My Top 5 Favorite Consoles (2020)
For a while, I’ve been considering doing a top list of my personal favorite consoles of all time. I did a top 10 list of my own in 2015, one of my earlier video game-related posts, but in retrospect I’ve found myself not really agreeing with what I put for my original list. I guess that’s to be expected - after all, it’s been almost 5 years since I wrote that and not only have I gotten older but have also collected more consoles over time and my game collection has generally gotten much bigger and of course my tastes have long since changed as I continue to gain new experiences. I mean, I’m sure that in 5 years my top list will be different from what it is now, but for now I still want to talk about what consoles I consider my favorite and why I feel that way for each system.
But before I get started, I decided to put a couple rules for myself, similar to what was on my original list. In my original list, I decided not to count any consoles that I have little to no experience with (framing it as me having to play more than 3 games from each console through emulators or ports). This time, I’m going to take it a little step further - I have to own, or have previously owned, each console that I put on this list. I kind of felt that my original rule was a bit too lenient and some of the consoles on the list were just systems that I didn’t really have much experience with or didn’t really have enough of a connection with to consider among my favorites. However, this won’t be much of an issue here since one, this is going to be a top 5 list instead of a top 10 and two, pretty much all the consoles I’d consider my favorites on this list are ones that I own and I already have an idea of what those are.
I am also not counting PCs on this list since I largely consider that ecosystem to be different from consoles in general and it would also make my #1 choice a bit too obvious. Another thing I have decided upon is that for each console in my Top 5 I’m going to name my favorite game on each system, just to make it a bit more interesting and talk about games I really loved for each system.
And before I get started with my actual Top 5, I’ve decided to list a few honorable mentions.
Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive (1989) - This console was among my Top 3 in my original list, and while I don’t necessarily love it quite as much as I used to, I still think it is a really good system that pretty much gave way to one of my favorite game series of all time (that of course being Sonic the Hedgehog) but on top of that I still manage to find solid games to play on the system (in many cases, cheaper than what I can find on the SNES) and stuff that just really appeals to me personally.
Sony PlayStation 2 (2000) - Out of any console in my honorable mentions, the PlayStation 2 was easily the one that I felt *just* didn’t quite make it on my list. This was also an honorable mention on my original list, but considering that this is a Top 5 list as opposed to a Top 10, I think it does say that I have grown more appreciation towards this system and it’s massive game library with a ton of variety. I got the system last year practically for free, and despite being 20 years old it’s a system that I have managed to have a lot of fun with and have grown a pretty good collection for, and nowadays I kind of wish I had bought the system earlier on. The only reason why I decided not to put it in my Top 5 is largely that the game libraries of the systems I’m going to talk about just simply appealed to me a bit more than the PlayStation 2’s, but the PlayStation 2 is still a really good system that I thought was at least worth a mention.
Nintendo DS (2004) - This is probably one of the more interesting choices on my list. While my original list did contain the 3DS, it didn’t contain the original DS, but in retrospect, I do find myself having a slight preference for the original DS. I wouldn’t say the 3DS was a worse system or anything, but I definitely felt that the original DS’s library just grabbed me in a way that not many other game systems did growing up, and I often just feel nostalgic when thinking about my favorite experiences on the original DS. Truth be told, I think that’s just overall how I feel about the Nintendo DS. I wouldn’t consider it one of the best systems ever, but at the same time, growing up I made a lot of memories playing Mario Kart DS and Mario Party DS with my cousin and brother and on top of that the DS was pretty much my introduction to games like Super Mario 64 and the classic Sonic games via Classic Collection. And while my 3DS collection is technically bigger than my DS collection, I still feel like my favorite games on the DS stood out to me more than my favorite games on the 3DS, and my slight nostalgia bias kind of puts it over the top for me.
But with that aside, let’s get on to my actual favorites.
5. Sony PlayStation (1995)
So, this may leave some wondering why I decided to put the first PlayStation over the PlayStation 2 considering that, well, the PlayStation 2 can play PS1 games, and truth be told I often find myself debating on whether or not I prefer the first PlayStation or the PlayStation 2, but I think at the end of the day - judging from their core libraries and nothing else - I still have a slight preference for the PlayStation’s original library and I also just have a lot more memories with the PS1 than I have with the PS2. The PlayStation was technically my first console - my parents bought it for my brother before I was even born, after all, but that original system was sold and eventually I just got one of my own from a used game store. And honestly I’m quite glad I did, because the PS1 has always been among my favorite consoles and a serious contender for my favorite “retro” system. I mean, it just had a pretty massive library of it’s own with a lot of variety from different genres, and these days it’s still pretty cheap to collect for and I’m still finding games for the system that I really enjoy. Same could be said about the PlayStation 2, but I think the PlayStation 1 simply had a bit more of my personal favorites, such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon - both of which are among my favorite games series and platformers I really like going back to, as well as stuff like Final Fantasy VII (one of my personal favorite RPGs), Tomb Raider, Pac-Man World, and Croc: Legend of the Gobbos among others.
