Comments on: GAMING AGAINST THE GRAIN (or, how I waited five years to buy a PS2) http://www.virtualfools.com/games/gaming-against-the-grain-or-how-i-waited-five-years-to-buy-a-ps2/ A humorous take on culture and entertainment. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:41:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Bobby http://www.virtualfools.com/games/gaming-against-the-grain-or-how-i-waited-five-years-to-buy-a-ps2/#comment-2585 Bobby Sat, 29 Dec 2007 22:19:39 +0000 http://www.virtualfools.com/culture/gaming-against-the-grain-or-how-i-waited-five-years-to-buy-a-ps2/#comment-2585 I'll tell the world here what I told Kevin when we went out to get his PS2. I'm proud to welcome him into the last console generation. I think the games that came out in the last generation are among the best ever. Sure, there are some classics from the NES/Master system and SNES/Genesis era, some fond memories of Playstation and N64 games, but I will go on the record and say that the PS2 has been the best home console so far in terms of quality and variety. If there was somebody out there who didn't own any consoles and wanted to know which of the systems for sale to buy, I'd point them not at the Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3, but rather the PS2. About half a year ago my friend Jonathan told me he wanted to buy a PS2. Making a list of 'must-have' titles was a challenging task. I broke it down into a handful of groups: buy these now to experience some of the best in variety; buy these later, when you have a bit of time; buy these eventually because you should play them, but they're not imperative. As mentioned in his article above, Kevin asked myself and our friend Andy to help him pick out some games to go with his newly acquired system. The way I was pouring through the racks and bins, you would have thought the purchases were for me. But those initial games are especially important because they justify the purchase. He ended up with three of my top five favorite PS2 games: Gran Turismo 3, Vice City, and FFXII. I'm a bit of a hype machine myself, but only with games I really enjoy and think others will too. When I worked at a video game store, I felt that selling quality was of the utmost importance because I wanted people to enjoy themselves and try new things. I try not to fall into the 'hype' of game marketing, though its inevitable on occasion. I do tend to fall into the 'recommendation hype' and the excitement of my gaming peers. But I also pay attention to reviews and my own personal taste. I don't have the "Good Taste" (collection rating average of 8.5 or above) badge on GameSpot for nothing. Kevin's right: gaming is damn expensive and you have to pick your purchases carefully. Everybody was goin' on and on about BioShock so I decided I had to play it. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, though didn't think it was amazing as people said. I played it a few months after it had been out, so by the time I was done people have moved onto Rock Band. Looking back, I probably could have waited on it, but I was looking for something new to play and I got a great deal on Amazon--$50 for that game and The Darkness, free shipping. Again: timing, social, and economic factors at play (pun intended). So kudos to Kevin for sticking to his guns. There's no <i>need</i> to have the latest and greatest, just desire. I’ll tell the world here what I told Kevin when we went out to get his PS2. I’m proud to welcome him into the last console generation. I think the games that came out in the last generation are among the best ever. Sure, there are some classics from the NES/Master system and SNES/Genesis era, some fond memories of Playstation and N64 games, but I will go on the record and say that the PS2 has been the best home console so far in terms of quality and variety. If there was somebody out there who didn’t own any consoles and wanted to know which of the systems for sale to buy, I’d point them not at the Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3, but rather the PS2.

About half a year ago my friend Jonathan told me he wanted to buy a PS2. Making a list of ‘must-have’ titles was a challenging task. I broke it down into a handful of groups: buy these now to experience some of the best in variety; buy these later, when you have a bit of time; buy these eventually because you should play them, but they’re not imperative. As mentioned in his article above, Kevin asked myself and our friend Andy to help him pick out some games to go with his newly acquired system. The way I was pouring through the racks and bins, you would have thought the purchases were for me. But those initial games are especially important because they justify the purchase. He ended up with three of my top five favorite PS2 games: Gran Turismo 3, Vice City, and FFXII. I’m a bit of a hype machine myself, but only with games I really enjoy and think others will too. When I worked at a video game store, I felt that selling quality was of the utmost importance because I wanted people to enjoy themselves and try new things.

I try not to fall into the ‘hype’ of game marketing, though its inevitable on occasion. I do tend to fall into the ‘recommendation hype’ and the excitement of my gaming peers. But I also pay attention to reviews and my own personal taste. I don’t have the “Good Taste” (collection rating average of 8.5 or above) badge on GameSpot for nothing.

Kevin’s right: gaming is damn expensive and you have to pick your purchases carefully. Everybody was goin’ on and on about BioShock so I decided I had to play it. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, though didn’t think it was amazing as people said. I played it a few months after it had been out, so by the time I was done people have moved onto Rock Band. Looking back, I probably could have waited on it, but I was looking for something new to play and I got a great deal on Amazon–$50 for that game and The Darkness, free shipping. Again: timing, social, and economic factors at play (pun intended).

So kudos to Kevin for sticking to his guns. There’s no need to have the latest and greatest, just desire.

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