I decide which console to purchase based on games available, performance, lifespan. I never buy a console at launch even if there is 'a great game' with it, as 'great game/s' are fairly quicky looked over a few months later - and people want to play other games. I must admit if I'm happy with a previous console i'll buy again from that company. In my case it's Sony, I have had very few problems with it's past two consoles. Other consoles from Microsoft and Nintendo who provide good games in their own right do not really appeal to me. Microsoft have pushed FPS hard, which I'm not a mega fan of, and Nintendo...well this may seem a bit Stereotypical but I don't want to play another Mario, cartoon game or a cute game (this would leave the sports) which i'm not interested in either. As for games, my personal preference is if they fall into certain categories... 1) Battlefield warfare (like Dynasty Warriors), 2) Thriller/Horror (like Resident Evil and Silent Hill) 3) RPG's (Like Suikoden) 4) Straight forward strategy (like Red Alert and others). I'll try other games, but the genres above suit me down to the ground. I must be getting old! *Edit I really should check my spelling more often!

For me, I'll get whatever Nintendo comes out with because of three things: 1. I know the system won't break and I have to get a new one, 2. Between all of their known franchises a few of them are going to be great, and 3. It will be cheap! As far as the other systems are concered it's about what games are coming out for them. And I don't care about graphics to much, as long as it's fun I'm in.

I typically buy Nintendo systems because they're great "Social Gaming" systems and I really enjoy Zelda and Mario; I also love Nintendo's take on certain genres (See Battalion Wars and Pikmin for RTS). I bought a Dreamcast because it was $99 with two controllers, a keyboard and 5 games. Besides that I typically buy a console when they're at a price I am willing to pay (usually $200 to $300) and have enough games that I am interested in; I never bought an XBox because it only had a few games that I couldn't get for my PS2, Gamecube or PC.

There are a wealth of factors that I take into account when I purchase a console. The one key factor with me is first/second party titles. I don't take third party titles into account at all, because they aren't guaranteed. I bought the Wii because I've always enjoyed Nintendo's titles. I knew that no matter how well the Wii sold, I would have access to Nintendo's games. The 360 was interested. I got one at launch, but I was on the fence. Once I heard about MS's deal with Mistwalker it was enough for me to plunk down my $400. I consider third party games on a platform a bonus, not a given.

I buy my consoles based on whatever games I feel I would enjoy that'll be on the system. I got a NES because of fantastic games like Mega Man 3, Final Fantasy, and such J-staples. I got an SNES because I was a big fan of what Nintendo had to offer at the time, and Squaresoft as well as Enix, Atlus and such had some GREAT RPG offerings at the time. I got a Genesis for no real reason...I had one game for it (TMNT Hyperstone Heist) because I loved the one for NES. I did, however, rent quite a few games that were very awesome (Herzog Zwei, Phantasy Star 2-4) I got an N64 based on the premise that Final Fantasy 4/7 would come out on the system, as I thought Square was a shoe-in for the Ultra 64........Boy was I wrong. I got an Xbox because it seemed like the "cool" system to have - by the time I got it, games like Morrowind and KOTOR were $30. Great purchase. I got a Xbox 360 because I took a very introspective look at MS's console strategy, and determined that if they wanted to have a shot at beating Sony, they'd have to widen their fanbase, and get more JPRGs out. I decided to get it when Oblivion (the #1 reason I got a 360) and eM were the only 2 RPGs slated for the 360. I was 100% right, as the 360 IS the RPG machine of choice this cycle, and I am happier than a pig in the mud right now.

The 360 is the choice for WESTERN rpg's, eastern rpg's are up in the air at the moment (unless you count the DS). I choose between a balance of price and games, a console does no good no matter the price if it has no games I want, nor is it any good if it costs too much even with a massive library of games. I didn't buy my first PS2, it was a gift (tax refund) when the units had dropped to $200. Most I ever paid for a console is the Wii @ 250, then dreamcast @ 150 (with 2 games), PS2 replacement @ 130, PSX/N64 @ 150/100. I wanted the Wii (my only launch date AND launch price console) for a big extra reason. I can play it with a lot more people. :)

Eh. It's also the choice (not by much but still) of JRPGs. Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Culdicept Saga, Trusty Bell, Infinite Undiscovery, Kingdom Under Fire. Quite a few RPGs for just 1 year, eh? What does the PS3 and Wii have slated for RPGs again?

