Next Generation Gap

by Wootini

Ah... E3... when game developers and manufacturers whip 'em out and boast about whose is bigger and better. Microsoft tried to jump the gun by revealing their brand-spankin' new Xbox 360 on MTV before E3 even began, but of course, Sony fired back with the announcement of the PlayStation 3. And not to be outdone, Nintendo revealed its Revolution console (though minus the supposedly "revolutionary" controllers). As with the current generation, Microsoft's system is weird-looking and borderline fugly, while Sony's is sleek and sexy. (Let's hope that the logo changes from the artist's renderings before the final product, or Universal will sue them for stealing the "Spiderman" typeface.) And you know what? Nintendo's looks pretty sexy, too. Weird. It's not the typical Nintendo Toy.

Oh sure, everyone tries to claim that it's all about the games. But let's be honest, here. It's not. Never has been. Well, sometimes. I mean, you can't have a successful system if there's no good games to play on it. But Sony is going to kick Microsoft's ass once again, and it's going to be painful. By releasing next year, the PS3 is going to be able to top everything the Xbox 360 can do. Being first out of the gate doesn't always mean you'll end up as number one — just ask Sega! Though power doesn't mean anything, either. The Xbox is technically more powerful than the PS2, but that still didn't make it a top seller. Sony's just got The Brand. And no matter how much Bill Gates wants it, he simply can't buy success like that. Well, unless he buys Sony. But I don't think even he has that much dough.

But do we really need another generation of game consoles? Hell, I still haven't played all the Xbox, PS2 or GameCube games I want to try. I'm so far behind that I won't even be ready to buy the next gen machines until they've already been discounted once or twice. So that works out for me, then, eh? I've seen some demos running, and sure, they're pretty. But is that it? Are we really expected to shell out another few hundred just for better graphics? I'm playing a freakin' first-generation Xbox game right now that still looks pretty sweet to me!

So to hell with the newest of the new. I'd like to recommend a bargain bin game that I happened to pick up at Toys'R'Us a couple months ago for a couple dollars. No, seriously. Literally two bucks. It's Primal, for the PS2. Sure, the graphics are dated, and the combat's a little wonky, but the story is great, the voice work is terrific, and the puzzles are fun to solve. I've seen it in other game stores for less than $10. It's a steal!