Game systems get graded

by Blake Snow { Nov 6th 2006 at 2:55PM }

GameDaily has graded major video game systems selling this holiday season based on price, current games, and future games with no love for the tried and true GBA. We're not sure how you grade students that haven't even tested yet (cough, cough, PS3 and Wii), and we want to see some working teaching certificates, suckas.

DS: A
Xbox 360: A
Wii: A-
PS2: B+
PS3: B+
PSP: B
GameCube: C
Xbox: D

Hit the read link to see the full examination. And being as non-partial as your gaming heart permits, what do you think of the spread?

[Holla, Ali]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

vaylen @ Nov 6th 2006 2:59PM

So based on this report card:
Nintendo gets a A,A-,C or a B average
Microsoft gets a A,D or a B-/C+ average
Sony gets a B+,B+,B or a B+ average

Good work on getting the best report card, Sony!

Fredyytoot @ Nov 6th 2006 3:01PM

wtf gamecube a C!!!
and Xbox a D !!!
wat the flippy flop hell??

Nate @ Nov 6th 2006 3:01PM

You can get an Xbox, and 5 of its' best games: Halo, Halo 2, Ninja Gaiden, Chronicles Of Riddick, and Panzer Dragoon Orta for about $200.

Now tell me, how does that get a "D"? Makes no sense whatsoever.

Having the PS3/Wii up there is kinda strange too since they're not even out yet. How do we know the systems/games are gonna be any good based on their price?

Mullinator @ Nov 6th 2006 3:03PM

I really found those scores very stupid until I read the article and realised they are rating them based on how they are in relation to each other in the present.

Makes sense now and I can agree with them much more.

Evolution @ Nov 6th 2006 3:03PM

HAHAHA the 360 got an A!!! IT's som uch better than your stupid Wii Wii or PS3.

LDF @ Nov 6th 2006 3:05PM

Those all sound fair.

I'd swap PS2 and 360's grades, personally. I agree the 360 has a great line-up, but the red ring of death on my first two consoles makes it hard for me to love.

JodyAnthony @ Nov 6th 2006 3:06PM

YA EVOLUTION U R SO RITE!! WII N POS3 R TEH BAD CUZ 1 P3RSON SED SO!

Lorben @ Nov 6th 2006 3:08PM

Seems pretty fair to me, at least for the consoles I own so I can make a informed decision on them. PS2, Gamecube, DS and PSP.

Rabish12 @ Nov 6th 2006 3:08PM

The Xbox doesn't deserve a D at all. It has a bleak future, but the price is passable and the library of games is excellent. I'd give it a B-, maybe a C at the lowest.

The PS2 deserves an A, or at least an A-. It's got a massive library filled with excellent games, the price is extremely low at this point, and it's still getting massive support from developers.

The 360 shouldn't have an A. The library for the system at the moment is okay, but it's not particularly great. Not yet, at least. It's also rather pricey. It's got some games on the horizon that look excellent, but that's the only area in which I'd give it an A. I would drop that score to a C+, maybe a B-. Nowhere near an A.

The Intangible Fact @ Nov 6th 2006 3:11PM

If the 360 was a C+ then the PS3 would be an F.

gok @ Nov 6th 2006 3:13PM

Xbox got what it deserved. Big ugly and dashboard was bad too. On the other hand, xbox360 deservers its A. I think ps3's dash is booring. So dark and simple.

gok @ Nov 6th 2006 3:13PM

And what are you talking about that they havent tested it? Is that a fact? Because even I have played ps3 so it would be no surprise if some game journu would have.

@ Nov 6th 2006 3:15PM

DS should be A+ .. entire back catelog of GBA games as well as present and future DS games.

PS2 should be higher too.. dirt cheap and huge catelog of games.

360 is .. i dunno, its the only next gen. system out, so what are they comparing it to?

Wii and PS3 are speculation.

XBOX and GC shouldnt be rated since they are irrelevant in the present market. IE; people arent gonna be buying XBOXes or GCs this holiday season.

