To buy or not to buy, that is the question - August 11th, 1999 - Drew Cosner
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of the participants and the moderator, and do not neccessarily reflect those of the GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. Andy Richter is leaving Late Night. More about that in tomorrow's opening comments, sob. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Today the purchase of a Dreamcast is the focus of debate. We all know the pros and cons at this point. I don't think there's anyone of you out there unaware of the fact that the Dreamcast is hopelessly underpowered in when compared to the PS2 or the Dolphin. But, it's here, we can see it and try it out at the stores, and it's got the goods.
Will I be getting one? You bet. I was sold the minute I saw Sonic Adventure at the local import shop. Besides, patience isn't one of my strong points. I want a brand new system to play in my hands now, dammit. Not a year from now. I'm sure the ten millionth Tomb Raider game will be enough to keep some people happy for the next year, but I'm all excited to try the next step in console technology.
If console manufacterers were school children, Sega would be the kid giving those stuck up dorks Nintendo and Sony wedgies. Sega has its back to the wall, and is now kicking off the most unusual and exciting console battle yet. This is gonna be sweet.
| Here I come, baby |
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All I have to say to the non-believers is this:
Play Soul Calibur. Play that game on the Dreamcast and THEN tell me
that the system does not positively kick ass.
Go ahead.. I dare you.
It's an incredible system with some great games. That's all that it
needs.
Quite honestly, the Saturn didn't fail because it came out first or
anything close. It failed because they pulled that "phantom release"
crap (released a month early without telling anyone, and only with 2
games), and because the thing was priced at $400! The Dreamcast isn't
going to have either problem (launching on the planned 9Sept, and at
$199), and has more bonuses on it's side than any system ever in the
past (you know.. doubling the PSX pre-sell record isn't a big deal or
anything).
And I assume you heard the latest.. about Sega beating out SCEA and
Working Designs for the rights to Grandia 2. Heh.. Dreamcast, here I
come!
-Brad Williams
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I didn't mention that in yesterday's closing comments on purpose; I was curious to see if any astute readers would point that out. Yeah, one of the main reasons the Saturn bombed was not because of the early release itself, but because nobody, not even Sega themselves, was prepared for it. Stores were just barely able to get the things on the shelf, and only then in low quantities. Not only that, but there were hardly any games available, and the thing cost a fortune. In fact, hardly anybody realized the Saturn was even out; there was no public awareness. Couple all of that with the fact that it was a nightmare to program for, and in the long run, things went down the proverbial crapper.
The Dreamcast repeats none of these mistakes. It has a massive launch library with several A+ games that should benefit from a strong marketing campaign to back it up. It's also relatively inexpensive and easy to develop for, which should attract third party support. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all of these elements will mean gauranteed success. A lot of people aren't ready to pay for the next console, especially when many have only recently purchased their Playstations or N64s. Not only that, both Sony and Nintendo have a feircly loyal fan base, or whom are more than content to stick with their current machines and wait a while longer for the Dolphin or the PS2.
If all the pieces fall into place, the Dreamcast will be able to pull Sega's ass out of the fire. And Sega is certainly doing their most to ensure that past mistakes won't be repeated.
| Will work for Dreamcast |
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Drew,
Being on a tight budget as I am, I've already spent all my free money
ordering Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy Anthology, which I do not
regret. But being as it is, I won't be getting a Dreamcast when it is first
released because I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY!!!!! (puts out a little cup)
"Dreamcast donations for the poor? Anyone? Please?" (holds up sign) "Will
work for Dreamcast."
-Mike Drucker
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Yeah, as I said, there are still those who won't be able to shell out 200 bucks, plus 50 more for a game. But hey, compared to the release price of the Playstation and the Saturn, the Dreamcast is pretty damn cheap.
| Do it for the games |
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I am going to get a Dreamcast. I'm going to get it for games, end of
story. But, after that, this next gen wars is going to be very different
from every other one. After all, look at what's happening. Online is being
integrated, PC perhiperals are everywhere. Online communities will rise,
systems will be upgradable. And, if you've read up on the latest magazine
issues, and all of the Internet gossip; its going to be big, and its going to
be different. Sega has stated that their online strategy isn't anything like
that of PC games. I'm curious.
