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Games
Console face-off

Breaking down this year’s hot-ticket game systems

by ERIK LEIJON

Are you young, dumb and have a grand to spare? If yes, then fuck goodwill—buy a new game system and a case of eggnog and watch the holidays quickly roll by. Without recommending one console over another, understand these are not the days of the 3DO and Jaguar. None of these consoles suck. A lighter wallet is good for the back anyway.

Microsoft Xbox 360

Microsoft’s sophomore system drove the bumpy road to 2006, but the ship has been righted and the software library is growing quickly. Gates et al. have foregone the massive hardware and gameplay changes of their competitors and relied instead on a sense of community among Xbox players to create brand loyalty. $500 w/Ghost Recon. Chance of getting one: 100 per cent.

Pros
• Big library • Active Live community • Xbox Live is idiot-proof • Comprehensive Gamerscore system keeps track of your gaming habits • You’re actually guaranteed to find one in stores • Gears of War is that good

Cons
• The figurative necessity to be on Live means you’ll need high-speed Internet • Live system can feel too much like a PC • Expensive peripherals mean you’ll spend as much on your 360 as a PS3 • Library looks better than it is only because it’s been out for a year • Big Brother effect, since everyone can see what games you’re playing

Accessories
• Extra wireless controller: $60 • Wireless adapter: $130 • Xbox Live Gold 12-month subscription: $70 • Wireless controller play and charge kit: $30 • HD-DVD Player: $200 • Universal Remote: $40

Games
Gears of War The must-have game of the holiday season. It’s an emotionally charged smorgasbord of incredible visuals and action-packed gameplay. The sheer tension of not knowing what’s around the corner will linger with you after you’ve stopped playing. $70

Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis This game is deceptively simple. You’ll spend hours perfecting the dizzying array of shots at your disposal and studying the lifelike character models. The best two-player game for those without Xbox Live. $50

Dead Rising A zombie game worthy of the Romero tradition, you star as a hotshot photojournalist stuck in a shopping mall with thousands of brain-eating creatures and various human maniacs. $70

Sony PlayStation 3

If you didn’t wait in line for your PS3, you probably aren’t getting one through conventional means. There are options: there’s eBay, and HMV Online is holding a draw. Sony Canada says consoles are continuously trickling in to retailers, so be vigilant. The 60-GB PS3 could probably be had for $1,000, or slightly more on eBay. $660 sans games. Chance of getting one: 30 per cent.

Pros
• Technologically leaps and bounds ahead of the first two, it is intended for technophiles • Coolness factor of owning one • The PS2 launch line-up was even weaker, and look at how successful that console turned out • If you think of it as a Blu-Ray player, it’s actually not that expensive • Sony’s history of third-party support

Cons
• Thought to be exclusive, but actually isn’t. PS3 titles Assassin’s Creed and the next Grand Theft Auto will now be coming out on the 360 as well, allegedly due to problems on the business side (bad sign) • You need a nice TV to take advantage of Blu-Ray • Tough/impossible to find in stores • Port-heavy launch • Expensive if you intend to use it only as a gaming machine

Accessories
• Sixaxis controller: $60 • Memory Card Adapter: $20 • Blu-Ray Remote: $30

Games
Resistance: Fall of Man Sony has made a few feeble attempts at developing their Halo-killer, but Resistance is a fun, simple FPS. The game alternates between large territories, where you and your fellow Spartans must stop an alien invasion, to cramped hallways with a survival horror vibe. It has great visuals, even if Prey did the alien storyline better. $60

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 The only time it sucks to be in Montreal is when the golf season ends and the skiing season has yet to arrive. Tiger Woods is my closest confidant during those dark weeks. This title has new swing physics that take a while to learn, but it’s a fun and mind-bogglingly realistic golf sim. $70

NBA 2K7: Choose the 2K Sports version over the Sony one, if not for the better graphics then for the more refined gameplay. The 2K series has been the best basketball game on the planet since the Dreamcast games, and this year the graphics and gameplay tweaking has worked well. The free-throwing actually uses the Sixaxis controller (which is similar to the Wii’s motion sensor). $70

Nintendo Wii

The most unique and inexpensive of them all, I can’t help but remember my Sega Marine Fishing controller peripheral and my Donkey Kongas when I play the Wii. Sure it’s fun to add a new, physical dimension to gaming, but will I still want to play after the novelty wears off? Does anyone buy a light gun anymore? If there are more games like Zelda, then yes. If there are more games like Wii Sports, then no. Depending on the game, my arms also got tired, and what’s a system without marathon sessions? $280 w/Wii Sports. Chance of getting one: 80 per cent.

