Favorite Retro Game Console

[FSUTribe76]

Since I travel a fair amount, I've been working on modding a PSP to include all of the old consoles and video games I own from the past. To get them up and running requires a bit of testing so I've been playing everything from old school pong up to Uncharted.

 

[travnole]

NES was king.

I also voted genesis strictly for the NHLPA, '93, and '94...

 

[seminoledq]

Another vote for NES. Mario, Mike Tyson, RBI, Baseball Stars, Tecmo Bowl. The list goes on.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Another vote for NES. Mario, Mike Tyson, RBI, Baseball Stars, Tecmo Bowl. The list goes on.

The good news is that the emulator I found for the PSP allows you to rewind up to 18 seconds. So no need to restart games all the way at the beginning of the level or reenter passwords.

 

['88nole]

The good news is that the emulator I found for the PSP allows you to rewind up to 18 seconds. So no need to restart games all the way at the beginning of the level or reenter passwords.

Does N64 count? Cause that wins

 

[cornnoleio11]

The Dreamcast was awesome as well but didn't last that long. The NFL game for it was bad arse.

 

[FSUTribe76]

I notice somebody put other and didn't list it, so I'm curious what they were thinking about. I would truthfully include Nintendo 64 (which despite being a failure for Nintendo and sold only about a quarter of the systems of the SuperNes, it has some of the great all time games like Goldeneye, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Star Wars Rogue Squadron, Mario Kart 64, Super Mario 64, Paper Mario, the original Super Smash Brothers, Perfect Dark, etc... It just has nowhere near the volume of games as the SuperNes, Genesis, Playstation, Xbox, etc., but the quality per game may be the highest of any system ever created.), Neo Geo, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar, Playstation 1 & 2, and original Xbox on the retro list, but the poll only allowed me to post from SuperNes on.

What's interesting is you can the evolution of people's tastes in games over time. You start off with the 1st Generation stuff like the Magnovox Odyssey and early Pong clones and if there is any "popular" genre it would be "sports" to the extent that they could handle anything. Then with the 2nd Generation of Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ntellivision, and Colecovision it was all about the "twitch" games and arcade ports, sure there were a small number of platformers, sports, puzzles and text or poorly sprited adventure games, but almost all were one screen and some quick action "hook". (BTW, I was shocked looking back at how much better the Colecovision was than its competitors especially the Atari 2600). Then the 3rd generation (NES, Sega Master System, Atari 7800 and Turbografx 16) were all over half platformers and most of the rest Shmups. The 4th generation (SuperNES, Sega Genesis, NeoGeo, and Pioneer Laser Active) for the most part (NeoGeo is a notable exception) continued the platforming obsession but more variety did start to show up. Then the 5th generation (Playstation, 3DO, Sega 32x, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64 and Atari Jaguar) had early on a ton of full motion video quicktime games then settled down into a fair amount of first person shooters. Then the 6th generation (Playstation 2, Xbox, Sega Dreamcast and Gamecube) and on it has been nonstop first person shooters.

 

[runkpanole]

NES and 64. Use to drink all hours of the night playing Mario Kart with my roommates while at FSU.

 

[FSUdawg]

I would be curious to know the age of each person voting for the various systems. I am almost 42, and my favorite was Colecovision, followed by NES and then Atari 2600. I liked the Intellivision but I never owned one so I really don't have enough experience with it to list it as a favorite. I still prefer playing games from before about 1995 and I would love to have all the old systems with the games...not just something I can run an emulator on.

 

[Bartdog]

/r/pcmasterrace checking in

 

[FSUTribe76]

I would be curious to know the age of each person voting for the various systems. I am almost 42, and my favorite was Colecovision, followed by NES and then Atari 2600. I liked the Intellivision but I never owned one so I really don't have enough experience with it to list it as a favorite. I still prefer playing games from before about 1995 and I would love to have all the old systems with the games...not just something I can run an emulator on.

The only real problem with those old systems are that they universally had AWFUL controllers. Even the NES iconic controller is far from ergonomic, but the Odyssey, Colecovision and especially the Intellivision had downright pathetic controllers. The only saving grace of the Atari 2600 compared to its far more powerful competitors is that its joystick and paddle are actually pretty good even by today's standards and amazing for back then. So truthfully even though I have them, I'd rather play the emulated versions. You didn't get stock controllers that beat the old Atari 2600 versions until the SuperNES and Genesis.