And then we have Sony and Nintendo. They are trying to develop set top
boxes, mainstream systems. Everyone is partnering up, games will be playable
on DVD systems. And, because of all of this, the DC will launch an upgrade
chip for the DC to try and do the same thing. After this generation of
systems, gaming won't be what it is now. Afterall, the basic set up of
gaming has yet to change since Nolan Bushnell thought it would be cool to
control a paddle and a "ball" almost 30 years ago. But, its about too change
in a big way. I'm intrigued. Does anyone else have any opinions on this
matter?
-Justin Freeman
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One thing a lot of people aren't taking into consideration is the fact that this console battle is unlike any before it. Sure, with the SNES and the Genesis, we were just seeing an evolution in technology from the industry's two key players. Assuming, of course, that you could even call the Master System's market share "key." And then, with the 32/64 bit systems, they all came out around about the same time, the only difference at all being the presence of Sony, a newcomer to the gaming scene.
But now, well, everything has changed. The "5 year rule" has been thrown to the wind. PC gaming is becoming an increasingly strong and popular aspect of the gaming world. And the Internet, along with online gaming, has become largely popular since the release of the Saturn, Playstation, and Nintendo 64. It's an entirely different story this time around.
On one hand, we have Sega offering the next step in gaming technology, with all the obvious gimmicks and additions. As far as consoles go, the Dreamcast represents the next logical step. However, both Nintendo and Sony see a different vision. It's no secret that both have always wanted to create the same situation with game consoles as has long been the case with other entertainment devices, such as CD players and VCRs. Why release a new console every 4 or 5 years, when you can just make one extremely powerful console that will become the accepted forum, sticking around for years to come?
Whose ideas will be best is just going to have to be seen, as no true predictions can be made at this point.
| Listen up |
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Listen Drew,
Frankly, the question of buying a dreamcast is a no-brainer. One must be
seriously deranged from syphillis or a system bigot of the highest sort to
contemplate waiting for a psx2 and missing the dreamcast. I know it's a
little light on rpgs, which are the focus of this site, but so was the psx.
It was quite a while after launch when its' first rpg-Beyond the Beyond
(yeccchhh) came out, yet today the psx is unquestionably the system to have
for rpgs. Building a library takes time, and I for one will not miss out on
beauties like Soul Calibur or Sonic (non-revolutionary gameplay aside).
Besides I'm still going to buy FF8, Saga2, Mana 4 and the FF anthology. The
damn thing's only $200. If you can't swing that or don't have the desire to
whatever is necessary to get the cash (including criminal activity), then
you're not a gamer and you should stop coming to this site. I bought a N64
for Zelda and Mario, period, I'll certainly buy a dreamcast, we're not
talking about thousand dollar machines here.
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The lack of any really good RPGs in the immediate future is sort of a downer, I have to be honest. But, like you said, the Playstation didn't really have any decent RPGs itself until about a year into the game, and even then it didn't become the RPG powerhouse that it is now until about 2 years back. So, there's still hope for all of you RPG enthusiasts out there.
| Gotta get it |
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Drew:
Now, you might consider me a biased source, but give me a second
to respond. A few months ago, I was like most current Playstation
owners. My plan was to gobble up as many good PSX games as
possible over the summer and into Christmas, and hope that would
keep me happy till Fall 2000 when the PS2 debuted.
I wasn't really considering Dreamcast a few months ago. I had
heard about it, but I figured that it'd be another Saturn. Then I started
really paying attention to what Sega was cookin'.
The thing that really hooked me was Shenmue. The game's innovations
in realistic passage of time, its graphics which at times seem to rival
the PS2 face demos, and its epic length all intrigued me.
