Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.

by Jamison DeLorenzo

I wrote a while ago about the death of the Playstation era, and for whatever reason I had to stop and contemplate what that meant to me. It took me several minutes to think about all the games I had for it, all the great games I had for it, and to move on. Sure, maybe a solid four minutes of nostalgia and small tear down the side of my face is all the emotion your going to get out of me (yes, even during this illustrious Week of the Color Pink), but it was something.Lo and behold, today it dawns on me that the Xbox era is officially over. They are no longer being manufactured and the 360 era is in full swing. You could say that the Xbox now has officially come full circle (I’ve been saving that one… it was worth it don’t you think?). What bothers me a little is that I spent all of about 20 seconds thinking about the games for the Xbox that made it a special machine for me. The list wasn’t that impressive.

Overall there were around 20+ games that I purchased for it, so it was far from a waste of time. What bothers me is that Sony was able to generate around 10 games that I consider epic and will wind up in my great book of gaming when my gaming life is just about over. With any luck that is at least another 50 years in the making. Regardless, my point is that the first Sony machine produced a big list of fun games and a modest list of epic games. The Xbox did not even come close to this.

Should this bother me as much as it does? Probably not. At the time of the Xbox release the developers were knee deep in making games for Sony’s console and the best exclusive titles were on the PS2. Vice City, for example, was a PS2 exclusive for a while until Rockstar released it for the Xbox. I cannot really consider that game to be an Xbox game. What were the great games for the Xbox? Knights of the Old Republic I & II (the former being much better), Fable (which should have been better), and Project Gotham Racing 2. All other games that I bought for the Xbox were titles that were available on multiple platforms but I purchased for the Xbox simply because it was a more powerful machine.

That was it- 4 games for the Xbox. Sure, the first Playstation’s life was much longer and Sony did an amazing job lining up developers for it, but that is the big secret isn’t it? Perhaps Microsoft’s problem is that they are unable to get good developers. Sure, there were plenty of decent games for the Xbox but nothing that approaches all the good times I had with my PS1. Whatever the reason it is hardly the point I am making here. The console’s official passing should mean more to me than it does. What comes next bothers me a little more.

My Xbox playing days are, for all intents and purposes, completely finished. Still I am unable to let the system go. I would much rather keep it in storage than sell it for some credit towards some newer gaming purchases. I cannot seriously expect a used console to be worth a lot in several decades can I? So what is the hangup? Is it that there are games that I seriously may want to play again someday? Is my penchant for collecting things that powerful? All of these are difficult questions to answer. Perhaps I need to think about this one way.

Consoles that I now have in my possession that I never plan on dumping (and all still work): Atari 2600, Super Nintendo, PS2, and Xbox. Consoles that I had at one point that were punted the second I was able to do so: NES, Dreamcast, N64, Gamecube. The PS1 is somewhat of an anomaly because I still have the games as they are compatible with the PS2. I need to clarify a few things about this. First off is I got the NES very late in its release cycle and there are still some classic games for it- I’d just as soon play them via my flashed GBA cartridge than the NES console itself. The other 3 consoles on the punted list could not have been punted hard enough save for potential serious foot injuries. I hate to ruffle feathers (okay, that’s a lie) but each of those consoles are firmly entrenched in my “Galactic Waste of Money” file right next to my 1-week PDA and my fireproof match set.

(For the record I am probably being completely unfair on this point so let me make a small addendum to the Waste of Money comment. Goldeneye, Soul Calibur, and Shadows of the Empire were games that I absolutely loved and wouldn’t trade a second of playing any of those games, but no other games were all that compelling for those machines. Not one. What bothers me most are the controllers for each of those systems, the big reason these consoles got my special Boot Imprint of Doom on them. The N64’s wasn’t bad. The Dreamcast one was just uninspiring because that slot for the VMU made it too big. The Gamecube, despite its popularity, was the most annoying controller I have ever held. It took me 3 days to get comfortable with the button placement. I had a much easier time accepting the downfall of the Simpsons for crying out loud. Anyways, in my book that is completely unacceptable for controller ergonomics.)

So when I get home tonight I’ll probably stare at my shelf that contains some Xbox games, do my best to shed a tear without forcing the issue, and move on. Who knows, I may even fire up KoToR one last time.

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