Cartridges: Who got it right, who got it wrong.

[Luke]

I was recently thinking about who made the best and worst cartridge designs. Love my NES, but the games really didn't need to be as big as they are. Sega Master System cartridges could have been perfect, but they have no art on them, and have no end labels. N64 carts have art, but again, no end labels. I like the Genesis carts, but I always feel like they are upside down when stacking them, could be just me.

So, who perfected the design of the video game cartridge? I already have my answer, but would like to know your opinion.

[RCBH928]

gameboy,N64, and family game(japanese snes) are my favorite . I hate the Japanese Snes carts, but the USA ones are ok.

I have to say my favorite are n64

[lisalover1]

That's a very tough question. I would say that the Super Nintendo comes the closest to perfection, although they are a bit too bit for my tastes. I love the design of the Master System cartridge, but its lack of cartridge art or end labels knock it down a few pegs. But the MS' cartridge boxes are fantastic.

[Crabmaster2000]

I actually like the big size of the NES ones, and a few games did take advantage of the space like: Castlevania III, Kirby's Adventure, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior. They all filled the inside of the shell almost completely and thats just off the top of my head.

I think NES takes the cake though for having top labels and a large amount of room for the game art. Plus they have the indent to make it easier to pull your game out and somehow not have that feature look stupid.

Not having a top label kills it for me. I cant stand that. N64, Gameboy, 32x, etc. etc. drives me crazy. My runner up would be the SNES though.

[pepharytheworm]

I have always loved the SNES carts, but I have to give it to the Atari 2600. That rectangular black box you could read the end label a mile away, and the cartridge art is nothing less then awesome. If you wanted to show one thing to encompass the 80's just look at an Atari cart. Yeah, It started in 77 but to me brought on the new decade and the cultural changes that would abound in the 80's. Some were even spring loaded to protect those precious innards. They are easily stackable and a beauty to behold.
Granted not all Atari carts are equal, but each has its own charm.

The NES could be a close second if not for the large fat design uninspired, bigger it must be better design. If not for the hideous EA carts I might even think about the Genesis.

[Breetai]

family game(japanese snes)

Family game? WTF?

My personal favourites are the Neo Geo cartridges. They're big and easy to see! Other than that, the Atari 2600 cartridges are awesome. Easily stackable and easy to read the labels. SNES are probably next, although the don't stack perfectly. The Genesis cartridges are meant to be in their cases, so I don't even remember if they stack well or not. NES carts are really good for the same reason that Atari 2600 carts are good. Most other systems don't have end labels on their cartridges, and therefore are lacking.

Conclusion, Atari developed the perfect game cartridge for the 2600, with Neo Geo in second (too big to take first!) and NES in third. Runner up is the SNES.

[Luke]

Not having a top label kills it for me. I cant stand that. N64, Gameboy, 32x, etc. etc. drives me crazy.

Same here. I hate rummaging through my N64 carts to find the game I'm looking for. Gameboy and GBA games are even worse, since they are so tiny and I have quite a few of each.

I completely agree with wormie. I love the design of Atari 2600 carts, for all the reasons he stated. Plus, they are so easy to stack. But yeah, not a lot of bulk, GREAT end labels, and the art got you excited to play the game, even if the art looked nothing like the actual game (which usually is the case). My favorite cart art ever may be Missile Command, it just embodies what a video game should look like.

[Hatta]

I really like the Atari 8-bit cartridges. They're compact, have some heft to them, and have that cool interlocking dust cover over the pins. But yeah, it would be nice if the end label said something other than "Left Cartridge". Especially when my 8-bit only has the one slot.

[SpaceBooger]

I think the Genesis carts (all but the EA ones) are the best. The art, when good, fills up almost the whole cart nicely and the title on the top is always easy to read. Plus you have to give bonus for the Clamshells - with the art and box built-in look awesome sitting on a shelf.
I would also have to say the runner-up would be the NES. The carts had a nice style with the thumb grip and the design flowing from it.

[dsheinem]

No love for the Genesis carts?

They combine most of the best features mentioned above - they are smaller than SNES/NES carts (even though the label is about the same size as SNES games), have the title written on top, and come in stylish black. They even have some carts that are a little bigger (e.g. some EA titles, Virtua Racer, etc.) that stand out nicely from the rest. Most importantly, they used HARD CASES to protect the carts, which reduces the likelihood of picking up a random loose cart and hearing a rattling piece - a much more common problem in Nintendo carts.