I applaud my good and beneficent
editor for playing out the console debate to its politically correct ends. He has listed all of the benefits
of all the consoles without ever really leaning towards one in particular (although I
did detect a little bit of an inclination towards Microsofts X-Box), and it is true
that all the systems are going to have really strong exclusive titles. But getting him to
proclaim one system as a clear victor in this battle is akin to pulling teeth without
novocaine. As a lowly staff writer, I really feel no need to exude an air of impartiality;
let me go on the record as saying Nintendos Gamecube will be the system to own come
Christmas.
How can I be so
bold? Its very simple you see; its all about the games. It always has been. I
guarantee that come June the game that everyone will be wanting to play will be Eternal Darkness;
in August, it will be Mario
Sunshine; in September, people will be having a hard time choosing between Wario and
Starfox Adventures; in November, all gamers will be selling off their tired copies of
Metal Gear Solid and GTA3 to put enough change together to get a copy of Metroid Prime; and in
February, people will be giving blood for just a few minutes with Link in the new Zelda game. Virtually every
other worthwhile game (Timesplitters 2,
XIII, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4) coming
out this year will also be available on the Gamecube. They also look substantially better
than they do on the PS2.
Some may see
this as a rash prediction. "Werent you burned by the N64 too?" they might
say to me. Yes, I made the mistake of believing that a cartridge-based system could
survive the era of the little shiny disc. The third party support just wasnt what it
needed to be. I believe that Nintendo has seen the error of their ways; after all,
theyre using really little shiny discs and developing some impressive relationships
with third party developers. The fact that Sonic has already graced two of Nintendos
platforms is no small coup.
The hardest games to get playtime on at E3 were Metroid Prime, Mario Sunshine,
and Legend of Zelda. If I had had any doubts about the Gamecubes viability as a system,
they were put to rest any time I entered the Nintendo booth at E3. In todays video
gaming market, you cant build a system on first party titles, but you can clearly
edge out the competition systems with in-house product. Nintedos edge was made
pretty clear at their press briefing. Attendees just could not contain their enthusiasm
for forthcoming games. Jaded members of the press are not supposed to cheer when they see
shots of the worlds most famous plumber, but they just couldnt help
themselves. (For the record, I didnt participate in any of the cheering, but I
couldnt keep a stupid grin off my face either.)
I admit that Nintendo may be a little behind the curve when it comes to on-line gaming,
but I just dont believe that it will be all that decisive a factor in the console
wars. When people want to go on line and play against people from around the country they
go to the PC. When they want to kick the neighbor kids butt, they invite him/her
over and fire up the console.
Im anticipating a lot of email with nasty name calling (PS2 owners are a very
defensive bunch), and Im willing to take it because Im right. As far as
consoles are concerned, the one with the first party games everybody will want to play
(whether they will be able to admit it to themselves or not) will be Nintendos
Gamecube. And in the end, only the games matter.