What do you think is the most overrated retro console?

[atarileaf]

Gotta go with N64. I do own one but only have 5 games for it, 3 are racing games, one is a pool game and the other is Robotron 64 - the main reason I own it.

It's not that I think it's overrated now, I thought it was overrated when it came out. Super Mario 64 which was lauded as some gaming breakthrough seemed like a boring, childish mess with poor control and horrible cameras. I didn't get the appeal. Other than Goldeneye and Mario Kart which I owned BITD I thought the N64 was the poor mans PS1 and couldn't understand how anyone other than a 10 year old would want it.

Of course I was an adult and married with a child on the way when we first got it but when I had the depth of some PS1 and PC games to play, the N64 was a childs toy to me and if my wife wasn't so addicted to Mario Kart 64 we probably would have gotten rid of it much sooner. All my friends were also gaming on PS1 or PC's at the time I didn't know anyone other than myself and my young nephew who had one and even he preferred PC gaming.

Even in my current collection I've bought and sold the N64 many times because I get it and don't understand why but again, Robotron 64 is addictive enough for me to keep the console solely for it. Otherwise it's a console who's existence and popularity I don't understand. It was overrated then, it's overrated now. Long live the 2600 - still the best console EVER!

[atarileaf]

Probably I would have to say the Atari 2600, There are several games for this system, and given the option to play NES or Atari 2600 its obvious that most people would rather play something where they don't have to use their imagination to tell whats going on. I guess the 2600 probably isn't that overrated to begin with, but people who give it praise don't realize how boring the games got over time, and how poorly the good ones aged. I literally can't sit down and play any 2600 game for more than 10-15 minutes without a friend to poke fun at the quality, and goofy qualities of the "graphics". I have a lot of respect for the 2600 but there's just not that much replay-ability.

That was the point back then. Nobody played video games for hours or days on end. You know, we went outside and did other things. Video games were part of our lives. Now video games ARE some peoples lives. It was healthier back then when you only played for short bursts. That's not a downside, it's a plus.

[soera]

I think the problem with this thread is that there is going to be fans of every one of these systems that someone else is going to put on here.

With me, I agree with all the reasons for the systems that have been added here.

[turf]

I think the problem with this thread is that there is going to be fans of every one of these systems that someone else is going to put on here.

With me, I agree with all the reasons for the systems that have been added here.

Opinions are like belly buttons, my friend. 
We just have to agree to disagree.  I think your PlayStation 2 is ass.

[gartcat]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they're all pretty much overrated these days.  I collect & play a lot of games, but it's really gotten out of hand, just look on youtube or other large public forums and you'll see so many people that are just too emotionally invested in these to the point of taking it personally if you don't like a certain game or system.  Just google "video game death threats", jeez, lets keep things in perspective here! 

[Warmsignal]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they're all pretty much overrated these days.  I collect & play a lot of games, but it's really gotten out of hand, just look on youtube or other large public forums and you'll see so many people that are just too emotionally invested in these to the point of taking it personally if you don't like a certain game or system.  Just google "video game death threats", jeez, lets keep things in perspective here!

True. The AlphaOmegasin's of the gaming scene kinda make you question whether games are really that cool to begin with. When people throw heaps of praise or hate all over something, a lot of times I'm thinking - yeah it's cool but chill nerd, it's just a game. 

I'm not a fan of hating on stuff, and hating is too rampant in gaming. My vote was Saturn, but still I like the system and usually I try to focus on the positives. Got to say there's nothing I truly hate as far as gaming products go. Seems like a waste of energy.

[burningdoom]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they're all pretty much overrated these days.  I collect & play a lot of games, but it's really gotten out of hand, just look on youtube or other large public forums and you'll see so many people that are just too emotionally invested in these to the point of taking it personally if you don't like a certain game or system.  Just google "video game death threats", jeez, lets keep things in perspective here!

That's not a symptom of game collectors so much as it is a symptom of internet regulars. Go to any forum, video games or not, and you'll get the same kind of passion and hate. Comic books and metal forum that I frequent are certainly that way with some users.

