Arcade Sushi Asks: What’s Your Favorite Console and Why?

"The PlayStation wasn't my first or last system, but it holds a special place in my gaming history. No console brought people together like the PSOne. Whether it was friends coming over after school to play Gran Turismo, or other kids in my dorm skipping class so we could take turns playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater, the PlayStation was really the first time I'd seen people flock to a system just to watch others play. It's also home to some of the most revered games in my personal favorites list like Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Final Fantasy VIII and Hot Shots Golf."

"My favorite console is easily the Super Nintendo. Rarely has there ever been a console that hit every single gaming note. It had fighting games with Street Fighter II. It had racing games with Mario Kart. It had serious RPGs in Final Fantasy 6. It had platformers in Super Mario World. It had basically everything you could possibly want in its software lineup. When you ask people what the “greatest game of all time” is, they will likely name you an SNES title. It was also the first console to popularize the cross shaped face buttons and shoulder bumper design in its controller. In a way, every other controller on the market right now is based off the SNES controller."

"My favorite console isn't really a console at all, but a portable machine. I loved the PlayStation Portable, the much maligned handheld system that acted as a media lunchbox. While it enjoyed a modest amount of exclusive games, my reason for loving it so much was the availability of downloadable classics and ports of some of my favorite RPGs such as Tales of Eternia and Xenogears. With the PSP, I could play through some truly epic adventures while on the go, getting to relive some of my favorite journeys with some very memorable characters. The best part? I didn't have to hunt down save points. "

"My favorite console? The NES. The new age consoles are great, and I love some of the advantages that come with them. However, nothing beats the feeling of going back to the console you grew up on and beating the games you could never beat as a kid. Or, in some cases, wondering how and why you ever played a particular game for so long because it's just God awful, not to mention super freaking hard. I love the simplicity of the controllers, the graphics, and the gameplay. With the NES you could pop in the cartridge, turn the power on, and be playing within seconds, as opposed to the modern consoles which can take upwards of five minutes to get warmed up. Honestly, if I didn't have other things to do I could play the NES all day long!"

"Of the many consoles to grace televisions over the years, my favorite would most definitely be the Super Nintendo. No other console can boast a resume of so many timeless, unbelievably amazing games, and I think much of that is due to both the power and limitations of the system. Old Playstation games, while fun, often don't age well thanks to the clunky look of early polygons; likewise, old NES games can often be so basic as to obfuscate meaning. The SNES, however, hit that perfect sweet spot, allowing developers the freedom to create incredible games while forcing them to work within the confines of the SNES' power, thus bolstering their creativity."

"You never forget your first, and for me, my first (and favorite) console was the Nintendo Entertainment System. The NES released over 709 official titles, but none more ubiquitous than that of the Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt combo that came standard with the system. As a six-year old opening my own NES on Christmas day, rescuing the princess in yet another castle proved a daunting task, but one that I would work at dutifully for hours on end. The coolness of the light gun used for Duck Hunt could only be outdone by that of the Power Glove, which convinced me I could beat nearly any of my friends at Rad Racer by simply twisting my wrist. In fact, even though it infuriated me to no end in my youth, the act of blowing into the cartridges to remove any dust and ensure a smooth connection of mystery circuits continues to keep me in touch with my inner child to this day. I still have my original Nintendo console and continue to use it fairly regularly - especially now as I expose my young daughters to it. The simplicity of controller design and few buttons actually make it easy for even my youngest to learn to play new games. The power of this console influenced an entire generation of gamers, and if my experience with my children is any indication, it will continue to influence new generations of gamers for years to come."

My favorite console is the N64, for one simple reason. The games. Most of my fondest video game memories, the ones that make me feel all nostalgic and tingly inside, are from the N64 era. It seemed almost as if tacking on a "64" to the end of a Nintendo franchise instantly made the game a classic. It also heralded Link's first foray into the third dimension and marked a heyday for Rareware with Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Bad Fur day. N64 games had charm, ambition, and originality that we don't see enough of right now in console games.

"Xbox 360. I have been a gamer for many years but it took the launch of the Xbox 360 to truly make me an addict. I flirted with the SNES many moons ago. I loved playing Doom and Wolfenstein on my PC. Hell, I even enjoyed a PSP for a couple of weeks. But, if I am forced to announce my favorite, Xbox 360 is an easy choice. It delivered on so much potential and created a brand new space for gaming. The Xbox ushered in a new era of wireless controllers that worked. XBLA made downloading games a legitimate idea. Achievements took over my every waking moment. And, surprisingly enough, the Xbox made Netflix the dominant streaming platform that it is today. While I used to look at my console as a gaming device, I now see it as a multimedia device that lets me also play games. That might seem like blasphemy to some of you - but how else would we have legal access to every episode of Lost (or Cheers, or Grey's Anatomy). The Xbox 360 changed the game forever."

"The Nintendo 64 has been a gem in my collection since the day I got it, a hand-me-down from my uncle with a copy of GoldenEye 007 from Blockbuster. It would have to be my favorite system based on the fact there were so many games to choose from, each so different from the other (for the most part). I can never find myself getting bored with the selection, either. I still find myself dusting off the cartridges, popping them into the console, and replaying them for hours at a time. No other systems have given me the same experience. That's why the Nintendo 64 has my vote."

"The GCE Vectrex was my favorite console growing up. I played that thing for hours everyday, trying to master MineStorm and beat my high score on Star Trek. Even though I grew up playing PC games (and still prefer them to console games), the Vectrex holds a special place in my heart. So special in fact, that I still have that same system from 1982. 31 years later it still powers on, the controller still works, and the games all still play. Suck on that track record, Microsoft."