BlaZer91's Top 10 Countdown
The Top 10 Game consoles (1970s to 2010)
If you've been gaming a long while then you'll be making debates with other relatives about which gaming consoles was better then theirs. We're not talking about awful gaming consoles that were complete rubbish but this countdown shows off the popularity of the 10 following game consoles which has changed the industry from the past years. Since newer games consoles are on the way I decided to take a look back at following best 10 game consoles as off this year.
10. Atari 2600 (1978 ) (Atari)
The console originally sold the Atari VCS later renamed itself known as the 2600. The console revolutionised the gaming market making use re-changeable cartridges and able to switch game modes inside different games cartridges makes one of the defining games that can offer simple gameplay. The graphics and sound were primitive for the time and the controller was quite solid and easy to use. The console had many different games for everyone including arcade ports and original titles of it's own. The console may have given the taste of the console market would eventually become but ultimately destroyed it at the same time with a glut of awful games such as Pac-man and the big movie game disaster E.T which is why the Atari 2600 disvives it's spot at number 10 on my countdown.
9. Sega Mega Drive (November 30 1990) (SEGA)
The sega console that was well known for it's in your face advertising slogan in the US "Genesis does what Nintendon't". Sega's 16-Bit console took on it's deal with the NES but the console had it's advantages against the Later Super Nintendo. Some games where better then it's SNES counterpart, Sega's mascot Sonic the Hedgehog became quite the competitor towards Mario, the violent fatalities of Mortal Kombat weren't censored unlike the SNES version and Sega's Jurassic Park lets you play as a human killing Raptor. Sure it's Mega Drive addons like the Mega CD and the 32X had failed miserably with bad marketing but with Blast Processing, a library of great games, a solid controller makes the Mega Drive remain as one of the popular consoles released. Gamers would find it unbelievable that the console could still stand up today being released on compilation discs and it's own plug n play system which can allow it's cartridges to be reused again. This makes the console earn it's spot at number 9 on my countdown.
8. Xbox-360 (December 2nd 2005) (Microsoft)
It may have had a bit of a tough start at launch with it's Red Ring of Death issue back then but Microsoft's second console outing proved to have it's strong point of giving gamers quite a blast of an amazing online community. The X-Box 360 held up a huge library of different games with impressive online play through X-Box live and also being able to play original X-Box games but without online play on them. X-Box live Arcade planted great and accurate console and arcade ports of great games as well as impressive original titles of it's own. With the abilities to communicate with friends and invite to parties the X-Box 360 is defiantly one of the stronger consoles of this generation with impressive High definition details taking graphics to a new generation. To many gamers the X-Box 360 should be shown off as a great console that targets hardcore audiences perfectly.
7. Nintendo Wii (December 8th 2006) (Nintendo)
The power of motion is in the player's hand with gaming's first array into motion control with the Nintendo Wii. The Nintendo Wii made use of wireless technology of the Wii Remote and motions which can recognise the actions of the game depending on the Wii Remote's force by the swing the players make. Back then the Wii Remote didn't accomplish it perfectly until later on when motion controlled games became better and also when Nintendo released the Motion plus accesory making the motions better and later the Wii Remote Plus which included the functionalties of the Motion plus onto the Wii remote. The Wii opened up the Virtual console which gave gamers the chance to relive Nintendo's old gaming consoles like the NES, SNES or Nintendo 64 as well as it's Third Party competitors. It's Wiiware came up with many orginal games of it's own that many were impressive even if some were expensive. Sure it doesn't have as much on targeted hardcore gaming but as a family console that at least is spawning continuing sagas of old games and great exclusives, The Nintendo Wii can hold it's own against much other consoles and being quite revolutionary for it's time.
6. Game Boy (Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance) (September 28 1990, November 23 1998, June 22 2001) (Nintendo)
When game consoles can last pretty well with Batteries then Nintendo's Game boy systems were the big target towards gamers on the go. With an impressive games list including big hits like Tertis, Mario and Pokemon made the Game boy and huge impact in the gaming market. The old brick itself managed to sell over 70 Million units and by it's success spawned a color upgrade and also the Game boy Advance. The Game boy Advance brought itself brilliant amount of colors and an amazing battery life as well as adding compatibilities to play the original Game Boy and Game boy Color games. The games were simple and made a perfect mass marketing on gaming audiences. Even though the original Game boy was huge by today standards and the original GBA's screen had a dark screen but eventually different versions were made to resolve the issues. With the Game boy's standing high in the gaming market the Game boys deserves there spot at number 6 in the countdown.