And I think just considering the era that the PlayStation 1 was a part of - a time of experimental 3D games - makes it all the more interesting of a console to me. The PlayStation 1 (along with the Nintendo 64 of course) would establish a lot of game design aspects that would be incorporated into games of the modern era, and more or less established a precedent for what would come later on. And I think looking at the PlayStation’s library particularly in addition to all the games coming out around this time period kind of makes it all the more memorable to me as companies began working with new ideas and even new genres in some cases. While a lot of people would argue that these older 3D titles haven’t aged so well, I think there just is a unique charm to them and to this day I really enjoy going back to the PS1 whether that be for replaying my favorites games or games that I never really got the chance to try before.
Favorite Game: Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998) - as I stated before, Crash has always been one of my personal favorite game series, and I would probably say that the third game, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, was the game in the series that I’d say I enjoyed the most. Pretty much everything about this game felt perfected from the first two games in some way or another, and especially since it was the last of the trilogy it was the best the series had to offer. While I still like the first two games (a lot in fact) I think Warped still feels the most polished and fun to play while also giving the most variety as far as level themes and art style go, and is definitely the game I enjoy returning to the most.
4. Sony PlayStation 3 (2006)
Next on my list is another Sony system, and as the name suggests, their third console. Now, when it comes to the seventh generation I pretty much consistently see the Xbox 360 being touted as the generation’s best and out of any of the consoles is the one I see listed on top console lists a lot. And for what it is, in the first few years of that console generation I can see that the Xbox 360 did have more going for it - the Wii was pretty much doing it’s own thing and the PS3’s high price tag and lack of compelling games at launch did give the Xbox 360 more of an advantage. But looking at the rest of the console generation, I think that Sony did manage to turn around a bad situation and in the end the PlayStation 3 did end up becoming a really great console. The seventh generation was the one I really remember during my childhood before my adolescence, and while my family had an Xbox 360, I always just found the PlayStation 3 to be more interesting to me. It just seemed like the PS3’s library came off as more interesting to me and had more variety, and when I finally got one of my own in 2019, I can say that it lived up to those feelings I had.
While a lot of people don’t look at the PS3’s library as high in regards to it’s two predecessors, I still feel that the system did a good job of having tons of variety and memorable exclusives. Game series that had started out on the PlayStation 2 - such as Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper and God of War - of course got sequels on the system, as well as remasters on top of those, but the PlayStation 3 was also the introduction of new stuff like LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted and The Last of Us, alongside other games that got their introduction that generation. I probably wouldn’t say it didn’t get quite as many interesting new IPs as the PS1 or PS2 did, but between the new IPs it did have plus the sequels to franchises that got their start on those systems, it still did have a lot going for it. Then there’s stuff like Killzone 2, which despite the mediocrity of it’s predecessor did get good reviews and praise. And to be honest, I would even argue the PS3’s library is still more interesting than the PlayStation 4’s on the front of just having a lot of compelling titles. Maybe that’s just me getting older, but I just haven’t really been as compelled by the PS4’s library nearly as much as the PlayStation 3’s (as well as the PS1 and 2’s for that matter) and it just doesn’t really feel like it’s had as much in the way of variety and just games that have me interested in the system.
And on top of it’s library, I will also mention the PlayStation 3 did have a lot of good features, especially for it’s time. Features aren’t really a “selling point” for me personally, but I do have to give the PlayStation 3 credit for being the first system to offer Blu-Ray playback while also still keeping compatibility for CDs and DVDs, plus the ability to buy various PS1 and 2 games on the shop and at least the ability to have PS1 backwards compatibility. I would also say PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility as well but that really only applied to the first generation of “fat” consoles and… I have a Slim. Still worth mentioning though I guess. Plus the ability to store videos and pictures on the hard drive, set custom wallpapers and just the fact that the PlayStation 3 had free online multiplayer, unlike the Xbox 360 and every console now. I know it wasn’t necessarily the greatest (and in 2011 PSN got hacked) but god damn it that’s something I really miss about this console when going back to it. Sometimes I even enjoy logging on to Black Ops 1 multiplayer just for the hell of it and surprisingly there’s still some people playing, which is nice. Also the PlayStation 3 has the XMB which is still probably my favorite console UI to this day.
Favorite Game: Sonic Generations (2011) - Admittedly, this isn’t my favorite way to play Sonic Generations (PC all the way baby), but it’s still a game I associate with seventh generation systems and one that comes to mine on the topic of the PlayStation 3. Sonic Generations still holds up well to me and to this day I would consider one of if not the best game in the series just in terms of having the most interesting gameplay and level design out of any Sonic game I’ve played. Each level just felt big and open in it’s own right with multiple pathways and ways to play, and as a result it’s definitely the Sonic game I enjoy returning to the most, whether that be on my PC or on the PS3.
3. Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991)
For the longest time, the Super Nintendo was easily my favorite console - in fact, in the time of me being between 12 and 14 years old my “internet” name in a lot of places was “SuperNESBrony.” And on that note, the SNES was also #1 on my 2015 Top 10 consoles list. And while it has been topped by a couple newer systems since then, I can still safely say that I enjoy the SNES a lot and it’s still among my favorite consoles.