Rabish12 @ Nov 6th 2006 3:18PM

None of them deserves an F. They all have some aspect out of those used to grade the systems in that article that they excel at. The 360, PS3, and Wii, for example, all have bright futures.

It's rather stupid judging systems that don't have any released games when part of your criteria involves current games for the systems though, so really, the PS3 and Wii shouldn't be up there at all.

mietha CAG @ Nov 6th 2006 3:24PM

Wii should be more like a B or B-. There just aren't that many games worth playing being released this year. PS3 should be more like a C-, at best. There's almost nothing worth playing, and it's not like most people will be able to play it anyway. PS2 and GC are also a little high, IMO. The omission of the GBA is a little odd, especially since the Xbox and Gamecube are included and those are far more dead than the GBA.

Draco @ Nov 6th 2006 3:27PM

its kinda funny how on the Xbox360 page he sais, its good if you cant get a wii or a PS3, yet he proceeds to score it higher then his two preferences.

I expected the PS2 to score a A-, and he Wii to score a B+, PS3 to score about the same as the Xbox360 (or higher seeing how he would rather have that then Xbox360)

regular X-Box should have an F or D- (expensive and no future, few games in library) GC should be a D (same reasons but cheaper)

modeps @ Nov 6th 2006 3:27PM

Umm... how can you grade a system that is not even out yet?

Iscariote @ Nov 6th 2006 3:29PM

No way dude I'm going to wait outside all night so that I can play Warhawk in two weeks. It's going to be the sickest.

mgroves @ Nov 6th 2006 3:30PM

I don't think this grading system is subjective and arbitrary enough. Is there any way we could introduce MORE bias and meaningless analysis?

Daniel @ Nov 6th 2006 3:30PM

This list is absolutely ridiculous - first reason being what others have already said, that the PS3 and Wii aren't even out yet. Jesus...

Also, Xbox gets a 'D'? It's cheap now, it has both Halos, Chronicles of Riddick and several other strong titles, all at a budget price.

GameCube is vastly underrated, and this article once again proves it. All you need is Resident Evil 4 and this system is worth it. Throw in that it's less than $100 (brand new), and featuring games like Wind Waker, Pikmin 1 and 2, an awesome wireless controller and you have yourself a better system grading than what it received.

Oh, and the DS SHOULD get an A+. It's probably the best video game purchase I've ever made. Considering price, game quality, backward compatibility with GBA, battery life, screen quality, innovation, etc, nothing comes close to it.

Meh @ Nov 6th 2006 3:35PM

Haha, utter tripe.

The GC has been dead for months and the only game worth caring about is actually going to be far better on the Wii so why bother? Nobody should buy one. Same applies to the Xbox but it's even worse, not all games are even supported by the 360. Both machines should get U's.

The PS2 is pretty rocking, they are still great games coming out for it (FFXII, Bully, Okami etc). Lots of old games around and full backwards compatibility with PS1. Games are also pretty cheap now, new games are available at really discount prices from online retailers and even some high street stores selling software at good prices. Developers aren't going to drop this machine yet even with the PS3 arriving soon. Deserves an A.

The 360 has great live, a great price but its library is still pretty limited especially to those who aren't big fans of all out shooters. It also has problems with backwards compatibility. Doesn't deserve the A given to it. Give it a B at best.

The Wii has a good price but for the hardware it's actually a pretty poor price. Controllers are rip-offs aswell. The system is different however we haven't yet seen anything that really flaunts this so called "revolution". For potential it scores high but we'll see. Too many games look like DS titles; they are fun but not something I want at home. Future looks good for the machine with lots of developer support but it will seriously start looking like a toad next to the lions of power of its competition a few years down the line. I'd give it a C+.

The PS3 is a complete unknown to me though, it all really depends on too much that we know smeg all about. Is the online good? Will Bluray be needed? Is the controller worth the expense of rumble? And so on. No grade.

I can't grade hand helds, they are just temporary diversions tbh.

AJ @ Nov 6th 2006 3:36PM

"Wii should be more like a B or B-. There just aren't that many games worth playing being released this year."

