I picked PS2 because that is definitely the one that has given me the most joy. Out of the list provided for the SNES, I have played lots but only liked 3. I will give the SNES honorary mention simply because I played Chrono Trigger on it and that’s what started me on gaming, but I hate most of the games on it, and I absolutely cannot play Mario games (or any kind of jumping platformers).
I also don’t really like the old school way of playing, though others love it. I don’t play for the difficulty or the challenge. I play it because I want to be immersed in a story and in a world and in people I don’t know and whom don’t exist. I play games for the same reason I read books, basically - so while I did love my Atari, etc., I like save games and I like convoluted back stories. If you give me a game that has nothing but skill required and very little story, I’m going to hand it back to you, bored.
The NES. But I’m fully aware it’s the nostalgia talking. The NES was the first expensive thing I bought with my own money (I had saved for years). I was seven at the time. Still have it.
I own or have owned just about everything on that list. I picked the SNES, but I could easily have gone for the Genesis, PS1, or 360. I also liked what was cranked out for the PC from around 1992-2001. I will say the most disappointing systems on that list, to me, are the Sega CD, N64, and Wii.
That’s not it, though I do agree with that general sentiment for anyone who picked the Xbox 360 (9 people already…really? Come on…)
For me, SNES takes the still very prestigious 2nd place position. #1 is the Nintendo 64. Granted, its library of games was considerably smaller than both its competition and even prior Nintendo systems, but the few it did have are among some of the best ever produced. Both **Mario 64 **and Ocarina of Time may very well be the most revolutionary games of all time–the memories I have of the former will never be surpassed. Exploring that wonderfully realized 3D world was simply magical.
And even beyond those revolutionary titles were a ton of simply fantastic games, such as:
Banjo-Kazooie
Beetle Adventure Racing
Excitebike 64
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Star Fox 64
Wave Race
Then there were the fantastic multiplayer games:
Goldeneye
Mario Gold
Mario Kart 64
Mario Tennis
Perfect Dark
Super Smash Brothers
…and more
Nintendo 64 simply offered the most memorable gaming experience I’ve had, particularly with Mario 64 providing some of my most cherished gaming memories. Nothing before or since has come close (okay, maybe Mario Galaxy came close…but that’s it)
That’s it for me. Doing what my friends and I did at 3am playing Goldeneye had never been done before (for me). The world in Mario 64 was mind-blowing, as was the depth in Ocarina.
Second for me is the PS1. Everything on it seemed…faster. Brighter. Responsive. Deeper.
I voted NES. I didn’t have many games for it back then but I played the life out of them. I think it was what turned me into a gamer.
My all-time favourite game was Sensible Soccer (1992?) on the Amiga. I played the hell out of that game all over the school summer holiday. I challenged everyone and remained undefeated!
Since I got my first PC almost 15 years ago though I haven’t looked back (just sideways occasionally).
The 2600 probably affected my life the most, but I gotta say the PS3 beats everything I’ve had technologically (and naturally so.) PS2 was great but my PS3 can play PS2 games, so it wins.
Voted PS2; Nothing else compares with the depth and breadth of it’s library. The SNES has a few standout titles that are very strong, but the overall library just doesnt’ compare.
I really wanted to vote for the Dreamcast, but sadly, it never got a chance to really build the kind of library the PS2 would eventually have.
I had a sega genesis, an NES, an Atari 2600, and I played other people’s SNES. I liked them well enough at the time, but I always thought for as fun as they games on PC were just so far superior. I held this opinion until the first time I played GTA3 on the PS2. At that point, I was sold on all of the good points of a console. The controller, the fun gameplay, the graphics. That was the first game. I had a ton of other games for the system that I enjoyed just as much.
Because of my experience with the PS2 I got a PS3. It hasn’t come close to catching up with the PS2 for the amount of fun games. Obviously, the PS3 does a ton of things better. But, since the backwards compatibility (atleast I got one that has is it) is not perfect my vote stays with the PS2
I grew up experiencing systems starting from a very expensive home Pong system to 2600, Intellivision, Colecovision, NES, PS1, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, Wii and 360.