This was probably one of the first consoles I remember playing as my grandfather had one, and over time I would get introduced to more of it’s best games through a mix of Game Boy Advance ports and emulation. Super Mario World alone was a game that blew me away as a kid and honestly sort of changed my life and when I figured out what emulators were when I was about 10 years old the SNES just kind of became my favorite system even before I even owned one. I eventually did buy one of my own though when I was 12 and I still really enjoy playing it. My collection for the system isn’t really the biggest, largely due to how much SNES games cost nowadays, but I can easily say the games I’ve played on the SNES have largely just been great to me, and whatever major titles I wasn’t able to obtain for my SNES I eventually had access to on the SNES Classic (especially after modding it and adding custom games to it). Growing up, I really loved 16-bit games (sidescrollers in particular) and I think the SNES just offered the most in terms of quality and variety. Not only the aforementioned Super Mario World, but also Yoshi’s Island, Super Metroid, Super Castlevania IV and the Donkey Kong Country trilogy as far as platformers go, as well as games like a The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (which is still probably my favorite Zelda title), Star Fox, and… hell, just all the different JRPGs on the system like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI and Earthbound. Honestly I could just write a whole list of SNES games that really stand out to me, but well, I won’t because I still have two more consoles to talk about. Even now there’s plenty of people who tout the SNES as one of the best consoles ever made and I can’t say I blame them. Despite being almost 30 years old at this point, it still has a strong library full of variety, and myself I’m still finding new games I really like for the system. Especially for the time, the SNES just had a great library with lots of variety on top of just being the best for the time in terms of graphics and sound.
Favorite Game: Super Mario World (1991) - I’ve already mentioned this and talked about it a little bit, but I still have to say that Super Mario World is a game that really blew me away as a kid and even now I still really love going back to it. There’s just a lot to enjoy about it with it’s bigger levels compared to the NES trilogy plus how the game used the map in a very interesting way by keeping everything “connected” allowing for more freedom on where the player goes and the ability to take different routes in each playthrough. I can definitely say that this game made me more interested in game design and gaming in general and I still have a lot of fun going back to it even now.
2. Nintendo Wii U (2012)
It’s safe to say that Nintendo’s first HD console wasn’t exactly a success. In fact, it was their worst selling major home console to date, and there’s a lot of things that can be blamed on - poor marketing, lack of third party support, the GamePad alone driving up system costs… it was far from a successful system, and it’s no wonder that Nintendo ultimately abandoned the system in favor of the Switch.
But to be perfectly honest, out of the three major systems that came out in the eighth prior to the Switch’s release, the Wii U was the one that always interested me the most. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get the console at first, but it definitely felt like it had the most in terms of exclusives that I really wanted to play. I didn’t have the money at the time to buy any of the new systems at the time, and my parents didn’t want to buy me a new system, (and even when that came I ultimately went to PC gaming), but if I had to choose between the Wii U, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One I would’ve definitely chosen the Wii U. I really liked the original Wii growing up and going into the Wii U’s launch I was definitely excited to see it come out. I did eventually get one of my own, in 2018 after the Switch came out, and truth is… I’m really glad I did.
The Wii U has honestly just turned out to be one of my favorite consoles. While it doesn’t have the greatest library of it’s own, it still had a lot of really good stuff including new IPs and ideas that would surface like Super Mario Maker and Splatoon. And the games that did come out for it were generally pretty fun for me. Super Mario 3D World was actually a game that I surprisingly had a lot of fun with even if it’s not quite my favorite 3D Mario out there and Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze was easily one of the best side scrollers of the eighth generation. Then there’s games like Wind Waker HD which allowed me to replay a game that I had played a few times during my childhood in a brand new manner while remastering the original graphics. Mario Kart 8 was easily my favorite Mario Kart yet, and Super Smash Bros 4 was also a lot of fun even if it kind of became outdated with the release of Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Sonic Lost World, while not the most well-received, was still a solid Sonic game in my eyes as well.
Then the system also had some pretty good hidden gems like Tokyo Mirage Sessions, NES Remix Pack, ZombiU and the Wonderful 101. And sure, a lot of the Wii U’s best games (even out of the ones I’ve mentioned) have been ported to the Switch (...for $60) or other consoles but they still started out on the Wii U and I think the system definitely had a more interesting lineup compared to the other consoles of the time, and in some cases I would argue the Wii U versions of some games (i.e. ZombiU and New Super Mario Bros U/New Super Luigi U) are actually better on it’s original system.
And the Wii U experience particularly was just very unique to me. I mean, sure, the whole gimmick of the Gamepad was confusing to a lot of people and was one of the reasons why the system flopped, but I still feel that the Wii U just gave me experiences I couldn’t get anywhere else. I had played a lot of the DS and 3DS up to this point and the Wii U honestly just felt like an expansion on top of that as well as what Nintendo had set out to do with the Wii. It pretty much just felt like a giant DS and when games made good use of the Gamepad I actually really felt like it added a lot to the gameplay. And on top of it’s own game library, it also had Wii backwards compatibility and honestly was probably one of the best uses of backwards compatibility in any system I can think of - allowing support for all of it’s controllers and integrating the menu on top of the ability to play all of the Wii’s game in HD. And then there’s the Virtual Console, something the Switch still doesn’t have, and also more support for indie games compared to the original Wii. And honestly, I don’t know why but I kind of feel like indie games, especially those that have a retro-ish art style like Freedom Planet and Shovel Knight just feel a lot more… “at home” on the Wii U. And honestly, while I’m not sure how to explain it, the Wii U just kind of feels like a modern take on a “retro” system when looking at it’s game library and just feels like a very “Nintendo” console. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it does give the Wii U it’s own unique charm.
