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Wii or Xbox 360?
Lykouragh
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm probably going to get myself one or the other as a reward for passing this semester. Which do you guys prefer?
The Wii's controller appeals to me, as does its (theoretically) lower pricetag and the Mario and Zelda games for it. On the other hand it's apparently still hard to obtain and I'm not sure that a novel control system constiutes lasting appeal.
I like what I hear about the 360's internet functionality and games like Halo and Gears of War sound good to me. Also I could actually find a 360. On the other hand I hear widespread rumors about consistent hardware failure and the pricetag is higher.
So basically- are there much better games for one or the other console? Are they both backward compatible? Has anyone had specific problems with one or the other? Any other advice?
The Wii's controller appeals to me, as does its (theoretically) lower pricetag and the Mario and Zelda games for it. On the other hand it's apparently still hard to obtain and I'm not sure that a novel control system constiutes lasting appeal.
I like what I hear about the 360's internet functionality and games like Halo and Gears of War sound good to me. Also I could actually find a 360. On the other hand I hear widespread rumors about consistent hardware failure and the pricetag is higher.
So basically- are there much better games for one or the other console? Are they both backward compatible? Has anyone had specific problems with one or the other? Any other advice?
Lykouragh on
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360 is more for playing long term, and wii is pick and play here and there, there are some games that are exceptions ofcourse.
the wii is still too new... something's gonna change that you'll want down the road
I ended up choosing 360 over Wii because the games for 360 are far superior to those for Wii in almost every sense. Unless you are buying the console for specific titles - a decision of questionable reasonableness, definitely - there really is no reason to buy a Wii besides the lower price of the console itself.
It's awesome.
My crazy uncle just tried answering a ps3 vs 360 question on his advice column. I'm fairly certain he's insane, but I don't have the heart to tell him so.
IMO - I second the social/solo element. If you're going to be a social player with your buds, go with the WII, if not, 360.
look, i own a Wii and i would not want to get a 360. why? because i like the games on the Wii much better than on any other system, and i personally feel that the kind of games that are out for the 360 (and to a lesser extent the PS3) can be found for the PC (which i've already got) and are not superior to those on the Wii. there are lots of games for the Wii which simply wouldn't be possible on other systems.
but really it comes down to what you personally like and what kind of gaming style you prefer.
third parties are realizing they need to actually develop games for the Wii rather than just bring over bad ports; the "longevity" of the Wii isn't in doubt because devs are moving to support the Wii. if you like online gaming, you aren't going to get such a good experience with the Wii; friend codes do suck, and Live is definitely better for an online experience. however, if you have lots of friends that game with you IRL, the system is ridiculously awesome (i've gotten hours of amusement with friends from Wii Sports alone). if you like FPS, the control system is also ridiculously awesome, but you won't get the HD-type graphics on the 360 or the PS3. for backwards compatibility, the Wii beats everything out hands down, as it plays every Gamecube game and has an amazing selection of older games through the Virtual Console. the 360 does have Live Arcade, but that's not exactly "backwards compatibility"; also, the 360 can't play all older XBox titles (here's the list).
something else you have to consider: do you have an HDTV that can take advantage of HD? if not, are you going to get an HDTV to take advantage of the higher resolution (for any of the systems)?
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In conclusion, if you have a lot of time to kill gaming, the 360 is grand... But if you just want something you can play in short bursts I feel the Wii is better.
Also, I am not sure about Microsoft customer service, but if something goes wrong with your wii (like happened with me), Nintendo is very helpful in fixing it.
This is truth. The 360 is much more of a gaming console, the Wii is a much more social with friends console... and there's nothing wrong with either type of gaming, it's just a different focus... if you'll have a bunch of non-fps-gaming friends over, a Wii will probably be more fun
I don't totally agree with the timing issue - one of the best things about the 360 for me has been the XBLA, which has some amazing games for 5-30 minute gaming sessions (though it's admittedly mostly puzzle-type games for me)... but for "real games" (bioshock/mass effect/etc etc) the 360 has an obvious advantage.
As for the 360 hardware - if it's a non-recent (i.e., non-updated-cooling system) system, it'll probably have the overheating->red ring of death at some point, but unless you treat it horribly it'll probably take 6 months to a year to get a problem, at which point it's a few weeks to get a replacement... the new ones seem to have largely fixed the problem
If you have friends with neither, it is a matter of what kind of games you want. I have a 360 and it's not impressed me too much: the few unique games are just meh FPS's, and anything good can be also had on the PC (or is better on the PC, like the Orange Box), etc. On the other hand, some of the arcade games are nice. I wouldn't want a Wii because motion sensor just doesn't do it for me and most of the games are too narrow.
XBox for games you want to play a lot, and for FPS's. Wii for hoppity, platformy, silly games. I'm not sure what call I'd make for anything else (RPGs, for instance).
Also keep in mind that you don't have to use friend codes to play online, just for playing against specific people. Yes, the 360 handles this better probably, but it isn't that big of a deal. Basically, don't think you'll be getting shafted with multiplayer if you get a Wii - it's there, and more online games are coming out for it every month.
