GameCube Generation

There are six major video game consoles available at retailers right now; Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, and Nintendo DS. It can be hard to choose which one is right for you. And after you add in the old consoles too, it makes the choice even more overwhelming. Don’t worry too much though. Just ask yourself a few simple questions outlined below and you can easily decide which system is right for you. The points to consider are price, graphics, game selection, and other capabilities.

Price -

Probably the single biggest factor for someone choosing a video game console is the price they have to pay to purchase the system itself. Prices range from $599 for the Playstation 3 down to $129 for the Nintendo DS. And if you really want to save money you can buy past generation consoles like Playstation, Nintendo 64, and Super Nintendo and spend no more than $20 for a used system. The prices for games should also be factored in when making your choice. PS3 and Xbox 360 games are usually $59.99 new, while Nintendo DS games sell for $29.99 new. Games for old systems are hard to find at regular retailers, but they are usually quite a bit cheaper if you buy them online.

Graphics -

The graphics are always improving with the newer video game consoles, so the newer systems will always have the best graphics. The Xbox 360 and PS3 have the best graphics and can display in High Definition if you have a TV that can display it too. The Wii does not have the same graphical capabilities as the other two, though many casual gamers will not be disappointed. The Nintendo DS and PSP lack the graphical power that the home consoles have because they are portable. And the PSP can display graphics quite a bit better than the DS.

If you are considering older systems, each generation is roughly at the same level graphically no matter which system you choose. Playstation and Nintendo 64 are about the same, as are Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. But the Nintendo 64 will have better graphics than Super Nintendo, which in turn is better than the original Nintendo.

Game Selection -

The main reason you buy a system is for the games, so you have to be sure the games you want to play are on the system you choose. Some systems have very wide selections of games because they were so popular, like Playstation 2, Playstation, and Super Nintendo. With these systems you can almost always find a game in the genres you like. If you really like a particular series of games (Mario, Halo, Final Fantasy, etc) you need to be sure to pick the system that those games come out on. Mario games are only available on Nintendo consoles, including Gamecube, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, and Super Nintendo. Halo is only on Microsoft’s systems, Xbox and Xbox 360. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy has changed systems. You can only find the newest Final Fantasy games on Playstation 2 and you can find older ones on SNES, Gameboy Advance, and Playstation.

Other Capabilities -

Many systems have features unique to them that might be important to you or change game play dramatically. For example, the Wii uses motion-sensing controllers so all of their games use a different style of game play compared to the other systems with a regular joystick. Likewise, the Nintendo DS has one touch screen, another screen above that, and is portable too. If portability is important to you be sure to choose one of the portable systems PSP, Nintendo DS, Gameboy Advance, or Gameboy. If online games are and important feature, you should choose the Xbox or Xbox 360. They have the most capable online features.

After considering all these questions you can decide which features are the most critical for you and choose the system that best meets that criteria. If you are on a tight budget but want a wide selection of games to play, you should choose Playstation or Super Nintendo. The systems and games are very cheap now and thousands of games were made for them. If you want the best graphics and online games, you should probably choose the Xbox 360. It has some of the best graphics and the best online setup.

Once you have weighted all these options you should be well on your way to choosing the best system for you. Now go buy it and start enjoying your gaming purchase.

By: JJ Hendricks

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In 1983, a new game hit the world and took gamers by storm, fantasy game Warhammer, and it’s been increasing its worldwide renown by continually introducing different varieties and styles of the tabletop or board game or online gaming. It’s Warhammer.

Warhammer has a tendency to engage everyone in whatever type of gaming they enjoy including boardgames, tabletop games, and even computerized gaming. Every generation has its own name, and creates exciting challenges and specific rules in order to complete the objective. Some of these names include Warhammer Quest, which uses random dungeons and monsters that a player must engage. Warhammer Hero Quest is a wizard playing game, where a wizard gets to choose the dungeon while creating challenges for the remaining players. Warhammer, Blood Bowl is similar to a fantasy football game with extreme violence variations along with the traditional game.

Warhammer, Fantasy Role-Play, where characters advance through a career system which enables them to improve their skills to advance their character or even move to different paths. Then we move on to Warhammer computer and online games.

