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Over the past few months, I decided to go back in time and relive the days of old. Instead of wasting my day doing things that just weren't productive, I decided to get all of my old consoles out (NES, Genesis, SNES, 3DO, 32X, Sega CD, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 1 and 2 and the Nintendo 64) to finally make the decision on which console is truly the best of all-time (so far).
And while the decision was a difficult one -- it's tough to beat Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. -- it seemed almost too simple to declare the SNES the greatest console of all-time.
When it comes to gaming, most people will claim (and rightfully so) that Nintendo has been a trailblazer in the industry. Without the company having the courage to bring video games back to the states in the '80s, the chances of us enjoying this multi-billion dollar industry would be slim.
Why not the NES?
And although the NES was a groundbreaking platform that reignited the world's passion for video games, sold over 60 million units and had an outstanding library of games that was led by Super Mario Bros. and Contra (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start) to just name a few, it couldn't quite stack up to the SNES' ability to bring third-part development, games and overall quality to the industry.
Why not the Genesis?
The Genesis is one of those platforms that most people look back on fondly, but for some reason, it always takes a backseat to the SNES. Let's face it -- the Genesis was a great console that, with the help of Sonic, created the industry's best console war to date. Who can forget the old slogan "Genesis does what Nintendon't" or its backward compatibility with Sega's Master System?
But in the end, the Genesis was rife with peripheral inconsistencies (do I really need the 32X add-on?) and couldn't stack up to the SNES in sheer library size and enjoyment. And although I enjoyed my games on the Genesis and sports games never looked so good to that point, it couldn't quite meet the challenge presented by Nintendo.
Why not the Playstation?
To be quite honest, the only reason I'm even mentioning the Playstation in this discussion is because I know that at least a handful of Sony fanboys will cry foul if I didn't. But the sad truth is, Sony's Playstation is not the greatest console of all time and if I were to rank it, I don't even think it would make the top three.
Let's face it -- when you think about the greatest consoles of all time, you generally remember the times you were forced to leave your SNES running for fear of losing your progress because you could only save at the end of levels or the moments when innovation was truly king in the industry. Call me old-fashioned, but the Playstation simply wasn't the groundbreaking device that the SNES was. Suffice it to say, the Playstation was great in its own right, but it was a product of its time -- a moment in video game history where innovation was losing ground to copycats and graphics meant more than anything else.
So what's so great about the SNES?
Perhaps even more than the games or the hardware, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System did everything you would expect from a follow-up to a wildly popular video game console. In essence, the NES was the building block of American gaming in the '80s and the SNES was first console to be drastically different (and better) than its predecessor.
Beyond that, the SNES was popular well into the 32-bit era of gaming and stood its ground against the Playstation even though the latter was released almost five years later. And although it didn't quite sell nearly as many units as the NES, games like Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Country, Street Fighter II, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and even Mortal Kombat made it a must-buy for gamers all over the world.
But perhaps most importantly, think of the world the SNES spawned. Instead of releasing a veiled copy of the NES to get in on the fight with Sega earlier, Nintendo created a follow-up that was worthy of the 'Super' moniker and gave developers the license they needed to create the legendary titles that we still play today.
And after playing through some of the classics from well over ten years ago, today's gaming just doesn't compare. In fact, I would gladly give up the beauty of Gears of War for just 15 minutes of Donkey Kong Country. Who else is with me?
Simply because Secret of Mana spawned on it. For me, that's the greatest game of all time.
And then the incredibly classic Link to the Past. I believe it to be better than OOT and Twilight Princess.
Ah, and who can forget Super Mario World.
I think many people my age either learned their first curse words from either this game (Or Contra... -shudder-). But I've never been a curser.
And then the control design is simply the best Nintendo has ever churned out.
Comfortably resting in your hands like a newborn baby.
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I really liked the SNES. I don't know about favorite but a lot of my favorite games were on that console. It's hard for me to look past the Saturn since it has the only older game I still actively play today (Saturn Bomberman), but good games were few and far between on that system (even though those few and far between typically rocked). I never really liked the Playstation. I loved Jet Moto and Twisted Metal 2 but then they made some terrible sequels to those titles so I never even considered getting a Playstation. The NES was fun at the time but most of the games on that system don't replay very well today. In fact, I'd say that almost all of the NES games still worth playing are already on the Virtual Console.
If I had to pick one, it would be the Saturn so I guess it gets my vote as best console. I hate to do that based on the strength of a couple of games, but I'd rather be without the SNES' entire library than those few Saturn games.
Its never the console thats important its the games
Becasue without games a console is just a bit of modern art
Thats a bit of a stupid comment
You wouldnt bring out the games if there wasnt a console
The games were specifically designed for the console not the other way around
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While personally I'd have been more inclined to say the PS2 was better, the SNES was definitely in the top 2. There's no denying it had one of the most enviable line-ups of video games ever.
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Thats a bit of a stupid comment
You wouldnt bring out the games if there wasnt a console
The games were specifically designed for the console not the other way around
Arcade game maybe ?
*looks at some games*
I dont think Portal was made with the 360/PS3 in mind
Same with Metail gear solid
Same with Donkey kong
Same with Mirco machiens
Same with Pong
Damn I missed out the 8 bit consoles
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Segagagaga
The Dreamcast isnt retro it still has a game coiming out on it
