Top 10 Consoles According to G4 Fans

[dubq 0]

Mine - only including sysems that I've owned in the past or own right now. Normally, how fond I am of a system is reflected in how many games I own for said system. This list pretty much reflects the amount of games for each system I own...

 

1. SNES

2. PS2

3. GBA

4. Gamecube

5. SATURN (Only because I had a ton of great import games)

6. DS

7. N64

8. PSX

 

 

Heh, all I can do is 8...

[The Man in Blak 0]

Also, in response to a comment Andrew made earlier, I'm not really sure I buy that the SNES has a weaker library than the PS1. Given the same list of ten that I just made for the PS1 and N64, here's one for the SNES:

 

Super Mario World

Chrono Trigger

Super Metroid

Zelda: A Link To The Past

Final Fantasy VI

Secret of Mana

Super Mario Kart

Street Fighter II Turbo

Super Castlevania IV

Contra III: The Alien Wars

 

That is a very strong list in my opinion and behind that first wave is a truckload of amazing games: Tetris Attack, Final Fantasy IV, Mega Man X, Actraiser, Super Punch Out, Gradius III, Ogre Battle, etc.

[Special K 0]

And those games will NEVER be obselete. Shit, i played Actraiser, which was pretty much a SNES launch title half a year ago. It still kicks ass.

 

 

EDIT: Man in Blak, have you played Valkyrie Profile? If not, you might want to consider picking it up. I don't think it's ludicrously expensive like Suikoden II. It's fan-fucking-tastic.

[AndrewTS 0]

"EDIT: Man in Blak, have you played Valkyrie Profile? If not, you might want to consider picking it up. I don't think it's ludicrously expensive like Suikoden II. It's fan-fucking-tastic."

 

I think we're talking in the 60-80 dollar range, rather than triple digits, but variable depending on those damn snipers and pure lucky.

[jwpeer 0]

And those games will NEVER be obselete. Shit, i played Actraiser, which was pretty much a SNES launch title half a year ago. It still kicks ass.

 

 

EDIT: Man in Blak, have you played Valkyrie Profile? If not, you might want to consider picking it up. I don't think it's ludicrously expensive like Suikoden II. It's fan-fucking-tastic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Valkyrie profile is hard to find, not many copies of it were made(sells for anywhere from 45-80 dollars depending on where ya get it, but still not as tought o find as a copy of Persona 2 w/ instructions), I still kick myself for selling it a long time ago as it's the only major rpg missing from my collection of ps1 rpgs (I don't have the suikodens anymore, but I don't find them to have aged as well as Valkyrie Profile.) I actually don't regret selling my copies of suikoden and suikoden 2, they just didn't have replay value for me (Good games though).

Legend of Mana is the graphically the best ps1 game period, and is heads and shoulders better looking than tons of ps2 games (sad there)

 

 

 

Actraiser is an awesome game, and it has always hurt me the way they butchered the sequel taking out the sim-like elements that made it so unique and fun.

 

The only N64 game I own is Ogre Battle 64. That was a pain to find a copy of, I didn't even buy the N64 (my little sister got it one here to play pokemon snap (a game i ended up mastering when I would play it for her, was quite fun as I recall)) but I didn't mind using it for OB64.

 

 

Snes still has the most amazing collection of varied and timeless games ever, including my favorites Ogre Battle and Secret of Mana. (Not to mention the games that never got here like Seiken Densetsu 3, Bahamut Lagoon, and Terranigma)

 

 

There's a reason snes emulation was and is so popular, because a good -game- doesn't lose its lure (Part of the reason I like a lot of my xbox games, I can go back and play Otogo or Phantom Dust and still enjoy it just like I can go load up my emulator and play a game of Uncharted Waters: New Horizons(another of my favorite snes games ever ))

 

 

 

Wow, that was a long-winded excuse to list some of my favorite games in the hopes someone recognizes them!...I like this thread

[Guest ABOBO]

I got my replacement copy of Valkyrie Profile for $15 at Funco when my nephew "accidently" sold me a Spyro case with the disc inside.

[jwpeer 0]

I got my replacement copy of Valkyrie Profile for $15 at Funco when my nephew "accidently" sold me a Spyro case with the disc inside.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Hahahhaha

That's funny stuff, gamestop's listed preowned price for valkyrie is like 45.99, so that's not a bad deal.

