What makes your favorite console?

[Gunstar Green]

I think it would come as no surprise to anyone that the Sega Genesis is my all-time favorite console. Both the 3 and 6 button controllers feel so great and percise, the original model 1 console looks like the child of KITT from Knight Rider with its jet black beauty and red LED. The model 2 is also sleek and sexy.

The games have also always catered to my personal taste, fast and frantic arcade action that I felt the SNES didn't quite match for me. I had the Atari 2600 beforehand and grew up mostly with the NES after that which I still love today, but the Genesis is what made me a gamer. Along with PC gaming which came for me shortly after, it changed my perception of the hobby from a toy to something more.

[Sonicx360]

The Dreamcast was probably the coolest of the last gen consoles. The kinds of games Sega made and supported were wonderful. Plus, you still had something of an arcade scene at the time, and many of them got awesome ports on the Dreamcast. I really loved the arcade presence on the Dreamcast. One of the reasons I enjoy Lollipop Chainsaw so much is because it feels like a game that would have been right at home on the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast was also ahead of its time in a lot of ways (VGA support, online, etc.). There was a real aura of excitement around the console too that I distinctly remember. The DC is also a great collector's console. It has a relatively small North American library of mostly cheap titles. Any collector can shoot for a complete Dreamcast collection and have an attainable goal there, and no real gamer won't be impressed by someone's Dreamcast collection given some of the great, classic titles it had, and its relatively niche appeal among more casual gamers.

I couldn't agree with you more! What other consoles out there that have many arcade-perfect titles in the library? I can't think of any that can hold a candle to dreamcast when it comes to arcade ports.

For current consoles though, I think the PS3 wipes the floor with everything. It's the strongest console (which unfortunately makes it hard for some people to program for). It has a slick, professional presentation for its menus, files, trophies, etc. while everything on the Xbox 360 just looks tacky and not well thought out. Unlike the 360, the PS3 emphasizes form as well as functionality. Blu-ray also beats the 360's media format. The PS3 also has, in my opinion, the best controller. This is particularly true for beat 'em up, combat oriented gameplay, which I really love. Beating up people in Batman Arkham Asylum just feels more fluid and responsive when playing on a PS3 controller versus a 360 one. The Wii has some great games, but is largely just a gimmick machine and the worst of the three current consoles

Fighting game-wise, PS3 is also my all time favorite 7th generation console! Since I'm not a big fan of FPS games, I feel like PS3 is my home

Bonus mention goes to the NES and SNES; they got me into gaming!

[Nintendork666]

Nintendo makes both of my favorite consoles.

[MyNameIsVince]

For me, it's the Super Nintendo.

It's a rock solid console with an innovative controller design and software that ranks with the greatest of all time. All during a time period of the only console war that really mattered. It's what made me a video game fanatic. It's what brought me back to video gaming when I thought I would never come back. In short, it is the system that defines me as a gamer more than any other system, and that is why it's my favorite.



Wow, I somehow managed to summarize my love for the SNES in a single paragraph. That's a shocker.

[MyNameIsVince]

I actually really like the way PS1 look like. And the controller was the first one to have "handles" and two rows of trigger buttons so it wasnt entirely conventional.

There were PC controllers that had handles before the PS1 controller was released, though doubling up the shoulder buttons was something that no one else had done. All the same, until the dual shock was released I really didn't find anything special in the PS1 controller.

N64 is the only console I refuse to play with the original controller. In fact the only thing holding me back at the moment is the fact that those Hori Mini control pads are so damn expensive, as soon as I get one, I cant start collecting on N64. I dont mind playing with a regular Atari 2600 controller and I dont see why the Jaguar controller gets so much hate, but I just physically couldn't bare to play N64. Seriously, I just could not play with the controller, my body told me "no". I haven't had that problem with any other controller or joystick so far, although I havent got Intellivision nor Colecovision in my collection yet. 5200 and Channel F controllers look really dreadful too, but I dont plan on getting either of those consoles).

I won't lie, the controller is really polarizing. People either love it or hate it, but that's sort of the way beauty goes. I remember reading a while ago an article on beauty, and people who are overall flawless wind up getting much less talked about and get much less attention that a beautiful person with, say, a big nose or some other insignificant flaw. The N64 is the Adrien Brody of video game controllers, except it's probably a better actor. Actually, speaking of which, the N64 controller got dismantled and used as props in a bunch of movies and TV shows, mostly of the low-budget sci-fi variety. The problem was that the damn thing was so recognizable that it always wound up sticking out like a sore thumb in the shot.

It's really cool how N64 games arent really that impaired despite the fact that the cartridges had much less space than CDs. The programmers must've had to pull off some demoscene trickery to pack the games up so tight. Do the N64 versions of Resident Evil 2 or Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1-3 miss any of the content the PS1 versions had?

THPS3 was a ps2 release, so yes, that one was missing some content. Otherwise, aside from lower resolution and lower quality music, the N64 carts did a really good job keeping up with CD media. Aside from ports, too, there were a lot of incredibly ambitious games for the N64 that really showed off what you can do with such limited memory.

