Which console generation was best?

[Drago]

On Twitter, I recently saw someone opine that this current generation of gaming consoles could ultimately end up being forgotten for not pushing enough boundaries.

I found the statement interesting, insomuch that the PS4 is selling huge and the Switch is constantly dazzling. I actually thought the idea was truer of the previous generation (PS3/Wii/360) - other than the Wii's all encompassing market strategy, it didn't really have as many highlights.

Personally, I think the fifth generation was pretty spectacular; it was a two horse race between the N64 and original PlayStation, but both had a strong library with some all-time greats.

But what do you think?

Here's the console generations, for reference - as well as the list of top-selling consoles, if that helps shape your opinion.

[Austrian ViceMaster Alex]

I cannot really say much about Generations as they overlap a lot but for me it was the early to mid 90s. SNES and Mega Drive being the stars, when the Playstation popped up. The PC Engine (Turbografx) has some decent games too.

That's all for purely nostalgic reasons mostly, but lots of great series first came out around that time or got their first major graphical updates, making them more main stream.

[Lady Vulpix]

The one console I enjoyed the most was the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive (and its portable version, the Nomad). Years of fun and lots of great games. But I've also made good use of my Nintendo 3DS, which had the added bonus of online communications and was particularly useful for trading Pokemon online and even having some battles.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

Sounds interesting. Some people have even said this Generation would be the last Generation of consoles since mobile games are eating the fanbase, like Pokemon Go. Also, people say there are less and less console manufacturers with SEGA, Atari, Coleco, Mattel 'gone' and some of them predict the industry will either crash completely or have only one platform remaining.

BUT they are forgetting about retro consoles that the companies have been releasing during the past few years, and then there are still the handhelds which may or may not compete with cell phone games.

As for consoles being forgotten and not forgotten, take into account that for instance Magnavox Odyssey was clearly exceeded by Atari's Pong, although Odyssey was the first one out there. As for newer generations, I think it's hard to tell which one will be remembered because it's such a short term we're talking about. Anyways, I might give it a shot and write down my own TOP 3 of Home Game Console Generations.

3) GEN III
The generation when Nintendo from Japan hit market. The company that had been established in 1889 to make Hanafuda playing cards really grew up and as, the name of a book tells, 'Zapped the American Industry'. Memorable titles were Super Mario Bros. 1-3, The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: Link's Awakening, Bubble Bobble, Mega Man series, Metroid, the list goes on and on. Even the first Final Fantasy games fall into this period, although they were quite puny compared to their SNES equivalents. Also the first SEGA consoles came around, although the competition between Nintendo and SEGA didn't get too hot until Sonic The Hedgehog was introduced.

2) GEN VII
I have many found memories of this more recent Generation. Okay, I admit Playstation 3 was bit of a disappointment, the backwards compability had issues and was abandoned in later models, but take into account it was a really good Blu-Ray player at the time, just like PS2 was one of the best DVD-players once, plus it was the first SONY system with no region-lock meaning it could play imports. X-BOX360 had also some titles with good graphics, but of course, as DragoKnight said, Nintendo Wii had a cunning marketing strategy, and it succeeded in bringing all those handy peripherals other consoles envied.

1) GEN V
My absolute favourite Generation, too. You could say I started off playing videogames big time with this Generation. Our neighbour had a Saturn, but more importantly, this was where SONY brought its money to fasten the competition. Playstation fanboys praised how Crash Bandicoot and a bit later Spyro the Dragon managed to take the platformer crown from Mario and Sonic, but history proved them wrong, as Super Mario 64 still stands out as a timeless classic. Plus, eventhough their console was the last and only major system in this Gen to use cartridges, I think Nintendo managed to pull it out with style. Finally, on a perhaps most important note, the Pokemon Phenomenon took over the entire planet during this generation, and that played a big role in saving Nintendo from SEGA's fate.