I’ll post the ones that I owned……
15. PlayStation 3
Manufacturer: Sony | Release Year: 2006
The PlayStation 3 may still be coming into its own, but it has already had a great number of titles see their release on the system and, along with the Xbox 360, it has helped completely redefine what people think about gaming in terms of online accessibility and functionality. Gone are the days when everything you played on a console was burned onto a disc. Online systems like the PlayStation Network have introduced the ability to buy and play complete games without having to leave your couch, not to mention the advent of downloadable content that can expand games exponentially.
The PS3′s game library, while already stellar, continues to get better and better. We’ve seen the release of fantastic, exclusive games Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Killzone 2, Flower, Warhawk, LittleBigPlanet and Infamous (among others), and let’s not forget about cross-platform games like Grand Theft Auto IV, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Fallout 3, BioShock and many, many more. Keep in mind that the system currently has yet to see releases from some of Sony’s biggest franchises, including God of War, Gran Turismo or a Team ICO title, though all are on the way.
It’s also worth mentioning that like the PlayStation 2 and DVDs before it, the PlayStation 3 put Blu-ray players into millions of homes world-wide and helped it overtake HD-DVD as the HD format war winner. Coupled with downloadable videos via the PlayStation Network, the PlayStation 3 also serves as much more than a gaming device, which is certainly a plus.
Our Fondest Memories
“While I still rail against Sony for some of the mistakes that it has made with its most powerful system to date, like removing backwards compatibility and stubbornly refusing to drop the price of the system, I still have fond memories of playing Metal Gear Solid 4 on the system multiple times over around the world, staying up all night long playing Warhawk with a core of dedicated players as the game launched and playing some incredible games of baseball with The Show over the past few years. Sure, it’s hit some stumbling blocks, but the PS3 is one of those systems that has yet to showcase its true potential, and it’ll be awesome to see what developers can squeeze out of the console in the years to come. “
– Jeff Haynes, Editor, IGN PC Team
“It’s hard to narrow down my fondest PS3 memory — namely because I’m still making them. I guess through all the SingStar parties at my apartment, getting my first Platinum Trophy, and getting goose bumps while watching the E3 2009 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves demo, my favorite memory is when I was lugging my PS3 back into work, my IGN bag broke, and the system tumbled to the concrete. Other than a dinged corner, the system was still in tip-top shape. An Xbox 360 would’ve shattered like the T-1000 in Terminator 2.”
– Greg Miller, Editor, IGN PlayStation Team
13. TurboGrafx-16
Manufacturer: NEC Corporation | Release Year: 1989
NEC had a hit on its hands in Japan with the PC Engine in 1987, a console that regularly outsold the Famicom (the Japanese NES) and wanted to replicate that success in America. So it turned to a marketing company to repackage the underpowered 16-bit machine and go head-to-head with the dominant players in America: Nintendo and SEGA. Perhaps it was the lack of third-party support. Perhaps it was the absolutely goofy inter-capped name TurboGrafx-16. Whatever the culprit, the Turbo just never made a dent in the American market.
It did not help that NEC marched right into a perfect storm. The Turbo was released in August of 1989, just as the hype wars between the SEGA Genesis, the NES, and incoming Super NES were at a fever pitch. The pack-in game, Keith Courage in Alpha Zones, was an unknown compared to Altered Beast for the Genesis, which was a port of a popular arcade game that looked remarkably close to the coin-op version. Though the launch library had a couple of gems, like the pinballer Alien Crush, there was just no shaking the competition. The Turbo did not benefit from early realization that the machine was just straight-up underpowered compared to the Genesis. It didn’t even have a second controller port; you needed to buy a peripheral so two people could play at the same time. It’s no wonder the Turbo quickly fell to fourth place behind the NES, Super NES, and Genesis — and stayed there.
But a lack of sales does not necessarily mean the console is without merit. The TurboGrafx-16 is home to a solid catalog of games worth playing, such as NEC’s attempt at a Mario-like mascot with Bonk’s Adventure, the top-down shooter Blazing Lasers, and Namco’s side-scrolling horror classic Splatterhouse. These are games worth playing. The Turbo was also the first system to have a CD-drive attachment, the $399 Turbo CD, which was grossly overpriced at $399, but was recognition that the days of cartridges were coming to a close as the new disc medium offered vastly superior storage.
