Favourite Video Game Console Ever?

[Dean]

I've not seen this topic brought up properly for quite some time so I thought I'd ask you guys what your favourite video game console/system of all time is. I'd also like you to at least give some reasons for your choice and not just give a console name. It can be for whatever reasons you choose. The design of the system, the library of games it has, nostalgia linked to it or anything like that.

For me, I have two favourite consoles that I struggle to pick between. They're actually consoles that I only acquired this year, but they're older than me.

The first is the Sega Master System. A console from the 8-bit era that was actually more successful than the NES in the UK and I believe Europe as a whole. The games, like most 8-bit era games, are fairly primitive. They're played with a D-pad and two main buttons but they rely on difficulty to ensure that they take a while to beat. The games themselves are by no means great, but the action starts as soon as you start up the game. You're almost always instantly met with difficulty, which can be fun if not frustrating.

I like the pick up and play aspect that games from this era have. There's no mindlessly walking around huge open maps to find something interesting. It's just non stop action and I think that's what a lot of modern titles are missing.

On top of that, it's a nice system to collect for. The consoles aren't expensive and the games sell for around £3 including postage on eBay. The entire Master System library only contains about 318 games, so it's by no means impossible to have a near complete collection for it.

The second system is the Sega Mega Drive. Or the Sega Genesis if you're from North America. My reason for liking this system so much is similar to the reasons that I like the Master System. The games are hard and make you jump straight into the action. No sitting about waiting for things to offer a challenge. It's there from the start. The main distinction between this system and the Master System is that it comes from the 16-bit era. The games look nicer, sound nicer and are all in all more colourful, which is always nice.

There are so many classic titles on this system as it had a library around three times the size of the Master System. I just love the look and feel of games from the 16-bit era. It's everything I like about the 8-bit era, but nicer. Games like Sonic The Hedgehog can still be considered "nice looking" even today, unlike a lot of games from the early days of 3D graphics that quite frankly look terrible now.

I do also have a very small amount of nostalgia attached to this console. Technically it was the first console that I ever played, although my memory of it is quite poor. I'd have been less than five years old at the time but I can still remember playing Aladdin and there are even some really vague memories of Sonic.

So yea, those are my two current favourite consoles. I do have reasons to like most of the consoles I own, maybe with the exception of the Sega Saturn. It's not awful, but it has quite a bland library of games in my opinion.

Anyway, what is your favourite console of all time and why?

[Dean]

At 6/28/12 10:41 AM, YoDudle wrote: I always thought the PS2 was my favorite console.

I always claimed that to be my favourite console. My gaming years were definitely in their prime when the PS2 was current gen. It had so many awesome games. The one downside to it, for me at least, is that if you play some of the games now they look worse than you remember. In some cases, they look pretty awful. It's at that stage where 3D graphics were looking nicer on consoles, but they just didn't the resolution they needed.

At 6/28/12 10:49 AM, Tramps wrote: Anyway, my favourite is the Nintendo 64.

I do like the N64. The games (especially those developed by Rare) have a charm to them that I don't think exists any more. But as for your comment on some of the games being revisited, they have. Zelda is still going strong and OoT had the 3DS remake. Banjo Kazooie got that (somewhat bad) Nuts and Bolts game and several of the other series you mentioned still exist.

It's just hard to recreate games like that on modern consoles because it's hard to make a full game out of them I think. They're more suited to downloadable games now. Also, current gamers probably aren't as interested in that style of games as they once were. It's all about shooting terrorists now.

[Mismo]

If I still had a NES I'd be playing the shit out of it.

[Cootie]

Super Nintendo was my first console, and I liked it so much that it is still connected to my television. I have sold my N64, PS1, and PS2 but I would never go without having a SNES. I love platforming games, and they were at their prime on the SNES.

[JonnyScatman]

My favorite childhood console is the Nintendo 64; a close match would be the PS2 due to the sheer amount of varied content the console has to offer.

[POTaTOS]

I loved the PS2, but I only played a few of the same games on it. With the PS3, I play a much larger variety of games. So I'll go with the PS3.

[Sword-of-Kings]

My favorite retro console (5th gen and before) is the Super Nintendo. There are so many great games on it like Super Mario World, The Legend Of Zelda A Link To The Past and Super Metroid. The Super Nintendo also has my favorite RPGs, EarthBound, Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger and the list goes on.

