Game System Recommendations

[MalinoreIce]

I live a pretty bland and dull life and I would like to spice it up more. I'm not really a gamer; however, I do enjoy games. I'm planning in the near future I want to get myself a nice flat screen TV and a game system to fill a void inside of me.

It's been years since I last touched a game console and I haven't owned a TV in 4 years. I'm not sure what kind of game system I should get.

I enjoy adventure games, exploring, and violence (in moderation for games), I as well enjoy strategy games, action as well. I want to get a game system that just doesn't support these because I know all game systems do, but one that supports the most adventure/exploring games like Harvest Moon, Tomb Raider, etc., and I've done some looking around and found PS2, PS3, PS4 support those the most.

However, what is the difference between them?
Is there a better system?

Any recommendations?

 

[communist gamer]

What you want is a PC, im not going to go into the whole "console vs PC" thing. But if you are interested in strategy, adventure games and sand-box games PC is your choice. It has the biggest adventure game library, the most strategy games (including RTS games, there are no good RTS games on consoles, and almost all turn-based strategy games that are on the consoles are also on the PC, but PC also has a lot of exclusives) Chances are that you are going to get a PC anyways for work related stuff + email etc. So spend a bit more on it and get a gaming PC (500$-600$ should be enough for a PC that will last you around 6-8 years) Action games are a bit less represented on the PC but in turn you will be able to play older RPGs which are in my opinion superb. All sandbox games that come out on consoles will sooner or later be ported to the PC, and you will get mods to them that make them more fun. In short, you are looking for a PC, not a console ( as far as you requaierments for games go) aalso PC has maximum backwards compatibility, you will have access to EVERY game that has been released on it, so if you are interested in any previous installments of a series its not a problem

 

[Roxas1359]

When it comes to the PS3, if you get the launch version with backwards compatibility then you'll probably get the most games. PS3s are all backwards compatible with PS1 games, but only a few are with PS2 games, and the launch NTSC ones have the best support for that. PAL launch PS3s were just able to do it via software emulation, but it had framerate issues.

Another one would be the launch Nintendo Wii, because it plays both GameCube games and Wii games. Later models of the Wii would remove the GameCube support, and for the love of god avoid the Wii Mini at all costs. The Wii Mini cannot use component cables (something that still baffles me), can't connect to the Wii Shop, can't play GameCube games, and doesn't have an SD card slot on it.

Really for Platformers and some adventure games, Nintendo is strongest. Sony is strongest in SRPGs, JRPGs, and some adventure games. Microsoft is best for online console multiplayer and shooters, while PC is best with RTS, FPS, and Indie.

 

[communist gamer]

Really for Platformers and some adventure games, Nintendo is strongest. Sony is strongest in SRPGs, JRPGs, and some adventure games. Microsoft is best for online console multiplayer and shooters, while PC is best with RTS, FPS, and Indie.

I have to disagree with you, as far as my experience goes, PC is strongest in: Strategy (all kind), FPS, Indie and most RPGs (excluding JRPGs, it's very true, a PC is not really good with JRGs. It just has the biggest library for all of the above. But as i said just my opinion

 

[Roxas1359]

I have to disagree with you, as far as my experience goes, PC is strongest in: Strategy (all kind), FPS, Indie and most RPGs (excluding JRPGs, it's very true, a PC is not really good with JRGs. It just has the biggest library for all of the above. But as i said just my opinion

You can disagree with me, that's fine, but this person asked for consoles, and the console strengths that I listed are generally from what I've noticed in my 16 years of gaming. PC will always have the biggest library because of the fact that it's one system, but again he was asking about consoles.

 

[communist gamer]

I wasn?t disagreeing you on the suggestion part, i just dont agree with you on the strengths of said platforms because from my experience PC is stronger then sony in most of the things you listed, while Sony beats PC with action, driving and fighting games. And he asked if there are any better systems that he did not mention since the PC remark

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Nintendo has some good exclusives and platformers, party games and some RPG games but mostly platformers, I'm sold on a Wii U this year for the list of exclusives they already have, coming before this year's end and 2015.

