Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of the participants and the moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. Who's responsible for these people?! Don't say we didn't warn you.

I think years of gaming have deluded the lot of you into believing you're all crusading do-gooders out to right all that is wrong with the world, because the sob-story half of Paulo's proposed topic generated an unbelievable reader response - 98% of which was unanimous pushing of the same general gist. What that gist is I will hereafter manifest, at great, great length. Paulo, my man, you better see to it this reaches its target audience, for if it's all for naught.... I shall impress upon you my fist.

Go to it, my simian horde!

Quiet, you. You're ruining my easy, one-sided topic.

Steering picky readers away from the weighty but dry WhitePages

Erin - First off, in response to your lament yesterday that FFVII's Tifa "is crippled by her emotional dependance on Cloud," I wouldn't really cite that as an example of a female character being weak or whatever, simply because, well, it's FFVII. Being a game where even the cold badass main hero spends hours clutching his head, being a vegetable in a wheelchair, and giving Xenogears tips, it's not really the right game to play if you want to see fiercely independant characters. If I can find one of those people who writes hundred-page essays about video games, I'll ask them to write one about codependance in FFVII - it's all over that game. Well, that and incongruous slap-fights, I guess. As for the poor sisters who inspired today's column, I think they should point out to their wayward father that a video game system isn't something where technical specs matter, like a TV (where you can watch the same channels with any model). A video game system is only as good as its games. Period. If new Square games are what you enjoy, not only won't you be able to play them without a PS2, but you won't really find an exact comperable equivalent on another system. If the games are significantly different on two systems, comparing their "power" is worth exactly Jack Schitt. It's like... let me try to think of a semi-amusing simile here... okay, it's like comparing the literary merit of two books based on number of pages. The telephone book just isn't for everyone. -Toma Levine

Way to sum up the meat of the matter, dude. Bravo.

Number-crunching means markedly more in the realm of PC gaming, where any one game can often run on a virtually endless variety of systems with a comparable range of good, bad and ugly results.

But out here in rough-and-tumble console culture, we give a damn about video RAM and just how fast your frontside bus clocks. We tend to be more concerned with more gossipy goodness - like who Square's in bed with at any given time....

PS2 - a product of the Imperial toymaker, replete with hookers

Erin, I usually don't write in to DA but I couldn't let this topic go by. I was reading my local newspaper a few days ago and I saw an absolutely horrific piece of "journalism" about the three major systems and their advantages. Rarely do I see such biased reporting. The writer of the column lauded the Xbox to ridiculous degrees, citing such "important" figures as amount of RAM, graphics capabilities, and the speed of the CPU. Only a few times did he mention anything about the games coming out for the systems, and when he did, he gave pretty obvious favor to Halo and Oddworld. Nowhere in the article did we find information about the wonderful games on the PS2 or Gamecube platform, except perhaps a quick blurb about each system's target audience. The writer's summation of the three systems reflects most of the opinions of mainstream reporting. It's simply easier to look at numbers to determine the winner. The truth is, no matter how impressive a system's performance may be, numbers mean nothing unless good games can be produced to use the system's capabilities. It's true the Xbox has enough processing and graphics muscle to outperform both the PS2 and the Xbox. How does it use this incredible power? Derivative sports games, movie licenses, and a first person shooter that was always meant for the PC. And, if I'm not mistaken, not a single RPG for either of the two girls at Christmas. How about the PS2? What kind of games does it have? What kind of games is it going to have in the future? Sony is once again in bed with Square, a company that seems more or less monogamous when it comes to publishing games. So we can expect for the future more Final Fantasies and that Square is going to put them on the PS2. This includes other non-FF games, such as a Chrono 3 (God willing) and others. If these girls love Square and other RPG's, this should be THE argument against an Xbox, not to mention the fact that the PS2 comes with an alright DVD player built in. I can't leave out the Gamecube. Nintendo is looking to really shine with this system, with its strong third party and first party support, innovative controller, and for the first time, an optical media format. I don't know whether to expect to see RPG's on it, but for games with loads of gameplay and innovation, Nintendo looks to have a strong fighter in its corner. Lastly, the girls wanted links to any articles or other information about the Xbox vs. PS2 debate. I suggest this one: http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/11/15/xbox/index.html Here's hoping for a good Christmas for them. Jared

Salon.com's Xbox article is more than a little biased against Microsoft, but it nicely makes quite a few arguments relevent to the discussion at hand. And it relies perhaps a little heavily on hookers in illustrating the PS2's greatness.

