1. Sega Saturn: Sega pretty much gave us their version of a Neo Geo. The system was great for playing arcade games and Sega had some pretty cool home games for the system as well.
2. SNES: I was a Genesis owner first and I didn't see the need to own this console the first year it came out. Man, was I glad I picked it up the following year, because there were so many greats on this little console that could. Genesis fans may hate on the SNES soundchip, but I think it sounds great.
3. PS3: I'm not talking about the gimped version they have now, I'm talking about the 60 gig model with 98% backwards compatibility. The original Playstation probably has one of the greatest selections of software for any console, outside of the 8-bit computers. There's something for everyone on this system, even the critics. Having a system that can play PS3, PS2 and Playstation 1 games is a great option.
4. C64: I know, some may call it just a computer, but this was my gaming console after the 2600 market imploded. Before there was MAME and ports to the Playstation, Dreamcast and such, this was my arcade playing console. The soundchip was amazing for its day and there's a lot of great games that show it off.
5. Genesis: I didn't actually buy the Genesis when it first came out, but I did purchase it from a friend who had bought one when they were giving away 2 free games. I came with Altered Beast, Phantasy Star II and Super Thunderblade (The SNES isn't the only console that has Super games). I was an Amiga gamer, before I bought this console, so I was pretty amazed at how polished the titles were. It was quite a step up from anything I'd played before.
6. Xbox 360: Some like to call it a PC in consoles clothing, but gaming is still in its roots. PSN is a pretty good network, but LIVE set the standards for everyone else to follow. While I do enjoy the retail releases for this system, it was games like Pinball FX2, Pac-Man CD and Geometry Wars that set the standards for downloadable games.
7. NES: When I'd first seen the NES at a local department store, I wasn't all that impressed. Yeah, the Duck Hunt game looked interesting, but I saw no reason to own ROB the robot. I was a C64 gamer at the time, and couldn't see a big difference in the graphics. Then I play Super Mario Bros Vs. at a Peter Piper Pizza gameroom. That was one of the most amazing arcade games I'd played in a long time and like Donkey Kong, it captured my interest and my tokens. There's a lot of great games on this system, from Capcom to Konami, this system had it covered.
8. Gamecube: What? You say. I can't remember a time (maybe the SNES) when a console would have several games that just floored you. Zelda: The Wind Waker may have had a broken ending, but the trip to get there was quite amazing. The animations, the music, the ingenious level designs, this was the Zelda I'd been waiting for. When I'd heard that a company called Retro Studios was working on the next Metroid, I said to myself, WTF?! After playing the game, I can say that not only did they do an amazing job, but this may be one of the best Metroid games ever made. Rogue Zquadron II, nuff said.
9. Dreamcast: If I'd made this list in 2002, this system would have been near the top. Phantasy Star Online was and probably still is, my most played game ever. Then you had soon to be classics like Shenmue and Jet Grind Radio. It had a lot of great arcade games as well. Many years later, a lot of the software has been ported or updated. Time hasn't been too good for the little white box that could.
10. N64: I seriously thought about putting another console here, maybe the VCS, or the Xbox, but there were a few titles on this system that I'll always have fond memories of. The N64 as a whole, was a disappointment for me, because it didn't feel like the SNES and a lot of the 3rd party support (like Square) moved over to Sony's camp. I still enjoy playing Pilot Wings, Wave Race, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, but some of the other titles haven't aged as well.
Reply With Quote