 

too bad none of the gstops around here have the game, the one that was close was supposed to send it to a closer store and never called me about it (lying bastards, I should have just traveled the hour to go get it)

[4hartthreat 0]

This is what the Playstation 2 brings to the table:

• * For one, it introduced backwards compatibility to the home console ranks, which is huge - they were already had a headstart with the PS1 library in their pocket.

* Secondly, it has the best controller design out of all of the consoles, in my opinion.  (And sure, the Dual Shock design actually came during the PS1 cycle, but this was the first console where it was packaged in.)

* Thirdly, it also introduced the ability of playing DVDs, which was a pretty significant trick.  I don't think you could catch many people playing CDs in their PS1, but there were plenty of college dorm rooms that had a PS2 as the primary DVD player.

* Finally (and most importantly), the library is LOADED.  I don't want to spend an hour listing out all of the relevant games, but the PS2 library is not only balanced, but it's strong in virtually every genre.  That's quantity and quality.

The PS2 not only runs circles around the "mighty N64", but it aces all of the other consoles as well just by the sheer volume of what it offers.  There is a reason that it is the top-selling console of all time. 

 

So, if there's no "credibility" in that argument, I'd like to see you tear it down.  What's your counter-argument?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

1. Has already been addressed.

 

2. I like the ps2 controller, but to say that it is some kind of advantage that the system has over other systems is ridiculous. It is just a basic controller that incorporates an idea stolen from nintendo's rumble pak. Again, I like the ps2 controller, I really do. It just is not something to go shouting from rooftops about.

 

3. I think this is a very valid point. I never really understood why it was such a big deal, but people do regard it as one so I'll give it to you. However, when I discuss game systems I don't care if I can watch movies on them. If I want to watch movies I'll buy a dvd player. If I want to play games I'll buy an N64.

 

4. I kind of agree with you on this as well. Unlike the ps1, I think the ps2 has a very nice library of games. That being said, I'm not even sure it beats out the GC as best console of this generation. While Sony still has the quantity, and its quality has improved, I'm not sure the quality has quite caught up to Nintendo's yet. With RE4's porting to the ps2 I really could accept arguments going either way. But I fully expect things to swing back to the gc when Zelda: TP is released.

[jwpeer 0]

The thing with older games, is I'm getting to the point where I don't feel like I need to own them or even play them anymore, simply having played them once is enough for me, I just have trouble maintaining that collecting instinct with older games consistently. The only thing I can keep dedicated to is RotTK (several versions of which I would love to get just to say I own all the u.s. ones)

 

I mean the collection of old quality pcrpg's I have is almost as awesome as my ps1 rpgs...but in the end I know the stories, i've played through them, why do I need to do it again (I've played fallout 2 like 12 times )

 

Valkyrie Profile is one of the exceptions because I really love the voice acting and atmosphere for that game

 

I'll get a copy soon, no worries

[Guest ABOBO]

I like the 'Cube, I really do, but Zelda: TP is too little, way too late in the battle to swing Gamecube ahead in the quality department. I put R&C: UYA above all but RES 4 on the Cube at the moment.

[Youth N Asia 0]

I was an RPG dork back in the day, and the SNES was the very best for those. Nothing else came close.

[chaosrage 0]

How can anyone put Nintendo 64 above Gamecube is beyond me. Of the most popular games on N64, Mario 64, Zelda: OOT, Goldeneye, Mario Kart, and Smash Brothers, you could make a strong argument that 4 of those 5 have much better sequels on Cube. As far as FPSs go, either Metroid Prime blows away Goldeneye. F-Zero GX was better than F-Zero X. If you have a cube, you've basically already played everything the N64 had to offer except for Conker... and possibly Goldeneye multiplayer. But yet there's games on the cube that N64 has no match for or anything remotely comparable to. Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil 4, RE: Remake, and RE:0, Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2, Viewtiful Joe 1 and 2, Tales of Symphonia, Soul Calibur 2, Prince of Persia, and so on. Even if for some reason you think the Mario and Zelda for 64 was better, Cube has to have at least twice the amount of good games that N64 did any way you want to look at it.