RPGS + PS2 = Manna from Heaven

Hey Erin, I'm always up for a noble cause (polishes gleaming white armor, brushes dust off roan charger). The PS2 is the king of systems when it comes to RPGs for two reasons: 1) Final Fantasy. 'Nuff said, really. 2) Backwards compatibility. Granted, I imagine the girls in question have probably played most of the PSX library, but between DW7, DW4 (coming eventually) and the Arc the Lad collection (it's is coming out, right?), there's still life in the old system. PS2 - FFX, Wizardry, XenoSaga, Suikoden III, Star Ocean 3, Vagrant Story 2 (All right, I made that one up), Kingdom Hearts, etc. It's all there. Actually, there's probably enough there to keep them busy until they get married (well, it's keeping me single, anyway). Hell, the PS2 has more RPGs coming out in December (3) than have been announced for XBox. So Dad, remember the golden rule: get your kids what they want, not what you think they want. That way, they will stay off drugs and care for you in your old age. Besides, my buddy just ordered a laptop from Dell with specs that make XBox look like a Commodore 64, so this whole "power" thing for consoles is misguided, anyway. Orin the Lawyer - just makes you all wibbly, doesn't it?

Wibbly and then some: Lawyer Orin joins your party!

"Cold beer on a hot Christmas morning"

Erin, Although I would love to have a Gamecube right now, so I could join forces with Samus and Ganondorf to wail on all my friends SSBM-style, I know that the next console I squeeze under my TV will be a PS2. Why? Because I love RPGs. I love them like a cold beer on a hot Christmas morning. These poor girls, living in fear that they'll end up with the mostly RPG-less XBox. As ungrateful as it would seem, in their shoes, I would burst into tears at the sight of the VCR-sized machine under the tree. I'll try my best to convince their (probably very kind and understanding) father why the PS2 is the way to go. 1) Right now, the most promising prospects in the RPG genre are all PS2-bound. In fact, almost all the RPGs, period, are headed to that console. Final Fantasy X and XI, Suikoden III, Wild Arms 3, Star Ocean 3, Xenosaga, and any number of them that I've forgotten are all exclusive to the PS2. Right now, I cannot think of a single RPG exclusive held by the XBox. I'm sure they have something, but I try to keep up on console news, and I haven't seen anything, really. 2) The PS2, because it's been out for over a year now, has a huge installed user base, and therefore will get more software support in the future, and has many future great games headed its way. The one that springs most readily to mind, RPG-wise, is Lunar 3. Many RPG fans would offer one of their limbs for the next Lunar installment. And from all reliable accounts, whenever this game does come out, it will be for the PS2. 3) As far as exclusives go, the XBox pales in comparison to the PS2. Right now, I can think of two really apparently amazing XBox-exclusive games: Shenmue II and Dead or Alive 3. That's pretty much it. Are those two games worth $300, when that same amount can get you a console with so many more amazing games? 4) The death of the Dreamcast has meant, overall, more good games for Sony. Many games that were on the DC are either getting sequels on the PS2, or are being ported to the PS2. The two most popular RPGs for the DC, Grandia II and Skies of Arcadia, are both being ported over to the PS2, so if you've never owned a DC, these games will be available on that system. And if you own (or owned) a DC, then the next Grandia installment will be on the PS2, and there's a strong possibility of a Skies of Arcadia sequel coming to the PS2 as well. 5) If cost is a big issue, and you already own a Playstation, you can sell that system, and still play all your PSX games on the new-and-shiny PS2! Go backwards compatibility! Also, I'm pretty sure that most of the accessories for the PS2--controllers, memory cards, etc.--are cheaper than the ones for the XBox. There's another way to cut costs. 6) And while on the subject of controllers, two girls with average-sized hands might have a problem with the ones for the XBox. I don't have particularly small hands, but they are average for a woman, and I find the thing extremely uncomfortable. Lastly, I'd like to say that, in a perfect world, I would own all the consoles, so I could experience all the games I wanted, and making a choice like this wouldn't be an issue. But considering that I don't have that kind of money (most people don't, I would think), I would go with the PS2, and I'm sure most fans of the RPG genre would readily agree. ~Michiru, who doesn't have money for any console, let alone a PS2. *sob*

I will always consider the PS2's backwards compatibility one of Sony's crowning decisions. I can only speak for myself, but I was running out of TV and VCR orifices in which to plug AV cables and RFU adapters. My lips are drawn into an immediate smile when I think about consolidating two generations of stellar games into one slim, attractive little black box that can also play DVDs without any additional shelling-out.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends

::Shudders:: not this again... but it must be done! Ok, starting off with the XBox: it's got high power, whoopdeedoo. Obviously Microsft forgot about it's games, or did they? I think Microsoft is smart enough to realize that many people, myself included, want the XBox to burn in a fiery blaze, but that isn't the audience they are selling to. In case no one realized, us "gamerz" make up a tiny percentage of the population of people who play video games. That's why very few, or none, of the games really appeal to us. In response to Pikafoo's statement about the video game industry being thrust further into mainstream, that is exactly what Microsoft is doing, cause they know they can make buttloads of profits off of the XBox if they do. Nintendo's Gamecube is at the other end of the spectrum entirely. The Gamecube's games instill that feeling in you that all the classics did. It's where the games are just plain fun to play. Nintendo has mastered at making games enjoyable, whether you want to admit it or not. That's really all there is about it. Last but absolutely not least, the PS2. From what I can see this is the console that may end up as an art exhibit. Games like Rez, ICO, Silent Hill 2, and Final Fantasy X among many others can truly be described as works of art. This is the console that appeals most to people who don't just look for power or playability, but a balance between both with a touch of atmosphere. So in the end it comes down to your tastes. Whether you like the new shiny things, plain ol' fun games, or artistic games somewhere out there is a console for you. Well, I'm glad I could help the cause. I hope people use this information. As for those girls they should just tell their dad there are no games for the XBox they would like cause in the end it doesn't matter how shiny the system is or how many high specs it has, it's all about the games. Remember: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GAMES!!! ~Subtle Silence, "Love & Peace!" -Vash the Stampede (obviously I've been watching too much Trigun)

Yes, we daren't neglect to make statements inviting the age-old video games as art debate that'll hijack tomorrow's column and drive it straight for oncoming freeway traffic.

Art or no, the moody visual brilliance we've seen thusfar on the PS2 is unmatched, and developers supporting the system have shown themselves more willing than ever to take the risky plunge into the new and artsy.

You taking notes, Dad?

"I believe I said good day!"

Erin, This tale of two young lasses forced into playing a game system the has brought emotion to this cold and empty face... could this be.... could this be sorrow? Even if it means certain death, I shall persivere and show this father that the X-Box is not the system for his loving children. No witty (as I am incapable of anything funny) bullshit, just good, solid, hard facts. While the X-Box certainly has its advantages, it lacks a great deal of attributes that the Playstation2 wields high above the head of every other system. First and foremost, while the PS2's graphic engine is not quite on-par with the GameCube and X-Box, it's certainly not lacking and is capable of some truely awe inspiring effects. Whether it be the settle yet graceful movements of Yorda being dragged around by Ico or the multi-million doller effects of Tidus throwing a Blitzball, one can be damn well sure to find something to look at with a tear in one's eye. Secondly, The PS2 is both backwards compatible and is capable of playing DVDs--not only does this save a pretty penny (what with one being able to sell their old Playstation and not having to buy a new, fancy-dancy DVD player), but it allows the whole family to enjoy what Sony has to offer: Dead or Alive 2: Hard Core, Fear Effect: Retro Helix, Wicked City, and so on. And, as a side note to the previous reason, since the PS2 is backwards compatible, this opens up an almost endless library of video games that one may play. And finally, The PlayStation2 is, without a doubt, the one system that has more Role Playing Games on it than any other than any other system I can think of. From golden oldies to shiney, new things--it's got 'em. Simple as that. Good Day. -Lee, "I believe I said Good Day!"

I could burst into a lengthy diatribe encumbered with dazzling techno-babble about why I feel the Xbox's hardware, impressive as it may sound on paper, is not nearly as optimized for its design purpose of playing video games as the GCN and/or the PS2, but the proof is, as they say, in the puddin'. The Xbox's GPU may sport a mad raw fill rate of 1 Gpix/sec at 250 Mhz, and its intrinsic HD could potentially do wonders for load times, but I don't see it breaking any technological ground in any of its launch titles. But, you say, it takes awhile to get the hang of developing for a new console, and Erin! you say, did you not see Halo's noble features? Munch's gorgeous water effects demanding respect?

Yeah I did. But I also played ICO, and was moved significantly further.