Then I started honestly looking at the lineup of launch titles. Bernie
says there are "16 we can count on" but the number may reach as
high as 25, according to some early Sega print ads. And over 50 games
by Christmas, maybe 100 by spring 2000, including such goodies as
Grandia 2, Evolution, and the innovative Seventh Cross. Sega has a
lot more developers on board Dreamcast than they ever did with Saturn.
I finally preordered a Dreamcast and a copy of NFL 2K.
When I preordered my Dreamcast, this was my logic: why
buy a bunch of PSX games that are starting to look a bit
dated and wait till Fall 2000 for PS2 when instead I can
spend the same money on the next generation of gaming
beginning on 9-9-99?
Dreamcast is unlikely to be another Saturn. There's too much
support for it, both in terms of developers and in terms of
200,000-plus pre-orders. I'm not throwing away my PSX just
yet. There are a couple games, like Grandia and Lunar 2:
Eternal Blue Remix, that I still want to get. And when
PS2 comes, I'll probably buy one of those, also. But I've
come to a place where I'm ready for the next level in
videogames, and to Sega's credit, they are providing
it today (actually, more like "in less than 30 days") rather
than a year or more down the line.
If any platform fails in the new generation, it'll be Nintendo's
Dolphin. Their lineup of developers right now is thinner
than Saturn's was, and other than saying "it'll run at 400 MHz"
or whatever, it's complete vaporware at this point.
My guess is Dreamcast and Sony will rule the upcoming
next generation wars, and Nintendo will look much like it
does today, releasing a couple titles every month or so,
raking in big profits, but not really dominating the market.
-Craig Hansen, News Writer for Sega Web
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Whether or not Shenmue will actually pan out remains to be seen, but there's no denying the strong number of launch titles. Hey, ever get that feeling of Deja Vu? I swear I've mentioned that before. Anyhow, let's not forget that Nintendo predicted a massive number of titles in time for the N64's first spring, and that never happend, so you can never really trust those predictions. But, third party support for the Dreamcast far eclipses that of the N64's, so it's a different situation. Who knows, maybe we will see that many titles in time for spring. I'm just saying that we can't really know for sure just yet.
However, I disagree with you about Nintendo. If I had to predict who would be the flop between Sony and Nintendo, not saying that either will be, of course, I'd have to go with Sony. They seem insistent on creating another set top box, forcing gamers who may already own a DVD player to pan out the extra cash for a playback-capable PS2. Nintendo has made a stratigic partnership with several other companies to keep the price of the Dolphin down. And should a gamer fancy the idea of a game system that can also play movies, Matsushita will be building Dolphin enhanced DVD players themselves. Also a point that I've mentioned in the past is that of chip creation. While .18 micron technology is a bit of an experiment to Toshiba, which is providing the PS2 with it's CPU, the Dolphin's chip comes courtesy of IBM, who is a seasoned chip manufacturer and no stranger to .18 micron chips.
Concerning development support, most companies are still on a wait-and-see basis between the PS2 and the Dolphin. We're seeing more third parties announcing support for the PS2 because of the mere fact that they've actually seen it in action. Nintendo's name remains a strong one, and should the Dolphin's technology truly be equal to or superior to that of the PS2's, the support will be there. It would behoove Nintendo to display some form of a demonstration during this month's Shoshinkai Show.
But there's one thing never to be forgotten about Nintendo. Between Nintendo themselves and their second party developers, specifically Rare, they can support a system essentially by themselves. If the third parties should provide support, the system may very well be unstoppable.
| Not enough hours in the day |
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Drew-
I would love to get the Dreamcast. I think that many of the games it will have from now to the holiday season will be A+ titles. However, the only reason that I am not buying the Dreamcast is the wealth of great titles avalible for the PSX and N64 the next 5-6 months! I simply don't have enough time, or money, to fully enjoy them all! My strategy right now is to purchase it when there is a lull in good new games coming out, but I implore you to take a look at the current release schedule (for all types of games). This week we have Thousand Arms, a day or two before the DC launch we have, IMO, Sony's biggest release of the year, FFVIII, Suikoden II and Dino Crisis at the end of September, Jet Force Gemini in mid-October (hopefully) closely followed by FF Anthology, Grandia near Halloween, Resident Evil 3 and Donkey Kong 64 in November, and Perfect Dark (again, hopefully) in early December, and THE release of the year, bar none, Diablo II for Christmas. It could just be me, but it seems like a pretty packed end of the year game-wise, not even including the Dreamcast! Furthermore, the only titles that I am seriously looking forward to sitting down with are Sonic Adventure, the Capcom fighters, and Shen Mue, if that one even comes out this year. I simply don't think that an investment of at least $300 (more if you want to actually be able to play the fighting games...) is justifiable when so many wonderful games are ready to be played on the system that you own right now.
