How many games make a console 'worth it'

We've all seen the discussions: "Oh, I don't want to get a 'x', it doesn't have that many games I like" or "I am buying a 'x' for 'y' and 'z'".

My question to you:
How many games does it usually take to make a console 'worth it' for you?
Do you just look for a few triple A releases and then buy it? Do you need a dozen or more releases before you buy?

I personally don't own more than 12 games for any console I have ever bought. Usually if there are only 4 games I really want to play that is enough to justify buying a console. (Or if my PS2 breaks I buy a PS3 to play FFT on..... and don't actually buy a PS3 game for 4 months)

Well, I got a psp purely for Crisis Core (not sure what other games TO even get), but it's worth it because I keep various music on it, and can use it for the internet. For me, the psp isn't that great for games, or at least I need to be introduced to some more :p

I think, in the future though, for my bank account's sake, I'd have to make sure I was buying a console which I'd already seen some good decent games for it. I doubt it'd matter how many, really, just the quality of the games. I hate the ones you can do easily then never want to go back to :/

Quality over quantity. I'd rather buy a system with the intent of getting 5 games that'd I'd really enjoy than one with 20 that I thought we're kinda sorta okay.

I also factor in how easily the system in question can be emulated and the hackibility of the system itself, which is why I never bothered getting a Nintendo DS despite it having some great games and got a PSP instead...which I ended up using as an MP3 player. ;I

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Originally Posted by BarelySeeAtAll

Well, I got a psp purely for Crisis Core (not sure what other games TO even get)

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FFT: War of the Lions and Disgaea - Afternoon of Darkness if strategy RPGs are your thing. The Castlevania games are also worth it if you're into Action/Adventure.

Also, that Prinny standalone game, forget the exact title, is awesome.

"Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero?". An excellent platformer, but don't get it if you aren't up for a challenge. You die a ton (you start with 999 lives), but there is a checkpoint every minute or so and you re spawn almost instantaneousness so dying several times a checkpoint isn't as aggravating as in regular games.
Jean D'arc is also a very good and often overlooked as a strategy game. It isn't quite as good as FFT (the best game ever made) or Disgaea, but that is comparing it against a very tough field. And don't forget the tons of PS1 games.

Funny thing about the DS is that it just sits on my shelf and I play all my DS games on my computer with a proper game pad. And yet I own the most games for it of any of my current gen consoles.

And that is one battery pig of an MP3 player :)

I'd say it really is a mix of quality and quantity, at least for me. I'd be fine with getting a console for only a couple of games if they were really awesome games, but the poorer the quality, the higher the quantity should be.

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Quality over quantity. I'd rather buy a system with the intent of getting 5 games that'd I'd really enjoy than one with 20 that I thought we're kinda sorta okay.

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One.

I only bought my PS3 for Metal Gear Solid 4, originally. Had no other game worth playing on the PS3 ever came out, I wouldn't regret it.

Probably like five, but even then there are times where I just didn't wanna spend the money to buy a system and the games I wanted on it. Same thing goes for time - I don't have a PS3 or PSP because between life, my Wii, my DS, my PC, and my 360 I have no time left for more games. Hell, I still regularly get games months later not due to price, but due to just not being able to give them the time they need at their release. If I hypothetically had enough dispensable income to buy them I would stick with five - any less and I question the ROI I'm getting from my $300+ purchase.

Whichever platform gets an exclusive Silent Hill/Resident Evil/Numbered Final Fantasy. Mario and Zelda are enjoyable as well, but not games I desperately need anymore. The Wii and my PC tend to get games in the genres that I like. PS3 and Xbox gets many games I like as well, but most games released on one of those consoles are also released on the other, so no need for both.

I ended up with Wii/PS3 and it's been a winning combo for me the last years, there are hardly any games I want that I can't play.

If there were another console with L4D on it, I would buy it for completion. Unless it were the Wii.

I bought my PS3 specifically for Disgaea 3.
I regret this decision now as the Xbox has the better game selection and i barely use my ps3.

NorthernChaosGod hit it on the head w/ a mix of quality and quantity. I want to own Gears of War 1 & 2, try Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, possibly dip into Mass Effect, and play the crap out of Splinter Cell: Conviction. But my interest in those games is not beyond manageable; none of those titles challenge the boundaries of the medium we call video games. I'll probably wait until the 360 is $60 used like I did with the Gamecube and N64 to give those games a shot (provided they actually make a reliable SKU by then.)