5. Sega Master System (September 1987) (SEGA)
In the 1980's the video game market has crashed down but later on the next generation companies have risen up and delivered a new era of gaming. Some might say the NES made gaming enjoyable again but unfortunately it didn't do as much justice in Europe as it did in the US. Instead the Sega Master System made itself a strong selling console in the 80's following to the 90's with a great list of impressive games and also titles that were better than their NES counterpart. The Master System handled the 8 bit era in Europe for nearly 9 years with some help from Sonic the Hedgehog and some of it's sequels. What good could a console get when the system had a Base adapter to for the Mega Drive to play the Master System games on it. This makes it still one of the successful consoles of the 80s making it into the countdown at number 5.
4. Sony PlayStation 2 (November 30 2000) (Sony)
Matching the success of the original PlayStation, The PlayStation 2 blessed the gaming industry further with an impressive;y huge library of games and it's still growing. Whatever type of game you'd be into the PlayStation 2 just has enough games that any gamer can get into. Sure the PlayStation 2 spawned a huge band of sequels and a case of bad games but however it spawned big exclusives and industry favorites such as God of War, ICO, Shadow of the Colossus and Rachet and Clank. The PlayStation 2 also continued many popular video game sagas that many gamers had grown up with like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Soild, Medal of Honor and Grand Theft Auto. Even with the releases of Hi-Def consoles the PlayStation 2 can still deliver great titles that can still gain attention towards many gamers. If many different game consoles could sell so big towards gaming audiences then the PlayStation 2 is one of the biggest selling consoles of all time making this spot at number 4 on the countdown.
3. Nintendo DS (March 11 2005) (Nintendo)
The successful handheld marketing done by Nintendo led them to produce another big selling console which featured dual screens and touch based interface. It was a big selling hype towards both casual and hard core gaming. Nintendo's DS console has a big effect on popular genres such as big RPG's like Pokemon and Dragon Quest, FPS which can be played with the use of the Stylus touch screen and a great taste of puzzle games. The Nintendo DS also impressively took on it's life with educational titles to that tests your brain perfectly and teaches many different topics for educational purposes. The Nintendo DS has made a bunch of successful sales and made additional versions to make a better back light for the DS Lite, a DSi which used better interfaces and used DSiWare which gave it's own library of impressive games at the cost of making the point cards expensive. With big sales, great games, compatibility to play GBA games on the older models. The Nintendo DS has made quite a strong reputation in the handheld market towards many gamers and is still controlling the portable gaming with the release of the upcoming 3DS. This Dual screen handheld beast deserves it's spot at number 3 in the countdown.
2. SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) (April 11 1992) (Nintendo)
The Super Nintendo became the champion of the 16-bit wars dispute it being released 2 years after the Mega Drive was released. The Console's hardware of 8-bit channel sound created many impressive music tracks. Mode-7 graphics system fired many 3-D games like F-Zero, Star Fox and Super Mario Kart across the starting position. The system scored unforgettable RPG's like Secret of Mana, Equinox and Chorno Trigger if the game would have been released in Europe. The Super Nintendo spawned up the mighty Super Mario World and also grew up many different Nintendo hits like Castlevania, Metroid and Zelda. When the Super Nintendo would eventually go down Donkey Kong Country come along with it's impressive graphics details that makes the Mega Drives blast processing look a little poor in comparison. If a game console's place is all about it's impressive library of games and quality then no gamer would ever want to Deny it's spot for number 2 on the countdown.
1. Sony PlayStation (September 29 1995) (Sony)
When the deal with Nintendo and Sony to create a CD Rom drive for the SNES had went down the drain. Sony created the legendary console that is the PlayStation. The console aimed at the barrels for adult gaming but many games had it's attraction towards many casual gamers. The big bright of the PlayStation is with big hit titles like when Final Fantasy 7 made the jump shaft from the Nintendo 64 and the amazing Metal Gear Soild. The PlayStation isn't just known for it's outstanding quality of gamers. The CD rom technology made use out of it's impressive CGI rendering cutscenes. The console brought over huge amount of marketing and has made a enjoyable list of games that can stand tall to this day. You'd have to wonder what the gaming industry would be like today if this console wasn't around. This makes it the pick for the number 1 pick for the Top 10 Game Consoles.