Most Over Rated & Under Rated Console?

[TL]

[align=center:4hn8iiu2]

[size=140]So this is something I saw being talked about on Facebook and thought it would make a good topic!

What do you think are the most over rated and under rated games consoles and why?[/size][/align:4hn8iiu2]

[TrekMD]

Hmm, this should make for interesting discussion.  I'll start by saying that I feel the NES is an overrated console, mostly because people (particularly in the US), see it as the savior of video games and that is an exaggeration.  The console is OK (with flicker being one of its most annoying weaknesses) and it does have an extensive game library but I think it is how it was marketed in the US that led to its success.  It was also helped by the exclusivity of the titles (thank to how Nintendo worked things).  Unfortunately, Nintendo also wanted the console to have unique versions of arcade games and that screwed things up many times where games bore little resemblance to the arcade originals.  Nintendo's commitment to being successful also helped as they were not afraid to add hardware to carts so the system could have better games. 

[SnakeEyes]

Depends.

The NES is underrated in the UK, it gets shit on a lot, but I also think The US fans overrate it as well. Its a great little console that probably sits somewhere in the middle of the 2 viewpoints.

The Jaguar is so overrated by certain parts of its fanbase it borders on delusional.

PC engine is a fantastic machine, but I have to say to its fans that no, it is not an MD or Snes beater. just no. its a fantastic machine but lets stick with the real world here.

Dreamcast - such an overlooked gem of a consloe that deserved so much better.

Amstrad GX4000 - its considered a piece of shit, which is a completely unfair assessment as it is much worse than that.

[bogstandard]

At least in the US the Dreamcast took it on the chin for being an older console.  Early PS2 games were pretty uninspiring.

At the time Dreamcast was clearly the superior console but everyone ate up the PS2 based on hype and "newness".  The PS2 sold despite horrid prices and shortages too.

That's my take, at least.

[TrekMD]

I think the Jaguar is underestimated because no one ever truly took advantage of the power the system has.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to program for, so we haven't seen anyone (even homebrewers) push the system to the limit.  The Jaguar is an example of a console with a lot of potential that was never properly tapped. 

[Shadowrunner]

I would have to say the 3DO is very underrated. It was a great console at the time with some really great games too, but unfortunately the price tag killed it. Even today with retro gaming being huge it hardly ever gets mentioned, although that's probably more to do with the fact that there is no homebrew scene for it, which is also a real shame.

[wyldephang]

Hmm, this should make for interesting discussion.  I'll start by saying that I feel the NES is an overrated console, mostly because people (particularly in the US), see it as the savior of video games and that is an exaggeration.  The console is OK (with flicker being one of its most annoying weaknesses) and it does have an extensive game library but I think it is how it was marketed in the US that led to its success.  It was also helped by the exclusivity of the titles (thank to how Nintendo worked things).  Unfortunately, Nintendo also wanted the console to have unique versions of arcade games and that screwed things up many times where games bore little resemblance to the arcade originals.  Nintendo's commitment to being successful also helped as they were not afraid to add hardware to carts so the system could have better games.

The NES is a natural answer because it was the most popular console (in the U.S. at least) in the '80s and still stirs up strong feelings of nostalgia for anyone who grew up with one.  I find that when gamers in America use words like "old school," they're generally referring to NES titles like Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt.  Some people, clouded by their fond memories of the '80s, might get sucked into thinking that every game on the system was a genre-defining hit.  Sadly enough, as the AVGN so often reminds us, there were quite a few bad, downright unplayable games on the NES.  As time went on, I think Nintendo learned how to better identify great concepts for games and put them into practice.  This is why I feel the Super Nintendo is a somewhat underrated console in comparison to its predecessor.  If I were restricted to owning only one Nintendo machine, it'd have to be the SNES for its enormous library of quality titles.

The Jaguar is so overrated by certain parts of its fanbase it borders on delusional.

I think that's true of any niche fan base.  I know of a couple Virtual Boy collectors who would swear on a stack of Teleroboxers that they don't get eye strain after staring at red-on-black wire-frame graphics for more than 15 minutes straight.  The Jaguar has a good number of those loyalists who will overlook the console's faults in order to magnify its strengths, but I think that's a good thing; every console needs a following.

[JoeMusashi]

I think the Jaguar is an easy target in these discussions. I have mixed feelings for it having owned one originally.
I love it for games like Tempest 2000, Doom and AVP but I was so disappointed with the software support it got (or didn't get)
It might not have reached its potential due to being notoriously difficult to develop for but that's got to be down to bad system design on Atari's part.
Over rated?.....perhaps.

I think PCs are overrated. I've played Microsoft Word and it's crap!

[TrekMD]

I think PCs are overrated. I've played Microsoft Word and it's crap!

[Ben]

I would have to say that my pick for most underrated (at least here in the U.S.) is the Saturn.  It was so mishandled here, in terms of marketing, retail availability and the games that were released, that few give it the credit it deserves.  I would still take the Saturn library over the PSX and N64, of course it depends on what genres you prefer.  The Dreamcast was underrated at one time, but right now it is the hip retro console to collect for (at least in the US), and I'm not sure that's the case these days. 

