PC:
-I'll have to buy four of them, then buy the title we want to play four times.
+Can get any form of game we want period.

PS3:
-Cost a fortune, can't find any games that our girls can really play.
+Free online gaming (don't know if that's fully true or not, do the game makers charge you to use their servers in connection with PS servers), and I already have a few games we can play from PS2 and PS1.

Wii:
-After buying all the controlers I need for my family to all play I'll be paying more than I would for a PS3, and after that I would have to buy more games.
+Lot's of party games.

XBox:
-Charges for online play, and only seems to have good FPS games and my wife dosn't give a flying rats bleep about that.
+... I'll be promoting Mr. Gates to take more trips to outerspace?

Could you guys give you're thoughts in + and - for the different ways I could go, and perhaps give suggestions for games worth playing? Just so you know my family's full game aray includes, FPS, RPG, Co-Op, Fighters, Racers... no sports ever. We don't want to see fake wrestling games about fake wrestlers. We don't want to play football with complex controlings. My girls like Monky Ball, but you can get that on any platform but the PC. I'm going for whatever would be cheepist, gives my family the most game time together, and will keep us engaged for the next four to five years.

As you can see I have a lot on my mind along what to do about gaming entertantment around here, and good reasion to be hacked off. I don't want to pay XBox out the butt for online play and updates that crash their own products. I also don't want to pay to download content for games that are sold with only half the content they should have (PS3 games come to mind I think).

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A new world awaits you at www.vailion.com .

I say Wii or PC.

[This message has been edited by LAVA (edited April 21, 2007).]

So that's one vote Wii.

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A new world awaits you at www.vailion.com .

You like Heroes of Might and Magic? nice. those games are a blast (I got hooked on Disciples 2, kinda a rip off of it.)
you can always play hotseat on it ( I'm pretty sure disciples has a hotseat)
that way, you have the entire family around 1 pc and 1 copy.
get your girls into Civilization and other 4X strategy games. lol.

4 pcs honestly is a hefty price. and 4 copies of a game is almost ridiculous. Have a PC or two for more of the mature games or the occasional hotseat game, and have the Wii for the family games.

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"The generation of random numbers is too important to leave to chance."
Soterion Studios

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A new world awaits you at www.vailion.com .

Even if the controllers cost extra you'd have to buy extra controllers for the other consoles as well if you purchased them instead. PC would be good, but they'd mostly likely quickly become obsolete, whereas games are constantly being made for consoles and you'll always be able to play those games on that console regardless of new fangled technology that comes along later.

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The time for speaking comes rarely, the time for being never departs.
George Macdonald

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A new world awaits you at www.vailion.com .

quote:

---

Originally posted by Angel:
Three for the Wii. I would like to state though, to buy all the controlers we need for the Wii and the games we want, it will cost $300 not including the Wii itself.

---

But considering:

PS3 - You have to buy just as many controllers (as Ereon mentioned), the console is more expensive and so are the games.

Xbox 360 - Same issue with controllers and there aren't any games you want on it.

PC - You have to buy mulitple computers (cheapest new computer can be around $300, so 300 x 3 or 4? so $1200).

The Wii I think is still cheaper and has more of what you want out of it.

[This message has been edited by LAVA (edited April 21, 2007).]

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"I find myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world!"
-C. S. Lewis

My stance on the consoles - you will find some genres of games that work well on them but others than won't. I like FPS and that means PC. We have a PS2 but multiplayer games for the kids usually mean racers or shooters (or sports titles). Only good multiplayer is The Bible Game.

I got a PSP for Christmas - FPS on it stinks.

PC - let me remove your other reservation ... share! Don't buy 4 PCs, just one or two decent ones and share.

Now, for games for your girls - definitely on the younger side:
Charlie Church Mouse - Preschool
Hermie and Friends - 3 to choose from
Gil's Bible Jumble - maybe

Games for all of you to play together
Heaven Quest - 4 players and you can adjust the difficulty
Dance Praise - 2 pads or one on keyboard for 2 players
MULE - via a PC emulator (up to 4 players)

Plus you can do other things with the PC! And you can get decent one cheaper than a PS3! Before buying one, Email me and let me see what deals I can get you.

God bless,
Tim

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Called by God. The passioned plea of a father. The journey awaits at Jarod's Journey.
Participate in the Parables, The Interactive Parables

I'd also vouch for the wii. Never done it but from what I've heard and the concept, its amazing.

As for games:
It really depends upon their maturity. Most RPGs are fantasy, and that usually has skeletons, and skeletons aren't really little kid friendly. If they can watch LotR and not get nightmares, then you could probably do games like minions of mirth, ext. If they're the comic kid, "Daddy why are they attacking us? Daddy must we attack them? Daddy can we feed them? Daddy can they stay as our pets? Daddy why can't we have more than X Item?" then it'd probably be safer to go with something a bit less violent.