But, if you want an old Colecovision or Intelivision but with new parts there's at least one company building them and I don't mean the "Flashback" emulators that won't let you play the cartridges or add in new roms. There's pretty big homebrew communities for the Intellivision, Colecovision and especially the Vectrex. Especially on the Vectrex, the homebrew games are frequently better than the "professionally" produced older games.

 

[dmm5157]

I still have a Commodore, couple of Ataris, NES, Sega Genesis and SNES. Of those, SNES is my favorite. Great quality games, superior controller, and lots of fun.

N64 and GameCube both have soft spots in my heart for older gaming systems but they aren't old enough to be retro. Too new graphically speaking.

 

[Bubbz]

Phantasy Star 4 , Gunstar Heroes, Sonic 2 , Altered Beast, Moonwalker,, Forgotten Worlds...

 

[NolaNole9]

What the hell is Colecovision? Was that before Atari? I've never even heard of that.

 

[FSUTribe76]

What the hell is Colecovision? Was that before Atari? I've never even heard of that.

It came out in 1982 at the same time as the Atari 5200 and a couple of years after Intellivision. Basically imagine the Atari 2600 but with ALMOST arcade perfect graphics. Basically the Colecovision was about 90% of the then arcade level graphics while the Atari 5200 and Intellivision were at about 60-70% and the Atari 2600 wasn't even close, maybe 20% by the time the 1982 rolled around. You can lookup screenshots of the same games and compare them across systems. You can partially blame the 1983/1984 video game "crash" on Colecovision by crushing its competitors (both Ataris out plus the Intellivision) graphically but being relatively too pricy for people to buy. People unfairly blame ET for killing the Atari 2600 and causing the home console "crash". But it was really that there was a flood of better consoles than the Atari 2600 (Colecovision, Intellivision, Vectrex and its own 5200 plus some lesser competition quickly forgotten like the Odyssey 2, Telegames, Gemini, Arcadia, Tandyvision and Fairchild F System). The "crash" lasted only until the NES came out in 1985 basically dominating lame competition from the Atari 7800 (which isn't even as good as the Colecovision imo) and the Odyssey 3.

 

[-OB1-]

NES!!!

^^ vv < > < > B A start

 

[kc78]

I still plan on building a pi mame machine at some point so I can go back and get the old NES games I remember so much as a kid.

 

[FSUTribe76]

I still plan on building a pi mame machine at some point so I can go back and get the old NES games I remember so much as a kid.

If you don't build your own Pi, you can actually mod an old XBox pretty easily and it will run up to SuperNES no problem. You can also get a new Ouya or Mojo system designed specifically for emulation. The Ouya and Mojo are better but the XBox is far cheaper as you can find them for $40.

 

[MuchasVeces]

I still plan on building a pi mame machine at some point so I can go back and get the old NES games I remember so much as a kid.

The last time I looked, which was a while ago, RetroPie was the way to go

 

[MuchasVeces]

SNES. Final Fantasy 2 and 3, Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Act Raiser, Simcity, Contra III

I also really liked Pilotwings, but I'm almost certainly in the minority on that one.

 

[dmm5157]

SNES. Final Fantasy 2 and 3, Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Act Raiser, Simcity, Contra III

I also really liked Pilotwings, but I'm almost certainly in the minority on that one.

I loved Pilotwings! I was a big fan of pretty much all flying games and flight simulators. Favorite one was Janes ATF for PC DOS. Still have the paperback flight manual.

 

[FSUdawg]

The only real problem with those old systems are that they universally had AWFUL controllers. Even the NES iconic controller is far from ergonomic, but the Odyssey, Colecovision and especially the Intellivision had downright pathetic controllers. The only saving grace of the Atari 2600 compared to its far more powerful competitors is that its joystick and paddle are actually pretty good even by today's standards and amazing for back then.

Interesting you mention the controllers. The main reason I hate console games today is the controllers...there are just too many buttons and options for me. I was good up to and including the XBOX controller, though I thought it was too big.

 

[dmm5157]

Interesting you mention the controllers. The main reason I hate console games today is the controllers...there are just too many buttons and options for me. I was good up to and including the XBOX controller, though I thought it was too big.

Not much has changed controller wise since the original Xbox. Not sure what systems you've been playing.

