Best/Worst Generation of Consoles? [Archive]

VG_Maniac

06-21-2009, 11:00 PM

What do you consider to be the best console generation, and the worst? Don't include the consoles that came out during the video game crash of the early 80's as the worst...as that's too obvious.

For me, I'd say the 16-bit generation of the early to mid 90's was the best (even though some failures such as CD-I and Jaguar came out during those years).

As for my least favorite generation, I'd have to say this one we are currently in. I just haven't found myself as interested in the games that have come out this generation as I was in the generations before it...although I do like the Wii better than the GameCube.

Pezcore343

06-21-2009, 11:20 PM

Well although I'm not a big fan of those crash era systems I definitely don't think they're the worst. I find a certain charm about them, and I love the fact that there was a lot of choices back then, between Colecovision, Intellivision, Atari's consoles, all the computers that were around at the time. So I definitely don't think they deserve the title of worst.

I think my least favorite is the early CD days. Not only were load times a hassle, but the jump to early 3D graphics was so ugly. Yeah it was amazing at the time, but unlike the 8-bit 2D graphics, they don't have any charm or appeal today.

My favorite, hmmm. That's a tough one. I'm quite fond of the last generation, and a lot of my favorite releases are on the PS2, Xbox, and Dreamcast. I'm also a huge fan of the 16-bit era since the Genesis was my first console and only console for most of my childhood.

The Old School Gamer

06-21-2009, 11:29 PM

I think the 16-bit era was the best, alot of quality games and the war between Sega and Nintendo always kept thing intresting.

Its hard to think of the worst if we are not including the crash of 1983. I guess it would be the "32 bit" era (1993-1998). The PlayStation was great at the time but alot of its games have not aged that well. The N64 was kind of a dissapointment and the Saturn was not well supported in the USA. Then you got the Jaguar which bombed. The 3DO was cool but way too expensive and failed. The CD-I was junk unless you liked watching movies on CD. The 32x and Virtual Boy were also huge failures. Sure there were plenty of great games but the move from 2D to 3D was shakey.

jacrough

06-21-2009, 11:31 PM

16-bit is my favorite.

The GCN/PS2/XBOX generation. Nothing really innovative since the previous generation– just better graphics.

crom

06-21-2009, 11:37 PM

im going to say snes/genesis era as the best...

gaming mags were abundant, the internet wasnt around to ruin cheat codes and walkthroughs... arcade ports were highly anticipated... the good old days...

I cant say that this gen is bad though, i love my 360, and it gets played probably as much as all the other systems I own when they were in their hayday...

the tail end of the snes/genesis era was the worst, cd-i, 3do, jaguar, 32x, virtual boy... not that I hate those systems, it just seemed like technology was so eager to give us 3d games that they forgot the basic principals that made games fun...

the industry learned pretty quickly though, giving us saturn, n64 and playstation... mostly playstation though, because without sony during that era it would have been pretty mediocore imo

Nirvana

06-21-2009, 11:45 PM

SNES/Genesis era was my favorite. Nostalgia heavily affects my choice, though.

Least favorite? That's tough. I'd say the one we are currently in. I find myself only playing Street Fighter IV and Castlevania: Dawn of Ecclesia now.

otaku

06-21-2009, 11:45 PM

The 90s were good times gaming and otherwise. Pre 90s is probably my least favorite.

Baloo

06-22-2009, 12:02 AM

The 16-bit era was definitely the best era in gaming in my opinion. Genesis and SNES were both really good systems, and there was a lot of variety between the two. Best console war and system era ever.

The weakest for me was by far the 32-bit era. At least in America, there were some really sucky systems released over here at the time. You had the CD-i, Jaguar, the 3D0, the Pippin, the Virtual Boy, the Saturn (in terms of games here, NOT in terms of imports and hardware specs), and the Playstation.

All 6 of those systems were poor to mediocre showings:

Jaguar - All around horrible
3D0 - Overpriced, had no games
Virtual Boy - The red/back screen killed it
CD-i - All around horrible
Pippin - All around horrible
Saturn - Wasted potential, no new Sonic game, disappointing US library.
Playstation - Ruined the market for years to come. Never really had any killer-apps IMO.

Gameguy

06-22-2009, 12:07 AM

As everyone already said, the 16-bit era was the best era. Not just for home consoles, but the portables that came out around this time were pretty good too(though these weren't 16-bit).

crom

06-22-2009, 12:08 AM

Playstation - Ruined the market for years to come. Never really had any killer-apps IMO.

what? are you kidding?

the playstation probably saved the industry, the libary of games was huge! it marked the first time in a decade that someone other than nintendo or sega could play ball with the big guys...