A really good one for all ages and is on both the PC and the Console. Just turn of the horrid music. Is Madden. Kinda expensive if you're going for the latest and greatest version, but you can buy a earlier madden and get still incredible quality. Madden 06 vs. 07 in quality isn't much different, just a few changes like the entrance of the players, perhaps some modes, some smoke additions, edited modes, little bit of better textures and models, just a little bit here and there. They both have very similar features, but from what I know, 06 is a whole lot cheaper. And if you can find it, 03/04 aren't that much apart 04s a good bit better, but if you really can't afford it, get either of those. This is from personal experience I own all 3 versions, and played 07.

Wii Sports is also from what I've heard excellent.

If you can't stand sports:
PC has a huge library of stuff online too. Online games ext. But the disadvantage is having your naive (no offense) 3 yr old wander on and log onto the internet, and pick up a virus and look at stuff he shouldn't be looking at. IE has a parental lock, but that's kinda futile, as Firefox doesn't, and its easy to get yourself out of that one.

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MM out-
Thought travels much faster than sound, it is better to think something twice, and say it once, than to think something once, and have to say it twice.
"Frogs and Fauns! The tournament!" - Professor Winneynoodle/HanClinto

I reserve the full right to change my views/theories at any time.

I guess this is going to boil down to taist.

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A new world awaits you at www.vailion.com .

HOME: A free service launching later this year for PS3 owners---basically like Second Life, you create a 3D model of yourself and you can meet and hang with your friends in an online 3D city and go virtual bowling, shoot pool, play games and hang at your invitation-only apartment, which also happens to feature 3D trophies of your accomplishments within games (PS3's answer to 360's achievements). The apartment and stuff is free but you can use a credit card to buy upgraded items (such as designer clothing and furniture as well as tickets to go with your firends to a movie at a virtual movie theater online)-----also, you can meet up with people and arrange to meet them online in any online-capable PS3 game---eventually they will hammer it out that you can launch right into a multiplayer game straight from HOME and be with your friends you were hanging with within HOME.

LittleBigPlanet: This game will launch either later this year or early next and is perfect for your family: it appeals to all ages. It is a 3D modeled platformer that plays mostly like a 2D mario-style one---but the catch is everything in the level (I mean EVERYTHING) was created by the player. You start with this little doll thing and you hit a button--a thought bubble appears over its' head and you use its' 'imagination' to add all the things that are within the level. This is with what Sony is pushing now called 'Emergent Gameplay' which is games that engage gamers' creativity and pushes them to mold their own experience while learning more about the industry----I am actually really excited about this game because it has the power to increase your everyday persons' understanding of Games as Art while, at the same time, not overwhelming them and enabling them to have a blast---you can also customize your doll character, share levels online, import your own pictures/textures (called Stickers in the game) and make levels that either encourage up to 4 players to work together or against each other or a combo (at different parts of the level they either have to work together or not)---so I think it will be massive

Hehe---post went on WAY too long---but yeah man if you need more reasons why the PS3 rocks just let me know, I love mine (his name is Steve--a joke from Over the Hedge) and with the Blu-Ray drive, motion sensing controller, hard drive and media features (yes, you can surf the net) and awesome games I think it is the digital equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife

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quote:

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Originally posted by Angel:
Share PC? Are you guys crazy? The idea is to do something together, a person watching a game is not part of the game. Four PCs is the only way to go, I used to have four and belive me it was a blast with my dad, brother, and one friend all playing at the same time. Two PCs... sheesh, dullsville.

---

MULE allows four players on the same PC to compete for Colony Leader! Trust me, you will have a blast with this 8-bit wonder (the only objectionable item is they had a "pub" where you could "gamble" if you had any time in your turn left).

Heaven Quest - four players, one computer. What a novel concept! True, it is like a board game and you each take a turn, but you don't have to go buy so much hardware.

The only multiplayer PC games from our community are (that I know of):
Eternal War - Shadows of Light
Left Behind - Eternal Forces

Note to you developers out there - multiplayer! Don't forget "hotseat" (same computer).

-Tim

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Called by God. The passioned plea of a father. The journey awaits at Jarod's Journey.
Participate in the Parables, The Interactive Parables

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Sam Washburn

[This message has been edited by samw3 (edited April 22, 2007).]

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Visit my portfolio (and check out my projects):
http://Jestermax.googlepages.com/

Also I heard the PS3 could be compatible with PS2 or PSX. But if someone with more knowledge verified this either way, that would be appreciated, haha

[This message has been edited by LAVA (edited April 23, 2007).]

