What's the Worst Console You Ever Played?

[bretthorror]

Seconded. Unless it's something I want for my collection regardless of how good or bad it is (rare 2600 games, for example), you can bet I do a little research before shelling out for a new game.

 

Yep, never understood the term shovelware in this day and age. Shovelware is, rightly so, for children too young to play real games. That's why it exists and actually, NEEDS to exist.

[Austin]

I find it hard to take anyone seriously that states any successful, mainstream video game console is the worst they have ever played. Either it's complete ignorance (i.e., lack of in-depth, first-hand experience, be it self imposed or not), or they are intentionally looking to get a reaction out of people (i.e., trolling).

 

Personally, I feel the Bandai Apple Pippin is one of the worst. The library consists mostly of edutainment software and the handful of actual games are either mediocre (i.e., Power Rangers Zeo), or they are already available on other platforms (i.e., Shockwave or Marathon). It's really interesting in a historical context, but from a gameplay perspective there's very little on it that makes it a long-lasting, satisfying experience.

 

For non-Japanese speakers, the NEC PC-FX is fairly awful as well. Yet another interesting piece of gaming history and it's a cool looking system no doubt, but there's very little that's not hindered by the Japanese language that also isn't mediocre (i.e., Zeroigar).

 

The ZapIT Game Wave consisted nearly entirely of quiz style games, with a puzzle game or two on it for good measure. It was a novelty for a few minutes, but as a long-lasting game console, it's one of the weakest I have owned.

 

There are surely more consoles that are far worse than the three above, but of the ones I have personally owned and experienced, they were the weakest.

 

Of the mainstream platforms, the CD-I is my least favorite. It's hardly the worst system (in this case, "platform") out there, but the action/arcade style games are mediocre compared to the competition at the time, and you really need to have a keen interest in puzzle/adventure games to get the most out of it.

[BassGuitari]

Does R-Zone really qualify as a video game console, though? It's really just interchangeable dedicated LCD games that use the same unit. It's kind of a gray area. A G-Zone, or G-Spot, if you will (I'm here all night!).

FWIW I had one and it was a cute novelty but nothing we seriously used for games. Certainly not once we got a PlayStation and new Game Boy games were getting pretty cheap. Tamagochis were also huge at the time and were more entertaining than the R-Zone, and easier to use; I used to shut myself in my bedroom closet whenever I got that rare itch to see if the R-Zone was as stupid as I remembered it, just to be able to see the game in the eyepiece. (It always was.)

[Osgeld]

In 2015 and we're all adults and we all use the internet. If you're still buying shovelware/bad games, you're either a sucker or a complete moron.

 

Well in 2015 every game review gets a 5 out of 6 gold fart rating from the mainstream press, or you have to live breathe and die on forums and wade though the endless threads about which system has the biggest ... hard drive, all posted by 7 year old trolls, so I tend to disagree

 

its not an amazing coincidence that I personally dropped out of the console market around the end of PS2 and XBOX and the start of PSP 10 years ago, got tired of owning several hundred dollar doorstops heh

Edited December 28, 2015 by Osgeld

[+wongojack]

I find it hard to take anyone seriously that states any successful, mainstream video game console is the worst they have ever played. Either it's complete ignorance (i.e., lack of in-depth, first-hand experience, be it self imposed or not), or they are intentionally looking to get a reaction out of people (i.e., trolling).

 

Personally, I feel the Bandai Apple Pippin is one of the worst. The library consists mostly of edutainment software and the handful of actual games are either mediocre (i.e., Power Rangers Zeo), or they are already available on other platforms (i.e., Shockwave or Marathon). It's really interesting in a historical context, but from a gameplay perspective there's very little on it that makes it a long-lasting, satisfying experience.

 

For non-Japanese speakers, the NEC PC-FX is fairly awful as well. Yet another interesting piece of gaming history and it's a cool looking system no doubt, but there's very little that's not hindered by the Japanese language that also isn't mediocre (i.e., Zeroigar).

