Playstation 2:

      How is PS2 doing?  Well first of all, PS2 has been out on the market for roughly a year.  Many people own a PS2, including myself, and are either happy or frustrated.  How can this be?  Let me show you:
      This holiday, we see some of the most anticipated PS2 games that have been talked about for months.  What is the problem with these games?  Too much blood, gore, violence, etc...  Now I don't have a problem with this, but let me say this: politicians will.  These games are definitely affecting the younger PS2 owners.  Grand Theft Auto 3, Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid 2- they're all rated Mature.  If you are free to make your own choices, then great.  If not, then oh well.  You'll just have to settle with the other games that aren't violent.  Final Fantasy 10 (or Roman numeral X, rated Teen), Gran Turismo 3- A-Spec (sure its been out on the market for a few months, but who cares?  Rated E, but might be a little confusing for young people), Ico (rated T), Kinetica (T), SSX Tricky (E) and other such games that are less violent help the younger PS2 owners.  Playstation 2 is also getting its price lowered by about $100 hopefully (but is still about $329 for those of you who need a PS2, GT3, and the wheel).  Also, Playstation 2 is being granted an internet system pretty soon, and that should be good (from aol).  Let me give you a rundown:

Name: Playstation 2
The big man behind it all:
Price: $299 as of now, $329 with Gran Turismo 3 bundle (PS2, GT3, and wheel and controllers and plugs of course)
Release date: October 26, 2000
Main Games: Gran Turismo 3, Grand Theft Auto 3, Final Fantasy X, Ico, Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid 2, SSX Tricky, Kinetica
Good: very anticipated games and online now...
Bad: ...that are M-Rated and games are complained to be hard to make.  Also, if the PS2's price isn't lowered, then it's the most expensive system with
What I think: The companies (even Sony) are making either too short or too crappy games (or both!).  Being picky about it, I only own 4 PS2 games and rent the rest.
Next Stop:

Xbox

      Okay. Let's face it.  Bill Gates is innocent.  And his only crime is... well... that's not important. It's the Xbox, and as far as I'm concerned, I have to say stuff bout it.  Well, Xbox looks stunning, but where's its weakness?  Let me explain.  There are so many mandatory add-ons that I'm buried up to my neck in them.  To unlock DVDs, you need a $40 remote.  The Xbox is the most expensive out of the competition.  Also, there are complaints about the controller for being too large and bulky.  But the Xbox is supposed to be a fast machine.  Devolepers love that.  No PC ports though (in terms of video games).  Speaking of which, there aren't as many M-rated games expected for now as the PS2 is.  Not exactly sure how many M-rated games though (Xbox is not my major).  Well here's the important facts:
Name: Xbox
Launch date: November 8, 2001
Price: $299 (+1 game is about $40-50 more)
Main games: Dead or Alive 3, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Halo, Cel damage, Shrek
Good: Online built in, supposed to be fast machine (developers love that)
Bad: Horrible Xbox showing at E3, bulky controller, expensive, low third-party support from Japan
My Look: All that has made me interested in the Xbox is Dead or Alive 3, but the other side of the scale is much heavier.  Also, I walked into EB to reserve my Gamecube, and I see an Xbox demo.  I play it, watch it, and it's confusing (btw, the game was Fusion Frenzy)
Next Stop:

Nintendo Gamecube

      If you are reading this then this is the system that you (hopefully) want to buy.  The Gamecube is definitely the cheapest buy at $199.  Also, parents know Nintendo, making more kids under 16 get the Gamecube.  The games also look interesting.  For launch, we have Luigi's Mansion (see Mastr's preview), Wave Race: Blue Storm, Star Wars: Rouge Leader, Super Monkey Ball (see my preview), SSX Tricky, some other third party games that you can find under the poll, and some sports games (my least favorite genre, because it shouldn't cost $20-$50 to play basketball).  By the end of the Holiday Season, we will also have Super Smash Brothers: Melee (see Mastr's preview), Pikmin (see Mastr's preview), and Eternal Darkness.  Out off all of these, we have only 1 M-rated game (Eternal Darkness), 2 T-rated games (or 1, there is a debate on Super Smash Brothers: Melee, but Rogue Leader is the other one), and the rest are E.  This could be bad because it adds onto the reputation of Nintendo making too many "kiddy games", and it drains the attention from the older gamers and makes them want to get a PS2 or Xbox.  Also, Nintendo won't have a built-in DVD player, which isn't the biggest of problems if you have a DVD player in your computer, but even if that's not the case, video game systems were made to play video games, not play music and DVDs.  Here's the rundown:
Name: Gamecube
Launch date: November 18, 2001
Price: $199 for system, $40-50 for game
Main games: Rouge Leader, Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Brothers: Melee, Eternal Darkness, Pikmin, Super Monkey Ball, Wave Race 2
Good: Parents know Nintendo, cheapest system, shorthand for pure video games
Bad: games too kiddie for older audience?!?!, can't play DVDs or music CDs, 3rd party support isn't that strong
My look: Personally, I think that the downsides for the Gamecube are minor, and being cheap and everything, I'll have enough birthday money to buy Gamecube stuff until next September.

Dreamcast