The 5 Greatest Game Systems of All Time

[thomasholzer]

as for Intellivision, it still remains 16-bit (if still in doubt, please refer to the book 'Digital Press Collectors Guide 7th edition', or the book 'Encyclopedia of Game.Machines', or even the Intellivisionlives website (That's also where the Wiki Intellivision info comes from, and trust me, the Blue Sky Rangers know their 'baby' best)).

I do not doubt the Intellivision classification, as it uses the same standard as most other consoles. My issue is with the other console.

Jag is hardly the only system to use a "non-standard" definition.

 

TurboGrafX 16(the first to make it an issue)? 16-bit color pallet = 16-bit system.

NeoGeo? 16-bit CPU+8-bit sound processor = 24-bit system.

Dreamcast? 128-bit graphics processor = 128-bit system.

 

I'm sure I could come up with another example if I tried.

But thankfully, console manufacturers quit claiming bittages after Dreamcast. So there's a limited number of systems that advertise this utterly meaningless "stat."

 

Not quite, as Nintendo was selling the GBA as a 32-bit handheld, used in advertising.

Edited August 14, 2007 by thomasholzer

[Artlover]

NeoGeo? 16-bit CPU+8-bit sound processor = 24-bit system.

Eek. Yeah, I remember that one now. Rather unique way of looking at things.

 

 

Using that logic the Jaguar must be 192bits.

[thomasholzer]

Cool, that'll make the Jaguar a 112-bit system (Tom, Jerry, Motorola CPU)

[Artlover]

Cool, that'll make the Jaguar a 112-bit system (Tom, Jerry, Motorola CPU)

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...t&p=1352844

[missyrelm]

For me the 2600, NES of course.

I'm suprised nobody's mentioned the TI/99/4A!

While it was a computer, it was very game oriented. I took cartridges for games and had this cool speech synthesizer for some of the games. I've spent so many years playing those games

[missyrelm]

For me the 2600, NES of course.

I'm suprised nobody's mentioned the TI/99/4A!

While it was a computer, it was very game oriented. It took cartridges for games and had one of the first game-oriented speech synthesizer for some of the games. I've spent so many years playing those games....

[shep]

Although I like Atari a lot, I am a part of this forum afterall, an Atari system does not make my top 5.

 

1.) SNES

2.) Wii-all its options with Cube and VC

3.) Nintendo DS-Gameboy Advance helps it win high on my list

4.) NES

5.) PS2

Edited August 22, 2007 by shep

[kevincal]

6. Atari 2600 - Gaming god of the late 70's-early 80's. Still tons of fans today.

 

5. Genesis - Lots of great games. Sonic came in and blew everyone away.

 

4. Super Nintendo - I give this one the edge over the Genesis because it has better graphics and sound for the most part.

 

3. NES - Revitalized and revolutionized home gaming. Gaming wouldn't be near as popular today without this system.

 

2. PS - Came out of nowhere to knock out top dogs Sega and Nintendo. Lots of awesome games.

 

1. PS2 - Tons of great games and backwards compatible with nearly all PS games...The sheer amount of excellent games makes it #1 in my book...

 

*I'm not a Sony fanboy...I think I'm just being realistic about how much Sony dominated from 1995 to 2005 +/-

[supercat]

Hmm... let's see...

 

1. Gotta be the Atari 2600 Heavy Sixer. Started the cartridge-based video game phenomenon.

 

2. Probably the Flashback 2. Shows the 'love' is still out there.

 

3. Atari 7800. With the CC2, it's the best way to play 2600 games.

 

4. Atari 2600jr. Sleek styling, and showed there was still some love even ten years out.

 

5. Atari 2600 "Woody". I don't like the relocation of the difficulty switches, but I think this was the style when the machine passed the "million" mark.

 

Ironically, my first 2600 was purchased in 1992 (2600jr).

[Ryanw]

This is only based on my personal experiences. Since I don't own anything like an Xbox

 

1. SNES - Has a TON of GREAT games, way too many to list. This system was so good that I actually waited until 1999 to ask my parents for an N64.

 

2. NES - My first gaming system and still among my favorite to play and collect games for.

 

3. GBA - Advanced Wars, Fire Emblem, Golden Sun, FF Tactics Adv, Warioware. SO many great games, rivals the SNES in the sheer number of great games.

 

4. PS2 - This was actually my first game system not made by nintendo. But yeah this spot came down to Gamecube and PS2 and in reality I just like this one more.

 

5. DS/n64 - It was hard to choose between the two so I put both of them here. The DS is something I still play regularly. The N64 took a while for me to acquire but once I actually got it I enjoyed it almost as much as my SNES or NES.

