Top Video Game Consoles : Ranking the Rec Room Rulers

[Johnny Unusual]

This feels like it was definitely repurposed by prop makers for movies and TV in the 80s.

 

[Torzelbaum]

When it comes to video games it can be hard for people to agree on anything. This is especially true when it comes to consoles - the most fundamental part of gaming. But that's not true of our final entry. There was no disagreement here - everyone had this console on their list (somewhere).

The final entry is none other than...

 

[Torzelbaum]

#1

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

470 points, 15 votes
Triforce of Fans of this Console: Issun, Kirin, Lokii (#1)

Gen: 4th
Lifespan: 1990-2003

Media: SNES Game Pak

Lineage: Nintendo

Franchise foundation for:
Mario Kart, Ogre Battle / Tactics Ogre, Star Ocean,
Story of Seasons / Bokujō Monogatari / Harvest Moon, Tales (of)​

Nintendo's follow-up to the NES entered the market going against strong competitors who had a headstart on releasing their consoles. But that wasn't enough to stop the Super NES - it went on to beat all of its competitors and become the best-selling console of the 16-bit era / 4th gen.

The SNES library included both continuing franchises from the NES and brand new ones. It also welcomed new genres like fighting games and broadened access to others like RPGs.

The greater processing power of the SNES allowed players a home gaming experience which was that much closer to the arcade. The Super NES also continued the NES tradition of MMCs with the SNES enhancement chips.

They say the media you consume around age 15 will be your favorite forever, and they're absolutely right. The SNES library is also objective[ly] awesome though.

Home to my favourite game of all time in Final Fantasy IV, and a lot of other bangers besides.

Chrono Trigger. Super Mario World. Super Metroid. Nintendo did what Segan't.

The SNES is an overall classic, being the best of the retro consoles in my opinion. It doesn't have that much of the NES jank, and most of the games here are super well-polished. Look at A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Kirby Super Star, and Fire Emblem Genealogy as examples. The form factor of the SNES controller is also great.

@Issun @Kirin @Lokii @Baudshaw @Purple @Violentvixen @JBear @RT-55J @Falselogic @Mogri @Aurelia @Johnny Unusual @WildcatJF @Yimothy

 

[Falselogic]

Just an amazing system. With amazing games. I didnt get to play the FFs and the Chrono Triggers until later but I was still very happy with Super Metroid, Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Super Ghouls & Ghosts, the list really is endless.

 

[Daikaiju]

Best Xmas gift

 

[Torzelbaum]

The Super NES was the first console I could truly call my own because I bought it with my own money when it was first released. I'm not sure why I put it lower than the NES. I guess it was because it became more and more of something I did by myself instead of with my friends / family. But I think if I did my list again that could have came out differently.

Speaking of the NES - when the lists were first coming in the Super NES and the NES were trading the top spot. But the last couple of lists came in and didn't have the NES on them which knocked it down to 3rd place.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

I knew SNES would place high but believed either the DS or NES would take it. I know there are a lot of portable fans on TT so I gave that the first with the pure nostalgia for the NES as a close second. But maybe I'm too old in the latter camp.

The SNES was the first system I bought with my own money; I bought it from a friend as it was well into it's life span but not before the arrival of the N64. The SNES was like the NES but much more vibrant, to be sure, in it's graphic capabilities. And Nintendo is almost always great at starting off on the right foot with launch games and Super Mario World was a real step up for the franchise and excellent at showing the potential of the system.

But it's interesting to see what was done with it, games with such unique looks like Donkey Kong Country with some shockingly textured leaves, the then-incredible scale of the Squaresoft RPGs, some of that fun mode 7 stuff with Yoshi's Island. I remember school nights and summer days glued to the damned thing (and after moving back to Canada following a year in Thailand, I now had a TV IN MY ROOM to play it all alone). Maybe I just had the SNES ranked lower in my head because while the highs were high, there were some pretty low-lows that felt like a shocking waste of that system's capabilities. But spending that wonderful Christmas afternoon at my friend's house (the one with the big mixed family that always got the newest games) watching him play that Mario game and being allowed to play it for a bit... that was formative to me.

 

[Lokii]

Look it’s simple. It’s a super nintendo.

 

[Yimothy]

I’m always surprised when I see a North American SNES, having grown up with the PAL console that keeps the Japanese version’s shape.

Anyway, the SNES was last on my list - I recognise its importance and I’ve played and enjoyed a lot of its games (mostly emulated), but I just don’t care about it. It doesn’t feel as good as a Mega Drive, I don’t like several of the common visual effects, the fonts are off. I’m pretty sure this all comes down to being a Sega kid and I recognise it’s all subjective and like, just my opinion man. I am not trying to convince anyone else.

