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Which console is your favorite and why?

Mine is the N64, as it was the beginning of 3D platforming (Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64)

DS counts as a portable, right?

It has lots of fun games (you just have to look for them, most are hidden gems), has a fun idea (the dual / touch screens), and is portable, so you don't have to actively set aside time to decide to play it, you can just pick it up.

TI-83 Plus
there
I said it

#1: Gameboy Advance. So many gems.

#2: Gamecube. It had good titles but I still dislike the controller.

#3: Playstation 3: Good titles.

There's so many consoles which have so many good games, I don't think it's possible to come up with a favourite/best.

It might sound strange but I will say the master system, just because I had more pure fun with this console's games than any others.
The SNES had potential, but then 60% of the games releases became typical japanese "RPGs", ...Ughh.
Didn't play any console after the N64 though.

my top 3 are the snes, the dreamcast, and the DS in no particular order

The Megadrive. It's light enough to be used as a bludgeon so your arms won't tire and sturdy enough that it won't break before the first three heads do.

It also plays some games that I like but that's more of a design afterthought.

The Tunix Home Arcade.  It had Jump Bug, Funky Fish and Super Gobbler.  Bow down.

I can't think of anything obscure enough, gimme a minute.

PS2, Wii, and N64.

GNOME Terminal.

atari 2600 and nes

SNES. It had Yoshi's Island, my favorite game of all time. Them pixels, man :epileptic:

N64 and Jaguar. Jaguar actually has some pretty decent games, despite all the ridicule.

Atari Lynx as far as handhelds go.

Half-Life's console was the best. Quake's was good too but Valve improved on it with their commands style. Source I thought was a step backwards even though it has command completion. Epic's console is meh. Consoles that require buttons other than ~ to open are meh.

See, I was going to make that joke, but you went and made it. Although on second thought you may sincerely have thought that the topic was about developer consoles. :shrug2:
I have to say, I really liked the Dreamcast. It had a fair amount of good games on it, the community around it was great (Dreamcast magazine always had free demos and such) and it even had online features back when there was only dial-up. Unfortunate that it died such a quick death.

I'd have to say PC due to how much I use it nowadays and because I never owned a (functioning) console as a child. So, nostalgia.

I like the NES and the SNES and the Gameboy SP and the DS and the N64 and the Wii as well.

Sega Dreamcast. I loved the everliving shit out of that thing. It's still hooked up to my TV.
NES and GameBoy come in close second though.

Sega MegaDrive, for Toejam and Earl!

Also had some good sonic games, altered beast and blah blah blah

Toejam and Earl was this business though :)

I just bought a Dreamcast yesterday, currently rocking Ikaruga. Any game suggestions?

And I really can't decide on my favorite console, probably a tie between Sega Saturn and Playstation 2, but really, I love all the consoles I had so far.

I'm having trouble phrasing my responses in terms of anything but the games, which I don't feel answers the OP's question.

I felt like the N64 had great ability for 3-d titles, countered by a relatively low-quality controller (don't tell me your official N64 controllers didn't wear out the control sticks after the first year). You could and did have 3-d titles on the Playstation, but they didn't offer that ability to stop and look around like virtually every N64 game did. To me that was a huge step in the evolution of games. Four controller sockets standard was a brilliant idea that I'm shocked didn't immediately get copied by every game developer ever immediately. It made it THE party game system for when you invited over friends.

Other systems fall only slightly by the wayside in terms of quality. I never understood the controllers for the Dreamcast, even though it's an awesome system in terms of graphics. You have those huge cards that fit in this immense controller, and what? It was a huge step back in controller design. Cord out of the bottom was a good idea, though.

Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Cannon Spike, Marvel VS Capcom (both), Sonic Adventure (both), Bangai-O, Power Stone (both), Skies of Arcadia. That'll keep you busy for a while :P

SNES, Dreamcast, DS. In that order.

I wish I still had my SNES... I lent it to a girlfriend many years back, then when we split I never saw it again. How sad. Why is it so hard to find working super nintendos in my city!?

My brother has our Super Nintendo, which makes me a little sad, hah, but I have the Nintendo, so it's cool.

Oh, my SNES for sure. Many of the games I love are on that console, and it was my first love affair with video games. Closely followed by my Gameboy Color.

As a video game collector, it is a little harder for me to choose. I own a LOT of different consoles, and enjoy each of them in a different way. If I were pressed, I would probably say the Super Nintendo. The SNES had a fantastic collection of memorable titles, and holds a special place in my sense of nostalgia.