I thought i read something like it was the most sold system of all time...

it gave birth to the greatest controller of this generation...

hogwash I say...

hogwash

BHvrd

06-22-2009, 12:09 AM

Snes/Genesis.

With both systems having unique titles and highly varying degrees of graphics and gameplay with games of the same name, it was interesting.

This generation the differences are so minimal that you need to strain your eyes just to see a pixel or frame outta place, no real difference.

Mode 7 and Blast Processing ftw.

Chemdawg

06-22-2009, 12:23 AM

my first system was an NES, but when i really started gaming was my sega gen and snes. 16-bit has my vote for sure!

CelticJobber

06-22-2009, 01:41 AM

Best generation: 16 bit (SNES and Genesis) My favorite time to be a gamer.

Worst: 32/64 bit: (PS1, Saturn, and N64) The games on these systems were good for their time, but for whatever reason, but they've aged worse than any since Atari 2600. I find most early 3D games to be nearly unplayable today. I recently tried Perfect Dark for the first time in about 8 years, and was shocked at the amount of slow-down that I never seemed to notice back in the day.

darkslime

06-22-2009, 01:57 AM

best last gen
worst the gen before that

Haoie

06-22-2009, 02:04 AM

Come on, they're all good in their own way.

todesengel

06-22-2009, 02:17 AM

For me the best would have to be the 8-bit and 16-bit era. Worst would have to be this generation for me, just not much has come out to make me interested.

scooterb23

06-22-2009, 02:43 AM

Come on, they're all good in their own way.

A lot of truth in this post. Beware...an old guy is going to ramble for a bit here...

Looking strictly as to which consoles I have the most fondness for...I think I have to go with the Atari 2600, Odyssey 2 etc. era as my favorite. I just enjoyed the simplicity. Games didn't have to look amazing, you didn't have to stare at games with a magnifying glass to taunt how amazing your game looked...the great games just played amazingly well. Also, games of that era had an almost infinite amount of replay value.

I guess the era that is most disappointing to me is the current one. Part of it I guess is a general growing feeling of disappointment with the games getting released these days. I don't ever want to play another generic FPS, I couldn't care less about RPGs, almost everything I buy is a game that reminds me of earlier eras in gaming, or more "simple games" like Lego games and the like.

I hear all the talk about the next generation of consoles. I seriously don't see myself supporting a next generation of consoles.

tom

06-22-2009, 02:43 AM

Best 1972, Magnavox Odyssey giving birth to the home video conosole gaming industry.
Worst, mid 90s, N64 most horrible console of all time, made you lose the faith in quality video gaming

Pezcore343

06-22-2009, 03:19 AM

N64 most horrible console of all time, made you lose the faith in quality video gaming

Made you lose faith in the quality of games you mean.

VG_Maniac

06-22-2009, 03:21 AM

I agree with everyone who says the 32 and 64 bit games have aged really bad (although I would say Playstation more so than N64 due its games being so pixelated). I have a hard time looking at even the greatest games of the original Playstation era such as Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Tekken 3, etc. Isn't it ironic that the PS1 games that have aged the best and still look great to this day are the 2D ones like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? The very games that Sony wanted to distance themselves from so bad back than.

Sonicwolf

06-22-2009, 03:22 AM

Come on, they're all good in their own way.

I agree wholeheartedly. Each generation had its highs and lows. Even the golden generations like the 8, 16 and 32bit eras has tons of shitware.

Im also a sucker for really shitty game consoles so I tend to clash when people bash the generations generally considered low points.

The 1 2 P

06-22-2009, 03:39 AM

The Best: last gen. The PS2 and Xbox had so many great games and the Xbox system had so many great innovations(built in hard drive, downloadable content, superior online gaming). The Gamecube was obviously the weak link of last gen but it had a handful of good games, just nothing that compared to either PS2 or Xbox.

The Worst: the time between 16 bit and 32 bit. I'm talking about Sega cd, 32x, CD-I, 3DO and Atari Jaguar. Very few good games can be found for each of these systems and they were the low point of console gaming over the last 20 years.

CelticJobber

06-22-2009, 04:22 AM

N64 most horrible console of all time, made you lose the faith in quality video gaming

At the time it was one of my favorite systems ever, but as I said before its games haven't aged too well (though not as badly as PS1's library).