Personally, I usually buy every console available. Not on launch day for most, but i usually end up with all of the consoles. i only buy nintendo portables though. although, god of war for psp certainly has my interest, if sales of the psp pick up and we get a price drop. i already have all 3 consoles for this generation. I originally got a Wii on launch day, and I got a 360 about 5 months after release. I play 360 the most currently, although before gears of war i rarely played. just didnt find many of the games interesting. Currently, I'm playing Resistance fall of man, although single player is starting to bore me, and none of my friends have a ps3 so i dont play much online. Personally, I feel Gears is the best game of 2006, as it has revived my interest in games. After my kids were born, i didnt play many games, because there were better things to spend my little free time on. I pretty much played god of war on ps2 until i beat everything in the game and then some GRAW. Also, i wasnt getting a ps3 until the price dropped, but a day after buying god of war 2 and beating half the game, my ps2 crapped out. its like the 4th one ive owned. I couldnt justify another $130 on a ps2, so i said screw it, god of war 3 was announced for ps3 just days before, might as well get one now. I traded in a handful of shitty wii and 360 games and some ps2 games, got like 280 store credit and got a ps3. now it about to start collecting dust, cause gears of war online is calling my name everytime i turn on the ps3. so there. BTW, i am a nintendo fanboy, but i feel like im shortchanging myself by not trying other things, as wii is also collecting dust, cept for some vc games i play, like super mario world, when my kids are awake.

how much do i spend on videogames? a ton, more than i probably should or could afford. alot of it is a waste, because i bring alot of games home and just flat out am not interested within minutes of playing. take lost planet for instance. i enjoyed the demo, saw it got pretty good reviews on the whole, and bought it on day 1. 2 days later, i traded it in and bought rainbow six vegas, which i traded in for my ps3, seeing as how i never really got into that one either. i regret that choice, because it is a good game, but id rather play gears. ive learned as i grow up, that good games which i would have enjoyed in my youth arent good enuff anymore. I mostly try to limit myself to buying only the best rated games, or games from my favorite franchises. Even then im not always happy, as super mario sunshine is one example of a franchise i love, but a game that failed to keep my attention. it felt like super mario 64 with better graphics and even more childish and fruity crap than ever before. seriously, the gamecube was the biggest dissapointment ever for me. I thought that i would never shy away from nintendo just because they make cute kiddie games. the games are really fun, so why should it matter, right? Wrong. Even as I championed the GC, i played xbox and ps2 way more. The Wind Waker? got bored immediately. I still love the classic gameplay, but man, that cel shaded kiddie cartoon shit just turned me off. Twilight princess on the other hand, has kept my interest so far. Ive only completed the 1st temple, and ive had it since november. Because i have kids, i dont have enough time to devote to zelda. the temples are so freakin huge. you need to devote at least 3 hours to one sitting to make any real progress, because when you save you start at the temple entrance, and after not playing for 2 or 3 days, forget what you were doing and where you were. So when my wife takes the kids to illinois(live in nj) to meet the rest of her family, i plan on devoting most of my free time to zelda. anyway, enough ranting. heres how much i spent on games last gen and this gen so far (rough estimate): 3 PS2s: $580 About 20 to 25 games: $1100 PS2 Accessories (3 mem cards, 3 extra controllers, 2 multitaps(one for old, one for slim),some component cables, all at original prices: about $280 So for the PS2 alone, almost $2000 1 gamecube: $200 GC accessories (3 extra controllers, 2 mem card 251, 1 59 block mem, progressive scan cables): about $200 about 15 games: $600 so total on gamecube is about $1000 1 xbox 1: $300 XBOX accessories(3 extra controllers, component cables):$150 About 8 games: $400 So total on original xbox is about $850. Least of the 3. Ill post again shortly with next gen costs so far. Total last gen costs: Roughly $3500 - $3900