Best console for a first time gamer?

Final Starman

Final Starman

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Hey, just wanted to get some feedback on this. Some relatives of mine are visiting and one of them has a grandson in India, 16 years old, who wants a game console. He's never played games before but he wants a console and two or three games. He's fluent in english so language isn't a problem. What would the CAG community suggest as a prime candidate for his first console. Game suggestions are welcome too. Thanks for the help.
 
Anything from the previous generation would be good, since you've got a good variety and can score stuff new and used for cheap. Anything portable would be good as well, since those can be moved around and generally are cheaper overall.

It depends on what games he likes (or, in this case, MIGHT like, since you might not have much to go on), and then going from there, but the PS2/Gamecube/Xbox will most likely all have titles that would cover whatever games he might like. So really it comes down to playing what might be considered the "best" games from last generation. Given that this newcomer might not be that great of a gamer, starting them off with easier games/genres might be the way to go.

If you went with a portable, either the DS or PSP would be more than fine. I take it by "console" you are aiming for something more in the "hooks up to a TV" arena though.

I wouldn't really know what sort of games to suggest, but here's a few anyway:

PS2: Ratchet and Clank series, God of War, Ico/Shadow of the Colossus, Katamari Damacy/We Love Katamari, Okami, any of the smattering of RPGs, Metal Gear Solid Essentials Pack
Gamecube: Super Mario Sunshine, Pikmin, Luigi's Mansion, Smash Bros Melee, Resident Evil 4, Zelda: Wind Waker, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Xbox: Prince of Persia series, Halo, any EA Sports games

DS: New Super Mario Bros... really just check out this thread
PSP: Crush, Final Fantasy: Crisis Core, Gurumin, Lumines

I mean really you could go back further to the NES/SNES and potentially the Genesis, but that might be pushing it. Plus that stuff would be more difficult to track down. I mean hell, I'd be making people play Earthbound (as suggested by your name), but that's a little more difficult to push on people.

Hope this helps.
 
Strell knows all. I'd personally go with PS2 becasue it has the largest library and assortment of different types of games. It is also not all that expensive.
 
Yea, I'd have to say PS2 too. The system and games are cheap, has a lot of excellent titles. Probably the best to start with.
 
Yeah, definitely the PS2. It basically has anything someone would want to play, and games are still readily available and cheap.
 
What they said. As far as games it's tough, guitar hero, Katamari, ratchet and clank, a soccer game, god of war?. I don't know that I'd throw a rpg at someone who has never played a game before, but if any persona 3. SOTC/MGS would probably also be fairly daunting for someone completely new to games.
 
Thanks for all the great replies, PS2 definitely seems like the right choice here. I agree with happy about the MGS series, hell even I have trouble with it and I've been playing games for the better part of 18 years. A PS3 would be nice but I dont think he could take advantage of its networking features and there's more than enough solid PS2 titles to choose from. I think I'll throw him some easier titles like Ratchet and Clank, R-Type Final, maybe an Ace Combat game? Again, thanks for the input guys.
 
I might own over 100 XBox games, but most of those could have been had on the PS2 with less eye candy and online abilities. I would say go with the PS2 if your a RPG fan, and of course because it keeps growing. The XBox was my clear cut choice before Microsoft pulled the plug, and right now it looks like the PS2 still has another year, possibly two years worth of new games to add. How can you go wrong with so many titles? This is off gamerankings:

PC: 9011
PlayStation 2: 2168
PlayStation: 1519
Game Boy Advance: 1085
Xbox: 1013
DS: 877
GameCube: 591
PSP: 536

Even with the PC having so many years in existence, the PS2 and PS1 combined had a good 33% amount of PC titles were on the market. DAMN. PS2 for the win.
 
[quote name='Final Starman']I think I'll throw him some easier titles like ... R-Type Final...[/quote]
R-Type... easy?

What did they do to R-Type Final?
 
Definitely PS2 is the best console to anyone who didn't already go through the last generation of games. All but the earliest of games will still look good, and some are still downright beautiful (Shadow of the Colossus, the various Final Fantasy titles), and of course they're still fun. Incredible games can be had at ridiculously low prices (especially the trilogy boxes that have been released lately-- GTA3/VC/SA, MGS1/2/3, DMC1/2/3, and so on are all incredible deals). Pretty much anywhere that sells games will have boxes of PS2 titles under $20, and you'd be surprised how many of them are actually good. Anywhere selling used games will have a huge selection of cheap PS2 titles (ones near me have four or five shelves for PS2, one or two for Gamecube, one-three for Xbox, and one for the latest consoles)

The only real downside for someone new to video games is the lack of online support; the only PS2 game I'm aware of that still has online functionality is FFXI, and even with that new PS2s will not be able to play due to a lack of hard drive support. And old PS2 owners will have a hard time FINDING a hard drive.

Still, the PS2 is the cheapest console to get into, and there are many classics on it that you simply should play. You can get a brand new PS2 and a great library of games for the same cost as the cheapest current gen console (Wii) and a single game for it. Last I checked, a PS2 is $130, wii+game would be at least $280. That's $150 in video games you can get for a PS2, which is a lot when many of them are $10 each or less (and I'm talking about games which are going to be remembered as classics, again like the MGS1/2/3 boxset.)