However, it's extremely hyperbolic to call N64 the "most horrible console of all time". It had several titles that are considered by most to be the best of all time (Mario 64, Zelda: OOT and Majora's Mask, and to a lesser extent, Goldeneye), popularized analog joystick controls, pioneered controller vibration, and I actually preferred N64 over Playstation due to the cartridge format and lack of load times. Sony didn't win me over until PS2.

Sonicwolf

06-22-2009, 04:38 AM

At the time it was one of my favorite systems ever, but as I said before its games haven't aged too well (though not as badly as PS1's library).

However, it's extremely hyperbolic to call N64 the "most horrible console of all time". It had several titles that are considered by most to be the best of all time (Mario 64, Zelda: OOT and Majora's Mask, and to a lesser extent, Goldeneye), popularized analog joystick controls, pioneered controller vibration, and I actually preferred N64 over Playstation due to the cartridge format and lack of load times. Sony didn't win me over until PS2.

I think you got Majoras Mask and GoldenEye mixed up. Majoras Mask was definately not as highly acclaimed as GoldenEye was and still is.

CelticJobber

06-22-2009, 06:22 AM

Baloo

06-22-2009, 11:10 AM

Yeah, the Playstation's library is just awful when compared to today. A lot crappy 3D junk. I really can't find all that much that's good on PSX.

I actually like the Nintendo 64. There's some REALLY good games on there that are still fun to play today. Starfox 64, F-zero X, Super Smash Bros., Goldeneye, Ocarina of Time, Mario Parties 1 and 2, there's still a good amount of stuff on there, even if Mario Kart 64 has aged horribly.

Kevincal

06-22-2009, 11:15 AM

1973 - 1984 = so-so

1985 - 1998 = AWESOME!!!

1999 - Present = Great.

You just can't beat the time period from when the NES was released through when the N64 was in its prime as far as classic games go. How many systems and games were released between the NES & N64? Most of them great systems with great and original games.

crom

06-22-2009, 11:55 AM

Man the Ps1 games were abundant and awesome and I dont know what you guys are talking about with aging...

final fantasy 7
metal gear solid
Tekken 3
Xenogears
Silient Hill
Resident Evil
Vandal Hearts
Wild Arms
Twisted Metal
Grand Turismo
Clocktower
Legacy of Kain
Persona
Syphon Filter
Oddworld
GTA
Tactics Ogre
Die Hard Trilogy
Chrono Cross
Grandia
Wipeout XL
Tomb Raider

AB Positive

06-22-2009, 02:25 PM

Man the Ps1 games were abundant and awesome and I dont know what you guys are talking about with aging...

blah blah

This is true, but you're forgetting - this is based on *generations* not specific systems.

Yeah, so you get the PS1 and the few gems on N64. Saturn has a good japanese library but the US side is crap. Now ON TOP of these, included in the generation you have:

Atari Jaguar
Panasonic 3D0
Phillips CD-i
Bandai Pippin
NEC PC-FX

So yes, the PSX was/is a great system. But it's own generation has some SEVERE drag factor that, in my mind, makes the "32-bit" generation one of the worst. The PSX was the shining jewel, the N64 and Saturn has it's positives (and I LOVE the saturn)...

but wow. Look at the above lineup they get grouped in. Ouch.

Now look at the "16-bit" era:

Sega Genesis/CD/32X (the 32X and CD could be considered a bit of drag factors themselves...)
Super Nintendo
Turbo Duo (if you want to put it here)
Neo Geo
Neo Geo Pocket Color (later made, but it IS a 16-bit system...)

and if you wanna be super technical...

Commodore Amiga
Atari ST

You can't beat that. Few drag factors, LOTS of classics.

even with the crash period included, I'd put 32-bit era dead last. Second to last? Modern era - doesn't excite me in the least.

skad

06-22-2009, 03:34 PM

I'm most fond of the 16 bit era myself, and probably least fond of the current generation of systems.
We're at 3 systems now, but it seems like less choice then we've ever had. I like my 360 and my Wii, but neither of them really excite me anymore.
Can't force myself to buy the PS3. I'd rather pick up more of the old systems instead. It's rare a new game comes out that I really want.

Sonicwolf

06-22-2009, 03:34 PM

I think it depends on the source, some try to downplay Goldeneye's importance. While EGM ranked Majora's Mask ahead of OOT in one of their best games of all time features.

But either way, they're both still considered among the best games of their generation.