My favorite newer console is the Xbox 360. My favorite Xbox 360 games are Grand Theft Auto IV, Halo 3 and Call Of Duty 4. My favorite Xbox Live Arcade games are Banjo-Kazooie and Mega Man 10.

Overall my favorite console ever is the Super Nintendo.

[Oolaph]

My favourite console is definitely the Genesis/Mega Drive. I didn't actually own one as a kid, but would always go to my grandmother's house and play hers. I have an uncountable amount good memories with that console, and I have the same one I used to play there in my room now.

The fact that it's my favourite console isn't only because of nostalgia, it's also home to many of my favourite games and I find that the more I collect for it, the more I love it.

[kakalxlax]

pc, it runs almost every game and has the best graphics

[sweet21]

I absolutely loved the PS2 but the PS3 is slowly taking it's place. The idea of an online store with constant discounts and plenty of HD collections or ports still gives me a great library to choose from and the games are just as great.

[POTaTOS]

At 6/28/12 06:48 PM, kakalxlax wrote: pc, it runs almost every game and has the best graphics

Correction: Very few PC's run every game. And that's just every game available to the PC. It doesn't run console exclusives.

[Chdonga]

Nintendo 64 with PS1, PS2, and Gamecube trailing behind. I grew up playing these consoles and I have more fond memories playing games of that era than I do now.

[Crink]

tl;dr

n64

[orangebomb]

This is a tough one, because I have played many game consoles before and almost all of them had something enjoyable with them at one time or another. If I had to pick one though, I would have to go with the SNES slightly over the PS2, Genesis/Mega Drive and Xbox 360.

Much of my childhood revolved around the SNES in some way, and a large amount of games that I remember playing as a kid came from the SNES, from Super Mario World and All Stars to Super Street Fighter II, Contra 3 and even Tecmo Bowl. Hell, I even still have that console today with about 15 games hooked up right now, and most of them play just as well as they did before.

[TheMajormel]

Playstation 2.

So many games!!!!!!
The Ps3 is boring compared to ps2

[mothballs]

1. Gamecube
2. N64
3. PS3

If there was a list for the worst consoles, the Wii would be at the top.

[Oolaph]

At 6/28/12 11:23 PM, mothballs wrote: If there was a list for the worst consoles, the Wii would be at the top.

The Wii's not even that bad as a console, it just has a really weak library.

[mothballs]

At 6/28/12 11:29 PM, Oolaph wrote:

At 6/28/12 11:23 PM, mothballs wrote: If there was a list for the worst consoles, the Wii would be at the top.

The Wii's not even that bad as a console, it just has a really weak library.

Nintendo just failed so miserably at creating games like they used to. They got so caught up with becoming the unique console due to the motion controls and everything that they completely lost their focus on creating good things to play. There are only a handful of good games that they came up with, and compare that to the amount of good games they made for the N64 and Gamecube.

[JonnyScatman]

At 6/28/12 11:41 PM, mothballs wrote: Nintendo just failed so miserably at creating games like they used to. They got so caught up with becoming the unique console due to the motion controls and everything that they completely lost their focus on creating good things to play. There are only a handful of good games that they came up with, and compare that to the amount of good games they made for the N64 and Gamecube.

That can honestly be said about any Nintendo console since the N64. If I never grew up with an N64 (or had the Rareware titles been on something else), I wouldn't have placed it very high on my list. The Wii has some of the most creative games that Nintendo's ever made in my book, such as Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, but I will admit their library isn't as stellar as their earlier years since most third-party companies branched off after the SNES. Think about it: Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, and other franchises moved away from the N64 and onto the PS1, among other consoles.

I'm still standing that the Wii has some interesting games that didn't make me regret getting it. Different strokes for different blokes I suppose.

