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Favorite 'Greatest Hits' Console Games Worldwide?

Posted by simoniker on from the tastes-be-different dept.

The Gamemaster writes "Siliconera, an import video game web site, has an interesting story comparing the favorite 'Greatest Hits' console games around the world. They look at the budget-price re-releases of previously top-selling games for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube in Europe, the U.S., and Japan, and compare them, leading to some interesting contrasts in what gamers enjoy playing across the globe."

10 of 26 comments (clear)

  1. Greatest Hits are a great idea. by Naffer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I own a PS2 and a Gamecube, and I have to say I much prefer the greatest hits system that Sony has to Nintendo's. All Sony games are eligable for rerelease as a greatest hit at $20, wheras Nintendo's "Player's Choice" system is almost completly first person titles (mentioned in the article) and usually priced closer to $30. It's great to be able to pick up games that you missed early on for a discount. I recently bought GT3 and Jak and Dakster for $20 each. $20 is just such a perfect price that I'm pretty disapointed with N sticking to $30.

    1. Re:Greatest Hits are a great idea. by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 2, Insightful

      All Sony games are eligable for rerelease as a greatest hit at $20, wheras Nintendo's "Player's Choice" system is almost completly first person titles (mentioned in the article) and usually priced closer to $30.

      Nintendo's Player's Choice titles tend to be 1st party titles simply because those are the titles that sell best on the platform. You could just as easily say that Sony's 1st party titles rarely make it to "Greatest Hit" status.

      As for the price, I usually find that by the time Nintendo comes around to re-releasing it as a Player's Choice title, it's already available at or below the $30 range, especially for used copies. In fact, since I bought my Cube most of the titles I've paid more than $30 for were recently released titles (F-Zero and Mario Kart, though Zelda would count if I didn't get it with my Cube). Pikmin, Metroid Prime, Super Monkey Ball 2, Rogue Squadron 2, Super Smash Bros Melee, and Mario Party 4 each cost me $20, and are on that list (additionally, most of the Resident Evil titles are in the $15-25 range, and Eternal Darkness is in the $12-18 range). Part of it may also be store pricing policies coming into effect, they may not realize that Player's Choice titles are any different than Greatest Hits titles (or individual stores may feel that people will pay the higher price for Cube titles). Animal Crossing wasn't a Player's Choice title when I bought it, and was still around $30-40, and as far as I can remember was the only older title that cost me more than $30 on the Cube.

      I think the price is the major reason I have managed to purchase so many titles for my Cube in such a short time frame. I have nearly the same number of Cube titles as PS2 titles. Considering that I bought my PS2 primarily for GT3, GTA3, Tekken Tag Tournament, and the Final Fantasy titles, I wasn't going to wait for those games to hit "Greatest Hits" status. On the other hand, I didn't buy the Cube until most of the titles I wanted had already dropped in price. My GBA library is also doing fairly well because even the most expensive games are in the $30-35 range rather than the $50 release price of most home console games.

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
  2. Not many game cube titles in the greatest hits. by LordZardoz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    One has to wonder if this is because Nintendo's first party titles are still selling strongly enough to warrent their standard retail price.

    Its also telling that pretty much all of the greatest hits games are published by Nintendo.

    END COMMUNICATION

    1. Re:Not many game cube titles in the greatest hits. by Txiasaeia · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Agreed. Super Smash Bros and Metroid are *still* worth $30, for example, and these games *still* blow away gamers' minds.

      --
      Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
  3. Xbox/PS2 Greatest Hits pwn Gamecube by lake2112 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I can now buy either an Xbox or PS2 and play solely greatest hits games for at least the next 6 months. The options span all genres and are all at the very least "good" games. As for Gamecube, I still have to pay $30 for each Platinum Hits game, and I still can't get some of the better games. I understand they still can sell the games at a higher price, the lack of a cheap, quality alternative is quite disappointing.

    1. Re:Xbox/PS2 Greatest Hits pwn Gamecube by unclethursday · · Score: 3, Insightful
      The options span all genres and are all at the very least "good" games.

      You call all of these 'good' games? Wreckless? Blood Wake? Blinx? Obi-Wan? Unreal (only good in multi-player on Live, not in single player)? Crash?

      Please. MS' platinum hits line is more for titles that DON'T sell as opposed to those that do like on Sony and Nintendo's lowered price lines. I'm surprised to see Splinter Cell as a Platinum Hits title...it was the 4th title to hit 1 million units worldide on the Xbox. And, yet, still no Halo in that Platinum Hits line...

  4. Nintendo doesn't really label greatest hits by prockcore · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nintendo doesn't really label greatest hits. They have a players-choice label, but there are tons of games that are out that are available for cheap that aren't labelled "player's choice".

    One game that comes to mind is Eternal Darkness. You can find that everywhere for $15-$20.. yet it's not on the list.

    1. Re:Nintendo doesn't really label greatest hits by ArmyOfFun · · Score: 2, Informative

      Another great cheap game you can pick up for less than $20 for Gamecube (and PS2) is TimeSplitters 2. Decent single player, but an awesome multiplayer game (better than Goldeneye IMO).

  5. Platinum Hits are NOT the best games! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "The best games for the Xbox are universally known as the platnium hits collection."

    That statement just isn't true. There are plenty of crappy Platinum Hits (Blood Wake anyone?). Going "Platinum" isn't any kind of seal of approval or commendation, it's merely an indication that the game got enough sales or buzz to justify repackaging it and squeezing a few more bucks out of it.

  6. there's more than "Vive la France" by imperator_mundi · · Score: 2, Informative

    is interesting that in the list pages Europe hit are marked with a french flag...

    hey people at Siliconera France is a lovely and quite large country and of course it's in Europe, but it's far far far away from represent the entire continent; the EU flag might be more appropriated : )