I always found Majoras Mask underrated and underappreciated. it was a difficult, interesting and entertaining sequel to Ocarina. Its definately worth a playthrough or three.

chrisbid

06-22-2009, 03:39 PM

how is the pre-crash era "obviously" the worst? people that dismiss pre-crash video games beyond novelties are not qualified to even debate this topic

VG_Maniac

06-22-2009, 03:51 PM

how is the pre-crash era "obviously" the worst? people that dismiss pre-crash video games beyond novelties are not qualified to even debate this topic

I never said the pre-crash era is obviously the worse, I said the crash era itself is obviously the worse.

k8track

06-22-2009, 04:24 PM

Thought this looked familiar:
The Greatest Era in Video Gaming (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6219)
Least Favorite Era in Video Gaming (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6956)

I already answered my least favorite, so I'll state my favorite: first and second generation (pre-crash of 1984)--no contest. A not-too-distant second would be the third generation (8-bit era). Every generation after that I enjoyed less and less, generally speaking, with occasional exceptions.

I've got an Atari VCS with a Cuttle Cart, an Intellivision with a Cuttle Cart 3, and multicarts for my Colecovision, Atari 5200, Vectrex, Odyssey 2, and Astrocade systems. Those cover most of my gaming needs, all from the 2nd generation.

BydoEmpire

06-22-2009, 04:33 PM

Best is really hard to pick. I'd say the pre-crash generations if they can be lumped together: 2600, 5200, Inty, Odysey, ColecoVision, etc. So much innovation, so many great games, and they still hold up today. The Dreamcast/ps2/NGC/Xbox generation had a pretty high quality bar for the most part, and while it wasn't super innovative it hosted a lot of exceptional and polished games. I'd put that as my runner up.

Worst: this gen. Same games as last gen, only slightly prettier and more expensive. The Wii could have redeemed it, but it's basically a system of untapped potential. I haven't bought a single full-priced retail game for my 360 since I've had it (over 2 years). I'm having fun with some of the games this gen, no doubt, but I have to rank it last.

Yeah, the Playstation's library is just awful when compared to today. A lot crappy 3D junk. I really can't find all that much that's good on PSX.I tend to agree. The "32-bit" era - ps1/Saturn/n64 would probably be my 2nd least favorite, although there is a lot of NES-era 8-bit crap as well. I could go either way on that.

duffmanth

06-22-2009, 04:48 PM

Although I'm very fond of the 8 and 16 bit eras, I 'd have to say the PS2 era was my favourite. The PS2 has the greatest library of games in gaming history as far as I'm concerned. The Xbox had some great games, they just pulled the plug too soon on it. The Dreamcast had some really great games, it's just unfortunate that the console itself was somewhat unreliable and noisy. The Cube was def. the shittiest console from the last gen. of gaming though. Fucking thing looked like a Fisher Price lunch box!

Atarileaf

06-22-2009, 04:51 PM

I think for the most part, you can tell the age of the person by their response. For me, the late 70's and early 80's were the pinnacle of video games. Its Atari - number 1. Period. Everything else is a pretender to the throne, that includes the mighty NES.

Genesis? Please
Super Nintendo? Nothing Super about it.
PS1? Try PS-none.
N64? Nice try.

The 90's were the worst generation for gaming, followed closely by the bile we have today. Gaming, true gaming, died in the 80's. The last great console was the Turbografx-16.

Current Gen: Overpriced regurgitated garbage on the worst built hardware EVER.

VG_Maniac

06-22-2009, 04:55 PM

The 90's were the worst generation for gaming, followed closely by the bile we have today. Gaming, true gaming, died in the 80's. The last great console was the Turbografx-16.

Why would you consider the Turbografx-16 to be so great, but not the SNES or Genesis?

Kid Fenris

06-22-2009, 05:03 PM

The 1 2 P

06-22-2009, 05:49 PM

The 90's were the worst generation for gaming, followed closely by the bile we have today. Gaming, true gaming, died in the 80's. The last great console was the Turbografx-16.

Aren't we suppose to get post like this on April 1st? You're almost three months too late.

tom

06-22-2009, 05:59 PM

For me, the late 70's and early 80's were the pinnacle of video games. Its Atari - number 1. Period.
.

Yes, a very true spoken comment.

Gentlegamer

06-22-2009, 07:59 PM

I'll go with the NES generation as the best. The innovations in home gaming brought there were tremendous.

Sonicwolf

06-22-2009, 08:57 PM

1973 - 1984 = so-so

1985 - 1998 = AWESOME!!!

1999 - Present = Great.

You just can't beat the time period from when the NES was released through when the N64 was in its prime as far as classic games go.

The problem with that is that is the topic is best/worst generations and those dates given encompass more than one Generation respectively.

Baloo

06-22-2009, 09:05 PM

This is true, but you're forgetting - this is based on *generations* not specific systems.