Inapplicable killer apps

(hey Erin I'm talking to the parent...allow me to continue...I just thouht I'd say "hi" first) System Wars are all about the games and have been since the begining . You can have the best techinial system in the whole world, but if you have lowsy games or ones that your kids don't want to play it's jus so much junk. The X-box has a grand total of two killer apps for the comming year: Halo and DOA 3. This situation probaly won't improve as most of the X-box games I've seen get marginal reviews. You also live in a house filled with RPG(role playing games...like Final Fantasy) players and the X-box does not have any on it or planned for it. The PS2 on the other hand has a great libary: Zone of Enders, Final Fantasy X, Jax and Dexter, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Soild 2, Kingdom Hearts, Star Ocean 3, Soul Calibur 2 and the list of great and future titles(that look great) goes on and on with no end in sight. On the Tech side the X-box's graphics are pretty much equal with the PS2. The only difference is that the X-box has Anti-alaising features that the PS2 doesn't. Some people say this causes jagged edges on graphics, but I don't notice any difference. Just go to gamespot.com and compare screen shots of these three PS2 games to screen shots of Project Gotham(X-box): Spy Hunter, Midnight Club, and Gran Trismo 3. I don't see very much difference...do you? Aslo if you want a DVD play the X-box will not do this right out of the box like the PS2. In order to play DVD movies on the X-box you have to purchace an after market upgrade that costs an extra $30. This seems like a big ripoff to me...what about you? It all boils down to what your kids want to play. Forget your advertising hype(Never trust Microsoft as too many people have been burned by them. I've been burned by their software upgrades and sofware bugs for years.) and look at what your kids play. Maybe you should play their games yourself to get the feel for them and then see what system has the most to offer that they like. I hope you get over the advertising hype and make an imformed decision. Look up some games, read some reviews, and some previews and then make your choice. Shadowcat (maybe you should tease them a little so when they get a PS2 it's a big supprise...hehe)

I was just sort of musing away in my corner over here... If "killer app" pretty much by definition refers to a game that justifies the purchase of its respective system all by its very lonesome, then doesn't it become sort of a contextual, situational term? Halo may rock fans of the FPS genre into orgasmic paroxysms of pleasure, but if you hate FPSs.... it's hardly a killer app, now, is it?

A pleasing assortment of cons

Perhaps, Agent, in addition to looking at the games being played, which I'll let someone else do, the young women could bring up the following points: 1) The Xbox has a grotesque controller meant for sasquach hands, not for small humans. If you can't play games (even games you don't enjoy) then what's the point? 2) The extra component you need to purchase to play DVD's. If DVD play is relevant, you shell out more money to get it on an Xbox. I know the PS2 isn't all that when it comes to DVD play, but it works well enough and you can do it out of the box. 3) Bundles. Most places, as far as I know, are still selling Xbox bundles-which will include games that have no interest to those women. This may have changed, but if not, most people prefer choice over no choice. 4) How 'bout a metaphor; consoles are just steel-it's what the manufacturer does with the steel that makes a difference. That steel could become a Porsche, or part of a bridge, or it could be a paperweight. Consoles don't mean much by themselves, but the games that come with them-ah, there's something. The argument needs a little cleaning up, but the core is there. 5) Backwards compatibility. This hinges a bit on convincing dad that games are more valuable/important than power, but the PS2 is has a bigger library than anything out there right now, no matter what your interest is. Again, more choices=good. 6) Um...it's a present. Aren't you supposed to get someone what they WANT? I wish the young women the best of luck. DIM-Still at work.

I think I like being addressed simply as "Agent." Sycophants take note.