From what I heard, Not only was THPS3 released on all the 7th gen consoles, but the N64 version came out over half a year after the Gamecube version. Also it was the last N64 game released in North America.

[Menegrothx]

From what I heard, Not only was THPS3 released on all the 7th gen consoles, but the N64 version came out over half a year after the Gamecube version. Also it was the last N64 game released in North America.

I had THPS 3 on PS1 before I got the PS2 game. I always thought the N64 game came out the same day as the PS1 and PS2 versions. Apparently it didn't

PlayStation 2

NA October 28, 2001
PAL November 30, 2001

PlayStation

NA October 29, 2001
PAL November 23, 2001
GameCube

NA November 13, 2001
PAL May 3, 2002

Nintendo 64

NA August 20, 2002

[RCBH928]

@pvt_awol

Its surprising to me that RE2 was better looking(higher resolution) than the psx version. This only makes me love the n64 more, I love anything that could do more with less.

I still didn't play that game, but in this day and age, I think its only logical to play this game on the Gamecube . I am not sure if it makes sense to replay it on the n64. I think I own a copy but not sure.

@RyanTheSlaya

If you choose PC you can categories which era of PC. PC 2012 is very different from PC '95. So if you mention what factors made you choose the PC, you can find out exactly what era it was best for you. personally I favor the DOS era .

@Fid

I am surprised that you were a teenager (middle school) when the ps2 was out yet you were old enough to tell that the NES controller was a breath of fresh air form the Atari and arcade Joysticks.

@Gunstar Green

Where I am, middle east, I don't think the genesis picked up . To be honest I can only remember 2 people who owned one, yet every one and their mothers owned a SNES.
but some how every one knows the opening title " SSEEEEEGGGGAAAAAAA"

I can't tell why people favored the Genesis especially when the SNES was more powerful (outside of Sonic games) . As an adult I learned that Sega used to do more adult oriented games , games that are more on the edge or doing new ideas. Looking back I can see that but I don't see superior titles over the SNES much.

I do see that Sega spirit much more clearly in the Dreamcast, and Saturn I guess.


@Sonicx360

I have special place for the Dreamcast in my heart . It was a dream owning one(got my first in 2008, never played before just read about it) . But after some research I noticed that , as I mentioned before, all the gaming library that made Dreamcast special was either ported or done better on later systems.

Ex. I am sure there is abetter Tennis title than Tennis 2k2 by now and Jet Set Radio got ported to Xbox, so did Shenmue 2. Dreamcast was only special for its 2-3 years of its lifetime probably.

[Menegrothx]

Where I am, middle east, I don't think the genesis picked up . To be honest I can only remember 2 people who owned one, yet every one and their mothers owned a SNES.
but some how every one knows the opening title " SSEEEEEGGGGAAAAAAA"

Was it Mega Drive or Genesis there? Are you PAL or NTSC?

[Gunstar Green]

@Gunstar Green

Where I am, middle east, I don't think the genesis picked up . To be honest I can only remember 2 people who owned one, yet every one and their mothers owned a SNES.
but some how every one knows the opening title " SSEEEEEGGGGAAAAAAA"

I can't tell why people favored the Genesis especially when the SNES was more powerful (outside of Sonic games) . As an adult I learned that Sega used to do more adult oriented games , games that are more on the edge or doing new ideas. Looking back I can see that but I don't see superior titles over the SNES much.

I do see that Sega spirit much more clearly in the Dreamcast, and Saturn I guess.

Yeah, the US probably had the fiercest competition between the two than any other region. Most places had a clear winner one way or the other but not so here. It was a dead heat in the US until Sega dropped out of the race to focus on the Saturn after blunders like the 32X.

Both consoles are decidedly different flavors so it's not as surprising to me that people would pick one or the other. It's not like today where new consoles are very minimally different. The Genesis strength is in straight-up action games that rely on difficulty and intensity. The SNES has a larger library of more forgiving games as well as many more slower, deliberate games like RPGs.

That's not to say there aren't good RPGs and action titles on both consoles, but the ratio is different for each. As someone whose favorite games are of the action sort I always liked the vast number of smooth scrolling, very fast and intense games that the Genesis is more known for. Shoot'em ups in particular are much better represented on the Genesis.

It's great today that both consoles can be enjoyed equally in retrospect. I can understand why the modern majority sides with the SNES because it is home to many franchises that continue to be popular today, but for me personally it will always be the Genesis first and foremost.

And as to not kid myself, the heavy dose of nostalgia I have for the console doesn't hurt either, though I put a lot of time into both back in the day.

[retrozombieslayer]

My favorite console of all time is the Nintendo 64. I like it because it has a relatively small library of games (296 or 299 I can't remember), meaning that it is not flooded with hundreds of crappy titles like the poor NES. It is also full of exclusive games like GoldenEye 007, Super Mario 64, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie, all those Star Wars games, etc. The only downside is that the cartridges have no fucking end labels! Plus, the controller looks like an "M" which is pretty fancy.