Our Fondest Memories
“I never owned a TurboGrafx and never wanted one, but I do remember one of my co-workers’ eyes lighting up when he was describing to me Bonk’s Adventure after he went and saw it at a retailer’s show. His animated description was enough for me to get excited along with him, and when it eventually came out I was right there with him all jazzed about this crazy prehistoric platformer.”
– Craig Harris, Executive Editor, IGN Nintendo Team
“It’s sad the TG-16 didn’t catch on here, but after being the most popular game system in Japan (where it was called PC Engine), NEC was sure it was going to explode in the U.S. Developers and publishers I spoke at the time said that NEC was hard to work with and charged high fees to put games on the system, so many of them decided to wait for the TG-16 to build for a larger user base before devoting their efforts to it, which in turn made for a pretty weak game library at its debut (and with few third-party games). It’s very likely that NEC’s cocky attitude ended up destroying the potential for a game console that should have sold much better here.”
– Andy Eddy, Editor-in-Chief, TeamXbox.com
11. Xbox
Manufacturer: Microsoft | Release Year: 2001
The original Xbox brought Microsoft into the console gaming world. And while it didn’t have the prettiest design or the greatest library of games, it laid the groundwork for many of today’s gaming standards. Xbox gave us two important contributions to gaming: Halo and Xbox Live.
N64 fans will cry foul and suggest that GoldenEye made first-person shooters possible on a console, but it was Halo that modernized the genre. Almost every FPS that came after Halo utilized its control scheme and a modified version of its health system. But where Halo truly succeeded was in providing console gamers with the first-of-its-kind 16-player LAN battles. Halo was the first shooter that made PC gamers jealous and it signaled the beginning of a power shift in the genre.
The second contribution, Xbox Live, proved a testbed for the version that’s become so beloved on Xbox 360. Though the SEGA Dreamcast had broadband gameplay, Xbox’s Live service was the first that managed to capture a high level of quality among a large number of games. It gave us the first iteration of a Friends List and even had a few Xbox Live Arcade titles. The service kicked off with MechAssault and continues on through Halo 2, a game which is still played online by hundreds of thousands of gamers. With Live, the Xbox showed us the future of console gaming.
The original Xbox helped usher in a new era in videogames. From that point forward, consoles began drawing in PC gamers, while still servicing the core console gamer. While the console itself was not among the ten greatest of all time, its impact will be felt for the next decade.
Our Fondest Memories
“The very first day Microsoft showed up at the IGN offices with the system, I knew it was going to blow people’s minds. It was pitch black in the demo room and the title screen of Halo booted… the Gregorian chants commenced, and I got goose bumps. It was that moment I jumped on the bandwagon, and I haven’t fallen off since.”
– Chris Carle, Entertainment Editorial Director, IGN.com
“When I first fired up the Xbox and logged into Xbox Live, I knew that Microsoft was on to something. Prior to that system, console-based online gaming was more or less a supplemental feature, the Xbox was the first to take the concept of online integration and run with it. I’ve been hooked ever since, if it isn’t online-enabled, chances are I’m not playing it.”
- Scott Lowe, Editor, IGN Gear
10. Nintendo Wii
Manufacturer: Nintendo | Release Year: 2006
The Nintendo 64 and the GameCube were capable, sustainable consoles with excellent support and fantastic games, but the increased competition from Microsoft and Sony made it difficult for Nintendo to see the same victory it did in the previous years. After two attempts to repeat the success it had with the NES and Super NES, Nintendo decided to shake things up and offer gaming experiences that stray from the expected.
Enter the Nintendo Wii, a system that put much more emphasis on the user interface than it did on the high definition, surround sound experience. The way we play was the biggest change to what we play: the idea was to introduce something that anyone could pick up and understand, and with the new input, it was hoped, a new market would form and a new audience would step forward to play games.
The company gave birth to the Remote, a device that had few buttons but offered motion control as well as a pointing device, two ideas that were relatively new to the console market. But to get this to become a standard, Nintendo had to introduce it as the core device of a new system, not as an optional peripheral for its current hardware.
The strategy worked. The Wii isn’t much more advanced than the GameCube, but the controller – a device Nintendo has stated began as a GameCube peripheral – has converted millions of casual gamers to become system owners. The idea of bundling Wii Sports with the system was an incredibly smart move, as people immediately understood what the Wii was and what it could do in a simple to play, well designed experience.