The first online Warhammer game began in 1995, called Warhammer Shadow of the Horned Rat. Taking place in the Warhammer universe, a real-time strategy computerized game, Shadow of the Horned Rat began a legacy of Warhammer online gaming. By 1998, loyal Warhammer enthusiasts enjoyed the release of Warhammer Dark Omen and in 2006, the Mark of Chaos joined the Warhammer game platform, a simplified character advancement with flight mechanics and techniques similar to role-playing games. The newest, and heavily anticipated in 2008, Warhammer, Age of Reckoning is sure to thrill loyal Warhammer universe players of all ages.

There’s a variety of online gaming worlds available, and this just goes to show how different games beginning in the early 80s have morphed into huge multiplayer personalities. Being able to sit in your own home and play on your own computer for a few minutes or a few hours is becoming a consumer pastime. While many play the games dedicatedly, other just drop in for a quick play, part of the reason online fantasy world gaming is so popular. This ability to be able to play when you want, engage other players around the world, and save your games is what’s so enticing.

So whether you’re looking for tabletop games, board games, simple online card games, or complete multi-player global gaming systems, you’re sure to find something to entertain yourself. Most games have novice player’s status when you begin, so don’t be shy, enjoy an online gaming experience from simple solitaire against another player, to multifaceted Second life fantasy multiplayer role-playing games, where you can play against people all over the world.

By: Ed Tupniak

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legacy gaming

One company that’s been a big name in video games for years is Nintendo. In many ways Nintendo revived interest in video game systems that can be hooked up to televisions (as opposed to video games played on home computers). It put out a number of good systems in the late eighties and throughout the nineties.

The Nintendo GameCube is the current iteration of this long line of video game platforms, but unfortunately it doesn’t really measure up compared to other modern video game platforms like the new Sony PlayStation 3, and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. For example the GameCube has a processor with a speed of 485 Megahertz while the PlayStation 3 has a central processor with a clock speed of 3.2 Gigahertz which controls eight other processors, and the Xbox 360 has three processors running at 3.2 Gigahertz each! The differences in memory are just as large with the GameCube having a system memory of 40 Megabytes, while the Xbox 360 has 512 Megabytes of RAM. One thing that might offset the GameCubes slow processor and small memory to some extent is the fact that the processor itself is a 128 bit unit.

The GameCube also lacks a hard drive which both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 feature. While apparent deficiencies in hardware can be made up for to some extent by the unique hardware architectures and software, the lack of a hard drive put the GameCube at a stark disadvantage because of the way being able to store various data allows the user of a video game platform to customize the video gaming experience. For example the Xbox 360 allows users to create their own sound tracks to go along with games and then store that music on the hard drive. Apparently with the GameCube, there isn’t that option, so the user is stuck with whatever sound comes with the software.

The GameCube does have a decent amount of networking capability. Besides the ability to support four players on a single unit, the GamCube has an optional 56 Kbps modem adapter and a separate broadband adapter. The broadband adapter allows for playing over DSL and cable modems, with Local Area Network play an option on some game titles. It also has parallel and serial ports as well as two Digicard ports and one Type III PCMCIA expansion slot.

Another thing that puts the GameCube at a huge disadvantage when compared to the PS3 and the Xbox 360 is the fact that it’s disk drive is designed for Nintendo’s proprietary eight centimeter mini DVD. Each mini DVD only holds 1.5 Gigabytes of data which is severely limited compared to the Blu-ray drive that comes on the PS3 which can access discs holding 54 Gigabytes and the Xbox 360’s optional HD-DVD drive which can access discs holding 30 Gigabytes worth of data.

The fact that the disk drive only takes the eight centimeter discs also means that the GameCube 360 is not a multifunctional platform the way the other systems are. The inability of this platform to play CD’s DVD’s and other media limits it to the realm of strictly being a video game platform while the PS3 and Xbox 360 are also CD and DVD players.

In all, while the Nintendo GameCube can’t really compete with the other video gaming platforms on the market today, it seems to serve well as strictly a video gaming device.

By: Julia Hall

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