Metal Gear Solid 4, on the other hand, was personally something I needed to play. Easily one of my favorite games ever and one of the best entertainment experiences I've ever consumed. I honestly can't wait to play it again.

Honestly, though, the PS3 wasn't worth it for the exclusives I thought I was going to get this generation. Ironically, it's the games I wasn't expecting that have totally made the console surpass my expectations. I've never really followed Sony's first party studios. But Little Big Planet, Uncharted, God of War, and Killzone are just a few examples of the insane quality and passion for gaming I never could have expected.

Honestly, you only need one "must have" game. PS3 and 360 have enough stellar multiplatform games and time-passing supplements to satisfy any gamer.

My favorite series are Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and Grand Theft Auto. PS3 is the only place I could get all 3. So the top-tier media features and first party games were a sweet surprise, indeed.

I originally bought a psp a while back just for dissidia(I had the idea for years of how great it would be), and now i am 108hrs into it(boredom alot haha)....but now I have others Im glad I bought; including Castlevania: Dracula X cronicles, MGS:PW, Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite.....and if I could ever find it again the sega genisis chronicles or something along those lines. Now though its mainly used for music, it saves me from paying another 200 or so for a mp3 player.

I always wanted a 360, and a work buddy was selling his old one cheap with a few games, so of course I bought it. The same thing happened with my PS3....except it was 70 movies with it to lol

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I wouldn't even care about the Xbox 360 if it didn't have Mushihimesama Futari, ESPGaluda II, and DeathSmiles.

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Originally Posted by Nominus Experse

If you can wait a couple years after consoles come out, just get an emulator. Not technically legal, but...

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Emulators are perfectly legal, and *cough* assuming you have an original copy of the game disc in question and upload the BIOS from a physical console, you can just pop the disc in your CD/DVD drive and/or rip it with using Daemon Tools (solely for archival purposes, of course) and it's all legit. With older systems which don't require a BIOS, you can simply connect the cartridges for it to your PC using a ROM dumper.


(SPOILER)But seriously, who does that? ;D

I'd prefer to buy a console and know there will be good games continuously coming out for it even if there are only 2-5 that are currently out that I want to buy. The reason I didn't purchase a PS3 was because the only game worth buying to me was MGS4 and then I realized most games that I wanted were either for multiple platforms or exclusive to Xbox 360, so I saw no point in paying money for a console for only one game. Plus, most of the people I've played online with have an Xbox 360.

It should have at least 4 really good titles, and preferrably at least the same amount of "ok" titles.

for me it has to be at least 5 good games, but i'll usually wait till the next really "good looking" game is coming out to get it.

for example, the PS3, it's got the God of War series, Metal Gear, Uncharted 2, Little Big Planet, etc. and so on (not that there's to many more out ATM to warrant an etc. and so on XD)

but i'm not gonna buy it until either Little Big Planet 2, Rock Band 3, or Infamous 2 comes out and / or i have enough saved up to get at least 4 decent games with it

Its hard to say, from past experience its been either one or two killer titles needed to make me purchase a title. I bough an SNES cause I wanted to play a proper version of SFII without buying a new controller, I bought a PS1 for VII and a PS2 for FFX and MGS2. I picked up a Wii for Zelda and mostly to try something unconventional, in fact Zelda wasn't that much of a factor, the system just looked interesting and I was curious to see what could be done with motion controls. I picked up a PS3 cause it just felt weird to let a FF go by without playing it (the price drop really helped and though I wasn't terribly impressed with MGS4, its still a good game) but in reality, I like to at least tell myself I bought the PS3 for The Last Guardian as its the only game for the system I'm remotely interested in anymore.

Of this generation of consoles. I've been underwhelmed with the PSP, mostly cause its best features are ports and the ability to house portable PS1 games thanks to PSN. Many of its original titles have been underwhelming or downright awful with a few notable exceptions (Dissidia/Peace Walker) so I'm still iffy on the system. The PS3 has been the system I've regretted buying the most this generation. There are good games on the console but nothing has stood out enough for me to make purchasing the console feel justified. I've even been trying to go out my usual gaming addictions and trying out new genres but nothing has grabbed me so far. Its quite frustrating actually...

The Wii has been a mix bag, I hate the direction Nintendo took it in and I hate the fact that pretentious gamers treat it like an abomination to gaming. Its gaming library is mostly junk but it has some great gems inside. Some of the best games I've played this new console generation have been from the Wii which does surprise me but just makes the systems situation more aggravating. Course I was surprised to learn I really can't handle Mario Galaxy, I don't know what it is but I find the game rather boring. Maybe I just finally out grew Mario.