If he likes it, but wants online functionality, he can move up to that easily enough. But the PS2 would be cheaper and give him a better idea of whether or not he likes gaming than any other platform, including portables.

In terms of game recommendations, I'd say start with:
* Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection (Boxset. Includes MGS 1/2/3. $30, but can probably be found for less. You'll need a PS1 memory card, since the first game is actually just a reprinting of the PS1 original. Three classic games, although they might be a little on the hard side for someone just getting into games, the 'essential' in the title is not stretching things in the least)
* Grand Theft Auto trilogy (GTA combines dozens of different types of games into a fairly seamless package. They're also just great fun, and again, for $10 a game or less you can't go wrong)
* Persona 3: FES (A unique turn based RPG/social game. Easy enough, but with tons of depth. Also provides over 100 hours of gameplay-- 70 for the main game, and 30 for a hard-mode "Sequel" chapter. I personally took around 68 hours for the main game, and am 14 hours into the second part. However, there is actually reason to go back and play the main game again, which will probably take me at least 30-40 hours.)
* Katamari Damacy/We
 
did no one here get started on simpler systems? Though a ps2 would be easier to obtain, what about getting him an SNES so he can learn on the classics. Also someone has to get the pal/ntsc conversion for the tv if the system comes from the USA.
 
There are a lot of problems with getting a classic system. It's very hard to find good games, in reasonable condition, at reasonable prices (as in, you usually have to compromise on one of the three). The controller and basic gameplay (no 3D, for instance. Even the PS1 is bad, though, because 3D gameplay has changed and improved so much) have greatly changed (the PS1 is the only exemption to this). Recommending an SNES to someone who wants to get started in gaming is like recommending a classic car to a new driver. They're just going to be better off with the old reliable-- not the brand new slick car everyone else is getting, and not the shiny relics from the days before power steering and seatbelts.
 
If he likes Nintendo style games, obviously go with the GC. Heck, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door alone is worth it. Also, a used GC is uber-cheap, so that makes it a good first system as well. On the other hand, used PS2 games tend to be a bit cheaper than used GC games, there are a lot more games for it and they are still making new games for the PS2. So... overall I'd have to agree with the choir: PS2.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']R-Type... easy?

What did they do to R-Type Final?[/QUOTE]

Assuming you don't play on easy mode, I found R-Type Final as hard as Super R-Type (or R-Type 3 - whatever the SNES one was). Maybe some of the hardcore shmup fans might have thought it was easy, but I did not.

I was going to question that recommendation as well :)
 
[quote name='crunchewy']If he likes Nintendo style games, obviously go with the GC. Heck, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door alone is worth it. Also, a used GC is uber-cheap,[/QUOTE]
heck a new Gamecube is pretty cheap at this point.
I guess I'm going against the crowd with a gamecube vote. A lot of the third party games DID arrive on the cube(Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, Soul Calibur II, X-Men Legends) some of them even first started there (Viewtiful Joe, RE4, Killer 7)

The cube has a very nice selection of exclusives (Metroid, Ikaruga, Pikmin, Zelda). The collections make for very nice starter games (Zelda Collection, Sonic collections, Megaman collections)

the same would go for a Wii if that's an option. the Wii would actually be my first choice simply because you can download NES, SNES games plus the gamecube collections are a great way to start out.
 
I'd say either a PS2 or a Gamecube. The PS2 does of course have a huge selection of games, but the Gamecube has all those franchises we know and love - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (which IMO is the best choice for a first RPG), Zelda: Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, and more.

In addition I'd just throw in an old SNES with a few good games. Super Mario World changed my life and I wouldn't deny anyone the right to experience those classics. And plus you can get that for like US$20 these days.

-_-

Edit: Actually I'd recommend getting a Wii + Gamecube controller(if you have the money), it plays all the gamecube and wii games, and if he can take advantage of it, the Virtual Console has just about all the retro games that matter.
 
Well, the PS2 is probably the safest pick. No matter what he wants to play, he will be able to find it there.

The Wii i think is another strong pick. Many non gamers associate Nintendo properties with gaming. So, there is a chance he may be upset if he can't play a Mario game or something (even though, being 16, decent chance he won't want that). Wii has a lot of games that are easy to get into, and the Gamecube library has some absolute gems in it.

(now, personally, I am with the gamers that said the Xbox, that's a great console, and a lot of bonuses. But, without knowing much about the gamer, and him being first time, I don't want to bet on a FPS/Action based console, when we don't know those will be his favorite games.)
 
Wii.

It has a ton of great classics on VC, in addition to very beginner friendly and quality games like Mario Kart Wii and Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario Galaxy alone is worth getting the system for in my opinion, or at least renting or borrowing the system.

Once they get a good taste of the Wii, they can graduate to the ps2 or a ps3 that can play ps2 and ps1 games.
 
[quote name='leveskikesko']Wii.

It has a ton of great classics on VC, in addition to very beginner friendly and quality games like Mario Kart Wii and Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario Galaxy alone is worth getting the system for in my opinion, or at least renting or borrowing the system.

Once they get a good taste of the Wii, they can graduate to the ps2 or a ps3 that can play ps2 and ps1 games.[/QUOTE]

This. The Virtual Console titles cover a TON of ground and have some fantastic choices available (the Mario games or Kirby's Adventure are good starting points), and Mario Kart Wii should be a blast for him, especially with the wheel.
 
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