Zelda alone is enough to warrant an A-, not to mention Red Steel, Rayman, Super Monkey Ball, Call of Duty 3, Excite Truck, Metal Slug, and Trauma Center

Rabish12 @ Nov 6th 2006 3:41PM

"regular X-Box should have an F or D- (expensive and no future, few games in library)"

Xbox has about 1000 games, according to the ESRB's website (and that's probably the best source to go by, given that they have to rate every game on the system). That's not "few games", it's about two thirds the size of the PS2's library (which, quite frankly, is huge). The system isn't expensive either, if you actually look at what you get with it. The PS2 costs $130, which people consider cheap. You then have to buy a memory card for the system, which adds another $20. So you have to spend at least $150 to have a usable PS2. That's how much the Xbox costs if you don't get it in a bundle, and it comes with a built-in hard drive so you don't need to buy anything extra to get games going.

If you actually think about it, the Xbox ends up costing the same as the PlayStation 2 does, and even less if you intend to get enough games to overfill the PS2's 8MB memory card or want more than two players on your PS2 games (you have to buy a Multitap).

Michael @ Nov 6th 2006 3:48PM

I just got a preowned Gamecube for £24, with Resident Evil 4 and Wind Waker Gold (with Ocarina of Time) for £10 each. For a total of £44.

Previously I had bought (at a time when the GC was no more expensive) an Xbox360 for £290, and two games (Perfect Dark Zero, Gun) for $40 each. For a total of £360.

At the moment I am on the phone to Xbox Support (been for the last 40 minutes, already passed through one department) for getting a '3 red lights' hardware error.

If they don't replace it, I am going to film myself urinating on it and post the video to Youtube.

Zing @ Nov 6th 2006 3:50PM

Ok, Halo 1 and 2 WERE NOT THAT GOOD. Seriously though, Resident Evil 4 (ps2 and GC) was better than both of them imo. KH2 and KH made me want to get a Ps2, but i resisted. Xbox does have a lot of games, so i'll boot it up to C+ in my book. DS gets that A- it deserves...it would be an A if it wasnt for Nickolodeon (sic) releasing crappy quality games every 5 seconds that don't even use the DS's potential. They just see it as a Gameboy with two screens...blargh.

Sorry for ranting though :(

hehehhehe @ Nov 6th 2006 3:58PM

Yeah, sounds really objective-
"The Xbox 360 kicks ass all the way around."

The PS2, the best selling console of all time with its huge library of games gets a B+. The XBOX360, with its small library and hardware problems with each firmware update gets an A. The Wii and PS3 aren't even out yet so why they're even reviewing it I have no idea.

I agree with the DS, gamecube and PSP grades, but the XBOX a D? That doesn't make sense either.

Jared @ Nov 6th 2006 3:59PM

"At the moment I am on the phone to Xbox Support (been for the last 40 minutes, already passed through one department) for getting a '3 red lights' hardware error.

If they don't replace it, I am going to film myself urinating on it and post the video to Youtube."

I'd grade that video a strong 5 star A+.

Jonathan @ Nov 6th 2006 4:03PM

DS should definitely rank higher than the 360. Seriously, how many AAA titles for the 360 aren't shooters? DS has a large _diverse_ software library that only gets better every week.

The PS2 also rocks, but I worry that this time next year support for it will dwindle as developers move on to newer systems.

Joe Dodson @ Nov 6th 2006 4:14PM

WTF, no XBox 720 or PS4? Not to worry, I'll just fill in the blanks!

Xbox 720 - B+
We've only heard bits and pieces and all we know is that Microsoft is developing some of the chip technology themselves, but hey, that sounds smart! If they named it Thargor the Gaminator, it'd get an A.

PS4 - A-ish
We've heard nothing about this, but strongly suspect it will be able to perfectly simulate sex acts, and figure out your tax return. Who needs women anymore?

Otherwise I agree with everything, especially the D for the Xbox. Spending a reasonable amount of money on a great console with an awesome library of twenty dollar games is so not the direction this industry is moving. Where is the vision, Microsoft?

