Here\'s my thoughts about all the "next-generation" consoles:
SEGA DREAMCASTDefinitely an amazing system that has been extremely under-hyped, due to Sega\'s lack of advertising skills. Nevertheless, those games who
do pick of a Dreamcast will surely not be dissapointed. Sega creates and/or publishes some of the most original and creative games on the market. It is also home to the greatest fighting game ever: Soul Calibur, and to some addictive RPGs (Grandia 2, Skies of Arcadia, Phantasy Star Online). We all know that Sega is going third-party, but I still recommend that you pick up a DC.
SONY PLAYSTATION 2It\'s starting to pick up speed after its
way overhyped launch, which helped to dissapoint some gamers. The truth is that the launch games weren\'t
that bad, although the quality was definitely lacking in the majority of the titles. Dead Or Alive 2 was an inferior version of the Dreamcast game (for some odd reason), but Tekken Tag Tournament was entertaining (if not similar to previous Tekken games), and SSX was a truly amazing snowboarding arcade game. The PS2 looks forward to smash titles such as Metal Gear Solid 2 and the Final Fantasy series, which will sell no matter what.
NINTENDO GAMECUBEThe Nintendo 64 was lacking in two departments: RPGs and Fighting games. Since the Gamecube seems to be fixing a few of the \'problems\' the N64 had, if it were to house some smash RPGs and Fighting games, this could become the top next-gen system. For sure, the first and second-party titles will probably not dissapoint, and with the return of third-party support, things are looking bright. Another plus to this system will be the tag price that will be considerably less expensive than systems that play DVDs. I don\'t know why people see Nintendo as "kiddie" just because it is home to some kid games (which are probably some of the funnest out there), because the N64 did have many more mature titles than the SNES. Although nothing can ever beat the SNES (except maybe GBA).
MICROSOFT X-BOXI was dissapointed to see The Big M
enter the console area, mostly because I don\'t feel like shelling out the big cash for yet another promising console. Yes, I said promising. If Microsoft can actually get a core audience in Japan, it may very well become the leader in a few years time. Munch\'s Oddysee and Bounty Hunter looks like fun games, and they\'ll be plenty more titles that will pop up at E3. If there is one thing that might hinder the X-Box... it\'s the release date. First off, even if the X-Box does see it\'s Fall 2001 release in the US, it likely will not be released until about 4-6 months later in Japan, and by that time may be obsolete. Even scarier, is that X-Box looks likely to arrive in 2002, or in 2001 with a very dismal launch list. The thing is, with Gamecube coming out in Japan first, and with hit properties such as Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon (which are among the most popular in Japan), X-Box will have a rough beginning.
Nintendo Game Boy Advance"All your base are belong to us!" The least powerful and most portable of all systems will own big time says I. And connectivity with the Gamecube gives light to some very interesting console options.