 

The ZapIT Game Wave consisted nearly entirely of quiz style games, with a puzzle game or two on it for good measure. It was a novelty for a few minutes, but as a long-lasting game console, it's one of the weakest I have owned.

 

There are surely more consoles that are far worse than the three above, but of the ones I have personally owned and experienced, they were the weakest.

 

 

 

I know about consoles like that. I've just never actually played the real hardware, so I can't vote for them in a discussion like this.

[bretthorror]

 

Well in 2015 every game review gets a 5 out of 6 gold fart rating from the mainstream press, or you have to live breathe and die on forums and wade though the endless threads about which system has the biggest ... hard drive, all posted by 7 year old trolls, so I tend to disagree

 

its not an amazing coincidence that I personally dropped out of the console market around the end of PS2 and XBOX and the start of PSP 10 years ago, got tired of owning several hundred dollar doorstops heh

 

Actually, my friend, you're completely wrong. I will agree that the Fallout 4s, no matter how full of bugs they are (thought, in fairness, in huge open worlds, bugs are ok to get that effect, but that's my opinion. Vice City had a lot of bugs, but GOD was it fun), but nowadays any game that isn't Fallout 4 is considered shovelware. It's very, very sad because I just want to play a fun game and reviewers just shit all over anything that doesn't have a budget of 20 million. There's no such thing as a good review for fun anymore, unless it's an indie title, then it's magically ok. Game reviewers today are the worst they've ever been because no one is willing to stray from the pack. Perhaps that's what you're saying, but that's nothing a simple gameplay video or listening to the people won't destroy. Devil's Third on Wii U is a prime example. Reviewers destroyed it, but the people who enjoy that type of game seem to absolutely love it. You gotta be able to read between the lines. If you're pissed at what gaming journalism has become, fine, if you've gotten too lazy to form your own opinion, that's on you. Let's remember, a lot of reviewers gave A-level scores to the latter New Super Mario Bros. franchise because "it was just a 2D Mario." Imbeciles.

 

With that said, if you missed out on the Wii/PS3/360 generation, you need to buy some of them games because they were magnificent, so much better than the stereotypical bullshit we have today. Imagine what a modern reviewer would give MadWorld... probably a 3.5/10. Video game reviewers are behind with the times. It took years for movie reviewers to catch up, but movie reviewers have intellect. Their movies are timeless. Game reviewers will do whatever asshole #1 tells them and change their opinion when the next sequel hits. There's no heart.

 

What's happening is between ad revenue, corporate sponsors and all that bullshit is the only games that can get good scores have 200 million dollar budgets. I judge a game by watching a gameplay video and seeing how an honest person (not a Youtube whore) reacts.

[Osgeld]

making it to sound like the last generation happened decades ago

[CatPix]

Does R-Zone really qualify as a video game console, though? It's really just interchangeable dedicated LCD games that use the same unit. It's kind of a gray area. A G-Zone, or G-Spot, if you will (I'm here all night!).

 

Nope.

All VFD games, all "LCD" games that use a screen that have shaped bits (as opposed to a LCD that use square pixels) are not VIDEO game systems because they doesn't produce video. They are electronic games.

On the other hand, any system that produce a video signal, even a very specialized one, is a video game system.

For example, the Microvision LCD screen might be a very primitive 16*16 pixels display, it's possible to take the signal an convert it on TV. It's possible even for the Virtual Boy, so it's a video game system.

But a LCD game just send a digital signal to light up a specific LCD or VFD panel, so you can't convert a video signal from it.

[Bill Loguidice]

Nope.

All VFD games, all "LCD" games that use a screen that have shaped bits (as opposed to a LCD that use square pixels) are not VIDEO game systems because they doesn't produce video. They are electronic games.

On the other hand, any system that produce a video signal, even a very specialized one, is a video game system.

For example, the Microvision LCD screen might be a very primitive 16*16 pixels display, it's possible to take the signal an convert it on TV. It's possible even for the Virtual Boy, so it's a video game system.