Sony has a nice bunch of titles on the PS3 side like the Last of us, Valkyrie profile, Little Big planet, Killzone, The Metal gear series,Motorstorm, God of War series, Ratchet & Clank series, Sly Cooper series etc, they have a good list of JRPG's and some WRPG's though not a massive lot but some none the less.

Microsoft mostly have shooters but some RPG's on their side too, games like

Crackdown
Fable series
Dead Rising series
Forza Motorsport series
Gears of War series
Halo series

Honestly I would suggest last generation like PS3/360 if you want to catch up on games from that generation or if you want some HD remakes and exclusives from this year and 2015 onwards I'd probably go with either a PS4 or XB1 or Wii U, I myself am already decided on grabbing a Wii U first, Xbox One second and maybe a PS4 once they have titles I want.

In the meantime I game on PC for strategy games and some others but I don't wish to remain tied to a single platform for long since it;s all I have at this moment and I feel things have gotten a bit dull for me so getting the Wii U first should hopefully take away most of that before this years end.

But yeah It's up to you what you want to decide, all we can do is tell you our experiences and show you numbers and lists, it's your choice in what you like out of the lot that's presented to you.

Also here's a list of titles exclusive to the 3 platforms from last generation if you want to browse and find anything you might like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_exclusives_(seventh_generation)

 

[Windcaler]

I have to agree that I think a personal computer (PC) will give you the most bang for your buck. You also have to take into account that a PC grants much more utility then consoles as well. It can be much more then a gaming machine and is generally only limited by your software.

As for gaming. PC is the only type of machine that has the grand strategy style games like Crusader kings 2 or the last federation. It also has a slew of smaller sized strategy games like Civilization or Stardrive. Console games do have smaller strategy games like Xcom but these are few and far between. As I understand it its mostly because such games dont sell very well on consoles so there's far less demand for them.

First person shooters on PC also have a much wider range of playable games that fit just about every niche. A few of them are even free to play like Blacklight: retribution.

Exploration/adventure games are also pretty prevelant on PCs. Seven of the best ones ever made are Dark souls, The elder scrolls Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout: New vegas, and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. Some others I recommend are Dragon age Origins, Shadowrun returns, Jade empire, Knights of the old republic, Cthulu saves the world, and Breath of dead 7. There are also many massively multiplayer online RPGs, many of them free to play. Games like Raiderz, Neverwinter, and the secret world are worth a look. If you want RPGs that are usually more visual novel style its kind of a mixed bag. Most of them are refered to as JRPGs signifying that they come from Japanese developers (a descriptor thats becoming less and less useful/accurate as we see western developers use the visual novel style for games like Long live the queen and Japanese developers using more open world and design your own character development styles like Dark souls). That said there are not many JRPGs that come out on PC. You'll find those mostly on the various playstation consoles or the handhelds like the Playstation Vita

What PCs do not have is quick pick up and play options. Thats the strength of the various gaming consoles. You plug a disk in and you're ready to go while PC games sometimes take a few minutes to install from a disk or hours to download and install from digital distribution services like STEAM or Greenmangaming (internet type effects download speeds obviously).

The differences between the various consoles are few and far between. Mostly its about the specific games you can get on them just as it is with PC. Considering your tastes its hard for me to even recommend any kind of console because I dont think you'll get as much out of it as a PC.

Finally I would be remiss if I didnt mention the void you said you feel inside you. While gaming is an excellent way to introduce yourself to art, culture, and varying view points if it doesnt bring some kind of joy or fulfillment into your life then I think you should look elsewhere for that. There are hundreds of hobbies out there and gaming is no more or less relevant then any of them.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Nintendo - Platformers.
Sony - Japanese & Strategy RPGs.
Microsoft - Online shooters.