The Dreamcast would also be a close contender. I used my Dreamcast as the core of an Arcade machine I designed and assembled. Dreamcasts go REALLY well with arcade controls. I have a lot of great memories of playing Soul Calibur, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, and PowerStone 2 with my brothers and friends.

SNES.
Played it for a long time and it is the console I mostly play now.

I'm not sure which one I first got, SNES or GBC but practically GBC started my gaming with Pokemon Yellow. SNES was nice too but it's time has gone already as I got it so I had (and still have) only Mario All stars and Mario World which I got in exchange from DK Country.

Other than GBC nostalgy value, I guess GBA takes the prize with playtime and most loved games. Fire Emblems, Yoshi's Island (yeah, I know it's actually SNES game), Pokemons, Golden Sun etc.

Game Cube also had some very neat games like Baten Kaitos (one of my all time favorite rpgs), SSBM, Pikmin 2 etc.

So I'm bit Nintendo boy I guess :P

best reason

dont forget ranger X

i liked the megadrive but

SNES goes above it for me

and not (just) for that mario bullcrap

im talking about everything square made back when they werent a bunch of children who take time animating each and every one of their effeminate characters' hairs
and enix too

and a buncha other companies

snes was great

PSX and PS2 are close behind though but for different reasons

SNES and N64. Best times were had with those consoles, and SNES has Earthbound. :3

Lovin' my DS recently.

I would have to say the SNES+GB. Extreme nostalgia.

i'd have to say the ps1 it was my first console, i got it for christmas, and it was in the sweet spot where most licensed games didn't suck. i kind of wish most of it's franchises would go from their current spot to their old spot.
   
I mean really, crash, and spyro, i loved you guys, you were great. every game was amazing, the platforming, the weirdness, and everything. but you sold out, now you both have gone far from your great roots, because of greed.

spyro, you used to be whimsical, funny, and magical. now you're too serious, i miss the days of getting to see funny worlds, and collecting every gem in sight. but now.

crash, you had it all, weirdness, an arch-enemy who never failed to get his ass-kicked, and some of the best secrets to find around. but you decided action, bad humor, and an unwanted overhaul was the way to go, it wasn't and you damn know it.

you both had it going for you, even for a while after the ps1, but you verged a little off the path each game each time and eventually, bam, you sucked.

listen guys, you used to be ps1's unofficial mascot's, that means fans decided that. there's no honor higher than that.

come back, we miss you.  :(

PS2 and DS are my favorites right now. Both have a great volume of games, of all shapes and sizes (metaphorically speaking), and both are backwards compatible, allowing them to play great games from the previous generation.

Except the DSi... grumble.

I agree with Theo.

Nintendo 64, because I love 3D action-adventure games.
Playstation 2, because of the sheer quantity and variety of games available for it, many of which are now in the bargain bin.
After that, I guess Super Nintendo...

Probably my Xbox 360.

I am young, TIGsource. Do not judge me harshly.

Back in the 16 bit era, I really wanted to fall in love with the megadrive. It was the console with the best spirit. It had all the male power fantasy games, it was the console with the best ninja games and it had crazy games like altered beast, gynoug, steel empires and stuff like that.
But the graphics were really too crappy for an arcade fan like me to enjoy it.

I can never decide. Practically every Nintendo console to date (including handhelds, excluding Virtual Boy because I never had one) and PS1. Currently it's probably my DS - way too many awesome platformers and RPGs, if it had traditional fighters it'd be hands down my favorite ever. And maybe Wii, I'm really into competitive Smash and it has lots of great platformers (including Super Paper Mario, favorite-game-ever candidate).

Why anyone would play GBA games on a DS is beyond me. I never liked the experience. I'll take a GameBoy Micro over a DS any day.

Not everyone has GBA. I skipped one generation of Nintendo handhelds and was very happy that I could catch up without getting another system.

As for the topic - I'm pretty happy with every console I buy, but handhelds tend to get that special fuzzy feeling out of me. I really love the DS - it has many great games and the device itself is really good. Stylus and double screen are surprizingly cool gimmicks and I love the battery life.
I like my PSP too (aka Monster Hunter Portable), but compared to the DS it's a huge, clunky, fragile battery eater.
From stationary consoles, I think I have the most warm feelings towards the PS2, though SNES gets many points for nostalgia.  

I can't remember any good games on GBA, aside from Advance Wars and Kuru Kuru Kurin. Anyone know other good ones?

I only kept three of my GBA games; Chu Chu Rocket, Gunstar Super Heroes and Firepro Wrestling. The last one never leaves the GBA slot on my DS but depending on how much you like wrestling (and MMA) you might not feel the same way that I do about it.

