ass roms and emulators. Hopefully others will find this useful as well. As a bonus, I am sure a lot of great memories will come back when this thread gets going.

I can see how this thread could turn into chatfilter if we are not careful, so please make sure that we contribute good information in each post.

Good multiplayer old console games.

yeahyeahyeahwhoo — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 07:28:37 -0800

I'm looking for your favorite multiplayer games for older consoles/emulators. Folks love to play NES, SNES, and GENESIS, but what are the best multiplayer games on these consoles?

Some of my buddies favorites are Tetris Attack, Family Feud, Rock and Roll Racing, NBA Jam, Toobin', MTV's Remote Control, Dr. Mario, etc, I know there has to be more good ones!

Will a US region Nintendo Wii work in Europe?

fintanc — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 03:12:50 -0800

Can I use a US version Nintendo Wii in Ireland? So I have an opportunity to have somone buy a Wii in the US this week and bring it back here to Ireland for me; I don't really understand the whole region locking thing, so answer me this:

1. Will I be able to use the console in Ireland?
2. Will I be able to use the console but only use US games?
3. If not, is there a workaround so that I can use the console here?

What should I know before buying a Playstation2?

meditative_zebra — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 06:45:06 -0800

I'm thinking about buying a playstation2, what should I know before I take the plunge? Knowing little, I assume the redesigned and shrunk ps2 would be preferable to the older model. Can I expect either version to actually work playing playstation one and two games as well as dvd’s? I know that the xbox is the way to go for modding and emulators, but are there any ps2 mods or emulators I should know about? Does the new model ps2 have any technical issues? Overheating? Anything else I should know? Any game recommendations that haven’t been made yet or that no one knows about?

My PS2 is having intermittent trouble reading disks.

squidlarkin — Wed, 22 Dec 2004 09:47:09 -0800

Speaking of dying Sony products, my PS2 has issues. [+] It's an early unit (model SCPH-30001) and about a month ago, it started intermittently not being able to read perfectly good discs. Seemed to happen more with PS1 discs at first, and the problem generally went away after opening and closing the drawer a few times. Now it's progressed to the point where all discs work pretty much never. I should point out that if it does recognize a disc, it won't have any problems at all reading the data. Also, there's a slight grinding noise when the tray comes out.

I know there are sites that sell PS2 parts for fairly reasonable prices, and I'm fairly confident in my fiddling around inside expensive electronic equipment skills. Trouble is, I have no idea what part's failing. So: a) What needs to be replaced? b) What's a dependable site I can order from? c) While we're at it, know any reliable sources for modchips?

PS2, GameCube, or XBox?

cgk — Mon, 06 Dec 2004 19:32:34 -0800

Well, the time appears to have finally come. With my kids starting to cross over the 10 threshold I am on the verge of caving in on the gaming console issue. As a kid who wanted an Atari 2600 but got a TI-99/4a it took me a while to realize that gaming consoles are now pretty much part of the background recreation matrix/social experience of kids and not an extravagant extra. Anyway, they get good grades and I wound up working for a while as a game programmer and it did not kill me.

So parenting aside, I was wondering if anyone could suggest some good sources of information on the three major platforms (XBox, GameCube, PS2). The kids told me that their friends mostly have PS2s and that they like the GameCube, but I just want to make sure that, say, in February the next generation of platform hardware won't come out and they stop production of titles for what we get. FWIW their tastes are Backyard sports games, Civilization 3, and Hobbit/Harry Potter type games -- but they remind me that playing those and Zaxxon on the family PC do not a gaming system make. Oh, and there any must-have accessories that we should take care of up front? Cheers.