jawa asks... What is your favourite system from each gaming generation?

What is your favourite system from each gaming generation?

Videogaming goes back over forty years and - oh boy! - there have been so many terrific gaming systems during that time. Maybe some not-so-great ones, too.

Here's your chance to vote for your favourite systems from over the years. The tough part is that you can only select one system from each time period. Please look over the voting section and pick out your faves - one from each section - and jot down details of things that helped you to decide, too!

There is a maximum of fifty voting options and so - alas! - I couldn't include classics such as the Commodore Plus/4 or the Nokia N-gage.

Switch should be part of the final group when it comes to working out the votes. Just because it released earlier doesn't mean it's not current gen :capnscotty:

all the nintendo ones

Things that I suspected would happen:

Some folk would place votes for the "----------" symbols
Some folk would say the Switch should be included in the Xbox Series and PS5 section
Some folk would choose more than one system from each section
Some folk would ask why I haven't included the PC in every section and made it the automatic winner
Some folk would ask why I didn't include the Intellivision Amico as an option

:lol:

.

Amstrad CPC
NES
SNES
PlayStation
GameCube
X360
Switch
PS5

I went with:
Commodore 64 (I had to... but much love for the Amstrad and BBC, too)
Commodore Amiga (I started out with the ST but the Amiga was just so good)
Sega Master System (My first console! It was tough to pass over the Game Boy in this section, though)
Sega Mega Drive (This felt like a real tech power leap from the MS)
Nintendo 64 (I should probably say PS1 due to the range of fantastic game that it had but the N64's chunky and colourful vibe wins me over)
Microsoft Xbox (I really like the console... and I've never really played on the other systems from this period!)
Microsoft Xbox 360 (Both the Wii and the DS were super but the game library of the 360 was just so good)
Sony PlayStation 4 (Yep, the 3DS, Wii U and Switch are fantastic systems but, for me, I think that the PS4 is my all-time favourite console)
Sony PlayStation 5 (Very early days, of course! I'm a bit grumpy about some aspects but it sure has potential)

jawa_ wrote:Things that I suspected would happen:

Some folk would place votes for the "----------" symbols
Some folk would say the Switch should be included in the Xbox Series and PS5 section
Some folk would choose more than one system from each section
Some folk would ask why I haven't included the PC in every section and made it the automatic winner
Some folk would ask why I didn't include the Intellivision Amico as an option

.

What about the game boy advance?

shy guy 64 wrote:What about the game boy advance?

Alas, shy guy! >>>

jawa_ wrote:There is a maximum of fifty voting options and so - alas! - I couldn't include classics such as the Commodore Plus/4 or the Nokia N-gage.

I probs could have included the GBA rather than, say, the Atari 800. Maybe next time I'll have to split out TV consoles and handhelds!

The only one I didn't vote in was the last one, as I don't have a PS5, so couldn't make a fair choice between that and the Series.

In every other category, I tried to make sure I'd either owned at least two of the options, or had a lot of access to the 'main' rivals. E.g. my brother had a spectrum, and my best mate had a C64, so they were kind of like shared machines between the families.

For me, there were two categories which were "toss a coin" difficult. That was deciding between the PS2 and the GameCube, and then between the PS4 and the Switch. Both times I went narrowly with the Nintendo option.

With the Switch it was purely on enjoyable the basis of hours played, and the indie games, versus some PS4 blockbusters and VR.

With the Cube Vs PS 2, that was even narrower. It boiled down to me loving Super Monkey Ball on release day, and then F-Zero and Metroid Prime. But really, the PS2 had by far the greater number of quality games and experiences like Ico, so it could just as easily have been that.

A great golden age of games in both those generations for me, though.

Disappointed to see the Amiga 600/1200 missing from the Mega Drive / SNES era. That would have been my choice. They were a big step above the home consoles at that point in time - at least in my opinion.

ITSMILNER wrote:Amstrad CPC...

Nice to see the CPC being represented, Milner! I know that Victor will be waving that flag, too :-).

Abacus wrote:...For me, there were two categories which were "toss a coin" difficult. That was deciding between the PS2 and the GameCube, and then between the PS4 and the Switch. Both times I went narrowly with the Nintendo option...

Yeah, PS4 and Switch was a tough choice for me, too. I do like the Switch but, when it comes down to it, I gotta side with PS4 due to the sheer number of great games - and the online and VR experiences - that I've experienced on it. I kinda feel like the Switch is still new to me and that I haven't put *that* much time into it yet!

Abacus wrote:...With the Cube Vs PS 2, that was even narrower. It boiled down to me loving Super Monkey Ball on release day, and then F-Zero and Metroid Prime. But really, the PS2 had by far the greater number of quality games and experiences like Ico, so it could just as easily have been that...