Having said that, pretty good library on this thing, hey? Super Mario World is probably the Mario I’ve spent the most time with outside of maybe Land on GB. I’ve spent a lot of time with SNES RPGs. I remember being just amazed playing Tales of Phantasia. And the controller is the basis for pretty much all modern controllers for a reason. It’s a good machine, I can see why it won, it’s just not my thing. Though I’ll continue to play its games.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Thanks so much to Torzelbaum for hosting this. A very fun and interesting list!

1. Nintendo Switch
2. Nintendo DS
3. Nintendo Entertainment System
4. Playstation 2
5. Wii
6. X-Box 360
7. Super Nintendo Entertainment System
8. Nintendo 64
9. Game Boy
10. Nintendo Gamecube
11. Atari 2600
12. Sega Genesis
13. Sega Master System
14. X-Box
15. TurboGraphix 16
16. Virtual Boy

 

[JBear]

Hah, I notice something similar about the bottom of our lists:

1. Sega Master System
2. PlayStation
3. SNES
4. NES
5. PS2
6. Xbox 360
7. Steam Deck
8. Nintendo DS
9. Gamecube
10. Gameboy Advance
11. N64
12. Wii
13. Atari 2600
14. Switch
15. Commodore 64
16. Gameboy
17. 3DS
18. Xbox
19. Virtual Boy

 

[Violentvixen]

Thank you for running this, it was really fun!

My list had everything except the Vita and Playdate which got the honorable mentions and the Xbox Series or whatever the hell you call it, maybe the One would be under that umbrella too I dunno. The naming is stupid and unclear but I'm a little surprised because Gamepass feels like such a huge aspect of modern gaming. But most Xbox stuff doesn't fit in with this forum's audience I suppose.

1	Xbox 360
2	SNES
3	Nintendo 3DS
4	Nintendo Switch
5	Dreamcast
6	NES
7	Genesis
8	Nintendo DS
9	Wii
10	Game Boy
11	Xbox
12	Game Boy Advance
13	Gamecube
14	Xbox Series X/S
15	Wii U
16	Playstation 2
17	Playstation Vita
18	Atari 2600
19	Playdate

There was no disagreement there - everyone had this console on their list (somewhere).

I wonder how often we have a 100% hit rate on these lists for #1.

 

[Yimothy]

1. Sega Master System
2. Mega Drive
3. DS
4. Wonderswan Color
5. Saturn
6. CPS2
7. Game Boy
8. PS1
9. PS2
10. PSP
11. Switch
12. Neo Geo Pocket Color
13. Vita
14. Neo Geo
15. Intellivision
16. MiSTer
17. 3DS
18. PS3
19. Game Gear
20. Wii
21. Handheld emulator box
22. GBA
23. 360
24. GC
25. Mega CD
26. PC Engine
27. SNES

The ones that didn’t make it in bold. You might notice my list is too long:

I tacked a couple of spares on the end in case you decide #6, #16, or #21 aren’t consoles, in which case fair enough though I think they meet the definition in the thread.

And indeed CPS2 (on my list for Alpha 2, but Progear is pretty good too) and MiSTer were excluded - if not I would have broken the “everyone votes for SNES” thing. Most of mine that didn’t make it do not surprise me, though I’m shocked nobody else nominated the Game Gear at all, but I am mildly surprised the PSP and Vita were excluded and amazed to not see the Saturn on the list. Like, I went back and checked it wasn’t there but I still kind of expect someone to reply to this with “actually it was #10” because surely it’s on the list?

As for my number four, to quote myself in PM again:

WSC is probably too high on my list but on the other hand it has Judgement Silversword so maybe it’s too low?

 

[Patrick]

I didn't have a chance to put together a list, but I enjoyed reading this. Thanks Torzelbaum, and everyone who contributed!

 

[RT-55J]

I had a short list. A large part of this was because my brain doesn't categorize newer consoles (post-PS360) as pieces of hardware with distinct identities, and because I was oddly hesitant to add portable systems for some reason.

1. Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
2. NES
3. SNES
4. Gamecube
5. PS1
6. Game Boy Advance
7. PC-Engine
8. Atari 2600
9. Sega Master System
10. Fairchild Channel F

In retrospect I should have considered adding the PS2, Game Boy, and DS.