The Nintendo Wii, in its fourth year on the market, continues to shake up the industry and shifting its direction, inspiring competitors like Microsoft and Sony to adopt this new way to play for their own videogame strategies.
Our Fondest Memories
“Not since the launch of the Dreamcast had I been as excited to get a new console as I was when the Wii debuted. It looked fresh — and fresh was definitely something I needed. (Let’s face it, how many games have felt truly “new” since the original Jet Set Radio?) I still believe in the machine and think hardcore gamers don’t give it the respect it deserves, partially due to loads of shovelware (that Nintendo should have pushed back against from Day One), but also partly because it’s easy to poke fun of it. Waggle is for teh babys. Haha. Oh well. It’s their loss because there truly are some magnificent videogames on the Wii.”
– Levi Buchanan, Editor, IGN Retro
“A technology geek to the end, I had greatly anticipated the arrival of high-definition consoles, so when Nintendo chose to stay conservative with Wii’s graphics, I wasn’t sure what to think of the system. I remember finally getting it, though. Not with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption — I played it early on and the controls still needed work — but with Wii Sports bowling. So simple. So effortless. So much flippin’ fun! Nintendo had talked blue and red oceans, ranted on about expanded audiences, and it was all gibberish. But rolling that virtual bowling ball with a realistic flick of the wrist felt so incredibly natural that I didn’t want to put the Wii remote down. That was when I finally understood what the company really hoped to achieve with the console.”
– Matt Casamassina, Editor-in-Chief, IGN Nintendo Team
9. Nintendo 64
Manufacturer: Nintendo | Release Year: 1996
Nintendo’s last cartridge-based home console, N64, may go down in history as something of a disappointment (compared to expectations) and primarily because of its media format, but it actually housed several major hardware innovations as well as some of the biggest and most beloved games of the generation.
The Big N had even bigger plans for the once-codenamed ‘Ultra 64,’ including revolutionary control mechanisms, cutting-edge graphical processing power and an exclusive list of handpicked third-parties (known as the “Dream Team”), and it certainly started the system off with a bang. Not only did legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto unveil the N64 controller complete with the uber-sensitive analog stick and rumble pak, but he also showed off the genre-shaping platformer Super Mario 64, considered to this day to be one of the greatest and most important videogames ever made. And yet, even with a string of hits, some of them monumental, N64 never came close to matching rival PlayStation in popularity. In fact, Sony’s disc-based platform outsold Nintendo’s by a margin of more than three to one.
Despite the PlayStation’s bigger install-base, third-party advantage (including Dream Team members), Nintendo and Rare still churned out N64-exclusive master works from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (one of the only games to earn a perfect 10 rating from IGN.com) to Conker’s Bad Fur Day and GoldenEye 007.
Our Fondest Memories
“The N64 presented me with a key experience in my 30+ years of gaming that I will never forget – and will likely never experience again that same way. It was that first moment I stepped out into the 3D world of Super Mario 64 and just “played around” in the castle garden. I had played 3D games before Mario 64, but there was something different here; a unique feel and sense of complete freedom of movement that just seemed so “right.” I knew that gaming had changed forever.”
– Peer Schneider, Senior Vice President, IGN.com
“The N64 and its flagship game Mario 64 hold a special place in my heart as they are what initially led me to (what would become) IGN. I got the system and game my freshmen year of college and my buddies and I would hole up in my dorm room, methodically trying to collect every star. We found out you could find game help on this fantastic new resource called The Internet, and an AltaVista search for “Mario 64″ returned N64.com, which is where IGN got its start. “
– Daemon Hatfield, Editor, IGN Downloadable Games
8. Dreamcast
Manufacturer: SEGA | Release Year: 1999
Despite its comparably short lifespan, the SEGA Dreamcast was the first system in the sixth generation of video game consoles, which included the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. The Dreamcast first hit stores in 1998, over two years before the PS2 and three years before the GameCube and Xbox. Although the Dreamcast had sizable chronological leeway over its contemporaries, it was inevitably stifled by stiff competition and the advent of DVD technology. But before it met its untimely demise in 2001, the Dreamcast certainly left its mark on the console industry.