The newer controllers have no more buttons than the original XBOX. Xbox 360 controller was just about perfect. PS controllers have always been undersized IMO. My hands used to cramp up when using my PS3 for too long. Never had that issue with my Xbox 360 controller. The latest Xbox One controller looks like a mix between original Xbox and 360 controllers.


I haven't played PS4, so I'll give you that the new controller does look quite different.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

Speaking of controllers- if you had one of these bad boys, you were unbeatable at Track and Field. I would play that game for hours going for world records and high scores, I had totally forgotten about that game until this thread.

 

[Flie]

The only real problem with those old systems are that they universally had AWFUL controllers. Even the NES iconic controller is far from ergonomic, but the Odyssey, Colecovision and especially the Intellivision had downright pathetic controllers. The only saving grace of the Atari 2600 compared to its far more powerful competitors is that its joystick and paddle are actually pretty good even by today's standards and amazing for back then. So truthfully even though I have them, I'd rather play the emulated versions. You didn't get stock controllers that beat the old Atari 2600 versions until the SuperNES and Genesis.

But, if you want an old Colecovision or Intelivision but with new parts there's at least one company building them and I don't mean the "Flashback" emulators that won't let you play the cartridges or add in new roms. There's pretty big homebrew communities for the Intellivision, Colecovision and especially the Vectrex. Especially on the Vectrex, the homebrew games are frequently better than the "professionally" produced older games.

I loved the Colecovision controllers and used them on my Commodore 64 and Amiga until around 1993. The stick was designed to fit in your palm and your other hand was positioned perfectly to press the buttons. Night and day better than the 2600 style controllers.

 

[MuchasVeces]

Yeah, I use an XBox 360 controller on my computer. It's just about perfect. Far better than the PS3 controller.

If you just want a d-pad, it's hard to beat the old SNES controller

 

[FSUTribe76]

Interesting you mention the controllers. The main reason I hate console games today is the controllers...there are just too many buttons and options for me. I was good up to and including the XBOX controller, though I thought it was too big.

Only the Atari 2600 (1) and Vectrex (4) had an appropriate number of buttons in the Second Generation. The Bally Astrocade had 26 buttons (two on a handset and 24 on the console itself you had to use for most games), the RCA Studio 2 did not have controllers separate from the console itself but two separate areas on the console with 10 buttons (20 total) so two people could play on the console, the Emerson Arcadia had 14 buttons on the handset and 5 on the console, the Atari 5200 controller had 16 (that's right 16! And on one handheld controller), Colecovision had 14, Tandyvision had 12, and the Intellivision had 12. The Fairchild only had two buttons but may be the most bizarre controller ever created besides maybe the original Odyssey.

So yeah, the Atari 2600 controller goes down as one of the all time classic best controllers but every other Second Gen gaming system (the Vectrex isn't bad, basically a four button NES pad) had horrifically awful controllers.

 

[FSUTribe76]

I loved the Colecovision controllers and used them on my Commodore 64 and Amiga until around 1993. The stick was designed to fit in your palm and your other hand was positioned perfectly to press the buttons. Night and day better than the 2600 style controllers.

lol now you're just being contrarian. I love the old Colecovision games as they're especially good at quick pickup and put down gaming situations and perfect on a PSP for travel, but that controller...I'm just shocked you liked them. Basically Intellivision came out with that (in my mind) stupid General design and then every manufacturer after them including Atari in the 5200 said "tons of buttons, that's where it's at!" Not realising people preferred Intellivision to the 2600 simply because of the graphics. Heck, if the 2600 had used the 5200 controller I doubt anyone would remember it now as it would have been quickly destroyed by the competition as the 2600 hardware is a joke, it's the controllers that really saved it.

 

[FSUTribe76]

I loved the Colecovision controllers and used them on my Commodore 64 and Amiga until around 1993. The stick was designed to fit in your palm and your other hand was positioned perfectly to press the buttons. Night and day better than the 2600 style controllers.

But btw, the PSP, XBox and Wii mods have nearly perfect Amiga and Commodore 64 emulators and there's a healthy rom list for you to reconstruct the gaming library you had/have. Unfortunately there's no Trash-80 emus for me to live out my early childhood except on PC and I've yet to figure out how to get that one running.

 

[FSUdawg]

Not much has changed controller wise since the original Xbox. Not sure what systems you've been playing.

Looking at the Xbox controller you are correct. Maybe I am thinking of the R1/R2 and L1/L2 buttons. Weren't there onlt one of each on the original Xbox controller where now there are 2 of each.