As for most overrated, I actually have to go with the PS2.  Don't get me wrong, it had a massive library, but very few of the games were memorable or stuck out to me as classics.  Also, picking up on why it succeeded and the DC failed, at least here in the US, most people I knew bought the PS2 as their first DVD player.  Time and time again, that was the reason my friends gave me for not supporting Sega and waiting for the PS2 launch, that the DC couldn't play DVDs.  Now, I realize more affluent people couldn't have cared less, but if you were a younger person in those days (and could only buy one console from a given gen at launch), that was a huge issue. 

Also, as someone who had a Master System (and not a NES) as a kid, I think the reason it didn't do better in the U.S. boils down to two issues:  lack of marketing and retail availability.  The only place I remember stocking/selling games for it in my town was Sears, meanwhile most retailers carried the NES and its games.  I also don't remember seeing many (or maybe even any) ads for the console, so it was more of a "gamer" crowd (if it's fair to say one existed then) that went for it.

[Shadowrunner]

Most over rated is without any doubt the NES, it still baffles me why this machine took off the way it did because its just not a good console. It has a dull muddy colour pallette with unbelievably bad sprite flicker and very beepy sound chip (although it can sound good at times). It's also prone to faults, especially the cart port, and has uncomfortable controllers. I really can't find many nice things to say about the NES. Obviously it has some very good games its library, but so it should with one that size!

I think you're missing the point. Nobody says the NES was the best console ever built, or that it had the best graphics and sound capabilities. Yes it had faults, and from a technical aspect there were much better games available elsewhere at the time. The reason it's such a loved console is that 34 million kids across North America had one!

Like Ben said, hardly anybody even knew what a Master System was. There was no marketing and very few stores carried it. Atari was dead at the time and most retailers wanted nothing to do with them. Sure there was computers but they didn't have anywhere near as big an impact as they did in the UK. If you were a kid in NA in the mid 80's and wanted to play games, you got a NES. We didn't know anything else!

The NES was a huge part of my childhood and millions others, and that is why it's such a highly rated console. It has nothing to do with the specs of the system, it's all about the memories 

[SnakeEyes]

Most over rated is without any doubt the NES, it still baffles me why this machine took off the way it did because its just not a good console. It has a dull muddy colour pallette with unbelievably bad sprite flicker and very beepy sound chip (although it can sound good at times). It's also prone to faults, especially the cart port, and has uncomfortable controllers. I really can't find many nice things to say about the NES. Obviously it has some very good games its library, but so it should with one that size!

You just answered your own question Laird. It had  a fantastic library of brilliant games.

Its funny you mention all the things wrong with the NES graphics, yet I do believe you love the spectrum, yet that has monochrome graphics and other issues.

But why do people love the Spectrum, because it has an amaing library of games despite graphical limitations. I would have thought that if anyone could understand how a system could overcome its limitations in order to become popular and loved it would be a spectrum owner.

[SnakeEyes]

Most over rated is without any doubt the NES, it still baffles me why this machine took off the way it did because its just not a good console. It has a dull muddy colour pallette with unbelievably bad sprite flicker and very beepy sound chip (although it can sound good at times). It's also prone to faults, especially the cart port, and has uncomfortable controllers. I really can't find many nice things to say about the NES. Obviously it has some very good games its library, but so it should with one that size!

You just answered your own question Laird. It had  a fantastic library of brilliant games.

Its funny you mention all the things wrong with the NES graphics, yet I do believe you love the spectrum, yet that has monochrome graphics and other issues.

But why do people love the Spectrum, because it has an amaing library of games despite graphical limitations. I would have thought that if anyone could understand how a system could overcome its limitations in order to become popular and loved it would be a spectrum owner.

Actually my feelings on the Spectrum are very mixed these days. While I have a great deal of nostalgia for the machine, as it was the first computer I ever owned and I spent a lot of time with, I very rarely play on it these days as I find a lot of games simply unplayable. Mainly because of the many issues with graphics and sound that while I could put up with fine back then, I can't now.

Yes the Spectrum has lots of great games, but is it a great machine? No. Same as the NES, and the crap also outweighs the great stuff (same is true again).

Just a few days ago I saw an American in one of the Facebook groups I am part of describe the NES as ground breaking and another claim that it did things nobody thought were possible, both ridiculous comments as even when it was released it wasn't technically impressive on any level. It's precisely comments like this that show just how over rated the NES is.

That goes to my original point on the NES. massively overrated in the US, very underappreciated in the UK ( as your comments prove ) there are a lot of people on this and retro gamer that will shit on the NES at any available opportunity.

[WiggyDiggyPoo]

Overated?


Jaguar - Hard to program and held in such high regard by its makers they wanted to release a VR headset and other such nonsensical peripherals that they basically killed it with lack of dev money on its bread and butter - games. 

Underated

Xbox Classic - Ignored as a 'PC in a box' from some idiot American software company (Hello Apple Pippin!) those in the know saw its potential and recognized it as the online console of choice for the next generation.

[Ben]

I should probably point out I'm from the US, also, so I can't speak about the UK and what is over/underrated there with any credibility.