The Video Game Critic

[QUOTE=Luke]Gamecube.

Hate the controller. Hate the library of games. Hate how stupid it looks.[/QUOTE]

I slather you with a manner of unholy curses and whatnot.



If I must choose a console I do not like it would probably best to choose one I own or have owned at one time. In that case, I'd have to say the Gamegear. I had some sonic games for it, but they seemed quite insubstantial. Aladdin was annoying, too. The thing was huge and had a bad battery life. Ironically I've only recently gotten a copy of Shining Force: Sword of Hajya, but I don't have a Gamegear to play it on.

[QUOTE=Marriott_Guy]

From the consoles The VGC covers, I agree, the CD-i is the worst for gaming, followed by the Virtual Boy (unless your fond of spontaneuos epyleptic-type spasms after playing your games).

[/QUOTE]

I assume you ONLY hate it because you are epileptic, and not because of the games, because it has one of the stronger (if smaller) libraries out there.  Look how high the majority of it's games rank on this site.  If it wasn't such a pain to set up, I'd play it all the time.

Assuming I can't count the "Action Max" VHS light gun game my parents gave me for my birthday when I was a kid, I would have to give my vote to the PS1.  It's not that it's a bad system, I just never play it.  The only game that I truly loved on that system was Symphony of the Night.  Other than that, it just never interested me.  The graphics were good, but not quite good enough to pull me into the 3d realm yet.  So I kinda stayed behind with my older systems until the N64 came out.  Nothing could hold me back from Goldeneye.

I haven't played the Gizmondo, but I have a Game.com.  I recently tried it out with the Resident Evil 2 "port" for that system, which I bought off of eBay to add to my survival horror collection.  It is such a weak port of an RE game that it almost seems like a joke that Capcom would have allowed it to be made at all.  And given that it was one of the only real games for the system -- well, I think that says it all.

Beyond handhelds, and into classic sytems, despite being the first plug-n-play cartridge-based system, the Fairchild Channel F was a complete waste of time.  In terms of more modern systems, the CD-i wins it.  I just can't forgive the first attrocious two of those three Zelda games, and it doesn't help that the third of those games was little more than a mediocrity.  Add to that the fact that hardly any other games exist to redeem its value, and the system clearly deserves the title of worst.

[QUOTE=KanYozakura] Cartridges are hard to clean, the system more fragile than the Turbo Duo (and that's saying a LOT), and most of the games and genres were done better on later consoles.  When I play the games, it just seems like they were trying to shove 16-bit generation gameplay into an 8-bit machine.  Plus, the controllers SUCK unless you have a dogbone.  All of the best games have been officially emulated in one form or another, so owning the actual system is kind of a moot point unless you're a collector.
[/QUOTE]
Sorry, but I've GOT to ask you a few things about this paragraph.  First, stop cleaning your cartridges and get a new pin set for your console.  It will last you at least another decade.  Second, what do you mean about most of the games and genres done better on later consoles?  I fail to see how companies improving on already good franchises when they have more power at their disposal makes the original any less of a game.  What do you mean about trying to shove 16-bit gen play into an 8-bit machine, and why is it bad?  And finally, what classic system DOESN'T have roms available for all its games?  That shouldn't be a mark against ANY classic system.

[QUOTE=Luke]Gamecube.

Hate the controller. Hate the library of games. Hate how stupid it looks.[/QUOTE]

I disagree with  the controller part. Personally, I found the feel of the Cube controller much more intuitive. My only complaint is the short lengnth of the cord and the fact that the X and Y buttons are the same color (hate that!).

Not including the library of games, I would have to go with the PS2. I would like to personally murder whoever decided that having to buy a multitap in order to play with more than one other simutaneously was a good idea.

But including library of games, I'd have to go with Xbox. The lack of exclusive games just wasn't worth it.

"Despite being the first plug-n-play..The Channel F was a complete waste of time."

No, it wasn't. While I admit the system has almost zero fun games to play today (possibly excepting ALIEN INVASION and WHIZBALL), you have to put it in evolutionary perspective. It bridged the gap between "move the black and white square" PONG systems and the Atari 2600. It made the first attempt to make REAL OBJECTS on the Tv screen; as blocky as they were, you could still tell they were tanks, ships,planes and it was in COLOR too! Also, the low resolution, hard wiring and 2K memory inspired ATARI to make the 2600 more flexible, raise the Rez and put 4K onboard. Thanks,F!

I find the Sega 32X to be a bigger waste of time. 32 bit, HA! The games were not as good as 16-bit SNES carts!

[QUOTE=Paul Campbell]
Sorry, but I've GOT to ask you a few things about this paragraph.  First, stop cleaning your cartridges and get a new pin set for your console.  It will last you at least another decade.[/quote]

I buy all of my games used, so OF COURSE I clean all of my cartridges!  Some of them look like the kid spilled Coke on it, ate it, crapped it out, then puked on it.  My pins are fine; the system is practically brand new.  I just get pissed because when I get games they're a pain to clean up enough to get the system to even recognize the cartridge in the first place.

[quote]
  Second, what do you mean about most of the games and genres done better on later consoles?  I fail to see how companies improving on already good franchises when they have more power at their disposal makes the original any less of a game. [/quote]

Try playing the original Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy after you've played the 16 bit ones.  Try playing any of the arcade ports after you've played the arcade perfect versions on modern compilation discs.  Try playing an expansive adventure/platforming game without saving after you've had battery backup.  I think that the NES gave birth to a lot of great genres; however, it was only the beginning and most of the games have aged terribly.

[quote]
 What do you mean about trying to shove 16-bit gen play into an 8-bit machine, and why is it bad?[/quote]

Well, I kind of explained it above, but basically the NES was in a generational gap: the technology was basically a souped up version of the Atari-age systems, but most of the games were ports of 16 bit arcade games or trying to emulate the gameplay of 16 bit arcade games.  It's just painful to watch and play when you have a modern compilation disc or a SNES/Genesis remake.
 [quote]And finally, what classic system DOESN'T have roms available for all its games?  That shouldn't be a mark against ANY classic system.
[/QUOTE]

I didn't say anything about ROMS; I'm talking about official Nintendo rereleases; I.E. the Classic Series for the GBA, all of the games in Animal Crossing, the Virtual Console on the Wii...get my drift?  All of the best games on the NES have, in one way or another, been ported to later systems.  It's nice: I don't have to lug out the ol' toaster every time I want to play Super Mario Bros.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and pick the original Xbox as my least favorite console.  Does anybody remember the fat controllers the system launched with?  Man what a mistake those were.  Then in the redesigned Controller S they put the black and white buttons in the most ackward place.  Not having 4 shoulder buttons was a crucial mistake.  Most games utilized every button on the controller and this hurt several games.  My friends refused to play Madden on anything but a PS2, and the upgraded Xbox graphics didn't matter one bit.    

To me the Xbox just didn't have enough games to truly justify its existence.  The only reason I bought the thing was so I could play Fable.  I ended up buying over 40 games for the system, but its the least played of the last generation.  Luckily Microsoft remedied several problems it had after they created the 360.