-ReigunRed
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I can't argue that the Playstation and N64 both have their fair share of excellent games in the coming months. However, looking past the Holiday season, things are going to be a bit sparse for both. I expect to continue playing my older systems along with my Dreamcast, though. With all the great games that are coming out, I can understand being content with them for the time being. Unfortunately, when it comes to fancy new gadgets, I'm like a moth to a public bathroom's flourescent light, baby.
| Go where the Square goes |
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I will be quite happy with my sequels until the PS2 comes out. The BoF
sequel, FF8, FF9, SoM sequel, Vandal Hearts 2, the CT sequel, Xenogears 2
and DQ7 will all be enough for me. After all, sequels usually are
improvements of a series unlike in movies where it is sometimes not the
case. Look at the change from DW1 to DW2 for example. The improvements
between the games blows the mind. Now this level of improvement is not
there for all sequels, but usually you can expect to get a better and better
game from sequel to sequel.
The only game for the DC I have seen so far that I would really want is
the Marvel vs Capcom arcade port (God how I wasted so much money on that
game between classes last semester). Until they start making Square or Enix
games for the DC, (which I doubt will happen) you won't see me making the
move to Sega.
From a sports, action, fighting and racing game perspective I will
probably lose out on some good titles, but I go where the great RPG's go.
That's why I sold my N64 to get a PSX.
-Pendy (who will bust a gut if DQ7 is not released in America)
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Considering the fact that this is an RPG and Adventure site, I'm sure there are many of you who will go wherever it is that Square goes. And, as history shows, where Square goes, other RPG developers follow.
| It could happen. Okay, so it couldn't. |
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My prediction...
With the arrival of the DC, boasting it's new RE games and superior
graphics will be wildly popular, much like the N64 was with people
camping out in front of Electronics stores for them. It will be most
popular system for the next bout of the console wars, making Sega all
powerful and forcing Sony out of the Video Game Industry. And after the
Dolphins spectactular failur due to lack of any third party support,
Nintendo themselves will become nothing but a third party developer for
Sega, little more than a puppet.
And with the removal of the two primary competitors, Sega will release
their newest system with an advertising blitz the likes we have never
seen...And of course, we will buy it...And when we play the first
generic Sonic game on it we will get this message suddenly...
"SONIC HAS CAUSED AN ILLEGAL OPERATION. THIS PROGRAM WILL BE TERMINATED"
And the video game industry will cease to matter to most of us, we will
walk around, vacant of eye, our souls sapped of their essence...
THE END
~Ian P.
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With nothing better to do with our time, we would all resort to smoking crack for kicks.
Closing Comments
Everybody has them. Sure, they may just be something small and insignificant, or something that most other people wouldn't be concerned with in the slightest, but every one of us has at them. What am I talking about? Gaming pet peeves. Think about it -- what is it that irks you most about being a gamer?
Maybe it's that nongamer who sees you playing a complex RPG and asks, "What's the purpose of this game? You trying to save the princess?" Maybe it's that person who comes up to you and with a pitiful look on their face says, "Aren't you a little old to be playing those kids games?" Maybe it's those games that feels throwing in an inhumanly difficult skill level qualifies as replay value. Or maybe it's just something so off the wall, I can't even think it up as one of my examples.
But whatever it is, it just burns you up. And you know what? I want to hear all about it. Tell me what it is that pisses you off, you ticking time bomb, you.
-Drew Cosner
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