>> RANTS > FROM THE PEN OF THE MASTER GEEK

Now What?

This has never happened before… Never in all my years as a rabid gamer Geek have I been at a loss… Always was I secure in my knowledge of all things games… My hard-earned money given freely and without hesitation… Now? Now I am not so certain… Oh, what is this great quandary I speak of? What could have your friendly neighborhood Geek is such a cycle of self-doubt and pixelated loathing? Simple… I don't have a clue which next generation system should get my support, to say nothing of my hundreds upon hundreds of dollars!

My own personal Sophie's Choice…

I know people like to think that I am rolling in the phat Geek money, (okay, no one actually thinks that, but still, it would be tres cool). Anyway, I was never able to be one of those spoiled little punks who could afford two separate gaming systems. Oh no, I needed to do my research and stick with my choice, for good or bad. This makes me thank that maker I heard the inner voice of reason before buying the Atari Jaguar. (I don't care how much fun the Aliens vs. Predator game was… No single game can justify buying an entire system. Close, but no).

Which Next Generation system should get my money?

First, some background… I've been an early, but technology conscientious, buyer of most gaming systems. Even back in the early 80s I knew which system to own. When many of my friends were clamoring for the Atari 7800, I was already putting my 2600 up for sale to buy that new system from the “Donkey Kong guys”. I knew that while the 7800 was impressive, no one was going to make good games for it. Plus, even the 7800 wasn't as good as the old Colecovision console. (A vastly underrated old school system). Then came the rise of Sega and the Mastersystem and while I still maintain that the Mastersystem was vastly superior to the original NES it suffered from nary a 3rd party support system. As such, I stayed away.

Then came the 16-bit boys. I was not going to be fooled by the Turbo-Grafix 16, I knew it was just two 8-bit systems acting in tandem, no thank you! If I was going to dump some cash, I was going to wait until someone got better with the technology. To this day the Super NES (or simply SNES) has a special place in this Geek's heart. This was the system that gave me so many classic games and opened my eyes to deep delving stories within the Final Fantasy series and genius side-scrollers like Super Castlevania and Yoshi's Island. (To say nothing of the near perfect The Legens of Zelda: A Link to the Past).

However, like all things, it was time to let go of my SNES and look towards bigger things. Most of my friends were diving head first into PC games. Something I was never able to do, primarily to financial reasons, and, because I just didn't like the idea of sitting at my desk and hoping my computer wouldn't crash as I fragged demons within Doom… So, I kept studying the trades. Sega kept dumping more and more money into the Sega CD and that other crappy attachment which only made money because it sold a terrible (but still better than its predecessor) version of Star Wars. Nintendo taunted American gamers with the Famicon CD, but that never came to pass. (I read a rumor that Panasonic bought the technology for their ill-fated Philips CD-i… Remember, it was going to revolutionize how we entertained ourselves… A foolish claim that I will return to later). I waited and waited.

Then came the juggernaut that would be the Sony Playstation.

Oh wait, I have made one mistake… The 3DO… A system that wasn't as bad as people claimed it to be. But, like the Sega Mastersystem of the past, it lacked any strong support. Plus, truth be told, the technology just wasn't up to snuff, yet. So, I sold my 3DO to some small town fool and bought myself a Playstation. The system served me well. Too well. I can remember times when I burned days of sick time just to see the next cut-scene from Final Fantasy VII. (Yes, this is one of those articles where the back story is about 80 percent longer than the actual payoff, just thought I would warn you). Years pass and even as company after company touted to be the next “Playstation killer” I remained faithful. I bought the Playstation 2 with nary a doubt in my mind. If they used half the lessons learned from the PSX, then the PS2 would be a work of genius. And, considering how long and well the PS2 has endured within an industry where 6 months is a lifetime, the PS2 and Sony must be regarding as a raging success. (In fact, I wonder how much of the starting funds for Sony Pictures can be attributed to the Playstation's global success). Sadly, as stated above… All things change.

What do I do now?

My PS2 still serves me well. I find less and less time to spend in front of my television playing video games. This isn't a result of me growing older, hell no. Just that there simply isn't enough time anymore. (Sad that I look forward to sick days at times, cause it means I can dedicate 12 plus hours to gaming with not a sliver of guilt). Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. As I pass the various gaming magazines, I find myself drawn to games that I know I would love. I download game trailers that hold my attention better than most Hollywood features. However, unlike Hollywood, I am going to have to decide who gets my money, to then only be able to play some of the games I like. It would be like one theater only showing Star Trek movies while the other only showed Star Wars and I would only be allowed to enter one building.

What is a Geek to do?

Do I suck it up and just buy the Xbox 360, even though it doesn't have a ton of games I enjoy right now, hoping that will change in the future? Do I put myself on a months-long waiting list and shell out my half of the rent in order to buy a PS3? A system that while on paper looks to be the killer system, has yet to blow anyone out of the water. (To say nothing of Sony's poor choice to make the PS3 a home entertainment system and not a hardcore, but dedicated, gaming console). Or, do I return to the company of my youth and shell out my money in the Wii corner? While the system looks interesting, it is sad that I am more excited about the ability to download older NES, SNES, and Sega games then the new crop coming down the pipeline.

Or, do I choose a fourth option? Which is, I play my hardy PS2 until I can only find games in the bargain bins of Kay Be Toys…

Maybe by then my financial portfolio can handle buying that PS3… Assuming Sony keeps making them…

Then again.

I could just turn the damn TV off and dust off my dice… Those games only cost a six-pack of Dr. Pepper and some Extra Spicy Nacho Cheese Doritos…