When I first clicked the thread yeah, but I read the first post and got disappointed. But I made the joke anyway :P

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow.

^{You might also conider:
Mother 3
Golden Sun
Super Robot Taisen
Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure
Zelda: Minish Cap
Metroid Zero Mission}

There's just too much to list them all.

Aside from the stuff that kYn mentioned:

Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
Pokémon Fire Red/Leaf Green
Drill Dozer HOLY FUCKING SHIT DRILL DOZER OH MY GOD
Sonic Advance 1 and 2
Sonic Battle
Sonic Pinball Party
Metroid Fusion
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Both Klonoa games
Wario Land 4
WarioWare
WarioWare Twisted
Mario & Luigi
MegaMan Zero series
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
Mario Kart Super Circuit

Holy shit this system is pretty damn great

DRILL DOZER
(http://gbamedia.gamespy.com/gba/image/article/686/686485/drill-dozer-20060207094158075.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsaAjkEWUBw

God damn it, GameFreak. Make more things that are not Pokémon. You are obviously incredible at it. See also: Pulseman.

Best part about Drill Dozer: it's great and it costs less than $5 used at gamestop.

Drill Dozer on my GameBoy Micro is godlike. I can even put it in my cigarette-lighter-pocket (the small pocket in your jeans' pocket). Best handheld ever? I think so.

Super Robot Taisen hhheh

there were some good super robot wars on GBA thats true

not only were the Super Robot Taisen you speak of, AKA SRW OG and SRW OG2 pretty damn good but in gapan they had SRW A, SRW R, SRW D and SRW J on GBA which were all, especially J, awesome. J did some animations that were unbelievably good for the GBA

PS1 (basically grew up with it) and GC (sometimes way overlooked).

I also agree with everyone who says GBA owns.  :beer:

Listing ones not mentioned:

Ninja Five-O
Gradius Galaxies
Car Battler Joe
Fire Emblem
Gunstar Super Heroes
Pinball of the Dead
Pokemon Pinball Advance

Japan Only:

Rhythm Tengoku
Rocket Slime

GBA is pretty easily the best handheld ever.  DS and PSP are both good, but didn't really touch it.

PSP has locoroco, patapon, monster hunter so you lie

If it wasn't for Peace Walker the PSP would be officially dead by now, instead it's kind of Zombie.
R.I.P. PSP.

Portable ops was pretty awesome as well, as was echochrome.

I really liked Portable Ops until I played Peace Walker. It really makes it look bad.
But currently I have no game I'm anticipating for the PSP.

Really? I thought there was another God of War game coming out on PSP.

It has had a good run though, look at Chains of Olympus, Portable Ops, Dissidia which dropped only about a year ago, Crisis Core, and of course all the silly casual games like Patapon and Loco Roco. And I think a Katamari game was released on PSP although I don't know if it's any good. And those are just the games I liked, there's probably more good ones I never got in to.

I'm kind of curious of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, but it's a guilty pleasure. I won't be able to skip those cutscenes fast enough, I'll always feel dirty inside.

Persona 3 Portable just recently came out and that game is fucking fantastic. Also, Phantasy Star Portable 2 is coming up, which is a fee-less MMO on your PSP

What the hell is this?

The original, cabbage-green GameBoy. Sure, the GBA is a total improvement and can still play those old games anyway... but there's something about playing GB games on a GB. The simplicity of it all. It's refreshing in a way. Link's Awakening, Metroid 2, Donkey Kong '94, Faceball 2000-- It's amazing what they did with that system.

SirNiko brought up an interesting point: considering the system separately from the games. In that regard, I've always had a soft spot for the Gamecube. Comparatively, not as many great games as other consoles, but I liked a lot about the system itself. I liked the name, and how it actually was a cube, that played games (I'm easily amused, I guess). I liked the operating system (or whatever it's called), with the soothing sounds and purples, blues and blacks. I liked the controller (so sue me..). I liked the color 'spice' that it came in. I liked the tiny little cds it used (bring those back, they're cool!). I liked the way it connected with the GBA (despite that never really being used much, but the games that did were pretty cool). I liked the handle at the back that let you carry it around. I liked how it fixed the blurry textures of the n64. All in all, I thought it was a solid system with pleasing aesthetics and it's only downfall was the perception that it didn't have "enough" good games.

Yeah, agreed on the GC. When it had good games, though, they were really good. That controller is awesome, no matter what people say.

I recently re-bought a lot of my old GC games... wow, they are great. They have so much personality to them! Billy Hatcher is a true under-appreciated treasure.

I also love the GC controller, it just works flawlessly for Nintendo games like Luigi's Mansion, Mario Sunshine, Melee/Brawl, Mario Kart, etc.