 

 

I just want to mention a system I don't know the name of :/ I played it a few years ago and forgot what it looks like, but I remember it had a space game that played like a movie and it had Mark Hammil and the actor that played the bad guy in Star Trek: Generations. I forgot the name of the game and the system, but if someone could help me out I'd appreciate it

[aikainnet]

Mine would have to be...

 

1. Nintendo Entertainment System

2. Super Nintendo Entertainment System

3. Sega Genesis

4. Sony Playstation

5. Sega Dreamcast

 

This is in no order of least to most favorite.

[kevin242]

top 5 of all time would probably be:

 

Atari 2600

NES

SNES

PSX

Wii

 

 

My personal top 5:

 

Atari XL/XE

NES

Amiga

N64

Gamecube

[Yojimbo]

Top 5 Systems of all time :

1)NES

2)PS1

3)Atari 2600

4)PS2

5)SNES

 

MY Personal Top 5

1)Sega Saturn

2)PC engine

3)PS2

4)SNES

5)NES

[Giltygear]

once more, in no certain order:

 

Genesis

2600

NES

Saturn

Dreamcast

 

If I could do with just these systems, id be happy, but because im such a game whore, i have many more than this

[vdub_bobby]

Personal top-five:

 

NES

2600

Xbox

130XE computer

N64

 

All-Time Historical Top-5 (Not Including Computers):

2600

NES

Game Boy

PS

PS2

 

Another way to look at this is to pick the top system from each "generation"

Atari 2600 (over INTV, CV, etc.)

 

NES (over 5200, XEGS, 7800, SMS, etc.)

 

Genesis (over SNES, TG16, etc.)

 

PS (over N64, 3DO, Saturn, Jaguar, etc.)

 

PS2 (over Xbox, Game Cube...)

 

Someone more knowledgeable might pick the best of the pre-2600 generation, and you could pick top handhelds, I guess, though Nintendo's dominance has been so great until the PSP that it doesn't seem worthwhile. Moving on...

 

All-Time Top-5 To Own If You Could Own No Other Systems (Not Including Computers):

2600

NES

PS2

Genesis

GBA

 

Picked those for the last list based on number of good games (all those systems have libraries of 500+ games) and backwards compatibility (PS2->PS & GBA->GBC->GB) and, of course, variety - you have access to a wide variety of virtually every game genre.

Edited September 20, 2007 by vdub_bobby

[Lord Thag]

The top five? Hmm, I'd have to go with:

 

1. The Atari 2600. Of course I picked it, it's the thing that started all of this!

2. NES. The other big system that ressurected gaming

3. Intellivision. One of my personal favorites

4. The Genesis. Tons of great games, and I like it better than the snes

5. PS2. This'll be the classic of the new generation

[thomasholzer]

Based on what I played/own:

1: 2600 (You always remember your first one the best)

2: 1972 Magnavox Odyssey (of huge importance)

3: SMS (SMS had a great Europe cartridge range, far larger than US, and SMS did in Europe what NES did in USA: Revitalised cartridge gaming)

4: PS1 (Set new standards for gaming (Obviously, not counting PC)

5: MegaDrive (Top console, best games of the 16-bit console range)

9: SNES (The SNES is quite good, but as the book Game Over says: "What, 200 bucks just to play another Mario game?")

[Scumdogg]

Other people than me are probably more qualified to list the greatest 5 of all time. So here's my personal top 5:

 

 

1. Sega Genesis- Really, i don't think there's a more rewarding system out there to collect for. Almost everything is cheap, and complete games can be had regularly. This information seems to be catching on though, so i'm waiting for the prices to skyrocket any day now that the NES "gotta catch 'em all" phase is dying out a bit.

 

2. SNES- Of all the systems i own, if i go out and buy some random game that i've never heard of, that game is most likely to be fun and playable on the SNES. It just seems to have a remarkably low crap ratio. The only downside is that if anyone has heard of the game you want, the price is likely to be through the roof. I regularly seem flea market vendors that have all their SNES games for $3 a pop, including some true rarities. Then there'll be the inevitable glass case of recognizable games for like $20-$30 each. This is why i have 130+ SNES games and none of them are Mario Kart.

 

3. Dreamcast- Until maybe 2 years ago, this was STILL my most-played system, just because it took me that long to go through my collection. It's sad that it had to die, but i had the good fortune to have lots of expendable income during its death throes. Can't beat snagging so many sealed games for less than the price of a CD, those were good times... It's still my console of choice for 2-D fighters and shmups.

 

4. Xbox 360- Yeah, so i'm a graphics whore. Wanna fight about it? The system and its library still have lots of room to grow for sure, but it's got Dead Rising, Gears of War, Viva Pinata, and the world's most comfy controller. It's also the only system we have that my wife plays as much as i do (Ultimate Alliance and Overlord). More than enough to get it on my list.

 

5. NES- This slot almost went to the 2600 which i love dearly, but when it comes down to it? Super Mario Bros 3, Contra, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man, and on, and on.... I started playing games on the 2600, but i'd be lying if i said the NES wasn't what hooked me for life.

[midnight magicman]

5. NES

4. Xbox (just for Halo)

3. Dreamcast

2. Genesis

1. Atari 2600

 

Peace

[genesisguy]

1. NES - This was my first console. I got it back in 1988 when I was 6 years old and I logged a lot of time on that machine. I still have many of my games and they all still work.

 

2. Sega Genesis - I got this when I was in third grade 1991ish. I remember just being blown away by the speed of Sonic. I logged a lot of time with this console too. Street Fighter 2, Streets of Rage 2, and countless EA Sports games were played on this with my friends. I still have my original Genesis console.

 

3(#1 Today). Super NES - I didn't have a SNES during the 16 bit console war. But I had a friend who had one and I remember having fun playing Starfox, EVO, Mario Kart. Now today in my mid-20s this is my favorite console, In everyway it beats the Genesis and I have a helluva a lotta fun collecting great games for it.

 

4. Playstation - I got one in highschool. I only played NHL 1999, but I logged a HELLUVA a lotta time on that game.

 

5. N64 - This was my sister's console. I enjoyed the first Zelda on it and WCW Monday Nitro.

[Room 34]

This is tough, as I'm really into Wii/DS/GBA/GameCube these days so I'm not looking at things objectively. Also, I scarcely ever really touched any systems between the NES and the GameCube. I owned a Sega Game Gear in the mid-'90s but rarely played it; I've still never played an actual SNES console, although I've played lots of the games in emulation or GBA remakes; same goes for N64; I maybe once or twice played in-store demos of the Genesis and PlayStation; and I have still only ever had one gaming session on a PS2. I do own an XBOX and I've played a friend's 360 a few times, but honestly after my Atari childhood I've pretty much been a Nintendo fan(boy) for the last 20 years, even though like I said, I skipped the SNES and N64 (and the original Game Boy and GB Color).

 

That said, it might be interesting to look at how many games I have for each system in my collection, as a representation of my relative interest in them:

 

CONSOLE

Atari 2600: 207

Atari 5200: 20

Atari 7800: 25

Intellivision: 19

NES: 16

GameCube: 22

XBOX: 17

Wii: 9

 

HANDHELD

Game Gear: 10

GBA: 22

DS: 29

 

Of course, aside from my old childhood 40 or so 2600 carts, all of the games for the "vintage" systems above were purchased on eBay for $5 or less, so there's not as much of a commitment to my 20 Atari 5200 games as there is to the 22 GBA games, for instance. (Also, a few of the GBA and Wii games, and about 1/3 of the DS games, are "technically" my son's, not mine, but they're all in my game collection database. And I didn't count my Wii VC games, which number around 15, I think.)

 

Giving this some weight and adding a healthy dose of subjectivity (and combining backward compatible systems together), I'd rank them this way:

 

1. DS/GBA

2. Wii/GameCube

3. Atari 2600/7800

4. NES

5. Atari 5200

 

These are just my personal preferences, of course. If I had to rank them a bit more objectively in terms of overall cultural significance (and including systems I don't own or necessarily like), I'd probably say:

 

1. NES (savior of home video gaming)

2. Atari 2600 (the one that made home video games a big deal)

3. GBA (still the reigning king of handhelds)

4. PS2 (probably the most dominant and ubiquitous system since the NES)

5. SNES or Genesis (perhaps the only era that didn't have a clear "winner" in the console wars, IIRC)

Edited January 3, 2008 by Room 34

[accousticguitar]

1. Atari 2600- the best videogame ever.

2. Atari 7800- has some great games.

3. Atari 800xl- programmable.

4. Intellivision- more great games.

5. Playstation 1- nice graphics.

[Gregory DG]

I know I've done this list somewhere back... And shoot, this list might not even match, but what the heck...

 

1. Atari 2600

2. Nintendo NES

3. Sega Genesis

4. Sega Dreamcast

5. Nintendo Wii

 

(Now I know it won't match with the Wii in there!)

[littleman jack]

My favorite five:

 

1. Atari 800

2. Atari 2600

3. Atari 7800

 

Sense a theme? Hey, this is Atari Age after all!

 

4. Nintendo 64

5. Sega Genesis

 

And the runners up------Sega Dreamcast, Magnavox Odyssey 2, and Nintendo DS

[cimerians]

Atari 2600

NES

SNES

Colecovision

Commodore 64 (yes its a game system! )

 

The above systems I can play forever.

The two systems below are pretty good for me too these days.

 

PS2 (No not the PS1. The PS2 plays all the PS1 games I have including PS2 games so I pick this one)

WII