Strangly enough, I had a dream about the Wii last night, that’s weird. But if I were to buy a console or two for some reason (don’t see a reason to buy forur for a family) I’d get the Wii. I think the controller is pretty cool, I don’t like game pads all that much though some of the ones made for computers are ok. I prefer a good trackball for games, myself. I think the kids would break the Wii pretty quickm though.

[This message has been edited by Faith_Warrior (edited April 23, 2007).]

quote:

---

Originally posted by LAVA:
Oh yeah, kinda what Insane and Jester said reminded me. For the Wii, you can buy older games in their virtual console online service. They host Sega, Turbo-Grafix, and alot of the older Nintendo games (including the N64) to download. It is also backwards compatible with GameCube, so the Wii is not restricted to just Gamecube games.

Also I heard the PS3 could be compatible with PS2 or PSX. But if someone with more knowledge verified this either way, that would be appreciated, haha

[This message has been edited by LAVA (edited April 23, 2007).]

---

Yep I play PS1 and 2 games on my PS3---plus you can download old PS1 games through the online Playstation Store to play them on your PSP and, by the end of next month, you will be able to play those downloaded games on the PS3. Sad part about Jestermax's quote about PS2 games being easy to find--the two I want right now, Silent Hills 3 and 4, are incredibly tough to find in local stores hehe---crappy luck huh? Jestermax--you own 120 game dude? I can't even name 120 games between the PS2 and GC that I played and I called myself a hardcore console gamer---you are definately far more hardcore than I!

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stuff like Intellivision.

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"The generation of random numbers is too important to leave to chance."
Soterion Studios

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"The generation of random numbers is too important to leave to chance."
Soterion Studios

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quote:

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Originally posted by ArchAngel:
that's pretty cool that you had an Intellivision. not many people know about it. kinda faded out.
The only reason I know of it is because an uncle gave me a CD with a ton of the games on it. probably should bust it out someday.

---

Oh yeah heh I mainly got it for auto racing and advanced dungeons & dragons. I got the Commodore like a year or two later so I didn’t get too many games for the intellivision, not when I had games like the Zork series, Impossible Mission, Toy Bazaar and Castle Wolfenstein for the c64 and a printer, keyboard and tones of creative software.
http://www.videogamecritic.net/intelae.htm

[This message has been edited by Faith_Warrior (edited April 24, 2007).]

quote:

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Originally posted by ArchAngel:
psh. old skool consoles are pre-NES.

stuff like Intellivision.

---

[petty noob comment]Wikpedia classifies Old school gaming as before 3D graphics [/ petty noob comment ]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_school

P.S. NOT that Wiki is 100% correct

[This message has been edited by LAVA (edited April 24, 2007).]

you'll end up listed as a urinophile.

plus wii has a lot of family-type games. and it comes with the sports package. which I've heard is fun.
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that post was really cool ^ <IMG SRC="http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f272/mitchelldude/swordbanner.png[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f272/mitchelldude/liberalismjoke.jpg">
|
[|=D) <---|| me

[This message has been edited by buddboy (edited April 24, 2007).]

Wiimote = $40 (usually)
Nunchunk = $30 (usually)

So $70 for a complete Wii controller.

Super Paper Mario
(maybe it isn't multiplayer, but it is Super Paper Mario)

One other thing not mentioned yet, but worth considering in spite of its downsides, is the handheld world. Namely, the DS. I think they're still around $130, but that's still half the price of a Wii (and the fact that no money needs to go into controllers). Some games out there, for multiplayer abilities, need the game cards; many, though, can download the game from one card into several DS's. Maybe I'm alone in not minding the tiny screen, and I do have a certain proclivity for the bright colors of games like New Super Mario Bros. (and finding things like Spectrobes and Pokemon tough to resist for that reason); it's worth thinking of for a slightly lower-budget family entertainment investment (works for long trips and graduation ceremonies, too!).

quote:

---

then buy the title we want to play four times.

---

"Heroes" was not like this. The old "Command and Conquer" and "Starcraft" was not like this. You just make a copy and put it on the other PC's and the multiplay was on!

The new game we are developing will also be like this. One CD will work on any PC for up to 4 on a LAN.

Tim is right though. If "Christian" titles are what a person wants, then the PC is the best at this.

That is simply because BIG console publishers are prejudiced against "religious" themed titles. I know, from a recent game exhibit in europe. They loved my game, but hated the theme. HAHA! lol Crazy world man.

The game publishers there were laughing at my game, but hated its theme.

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God said to Noah, "The end of all living beings has come before me, for because of them the earth is filled with violence. I will destroy them along with the earth.
Genesis 6:13

[This message has been edited by RA Games (edited April 24, 2007).]

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