The DS has probably been the biggest surprise for me, I honestly thought the system would fail. Yet it works, and created a new interface for gaming. Its been fun watching it turn into a niche platform to something with a little more weight to it. I have more games for the handheld than any other modern platform and I still have games I want for it whereas I find myself struggling to make choices for the other consoles I have. The non-DSi DS units also have backwards compatibility with GBA titles so I have the libraries of two different gaming platforms at my fingertip so its been pretty great. I feel the strongest element of the DS is just simply that it has the largest library of great games.

The simple answer for me is that I buy consoles based on what my friends have. Most of my friends have 360 consoles I brought the 360. I also needed to finish the fight (get that I'm using the slogan as my reason for buying the 360) play the hell out of Mass Effect (Dude, Bolivar how can you not say ME failed to push the boundaries of computer gaming, Mass Effect and Dragon Age pretty much re-wrote the book on how WRPGs ought to be made) I also knew that Ace Combat 6 would come to the xbox which was another buying point for me. Overall however what made me choose was just the simple fact that I had enjoyed gaming on my original xbox, in fact it became very quickly apart from for RPG gaming, my console of choice between it and my ps2. I would probably get a ps3 to play Uncharted 1 and 2, Killzone 2 (because I enjoyed the first), Heavy Rain and Metal Gear Solid 4. Other than that however, the ps3 certainly lacks unique titles what are appealing to me. I could imagine myself playing Little Big Planet and getting bored after a couple of hours.

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Originally Posted by Iceglow

play the hell out of Mass Effect (Dude, Bolivar how can you not say ME failed to push the boundaries of computer gaming, Mass Effect and Dragon Age pretty much re-wrote the book on how WRPGs ought to be made)

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I didn't mention Dragon Age, but could you elaborate on how they re-wrote the book? From what I understand Mass Effect 2 gutted many RPG elements (like the inventory system) to become more accessible and shooter-ish.

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Originally Posted by Wolf

There are good games on the console but nothing has stood out enough for me to make purchasing the console feel justified. I've even been trying to go out my usual gaming addictions and trying out new genres but nothing has grabbed me so far. Its quite frustrating actually...

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Not to call you out, but haven't you skipped over Valkyria Chronicles, Demon's Souls and 3D Dot Game Heroes to try out stuff like Fallout 3? There's been some amazing JRPG's that have defined how the sub-genre should be done this generation.

I also feel the exact opposite about the PSP and DS. Aside from Rune Factory 1 and New SMB, nearly every game I have on the DS is a port or a remake. Very good ports and remakes, but nothing original, and games like Peace Walker blow them completely out of the water. I've only had my PSP a very short time compared to my DS, but I've seen a determination to make games just as good as their big budget console veteran.

In fact, Valkyria Chronicles 2 is coming out in a few short weeks; not only have they tried to match the stellar PS3 original, but they've added even more features.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

I also feel the exact opposite about the PSP and DS. Aside from Rune Factory 1 and New SMB, nearly every game I have on the DS is a port or a remake. Very good ports and remakes, but nothing original, and games like Peace Walker blow them completely out of the water.

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If you can't find any original titles on the DS, I feel the only explanation is either you don't like them (which is all fine and dandy) or you aren't looking. Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Elite Beat Agents, the Etrian Oddysey series, the Professor Layton series, Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure... that's just off the top of my head, and without being able to look at my library right now. If you want games that are original you should give those a look if you haven't already, or try looking harder.

Serious question: what is original about MGS: Peacewalker? I haven't played a lick of it, so I'm clueless, but it looked like Snake Eater with co-op and little missions.

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Originally Posted by Rad Bromance

One.

I only bought my PS3 for Metal Gear Solid 4, originally. Had no other game worth playing on the PS3 ever came out, I wouldn't regret it.

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This.

I don't know. I've always had friends and relatives that had enough money to get the console as soon as it came out, so I'd play at their house and develop a liking for the games on it by the time I could afford one myself.

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Originally Posted by Jessweeee♪

I don't know. I've always had friends and relatives that had enough money to get the console as soon as it came out, so I'd play at their house and develop a liking for the games on it by the time I could afford one myself.