[telly]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they're all pretty much overrated these days.  I collect & play a lot of games, but it's really gotten out of hand, just look on youtube or other large public forums and you'll see so many people that are just too emotionally invested in these to the point of taking it personally if you don't like a certain game or system.  Just google "video game death threats", jeez, lets keep things in perspective here!

That's not a symptom of game collectors so much as it is a symptom of internet regulars. Go to any forum, video games or not, and you'll get the same kind of passion and hate. Comic books and metal forum that frequent are certainly that way with some users.

Yeah, I think it permeates in any form of media; TV, movies, games, and that passion/hate flares up a lot on the internet. Especially music. People seem to love hating on the music you listen to 

But I'm definitely not blameless and have gotten too emotional about a game at one point or another

[gartcat]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they're all pretty much overrated these days.  I collect & play a lot of games, but it's really gotten out of hand, just look on youtube or other large public forums and you'll see so many people that are just too emotionally invested in these to the point of taking it personally if you don't like a certain game or system.  Just google "video game death threats", jeez, lets keep things in perspective here!

That's not a symptom of game collectors so much as it is a symptom of internet regulars. Go to any forum, video games or not, and you'll get the same kind of passion and hate. Comic books and metal forum that I frequent are certainly that way with some users.

Star Wars fans are like that too.  I'm in a lot of predominantly positive groups too, like this one.  Collectors are more likely to fall into other vices. 

BTW Game Boy Color is my real pick for overrated consoles, besides the improved screen and palette options/backward compatibility for your old games, it felt like more of a color upgrade than a new system.  Compared to the jump to GBA that is.  The library is a minefield of crap, but of course there are plenty of good ones to find due to sheer volume.  To be fair, a lot of the licensed games weren't meant for my generation, and must admit I sort of got into Matchbox Caterpillar Construction Zone 

[burningdoom]

Probably I would have to say the Atari 2600, There are several games for this system, and given the option to play NES or Atari 2600 its obvious that most people would rather play something where they don't have to use their imagination to tell whats going on. I guess the 2600 probably isn't that overrated to begin with, but people who give it praise don't realize how boring the games got over time, and how poorly the good ones aged. I literally can't sit down and play any 2600 game for more than 10-15 minutes without a friend to poke fun at the quality, and goofy qualities of the "graphics". I have a lot of respect for the 2600 but there's just not that much replay-ability.

That was the point back then. Nobody played video games for hours or days on end. You know, we went outside and did other things. Video games were part of our lives. Now video games ARE some peoples lives. It was healthier back then when you only played for short bursts. That's not a downside, it's a plus.

Pshhh, nostalgia glasses. There were plenty of kids that spent to much time on video games then, too. There was a group of guys at our school that would NEVER go outside for recess, they sat in front of the Commodore 64s every single recess break; not once did I see them on the playground, I don't think. Admittedly, I went through stage with them where we were going through the Swiss Family Robinson game together, though.

[gf78]

Gotta go with N64. I do own one but only have 5 games for it, 3 are racing games, one is a pool game and the other is Robotron 64 - the main reason I own it.

It's not that I think it's overrated now, I thought it was overrated when it came out. Super Mario 64 which was lauded as some gaming breakthrough seemed like a boring, childish mess with poor control and horrible cameras. I didn't get the appeal. Other than Goldeneye and Mario Kart which I owned BITD I thought the N64 was the poor mans PS1 and couldn't understand how anyone other than a 10 year old would want it.

Of course I was an adult and married with a child on the way when we first got it but when I had the depth of some PS1 and PC games to play, the N64 was a childs toy to me and if my wife wasn't so addicted to Mario Kart 64 we probably would have gotten rid of it much sooner. All my friends were also gaming on PS1 or PC's at the time I didn't know anyone other than myself and my young nephew who had one and even he preferred PC gaming.

Even in my current collection I've bought and sold the N64 many times because I get it and don't understand why but again, Robotron 64 is addictive enough for me to keep the console solely for it. Otherwise it's a console who's existence and popularity I don't understand. It was overrated then, it's overrated now. Long live the 2600 - still the best console EVER!

