Topic: What Is Your Favourite Gaming System of the Last Generation

[Fatty The Hutt]

A comment in another thread from one of our prominent Forum members (reproduced below) inspired me to create this thread.

Now that the new video-gaming generation is in full swing, tell us what is your favourite "gaming system" (includes both home console and handheld) of the gaming generation just passed? Why?

We already know Khush's:

I've said it before it and I'll say it again. As far as I'm concerned, the DS was the best system of the last generation. If I had to choose between a Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, DS, or PSP, DS would be an easy choice for me.

I still have to think about mine but in the meantime, I'll try to add a poll. I am not planning on including smartphones or iPads and the like but will if there is demand.


Edit: Poll is up. I added PC. What do you think of that choice?

[Adrock]

DS. But it's close. I really enjoyed Wii overall and PS3 had Uncharted 2: Among Thieves which was my favorite game of last generation.

[broodwars]

PS3, without question. The DS' lineup is certainly respectable, but I'm a console gamer and the PS3 has served me extremely well this last generation with easily the best lineup of 1st party games; some great PSN exclusives; and all the 3rd party games worth caring about.

[Oblivion]

I agree, broodwars. PS3 all the way.

[nickmitch]

I gotta go with the DS, I certainly played it the most.

Granted, my main choices are between it, the Wii, and the 360. I got a PS3 late in the game and haven't played it much.

I gotta pick the DS over the 360 just for the sheer number of games I played on the thing. I loved my 360, but I wasn't really playing the exclusives there.

Khush is right.

[NWR_insanolord]

There was a point at which I owned 70 DS games. That system was the the PS2 of this generation, with some spectacular hits and incredible depth.

[Khushrenada]

I talked about it in Spak-Spang's thread of which generation you identify with that playing the DS was the last time I really had a mind blown feeling when playing a game with the touchscreen. The Wii's motion controls just didn't impress and while it has some great games, I find the software library of what I liked quite small compared to the DS.

The DS introduced me to Phoenix Wright and gave us 5 games in the Ace Attorney world. It introduced me to Professor Layton and gave 4 games of that experience. Mario Kart DS was huge and has really set the template for the series ever since and I still think it is the best single-player experience in the Kart series. In fact, being the first Nintendo system to start having online gaming, it really helped carry momentum forward on a few series like Pokemon and Animal Crossing.

It encouraged a lot of interesting creativity and new ideas of software that could be sold with Feel the Magic, Pac-Pix, Electroplankton, Brain Age, Korg DS10, Personal Trainer: Cooking, Crosswords DS and Nintendogs as some examples of this. It caused a bit of resurgance in the point and click type adventure with Memory Code, Hotel Dusk, and I'd include 999 as some examples of this. It was a big RPG source also with The World Ends With You, Dragonquest 9, Radient Historia, Mario & Luigi and Chrono Trigger being some of the top examples of this. Although Chrono Trigger has since become more readily available, it was a huge release at the time. Plus Kirby, Kirby, Kirby! 4 Kirby games released on the system means it is all kinds of awesome. There are still so many other experiences worth checking out like Tetris DS, Elite Beat Agents, Advance Wars, Infinite Space, or Picross.

That doesn't mean it isn't without it's faults. The interesting thing is how well the system did with most of the major franchises faltering on it. SM64DS is pretty good but not having analogue control has been a knock against it. NSMB helped launch a 2D resurgance but the opinion on this version has waned since its release. The 2 Zelda games released also have very little love and barely showed up on people's top Zelda lists on this forum. Metroid had Prime Hunters and Pinball which have been rather forgotten. Donkey Kong only showed up in Jungle Climber. Star Fox Command has also fallen out of favor for being rather repetative and bland. Even without those series, the library is still strong.

However, this is the other fault I'd give it. There are plenty of good and solid games but I'm not really sure it has anything I would call great or instant classics. The Wii, PS3 and Xbox360 had a few of these. The closest I would come to would be Mario Kart DS but even then, comparing it to other Mario Kart games, I'm not 100% convinced that is the case. But that could just be me.