Vilification

Hey Erin, Paulo's comment yesterday about specs having been a factor in the fall of the DC doesn't really wash with me. The biggest reason, IMO, that the DC died a horrid death was that Sega didn't reach out to anyone besides Hardcore Gamers(tm), many of whom were wary about touching any console with the Sega name on it (self included). I mean you can only have so many 32Xs and whatnot before people start to avoid you like the plague, no matter how great your games are. I like my consoles to last longer than the average Hollywood marriage, thanks. Couple that with the PS2's backwards compatibility, DVD support, and the muggle public's awareness of it, and the DC was pretty well doomed. As for the kids with the moron father...to quote the immortal Hexadecimal, I simply adore children, but I could never eat a whole one. In this case however, I'm snatching my gunblade, jumping in my Guymelef, and running to the rescue of these poor little girls. This dad is exactly the X-Box's prime demographic: small-weenied PeeCee drones who don't know shit from Shinobu when it comes to console gaming, and base their entire existence on stuff like the refresh rate of their video card. As a chick who's lived through some pretty vicious flame wars, it saddens me how easily some Hardcore Gamers(tm), who should *know* better by now, are buying into this mentality. Specs are fine, but it always takes a few years for developers to really get into the nuts and bolts of what the hardware is capable of. Besides, hardware is ultimately meaningless if there's no good software to take advantage of it (too many machines in the console graveyard made this mistake). In other words: It's the games, stupid. What does the X-Box have? Halo, which looks to be a great successor to the excellent Marathon trilogy, but console FPSs usually suck. Oddworld is the only other game I can think of, which should prove to be a great exercise in futility with that horrid controller (what blind crack monkey designed that ergonomic abomination?). Let's look at the PS2. There's the big guns, Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy X due any minute now, and the gothic beauty that is Dante--er, Devil May Cry. There's the little gems like Ico and Harvest Moon. There's dungeon hacking Diablo-esque fun like Dark Cloud (yeah, it's a Zelda ripoff, but it's a fun and addicting ripoff). Don't underestimate backwards compatibilty, either. I've spent the RPG lull period catching up on all the great PSX stuff I missed, and I know I'm not the only one (thank ye Gods for Greatest Hits). The PS2's superiority to the X-Box in the RPG realm is so clearly demonstrable, both currently and with the stuff coming down the pipe, that anyone who doesn't see it must be that blind crack monkey I mentioned before. And deserves swift and blinding violence for designing that controller. *zaps 'em Lum-style* In summary, buying an X-Box for RPGs is like an asthmatic buying a pack of clove cigarettes. Yeah, you could do it, but why let the whole world know you rode the short bus to school? --Celestra, drooling bishounen chaser and Square whore at large, is staying away from the Dark Side of the Force thank you

I almost didn't print this, simply because we're trying to persuade someone, here, and huddling potshot after potshot at someone's intelligence and manhood was not, upon my last check, mentioned anywhere in the persuasion rulebook outside the section with the gargantuan, boldfaced red type at the top warning "THIS IS PRECISELY HOW NOT TO SELL SOMEONE ON AN IDEA."

That aside, it's a pretty well-crafted letter. And, more importantly, it made me chuckle.

Sex-appeal

Who is going to play the damned system? I doubt the father will be sitting in front of the TV for hours on end, picking away at pretty versions of old games like Munch's Odyssey, Tony Hawk, and Dead or Alive. A shame, Project Gotham isn't even about Batman! It'll be these two kids who will sit hours on end in front of their TVs. It'll be these two kids who will go to the stores and pick the games. It'll be these kids who probably hook it up to the TV. And poor kids, if the dad buys an Xbox, they will be in so much trouble. They'll unwrap it, happily put it on the empty shelf of their entertainment center, and there goes the beautiful synthetic wood furniture, crashing into tiny bits and pieces thanks to the Roseanne of consoles. Besides that, what other system will let them follow trends and get into the hype of games like Metal Gear Solid 2 or Ico. And what other system will let them boot up their system like some sort of complicated computer? Truthfully, the reason they should purchase a PS2 over an Xbox lies in one word: Bemani. An X Box won't give these kids the sexy curves, rock hard abs, and slim waistlines they've always dreamed of. - Areku, can't afford a PS2

Bemani, for assorted parents and anyone else who may be unfamiliar with the term, refers to rhthym games in the general vein of Dance Dance Revolution. I'll personally attest to the incomparable fun and fitness factors of the genre - nothing beats busting your best moves and dropping a couple hundred calories before breakfast.

And, at least for the time being, there's not a similar experience as far as the eye can see on the Xbox. Aren't you in the least bit concerned about ensuring the sexiness of your daughters' curves, Dad?

Anonymous tip-off

Ode to the console wars, and those bedazzled by big numbers without knowing a thing about what they mean. I admit, I was charmed, too. Two years ago around this time I would have been lashing Dreamcast for any reason I could think of. Today, I'm a trifle envious. I took time to look at all the great games that I couldn't play, being a PS2 holdout. "Playstion2 will be better!" I thought to myself. It just had to be, right? So I reserved my Playstation2, but, like many console fans can remember, was turned back at the gate. "No more room in the Inn!" cried the Babbage's employee. As luck would have it, my ship(ment) came in on the first week of January. With the two games I received for Christmas, I was as gleeful as can be! SSX had me hooked for a month, and Madden still pops into the tray every now and then, but for a while, there wasn't much for me to choose from. So I looked back at Dreamcast. Poor, undervalued Dreamcast, at the bottom of its luck. And all the great games for it! Crazy Taxi, Virtual Tennis, the 2k series. All the games I /really/ wanted to play, distant on another platform. Of course the holiday crop of Ps2 titles have more than satisfied me and my library has grown. But for a while, I was doing some serious regretting. So the moral of the story...convince your father that choosing XBOX over the Playstation2 might make for a sleigh load of regrets. Mention that the type of games being released for it just aren't your type. And if that doesn't get him, attack him with statistics! Pull out a bunch of charts showing Ps2 vs. XBOX sales, develop contracts, targetted age groups, anything you can find. Fight fire with fire, and good luck!