Favorite Game: Super Mario Maker (2015) - As someone who held some interest in Mario ROM hacking in the early 2010’s, Super Mario Maker just feels like Nintendo’s own take on that and really turned out to be one of the most unique experiences on the system. I think there’s just a lot of fun to be had with being able to create your own levels, and frankly this game makes probably the best use of the Wii U Gamepad out of any game on the system. It’s just really fun to build my own Mario levels with my own spin on them while also being able to play others’ levels. And even though this game had a sequel on the Switch, I definitely felt that the use of the Gamepad here added a lot to the game and I really can’t imagine the Switch being able to replicate that.
1. Nintendo Switch (2017)
And so now we’ve made it to #1, my favorite console of all time. I’ve always really liked Nintendo’s handhelds in general - the Game Boy Advance was one of the first consoles I had ever owned and the DS and 3DS were both systems I spent a lot of time playing. Being able to play games anywhere I want to is just pretty great on it’s own. That said, with handhelds I never really felt like you truly got great, console-quality experiences like you would on a console itself or a PC. This isn’t to say that there haven’t been games I’ve loved on handhelds, and to be honest this wasn’t really much of an issue when my tastes in games could ultimately be chalked up to retro titles and sidescrollers. But as I’ve grown older and my tastes have shifted, I’ve definitely been longing for some good console-quality titles that I can have with me wherever I go and in general the ecosystem of handhelds games is often not as ambitious or high-budget as you would find on console or PC games. And another problem I have is that I find myself not enjoying handhelds as much when I’m at home. I mean, frankly when I have a nice PC and a bunch of consoles hooked up nowadays I have a really hard time justifying playing on a system with a small screen in an awkward, cramped position.
So when the Nintendo Switch was announced in 2016, it literally felt like my dream console that I’ve been waiting for my entire life. And while I didn’t get one until my graduation last year, I can say that the past year of owning the Switch has made for some of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had. And in a time where my life has just been in a not-so-great state, it just makes it all the more special to me. And despite so many people’s insistence that the Switch was gonna flop, it just turned out to be one of Nintendo’s best and most successful systems yet. I mean, just the core gimmick of it alone really appeals to me. When I’m out and about, I can enjoy console-quality experiences wherever I go, and when I’m at home, I can place the system on in it’s dock and play on the TV from my couch. And even when someone else wants to use the TV, I can still continue playing the Switch as a handheld. And not only do you have the ability to play the Switch on the go or at home, but you also have different setups you can use like tabletop mode, which makes it easier for me to adjust to a setup that’s more comfortable for me to play in. It’s a small thing, but definitely a feature I like.
And then… the games. With the Nintendo Switch essentially came the promise of console-quality titles both at home and on the go and I don’t think the system has underdelivered on that in the slightest. I mean, in just its first year alone it managed to have not one but two exclusives that were nominated for Game of the Year - those being of course The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, and since its release it’s not only had a great stream of other exclusives such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Maker 2, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, the Link’s Awakening remake and Pokemon Sword and Shield, but has also gotten a lot of great third party support. Overwatch was one game ported to the system just last year, and while it’s not my preferred way of playing the game (again, PC all the baby… plus 30FPS is kind of a turn off), it’s still nice that I have a way of playing the game portably other than buying an expensive gaming laptop. Another two of my favorites, Undertale and Night in the Woods, are also present on the system, and then there’s other popular games on the system like Fortnite, Doom 2016, Skyrim, the Assassin’s Creed games, Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy, Paladins, Minecraft, Terraria, Sonic Mania, Cuphead… there’s just so goddamn much on the Switch for what’s essentially a handheld you can play on your TV and it’s probably obtained the best third party support for Nintendo since the SNES. And that’s not even going to be it, after all Metroid Prime 4 was teased for the system in 2017 (although we still haven’t gotten any new info on that) and there’s also going to be ports of games like Doom Eternal and The Outer Worlds presumably later this year. And I can’t really deny that there have been a number of cases where I’ve purchased a game I have on another platform on the Switch just for the sake of playing those games portably.
I mean, in general I think what makes the Switch ultimately my favorite console is that it just has so much going for it. There are still a couple issues I have - namely the lack of any sort of Netflix app and internet browser, which while not necessarily a dealbreaker for me would still be nice to have, plus Nintendo’s decision to switch (no pun intended) to paid online, but overall the Switch just has so much more good than bad that these issues just don’t really become much of a big deal for me. Not only is it a console that’s extremely convenient to have as a way to play console-quality titles on the go while still being able to play on the TV at home (unless you have a Switch Lite), but also just a system with a big library and a ton of games to offer. And I really hope it doesn’t lose that momentum as the more powerful Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 release, but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there and ultimately the Nintendo Switch has been serving me extremely well.
Favorite Game: Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020) - I was never really the biggest fan of the Animal Crossing series until getting New Leaf, and even though this game is still brand new I’ve already managed to log more time into it than most of my other Switch games and I just like going back to it. It’s an example of a game I can think of where I’ll go back to it just to do something small but then just end up spending the rest of the day playing it because the game always just has something hooking me in and pushing me to keep playing every day. It’s just a game I find very relaxing with a lot to do and something I enjoy playing when I really just don’t have anything else going on. I’ve also had a lot of fun playing with my friends and visiting each other’s islands so there’s that too.