Yeah, so you get the PS1 and the few gems on N64. Saturn has a good japanese library but the US side is crap. Now ON TOP of these, included in the generation you have:

Atari Jaguar
Panasonic 3D0
Phillips CD-i
Bandai Pippin
NEC PC-FX

So yes, the PSX was/is a great system. But it's own generation has some SEVERE drag factor that, in my mind, makes the "32-bit" generation one of the worst. The PSX was the shining jewel, the N64 and Saturn has it's positives (and I LOVE the saturn)...

but wow. Look at the above lineup they get grouped in. Ouch.

Now look at the "16-bit" era:

Sega Genesis/CD/32X (the 32X and CD could be considered a bit of drag factors themselves...)
Super Nintendo
Turbo Duo (if you want to put it here)
Neo Geo
Neo Geo Pocket Color (later made, but it IS a 16-bit system...)

and if you wanna be super technical...

Commodore Amiga
Atari ST

You can't beat that. Few drag factors, LOTS of classics.

even with the crash period included, I'd put 32-bit era dead last. Second to last? Modern era - doesn't excite me in the least.

I agree with almost this ENTIRE post, except:

I don't see why the Sega CD should be considered a drag factor, it has some really good games that haven't been re-released until recently. The Lunar Series, Sonic CD, Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side, Silpheed, Final Fight CD, and more. Although there aren't many original games, a lot of Genesis ports and FMV games, the Sega CD still sold a good 6 million units, which is GREAT for an add-on system.

The 32x is probably considered drag, yes, but I like it. There are one or two gem games on there, like Star Wars Arcade and Knuckles Chaotix. But there is a lot of crap in that library. The 32x could really be considered the only drag of the 16-bit era.

I actually think last generation would be second-to-last. The Gamecube library was meh for a Nintendo console, and the Xbox was pretty bad too. This generation has the Wii and Xbox 360, which aren't too bad.

I think for the most part, you can tell the age of the person by their response. For me, the late 70's and early 80's were the pinnacle of video games. Its Atari - number 1. Period. Everything else is a pretender to the throne, that includes the mighty NES.

Genesis? Please
Super Nintendo? Nothing Super about it.
PS1? Try PS-none.
N64? Nice try.

The 90's were the worst generation for gaming, followed closely by the bile we have today. Gaming, true gaming, died in the 80's. The last great console was the Turbografx-16.

Current Gen: Overpriced regurgitated garbage on the worst built hardware EVER.

That's probably the most jokish post I've seen in this thread. Do you really think the Turbographx-16 was the last good console?

Atarileaf

06-22-2009, 09:13 PM

Why would you consider the Turbografx-16 to be so great, but not the SNES or Genesis?

Its all relative. I owned a TG-16 when they first came out and was wowed by Legendary Axe, Military Madness, Alien Crush, and Blazing Lazers. By the time I tried Genesis and SNES everything was old hat. I compared everything to the TG-16 games I loved and, to me, they all fell short.

On Genesis I really love ONE game - Road Rash II (the others are good 2, thats the one I played)
On SNES I only liked Tetris Attacks

I also liked games liked Williams Arcade Hits which both consoles had but thats a function of me being an old school 80's gamer, not the hardware it was presented on.

If I had owned a Genesis or SNES first perhaps I'd feel differently. But probably not I HATE that stupid Sonic the Hedgehog. Those games give me headaches.

Atarileaf

06-22-2009, 09:16 PM

If this isn't a fake post, it's amazing enough to be.

Nope, not fake at all. Thats how I really feel. I'm 100% serious. Never really enjoyed any of those consoles. Some had ok games but none held any real appeal to me. I did most of my gaming in the 90's on PC's since the consoles held no real interest to me. To this day I don't own a modern or even semi-modern console. You couldn't pay me to own a Wii, PS3 or Xbox RROD.

Atarileaf

06-22-2009, 09:22 PM

That's probably the most jokish post I've seen in this thread. Do you really think the Turbographx-16 was the last good console?

Baloo, I own 3 consoles: Atari (2600, 7800, 8-bit), NES, and TG-16. Thats the latest console I have any desire to own. I will say that I do own 3 Genesis model 2's (because I frequently find them for about $3 each) but only because of one game - Road Rash II. The only other one I play is Williams Arcade Hits because of the excellent, almost arcade perfect Defender.

You're the second person to say I must be joking. I don't get it. I've owned every one of the 90's consoles I dissed because NONE of them held any real interest to me and sold them pretty quickly. I WANTED to like them but there was nothing there for me. I gamed on PC's in the 90's because of the lack of games that interested me on consoles.