32_Footsteps @ Nov 6th 2006 4:16PM

I've got a reasonable way to figure out a console's grade.

First, add up how many exclusives for that console are really worth the time. Score a point for each.

Then, subtract out a point for each cross-platform game of that generation that missed that console (like how the Xbox didn't get RE4).

Also, for systems that are backwards compatible, you can judge it as having 1/2 the points for the system library it works with (the GBA gets half the points of the GB and GBC, the PS2 gets half the points of the PS1, etc). For limited backwards compatibility, it only gets half credit for the games it can run (I'm looking at you, 360).

Then simply compare the scores you count up for each system. This will be a bit individual (my best system is the SNES, followed closely by the GBA and the PS1), but it at least makes sense.

Queeg @ Nov 6th 2006 4:16PM

[quote]28. DS should definitely rank higher than the 360. Seriously, how many AAA titles for the 360 aren't shooters? DS has a large _diverse_ software library that only gets better every week.

The PS2 also rocks, but I worry that this time next year support for it will dwindle as developers move on to newer systems.[/quote]

Yep. Mini-game collections and franchise rehashes. That covers everything. RPGs, shooters, sports/racing games, and fighters are a thing of the past. GO DS!

Dux @ Nov 6th 2006 4:17PM

I dont think that these scores should imply on all the games that have come out in the past. I think these scores more have to do with momentum of the console and thier hype. Not on games that came out a year or 2 ago.

m3mnoch @ Nov 6th 2006 4:18PM

"Seriously, how many AAA titles for the 360 aren't shooters?"

this shooter crap really annoys me. does anyone ever say "didn't you know that the only games available for ps2 are gta sequels? god! what a stupid platform!"

go to gamerankings.com and sort the list to top 10 360 titles. what do you find? all of them are 85% or higher. the top of the list? oblivion.

so. um -- yeah. 80% of the current "best" 360 games aren't shooters.

m3mnoch.

arch @ Nov 6th 2006 4:18PM

OY! These hardware misconceptions!

"when the second wave of PS3 games come out it will truly show its superior hardware"

*smashes head on desk* WHAT?! supperior hardware?!

sony has succeded with their propaganda.

m3mnoch @ Nov 6th 2006 4:23PM

"First, add up how many exclusives for that console are really worth the time. Score a point for each."

ouch. that's gonna crush "next-gen" scores. devs have too much riding on it to avoid multiplatform titles.

m3mnoch.

Me @ Nov 6th 2006 4:25PM

Funny as hell how the Nintendo systems got rated the best, but the PS2 is the best system ever and the PS3 is the most powerful gaming machine ever and is capable of playing all PS2 and PS1 games !!! These grades are completely wrong.

32_Footsteps @ Nov 6th 2006 4:30PM

Well, if all the good titles are multiplatform, there really isn't any reason other than fanboyism or economics to favor one console over another, now is there?

Truth be told, my technique is really only useful for comparing systems in the same generation. If you wanted to compare, say, the Super Nintendo to the PS2, it probably would be fair to count multiplatform games as well (so the SNES could get credit for the Earthworm Jim games, and the PS2 gets Madden and GTA to its credit).

Ian @ Nov 6th 2006 4:31PM

"PS2 is the best system ever and the PS3 is the most powerful gaming machine ever"

No doubt wooooooo!

Rabish12 @ Nov 6th 2006 4:33PM

#30: By your rating system, if a machine ends up getting all of the best titles on every system ever released and none of the crap and isn't backwards compatible with anything, and it doesn't happen to have any exclusives it deserves a zero. It has what is essentially a perfect library, with the best of the best throughout the history of video games, and yet it receives a terribly low score because someone who can afford to buy dozens of different consoles and several different PCs would be able to get all of the games on it. Not good enough.

#36: High-end gaming PCs are the most powerful gaming machines ever, and they make the PS3's capabilities look downright shameful.

Saneless @ Nov 6th 2006 4:40PM

THis article was much better when I misread the title as "Game systems get retarded"

Sam Machkovech @ Nov 6th 2006 4:41PM

PSP review should make note of both loading times and homebrew/emulation potential...otherwise, solid.