Of course none of these are totally exclusive but that's the general idea.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Normally I don't jump to pc as a first choice unless the OP shows an interest in pc's but in your case, it might be a good decision. Adventure and strategy are pretty prominent on pc along with most other genres. Not to mention emulation, there's a lot of games that came out last gen that would be either hard to find or valuable. I won't argue about pricing because pc can be as expensive as you want or need it to be. I wouldn't game on a pc that "comparable" to a console and cost less than $500 or $600 but that's just me. Custom vs prebuild likewise doesn't matter. Do what you can afford. Otherwise, I would recommend a ps3. Its the most recent, has (arguably) more exclusives than the xbox, and its cheap. A pretty safe investment in my opinion. About the differences, the ps2 and ps3 can play ps1 games on disk, but the ps3 can also play ps1 games and select ps2 ports downloaded off the playstation store. I don't believe the ps4 has any kind of backwards compatibility. It also has a blue-ray player and can upscale DVD's if that interests you

 

[MalinoreIce]

Nintendo has some good exclusives and platformers, party games and some RPG games but mostly platformers, I'm sold on a Wii U this year for the list of exclusives they already have, coming before this year's end and 2015.

Sony has a nice bunch of titles on the PS3 side like the Last of us, Valkyrie profile, Little Big planet, Killzone, The Metal gear series,Motorstorm, God of War series, Ratchet & Clank series, Sly Cooper series etc, they have a good list of JRPG's and some WRPG's though not a massive lot but some none the less.

Microsoft mostly have shooters but some RPG's on their side too, games like

Crackdown
Fable series
Dead Rising series
Forza Motorsport series
Gears of War series
Halo series

Honestly I would suggest last generation like PS3/360 if you want to catch up on games from that generation or if you want some HD remakes and exclusives from this year and 2015 onwards I'd probably go with either a PS4 or XB1 or Wii U, I myself am already decided on grabbing a Wii U first, Xbox One second and maybe a PS4 once they have titles I want.

In the meantime I game on PC for strategy games and some others but I don't wish to remain tied to a single platform for long since it;s all I have at this moment and I feel things have gotten a bit dull for me so getting the Wii U first should hopefully take away most of that before this years end.

But yeah It's up to you what you want to decide, all we can do is tell you our experiences and show you numbers and lists, it's your choice in what you like out of the lot that's presented to you.

Also here's a list of titles exclusive to the 3 platforms from last generation if you want to browse and find anything you might like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_exclusives_(seventh_generation)

I'm more leaning towards a PS3/PS4 but not sure which one. I would really enjoy playing JRPG's and WRPG's. Kinda, like kick back and enjoy a game.

I wasn?t disagreeing you on the suggestion part, i just dont agree with you on the strengths of said platforms because from my experience PC is stronger then sony in most of the things you listed, while Sony beats PC with action, driving and fighting games. And he asked if there are any better systems that he did not mention since the PC remark

I'm not really interested in PC gaming. I'd rather not spend a few hours playing games then needing to switch out to browse the net. I want to keep it separate that's why I'm more towards a system.

 

[Hambers]

Out of PS3 and PS4 you might be better off with the PS3. The new consoles have a lack of games coming out in 2014 and virtually all but the most demanding PS4 games will be available on PS3. The PS3 has built up a library of titles over the years and there are some real classics in there. I only bought a PS3 in 2012 and I've got so many games I still want to buy and play through that were released before then. Also bear in mind you can find these games quite cheap, used or new.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

-snip-

I'm more leaning towards a PS3/PS4 but not sure which one. I would really enjoy playing JRPG's and WRPG's. Kinda, like kick back and enjoy a game.

I wasn?t disagreeing you on the suggestion part, i just dont agree with you on the strengths of said platforms because from my experience PC is stronger then sony in most of the things you listed, while Sony beats PC with action, driving and fighting games. And he asked if there are any better systems that he did not mention since the PC remark

I'm not really interested in PC gaming. I'd rather not spend a few hours playing games then needing to switch out to browse the net. I want to keep it separate that's why I'm more towards a system.

PS3 sounds like your jam so far, you'll be able to manage a backlog with that console for sure in terms of RPG/WRPG's.

I'd hold off on a PS4 until at least next year since more of their games will be coming out during 2015 than this year.

Keep in mind that the PS4 doesn't really have backwards compat with PS3 titles hence there being HD remasters or HD editions of some last gen games so if you want you could hold off on some last gen games from the PS3 and wait until you grab a PS4 to grab those editions later, that's just one idea I;d do once I go for a PS3 slim to create my own backlog and eventually a PS4.