The point of this thread is opinion. Nothing more. I stated mine clearly. However it is definitely NOT a joke. People can think I'm crazy or call me names or whatever floats their boat if they choose but that won't change how I feel.

Sonicwolf

06-22-2009, 09:24 PM

Baloo, I own 3 consoles: Atari (2600, 7800, 8-bit), NES, and TG-16. Thats the latest console I have any desire to own. I will say that I do own 3 Genesis model 2's (because I frequently find them for about $3 each) but only because of one game - Road Rash II. The only other one I play is Williams Arcade Hits because of the excellent, almost arcade perfect Defender.

You're the second person to say I must be joking. I don't get it. I've owned every one of the 90's consoles I dissed because NONE of them held any real interest to me and sold them pretty quickly. I WANTED to like them but there was nothing there for me. I gamed on PC's in the 90's because of the lack of games that interested me on consoles.

The point of this thread is opinion. Nothing more. I stated mine clearly. However it is definitely NOT a joke. People can think I'm crazy or call me names or whatever floats their boat if they choose but that won't change how I feel.

You are probably the most picky gamer ever if there is really no games or consoles that interest you past the Turbografx-16.

Atarileaf

06-22-2009, 09:32 PM

You are probably the most picky gamer ever if there is really no games or consoles that interest you past the Turbografx-16.

I like one or two perhaps on each console. For example on N64 I kind of enjoyed 007 and Mario Kart. Certainly not enough to bother cluttering up my game room with one for a couple of games that I probably wouldn't play more than once every few months.

Is a food connoisseur "picky" if he doesn't like Dominoes?

Also, as strange as it sounds, I only collect for machines I owned when I was young and single. By the time I did own a Genesis or SNES, I was married and gaming in general took a huge backseat. However, part of that was because none of the games on those systems really appealed to me. I started PC gaming by that point and loved adventure games like Lucasarts came out with - Manic Mansion, Sam and Max, etc. They don't make those kind of games anymore.

Sonicwolf

06-22-2009, 09:53 PM

Atarileaf

06-22-2009, 10:31 PM

You said everything after TG16 fell short of the TG16's games and that you really dont like most of the games since. There have been tens of thousands of games and tons of systems since. Its not like not liking dominoes, its like Only liking Pizza Hut and forsaking every other restuarant on the planet.

Also dont take this as trolling, im just curious.

I used to like Pizza Hut but they've gone down hill lately IMO.

Thats another argument though ;)

I wouldn't say that I hate every game out there now but nothing Wows me like games back then did. There is certainly nothing on modern consoles that I enjoy. I'm simply not a fan of RPG's, First Person Shooters, or the annual sports games and those seem to be 90% of whats available. The only modern game I play is, again, on my PC and thats Sims 3.

Even now, sitting here thinking of just one game on the PS1 that I really enjoyed, and I can't. I can't think of one game that stood out to me where I say "I've got to get another PS1 so I can play. . ."

Its just not there.

Oh wait, I liked Crash Team Racing. I'm a fan of racing games and loved the old Need For Speed games but the NFS series lost its way in the tuner/underground thing.

Sonicwolf

06-22-2009, 10:38 PM

I'm a fan of racing games and loved the old Need For Speed games but the NFS series lost its way in the tuner/underground thing.

I feel the same way. I liked Need For Speed when it was just plain old street racing. It was fun. I dont give a flying rats ass about pimping out my automobile. I just want to race.

Atarileaf

06-22-2009, 10:49 PM

I feel the same way. I liked Need For Speed when it was just plain old street racing. It was fun. I dont give a flying rats ass about pimping out my automobile. I just want to race.

Yep, the last one I enjoyed was Hot Pursuit 2. Had it on my PC a few years back.

Pezcore343

06-22-2009, 11:09 PM

Kevincal

06-23-2009, 12:31 AM

It really is about how old you are in the end. Whatever games and systems you grew up with always be the best in your mind, no matter what! ;) Nothing overcomes nostalgia...

Me, Christmas 1989 I was 8 years old. Got my first system, the NES. I distinctly remember begging my parents NOT to get me a "Sega or Atari" system because the NES was simply a phenomenom by the late 80's. Even old people were buying NES'. My aunt and uncle had one, but they never played it. That was my first experience with the NES, playing Mario and Duck Hunt at their house during the holidays.

