What sort of games do you play at the moment?

I'm all over the place, but I especially like multiplayer and puzzle games, and I'm not a fan of RPGs, FPSs or most PC games (though I love emulation)--this concerns me, a little, because, last time around, the Microsoft console was strongest in the genres that I like the least.

This time, though, I feel like the 360 is going to be the PlayStation of its generation--biggest library, best third-party support, that kind of thing.

X-ponysterical.

Get a 360 for the sweet graphics and more-affordable-than-a-PS3 factor. Then also get a Wii for the fun family-friendly puzzle and fun type games.

(disclaimer: I don't have a Wii. Yet. Soon.)

PS3 shouldn't even be a consideration. You could get a Wii AND 360 for the same amount of money and so far the PS3 games (and even the upcoming games list) is pretty weak.

360 will probably have the strongest lineup all around. The Wii mainly has the fun controller + the strength of Zelda/Mario/Metroid franchises. If Zelda and Metroid (similar to a FPS these days) are not really interesting to you, the XBox might be your best bet.

We have a 360 and it does produce great graphics. The xbox library seems to consist mainly of war games and sports games and shooters though. I'm always on the lookout when we're in a video game store or looking online, and I have yet to see one game I wanted to play besides Prince of Persia for the xbox.

the Microsoft console was strongest in the genres that I like the least

Definitely check again, because you may still feel the same way. They aren't big on puzzle games at all, although they do have a good deal of multiplayers, but it seems they're mostly sports or FPSs.

We have a GC and a PS2 right now as well, and I want a Wii and a PS3. I'd like a PS3 just for any future Final Fantasy games that come out, and the Wii I want for the huge Mario library, and the Zelda games.

So far in the new generation of systems, 360 actually has the most puzzle games. There is one so-so one for PS3 and of the ones on the Wii, the best is Solmon's Key which is an old NES game which you could play via emulator in the first place. It is a fun game though.

Maybe the best bet is just to wait longer and see if any of the systems start having more of the particular games you like. I still think the 360 will be the strongest at the end, but the Wii is newer and might still end up having more down the road.

Shame you don't like action games as Gears of War is supposed to be really good and there were rumors of a Ninja Gaiden sequel in the pipeline for the 360 as well.

Oh and if you DO get a 360, get the Premium.

I'm not a big fan of either Zelda, (modern) Metroid, Final Fantasy, Halo... aside from the occasional Nintendo title, my favorites are almost always third-party ones. I love WarioWare, but I don't think that playing Smooth Moves is worth several hundred bucks to me, especially when I've already got a GameCube and a DS.

I think that I'd be a lot more pro-Wii if the graphics and processing power and whatnot were better. It's not like that stuff is particularly important to me, but I can't blame developers for wanting the most powerful tools available to them (or for wanting the largest possible marketplace for their products), and I'll be very surprised if the Wii isn't the consistent loser when it comes to cross-platform titles.

Also, so the Core version? Not even worth considering, huh?

Is the core the one without a hard drive? If so, definitely pass that up and go for the hd package. If not, ignore this comment.

We bought the one without a hd and it was ridiculous - we had to keep getting memory cards to store save data on, and if you're online you can't download any of the old school games that xbox has available in exchange for points. Some of them are really fun. And I may be wrong about this but I don't think you can play reg xbox games on the 360 without the hd. So we ended up getting the hd anyway, and it ended up costing more, between the hd and the memory cards. So spend the extra up front for the hd - you won't regret it ever. Buy a fan too.

weretable - what xbox puzzle games did you think were especially good?

Get the 360 version of Guitar Hero II when it comes out in April. The big draw: downloadable content via XBox Live (read as: get new songs periodically!) and it's the ne plus ultra game for having company over. Everyone has already air-guitared at some point in their life.

I've already got PS2 Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II, and two guitars, and so I'd probably rather pick up the soon-to-be-released Guitar Hero 80's Edition. (Speaking of new songs, do you know about Frets of Fire?)

First rule: NEVER buy a console at launch or in the first year of life. Consoles need time to grow a consistent line-up. I Picked the Xbox 360 in August, paying it less (I brought a malfunctioning and chipped Ps2 to Blockbuster and got a 100€ discount).
As a second rule I never buy more than one console every generation.

We bought an xbox 360 last weekend. It is pretty good as far as graphics go, but it seems WAY more advanced than the standard xbox we have. You get a login and keep track of 'achievements' as you play different games. When (if) you get xbox live, you can download a patch that will let you play regular xbox games on the 360. You can also download arcade games onto the xbox itself. I was also impressed that you can turn on/off the system using a controller. I think that I'll like it, but I am still holding out for the wii.

Thanks, everybody! Okay, so if I get one, I'll get a Premium (and thanks especially, weretable and others, for talking me back from the ledge of PS3 insanity--if I want Sony to go bankrupt, I've got to put my money where my mouth is). Maybe I'll pick up a Wii later, depending on the games and whatnot (after all, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing and Smash Brothers are all in the pipeline), but I've got big GC and DS collections, so, these days, my thirst for Nintendo product is pretty well satiated.

Follow-up questions: which 360 games should I buy if I want to be blown away with amazing sound and visuals? Which ones should I buy if I want to play something while, y'know, drinking and smoking with my buddies? Bearing in mind that I completely skipped the Xbox last time around, which original-Xbox games should I consider buying?

- what xbox puzzle games did you think were especially good?

I am just going by reviews mostly. Bejeweled is a great game if one has not already played it on the PC and I really like Hexic (which used to come preloaded with the 360, not sure if it does now or not). I played a few minutes of Astropop once, it seemed fun but I didn't play long enough to form a real opinion.

I don't have a 360 yet so my opinion on the games for it is probably no more useful than looking at the reviews on Gamespot or somwhere. You don't like FPS games so Gears of War is probably out, but if you like racing games at all (especially arcade-style racers) you will like the Need for Speed: Most Wanted on the 360. I played it for a while and it is already on my list of games to buy when I pick the system up down the road.

There are quite a few great original Xbox games and most are probably available for pretty good prices if you look around.

The very best game of the last console generation IMHO is Ninja Gaiden Black. It is simply the best fighting action game ever made. If you like action games at all, it is a must have. Keep in mind that it is very difficult at times and a lot of people seem to have given up on it at the boss of the first level. But it is an amazing game.

I liked Burnout 3 and Project Gotham 2, both racing games. Tony Hawk 4 was great fun. Outrun 2 was great fun as well.

Actually not liking FPS or RPG games kinda limits the suggestions somewhat. I tend to occasionally play puzzle games, but never play multiplayer games.

Did you have a PS2? If so, what non-multiplayer games did you like on it? What are some games you liked for the Cube?

FPS and RPG aren't my favorites, but if something's really great, there's a good chance I'll make an exception for it.

For PS2, I like (after glancing at gamerankings' top-100 listings) Okami, Katamari Damacy, Guitar Hero, Burnout, Soul Calibur, Tony Hawk, GTA and Def Jam games. For GameCube, my favorites are the two Bomberman games, but I also greatly enjoy Wario Ware, Mario Kart, Ikaruga, Tetris, Puyo Pop, Monkey Ball, Animal Crossing, SSX, and probably a ton of stuff I'm forgetting.