 

[Shaun Chang-Time]

a playstation 3 might be suitable since there is already a huge library of games available and it is a console....its got some strong line up of adventure games and some solid JRPG's, WRPG's.

 

[MalinoreIce]

-snip-

I'm more leaning towards a PS3/PS4 but not sure which one. I would really enjoy playing JRPG's and WRPG's. Kinda, like kick back and enjoy a game.

I wasn?t disagreeing you on the suggestion part, i just dont agree with you on the strengths of said platforms because from my experience PC is stronger then sony in most of the things you listed, while Sony beats PC with action, driving and fighting games. And he asked if there are any better systems that he did not mention since the PC remark

I'm not really interested in PC gaming. I'd rather not spend a few hours playing games then needing to switch out to browse the net. I want to keep it separate that's why I'm more towards a system.

PS3 sounds like your jam so far, you'll be able to manage a backlog with that console for sure in terms of RPG/WRPG's.

I'd hold off on a PS4 until at least next year since more of their games will be coming out during 2015 than this year.

Keep in mind that the PS4 doesn't really have backwards compat with PS3 titles hence there being HD remasters or HD editions of some last gen games so if you want you could hold off on some last gen games from the PS3 and wait until you grab a PS4 to grab those editions later, that's just one idea I;d do once I go for a PS3 slim to create my own backlog and eventually a PS4.

Yes. I think a PS3 is best because as much as I like new things, latest equipment isn't necessary for me.

a playstation 3 might be suitable since there is already a huge library of games available and it is a console....its got some strong line up of adventure games and some solid JRPG's, WRPG's.

I did look at a few runner up games that look pretty awesome. I even saw a few in stores that look extremely fun to play.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

Get a PC. Plenty of games to play, without even paying a penny. Not to mention Steam Sales, and Browsing the Internet ( With all its Anime, Manga, Facebook, Youtube, Twitch, Tvtropes, Escapist glory) is just a alt tab away.

In terms of games to play, based on what you like.

Xcom: Enemy Unknown
Dragon Age Series
Darksiders Series
Shank Series
Bastion
Dark Souls Series
Witcher Series
Saints Row Series
Bioshock Series
Team Fortress 2
Civilization Series
Half Life Series
Total War Series
Devil May Cry Series ( 3,4, and the Reboot are on Steam.)
Kingdoms of Amalur
Deponia Series
Broken Age
Wold Among Us Telltale
Walking Dead Tell Tale
Elder Scrolls Series ( If you are willing to mod.)

 

[Keiichi Morisato]

my recommendation is get a PS3 and/or a Wii U. there is a good backlog of great games to choose from on the PS3, many games are now very cheap and easy to get. the Wii U on the other hand may not have as many games, but it's backwards compatible with Wii games, it has a pretty decent selection of fantastic games, as well as a very bright future ahead of itself. I also highly recommend that you get a 3DS, it's backwards compatible with all DS software, and has a lot of great games already on it and going to be released within the next few years.

 

[Keiichi Morisato]

Get a PC. Plenty of games to play, without even paying a penny. Not to mention Steam Sales, and Browsing the Internet ( With all its Anime, Manga, Facebook, Youtube, Twitch, Tvtropes, Escapist glory) is just a alt tab away.

In terms of games to play, based on what you like.

he already knows, he doesn't want to get into PC gaming. if he did, he would likely be asking about good parts for PC gaming instead.

 

[Rozalia1]

PS3, or a 3DS if you count that are your best bets by your specifications.

 

[EHKOS]

If you grab a PS3 with BC for the PS2, you're golden. If you want something new, then I suggest the Wii U, it's the only console I've even considered getting this gen, and that's coming from a core Sony fan. (Actually, I love Nintendo too, but if I had to choose, I'm still loyal to Sony for giving me my childhood.)

PS3 with PS2 comparability would allow you to play a lot of Harvest Moon games, as well as the giant library the PS2 had. There are some great JRPGs on the PS3, and if you like exploration, Assassin's Creed Black Flag and Far Cry 3 should be on your list. If you have the cash, the 3DS has some fantastic titles as well.

Currently I started playing Folklore, it's like if you took a good version of Deadly Premonition, and mashed it together with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. Only about 45 minutes in but I'm enjoying it.