As its second disc-based console, SEGA sought to learn from the mistakes it made with the Saturn with the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast marked a comprehensive overhaul of SEGA’s marketing and design strategy, aiming for a more diverse audience with quality software and a number of technological innovations. The Dreamcast was the first console to incorporate a built-in modem for online play, and while the networking lacked the polish and refinement of its successors, it was the first time users could seamlessly power on and play with users around the globe. Additionally, the Dreamcast also launched its own proprietary disc format, GD-ROM, which boasted an extra 500 MBs of data capacity over CDs.
As a platform, the Dreamcast brought SEGA’s biggest franchises to the next generation, including Sonic the Hedgehog and Virtua Fighter, but also introduced new series like Crazy Taxi to the gaming community. Unfortunately, the Dreamcast was SEGA’s last venture into console territory; but its impact, legacy, and notable franchises are still evidenced today.
Our Fondest Memories
“The Dreamcast launch was a huge deal for me. In fact, the day before the launch, this really amazing girl came into my work and asked me out. And we were on a date that was going so well, but I kept looking at my watch thinking, “I have to get ready for the DC launch.” Yeah, I chose the Dreamcast over hooking up with a hot girl and I’d do it again.”
– Hilary Goldstein, Editor-in-Chief, IGN Xbox Team
“Mere weeks after I bought the Dreamcast, my VMU–or “Virtual Memory Unit,” aka memory card with a useless LCD screen–started beeping at me in desperate want of new batteries. I never even unplugged the thing from the controller, must’ve shipped with bum batteries. I dutifully loaded the VMU with a fresh set, and in less than a month it was beeping again. That was the only time I bothered, and now that beeping triggers in me a response not too unlike the salivation of Pavlov’s dogs. Except I pine for Marvel vs. Capcom 2, not Kibbles ‘n Bits. “
– Mark Ryan Sallee, Editor-in-Chief, IGN Game Help
5. SEGA Genesis
Manufacturer: SEGA | Release Year: 1989
The Genesis was known for having classics in nearly every genre with support from Electronic Arts giving it the edge in the sports category (go NHL ’94!), the bloodier Mortal Kombat, and what some consider to be the greatest controller ever created: the six button.
It isn’t difficult to prove why the software lineup was so successful considering the recent release and success of Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection. Just tick down the list and you’ll find a bundle of absolutely brilliant games. The Phantasy Star and Shining Force series combined to offer role playing options that were equal to, if not better than anything available from the competition and titles like Ecco the Dolphin and Comix Zone offered dashes of edgy action that were highly original at the time.
There were brief moments when the SEGA Genesis overtook Nintendo in terms of market share and at the time they were the only two players in town. This meant for a time, the Genesis was the most popular game console in the world and for a good reason.
Our Fondest Memories
“In college, my then-girlfriend bought me what stands as one of the best presents I have ever gotten: a Sega Genesis. NHL was my favorite game on the system, and I played ’96 so much that I actually took every single team in the NHL through a season and won the Stanley Cup each time.”
– Chris Carle, Entertainment Editorial Director, IGN.com
“I remember renting Phantasy Star IV and getting up extremely early on a Saturday morning to attempt to beat the game before having to bring it back to the rental store. When I advanced to the part of the game where you blast off and unlock the solar system my mind was blown. I was both dismayed that I’d never complete the game in time and astounded that a cartridge could contain such a large adventure.”
—David Clayman, Editor-in-Chief, IGN Shared Content Team
4. Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Manufacturer: Nintendo | Release Year: 1991
The first true battle of the consoles began in 1991 with the US release of the Super Nintendo. Boasting 16-bit graphics and a superior soundcard than its competition (the audio system was entirely standalone), Nintendo pushed its art style and name branding against SEGA’s “SEGA does what Nintendon’t” campaign, but in the end it was what Nintendo did – or had, rather – that put the SNES higher on our chart. Despite “hardcore-minded” competition, Nintendo pushed a pedigree of original content, starting with the debut Super Mario World and carried on through titles like Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, F-Zero, Mario Kart, and the dawn of the FX chip which brought the debut of Star Fox. Developer Rare continued to push the console in its later years with the help of Nintendo, introducing larger cart sizes with Donkey Kong Country, and a flood of third party support pushed the Super Nintendo to legendary status with games like Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Gradius III, Contra III, Mega Man X, Secret of Mana, and many, many more. When it comes to a pure concentration of AAA titles, few consoles – if any – can stand up to the Super NES.
