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Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: June 30th, 2017, 11:57 am
by scotland
We have had this NES controversy before, in discussing why America and Europe diverged in the second half of the 80s in home video games. Kids who grew up on the NES had an incredible experience, but I think other gaming venues get forgotten. Gamers on the Speccy or other computers also had an incredible, and different, experience that merits remembrance. From Atari to Amiga to MSX to Commdore and more, there were other options for gaming and for other creative fun than the NES.

Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: June 30th, 2017, 2:30 pm
by MoarRipter
I think the original Playstation is overrated. Ass 3D graphics, few 2D games, hasn't aged well at all. It was also too over-hyped. I was never a Playstation fan and it took them until the 4th iteration of the platform until they finally fixed the controller design. Also the PS1 was a terrible console from a quality point of view.

Neo Geo I have never played (except Hamster remakes on the Switch) but it seems to be pretty overrated. Too expensive, too many similar games, just not enough selection, it was way too over-hyped, and the graphics really aren't all that much better than the SNES.
Stuff that's hyper-over-hyped usually tends to end up sucking, see the movies Avatar and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for examples of that.

Most underrated console, I'd say the Wii U. The Wii U is a gem with some fantastic and unique titles that most people have never heard of because it was so hated on from the start. It's sad because that console is one of the best I've ever played in my life.

Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: June 30th, 2017, 4:12 pm
by Retrology
Overrated: Super Nintendo: I don't really think any console is overrated, but this is the closest. The system had a huge amount of slowdown early on in comparison to the games on the Genesis, which I just prefer overall to the SNES.

Underrated: Gamecube: Loads of awesome exclusives, and even if it didn't, Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door would be all you would need.

Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: June 30th, 2017, 5:58 pm
by Stalvern
MoarRipter wrote:Neo Geo I have never played (except Hamster remakes on the Switch) but it seems to be pretty overrated. Too expensive, too many similar games, just not enough selection, it was way too over-hyped, and the graphics really aren't all that much better than the SNES.

Nope. It was literally an arcade board in a console. The SNES would melt if it tried to move the sprites of a Neo Geo game.

The Neo Geo had a very specific (and expensive!) niche that it filled perfectly.

Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: June 30th, 2017, 6:14 pm
by Rev
Overrated: Probably the N64. It definitely is a good system but hasn't aged too well.

Underrated: Now people might think I'm crazy but I'd say the PS1. While it is one of the highest selling consoles of all time and has a huge library of games, most people think PS1 and they think of all the games that have aged incredibly poorly. However, while there are many games that have aged very poorly, the console has a ton of games that have stood the test of time. Shmups, RPGs, Platformers, and puzzle games are rife on the console and it is one of my most collected console for this reason.

Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: June 30th, 2017, 8:18 pm
by ptdebate
MoarRipter wrote:Most underrated console, I'd say the Wii U. The Wii U is a gem with some fantastic and unique titles that most people have never heard of because it was so hated on from the start. It's sad because that console is one of the best I've ever played in my life.


The Wii U ended on a high note with Breath of the Wild. Nowadays I think of it like an upgraded Wii rather than an all-new platform. Notably absent in comparison to the Wii is all the cruft of licensed games and shovelware. What's there is largely worth owning.


My pick for most overrated console is the Game Boy. The actual game selection is good, but the screen just ruins the experience. I'm okay with limited color palettes, but the lack of lighting was very behind the times. This is coming from someone who has a TON of nostalgia for the GBC.

I would agree with Rev that the most underrated console is the PS1. After the PS2 era, it's like people have forgotten how truly incredible the PS1's library is. I think if anything people should be nostalgic for that console--even more than the NES and SNES.

Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: June 30th, 2017, 9:06 pm
by SpaceGuitarist
Underrated, I dunno. It seems to me that almost all consoles have been re-evaluated and have developed a cult following now. Probably the WiiU has good chances of becoming the most underrated console of our times in the next decade. It has a very good library of games.

Overrated, easily the 3DS. It will go down in history as a big success, but it's a system that has zero value if you don't like RPGs.

Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: July 1st, 2017, 4:08 pm
by pacman000
Under: Atari 2600
I know this system has a lots of respect here, but on newer game sites it's blamed for the video game crash of 1983-1984, and that's all anyone remembers. That's so unfair. The 2600 was the 1st successful system with interchangeable media. That's a huge accomplishment. The games may have been simple, but they formed the foundation for other games that followed. Pitfall! inspired Super Mario Bro.'s Warp Zones for example. Adventure inspired other western action-adventure games. (The Legend of Zelda was actually an expansion on earlier Japanese action RPGs; the genre developed independently in two different regions.)

Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: July 1st, 2017, 6:13 pm
by VideoGameCritic
I can see how the N64 may be regarded as overrated. While smoother than most PS1 games, I find the blurry textures to be a real turn off.

Underrated might be the Virtual Boy. It's considered a joke by many, yet the people who have actually TRIED it tend to really like it a lot!

Re: What are the most overrated and underrated consoles???

Posted: July 1st, 2017, 11:13 pm
by LS650
I don't know about "most overrated", but yes, I'd also agree that the NES often gains more praise than it really deserves.
Yes, it has some great games, but it has quite a few clunkers too. And I don't buy into the whole "it saved the 80s videogame industry" hype.