But a LCD game just send a digital signal to light up a specific LCD or VFD panel, so you can't convert a video signal from it.

 

For the record, I NEVER cared for the argument that "videogame system" had to mean a specific type of video output, disqualifying say, "Tennis for Two" from being called an early dedicated videogame system, or a system like the Vectrex, as another example. When we refer to "videogame," to my mind it's the generic term for an interactive electronic game with a display. I also much prefer "videogame" to "video game," where the term gets combined as the usage of the two separate words enters regular usage as a singular reference (same thing with "bodybuilding" versus "body building").

[CatPix]

Well yeah, that's the difference between the origins of a word, and the use of it.

I don't get picky IRL (not even in the forums) for someone calling a Game&Watch a video game. Tho it's interesting to underline the meaning and difference between "electronic game" and "video game". But for everyday use? videogame is fine.

it's like the PAL/NTSC uses. There isn't NTSC or PAL games. The games program doesn't output composite video signal. It's just more convenient to say PAL and NTSC than 50 Htz and 60Htz (especially for latter games, most European games either have a 60htzoption, and most of the HD gen games are 60 Htz only).

Edited December 28, 2015 by CatPix

[Great Hierophant]

 

For the record, I NEVER cared for the argument that "videogame system" had to mean a specific type of video output, disqualifying say, "Tennis for Two" from being called an early dedicated videogame system, or a system like the Vectrex, as another example. When we refer to "videogame," to my mind it's the generic term for an interactive electronic game with a display. I also much prefer "videogame" to "video game," where the term gets combined as the usage of the two separate words enters regular usage as a singular reference (same thing with "bodybuilding" versus "body building").

 

Do you dare to contradict "the Father of Video Games"? He held a contrary opinion on that issue. Who are we, mere mortals, to dispute with him?

Edited December 28, 2015 by Great Hierophant

[Osgeld]

there was video games before Grumpy Bear, sure you had to go to a top notch school and play them on a mainframe but they existed

[gorfcadet]

Basing this only on systems I have played, I have to go with the NGage. The original taco phone model. So clunky and slow and generally unpleasant to hold. I have Tomb Raider for it just because I'm to lazy to toss it out.

 

I don't get the NES hate. Based on the time period, the controllers are better and more reliable than the competition from that time. I love my SMS and my 7800, but the SMS pad had issues and the ProLine was awful. The 7800 is absolutely the least reliable of the three and randomly hated games. One of mine hates Berserk and the other hates Choplifter... no reason I can tell. The SMS looks great, but don't breathe on it or that casing will chip or crack!

 

The nes is a grey brick and we all had to blow the carts, but in no way was any of the three main systems far better or worse than the others in any way but their library. In that regard, Nintendo won. I had all three in my house and when Zelda and Metroid came out there was no comparing. Some people say, "well Sega had Sonic and..." I love my SMS, but many games people fawn over were dumbed down Genesis ports... after the Genesis was already out!

 

If the Nes was the worst thing you ever played, you are lucky and have lived a charmed gamer life!

 

Game.com... almost forgot... played it. It was worse than the NGage! Far worse than the NES as well.

Edited December 30, 2015 by gorfcadet

[mbd30]

The 7800 less reliable than the toaster NES? I don't remember mine having issues, and I had some 7800 games and probably over twenty Atari 2600 games. Otherwise I agree.

[Osgeld]

yea I can pull a 7800 out of a dusty atic and it will still work, a NES toaster sealed in a bubble since the second of manufacture full of nitrogen in perfect climate will give me grief

Edited December 30, 2015 by Osgeld

[bretthorror]