I agree with you wholeheartedly up until you called the 2600 the best console ever.  The N64 to me is some weird aberration.  What should have been a continuation of the SNES and all the great games on it turned into a turd devoid of almost every major 3rd party title available.  Those that did eventually get ported or even rarer-released simultaneously-always suffered compared to the PS1 versions.  The audio and FMV suffered horrendously, and for me it was a toss-up between pixelated graphics on the PS1 or blurry, smeared looking graphics on the N64 versions. 

As for the 2600, it was what my friends and I did when it was raining or other crappy weather prevented us from going outside.  Even then, Ghost Manor was my favorite game on the system.  The 2600 was ok in short spurts of use, but I never played it for more than an hour at a time.  Tops.  It wasn't until the NES with Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda that gaming became something that I preferred doing to going outside and playing in the dirt all the time. 

[dreama1]

TurboGrafx 16

I wanted on for a while.  If I found one, I'd keep it; but I'm not paying what they go for.  People love this thing, but I haven't found enough games that I want to play to justify even wanting one.

I have played most of the games the dirty way (on my modded Wii).  I'm just not into any of them.

And for any of you that say the NES is overrated, Suck it.   

You need the cd add on really.

[dreama1]

As a average consumer maybe it's overrated. But the games are selling for a high price for a reason. And most playstation games are also selling so cheap for a reason. No one wants them because 3D was trash in that generation for the most part. Saturn did 2D to rule them all, and that's why people will pay top dollar for that reason. In fact the only playstation games in demand are mostly RPGS, and 2D games. I don't think it's fair to say its overrated because the RPGS are out of some peoples price range. If say that person came rich and could afford those RPGS would it suddenly become not overrated?

I don't think it's that simple though. Games are expensive only because supply does not meet demand. This can be because the game is rare, it's actually a good game, or both. So, an expensive game doesn't have anything to say if it's actually good. And because a game is cheap doesn't mean it's bad.

But I think it's very important to remember that whether a game is good or bad is based on opinion alone. Certainly a person is allowed to think that a certain expensive game on the Saturn is not that good. Thus they may not think the price is not worth it, (thus overrated), while you may think otherwise.

That's ok! I don't really see a problem with people not liking a console if they don't think the price (or the hype) is justified for the games. I respect that opinion wholeheartedly, (I'm sure you do too!)


Concerning the PlayStation, Tron Bonne and MML2 are two games that I can think of that are expensive but aren't 2D or RPGS. Or Intelligent Qube. Or Tomba! Be careful with absolutes like "only"
I think most PS games are cheap because more people had a PlayStation, more people bought these great games because of the larger install base, and so these games got more printings and releases. That made it easier for everyone to have a copy, and so supply/demand is better, and prices are lower. Doesn't have anything to do with the game's quality per se. (Again, not always the case, see Suikoden II)

You're right but it's a combination of quality + small print run, or just quality alone that dictates the price. I think there's a bellcurve that gravitates towards good quality games being more expensive with higher demand. Rather than low quality games having high demand the only crap games that are expensive that I can think of would be action 52, or some of the atari porn
games.

Also come on dude lol, tomba is 2d or 2.5d if you want to be exact as most of the saturn 2.5d games are. But just say 2d.
And yeah you're right tron bonne is expensive but is it as expensive as its other 2d mega man counter parts on the playstation?

With that said we always have exceptions, can you think of a time when there isn't exceptions? Theres tall chinese basket ball players in the NBA, we still consider the chinese short. So yeah maybe a few 3d games hold value on playstation but in comparison to 2d it's peanuts.

[atarileaf]

Pshhh, nostalgia glasses.

Not in my circles of friends, family and school mates. Video games were something we did when the weather was too bad to go outside. Even then, the preferred method of play was outdoor sports and games. It's probably one of the reasons my nostalgic gaming memories are so sparse from that time period.

[atarileaf]

I agree with you wholeheartedly up until you called the 2600 the best console ever. 

Tongue firmly planted in cheek.