Plus there’s also some of my favorite games ported on the system like Overwatch, Undertale and Night in the Woods that are worth mentioning too even if I don’t exclusively associate those with the console.
But before I get started, I decided to put a couple rules for myself, similar to what was on my original list. In my original list, I decided not to count any consoles that I have little to no experience with (framing it as me having to play more than 3 games from each console through emulators or ports). This time, I’m going to take it a little step further - I have to own, or have previously owned, each console that I put on this list. I kind of felt that my original rule was a bit too lenient and some of the consoles on the list were just systems that I didn’t really have much experience with or didn’t really have enough of a connection with to consider among my favorites. However, this won’t be much of an issue here since one, this is going to be a top 5 list instead of a top 10 and two, pretty much all the consoles I’d consider my favorites on this list are ones that I own and I already have an idea of what those are.
I am also not counting PCs on this list since I largely consider that ecosystem to be different from consoles in general and it would also make my #1 choice a bit too obvious. Another thing I have decided upon is that for each console in my Top 5 I’m going to name my favorite game on each system, just to make it a bit more interesting and talk about games I really loved for each system.
And before I get started with my actual Top 5, I’ve decided to list a few honorable mentions.
Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive (1989) - This console was among my Top 3 in my original list, and while I don’t necessarily love it quite as much as I used to, I still think it is a really good system that pretty much gave way to one of my favorite game series of all time (that of course being Sonic the Hedgehog) but on top of that I still manage to find solid games to play on the system (in many cases, cheaper than what I can find on the SNES) and stuff that just really appeals to me personally.
Sony PlayStation 2 (2000) - Out of any console in my honorable mentions, the PlayStation 2 was easily the one that I felt *just* didn’t quite make it on my list. This was also an honorable mention on my original list, but considering that this is a Top 5 list as opposed to a Top 10, I think it does say that I have grown more appreciation towards this system and it’s massive game library with a ton of variety. I got the system last year practically for free, and despite being 20 years old it’s a system that I have managed to have a lot of fun with and have grown a pretty good collection for, and nowadays I kind of wish I had bought the system earlier on. The only reason why I decided not to put it in my Top 5 is largely that the game libraries of the systems I’m going to talk about just simply appealed to me a bit more than the PlayStation 2’s, but the PlayStation 2 is still a really good system that I thought was at least worth a mention.
Nintendo DS (2004) - This is probably one of the more interesting choices on my list. While my original list did contain the 3DS, it didn’t contain the original DS, but in retrospect, I do find myself having a slight preference for the original DS. I wouldn’t say the 3DS was a worse system or anything, but I definitely felt that the original DS’s library just grabbed me in a way that not many other game systems did growing up, and I often just feel nostalgic when thinking about my favorite experiences on the original DS. Truth be told, I think that’s just overall how I feel about the Nintendo DS. I wouldn’t consider it one of the best systems ever, but at the same time, growing up I made a lot of memories playing Mario Kart DS and Mario Party DS with my cousin and brother and on top of that the DS was pretty much my introduction to games like Super Mario 64 and the classic Sonic games via Classic Collection. And while my 3DS collection is technically bigger than my DS collection, I still feel like my favorite games on the DS stood out to me more than my favorite games on the 3DS, and my slight nostalgia bias kind of puts it over the top for me.
But with that aside, let’s get on to my actual favorites.
5. Sony PlayStation (1995)
So, this may leave some wondering why I decided to put the first PlayStation over the PlayStation 2 considering that, well, the PlayStation 2 can play PS1 games, and truth be told I often find myself debating on whether or not I prefer the first PlayStation or the PlayStation 2, but I think at the end of the day - judging from their core libraries and nothing else - I still have a slight preference for the PlayStation’s original library and I also just have a lot more memories with the PS1 than I have with the PS2. The PlayStation was technically my first console - my parents bought it for my brother before I was even born, after all, but that original system was sold and eventually I just got one of my own from a used game store. And honestly I’m quite glad I did, because the PS1 has always been among my favorite consoles and a serious contender for my favorite “retro” system. I mean, it just had a pretty massive library of it’s own with a lot of variety from different genres, and these days it’s still pretty cheap to collect for and I’m still finding games for the system that I really enjoy. Same could be said about the PlayStation 2, but I think the PlayStation 1 simply had a bit more of my personal favorites, such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon - both of which are among my favorite games series and platformers I really like going back to, as well as stuff like Final Fantasy VII (one of my personal favorite RPGs), Tomb Raider, Pac-Man World, and Croc: Legend of the Gobbos among others.
And I think just considering the era that the PlayStation 1 was a part of - a time of experimental 3D games - makes it all the more interesting of a console to me. The PlayStation 1 (along with the Nintendo 64 of course) would establish a lot of game design aspects that would be incorporated into games of the modern era, and more or less established a precedent for what would come later on. And I think looking at the PlayStation’s library particularly in addition to all the games coming out around this time period kind of makes it all the more memorable to me as companies began working with new ideas and even new genres in some cases. While a lot of people would argue that these older 3D titles haven’t aged so well, I think there just is a unique charm to them and to this day I really enjoy going back to the PS1 whether that be for replaying my favorites games or games that I never really got the chance to try before.