The sales showed it as well, with the first true console war ending in an important Nintendo victory on both the hardware and software front. The Super NES’s library was the start, or continuation in some cases, of franchises that are still alive and well today both on a first party and third party front – proof of its legacy. The Super NES controller laid groundwork for the now-mainstream four-button face of both the PlayStation and Xbox controllers, and the experimental first steps into 3D gaming (both real and faked via the FX chip and Mode 7 technology respectively) laid the groundwork for the industry’s future.
Our Fondest Memories
“I lived in Japan when the SNES (Super Famicom) came out. Whenever I got together to play multiplayer games with my buddy, D.J., we’d completely overdo it. Remember how looking at your opponent’s screen was a crucial tactic in playing Mario Kart? After what must’ve been a 20-hour Battle Mode marathon, I noticed that D.J.’s Yoshi kept on driving straight into a track barrier. The bastard had fallen asleep in the middle of the game, with his finger on the accelerator! Armed with a red shell, I positioned myself at the far end of the stage, lined up the shot, woke up D.J. and pointed his head at the screen to make him witness the glorious takedown. Yep, it’s all about the little things in life.”
– Peer Schneider, Senior Vice President, IGN.com
“The Super NES was probably my first system purchase bought on Day One on the system launch, and the first system where I knew I bet on the right horse. I spent more hours playing Pilotwings than Super Mario World, which might tell you where my tastes of gaming have been evolving. And then, Super Mario Kart landed on the system, and that could easily be called my favorite game of all time the way it always managed to end up in my rotation.”
– Craig Harris, Executive Editor, IGN Nintendo Team
1. Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Manufacturer: Nintendo | Release Year: 1985
Prior to 1985 in the US, Nintendo was a strong name in the arcade with Donkey Kong and it was cleaning up in the toy aisle with its Game & Watch handhelds. But the home console industry was buried under the figurative dust after the industry collapsed on itself, and “videogame” was considered a bad word. Nintendo set to change all that with the Nintendo Entertainment System.
The company was already seeing insane success with the Famicom in Japan with its release in 1983, and after two years, it was time to bring that success to a new territory. After a failed attempt to partner with Atari to bring the system to the US, the company decided to do the job itself. The Famicom hardware was given a sleeker, more Western-friendly appearance, and the NES was born. The initial release in 1985 was only a test in specific US markets, but it was shipped across the country after the Holiday season in 1986.
Nintendo instituted a strict licensing program to ensure that the industry crash – with its glut of games of questionable quality — would not happen with the NES. No unlicensed games would be tolerated on the NES platform. All games would have to be approved by Nintendo and third parties could only create a certain number of games a year for the NES, while the same games could not be made for competing consoles for two years.
The strategy worked. Nintendo’s quality first-party efforts as well as the incredibly powerful third-party support resurged and revived the home videogame industry. If Nintendo didn’t step up to the plate, the industry as a whole may have turned out entirely different.
Our Fondest Memories
“I’ll always credit the NES for getting me back into gaming – for good. As a kid, I was addicted to escaping from blocky cats on my brother’s Fairchild Channel F, worked my way through various Atari machines to the C64… and suddenly fell out of love with gaming altogether. The NES brought it all back. As much as I tried, there was no escaping the power of Mario! The NES made me a gamer for life.”
– Peer Schneider, Senior Vice President, IGN.com
“Despite the fact that I played the heck out of the NES, it was more than just a great videogame system to me. It was also the platform that grew my social and bargaining skills. Not only did my friends and family bond with me over sessions of Super Mario Bros. and Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, but my friends in particular started haggling with me because of my obsession with getting new NES games. Baseball cards, comic books, and toys were commodities that I used weekly to talk my way into getting new games out of pals via trade all the time, and the feeling of accomplishment from those trades and the fun I had playing those titles afterward is still something that sticks with me to this day.”
– Jeremy Dunham, Games Editorial Manager, IGN.com
I’m not so sure about this list but my greatest beef comes from TurboGrafx-16 over PS3???????
Check out the entire list here
Filed under: Tech and Gadgets | Tagged: Best Gaming Consoles Of All Time, Dreamcast, IGN, NES, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Wii, PS3, Sega Genesis, Super NES, TurboGrafx-16, Xbox