[spman 0]

Gamecube to me was just a wasted oppertunity, it's easily the most technologically advanced of the three current consoles, but hasn't really seen a major third-party release since RE4 back in January, and probobly won't see anymore for the rest of it's existance. I will always love my Cube dearly for bringing me Super Monkey Ball, but overall, Nintendo really dropped the ball by it's stubborn insistance on nonsense like GBA connectivity which absolutly no one was interested in, instead of working on online game which was clearly catching on. Couple that with the fact that the games that were supposed to be the A+ must haves like Mario Sunshine and Zelda turned out dissapointing to many, and all you have left with is a console which Nintendo basically turned into N64 v. 2.0

[Special K 0]

The Gamecube is a sweet, sweet system. The controller's much better than the N64's (though the Dual Shock IS clearly the best.), it has a very strong game library (so do the PS2 and XBOX.) and it's durable itself (fucking Sony and their flimsy-ass systems)

One game that gets short shrift is Zelda: four swords since you need four fucking GBA's and four link cables to even play it properly, but if you do, it's AWESOME.

I think we're really spoiled this generation, though. There's SO many good games out there in general. All three consoles (and the Dreamcast!) have terrific libraries. A game like Psi-Ops, which I love, can come out and not even be a blip on the radar. People can complain about Shadow of the Colossus being ugly. The only genre that's really been suffering is the RPG, since SquareEnix's products have taken a sharp drop in quality since the late days of PS1, and other designers haven't exactly picked up the slack. Thank God for Nippon Ichi.

 

Who made Rachet and Clank? Was that Sony (who for the longest time could NOT make a platformer to save their lives.)? Because that's my personal favorite platformer series I've ever played. Gamecube, strangely, has been a bit bare in the platformer dept.

[Guest ABOBO]

R&C was developed by Insomniac of Spyro fame and published by Sony.

 

EDIT: I hope NIS gets back to Disgaea form with Disgaea 2(release date is August 2006...) since I haven't been super impressed with their other games. Makai Kingdom was better than Phantom brave but you could definately tell it was a rushjob.

[Special K 0]

Did Sony make the Jak games? I haven't played them, but numbers 1 & 3 have quite the rep.

[jwpeer 0]

Why so much love for the dualshock?

 

I've always disliked the ps2 controller myself...not irrationally, just a mild dislike. It's good for fighting games (I like to use the directional pad for fighting games, and the xbox analog stick is HORRIBLY inaccurate during fighting games) but I prefer the Xbox controller under every other circumstance.

 

I can't stand the size of the dualshock, or the position of the analog sticks, it's just uncomfortable (I have large hands so that may be one of the reasons)

[Guest ABOBO]

Jak was made by Naughty Dog, developers of Crash Bandicoot and released by Sony. A nice friendly rivalry with the Insomniac folk going on.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Okay, lots of stuff going on when I wasn't looking, so instead of massively quoting a ton of posts, I'll try to keep this short.

 

1. ABOBO'S nephew is awesome.

 

2. I played Valkyrie Profile a loooong time ago and, while I liked it, I wasn't blown completely away. Maybe I need to give it another spin.

 

3. Special K has a great point about the current console generation: with third-party developers making more cross platform games than ever, that tends the even out the playing field when it comes to game libraries (and put more focus on what's built into the console itself - hence why I ranked Xbox where I did on my list).

 

4. The Dual Shock's controller design is actually a pretty significant point in favor of the PS2, because the other two controllers in the generation are pretty bad. Microsoft managed to recover with the Controller S, but it's basically a better take on the Gamecube controller (which is a poorly conceived ripoff of the Dual Shock). The N64 controller did have analog and it did support force feedback, but the latter came through a separate addition and the former is somewhat nerfed by the fact that the N64 controller design borderlines on the psychotic. In my opinion, there's really no comparison.

 

5. ...okay, so I lied. I'll quote chaosrage directly:

 

How can anyone put Nintendo 64 above Gamecube is beyond me. Of the most popular games on N64, Mario 64, Zelda: OOT, Goldeneye, Mario Kart, and Smash Brothers, you could make a strong argument that 4 of those 5 have much better sequels on Cube.

 

I don't think that's really a strong argument, actually. For one, I'll grant you that Mario Sunshine, Wind Waker, Double Dash, and Smash Bros. Melee have more impressive graphics than their N64 counterparts but, in many of the cases, the games weren't received as positively as their predecessors; gamers bitched about the water-based gameplay in Sunshine, others whined about having to sail all over the place in Wind Waker, and a fair size of people considered Double Dash and Melee to be generally inferior to the N64 offerings. I think it may be a push at best just on game quality alone and, when you factor in that the N64 games came first (and were wildly innovative and influential at the time), the N64 core titles win handily, in my opinion.