So I went from NES, to GameBoy, to Genesis, to 32X, to Jaguar, to Playstation, to N64, to Playstation 2, to Dreamcast, to Saturn, to Neo Geo, to Virtual Boy, to 2600 etc. etc.. I've tried nearly all of them. 8-bit games to 128 bit games all have their good points. 8-bit games, you fire them up and right away can play. Nothing confusing, no storyline, just gaming. That's fine, and I totally understand you "older" guys *snicker* who die by the VCS because you grew up with it. I'm the same way with the NES and all of its classics. I never even got a 2600 until the early 2000's. I thought some of the games were pretty fun. Still, I hate the joystick and such simple games can only hold my attention for so long.

Another thing that I believe makes a person LOVE a system, is if they were an early adapter. If you pre-ordered a system or bought it soon after launch, you loved it and are a die-hard fan, am I right? ;) For the most part anyway, I think this is the way of things. Systems I bought out of curiousity on ebay much passed their prime, such as the 2600, Dreamcast, Saturn & Neo Geo; There are great games on these systems, and I did have *some* fun with them. Yet something was missing, I didn't have a special feeling towards any of them. Almost like... They were, step-children!

So that's it then. Systems you buy at or very close to their release feel like children to you, whereas systems you buy only for the novelty or curiosity factor feel like a distant friend or relative at best. Hard to become emotionally involved with. ;)

When it comes down to it though, in my mind, you aren't a true blue hardcore gamer unless you like some 2600 games and PS3 games and everything in between! I just love videogames period. :D

tom

06-23-2009, 01:57 AM

The 1 2 P

06-23-2009, 02:57 AM

It really is about how old you are in the end. Whatever games and systems you grew up with always be the best in your mind, no matter what! ;) Nothing overcomes nostalgia.

Not always true. I grew up first on the Atari 2600 and then moved on to the 7800. But it wasn't until I got an Nes that the real fun gaming began. So despite the 2600 and 7800 being my first two taste of gaming, today I look at them as some of the worst gaming experiences I have ever had. I could never go back to playing like that.

I don't collect or play pass the Nes era and besides a few rare games(for collectors reasons) I stay far away from the early Atari systems. As for nostalgia, the Nes is one of my favorite systems but it competes with more modern day systems for that title.

Atarileaf

06-23-2009, 07:15 AM

Age and the relevant country as well. For example, the NES was nothing in Europe, not a phenomenom at all, more of a damp squid. Europe looked at computer gaming during the mid/late 80s, and C64 was absolutely king.

As far as consoles go, the Sega Master System was a lot more popular than the NES at that time in Europe correct?

Atarileaf

06-23-2009, 07:30 AM

Atarileaf, I don't think anyone is trying to diss your opinion that the TG-16 is your favorite console, I think it's just the way you seem you hateful of everything else that makes your posts seem like jokes or troll posts. Turbografx is a good system and I think it's fine if that's all you own, but there are definitely lots of other good games and systems out there before and since.

Ok, I'll admit I was a little harsh in my original post. I don't really hate any of the systems but as a general rule, I'm not a fan of platformers with a few exceptions. During the 90's, the Genesis and SNES were heavy with platformers, the game of choice it seems so there really was nothing on those systems that appealed to me and one of the main reasons my gaming tastes took me to the more diverse PC gaming scene.

In the mid to late 90's when the N64 and PS1 came out I still didn't see anything earth shattering that would get me to buy one of those machines. My nephews had them and I played Mario 64 and Starfox and thought they were ok, cute games, but I preferred realisitc simulation games that could only be played on a PC.

It was also around this time in the mid 90's that nostalgia started kicking in and my desire to reaquire my gaming past started to emerge. Back then, before the days of the internet and ebay, I was able to acquire quite a large Atari collection. It was worthless to almost everyone in those days and I don't think I ever came home empty handed from yardsaling without a large Atari score.

So between getting married with its shifting priorities, my lack of interest in the type of console games that were popular in the 90's, my PC gaming interests and my eventual start of classic game collecting, the 90's passed me by so I never looked with any real fondness for any of the consoles that came out then. Only the Genesis had any kind of impact and a lot of that was the NHL series and as I mentioned, Road Rash.

TG-16 isn't my favorite console, its one of 3 with Atari and NES, but I still love it. And technically it was around in the 90's but I got mine in 89 when they first appeared. As someone mentioned, I was an early adopter of the TG-16. No one I knew had one so there may be some truth to the theory that its a factor in how one remembers a console.

Robocop2

06-23-2009, 09:41 AM

I'll always have a special place in my heart for the 16 bit era. Maybe partially tainted by nostalgia but still I can think of more games I played and enjoyed during that time.

