How many games make a console 'worth it'

[The Space Pope]

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

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

[Shiny]

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.

[Mirage]

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

[Yue Kitsune]

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

[Wolf Kanno]

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.

[Iceglow]

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.

[Bolivar]

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 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.

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...

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.

[Rase]

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.

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.

[Carl the Llama]

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.

This.

[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.

[razorrozar7]

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.

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. :;.;:

[Wolf Kanno]

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...

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'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[Mo-Nercy]

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

[Bolivar]

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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

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 ).

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."

[Rase]

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.

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.

Big ol' list of reasons.

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.