$199. Nintendo claimed forever that the N64 would launch at "under $250." Everyone assumed that meant $249. The N64 debuted at $199, which is also under $250. Nintendo is saying the same thing regarding the Wii's price. Launch date: November 12. The PlayStation brand has the strongest name recognition in the video game industry. If Nintendo hopes to get coverage from the mainstream media, it needs to release the Wii before the PS3. Games? 15 at launch. Surely developers are having trouble figuring out how to make use of the Wii's unique controller, and that will limit the number of games available at launch despite the relative ease of development compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence - Limited Edition + Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1 (PS2) I've never been a big fan of the Metal Gear Series, but I am a sucker for limited editions, retro collections, and pre-order bonuses. This did it all in one package--okay, two packages. My copy remains shrinkwrapped as I still have not decided whether to play it or sell it on eBay for more than twice as much as I paid for it. 2. Guitar Hero (PS2) No other game makes you feel more like a legend in your own mind than Guitar Hero. Nor does any other game makes you look as much of a fool, as you use its included toy guitar controller to "play" music. And despite looking like a fool, everyone who watches you play wants to play too. Excellent job, RedOctane and Harmonix! 3. Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade and The Fate of Atlantis (DOS) Didn't know Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure was available on CD-ROM? It was, but apparently only in difficult to find compilations like this one. If your current computer even has a floppy disk drive, good luck getting it to read those 17-year-old floppies. My copy will work forever. 4. Psychonauts (PS2) Owning Psychonauts isn't an accomplishment yet--it will in a few years--but my copy is signed by creative director and writer Tim Schafer. Okay, that isn't an accomplishment either; Tim is willing to sign anyone's copy provided they buy it direct from the developer and pay an additional ten bucks above suggested retail price. But in addition to Tim Schafer's signature, my copy came with the never available for sale and now impossible to find Psychonauts: Selected Scenes DVD-Video. 5. Final Fantasy IX (PS) This game got mixed reactions from fans of the series, but it's my second favorite, behind Final Fantasy IV. In addition, I hated Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X, which most fans loved. I make this clear to others whenever the topic of Final Fantasy comes up. (It's kind of like when my aunt goes to Chicago Cubs games wearing a Mets uniform.) Rez would have made this list, but Sega had the nerve to make new copies available, so I can no longer feel elite for owning a copy.