What are your favorite consoles/systems?
Posted: November 26th, 2014, 7:59 pm
1. NES: For better or worse, without the NES I would have never gotten into video games in the first place. The system introduced me to almost every genre: platformers (take your pick), adventure games (Zelda, Startropics, Crytalis), RPGs (Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior), action games (Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania) beat-em-ups (Double Dragon), shooters (1943), sports games (Ice Hockey, RBI Baseball, Punch Out), strategy (Nobunga's Ambition) and even arcade shooters (Duck Hunt, Operation Wolf). There are dozens of games from this system that I would happily play at the drop of a hat, and I've often modded systems (the PS1, the Wii and the DSLite) just so I could continue to have easy access to these games. The best-designed NES games look, sound and play as well now as they ever did, a rare quality that even many great games from later systems do not possess.
2. PS1: While the PS2 probably has a better overall library, I appreciate the quirky, anything-goes quality that you see more often in the games for the PS1. Also, I've personally find the more primitive, blocky 3d models used in the PS1 continue to be more enjoyable to look at than many of the PS2 games that strived for realism and ended up producing an Uncanny Valley effect instead. Many of my favorite series started here (Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid) and there were a ton of great RPGs for the system.
3. PS2: Probably the single highest percentage of my favorite games on a single system, even if there was also plenty of shovelware. It's a newer system, so I don't have the same nostalgic attachment that I do towards the other systems on my list; having said that, if someone I knew wanted to get into gaming today and had a limited amount of funds, I'd hand them a list of PS2 games and send them to Craigslist.
4. Genesis: I was a Sega soldier during the Console Wars of the early 90s, although it was largely under the influence of my two Genesis-owning cousins. While today I can say that the SNES was superior in most facets, the Genesis has almost as much to recommend today. The original Sonic games still hold up and there were plenty of great beat-em-ups, shooters and action games. The distinctive twang in the audio sounds objectively terrible, but it conjures up a lot of memories.
5. Wii: Although I've logged considerably more hours on the 360 and PS3, I have a lot of admiration for the Wii's commitment to simple, fun, accessible gaming for a more general audience. It also has arguably the best Mario games ever made.
2. PS1: While the PS2 probably has a better overall library, I appreciate the quirky, anything-goes quality that you see more often in the games for the PS1. Also, I've personally find the more primitive, blocky 3d models used in the PS1 continue to be more enjoyable to look at than many of the PS2 games that strived for realism and ended up producing an Uncanny Valley effect instead. Many of my favorite series started here (Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid) and there were a ton of great RPGs for the system.
3. PS2: Probably the single highest percentage of my favorite games on a single system, even if there was also plenty of shovelware. It's a newer system, so I don't have the same nostalgic attachment that I do towards the other systems on my list; having said that, if someone I knew wanted to get into gaming today and had a limited amount of funds, I'd hand them a list of PS2 games and send them to Craigslist.
4. Genesis: I was a Sega soldier during the Console Wars of the early 90s, although it was largely under the influence of my two Genesis-owning cousins. While today I can say that the SNES was superior in most facets, the Genesis has almost as much to recommend today. The original Sonic games still hold up and there were plenty of great beat-em-ups, shooters and action games. The distinctive twang in the audio sounds objectively terrible, but it conjures up a lot of memories.
5. Wii: Although I've logged considerably more hours on the 360 and PS3, I have a lot of admiration for the Wii's commitment to simple, fun, accessible gaming for a more general audience. It also has arguably the best Mario games ever made.