Local gamer: `Grand Theft Auto' steals the show.

Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

Just how excited is Justin Field about the new "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" video game.

`(It's) the best game on the planet, in my mind," said Field, the owner of the Eugene store and gaming center Big City Gamin'. "It has elements of every other game you've ever played all put into one game, also the replay value of the game experience is better than anything I've ever seen."

For those who don't speak video game, "replay value" translates to the amount of time a player can spend on a game before mastering it or getting sick of it.

Field calls the other big seller of the holiday season, the alien shooter game "Halo 2," the "best multi-player" game out there, and says both games are flying off the shelves.

Field also hopes to see the new Star Wars game, "Knights of the Old Republic II," out in time for the holidays. A flood of new games, combined with falling prices on video game systems, is making this season a busy one for Field.

"Last year, the game systems cost more, they were more expensive and because of that the sales numbers might be lower this year. But with the quality and quantity of games out right now, I would predict that this will be the biggest holiday video game shopping year of all time," he said.

Game systems have dropped in cost from about $300 to about $150, which is the price tag on both the PlayStation 2 system and the Xbox system. The systems have roughly a year left in their lifespans; next year right about this time, manufacturers will begin unveiling their next generation systems.

In the meantime, Sony has slimmed down its PlayStation unit to half of its former size. The two-pound system is currently outselling the Xbox at Big City.

Nintendo's less in-demand Gamecube system is selling for about $100.

With the year's two biggest- selling games limited to two different systems (`Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" on the PlayStation 2 and "Halo 2' on the Xbox), gift-giving choices can boil down to which platform your favorite gamer is playing on.

Kahlil Niemeyer, 15, an Xbox player who already has his copy of "Halo 2," plans to put game controllers and other accessories on his wish list. He also hopes to get his hands on a copy of Tom Clancy's "Ghost Recon 2' game,

"I like Xbox better than any other system," Niemeyer said. "It's got a better graphic chip, I like first-person games a lot, and I think Xbox has a better selection of first-person shooters."

The Xbox system comes with a pair of sports games and is, in Field's opinion, the better overall system and the better bargain. Still, he says, there's no reason you can't own them both.

`You always want what you don't have, and `Halo 2' is worth buying an Xbox for and `Grand Theft Auto' is worth buying a PlayStation for,' he said. "The games are that good.'

Reach Lewis Taylor at 338-2512 or [e-mail].

WHAT'S HOT

The top selling holiday games at Eugene's Big City Gamin' this holiday season

1: "Halo 2' (Xbox)

2: "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" (PS2)

3: "Metroid Prime 2' (Gamecube)

4: "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater" (PS2)

5: "Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal" (PS2)

The top video game rentals nationally for the week ending Nov. 28, according to the Portland-based tracking company Rentrak

1: "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" (PS2)

2: "Halo 2' (Xbox)

3: "Need for Speed: Underground" (PS2)

4: "Call of Duty: Finest Hour" (PS2)

5: "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater" (PS2)