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That was me with my cousins... in fact, I actually owned some PS2 games for around a year before I actually got the console. ^^

I'm for a mix of quality and quantity. I have extremely limited fundage, so if I get a new console I want to be damn sure I'm going to get good use out of it. Which is why I'm going to get a used PS3 that's fully backwards-compatible. There are enough good PS/PS2/PS3/PSN games to last a lifetime... alas that Halo isn't one of them. :;.;:

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

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Originally Posted by Wolf

There are good games on the console but nothing has stood out enough for me to make purchasing the console feel justified. I've even been trying to go out my usual gaming addictions and trying out new genres but nothing has grabbed me so far. Its quite frustrating actually...

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Not to call you out, but haven't you skipped over Valkyria Chronicles, Demon's Souls and 3D Dot Game Heroes to try out stuff like Fallout 3? There's been some amazing JRPG's that have defined how the sub-genre should be done this generation.

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I'm fine being called out. My issue is that I have been trying new titles and while some have been good (BioShock, Ghostbusters, and Fallout 3) none of them have jumped out to me and say "bitch why the smurf aren't you playing me?" nor have any of them surprised me enough to completely consume my life (well Fallout 3 did for awhile but it burnt me out so now I can't even look at the game for awhile). Its true I haven't gotten around to playing everything I could but its because they don't appeal to me as much as other titles. My PS3 is competing with my DS and its kicking the consoles ass for me, cause it does have games I want to try out. The PS3 just hasn't been making games that appeal to me, or sadly don't live up to my expectations.

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I also feel the exact opposite about the PSP and DS. Aside from Rune Factory 1 and New SMB, nearly every game I have on the DS is a port or a remake. Very good ports and remakes, but nothing original, and games like Peace Walker blow them completely out of the water. I've only had my PSP a very short time compared to my DS, but I've seen a determination to make games just as good as their big budget console veteran.

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I own a little over 20 games for my DS of which four of them are ports and one shouldn't count cause its the only legitimate version of the game in the U.S. (FFIII); the rest are stand alone titles. The PSP hasn't made too many original games I am interested in; the vast majority of my interest in the system are for the remakes and porting old PS1 games I missed out on back in the day onto the system (Konami, I'm still waiting for Suikoden 2, don't think I've forgotten about FMIII Squenix...). I have very little interest in actually owning some of the PSP's original titles. Peace Walker is probably the second original title on the system that feels like a must have for me. The rest makes me either cringe or makes me feel like I should wait til its in the bargain bin.

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In fact, Valkyria Chronicles 2 is coming out in a few short weeks; not only have they tried to match the stellar PS3 original, but they've added even more features.

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I'll need to see if I like VC first to get excited, though multiplayer isn't one of my fave games modes so I don't really care for that feature.

I always wait a few years before I commit to buying a console. I think the magic number of quality titles is 4 or 5.

Actually, quality probably isn't the right word in my case. I bought my PS3 so I could play the latest installments of Tekken, Soul Calibur, Final Fantasy, Dynasty Warriors and Need For Speed. I also have GTA IV, Red Dead, LBP and Bayonetta, but they weren't really the driving force behind my desire to own the console. xD

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Originally Posted by Rase

If you can't find any original titles on the DS, I feel the only explanation is either you don't like them (which is all fine and dandy) or you aren't looking. Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Elite Beat Agents, the Etrian Oddysey series, the Professor Layton series, Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure... that's just off the top of my head, and without being able to look at my library right now. If you want games that are original you should give those a look if you haven't already, or try looking harder.

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It's probably a little bit of both. You've recommended Etrian Odyssey before and that's something I honestly need to check out, so I'm definitely not looking as hard as I could. But stuff like Professor Layton, Henry Hatsworth, Phoenix Wright, those games have no appeal to me at all. I had fun with some of the Mario RPG's on the system but I put it down quickly because there's so many better RPG's to play.

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Originally Posted by Rase

Serious question: what is original about MGS: Peacewalker? I haven't played a lick of it, so I'm clueless, but it looked like Snake Eater with co-op and little missions.

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It's the most radically different MGS Kojima has made. It's also one of the most content-packed game packages I've ever bought. You recruit soldiers, manage your base, watch it grow and develop, stock up intel, mess hall, and R&D teams to further develop items, accumulate vehicles, send soldiers and vehicles to conflict zones to collect more money, build your own mech, and can listen to bonus conversations between Snake and characters and makes your PSP look like an old-school cassette player.

As far as gameplay goes, it's essentially a full MGS with a game of bonus missions to boot. And some of the scenarios are things I've never seen in MGS before - for example, in one mission you take someone out on a date and try to do things within the MGS system that they might like. There's also the Monster Hunter crossover inside. PW brought the MGS4 controls to a portable, Snake Eater aesthetic.