I'd say the PS2 because I can't say SNES because I never actually owned one.
I would say PS1 but most of the games then seem more like stepping stones to later iterations on the PS2. Maybe, I don't know.

Playstation 2.

Its controllers especially, the (today) simplistic hardware, and it doesn't overheat.


That makes sense, we can be happily unknowing of a good game, but it's hard to play a good game on a dodgy console.


I like it too, but its analog control stick is a bit floppy, compared to PS2 etc.


How is its analog stick compared to N64 and Wii?

In no order:

Wii - Sure, some of the games may seem...erm...cheap, but if you get it right, The Homebrew Channel is the bigger purpose for hobbyist programmers. Quake and DOOM are already ported. Heh heh. Not to mention the Linux installments. I personally don't like the Nunchuk attatchment. It seems weird when you spread joystick and controller far enough apart. Did I mention all the emulators that exist?

NES - I can easily say that this system started all the modern gaming we know and love today. Games that SAVE DATA (Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, etc.) became a huge rave along with the password systems. Plus it has a 6502 microprocessor, so homebrew for the NES should be a breeze if you're experienced in programming for a Commodore 64 or Apple II.

Atari VCS/2600 - Never owned one of these. It seemed more like an arcade at home, not wasting quarters every time you play. Also uses the 6502 microprocessor, so homebrew should also be easy. Note that you also have to program a kernel for each game (or go the ActiVision way and reuse the same kernel for all your games).

GameCube - Love the controller. Just gotta admit. The funny thing is that most third party companies could not make games with visuals that match up to the first party ones. Look at the styles of Super Mario Sunshine and LoZ: Wind Waker. Pretty doggone sweet, if I do say so myself. Now look at some of the other generic games, like Medal of Honor. Those games either have basic gourad shading or none at all. The MiniDVDs used were also cool (1.5GB of data) compared to the Wii's larger DVD discs (4.7GB).

I'd say the analog stick is better on the GC than on Wii.

Maybe "casual" is the wrong word.

The Gamecube also had that secret that if you plugged in four controllers and held Z on all of them, it had different sound effects when the game loads.

That was awesome. I wonder if any other consoles had hardcoded secrets like that.

Pc Engine is my favorite console by far, and then the Dreamcast. I love HuCards, playing Twinbee with my wife, the best home version of R-Type ever, and the time I took it with me to Minneapolis and spent two weeks playing Nectaris with my best friend.

Sounds promising, the one on the nunchuk is very precise.

I'm going by feel. The one on the nunchuk has too much "give" in my opinion.

The gamecube analogue and the wii Nunchuck feel pretty close to me. The C stick nub was just perfect for what it did, though. Playing Metroid Prime felt so silky smooth when you just shifted your thumb over to quickly switch visors.

The indention in the XBox analogue is great for keeping your thumb right in the dead center, though I agree it feels a little more "Loose" than the gamecube analogue. The playstation sticks are my least favorite, they feel like little squishy sticky marshmallows. I like the feeling of a firm stick with a nice groove under my thumb.

DC, PS2 and SNES.

Personally, it's not really a matter of which console is the best.
It's more of which console has my favorite game series.

Like I'll say the SNES rocks because it had Chrono Trigger.
And the PS2 rules because it started off the Disgaea series.
But I could also say, the DS and PSP is cool because they have remake/ports of these awesome titles.

I bought a PS3 the day when Disgaea 3 came out in Japan.
I guess, that's one thing I like about "modern" consoles, like the DS, PSP, PS3, etc.
You don't have to do anything weird to play Japanese games with a console you bought in the US. Had to mod my PS2 and do weird disc swapping to play anything from Japan.


Second the Crazy Taxi goodness. Also, I loved the DreamCast version of Chu Chu Rocket.

I see now, cool. Thanks for elaborating. I haven't tried an original GC controller yet.

I actually like the loose elasticity of the PS2 sticks, letting the thumb relax, so maybe that's more my style than the GC one.

PC, just due to the sheer variety of what is available for the platform. I can plug in a USB controller and play some retro-style platformers or use the mouse/keyboard combo and get down on some excellent team-based first-person multiplayer shooters online (and for free).

If your talking strictly television based consoles, I would have to say the Nintendo Wii, it has multiple generations worth of console games (NES, SNES, Genesis, Neo Geo etc...) a fun, diverse catalog of games ranging from your more casual stuff to arcadey goodness like Madworld, House of the Dead: Overkill and Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom, and has one of the best modding communities out there with a great deal of excellent homebrew (even a port of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup).