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View Full Version : Nice little story i found.



FuNkY mOnK
12-29-2002, 04:04 PM
Sony longtime staffer talks about the day he decides to "join the dark side" and allow a competing console to invade his home.

The day dawned like any other… the sun rose in the east, as it was supposed to. I slept through it (the sunrise), due to the fact that it was a Saturday. It was the beginning of a typical day, which would suddenly go terribly askew. I knew it was bound to happen eventually, but I simply wasn't fully prepared for the day that would see the addition of another console in my entertainment center. It was a shock, a shock most unexpected… a shock I am most pleased with. The Microsoft Xbox made the successful venture from retail store to that cleared-off shelf in my entertainment center. Although I was frightened about the prospect at first, I reflected on what had brought me to this fateful day.

I remember at about this time last year, I simply couldn't be happier from a gaming standpoint. After purchasing a PS2 at midnight on October 26th, 2000, I had enjoyed games like Unreal Tournament, Kessen, Unreal Tournament, Smugglers Run, Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore, Summoner, and Madden 2001 through the long winter months. Then I was forced to wade through a slow period that didn't consist of much more than The Bouncer, Onimusha: Warlords, and Zone of the Enders. This lasted for a few months, then I began to relish in the high-quality titles that began to appear; Red Faction, Twisted Metal: Black, ICO, Soul Reaver 2, Silent Hill 2, and Gran Turismo 3, knowing full well that games like Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jak and Daxter, Grand Theft Auto 3, and Final Fantasy X were on the way. I was happy as a chipmunk in a nut factory.

Then the fall came around, and Microsoft and Nintendo decided they needed to enter the "next-gen phase." I let them both sit for a while, taking a long look at the coming soon lists for both, what games were currently available, and what kind of support the public was showing for them. The launch came and went, and I was able to play the role of "inside observer" as I dealt with the madness at the local EB - madness that presented itself twice in the span of a week. I then watched and waited, biding my time in the wings. Months passed, a spring and summer lineup became clearer and took shape for both Nintendo and Microsoft. After E3, I began counting 'em up, as I had just recently decided that I wanted one more system in my home. While the PS2 library was huge, having no other option besides my PC was distressing, and so… A vote here for XBox, a vote there for the GameCube; Metroid's coming! But wait, so is Brute Force. Mario Sunshine is coming! But wait, so is Unreal Championship. Resident Evil 0 is coming! But wait, so is Project Ego. And then, suddenly, it became vividly clear…

Look what I had missed! Halo, Morrowind, Rallisport, and DoA3 head my list as "games that you missed, you dolt." I'm a huge FPS and RPG fan. So, pray tell, how could I miss two games that are at the pinnacle of those genres (according to popular opinion)? I simply couldn't. The decision was made, and these, besides the others I just previously mentioned, helped: Enclave, Dead to Rights, The Thing, Quantum Redshift, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Ninja Gaiden, and Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. I took the time, looked at each closely, and found that I could put my finger on at least a dozen Xbox titles this year that I desperately wanted to at least try. I then went ahead and put that together with my list of PS2 "games to look out for": Mark of Kri, Run Like Hell, SOCOM: US Navy Seals, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Wild Arms 3rd Advanced, Legaia: Duel Saga, Kingdom Hearts, Summoner 2, Red Faction 2, The Lost, and Suikoden III. I realized that the PS2 would probably still be my home for role-playing, but good lord, could I REALLY afford to miss out on that XBox list? The answer was, of course, clear.




The next step? Solidarity. We all remember the Dreamcast, and just how many people were disappointed when it bit the dust early 2001. We also must realize that the heavy majority of the market share went to Sony, with nearly 35 million consoles in circulation, and the Xbox numbers reaching just barely upwards of 3 million. Nintendo had the Japanese support, but that wasn't exactly a surprise, and the idea that the GameCube might fail was laughable at the very least. Nintendo had a targeted "niche" market with the GBA and GC and they knew it. Nintendo would continue to thrive, if in the shadow of Sony. Microsoft was my only question mark… new to the console world, and yet to be proven. Plus, there was a huge hill to climb in relation to pure sales numbers, among other things. Would it survive? Would it catch on? After looking at it for a while, it seems it has. That was all the push I needed, because after all, isn't it always about the games anyway? And the games making up the Xbox library were tough to ignore, as well as the games making up the coming soon list.

And so, on that typical day when the birds chirped and the air conditioner hummed, I made my way down to the mall and the local Electronics Boutique, where, coincidentally, I used to work. I showed up with $375 in my pocket, most of which from birthday money received only the night before. I took part in this little deal of theirs, which allowed me to get a fifty-dollar gift voucher (a free game, essentially) if I bought the system, Halo, and another game or the S Controller. My friends whom I had spent so much time with in recent history down at the store knew this day was coming, mainly because I had been talking about it since the respective console launches. What they didn't know was which console I would ultimately choose. Once the word "Xbox" came out of my mouth, I saw more smiles than frowns, and apparently, most agreed with my decision. And that was when I learned that, in addition to the PS2, most of the loyal EB employees who worked there now had an Xbox as well. What they liked or didn't like wouldn't make a shred of difference to my decision, but even so, the positive atmosphere made for a satisfying consumer experience (and help reassure me that I made the right decision). I walked out of the store with the Xbox, Halo, Morrowind, the S Controller, the Microsoft S-Video cables, and the receipt that would allow me to get my fifty-dollar gift voucher. This will be used for Dead or Alive 3, I can assure you.