^ and all of this is without even mentioning Co-Ops or Versus Mode. The game is constantly throwing new things in the series at you, and even when the credits roll, you probably still haven't even scratched the surface.

It's arguably the best MGS in the series...

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

I'm fine being called out. My issue is that I have been trying new titles and while some have been good (BioShock, Ghostbusters, and Fallout 3) none of them have jumped out to me and say "bitch why the smurf aren't you playing me?" nor have any of them surprised me enough to completely consume my life (well Fallout 3 did for awhile but it burnt me out so now I can't even look at the game for awhile). Its true I haven't gotten around to playing everything I could but its because they don't appeal to me as much as other titles. My PS3 is competing with my DS and its kicking the consoles ass for me, cause it does have games I want to try out. The PS3 just hasn't been making games that appeal to me, or sadly don't live up to my expectations.

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Did you really expect Ghostbusters, Bioshock and Fallout 3 to jump out and be must-play games??? The latter two have only gained that reputation from a gaming demographic and journalists with little experience with their predecessors. Most older fans say Bioshock has nothing on System Shock, and that the older Fallouts were better.

My point is that you're claiming to have tried all these different games but you've had nothing to do at all with the JRPG's on the console. Three of which (I already listed) are pretty damn good and absolutely revered for what they've done for the subgenre.

It's just weird that you're judging the PS3 based on your experiences with every genre under the sun except for the one you actually like :p

As far as the PSP and DS thing, I guess that's just our tastes. Games like Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest VI are infinitely more appealing than anything else I've seen on the platform (well, except for maybe Dragon Quest IX :cry: ).

And I'm not trying to get you excited for VC2. It's just a prime example of a game that aims to surpass its home console predecessor in everything except graphics. Peace Walker seemed to do the same thing. I know someone whose favorite God of War is Chains of Olympus. Gran Turismo and Motorstorm brought the actual driving experience perfectly to handheld form. And Fireteam Bravo 3 could go feature-for-feature with any recent online shooter.

I understand you probably dislike most of those games, but I'm just expressing how the PSP has impressed me more in the last six months of owning it than the DS has in the last 4 years. They don't settle for being "just a handheld game."

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

It's probably a little bit of both. You've recommended Etrian Odyssey before and that's something I honestly need to check out, so I'm definitely not looking as hard as I could. But stuff like Professor Layton, Henry Hatsworth, Phoenix Wright, those games have no appeal to me at all. I had fun with some of the Mario RPG's on the system but I put it down quickly because there's so many better RPG's to play.

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Ah, well than that makes perfect sense. Yeah, I'm this weird Etrian Odyssey evangelist, despite being no where close to finishing the second game and only playing it like twice a month. It's harshness and old-school feeling make me smile too much to put it down though. Super excited for the new one.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

Big ol' list of reasons.

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Well, I'm certainly a hell of a lot more interested now. Thanks, if I get an opportunity I'll totally give it a shot.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

I understand you probably dislike most of those games, but I'm just expressing how the PSP has impressed me more in the last six months of owning it than the DS has in the last 4 years. They don't settle for being "just a handheld game."

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Admittedly, the PSP is a lot better than the DS, but I still got the DS for the FF remakes, and I've got a good number of games for it now, most of which turned out better than I expected.

PSP games are a lot harder to lose than DS games...

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Originally Posted by razorrozar7

Admittedly, the PSP is a lot better than the DS

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wat

No seriously, in what regard?

I'm thinking of the DS and Lite here, not the DSi, which some of this doesn't apply to, but:

Internet capability built-in.
MP3 playing.
Internet radio.
Photo storage.
Downloadable games that don't require a physical copy.
Looks WAY cooler.
Tiny analog stick rox. ^_^
Skype.
You can download movies and TV episodes off the PSN.
Better games- the only ones I have are Dissidia and Crisis Core but I like them better so far than any of my DS games.

...Need I go on?

Is 'looking way cooler' a justifiable reason? That's a reason people give for liking Apple. APPLE! And that tiny analog stick has a nasty habit of breaking.

Also, many PSP games are simply ports of PS1/2 games, so I wouldn't use the PSP's game library as a selling point. But hey, whatever you're happy with, personally I wasn't happy with my PSP at all.

Not that I would waste money on a DS since several high functioning emulators exist for it.

Oh, and you can download DS ROMs onto a flashcard, so that's another point negated.

I didn't ask you to agree with my opinion, I merely gave you my reasons for it.