Based on those, I voted for the NES. Although I love a lot of current titles, the NES was able to create a whole new world of gaming and did it with a simplicity that I frankly miss. The controllers, albeit uncomfortable to hold, lacked complexity and almost discouraged it. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but if I decide to play a new game on my 360 or Wii, I have to plan ahead to give me enough time to learn and remember the individual buttons, combos, etc. RB+RS push in and X= Spinning turn kick upside-down ollie.
Besides that, it was the games. The Legend of Zelda was not only an amazing game at the time (it even saved progress, which was huge for console games), but it has had lasting playability for me. I re-bought the game on WiiWare when it came out and played it again. And still loved it.
I’ve got the 360 hooked up to the HDTV and I’ve roamed the wastelands of Fallout 3 and the underwater world of Bioshock and sat with slacked jaw at the beauty of these worlds. And while the NES lacked this gracefulness, it did so much with so little that I have to give it my kudos.
I said Wii, simply because you can play all the best games from the NES, SNES, N64, and Gamecube, along with the best of the Wii. The combined volume of quality wins out.
I think for me, as soon as the controllers got more complicated the less inclined to the system i became, NES has the best simple controls, SNES was nice too. Nowadays the controllers vibrate and have a weird shape that creates an awkward grip and makes the hand hurt.
I made a thread a while ago about the best controllers. I still maintain the best ever is the one for the Sega Saturn (there were 2 not including the 3D pad. One was terrible and looks like this. The good one looks like this).
The 3D pad is an abomination. I prefer the shape of the large controller but the density of the small one, so short of packing the large one with fishing weights I just have a miserable time with the Saturn controllers.
Loved the system though. It ranks a spot on my A/V Switch o’ Excellence right next to its younger brother.
I’m pretty divided between NES and SNES, with NES coming up slightly on top.
The reason is its simplicity, as been mentioned. Not just the controls, but the restrictions of the console really forced some developers to be creative. That together with the music that allowed only four tracks really gave the console a personality that I don’t see in modern consoles in the same way.
Of course, video gaming conventions were still undeveloped in the NES era. You would experience some pretty hokey game designs and annoying features (like those 16-letter passwords). But at its best, NES games were quite marvellous.
This is a legitimate theory, but one to which I do not subscribe. I was complete unable to get into FF6, Chrono Trigger was merely “quite good” (as opposed to legendarily amazing) and Super Metroid and Castlevania 4, while both high quality titles, probably wouldn’t even make my top 20 all time list.
This could, of course, be related to the fact that I didn’t play most of the games in the OP’s list of great SNES titles, but if you ask me, each of those titles would’ve had to be forged of elven gold in the smithies of Mount Doom to make a lineup that size push the SNES to the top of the list. (And sorry, but Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo for the SNES? You’re talking to someone who paid for a Neo Geo CD essentially JUST to play Samurai Shodown 2. The SSF2:T port on the SNES was a valiant effort, but the console was in no way up to producing a faithful replica of the arcade title.)
Of course, I also, by and large, don’t have the Nostalgia Factor going for the SNES - while I was exposed to one during its heyday, it wasn’t mine, and was mostly used to play Tecmo Bowl and F-Zero, neither of which tickled my fancy in the slightest. My later efforts to consume the content available for the system via emulator met with mixed success (Couldn’t get into FF6, though humorously played all the way through FF5, etc). And since I’ve never been a huge fan of Mario or his Kart, I lose out in that direction too.
Call me crazy, but my favorite controller is the N64 one. Yeah, it had a whole left side that was essentially never used, save for some fighting games, but oh well. It has three “main” buttons (A, B, and Z), which is great for most for your main actions, then five smaller buttons that are still accessible without stretching your fingers to the breaking point. The only downside was the style of analog stick they used. Why they went for an actual stick, when the “ball type” is clearly superior, I’ll never know.
Nah, you’re certainly not crazy. It was a great controller, and not just for its many innovations (control stick, trigger-button, Expansion bay). I also thought the C-buttons were brilliant–C Up, C Down, C Left, C Right–you instantly knew exactly where they were! None of this “square,” “circle,” “X” nonsense.
My favorite controller though is the GameCube’s. I disliked the system mostly, but the controller was brilliant–the most comfortable and ergonomic I’ve ever held. The control stick felt perfect, the shoulder buttons had finger grooves, and even their ‘digital click’ worked great (even if it was under-used in most games). The controller melted into my hand.