I can see why that would have been a difficult choice, Abacus! Funnily enough I found that gen pretty easy as I only played on the Xbox. The PS2 and GC were obviously great systems but, for me, I passed 'em by. I think that was the last gen were I only had a single game system and, with the rising costs of gaming now, I can see the attraction in that. Really get into a single format instead of spreading the time a bit more thinly.

JT986M2 wrote:Disappointed to see the Amiga 600/1200 missing from the Mega Drive / SNES era. That would have been my choice. They were a big step above the home consoles at that point in time - at least in my opinion.

I wondered about including the 16-bit micros in with the MD and SNES, JT... maybe I should have! You can still vote for the Amiga in the 16 bit computer section, though :-) . I was a big fan of both the Amiga and the MD; the Amiga had a huge variety of stuff but technically I feel the horsepower of the MD just edged it; at least for faster-paced games.

Amstrad CPC was my first games system, I fondly remember the likes of Oh Mummy and Jack the Nipper :wub:

Up until the 360 era I voted, after that PC only so cant give an opinion.

I had to place two votes in 16bit as I just cant choose between the SNES and Megadrive too much love for both of them.

Mega Drive :wub:

DS is arguably better than the 360 too and was my personal pick from that era.

I got ---------- every gen. What a console.

Dual wrote:I got ---------- every gen. What a console.

Jawa thinks of a creative way to split out each era clearly and you and one other abuse it. Disgusting.

My ten votes were used for...

ZX Spectrum: My first experience of gaming
Amiga: Can't believe i traded Speedball for the shitty Space Ace, i was totally ripped off.
Game Boy: The only one in that section which i owned.
Super NES: My favourite 16-bit console just edges out the megadrive.
PS1: Voted for both this and the N64 in this section as both provided me with fantastic gaming experiences during my teens
N64: See above. F-Zero X is an all time classic.
Dreamcast: Again, voted for two in this segment, would have chosen 3 but i had to drop the PS2 even though it was a fantastic console. For me, this era was my peak of playing games, i played more titles during these years than i can even remember.
Gamecube: My favourite Nintendo console ever, just edged out the PS2 simply because i played more games on this one.
PS3: After ditching Nintendo during the Wii era, i was torn between this and the 360, but the PS3 won the day as back then, online play was free (as opposed to xbox live), and it didn't have such a bad rep for technical problems (plus it started my love of blu rays)
PS4: My only console of this gen, and one that is still serving me well, could well be my all time favourite console too as it's given me so many classic games.

Not voted for the latest gen as i don't yet have a console.

The list maker/amateur historian in me is unreasonably annoyed that the 3DO and Jaguar aren't listed with the other Fifth Generation consoles :lol:

Anyway, my list:

Spectrum my second gaming system (first being the Atari) and probably what really got me into gaming as a hobby

Amiga it was always a secondary gaming system (my primary one at the time being the Mega Drive) but definitely holds a special place in my heart

Master System My second console but one of my favourites, I can't imagine being quite as into games as I was without Sega

Mega Drive My joint top console of all time, nothing really came close to it (for me) at the time

PlayStation As much as I like the Saturn by the time I bought into this generation it was already dead. I loved stuff like NiGHTS, Burning Rangers, Panzer Dragoon but I just couldn't get them at the time. Playstation wins but I do wonder if my opinion might have changed if I had a Saturn early on

Dreamcast No contest. I would have supported this through the entire generation if I'd be able to. Still bitter that we never saw Agartha released. It was one of my "Big 6" games I was really hyped for. I doubt I would have bought the Xbox or the Gamecube if Dreamcast had continued, or at least not til much later

Xbox 360 Despite its build quality I loved this. And it had the best control pad design

Playstation 4 This is the generation my interest in gaming started to wane. I barely own anything for it but what I do own it really good

N/A I haven't bought into this generation and have no plans to any time soon

Spectrum - Still nostalgic for the Spectrum loading noises :lol:

Acorn - Tinkering with these in primary school :wub:

Master System - Had before the NES and I was hooked on Sonic 2
SNES - Way too many good games
N64 - Lost way too many days to 4-player shenanigans
Gamecube - Smash Bros Melee still hasn't been topped as far as I'm concerned
DS - The DS and 3DS kept my gaming passion alive during those grim years of brown/grey FPS'
Switch - Made me love gaming all over again and I could finally catch up on Nintendo games I missed from the WiiU generation
PC > current gen

jawa asks... What is your favourite system from each gaming generation?

Select your favourite system from each time period

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