The worst is like many have said the 32 bit era. I have never been terribly fond of the early days of CD based gaming. Too much gimmicky 3-d polygon graphics that really havent aged well imo.

QuicklyBlue

06-23-2009, 11:34 AM

Yep, the last one I enjoyed was Hot Pursuit 2. Had it on my PC a few years back.

Need for Speed was always a hit back when. The underground fast/furious stuff didnt work.

AB Positive

06-23-2009, 12:28 PM

Baloo - just for reference I'm a huge fan of the Sega CD and 32X as well - however public opinion isn't high for either of those systems - thus why I worded my argument how I did.

Atarileaf - if you're a shmup player and not into the RPGs... I can see why nothing's excited you past TG-16. There are some great ones here and there on systems but other than the Turbo the genre got really spotty outside of arcades.

The question is, I guess, are you a MAME fan? ;)

I'm just getting into the retro-computing side of things, something that any of our European members can attest to their popularity. There's a lot of unknown gems on the A8/C64/ST/Amiga/Spectrum/etc... side of things that us North Americans probably missed out on. I don't know where I'd put these in the Generation side of things, or possibly their own forked segment of the timeline - but they're quickly becoming high on my list of favorites.

tom

06-23-2009, 03:02 PM

As far as consoles go, the Sega Master System was a lot more popular than the NES at that time in Europe correct?

That is quite true, but then SMS games were, for example in UK, 29.99 or less, whilst NES games were 49.99 or more. Do the math. Nobody in UK EVER paid GBP 50 for a video game during the 80s, Nintendo must have been nuts.

Sonicwolf

06-23-2009, 03:08 PM

That is quite true, but then SMS games were, for example in UK, 29.99 or less, whilst NES games were 49.99 or more. Do the math. Nobody in UK EVER paid GBP 50 for a video game during the 80s, Nintendo must have been nuts.

Its funny seeing such a different perspective to things over here in NA. The SMS was just a misfit system in comparison to the Nintendo Entertainment System.

outsider

06-23-2009, 03:11 PM

For me, I'd say the 16-bit generation of the early to mid 90's was the best (even though some failures such as CD-I and Jaguar came out during those years).

As for my least favorite generation, I'd have to say this one we are currently in. I just haven't found myself as interested in the games that have come out this generation as I was in the generations before it...although I do like the Wii better than the GameCube.

I agree with your choices. The current generation has totally failed to impress me, there have been so few "must have" games IMO.

Sonicwolf

06-23-2009, 03:18 PM

I agree with your choices. The current generation has totally failed to impress me, there have been so few "must have" games IMO.

Yeah. Look at the Wii. I have never seen such a popular console with so few killer apps.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl isn't* going to sell the system forever, Nintendo.

chrisbid

06-23-2009, 03:32 PM

Its funny seeing such a different perspective to things over here in NA. The SMS was just a misfit system in comparison to the Nintendo Entertainment System.

had nintendo not had a stranglehold on third parties, things couldve been quite different... one of the primary reasons for the success of the genesis was tearing up forced third party exclusivity

Atarileaf

06-23-2009, 05:27 PM

The question is, I guess, are you a MAME fan? ;)

Yes, although I haven't played in a while and the version I'm using is quite old. I have it on a CD somewhere. I really admire the patience and dedication of those who take an old arcade cabinet and make a Mame machine. Some of them are just works of art.

Atarileaf

06-23-2009, 05:32 PM

Yeah. Look at the Wii. I have never seen such a popular console with so few killer apps.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl isn't* going to sell the system forever, Nintendo.

The Wii is the only system of the current 3 that even slightly interests me and its mostly for the Wii sports games. I hear and read a lot of negatives about a lot of games and their horrible control schemes using those wii controls.

Although I will say Little Big Planet on the PS3 does intrigue me. The customization alone is fantastic. It wouldn't get me to buy a PS3 but IMO its the killler app for that system.

Nothing on the 360 impresses me. Their games are like Michael Bay movies - all special effects and explosions with no substance.

PentiumMMX

06-23-2009, 08:47 PM

Best: As much as I loved the 32\64-bit days (Because that's the generation I grew up with), I'd have to say the 16-bit years by far. Featuring lots of most memorable games along with 2 great consoles (Genesis and Super NES), it's one generation I regret missing out on.

Worst: That awkward transition period from 16-bit to 32\64-bit. Featuring some weak consoles with almost no games worth playing (CD-i, 3DO, Jaguar, Virtual Boy, etc.) along with the wasted potential of the Sega Genesis upgrades (CD and 32X), this was one generation that is commonly forgotten \ ignored.