 

[Falselogic]

I join the chorus of folks thanking Torzelbaum for running this. This was my list:

1. Magnavox Odyssey 2
2. Tiger Electronic handhelds
3. Nintendo Entertainment System
4. Super Nintendo
5. Gameboy
6. Gameboy Color
7. Playstation
8. Playstation 2
9. Gameboy Advance SP
10. Xbox 360
11. DSlite
12. Gamecube
13. New 3DS
14. PSP
15. Playstation 4
16. Atari 3600
17. Steamdeck
18. WonderSwan
19. Nintendo 64

 

[Kirin]

I was just entering high school at the time of the SNES launch and it was all-consuming. The NES was great, but the SNES took everything that console had built over its lifetime and immediately cranked it to 11. It launched with just 5 games, but those games were Mario World, Gradius III, F-Zero, Pilotwings, and SimCity, all of which blew us away with graphics, sound, and scale that were unthinkable on earlier home platforms (I say while ducking spit-balls from the Genesis kids, but man, they didn't have Mario and Mode7). And within the first year we also got the likes of Link to the Past, Castlevania IV, Actraiser, and FF24. Hell of an out of the gate lineup. And of course as programmers coaxed more and more out of the hardware, we got more all-timers like Super Metroid, FFVI, and Chrono Trigger as well as innovative experiments like Mario Paint.


Anyway, here's my list:

01. SNES
02. PS2
03. 3DS
04. Switch
05. NDS
06. GBA
07. NES
08. GameBoy
09. Vectrex
10. Atari 2600
11. NEO*GEO
12. PSX
13. PS3
14. Playdate
15. Merlin
X. TI-99/4A

Thanks Torz! Thorz!

 

[Issun]

Like I said, I voted with my heart. I already decided I quite liked video games with the NES, but it was the SNES (Snezz) that cemented a lifelong love of the medium. Renting that sucker in 1991 and first seeing Super Mario World up close and personal was revolutionary. Then there was ActRaiser, SimCity, and Castlevania IV. Then, spring break of 1992 I got my hands on Final Fantasy "II". I had really liked the first game, and was excited to try the follow-up. Not everyone remembers the exact moment when they fell in love with video games, I think, but for me it's clear as day. Seeing the fade-in to the Red Wings flying over the land in glorious Mode 7 was that moment. FF4 blew me away, and then there was Link to the Past, Mystical Ninja, Mario Kart and TMNT 4. The console's first year in NA alone was phenomenal, and the hits just kept on coming. It may not have been as innovative as the NES era was, but it polished and codified what that console created into so many of the most wonderful games I've ever played. If you told me I could only play one console's library until the end of time, I wouldn't even need to think twice.

And that is (part of) why the Super Nintendo is my #1 console.

 

[Kirin]

That reminds me I was also going to say I think another reason I hold SNES above NES is it's where we really differentiated and solidified what a home console video game *is*, as distinct from the arcade-oriented games that came before. A lot of NES games, especially early in the console's life, still hewed to the score-attack or occasionally time-attack sensibilities of arcades, often with quarter-munching difficulty intact. But the kind of loops that are most compelling in an arcade setting turn out to be pretty different from the broader possibilities of long-term couch play. The shift was already well underway toward the end of the NES era, but the SNES really landed it, with battery-backed saves being commonplace and expansive worlds to explore broadly supplanting tight arcade-style challenges. Not that there's anything wrong with arcade-style games, and it's great that we have smaller downloadable offerings filling that old niche these days! But it was the SNES that really *defined* the living-room style gaming experience, and that's just one of the many things that made it great.

 

[Issun]

There's definitely a nostalgia factor with it, as well. I was 13 when the SNES came out, and 18 when its relevance ended, and it did help get me through my rocky teenage years.

Anyways, thanks so.much, Torzelbaum. This was fun!

 

[Lokii]

This list was great fun!

My submissions had all the usual but I’m mad at myself for forgetting the ZX Spectrum. Please forgive me brits -_-

 

[Issun]

My only omission I'm upset about is the Dreamcast. Didn't get as much use as I would have liked, but I did play a lot of Soul Calibur and JGR back in the day.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Hah, I notice something similar about the bottom of our lists:

1. Sega Master System
2. PlayStation
3. SNES
4. NES
5. PS2
6. Xbox 360
7. Steam Deck
8. Nintendo DS
9. Gamecube
10. Gameboy Advance
11. N64
12. Wii
13. Atari 2600
14. Switch
15. Commodore 64
16. Gameboy
17. 3DS
18. Xbox
19. Virtual Boy

I've literally only played the virtual boy in the store. It was fun, but I didn't want to keep my head in it for long periods.

 

[Torzelbaum]

You're welcome, everyone. I'm glad you enjoyed it. But let me thank you for your lists and comments - this would have been a lot less interesting without all of your participation.

Here's the full list of rankings:

Spoiler: Full List

Console	Place	Points	Votes
Super Nintendo Entertainment System	1	470	15
Nintendo DS	2	405	14
Nintendo Entertainment System	3	400	13
Nintendo Switch	4	388	13
PlayStation	5	375	13
Game Boy Advance	6	368	14
PlayStation 2	7	367	13
Nintendo GameCube	8	314	13
Nintendo 3DS	9	296	11
Sega Genesis	10	295	11
Xbox 360	11	250	10
Game Boy	12	244	10
Wii	13	236	10
Master System	14	199	8
Atari 2600	15	196	8
Nintendo 64	16	158	7
TurboGrafx-16	17	139	7
PlayStation 3	18	137	6
Dreamcast	19	133	4
Wii U	20	129	7
Neo Geo AES	21	124	5
Xbox	22	114	6
PlayStation 4	23	112	5
Steam Deck	24	109	4
PlayStation Portable	25	100	4
Sega Saturn	26	95	4
PlayStation 5	27	90	3
PlayStation Vita	28	86	4
Game Boy Color	29	85	4
Playdate	30	76	4
WonderSwan Color	31	60	3
Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S	32	55	2
Vectrex	33	54	2
Neo Geo Pocket Color	34	45	2
ColecoVision	35	41	2
Virtual Boy	36	37	2
Magnavox Odyssey 2	37	35	1
Intellivision	38	34	2
Tiger Electronic handhelds	39	34	1
Sega CD	40	27	2
Android	41	26	1
Fairchild Channel F	42	26	1
Anbernic	43	25	1
RetroN 5	44	24	1
NES Classic Edition	45	23	1
Xbox One	46	23	1
Commodore 64	47	21	1
Merlin	48	21	1
TurboGrafx-16 Mini	49	21	1
Dingoo A320	50	19	1
Game Gear	51	19	1
Super NES Classic Edition	52	18	1
WonderSwan	53	18	1
Atari 400	54	17	1
handheld emulator box	55	17	1
Sega Genesis Mini	56	17	1
Neo Geo CD	57	13	1
Phonko Supreme	58	12	1
Gamey Susan	59	11	1

And here's my list:
1 NES ✔
2 Super NES ✔
3 Atari 2600 ✔
4 PlayStation ✔
5 Genesis ✔
6 Game Boy Advance ✔
7 Game Boy Color
8 Wii ✔
9 TG16 ✔
10 Steam Deck ✔
11 *vision [Actually the Intellivision (model) II] ⍻
12 Neo Geo AES ✔
13 NES Classic Edition ⍻
14 Nintendo Switch ✔
15 TurboGrafx-16 Mini ⍻
16 PS2 ✔
17 Nintendo DS ✔
18 Super NES Classic Edition ⍻
19 Sega Genesis Mini ⍻
20 GameCube ✔
21 Saturn
22 Sega Master System ✔
23 Game Boy ✔
24 Phonko Supreme
25 Gamey Susan

And here's where my #24 and #25 are from, in case you didn't know:

I am mildly surprised the PSP and Vita were excluded and amazed to not see the Saturn on the list. Like, I went back and checked it wasn’t there but I still kind of expect someone to reply to this with “actually it was #10” because surely it’s on the list?

They all just barely missed the list - PSP at #25, Saturn at #26 and Vita at #28.

 

[Yimothy]

I guess that’s appropriate for a collection of also-rans, brilliant though they may be.

 

[RT-55J]

oh man i can't believe forgot about the Phonko Supreme --- that would have made for a great joke submission (i love look of that thing)

 

[Violentvixen]

I will never stop loving the Tupperware Lesbians III game idea. I don't know why it's so damn funny to me but it is!

 

[JBear]

As someone who owned both, I still genuinely believe that the SMS is way better than the NES, and no one is going to convince me otherwise, but I know that's an unpopular opinion (although I just think that's because most of ya'll didn't have SMSes).

I've literally only played the virtual boy in the store. It was fun, but I didn't want to keep my head in it for long periods.

I loved the virtual boy. Owned it, loved it, had the neck pain to show for it. Mario Tennis and Wario Land were the all-stars for me. I didn't put anything on my list that I wasn't a big fan of (which is why I left my list so short).

 

[4-So]

I didn't get a chance to participate because I found out about this thread way too late but I would have put the SNES as my #1 too, so well done, Talking Time. And as per the custom - there's always one WTF placement - I am appalled the PS4 ranked so low. For shame, Talking Time.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

If you want to submit a mini-list for the next mini-popularity contest, you can do so here!