In any case, I don't agree with this whole sentiment that the 360 is the "gamer's console" or whatever that means. People make it seem like there's nothing but shovelware and party games on the Wii, and this is just not the case (not to say that all party games are bad either, but many seem to associate all party games with shovelware for some reason). There are great games for the Wii, just like there are great games for the 360. There is no blanket statement that cover each console's library. You just have to look at what's available for each console and make an informed decision about which one has more games that look interesting to you.
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Ideal strategy.
The 360 has a ton of games I'd love to have. Orange Box, CoD 2 through 4, Lost Planet, Halo 3, Shadowrun, the list goes on.
Wii won out, though.
I sure would like to be playing Assassin’s Creed, Bioshock, and the inevitable Street Fighter HD and Street Fighter 4 on the 360, tho. Not to mention the great racing games. Or Blue Dragon. I have no idea why the fuck my boyfriend thought I wanted a damned Wi…
That being said, I wouldn't give my Wii up for the world, and there's games on it that I spend/spent hours and days on.
If you're buying purely for the single player and/or online multiplayer, buy a 360. If you want some really awesome party games, and great social fun with local multiplayer, with a few great single player games, get the Wii.
So I can only recommend you try them out for a decent while at a friends place. Worked for me.
so, uh, yeah. this is the kind of post that i would be frowning about
the other posts about trying out the different systems if friends have them and/or listing what games you're interested in and going from there? good advice.
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It's simply an opinion, which I also hold, the only reason I hold back from mentioning it in threads like these is because it starts flame wars as there are people on here that are really biased about it.
If you want a system for social gatherings and party games, the Wii is the best there is (although the 360 has Rock Band). The 360, on the other hand, has much more robust online multiplayer (although the Wii is getting better).
The 360 has the XBLA with lots of great original titles and a steady stream of classic games redone in gorgeous HD, whereas the Wii has a larger selection of old games with the VC (including all your favorite Nintendo exclusives), along with the promise of Wii Ware in the future.
The single-player offerings are also fairly different. I hate to generalize, but the 360 is the system you get if you want 60-hour epics and brilliant action titles. The Wii doesn't have as many immersive and engrossing experiences as the 360, but it does appear to have more variety in the genres its AAA titles span. Rather than just listening to me spew out rhetoric, though, compare the game lists. Both have lots of great games, both currently available and coming out soon. November has been a hell of a month for both systems. It all depends on what you like to play.
Keep in mind it'll be a lot easier to get a 360 anyhow, as the Wii is still apparently in short supply. I say get a 360 now, then get a Wii when the ratio of shovelware to good games is better.
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I am frowning SO HARD at that post
I own both and the Wii is collecting dust in the corner. Off the top of my head, Mass Effect leaps to mind as being an XBox exclusive that's excellent. The assumption that he has a monster computer that can run the PC ports of XBox games like Bioshock is also pretty bad, and the statement "I don't own such and such system and I know for a fact I don't like its games" is ridiculous
i'd been intentionally not replying to this thread, but now i feel i have to.
there's a difference between saying "there are games out for x system that are really similar to games for y system" versus "wow, that x system is shit".
supabeast did the latter, which is more flamebait than actual help and/or advice. any thread on an internet forum involving this topic is unfortunately going to invite flamebaiting and trolls. i looked at supabeast's posting history out of curiosity, too. it's interesting :P
as for my feeling on the similarity of the games out for the PC with those on the PS3 or Xbox 360, well, that's an opinion too. but notice that it's not insulting or flaming any system; i never said at all that i thought those games were bad. there are wonderful games out for the Xbox and the PS3; my stance is just that the kind of games out for the Xbox or the PS3 are similar to the kind you can find on the PC. of course you won't find all the exact same games, that's ridiculous. but it's something i considered when looking at what console i might want to buy. it may be a view that the OP might want to at least consider in his/her choice.
when it comes down to it, it's a matter of taste. my tastes lie with the Wii, and i like what Nintendo's doing with the system. i'll be honest and say i want the system to succeed and i'll tell people that they should get it because it's fun. that's my advice in the end.
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In fact, yeah, get both. At least, get both eventually; you really won't miss much that way.
Maybe, but he said he was interested in Halo and Gears of War (as well as the 360's Internet functionality), which might not be selling points to people who are worried about excessive PC-console genre overlap. As noted earlier, he might not have a gaming PC; I have a desktop that tends to get slowdown in browser-based Flash games, to say nothing of the stunning 3D performance you get out of a PCI video card. Or he might have a beefy PC and just not care. Personally, as someone who enjoys PC games but doesn't want to engage in a round of upgrading just yet, the 360's library is more attractive to me. Someone coming off of several generations of consoles might feel differently.
That said, maybe an previous generation console would be a reasonable suggestion. It would certainly be cheaper for a student, although online gaming would certainly suffer. The PS2 has like 700 million games in its library, and you can get a lot of mileage out of a Gamecube or Xbox, too.
Thanks for all the advice, this thread has been very useful.