Personally I just think there are too many buttons these days. I like the smaller controllers with less buttons. They are very simple and don't make the game overly complex. I don't have time to figure out 8+ buttons and try to memorize what each does for every game.

 

[dmm5157]

Looking at the Xbox controller you are correct. Maybe I am thinking of the R1/R2 and L1/L2 buttons. Weren't there onlt one of each on the original Xbox controller where now there are 2 of each.

Personally I just think there are too many buttons these days. I like the smaller controllers with less buttons. They are very simple and don't make the game overly complex. I don't have time to figure out 8+ buttons and try to memorize what each does for every game.

Yeah, you may be right. Xbox 360 added bumpers above the triggers. I personally love them, come in handy with the newer games.

With more technology comes more need for controls, so I hear you on games getting a little too complicated these days with the ever increasing need for realism.

 

[Flie]

lol now you're just being contrarian. I love the old Colecovision games as they're especially good at quick pickup and put down gaming situations and perfect on a PSP for travel, but that controller...I'm just shocked you liked them. Basically Intellivision came out with that (in my mind) stupid General design and then every manufacturer after them including Atari in the 5200 said "tons of buttons, that's where it's at!" Not realising people preferred Intellivision to the 2600 simply because of the graphics. Heck, if the 2600 had used the 5200 controller I doubt anyone would remember it now as it would have been quickly destroyed by the competition as the 2600 hardware is a joke, it's the controllers that really saved it.

The key difference between the intellivision and colecovision controllers was the stick designed for your palm (looked somewhat like a flat top mushroom) vs the little circle touch pad on the intellivision. The number key buttons (ie the "tons of buttons") were largely useless. They could have completely removed the number buttons and it wouldn't have made much of a difference, if any. It was the positioning of the useful buttons (thumb and index finger rested naturally on buttons 1 and 2) combined with the stick fitting perfectly in your palm that made the colecovision controllers so great. That and using wrist twitches to move the stick vs moving your whole hand like with the 2600 style controllers. Holding the stick in a fist vs palming the stick (giggity) etc...

http://old-computers.com/museum/photos/mattel_intellivision_controller_2.jpg

vs

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/ColecoVision-Controller-FL.jpg

 

[-OB1-]

Yeah, you may be right. Xbox 360 added bumpers above the triggers. I personally love them, come in handy with the newer games.

With more technology comes more need for controls, so I hear you on games getting a little too complicated these days with the ever increasing need for realism.

Agreed... One of the beautiful things of video games is the cartoonish lack of realism. One can look at the popularity of Minecraft as evidence.

Original PS controller, or even SNES is as complicated as it needs to be IMO. Of course, maybe it's my age & I'm turning into my Dad now.

 

[FSUdawg]

Anyone remember this controller for Colecovision? I used it when playing baseball. The faster you spun the wheel the faster the guy ran the bases.

http://www.ntrautanen.fi/computers/other/images/coleco_super.jpg

 

[FSUTribe76]

Anyone remember this controller for Colecovision? I used it when playing baseball. The faster you spun the wheel the faster the guy ran the bases.

http://www.ntrautanen.fi/computers/other/images/coleco_super.jpg

I do not remember that periphery, just the standard controller. There are some unique nonstandard controllers back in the day. There was i believe a first gen (although it may have come out In the time of the second gen) that had an almost replica perfect real rifle as its "gun". I'll see if I can dig it up.

 

[HilltopperNole]

I voted Sega Genesis just because of Bill Walsh College Football.

 

[FSUTribe76]

So the amazingly awesome gun was for the Magnavox Odyssey, unfortunately they will never make something like it again. Scroll down about a third of the way down.

http://gamester81.com/history-of-consoles-magnavox-odyssey/

Although the gun and steering wheels on the old Telstar is pretty awesome as well.

http://www.m-e-g-a.org/fake-wood/

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

That and using wrist twitches to move the stick vs moving your whole hand like with the 2600 style controllers. Holding the stick in a fist vs palming the stick (giggity) etc...
jpg

I always held the 2600 joystick at the top with my thumb and the base with my forefingers, then played the other buttons with my left hand. Would always have to retape the top of the joystick when the rubber wore out.

 

[-OB1-]

I always held the 2600 joystick at the top with my thumb and the base with my forefingers, then played the other buttons with my left hand. Would always have to retape the top of the joystick when the rubber wore out.

This sounds funny.