Favorite Game: Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998) - as I stated before, Crash has always been one of my personal favorite game series, and I would probably say that the third game, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, was the game in the series that I’d say I enjoyed the most. Pretty much everything about this game felt perfected from the first two games in some way or another, and especially since it was the last of the trilogy it was the best the series had to offer. While I still like the first two games (a lot in fact) I think Warped still feels the most polished and fun to play while also giving the most variety as far as level themes and art style go, and is definitely the game I enjoy returning to the most.
4. Sony PlayStation 3 (2006)
Next on my list is another Sony system, and as the name suggests, their third console. Now, when it comes to the seventh generation I pretty much consistently see the Xbox 360 being touted as the generation’s best and out of any of the consoles is the one I see listed on top console lists a lot. And for what it is, in the first few years of that console generation I can see that the Xbox 360 did have more going for it - the Wii was pretty much doing it’s own thing and the PS3’s high price tag and lack of compelling games at launch did give the Xbox 360 more of an advantage. But looking at the rest of the console generation, I think that Sony did manage to turn around a bad situation and in the end the PlayStation 3 did end up becoming a really great console. The seventh generation was the one I really remember during my childhood before my adolescence, and while my family had an Xbox 360, I always just found the PlayStation 3 to be more interesting to me. It just seemed like the PS3’s library came off as more interesting to me and had more variety, and when I finally got one of my own in 2019, I can say that it lived up to those feelings I had.
While a lot of people don’t look at the PS3’s library as high in regards to it’s two predecessors, I still feel that the system did a good job of having tons of variety and memorable exclusives. Game series that had started out on the PlayStation 2 - such as Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper and God of War - of course got sequels on the system, as well as remasters on top of those, but the PlayStation 3 was also the introduction of new stuff like LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted and The Last of Us, alongside other games that got their introduction that generation. I probably wouldn’t say it didn’t get quite as many interesting new IPs as the PS1 or PS2 did, but between the new IPs it did have plus the sequels to franchises that got their start on those systems, it still did have a lot going for it. Then there’s stuff like Killzone 2, which despite the mediocrity of it’s predecessor did get good reviews and praise. And to be honest, I would even argue the PS3’s library is still more interesting than the PlayStation 4’s on the front of just having a lot of compelling titles. Maybe that’s just me getting older, but I just haven’t really been as compelled by the PS4’s library nearly as much as the PlayStation 3’s (as well as the PS1 and 2’s for that matter) and it just doesn’t really feel like it’s had as much in the way of variety and just games that have me interested in the system.
And on top of it’s library, I will also mention the PlayStation 3 did have a lot of good features, especially for it’s time. Features aren’t really a “selling point” for me personally, but I do have to give the PlayStation 3 credit for being the first system to offer Blu-Ray playback while also still keeping compatibility for CDs and DVDs, plus the ability to buy various PS1 and 2 games on the shop and at least the ability to have PS1 backwards compatibility. I would also say PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility as well but that really only applied to the first generation of “fat” consoles and… I have a Slim. Still worth mentioning though I guess. Plus the ability to store videos and pictures on the hard drive, set custom wallpapers and just the fact that the PlayStation 3 had free online multiplayer, unlike the Xbox 360 and every console now. I know it wasn’t necessarily the greatest (and in 2011 PSN got hacked) but god damn it that’s something I really miss about this console when going back to it. Sometimes I even enjoy logging on to Black Ops 1 multiplayer just for the hell of it and surprisingly there’s still some people playing, which is nice. Also the PlayStation 3 has the XMB which is still probably my favorite console UI to this day.
Favorite Game: Sonic Generations (2011) - Admittedly, this isn’t my favorite way to play Sonic Generations (PC all the way baby), but it’s still a game I associate with seventh generation systems and one that comes to mine on the topic of the PlayStation 3. Sonic Generations still holds up well to me and to this day I would consider one of if not the best game in the series just in terms of having the most interesting gameplay and level design out of any Sonic game I’ve played. Each level just felt big and open in it’s own right with multiple pathways and ways to play, and as a result it’s definitely the Sonic game I enjoy returning to the most, whether that be on my PC or on the PS3.
3. Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991)
For the longest time, the Super Nintendo was easily my favorite console - in fact, in the time of me being between 12 and 14 years old my “internet” name in a lot of places was “SuperNESBrony.” And on that note, the SNES was also #1 on my 2015 Top 10 consoles list. And while it has been topped by a couple newer systems since then, I can still safely say that I enjoy the SNES a lot and it’s still among my favorite consoles.