The thing about the SMS, using their NA titles since that's where I'm from, is they did have solid titles of the times. I just use the assumption that most SMS were sold from 87-88 and I'm gonna assume those people likely didn't know about the Genesis. But if you have to use that SMS for a few years (I'm also gonna assume we were all kids at this time and couldn't just get a new system whenever), then the later SMS games do have merit. Even if you discredit that, I'm sure most people who bought the SMS liked the games that came out for it, I'm hoping at least they were the "Sega" type of consumer, who would have been more than happy with Zillion, Double Dragon, Golden Axe, Altered Beast, After Burner, Out Run, Shinobi, Hang On, Wonder Boys, Alex Kidds, etc. The problem was the NES library was so strong. The drawback to the Nintendo fanboy is the ease they overlook everything and sort of wave a big Nintendo banner like they actually won anything by Nintendo dominating in this ordeal. NES has 750 games, SMS has 120... fine, but unless those 120 games all suck, it doesn't matter. I'd never say the NES is the ideal choice. I actually was a Genesis guy, and I wouldn't say Genesis or SNES was the choice, you could go either way. I do think Nintendo fanboys have their heads completely up their asses if they ignore the SMS/Genesis with their exclusives. Historically, as a hobbyist, expert, gamer, whatever, if you just ignore Sega and focus on NES/SNES, you're completely missing out in my opinion. I dunno how many NES people totally ignore Sega or Atari. I do know that trying to be rational as I've laid out here doesn't help one iota, but whatever. When you're dealing with systems people get back into because they played them as kids, I totally see why they're happy with Nintendo shit and leaving it at that.

 

Though if someone's gonna talk shit, at least have some knowledge aside from "there was no games for the SMS" and act like it was a 32X or something. It is unfortunate the only games that seem to count are RPGs and Zelda like games through the annals. The video game world I grew up in was a very different from this nerdier way of gaming. Where I'm from, kids were into sports games and beat 'em ups and shit like that. No one had Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger or any shit like that that I ever knew. I think it's hilarious people throw around every SNES RPG's name out when making a best of list for the system, but the kicker was, few people were buying that shit compared to the mainstream stuff back in the day. The average kid's collection was pretty much average, so SMS or NES, Genesis or SNES, I dunno if there's much of a difference.

[empsolo]

 

 

Though if someone's gonna talk shit, at least have some knowledge aside from "there was no games for the SMS" and act like it was a 32X or something. It is unfortunate the only games that seem to count are RPGs and Zelda like games through the annals. The video game world I grew up in was a very different from this nerdier way of gaming. Where I'm from, kids were into sports games and beat 'em ups and shit like that. No one had Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger or any shit like that that I ever knew. I think it's hilarious people throw around every SNES RPG's name out when making a best of list for the system, but the kicker was, few people were buying that shit compared to the mainstream stuff back in the day. The average kid's collection was pretty much average, so SMS or NES, Genesis or SNES, I dunno if there's much of a difference.

Nobody bought Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy eh? Is that why both games are on list for top 20 SNES games sold? I'm sorry but this post simply reeks of historical revisionism. Simply put, what really set the SNES apart from the Genesis or the Master System was the fact that the SNES had a bunch of great RPG's that are beloved by millions even to this day.

[Osgeld]

its fairly similar in my area as well, I never saw anyone with chrono trigger, least anyone not dorky enough to have actual friends didn't. Here in hicktown what sold the SNES was street fighter II and what sold Genesis was its sports games. Just cause its different in even different neighborhoods doesn't make one's experiences historical revisionism.

[Tickled_Pink]

Of the better known ones? Philips Videopac. So yeah - the Odyssey 2 sucked over here as well.

 

When I got a VCS for Christmas '82, a friend got one of those obscure cartridge-based consoles. Playing Space Invaders on a console with non-centering analogue joysticks isn't as much fun as it sounds.

[Trebor]

Nobody bought Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy eh? Is that why both games are on list for top 20 SNES games sold? I'm sorry but this post simply reeks of historical revisionism. Simply put, what really set the SNES apart from the Genesis or the Master System was the fact that the SNES had a bunch of great RPG's that are beloved by millions even to this day.

 

Genesis with games like the Phantasy Star series (II/III/IV) and Shining series (Darkness, Force, Force II), among others, allows something similar to be stated about Genesis/MD RPGs regarding having great ones and an endearment by those who have played them.