Moe @ Nov 6th 2006 4:42PM

Many people seemed to miss the point of the grading. The grade was based on the console's future, as in support for it in the form of games. The Xbox and GC received such poor grades because they have been virtually abandoned by their respective companies. The grades are not meant to be a comprehensive judgment.

32_Footsteps @ Nov 6th 2006 4:43PM

Uh, Rabish? Do you even realize how poor your math is in your theoretical circumstance?

Okay, let's say this theoretical system has all the good titles that have come out on other systems. First, by default, this is some variety of backwards compatibility (like the virtual console on the Wii or Xbox Live Arcade).

Second, this means that the other systems' top titles are no longer exclusive. So they're also getting no points for any of their good titles - but they're losing points because they don't have the other system's good titles.

Okay, so maybe my scoring system has your perfect console at a zero. But it has every other console in such a mythical world at a huge negative. So it still scores as the best console, period.

serb @ Nov 6th 2006 4:43PM

so the best selling console with a huge game library gets a lower grade than a "fps player" thats sold less in a year than the ds has in 9 months
ya this guy knows what hes talking about........

crono141 @ Nov 6th 2006 4:45PM

Holy crap, "Me" is still here.

I thought the last batch of "troll B gone" got rid of him and darryl.

I sure hope darryl isn't still trolling here.

KilgoreTrout XL @ Nov 6th 2006 4:47PM

Wow. That's patently absurd.

Not only do the ratings have no basis in reality (See Xbox: "D" v. PSP: "B"), 25% of the systems so rated aren't out yet.

Rabish12 @ Nov 6th 2006 4:52PM

"Uh, Rabish? Do you even realize how poor your math is in your theoretical circumstance?

Okay, let's say this theoretical system has all the good titles that have come out on other systems. First, by default, this is some variety of backwards compatibility (like the virtual console on the Wii or Xbox Live Arcade)."

False. Collections, such as the Capcom Classics Collection, are not a form of backwards compatibility. You are purchasing ports of the games made specifically for that system.

"Second, this means that the other systems' top titles are no longer exclusive. So they're also getting no points for any of their good titles - but they're losing points because they don't have the other system's good titles."

Point taken. Let's assume that this theoretical system only gets the best non-exclusives from every other system then. You no longer end up with every other console landing down in the negative numbers, and this theoretical system still lands at zero. The rating system's still got a massive hole there, as it still ignores the benefits of being able to get excellent games from a number of different systems without having to actually buy those different systems. And then, of course, you're ignoring things like the additional features that they might offer (which definitely should count towards how well a system is rated).

We could always just try NOT rating systems, of course. Anything system you use to rate them is inevitably going to fail in some way anyways.

Ian @ Nov 6th 2006 4:54PM

@31 Queeg

Uh...Where to start..

"RPGs" (not including GBA) - Final Fantasy 3, Children of Mana, Contact, Mario & Luigi

"shooters" - Metroid Prime, Tomb Raider, Splinter Cell, Star Fox

"sports/racing games" - Mario Hoops, Mario Kart, Tony Hawk, FIFA, Eyeshield 21, Ridge Racer

"fighters" - Jump Superstars, Guilty Gear, Bleach

The DS more or less dominates every genre except "PS2 ports."

KillerSlinky @ Nov 6th 2006 5:03PM

Ahhh, are all you people stupid? Read the friggin first sentence in the ARTICLE. Yeah, theres words to go with the picture that everyone just goes straight to. This is a rating based on HOLIDAY SALES! It's great that XBox has both Halos and Riddick, but that was 2+ damn years ago. Nobody is buying an XBox this Christmas. It has great games, but nothing this holiday season. And XBox 360 is better graded because its been out longer. It has a larger library, so people are going to buy it over the other two, because you can play more than two games on it. Resistance is great, but that's all the PS3 has running for it this Holiday.

You damn people need to read the damn articles before posting your insipid damn comments, and look like damn fools.