Is there a fully-functioning DS emulator? I can never find one.

Also negating your last point negation, downloading games from the PSN isn't illegal. :p

And neither is downloading DS ROMs in certain countries.

As for emulators, DeSmuME would be your best bet. no$gba is really falling behind.
DeSmuME isn't perfect, but as long as your computer isn't ancient you should be able to run it smoothly.

Got it.

Let's call the ROMs/PSN thing a draw...

The DS is still a good system: touch screen, the concept of having two screens in the first place, no external memory required. I just like the PSP better.

Yeah console wars aren't my thing, I was just wondering why you felt that way because it's a pretty rare opinion.

There's also a PSP emulator that is Java-based but it's pretty awful.

For some reason Sony emulators are always worse than Nintendo. There's not even a functional PS2 emulator yet (though the same holds true for GameCube.)

Actually, PCSX2 runs many PS2 games very well (provided your computer can handle it) and Dolphin emulates the GameCube great as well as offering some Wii support.

Oh... I haven't kept up with the emulation scene for a while. Been too busy with real games.

Doesn't matter how many games make a console to me. It's all about how many of my friends are on it, and the quality that the games have.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

Did you really expect Ghostbusters, Bioshock and Fallout 3 to jump out and be must-play games??? The latter two have only gained that reputation from a gaming demographic and journalists with little experience with their predecessors. Most older fans say Bioshock has nothing on System Shock, and that the older Fallouts were better.

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Bioshock is amusing for what it does and I don't really mind if its a knock off of a game I never played. Ghostbusters was actually pretty fun for the nostalgia alone which was the only reason I played it so chill :p; and Fallout 3 is actually a very good game (mostly hated by old time fans who are annoyed their semi-famous game series has become mainstream and altered for the FPS crowd) my issue with it is the same I have with GTA or any WRPG or sandbox title which is that I generally find the extra missions more interesting than the main plot and eventually get bored wandering around doing side missions cause the main story is weak for my tastes and easily lost in the extra content. Its still a good game but it just feels really aimless.

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My point is that you're claiming to have tried all these different games but you've had nothing to do at all with the JRPG's on the console. Three of which (I already listed) are pretty damn good and absolutely revered for what they've done for the subgenre.

It's just weird that you're judging the PS3 based on your experiences with every genre under the sun except for the one you actually like :p

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Well, I do play other genres you know. :p

I'm also moving out of my comfort zone because as you kinda pointed out, the PS3 has been around for several years and finally has three really good games mostly released in the last 9 months. Which is competing with my DS which has a ton of JRPGs released on it of which some of the best have been released in the last four years alone. The titles might be great but they haven't caught my attention enough to move me away from supporting another console I have. My issue is the PS3 can't win my affection cause its library of titles I'm really interested in is pretty small and the genres I like are either poorly supported (JRPGs) or I don't like the selection available (Fighting Games) so its hard not to go somewhere else for my fix. Though I did finally pick up Demon's Soul today so you can stop getting on my case about it mum. :D

That's partly why I've been playing outside my comfort zone to see if certain genres have changed enough to be fun for my eclectic taste. You should be proud of me, I haven't touched an FPS since my friends use to force me (kicking and screaming I might add) into Halo 2 matches a few years ago. Lost a few friends that way... :D I've played more racing games (well demos...) in the last six months than I have in the last 20 years.

I admit I haven't tried everything but it still stands that the library for my taste is lackluster cause my PS3 has to compete with three other platforms (four since I still buy PS2 games) so I feel it is somewhat fair to say I'm disappointed a little. The Wii has more games I'm looking forward to than the PS3 in the next year (none of which are Nintendo standby's actual 3rd party games) and the 3DS hasn't even come out yet and its already got games announced for it that will make me buy it on launch day (MGS3/Persona/Megami Tensei oh my!). My point is that I bought a PS3 to see the other side of next-gen gaming and it was not to be my main gaming platform, I wouldn't mind if it did become it but sadly it competes with three other platforms I play and its usually the one I neglect the most cause it offers the least for my needs.

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As far as the PSP and DS thing, I guess that's just our tastes. Games like Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest VI are infinitely more appealing than anything else I've seen on the platform (well, except for maybe Dragon Quest IX :cry: ).

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You really need to just take my advice and dive into the MegaTen series. Devil Survivor and Strange Journey are just awesome games and not exactly for the causal RPG player. You also never mention one of the best DS titles ever, The World Ends With You, which is easily the quintessential DS title and quite possibly the best game to come out of Square-Enix. 358/2 is a pretty fun action RPG once you get used to its controls and I've been pretty happy with my Castlevania titles. I'm still surprised I've owned the system for four years and don't own one of the main Pokemon games yet.