 

You also mention Metroid Prime as a huge trump over Goldeneye, but I don't think there's any comparison in the multiplayer, especially when you compare each against what was out there at the time (Echoes against a gazillion console shooters, Goldeneye against virtually nothing). Goldeneye & Perfect Dark, overrated as they may be, basically invented the console FPS and are still played regularly today. I'd personally call MP/MP2 vs. Goldeneye/Perfect Dark a push.

 

That leaves the rest of the games that you mentioned. And, just comparing head to head, I'd take Paper Mario over Tales of Symphonia, No Mercy over Eternal Darkness, and Majora's Mask over the Resident Evil remake. Super Monkey Ball and Viewtiful Joe are decent titles, but it's probably a push between them and, say, Mario Party and Conker's Bad Fur Day. Resident Evil 4 is the huge home run for the system, but it's losing out in so many other places that I'm not sure it over-compensates for it.

 

The other titles that you mentioned were multi-platform titles and, ultimately, I don't think we can really use them in this kind of discussion because they don't give the console a distinct advantage over any other. Prince of Persia doesn't really give the Gamecube anything, if I own a PS2 as well - it's a wash. Unless there's a big gap between the versions (see: Viewtiful Joe series, Street Fighter II Turbo for SNES to Genesis, Grand Theft Auto III for PS2 to Xbox), I wouldn't consider it as a "win" for the system.

 

The comment about the Gamecube as "N64 v2.0" is a very valid criticism. While everybody else in this console cycle has made leaps to support online gameplay and other innovations, the Gamecube has been stagnant. Additionally, many of the core games are reduxes of previous games on the N64. The only thing it's got going for it, outside of the software, is the Wavebird, which is hands down the best wireless controller out there.

[razazteca 0]

Nintendo basically turned into N64 v. 2.0

Now with Cell Shading!

[Special K 0]

I sometimes wonder exactly how some older games would stack up today. I'm pretty sure Tomb Raider would be a complete bore now. Jumping Flash might be fun, I loved that game. Mario 64 is really the first 3D platformer that stands a chance in this day and age, though. Platformers have made huge leaps and bounds.

 

Also I can't forget one of my greatest loves on the PSX. Rival Schools: United by fate. It was ugly as sin the day it came out, and it was sort of like a dumbed-down Vs. title, but man, my friends and I in college still played the shit out of that game even when the PS2 and Dreamcast were out.

 

After reading the arguments in this thread, I've reached a conclusion (which was reached a lot earlier when someone said quantity v quality) When you take the N64's entire lifespan and condense it into the top ten titles, you've got a phenomenal library. Classic, even. It will beat any Playstation top 10 objectively, though the N64, again, was totally lacking in entire genres. I just have a preconceived bias against N64, formed because, in between killer games I was able to pick up tons of cheap, entertaining titles. One that came to mind is Tiny Tank. A really fun little bargain shooter. There were a ton of good games to tide owners over, and greatest hits titles that cost jack shit. However, classic gamers aren't exactly clamoring to play Tiny Tank nowadays.

 

Being a N64 owner, at the actual time of its release, sucked. There were LONG waits between excellent titles. And, barring Zelda and Smash Brothers, they were ALL platformers and racers. If you're not a big racing fan (I never have been, except my undying love of Wipeout XL) well, then there goes a third of the must-own titles. Plus, $60-$80!

[ChrisMWaters 0]

To everyone that said that their N64 games were 60-80 dollars...

 

Where the HELL did you shop? I NEVER had to pay more than 50 bucks for a N64 game...EVER!

[Narcoleptic Jumper 0]

The things PS1 lacked were a really good 3D platformer

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Ape Escape. One of the best, most innovative and prettiest 3D platformers of the 32 bit era. And don't forget the Crash Bandicoot games.

[Golgo 13 0]

Atari did it first (remember that the newer Atari systems tended to all play the older systems' games, except for I *think* the 7800 (and Jag didn't support the older games either)--moot by this point in time, but don't credit Sony for some innovative idea they didn't come up with first.

 

Did the conversion cart come with the system? I don't remember exactly - if it didn't, then I'd argue that it wasn't packaged in with the original console offering. If it did...well, all of the Atari systems after the 2800 died a horrible, horrible death, so there.

 

But yeah, I'll grant you that I was incorrect in stating that the PS2 was the first. Mea culpa.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I think the way it worked was that the 5200 had a conversion cart put out at a later date... after Intellivision already released a device that would allow 2400 games to be played on their system. Strike one for Atari.