Donkey Kong, F-Zero, Mario, Mega Man, Metroid, Punch-Out, Yoshi, Zelda...Those exclusive characters/games, or/and Nintendo first party titles is what made the SNES stand-out.

Normally such a list would include Contra and Castlevania(s) into the mix, but the Genesis landed (great) ports of those franchises too.

Regardless, many wanted the "super" update to their favorite NES games: Super Metroid, Super Castlevania IV, Super Punch-Out!! Super Adventure Island, Super Bomberman, Super Ghouls'n Ghosts, Super Star Wars, etc.

Additionally, most of the games that feature add-on chips (i.e. DSPs, CA4) were highly coveted titles, some mentioned above.

[CatPix]

 

Game reviewers today are the worst they've ever been because no one is willing to stray from the pack.

 

What's happening is between ad revenue, corporate sponsors and all that bullshit is the only games that can get good scores have 200 million dollar budgets. I judge a game by watching a gameplay video and seeing how an honest person (not a Youtube whore) reacts.

 

This is nothing new, had always existed.

If you watch some fine videos of Ashens ( a British guy that happen to work for the BBC, so it's not some random "youtube whore" - and video gamin tests are more of an addition to his channel than the main focus) he will show and test some amazingl crude and bad games for the ZX Spectrum, or sometime C64 and Amstrad CPC.

And in enough cases, he show quotes and notation from British game magazines of the era, and the results make you wonder if the journalist played the same game. And as he noticed on one review, there was a screen shot that was not like the game, so there is even a possibility that indeed, journalists would be send a demo game better than the final product...

 

I found a copy of a game in a lot of Playstation games myself, and while looking for reviews of it, I found one from the largest, almost referential French video game website (that was caught in a scandal affair recently because journalists revealed that they were paid extra bucks by Activision and EA to give their games better reviews).

The game review was pointing out that the game was "looking like Super Nintendo" and that "3D graphics would have done much better in this time". It was in 1997. (and the game is Adventure of Alundra, a 2D JRPG styled adventure game).

 

So no, nonono, Biased reviews, the need to stay with the pack and not stray away are as old as video gaming itself, and certainly aren't a novelty.

If anything, Internet and Youtube allow us to have MORE access to unbiased, or at least different POV on older and new games.

Edited December 30, 2015 by CatPix

[BassGuitari]

The 7800 is absolutely the least reliable of the three and randomly hated games. One of mine hates Berserk and the other hates Choplifter... no reason I can tell.

 

My 7800 seems to cause bugs with homebrews, and the second control port occasionally gets a mind of its own, but is otherwise fine.

 

Though if someone's gonna talk shit, at least have some knowledge aside from "there was no games for the SMS" and act like it was a 32X or something.

Hey, don't be bagging on the 32X now.

 

 

historical revisionism

What is "Most Overused Phrase of The 21st Century," Alex?

 

EDIT: Also, if I were a game reviewer, I'd be reviewing stuff like Channel F, Studio II, early Atari 2600, TRS-80, Color Computer, MC-10, TI99/4a, and VIC-20 games. It would probably be the least-watched channel on YouTube.

Edited December 30, 2015 by BassGuitari

[mbd30]

I lived in central California and was in my teens when the SNES came out. My friends and I were heavily into Squaresoft RPG's and the Final Fantasy series in particular.

[empsolo]

its fairly similar in my area as well, I never saw anyone with chrono trigger, least anyone not dorky enough to have actual friends didn't. Here in hicktown what sold the SNES was street fighter II and what sold Genesis was its sports games. Just cause its different in even different neighborhoods doesn't make one's experiences historical revisionism.

But one's experiences don't tell the entire story though. It's equivilent of saying "Nobody I knew voted for presidential candidate X, therefore they couldn't have won." It's nothing more than the fallacy of the insufficient sample. When we take a look at sales figures though, we see that RPGs sold millions on the SNES.

Edited December 30, 2015 by empsolo

[Osgeld]

yea Im sure if we look at the turbographics sales anime dating sims sold millions on that system, doesn't show the entire picture either now does it