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And I'm not trying to get you excited for VC2. It's just a prime example of a game that aims to surpass its home console predecessor in everything except graphics. Peace Walker seemed to do the same thing. I know someone whose favorite God of War is Chains of Olympus. Gran Turismo and Motorstorm brought the actual driving experience perfectly to handheld form. And Fireteam Bravo 3 could go feature-for-feature with any recent online shooter.

I understand you probably dislike most of those games, but I'm just expressing how the PSP has impressed me more in the last six months of owning it than the DS has in the last 4 years. They don't settle for being "just a handheld game."

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I don't consider most of the DS titles I play to be handheld games. Hell Strange Journey is actually the 4th Shin Megami Tensei game which is the series console flagship. DQIX is in the same boat. I don't consider handhelds to be inferior to their console brethren not since the Gamboy and Game Gear were out at least. Even then, their are some very noteworthy Gameboy titles that are on par with their console brethren

I don't feel I've played a "handheld game" beyond a simple puzzle title or adventure game on my handhelds in years. Really the GBA pretty much released full console caliber games imo. The DS continues to do so and the PSP releases many as well. I've played consistently better titles on my handhelds in the last few years than on the consoles. So I never get this silly PR Sony gives for making "full console caliber games" as its a bit misleading cause it only applies to certain genres. RPGs have been console worthy for years, since the GBA at least. Its only been titles that heavily rely on 3D that need the oomph and as you pointed out, they are not genres I care for. Sorry I need to rant, cause I don't believe in the old gaming rule that handhelds don't count.

Beyond that, I accept their are more games you may like on the PSP cause they cater to your taste. :D

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

(Portables are awesome)

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Word.

As for the topic question itself, the only game system purchase I had to justify was the PS3. And half of the reason I got it when I did was because I was scared of them removing the backwards compatibility. Around the same time they were talking about the European PS3's release with its lack of PS2 play, Virtua Fighter 5 came out. So it was like a perfect storm of negative and positive reinforcement that made me get it early in '07.

As far as the 'what makes it worth it' question... I went to Japan in '06 and played a lot of Virtua Fighter 5 and loved it. To buy the arcade version would have cost several thousand dollars, so eating $800 to get a PS3 (after Bermuda Inflation) was a comparative bargain.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

Honestly, though, the PS3 wasn't worth it for the exclusives I thought I was going to get this generation. Ironically, it's the games I wasn't expecting that have totally made the console surpass my expectations. I've never really followed Sony's first party studios. But Little Big Planet, Uncharted, God of War, and Killzone are just a few examples of the insane quality and passion for gaming I never could have expected.

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Same, I bought my ps3 mainly for Final Fantasy 13, which was a really big let down. Though I also bought it for backwards compatability to play FFX, the last FF I had played was IX about 5 years ago when ps1's were acient.

But I really enjoyed most of the other games I played before I got FF13, such as Burnout Paradise, Resident Evil 5, Valkyria Chronicles, Little Big Planet, all of which I have never heard of or thought I would ever touch. More recently also have gotten into Uncharted 2 and God of War, which are brilliant games! All of which I have enjoyed far more than FF13, which I mainly bought my ps3 for.

I won't say that FFXIII didn't factor into my purchase of a PS3, because it did (got my PS3 in Feb of this year). Generally, all the consoles I get are for a FF game. The thing is, a FF is usually the catalyst for me. I'll be interested in a console for a while until a Final Fantasy shows up and convinces me, and then I'll go hogwild for those first few months buying everything that's caught my eye. My gaming tastes vary beyond FF, but for all its ups and downs, it's still my favourite.

The biggest thing for me, and probably for most people, is investment. Back when I got my PS2 ('03), I had no idea that it'd end up having probably my all-time favourite console gaming library, but I did go in with a a bit of (now justified) excitement for the future. For the time, it looked pretty appealing and had a pretty big backlog of games I wanted (many of which ended up disappointing), but it was long before the time of what, in hindsight, I consider to be the real PS2 system-sellers: GTA:San Andreas, God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, DQVIII, and FFXII. These games provided the experiences I had been wanting without even knowing it, and none of them were really in the news when I got the PS2.