This was probably one of the first consoles I remember playing as my grandfather had one, and over time I would get introduced to more of it’s best games through a mix of Game Boy Advance ports and emulation. Super Mario World alone was a game that blew me away as a kid and honestly sort of changed my life and when I figured out what emulators were when I was about 10 years old the SNES just kind of became my favorite system even before I even owned one. I eventually did buy one of my own though when I was 12 and I still really enjoy playing it. My collection for the system isn’t really the biggest, largely due to how much SNES games cost nowadays, but I can easily say the games I’ve played on the SNES have largely just been great to me, and whatever major titles I wasn’t able to obtain for my SNES I eventually had access to on the SNES Classic (especially after modding it and adding custom games to it). Growing up, I really loved 16-bit games (sidescrollers in particular) and I think the SNES just offered the most in terms of quality and variety. Not only the aforementioned Super Mario World, but also Yoshi’s Island, Super Metroid, Super Castlevania IV and the Donkey Kong Country trilogy as far as platformers go, as well as games like a The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (which is still probably my favorite Zelda title), Star Fox, and… hell, just all the different JRPGs on the system like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI and Earthbound. Honestly I could just write a whole list of SNES games that really stand out to me, but well, I won’t because I still have two more consoles to talk about. Even now there’s plenty of people who tout the SNES as one of the best consoles ever made and I can’t say I blame them. Despite being almost 30 years old at this point, it still has a strong library full of variety, and myself I’m still finding new games I really like for the system. Especially for the time, the SNES just had a great library with lots of variety on top of just being the best for the time in terms of graphics and sound.
Favorite Game: Super Mario World (1991) - I’ve already mentioned this and talked about it a little bit, but I still have to say that Super Mario World is a game that really blew me away as a kid and even now I still really love going back to it. There’s just a lot to enjoy about it with it’s bigger levels compared to the NES trilogy plus how the game used the map in a very interesting way by keeping everything “connected” allowing for more freedom on where the player goes and the ability to take different routes in each playthrough. I can definitely say that this game made me more interested in game design and gaming in general and I still have a lot of fun going back to it even now.
2. Nintendo Wii U (2012)
It’s safe to say that Nintendo’s first HD console wasn’t exactly a success. In fact, it was their worst selling major home console to date, and there’s a lot of things that can be blamed on - poor marketing, lack of third party support, the GamePad alone driving up system costs… it was far from a successful system, and it’s no wonder that Nintendo ultimately abandoned the system in favor of the Switch.
But to be perfectly honest, out of the three major systems that came out in the eighth prior to the Switch’s release, the Wii U was the one that always interested me the most. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get the console at first, but it definitely felt like it had the most in terms of exclusives that I really wanted to play. I didn’t have the money at the time to buy any of the new systems at the time, and my parents didn’t want to buy me a new system, (and even when that came I ultimately went to PC gaming), but if I had to choose between the Wii U, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One I would’ve definitely chosen the Wii U. I really liked the original Wii growing up and going into the Wii U’s launch I was definitely excited to see it come out. I did eventually get one of my own, in 2018 after the Switch came out, and truth is… I’m really glad I did.
The Wii U has honestly just turned out to be one of my favorite consoles. While it doesn’t have the greatest library of it’s own, it still had a lot of really good stuff including new IPs and ideas that would surface like Super Mario Maker and Splatoon. And the games that did come out for it were generally pretty fun for me. Super Mario 3D World was actually a game that I surprisingly had a lot of fun with even if it’s not quite my favorite 3D Mario out there and Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze was easily one of the best side scrollers of the eighth generation. Then there’s games like Wind Waker HD which allowed me to replay a game that I had played a few times during my childhood in a brand new manner while remastering the original graphics. Mario Kart 8 was easily my favorite Mario Kart yet, and Super Smash Bros 4 was also a lot of fun even if it kind of became outdated with the release of Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Sonic Lost World, while not the most well-received, was still a solid Sonic game in my eyes as well.
Then the system also had some pretty good hidden gems like Tokyo Mirage Sessions, NES Remix Pack, ZombiU and the Wonderful 101. And sure, a lot of the Wii U’s best games (even out of the ones I’ve mentioned) have been ported to the Switch (...for $60) or other consoles but they still started out on the Wii U and I think the system definitely had a more interesting lineup compared to the other consoles of the time, and in some cases I would argue the Wii U versions of some games (i.e. ZombiU and New Super Mario Bros U/New Super Luigi U) are actually better on it’s original system.
And the Wii U experience particularly was just very unique to me. I mean, sure, the whole gimmick of the Gamepad was confusing to a lot of people and was one of the reasons why the system flopped, but I still feel that the Wii U just gave me experiences I couldn’t get anywhere else. I had played a lot of the DS and 3DS up to this point and the Wii U honestly just felt like an expansion on top of that as well as what Nintendo had set out to do with the Wii. It pretty much just felt like a giant DS and when games made good use of the Gamepad I actually really felt like it added a lot to the gameplay. And on top of it’s own game library, it also had Wii backwards compatibility and honestly was probably one of the best uses of backwards compatibility in any system I can think of - allowing support for all of it’s controllers and integrating the menu on top of the ability to play all of the Wii’s game in HD. And then there’s the Virtual Console, something the Switch still doesn’t have, and also more support for indie games compared to the original Wii. And honestly, I don’t know why but I kind of feel like indie games, especially those that have a retro-ish art style like Freedom Planet and Shovel Knight just feel a lot more… “at home” on the Wii U. And honestly, while I’m not sure how to explain it, the Wii U just kind of feels like a modern take on a “retro” system when looking at it’s game library and just feels like a very “Nintendo” console. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it does give the Wii U it’s own unique charm.