Who was that masked man who swooped in from the shadows with the timely advice on console purchasing? We may never know.

Xbox - the Bane of Isildur

It's interesting to me that fathers would push an X-box on their children rather than a GC, since the GC is 100 bucks less. Or maybe I am not used to having rich parents. Whichever. Point is, MS has apparently done what they set out to do as far as marketing goes, because it seems to me people are climbing over Gamecube boxes to get to the X-box...er...boxes at stores this holiday season. And what about the PS2? People are blinded by stat sheets and saturation advertising, for now at least. Remember the N64? Great piece of hardware, but a decent game came out only every 6 or 7 months, and it was either a Mario-64-esque platformer or an FPS from Rare. The X-box, to me at least, seems to be showing similar symptoms. If the wise sages at Penny Arcade are getting fed up with Halo, the marquee title, already, I'll be happy with my PS2 for now, thank you. Honestly, a system's selling point should be quality of software. I mean, that's what you buy the damn thing for, right? DVD-playing, hard drives, internet capabilites are all nice, but if I am only playing games like Madden 2002 and SSX Tricky that are on every system, the ability to see helmet scuffing and really, really realistic snow just doesn't warrant a console purchase for me. So here's my ranking of preference, submitted for your approval: 1) PS2. Beacause I already have it, I'm a Sony-whore, and games like Gran Turismo 3, MGS2, FFX, and ICO. And it's got the best controller out there, which is more important to me than is probably healthy, but hey... 2) Gamecube. Cheap, powerful, and oh-so-cute. I still wanna try the new Zelda and Metroid, the Starwars game is sweet, and the ability to someday have a six-game Resident Evil marathon just makes me happy. And if not for the huge A button and strangly placed bits, the controller would rule the universe. Oh yeah, I can use my GBA to do something to it too...though I don't know what yet. Am trying to scam one out of somebody before the end of the year. 3) Xbox. Flashy and powerful, but enormous in all facets and I can't seem to think of any games coming to it exclusively that I am really amped about. Plus, it's made by Bill Gates' evil hoards... And for Paulo: send that father and his daughters to the FFX site on PlayOnline, and if he doesn't give in to his daughters right before having to go change his shorts, then I say he's just not human. Cheers ~ Pikafoo, more human than human. PS - Yes, yes indeed FAFSA forms suck. Like the Bane of Isildur, wrought in the mountains of fire. Okay, sorry.

I was about to say that I was surprised more people hadn't written in pushing the GC, but then I realized I was just being a retard again and said this instead.

Xbox makes baby Jesus cry

The Xbox doesn't have God on it's side. ~Ian P.

Ian P. cuts straight to the heart of the matter, as per usual. Dunno about you, but I'm convinced.

Closing Comments:

Well. Thanks for your support, ladies and gentlemen. My ritual apologies to those whose letters I didn't print - there were simply too many good 'uns today and the column was starting to get a little... well... full-figured. Also, my apologies to the father in question if in fact he's reading. We get a little zealous as video game consumers here and flaming arrows are often fired with little or no consideration. But... I stand by the DA disclaimer. And moreover hope we've been of some assistance in between vehement rants and scalding obscenity.

On to tomorrow....

If Paulo hadn't put in his desperate plea for help on the part of today's poster child, I would have gone with Kirk B.'s topic of yesterday, because I think a good old-fashioned celebration of Square whoredom is long overdue.

So, tell Drew what you think the future holds for the RPGiant. Will they continue to dominate in the face of their losses? Will they be relegated to a slightly more modest place in the RPG market? Who do you see as a threat to their throne, if anyone? I [briefly] had my say yesterday. Now's your turn.

Till Monday, my Argonautical crew.

-Erin Mehlos, not to be confused with Scrooge's nephew Fred, the chirpy bastard