I had the same thought process picking up my PS3 Slim this year, but as of this moment, I don't think the game library is really keeping up its end of the bargain. I've had my eye on PS3 for a while, and if four years after the release isn't enough time to show off some real muscle, who knows if it'll come at all. I've waited longer after the initial release to pick up the PS3 than I did the PS2, but it seems like the games aren't there. Granted, there are a few highly-rated PS3 exclusives, but it's still pretty sparse for this far into the console's lifecycle.


In short, a console being 'worth it' depends at what point in the lifecycle one is purchasing it. Early to mid-cycle is usually a couple of pretty good games + future promise. Those who only buy once the new generation is on the horizon are probably targeting a specific bunch of games. I fall into the former group, but it's much more hit-or-miss.

The amount of games you need is fairly irrelevant but here's a formula to make sure you've made the best of your investment!

(Console Price in $US) x 5 = (Expected Hours of Enjoyment)

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Originally Posted by oddler

The amount of games you need is fairly irrelevant but here's a formula to make sure you've made the best of your investment!

(Console Price in $US) x 5 = (Expected Hours of Enjoyment)

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That considers all hours of playing a game equal :D You should rework your formula to include some abstract mathematical concepts that most people won't understand.

On the side, I generally do use a formula somewhat similar when buying games. Though it usually works out to "I have to spend 'x' hours at work to buy this game. Is it worth is?"

Yeah, I see what you're saying. That's a common financial line of thinking to determine what you should put your money toward. But it also sort of circumnavigates the issue you brought up of factoring different weight values for different games. :monster:

My friends have listed some 8-9 games on the PS3 I could get, and considering each game is a nice month or two worth of game time they argued I should get a PS3.

Note however that I consider a game worth buying dependent on total game time. For example I have 1200 hours logged on both Left for Dead and Left for Dead 2 (700 + 500, respectively). So I expect a game to be good for that many hours.

By that logic World of Warcraft is the best game ever xD I don't even know what my /played is on that. No game on PS3 compares to 700 hours of gameplay, since most games I'd buy would be single player games..

That's my take on it anyway. If you like to play lots of different games maybe you might need more than 10 games, but you'd be paying more than the price of the console in games...

Having the combined total of games you want exceed the price of the console. That's not a bad rule of thumb.

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By that logic World of Warcraft is the best game ever xD

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Bah, I hate thinking like that. Every time I think of the all time best games I keep getting reminded that I've played more WoW than my top 5 combined.

Over the course of your play time, you've probably paid much more than 5 times the amount you pay for a normal game, too.

Hm, $60 x 3 + $(15x12)x~3.5 = $810. A little more than 5 times as much :D

Though $810/~3,000 = 27 cents/hour
By that math every $60 game I buy should last me over 200 hours. (Though 500+ hours on FFT for $24 is the best steal ever)

I bought an XBox 360 just for Rock Band, Arkham Asylum, and FFXIII. So I guess the answer is three.

>>> Just one game can make a console "worth it" (I got a PSP only for Dissidia).
And I got a PS3 just for the new FF games that are coming, sadly FF13 was a huge disappointment but atleast I have Disgaea 3..:luca:

There is no concrete figure. I just go "ehhhhhhhh okay" or "ehhhhhhh nah" and that's how we roll.

If there's been any recurring trend in this thread, it's that most of us have moved beyond Final Fantasy for a top quality gaming experience. Which is sad on a Final Fantasy forum...

One - but with the potential for more. In other words, one game that I feel that I really, really, really want to play, but with the knowledge that there will be other games that I can also play on that console and possibly enjoy. That's how it worked with me buying the PS3. I purchased it for a game that isn't even out yet (FFXIII Versus) but knew that there were other games such as Uncharted and Uncharted 2 that I might like. It paid off, too - it turns out that Uncharted 2 is now right up there with FFVII as one of my favourite games ever!

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Originally Posted by Loony BoB

It paid off, too - it turns out that Uncharted 2 is now right up there with FFVII as one of my favourite games ever!

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Yeah, that's how I felt about the PS3 in my initial post as well. The exclusives you didn't expect are just as amazing, or more satisfying, than the games you bought the console for.

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Originally Posted by black orb

>>> Just one game can make a console "worth it" (I got a PSP only for Dissidia).
And I got a PS3 just for the new FF games that are coming, sadly FF13 was a huge disappointment but atleast I have Disgaea 3..:luca:

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Dissidia and Crisis Core. I may not even get any more PSP games, except Birth by Sleep.

>>> Im just waiting for FF13 Agito, I need to get that Soul Calibur game for the PSP too..:luca: