SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Wow, the 5th Generation of consoles really sucked.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 12:18 am

So, I was doing some research on TurboDuos and Amiga CD32s, when I noted a link on the Amiga CD32 page that showed all the 5th Gen game consoles:

3DO · Amiga CD32 · Apple Bandai Pippin · Atari Jaguar · Casio Loopy · FM Towns Marty · Nintendo 64 · NEC PC-FX · Playdia · PlayStation · Sega Saturn

With the exception of the Playstation, and (arguably) the N64, that is one of the most failed line up of systems ever released.

3DO - Impressive, but too expensive and died quickly.
CD32 - Commodore went bankrupt before they could release these in the US
Pippen - *snicker* *snicker* ha.... HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!
Jaguar - Atari's last sad attempt at getting back into the console game.
Casio Loopy - Only released in Japan, and only marketed to women.
FM Towns Marty - Only in Japan, and failed to sell well due to cost.
N64 - Arguably, Nintendo's worst console system. (The VirtuaBoy wasn't a console)
NEC PC-FX - Again, only in Japan, and failed to sell well until they released Hentai for it. (I'm not kidding.)
Playdia - Doesn't really count. Was a Japanese version of today's V-Tech. (A console for very young children.)
Saturn - We all know this sad tale.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the Playstation, this could have been another downfall of Videogames, not seen since the Great Crash of 1983.

Kinda scary to think about. Though, I'd image that if PSX never came to be, Saturn and N64 would have fared far better, and been much more successful.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Aug 26 2009 01:47 am

That's a pretty pitiful lineup. SNES outclasses half those consoles easily, even.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 02:24 am

No wonder playstation swept that era handily. That and having some great games and properly utilizing the CD technology to its full potential for the time.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 06:22 am

Also, let us not forget that the orginal PS1 model sucked as well. It was prone to breaking, FMV would often lag or skip, it sometimes scratched discs, and the loading times were bad, even for an early CD system. It was not until BIOS 4.1, Hardware Revision C, that the PlayStation was a decent product. As it so happened, that console build was released in late 1997, not long after FF7 began generating serious buzz for the console.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 06:32 am

Arguably the 64?? Excuse me sir, but shut the hell up. At least it was reliable and it perfected local multiplayer. Oh wow! You're Morgan Freeman!

Posted: Aug 26 2009 06:55 am

The N64 is considered by many to be a commercial failure because it was far and away outsold by the PSX. It was not a bad console, but once Sony proved the viability of the CD format, it became outdated.

When the N64 was in development, the market had already seen several CD-based systems fail miserably. On top of that, the CD technology that such systems used was owned by Sony and Philips. Nintendo had already burned their bridges with Sony, and their partnership with Philips had also fallen apart. So the decision to use cartridges was both one of both praticality and necessity; Nintendo did not believe that a CD-based system could succeed and they were on the outs with the companies who owned the technology. So rather than spend large amounts of time and money developed their own similar proprietary technology, Nintendo stuck to what they knew: cartridges.

And it worked, at first. But once the PSX caught on, developers were attracted to the system by the lower production costs that CDs offered over cartridges. On top of that, Nintendo had often exerted strict control over game content, number of cartridges produced, and in the NES days, the number of titles that a company could release on their console. Sony was offering more freedom, so developers abandoned Nintendo en masse. The FMV option didn't hurt, either.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 07:01 am

Syd Lexia wrote:

The N64 is considered by many to be a commercial failure because it was far and away outsold by the PSX. It was not a bad console, but once Sony proved the viability of the CD format, it became outdated.

I understand. I know all about it's commercial failures and Nintendo being stubborn, not wanting to convert, but come on, where else could you find better four player action in 1996??

I played the SHIT out of my N64. Despite how it may have performed financially it was/is a great console.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 07:05 am

Hey, don't get me wrong. N64 was the only 5th generation console anyone I hung out with owned. Well, APlethoraOfPinatas bought a used PSX, but that wasn't until like 2000.

Gallery 2 · Posted: Aug 26 2009 09:13 am

Not gonna argue about how the N64 is a commercial failure or not, but you have to realize on the other hand how it introduced the concepts of a GOOD 3D Platformer (mario 64), not to mention having what is stll considered one of the best FPS to date (Goldeneye).

...And then there's Superman 64, which showed how can you horribly fuck up a game...

Posted: Aug 26 2009 10:03 am

AtmanRyu wrote:

Not gonna argue about how the N64 is a commercial failure or not, but you have to realize on the other hand how it introduced the concepts of a GOOD 3D Platformer (mario 64), not to mention having what is stll considered one of the best FPS to date (Goldeneye).

...And then there's Superman 64, which showed how can you horribly fuck up a game...

Mario Kart 64 owned mine (and all of my friends) lives...and then came Smash Bros...

Joined: Sep 17 2007 Location: The Opium Trail Posts: 3475

I think the only reason everybody hates the N64 is because I remember Carlos Mencia talking about how it sucked. After that, the anti-N64 floodgates opened.

Joined: May 22 2009 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 353

The N64 console gave us Ocarina of Time, so it couldn't have been that bad. I remember most of the Mario titles being great if not all of them, although I remember feeling like it just wasn't the same. Did the N64 even have 2D platformers?

Posted: Aug 26 2009 10:58 am

Syd Lexia wrote:

Also, let us not forget that the orginal PS1 model sucked as well. It was prone to breaking, FMV would often lag or skip, it sometimes scratched discs, and the loading times were bad, even for an early CD system. It was not until BIOS 4.1, Hardware Revision C, that the PlayStation was a decent product. As it so happened, that console build was released in late 1997, not long after FF7 began generating serious buzz for the console.

Oh, hey, I have an idea! Let's put the only air vent for the console on the bottom!

And Carlos Mencia can go to hell. Not only is he not funny, but he's dead wrong about the N64.

Joined: Sep 17 2007 Location: The Opium Trail Posts: 3475

phantasmzombie wrote:

The N64 console gave us Ocarina of Time, so it couldn't have been that bad. I remember most of the Mario titles being great if not all of them, although I remember feeling like it just wasn't the same. Did the N64 even have 2D platformers?

Wasn't Crystal Shards a 2d game with 3d graphics, ala Donkey Kong Country?

Posted: Aug 26 2009 11:34 am

In terms of games I loved the N64 just as much as the PS1, this is the hardest generation for me to pick a favorite. In terms of controllers however, I give that edge to the PS1 controller; although the N64 controller felt durable, but that's because of it's bulkiness.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 12:25 pm

Yeah, but the original Playstation controller was just an SNES controller with two extra buttons and handgrips slapped on. And the Dualshock just added rumble and a couple of analog sticks to that. Granted, the layout has kind of become the industry standard (with modifications made to avoid copyright, of course), but you can't deny its roots.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 12:26 pm

Who here would rank the N64 as their all-time favorite nintendo console?

That's what I thought.

Most of us did like the N64, but we only liked it for a small handful of games. Basically, only Nintendo themselves could make good games for it. (Mario games, Zelda Games, etc.) There were only a couple of exceptions to this rule. (Rare & Aki come to mind.)

It was great for multiplayer, as it introduced 4 player ability out of the box. The few games that were good, were usually very addicting. But, it still wasn't a very good system.

Would any of you defend the Jagaur as adamantly, just because Aliens vs Preditor was awesome?

Posted: Aug 26 2009 12:32 pm

All time favorite Nintendo console? No. It does take fourth, however.

2010 SLF Tag Champ Joined: Jun 07 2006 Posts: 12294

no love for the saturn? lets not forget that at the time it was the ONLY way to play arcade perfect conversions of alot of fighting games at home.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 12:43 pm

Yeah, but I'm going from my childhood, when I had my first N64. I have a Saturn now, and it's indeed awesome, but I already have those same arcade conversions on my PS2. It definitely would've been a better console to have when I went looking for fighters, though.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Aug 26 2009 01:16 pm

Quote:

Most of us did like the N64, but we only liked it for a small handful of games. Basically, only Nintendo themselves could make good games for it. (Mario games, Zelda Games, etc.) There were only a couple of exceptions to this rule. (Rare & Aki come to mind.)

See, I try and make this argument about the Dreamcast, I get verbally raped. Rolling Eyes

It's true, though. You can count the N64 games worth owning on two hands. Thing is, ALL of them are UNQUESTIONABLY worth owning.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

AtmanRyu wrote:

Not gonna argue about how the N64 is a commercial failure or not, but you have to realize on the other hand how it introduced the concepts of a GOOD 3D Platformer (mario 64), not to mention having what is stll considered one of the best FPS to date (Goldeneye).

...And then there's Superman 64, which showed how can you horribly fuck up a game...

Best FPS to date?

I only played a N64 a few times when it came out so little that i can't remember what opinion i formed of it. (all my mates owned PS1s)

But i bought a N64 a couple of months ago and got Goldeneye with it.

Fucking unplayable. It's awful. I said this to people who had a N64 and they disagreed saying it was amazing.

Maybe back in the day it was the best but when you have other games to compare it to the controls suck, the graphics are awful and it annoys me when theres an explosion it takes out half the level.

Gallery 2 · Posted: Aug 26 2009 01:44 pm

Alowishus wrote:

AtmanRyu wrote:

Not gonna argue about how the N64 is a commercial failure or not, but you have to realize on the other hand how it introduced the concepts of a GOOD 3D Platformer (mario 64), not to mention having what is stll considered one of the best FPS to date (Goldeneye).

...And then there's Superman 64, which showed how can you horribly fuck up a game...

Best FPS to date?

I only played a N64 a few times when it came out so little that i can't remember what opinion i formed of it. (all my mates owned PS1s)

But i bought a N64 a couple of months ago and got Goldeneye with it.

Fucking unplayable. It's awful. I said this to people who had a N64 and they disagreed saying it was amazing.

Maybe back in the day it was the best but when you have other games to compare it to the controls suck, the graphics are awful and it annoys me when theres an explosion it takes out half the level.

I'm no fan of FPS myself (mostly because I suck at them); I'm simply going with what other sources say about Goldeneye.

I played Mario 64 on the other hand, so I can definitively vouch for it.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Aug 26 2009 02:18 pm

Goldeneye is considered one of the best FPS games released on a console. The PC dominated that genre then, and probably does now.

Posted: Aug 26 2009 02:31 pm

Alowishus wrote:

But i bought a N64 a couple of months ago and got Goldeneye with it.

Fucking unplayable. It's awful. I said this to people who had a N64 and they disagreed saying it was amazing.

Maybe back in the day it was the best but when you have other games to compare it to the controls suck, the graphics are awful and it annoys me when theres an explosion it takes out half the level.

Back in the day it was the best, at least strictly speaking multiplayer. It was really the first time you could reliably play a 4 man FPS multiplayer match and something about the game itself lended itself to the most fun you could ever have at a sleepover party with your buddies. You have to remember that in 1996/97, the internet was still brand new, and trying to play a PC game online ensured an evening of frustration, let alone finding a multiplayer game on a console that everyone could play for hours.

There were a lot of options within the game that made every match different as well (for example, you could play one shot kills, rockets only, fists only, one life, etc) that were unique at the time. It sounds blahse nowadays as every single game has those kinds of multiplayer options, but they didn't 12 years ago.

Also, I think a lot of us played it during that sweet spot of adolescence that lends itself so well to nostalgia. If you didn't play it back in the day, it'd be really hard to appreciate now since we're all spoiled by modern games.