[Ian Sane]

PS3 I guess.  It wasn't THAT exciting to own one, but it wins by default.  The absence of Nintendo makes the Playstation consoles a little underwhelming to me.  I really don't like how Nintendo and third party support are an "or" instead of an "and" scenario.  The industry also moved more into Western games during this last gen and a vastly prefer Japanese games.  The PS3 though was the best console of its gen for third party Japanese games.

I couldn't really get into the DS because I don't like playing on handhelds (though I find the 3DS XL screen is winning me over big time).  The Wii?  Worst console I've ever owned.  Effectively zero third party support and the only noticeable difference between it and the Gamecube was an inaccurate gimmick controller.  We got six shitty years of Nintendo console games that controlled like ass.

Last gen really felt like the videogame industry pulled the rug out from under me.  Nintendo cast me aside for casuals, Japanese devs went crazy, mircotransactions took off, and the entire market got scared of making anything other than first person shooters targeted at obnoxious alpha-male assholes.  Ten years ago I was an outsider finding acceptance in the videogame sub-culture but now I feel like I'm an outsider in regards to videogames as well.  Realistically Nintendo was my niche, making the types of games that fit my tastes.  Now that they've changed I'm a videogame drifter, getting my fix where I can.

[Fatty The Hutt]

I still haven't voted. I can't make my mind up between Wii and PS3.

PS3 has some of my favourite games I played last gen: Arkham City, Red Dead Redemption (I know those two were also available on 360, but I chose PS3), and Infamous. It also has some great PS2 HD collections, like God of War and Sly Cooper. Add to that the Blu Ray player, free online services (those last two being the deciding factors for me picking PS3 over 360) and great indie games like Joe Danger, and you have a compelling system.

Wii, however, was my gateway drug. I was one of those many lapsed gamers that was attracted to the Wii when I heard about it in 2005. Starting from a kid I had a Magnavox Pong machine, an Atari 2600, a Colecovision, a Commodore 64, a NES, a SNES and a continuing series of PCs on which I would occasionally play games. Never had a N64, PSOne or PS2. Rented a Gamecube once and had a fun weekend.

The Wii was like a revelation. Like so many older, lapsed gamer folk, I, too, was intimidate by the modern controller with it's many buttons and complicated games that required you to memorize button mappings and combos or whatnot. Yet here was the Wii, with a simple, easy to use controller and crazy, space-age motion control technology that blew my little mind. I really wanted one, my wife let me buy one (cuz, you know, it's for the kids) and it was awesome. And it did exactly what Nintendo intended. It got me back into gaming in a big way, got me to buy more systems and crazy amounts of games, and now I am posting on a freaking Nintendo website. Wii has a ton of games released for it that interested me and I think I have procured just about all of them by now, though I still look. And there's the great Virtual Console and WiiWare that has some really great stuff too. And backwards compatibility with Gamecube meant that I picked up and have been enjoying many titles from that system's catalogue too.

PS3 has great games but, to me, they are almost all solo experiences. Wii has many excellent solo experiences, but it was (and is) the machine I play with my kids and with visiting friends (theirs and mine). We even played solo games together like the two Zelda and two Mario Galaxy games. But, damn, I do love that PS3 Blu Ray player and we still use it as our main Netflix box too, despite the Wii U also having.

It is a very, very tough call but I think I am going to have to give it to the Wii. It just edges out PS3 for being first in my home, and first in my heart. Call it a sentimental win, if you like.

[Spak-Spang]

Handheld the DS...and I think I will name it number one.

I think the Wii and Xbox 360 is tied.  I really appreciate what Microsoft brought to gaming last generation.  I think they were the most complete and fully featured online infrastructure and presence even if you had to pay for it.

Now, I don't know if Microsoft will continue that domination into the new generation, but I hope they do...and I hope they continue to push the boundaries of gaming and connectability. 

[pokepal148]

Now, I don't know if Microsoft will continue that domination into the new generation, but I hope they do...and I hope they continue to push the boundaries between gaming and your wallet. 

Fixed
But yeah DS all the way

[Spak-Spang]

I know people complain about the costs of Xbox live.  But the service was great.  I don't want to retread that discussion, because we have done it to death.

So people can agree to disagree...but I think if you take cost out of the picture, nobody can argue Xbox Live was the BEST online console experience last generation. 

Now, Sony did some things to catch up and tried to create as compelling of an experience...and late in the generation I think it largely succeeded, but it was totally in response to Microsoft's success.

Now, this next generation I think Sony and Microsoft have different edges with their online structure.  I think Sony, may have the most compelling experience for gamers, but Microsoft has other features that are quite compelling.

[azeke]

Wii (because of Super Mario Galaxy games) > PC > DS > Xbox

[Khushrenada]

I couldn't really get into the DS because I don't like playing on handhelds (though I find the 3DS XL screen is winning me over big time). 

My brother has always made this complaint of not liking handhelds because of the small screen. I don't even think about the screen size anymore nor does it bother me. I have a GBA Micro that I still use from time to time. I find it fascinating that even with a screen that small, I can still play games on it no problem and be able to see everything I need to clearly and easily. So, then when playing with a DS or 3DS, the screen seems much nicer. I've never actually owned or used a DS or 3DS XL so I'm not sure how much different the image would look on them. Is it really such a major difference?

[Fatty The Hutt]

I find some of the NES ports difficult to play on 3DS because of the size. It is hard to see some things in those games. They were developed for bigger screens. Same goes with Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.

[ymeegod]

Xbox 360 had a better starting lineup for the first couple of years especially when you factor in exclusive indie/arcade titles but Sony has made a strong comeback during the last couple of years.  I would say the two systems were tied followed by the DS.   The WII was used mostly for platformers and the few exclusive titles and the PSP wasn't used much at all though I did enjoy the GTA spinoff the system and a few kingdom heart/final fantasy game. 

Number 1 reason why Sony Vita didn't sell in the west?  No GTA--even the PSP got 3 of them.

[Ian Sane]

I couldn't really get into the DS because I don't like playing on handhelds (though I find the 3DS XL screen is winning me over big time). 

My brother has always made this complaint of not liking handhelds because of the small screen. I don't even think about the screen size anymore nor does it bother me. I have a GBA Micro that I still use from time to time. I find it fascinating that even with a screen that small, I can still play games on it no problem and be able to see everything I need to clearly and easily. So, then when playing with a DS or 3DS, the screen seems much nicer. I've never actually owned or used a DS or 3DS XL so I'm not sure how much different the image would look on them. Is it really such a major difference?

I find the bigger screen means I don't have to hold the system as close to myself to make out the details.  So I'm not getting neck or arm fatigue from cramping up around the thing.  I got it for Pokémon X and I'm blown away how much of a difference it is over my DS Phat.  I figured I would have to put up with discomfort to play the game but I don't.

[ShyGuy]

Twilight Princess, No More Heroes, Red Steel 2, HOTD: Overkill, Silent Hill, Link's Crossbow Training, RE4 Superior edition, Wii Fit, Prime 3, Conduit, Skyward Sword.

[lolmonade]

I have to admit that PS3 is my favorite system of the last generation, although I was actually close to choosing the Wii, if I objectively looked at the entire scope of games I played/enjoyed between the two. 


If I compare the experiences that surprised me or wowed me at how good or new the experience was, I'd have to go with the PS3, where I enjoyed Flower, Journey, inFamous 1 + 2, Uncharted 2, Demon's Souls, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Metal Gear Solid 4, Katamari Forever, Heavy Rain, Little Big Planet 1 + 2, and including all the games I've been able to play because of PS+, I have to say I got some of the best gaming experiences I've ever had on the system.

[NWR_insanolord]

There's a lot of great stuff on PS3, but I don't think I've played anything on mine that wasn't an EA Sports game. I'm a huge fan of those, but I can't give this honor to a system I'm so pigeonholed with.


EDIT: There was supposed to be an "in months" in there. I've played lots of other things in it, just nothing else at the moment.

[shingi_70]

DS

[Fatty The Hutt]

Whaddya know, somebody picked PC. I wonder who that was? I am now glad it is a voting option.