 

The 7800 had it already built in, allowing for 2400 games to be played... since 2400 was pretty much the more popular of the two. However, the 5200 compatibility wasn't built in, it's said due to differing cartridge types, although a coversion cart for that was planned but never released.

 

In all fairness to Atari, they had no idea how to market the 5200, and it had to compete with Intellivision, which got a head start, and Colecovision, released around the same time. Maybe they just assumed that with the advent of newer technology, people would automatically flock to it. Hell, it was really the first second generation console anyway, which was unheard of at the time. The 2400 was still relatively popular and no one understood the concept of buying a newer system, especially with no conversion cart out. Then the crash came and that was that.

 

As far as the 7800 goes, it was kept on the shelf for years. It was completed and set to release a year or so before the NES, then Atari was sold. The new owners wanted nothing to do video games, just wanted to used the Atari name for an improved computer line, and shelved it. Then when the NES got popular, they decided to pull the stock off the shelves and sell it, but it was too little, too late. Though it was still pretty inferior to the NES regardless, if only due to the now outdated technology in the system.

[Golgo 13 0]

The things PS1 lacked were a really good 3D platformer

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Ape Escape. One of the best, most innovative and prettiest 3D platformers of the 32 bit era. And don't forget the Crash Bandicoot games.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Spyro was a good series too, before being handed off to another company (Vivendi Universal, I believe).

[Masked Man of Mystery 0]

Most Playstation 1 games look extremely ugly to me, moreso than N64 games ever will. Even Gran Turismo

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Im just SHOCKED..literally like I just stuck my finger in an electrical outlet (if I had hair it would be standing straight up right now ) that the X Box wasn't #1.

[iggymcfly 0]

I say

 

1: Nintendo 64

2: Nintendo

3: Super Nintendo

4: X-Box

5. Game Boy

6. Playstation 2

7. Playstation

8. Sega Genesis

 

Nothing else really deserves positive mention as far as I'm concerned. The Gamecube is terrible, the Dreamcast was a colossal failure, and my Game Gear broke about three weeks after I got it for no apparent reason and was completely unfixable.

 

Anyway, no matter how pretty the new systems look, I doubt I'll ever have as much fun with them as I had with my N64. Not only was it a gigantic leap forward for the gaming industry, it had some of the most fun games ever.

 

Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 are pretty much in a class by themselves as far as fun games go. Last year, I dug out my N64, played Mario 64 for a few weeks, and had almost as much fun as I did the first time. Way more fun then with any of my current PS2 games. Ocarina of Time, Diddy Kong Racing, Goldeneye, Shadows of the Empire, and Mario Party were also tremendously fun games that eclipse most of the games out today. There were also plenty of fun sports games available, and I really don't get where all the N64 hate on here's coming from. If you paid $80 for a game, then you're just a dumbass; I never even saw any that high.

 

Look at it with a little historical perspective. When PS2 and X-Box came out, you were probably like, "oh, this is a little better. Look, the graphics are much sharper." When the N64 came out, everybody was more like "Oh my god! Video games can do this!?! This is the greatest creation in history. I'm never leaving my room again!"

 

When I looked through that first list, all I was thinking was "the N64 better be #1." Glad to see it get the respect it deserves.

[Golgo 13 0]

the Dreamcast was a colossal failure

 

How dare you.

[AndrewTS 0]

Holy crap--a ton of responses today...damn work, I'd love to comment/complain about a lot of these--hopefully time tomorrow.

 

Quick comment though:

 

"I sometimes wonder exactly how some older games would stack up today. I'm pretty sure Tomb Raider would be a complete bore now. Jumping Flash might be fun, I loved that game. Mario 64 is really the first 3D platformer that stands a chance in this day and age, though. Platformers have made huge leaps and bounds."

 

I've pulled out Tomb Raider 2 and both Jumping Flashes in the past month.

 

Tomb Raider 2 of course feels really clunky, and playing it in the same console generation as one of the new PoPs really makes you appreciate how far we've come. After about a dozen or so deaths caused by traps you have to have died from, memorized, and learned to compensate for the camera for, I felt like never touching the game and traded it in.

 

Jumping Flash 1 and 2 are both awesome still. Despite some pop up issues waaaay in the distance, it still looks pretty good (framerate ain't bad at all) and it's still insanely fun. In fact, a Jumping Flash 2 box cover is my MSN Messenger avatar. I have considered tracking down an import JF3 (which we never got) and getting a modded PS1 to play it and a handful of other quality titles I'd missed.