Was I going against the norm? What would become of me? Would I be cast away into gaming oblivion? Well, as I told many a loyal Sony fan, I wasn't "abandoning" the PS2, I was simply expanding my horizons by adding a stellar console to my inventory. Of course, most of my friends are PC fanatics, and don't buy in to the whole console craze to begin with. Why spend thousands of dollars to continually upgrade my machine, while spending an hour fiddling with settings to make one piece of software play right when I can get a similar, if not better (in some cases), experience on a console? I mean; it's essentially a one-time $200 expense, unless you wish to play online… you can't even buy a decent video card for that anymore! But I digress… And if anyone starts down that road of "the Xbox is just like a PC," I'm gonna whack out. Yes, PC ports are more prominent on the system than the PS2. Are these PC games bad? Any other thoughts? Bah, let's not bother with this train of thought. As it stands, I am a proud new console owner.

Now, as I look at my entertainment center, a foreign object sits in a space that was until only recently reserved for PS2 games and DVDs. Now these all have another home, in a nice tidy rack, and the black and blue of the PS2 is being offset by the black and green of the Microsoft console that has now invaded my home. As a gamer, I revel in this invasion, but wonder wistfully "what could have been" with the GameCube. However, perhaps this is for a later time, when the system has games that appeal to me more… perhaps the time is coming for a Nintendo console to have a spot in my home for the first time since the glory days of the SNES. Until then, I look at what I have, and realize one important thing: Due to the recent invasion, I am one happy gamer. Live long and prosper, Xbox, live long and prosper. For my sake, at the very least.

Ben S. Dutka
Playing Halo…and that's all you need to know.

EHWfedPres
12-29-2002, 04:25 PM
theres no way im reading all that...

speedbuggy76
12-29-2002, 04:49 PM
good read, xbox could use more people like that. These people don't see buying an xbox as abandoning their PS2, just adding to the amount of fun that they can have. I don't mind the PS2 because it has so many great games, which make up for its ok graphics.

Xbox Owner
12-29-2002, 04:52 PM
i read most of it..good read..:)

ARONO129
12-29-2002, 05:08 PM
A nice story and definitely worth reading. The Xbox has a lot to offer.

TheCovenant
01-01-2003, 08:45 AM
Originally posted by EHWfedPres
theres no way im reading all that...


hahahahaha. while i was in the middle of i was thinking.

"ehwfedpres is probably gonna come in and not read it due to that fact that he can't believe someone expects him to read that much".

and although it wasnt so crude, you still didn't read through it all. HA!

as for that guy, he has a lot to say, for a guy who went through the same thing thousands of other gamers went through. except none of them said anything that long. good read though. i like how he keeps describing that xbox was a welcome invasion, rather than a hostile take over:)

tenchi
01-01-2003, 10:26 AM
*I read the whole thing*

lol,yes i like that he described it as an invasion to. I originally was a PS2 man but like for many people the sight and experince of the prophecy HALO i changed to an xbox man also sony betrayed me my PS2 messed up on me somewhat so i sold it to get my BOX and i couldnt be happier i only wish what i still had square that is my only regret.

FuNkY mOnK
01-01-2003, 12:11 PM
Don't worry about square, first there's fable that will probably set the standard the way we play rpg games, then you have the fact that when xbox gets main stream to comfortably take first place we'll have square knocking on the door with all kinds of ground up games...Konami is one.

Mega Gamer
01-02-2003, 06:43 PM
Great story dude.:)

shrew king
01-02-2003, 07:07 PM
that was a good, long read, seemed kind of over exaggerated for buying a console though...

TheCovenant
01-02-2003, 07:31 PM
you know my cousin says he's not biased, but he wants to play ff11, more than fable?

wtf?!?!

ima start a thread on this...........

tenchi
01-03-2003, 12:54 AM
yes please start one ff11 might be good might be but there is no way it will beat the fable experience. Hell i dont even wanna play ff11 because its online and is to much of a change.

Kortiz
01-03-2003, 02:30 AM
jebus, you dont want to read it or you can't read it?

*shrug* oh well

good read.

oddboy
01-03-2003, 02:59 PM
summarize it, my eyes hurt

symposiumx
01-03-2003, 05:30 PM
Originally posted by oddboy
summarize it, my eyes hurt

Boy has PS2, Boy buys Xbox, People rejoice.

Good read, much more satisfying in the "long version"

Viper87227
01-04-2003, 10:19 AM
Originally posted by EHWfedPres
theres no way im reading all that...

Hehe, I agree with you. Read the first two lines, got bored, red half of the last line. IT was a good read tho.