Pros
• Affordable • Built-in Wi-Fi • Developers seem excited about the chance to make Wii games (good sign) • Nintendo brands and characters • Wii channel easy to use • Virtual console means loads of classic Nintendo, Sega and Turbo-Grafix 16 games • The DS looked ridiculous at first, but there was method to Nintendo’s madness

Cons
• Expensive controller add-ons • Overall skepticism about the Wii remote • Launch titles that feel like glorified tech demos • Fickle third-party support for the last two Nintendo consoles • Nintendo still hasn’t shaken the stigma of tailoring their games for children • Virtual Boy

Accessories
• Nunchuk controller add-on: $25 • Classic controller add-on: $25 • Wii Remote: $45 • Wii Points Card (2000): $25

Games
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Originally a GameCube-exclusive title, the Wii-functionality is more of an afterthought, but TP is a classic Zelda title, in which Link becomes a werewolf. $60

Excitetruck A poor-man’s Burnout, the Wii Remote is used like a steering wheel. There are plenty of unlockables, but generally it’s like a better Pilotwings 64—it shows off the graphical and gameplay capabilities well without overshadowing the more high-profile launch titles. $60

Rayman Raving Rabbids The only good thing to come from the Atari Jaguar, Rayman is an extremely cutesy platformer from Ubisoft. Since there’s no Mario game coming out at launch (Super Mario Galaxy will be out in ’07), this title will admirably fill the void left by the absence of a Nintendo action title. $60

Best of the rest

Unwrap, play and avoid the family with games for older systems

by ERIK LEIJON

So, the homeless person you paid to wait in line in front of you at Best Buy ran off with your Playstation 3? Don’t fret: all you current-gen console, portable and PC owners won’t have to spend the holidays with your family with these back-up options.

Bully

The game that made Hillary Clinton and her band of merry killjoys wet their collective undergarments, Rockstar Vancouver’s Bully has more layers than the publishers’ other famous open-ended game, Grand Theft Auto. Did you know you don’t have to be a bully at all, but can actually help people, or even defend against bullies? Or that the only gun featured here shoots potatoes? Or that you could make your character gay if you so desired? Not quite the “Columbine simulator” anti-game lawyer Jack Thompson was describing. Playstation 2/Xbox, $60.

Need for Speed Carbon

Street racing games are usually realistic enough for simulation nuts, but fast and crazy enough for the arcade racer fans. Need for Speed Carbon isn’t all that much different from Most Wanted or any of the other NFS titles, but there are new tracks and cars, which should provide adequate enjoyment for fans. There’s the usual licensed soundtrack with tracks from Tiga, Lady Sovereign and others. A very nice-looking and solid-playing current-gen racer. PC/Xbox/PS2, $50.

Final Fantasy XI Online: Vana’Diel Collection 2007

Not quite the FF of the past, this was Square’s attempt at an MMO with familiar characters from their history. XI originally came out in 2003, but this Christmas you can find a new version on shelves, featuring the game and three expansion packs on one DVD. You have to pay a monthly fee, but it comes with a free 30-day subscription. Considering it’s the biggest MMO in Japan and the servers cover the world, Xbox 360 users and PC users, there should always be an active community. PC, $40.

Lumines II

Can a sequel be game of the year? Not when it’s merely a cosmetic improvement on the first game, but Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s puzzle masterpiece is still highly recommended for anyone who says Tetris is the greatest game ever made. Not only is it the perfect puzzle game, this year’s version has over 80 skins to unlock, each with their own music and video. Unequivocally the best PSP game ever made. PSP, $40.

Yoshi’s Island 2

Based purely on pedigree, this game should be a worthy addition to the Nintendo platforming hall of fame, and even more exciting, the game doesn’t use the stylus pad. That’s right, no half-assed gimmickry, just the coolest green dinosaur you’ve ever known starring in the sequel to the best platformer of the 16-bit era. DS, $35.

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

The tycoon series has covered every possible business from zoos to roller coasters, but like the American West, it all started with building the railroads. This title is noteworthy because creator Sid Meier has taken firm control of the helm for the first time since the original Railroad Tycoon in 1990. The point of this strategy game is to not only monopolize the railroads, but to dominate industry as well. PC, $50.

Power Stone Collection

Power Stone 2 was a better party fighting game than Smash Bros. and I will reiterate that claim on my deathbed. It was about four anime characters duking it out in monster-sized, single-screen worlds, with every weapon you can possibly imagine strewn everywhere. Thankfully Capcom hasn’t forgotten the Power Stone world. Both PS games are on one UMD. PSP, $40.

Guitar Hero II

Guitar Hero + Alcohol + Air-guitar fans = Merry Christmas. PS2 , $60.