[kakalxlax]

At 6/28/12 09:14 PM, POTaTOS wrote:

At 6/28/12 06:48 PM, kakalxlax wrote: pc, it runs almost every game and has the best graphics

Correction: Very few PC's run every game. And that's just every game available to the PC. It doesn't run console exclusives.

pcs can run almost every game, maybe the worst pcs need to set graphics at medium or low. and the best console games are for pc, and for the ones that are not (usually the bad ones) you can always download an emulator for pc..
so... yea, pc is the best console, without contest

[POTaTOS]

At 6/29/12 12:13 AM, kakalxlax wrote:

At 6/28/12 09:14 PM, POTaTOS wrote:

At 6/28/12 06:48 PM, kakalxlax wrote: pc, it runs almost every game and has the best graphics

Correction: Very few PC's run every game. And that's just every game available to the PC. It doesn't run console exclusives.

pcs can run almost every game, maybe the worst pcs need to set graphics at medium or low. and the best console games are for pc, and for the ones that are not (usually the bad ones) you can always download an emulator for pc..
so... yea, pc is the best console, without contest

You'd need a PC that's about a thousand dollars to run almost every game. My 600 dollar PC can't run games like my 200 dollar console can. You can argue that you get what you pay for, as long as you pay 1 grand or more. Also, please tell me how I can play my favorite game inFAMOUS 2 on PC. I kind of want to knwo.

[Kunera]

I'd probably have to say the Super Nintendo.

[Deadly-Shadow]

If we're not including PC, then it's probably PlayStation 2 and Super Nintendo.

PlayStation 3 would be my choice instead if mine was backwards compatable, but it isn't...

[malachi117]

Originally I was torn between the N64, Gamecube, and the Genesis.

As the Genesis was my first console, and my first foray into gaming. Mortal Kombat, Vectorman, TNMT, etc. While the N64 and Gamecube brought about some of the greatest times of my life with my friends, and instilled the life long love of games I have today.

But I feel that the Gameboy Color has to be my favorite. It was my first portable game system, and it went literally everywhere with me, you could never tear my away from that magical little device, and of course it introduced me to Pokemon, which became by far my most loved and cherished game series of all time.

[ZJ]

Mine is probably the Wii because it plays N64, SNES, NES, Genesis, and other games while being host to a bunch of cool original games like Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Super Mario Strikers Charged.

N64 is a close second because I loved its games growing up. It got me started in gaming, really.

[malfunction19]

for the previous gen it would be ps2 in current gen it would be ps3, on retro it would be the dreamcast!

[Lionelion]

Its a toss-up between the N64 and the Gamecube. I grew up on the SNES, but i never got to play very many games on it, so i never got to experience it in full. With the N64 and the Gamecube though, i played way more games on them, thus giving me a better perspective on them.
If we're talking handheld consoles though, then its a toss-up between the GBC and the DS. Played so many hours and so many games on both of them, its hard to say which one I like more

[Dean]

To ease the worries of the people trying to defend the PC, this thread is about VIDEO GAME consoles/systems. Not computer games. I'm talking about systems that are dedicated to the sole purpose playing games. Actually, due to modern systems being able to do more than just play games, I'll re-word that to "their primary function must be to play games".

PC is not a valid answer in this thread.

[Murray]

Out of all the consoles, I've loved the original Playstation the most. Yes, I will say there is a huge nostalgia factor to this but when I look back at the excellent range of games they provided, it's really hard to think of another good contender for the king of consoles. That long list of quality games is what could make you live with one console throughout your life and to think there's still games out there on the PS1 that I need to hunt down such as MediEvil II.

[argile]

At first I sort of had to avoid this thread altogether mainly for the fact that don't think I could be able to write a detailed summery about the reasons why I like the consoles that I've played Childhood and now because at first stance I know it's not the hardware but I stand highly towards the fact the Software behind system and what it could get away with it's limitations is what makes the console a great idea to buy in the first place.
1.Super Nintendo had a great library especially for the choices of Role playing games it had available at the time compared to it's main competitor Genesis ,was one of the first to do the Illusions of Depth with it's 3DFX and Super Fx chips. A few of it's titles were surprising during it's later years thanks to Rareware for the Donkey Kong Country and Squaresoft for Super mario Rpg
2.genesis: Besides The Blast Processing and additional animation,The Sound processor showed it's Crazy amount of potential for the music produced for few games and multi platform titles like Earthworm Jim where it started off first.Though Sega has made bad decissions while not some bad games with making the two add ons 32x and SegaCD... I think there was a cable service that was similar to On-live
3.Gameboy /DS evolution or line up
4. PSX My First Exposure to 3d gaming
5.nintendo 64
6.Wii