Favorite Game: Super Mario Maker (2015) - As someone who held some interest in Mario ROM hacking in the early 2010’s, Super Mario Maker just feels like Nintendo’s own take on that and really turned out to be one of the most unique experiences on the system. I think there’s just a lot of fun to be had with being able to create your own levels, and frankly this game makes probably the best use of the Wii U Gamepad out of any game on the system. It’s just really fun to build my own Mario levels with my own spin on them while also being able to play others’ levels. And even though this game had a sequel on the Switch, I definitely felt that the use of the Gamepad here added a lot to the game and I really can’t imagine the Switch being able to replicate that.
1. Nintendo Switch (2017)
And so now we’ve made it to #1, my favorite console of all time. I’ve always really liked Nintendo’s handhelds in general - the Game Boy Advance was one of the first consoles I had ever owned and the DS and 3DS were both systems I spent a lot of time playing. Being able to play games anywhere I want to is just pretty great on it’s own. That said, with handhelds I never really felt like you truly got great, console-quality experiences like you would on a console itself or a PC. This isn’t to say that there haven’t been games I’ve loved on handhelds, and to be honest this wasn’t really much of an issue when my tastes in games could ultimately be chalked up to retro titles and sidescrollers. But as I’ve grown older and my tastes have shifted, I’ve definitely been longing for some good console-quality titles that I can have with me wherever I go and in general the ecosystem of handhelds games is often not as ambitious or high-budget as you would find on console or PC games. And another problem I have is that I find myself not enjoying handhelds as much when I’m at home. I mean, frankly when I have a nice PC and a bunch of consoles hooked up nowadays I have a really hard time justifying playing on a system with a small screen in an awkward, cramped position.
So when the Nintendo Switch was announced in 2016, it literally felt like my dream console that I’ve been waiting for my entire life. And while I didn’t get one until my graduation last year, I can say that the past year of owning the Switch has made for some of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had. And in a time where my life has just been in a not-so-great state, it just makes it all the more special to me. And despite so many people’s insistence that the Switch was gonna flop, it just turned out to be one of Nintendo’s best and most successful systems yet. I mean, just the core gimmick of it alone really appeals to me. When I’m out and about, I can enjoy console-quality experiences wherever I go, and when I’m at home, I can place the system on in it’s dock and play on the TV from my couch. And even when someone else wants to use the TV, I can still continue playing the Switch as a handheld. And not only do you have the ability to play the Switch on the go or at home, but you also have different setups you can use like tabletop mode, which makes it easier for me to adjust to a setup that’s more comfortable for me to play in. It’s a small thing, but definitely a feature I like.
And then… the games. With the Nintendo Switch essentially came the promise of console-quality titles both at home and on the go and I don’t think the system has underdelivered on that in the slightest. I mean, in just its first year alone it managed to have not one but two exclusives that were nominated for Game of the Year - those being of course The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, and since its release it’s not only had a great stream of other exclusives such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Maker 2, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, the Link’s Awakening remake and Pokemon Sword and Shield, but has also gotten a lot of great third party support. Overwatch was one game ported to the system just last year, and while it’s not my preferred way of playing the game (again, PC all the baby… plus 30FPS is kind of a turn off), it’s still nice that I have a way of playing the game portably other than buying an expensive gaming laptop. Another two of my favorites, Undertale and Night in the Woods, are also present on the system, and then there’s other popular games on the system like Fortnite, Doom 2016, Skyrim, the Assassin’s Creed games, Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy, Paladins, Minecraft, Terraria, Sonic Mania, Cuphead… there’s just so goddamn much on the Switch for what’s essentially a handheld you can play on your TV and it’s probably obtained the best third party support for Nintendo since the SNES. And that’s not even going to be it, after all Metroid Prime 4 was teased for the system in 2017 (although we still haven’t gotten any new info on that) and there’s also going to be ports of games like Doom Eternal and The Outer Worlds presumably later this year. And I can’t really deny that there have been a number of cases where I’ve purchased a game I have on another platform on the Switch just for the sake of playing those games portably.
I mean, in general I think what makes the Switch ultimately my favorite console is that it just has so much going for it. There are still a couple issues I have - namely the lack of any sort of Netflix app and internet browser, which while not necessarily a dealbreaker for me would still be nice to have, plus Nintendo’s decision to switch (no pun intended) to paid online, but overall the Switch just has so much more good than bad that these issues just don’t really become much of a big deal for me. Not only is it a console that’s extremely convenient to have as a way to play console-quality titles on the go while still being able to play on the TV at home (unless you have a Switch Lite), but also just a system with a big library and a ton of games to offer. And I really hope it doesn’t lose that momentum as the more powerful Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 release, but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there and ultimately the Nintendo Switch has been serving me extremely well.
Favorite Game: Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020) - I was never really the biggest fan of the Animal Crossing series until getting New Leaf, and even though this game is still brand new I’ve already managed to log more time into it than most of my other Switch games and I just like going back to it. It’s an example of a game I can think of where I’ll go back to it just to do something small but then just end up spending the rest of the day playing it because the game always just has something hooking me in and pushing me to keep playing every day. It’s just a game I find very relaxing with a lot to do and something I enjoy playing when I really just don’t have anything else going on. I’ve also had a lot of fun playing with my friends and visiting each other’s islands so there’s that too.
Plus there’s also some of my favorite games ported on the system like Overwatch, Undertale and Night in the Woods that are worth mentioning too even if I don’t exclusively associate those with the console.
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