In which generations did Nintendo's console have a better library than its competitors?

[Phediuk]

Clarification: thread title means "In which generations did Nintendo's console have a better library than its competitors?" It is apparent the current title is not clear enough.

Let us get a temperature check on where Resetera stands here. Of all the console generation since the 3rd, how many times has Nintendo's console produced the best library of games, compared to its competitors? Check all generations that apply.

For the purposes of this thread, the Wii U and Switch are both considered part of the 8th generation. I also added an "all" option for those who want it. Handhelds not included, only home consoles.

 

[Jimnymebob]

Wii U and Switch easily, if you're grouping them together.
If you weren't, I'd still go for the Wii U.

Edit: Wait, the question isn't clear. If you're asking what gen Nintendo was best compared to its rivals, and not which was the best Nintendo gen, then I'd say NES, but that's it.

 

[NuclearCake]

All of them were great. Well except the Wii U that gen sucked.

 

[Normal]

Are you asking if the n64's library is stronger than the ps1's library, GameCube's stronger than the PS2/Xbox, etc?

If so, then only 4th gen gets my vote.

 

[Twister]

GameCube by far imo

 

[PlayBee]

I think a lot of voters misunderstood the poll

 

[Phediuk]

Mods, please retitle the thread to "In which generations did Nintendo's console have a better library than its competitors?", as the current title is not clear enough.

 

[ZSJ]

Really they have been getting blown up since Playstation became a thing. I was a N64 kid at the time but looking back on it I'm not gonna say it had more good games than PS1 lol.

Nowadays (Wii U and Switch) they are far more about quality than quantity. I'll play one or maybe two Nintendo games per year and they're always really good, but there's really not a whole lot more going on.

 

[DailyCalmSpirit]

Only the first two. This is scientifically proven.

 

[Rouk']

Mods, please retitle the thread to "In which generations did Nintendo's console have a better library than its competitors?", as the current title is not clear enough.

Click to shrink...

You have to report your own thread, asking to change the title, in order for them to see it

 

[Camwi]

SNES, easily.

 

[Deleted member 8860]

Lots of delusional Master System/7200 fans in here.

 

[Bear]

SNES only really.

 

[StarErik]

For me, it's GameCube. The Wind Waker is still my all time favorite.

 

[Deleted member 59109]

Edit: I misunderstood the question. Nintendo is equal to or beats its competitors every gen.

 

[Aaron D.]

Only the first two. This is scientifically proven.

Click to shrink...

 

[Lothars]

only the nes is when nintendo was better than any of it's competitors after that they really haven't been even in my favorite generation for the super nintendo, the genesis was it's equal.

 

[AndyVirus]

Haven't had the best library since SNES.

 

[bane833]

This gen isn't even over so it wouldn't make sense to vote for it.

That said Gamecube by far. Strong third party support (compared to other Nintendo consoles) and amazing exclusive library.

Metroid Prime 1 + 2
REmake + Zero
Resident Evil 4 (timed but still)
The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
Pikmin 1 + 2
Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes
Luigis Mansion
F Zero GX
Waverace Blue Storm
Super Monkey Ball 1 + 2
Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2 + 3
Super Mario Sunshine
Mario Kart Double Dash

and many more. Can't beat that.

 

[NuclearCake]

In terms of when they had better offerings than the competition it would be the Nes and arguably the SNES. If the handhelds count then Nintendo destroys the competition every single time. I think the Gamecube had better offerings than the Xbox and maybe Dreamcast but not PS2.

 

[NotLiquid]

If we're strictly talking exclusives then honestly I'd argue Nintendo has had that shit on lockdown since 4th gen, with sixth gen being the standout.

But if we're talking general output then it's only every gen up 'til the 4th, with the fourth gen being the standout.

 

[Mugman]

It's NES and SNES for sure, though I think you can make an argument that the Switch's exclusive library is already shaping up to be unmissable, though not strictly "better" than its contemporaries.

I'm willing to go to the mattresses for the GameCube library, but it's not as vast and varied as PS2. N64, Wii and Wii U I'm not touching with a teen foot pole (I know I played a lot more Wii than anything else that generation though)

 

[lightning16]

3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th

NES and SNES games are the only games from those gens I really touch anymore.

5th gen I wasn't really into N64 at all. Probably the only gen I'd outright take Sony's exclusives over Nintendo's, not to mention PS1 had way better third party support (especially with JRPG's, which are my favorite genre).

6th gen is probably an unpopular opinion since I've regularly seen the opinion that PS2 has the best library ever, but I just do not care about most PS2 games at all. Sony's exclusives took a pretty big step backward this gen compared to PS1, and most of the JRPG series started struggling this gen. Nintendo had a stellar lineup of first party titles on the Gamecube, on the other hand. TTYD is still the GOAT.

7th gen is probably a tossup between Wii and PS3 for me. PS3 had the way better Japanese third party support, which is why I didn't vote for the Wii here. Wii had some great first party titles (Galaxy games alone give it some consideration), but I don't feel strongly enough to vote for it. It's basically Nintendo's great first party lineup compared to damn near the entire Japanese third party library for PS3, because this was the point where I pretty much checked out completely on first party Sony games.

8th gen is a pretty easy decision. There's an absolutely amazing number of incredible games from Nintendo spread out between the Wii U and Switch, not to mention now they get most of the good JRPG's and indies.

 

[Josh5890]

3rd Generation- NES saved the industry so yea, the library wins.
4th Generation- Still the greatest generation. SNES wins easily though
5th Generation- I've always said that the N64 had the best games at the top, but PS1 had a deeper library. I would call it a coin flip.
6th Generation- PS2 had an incredible library. GCN had some great games, but not enough to defeat the black box.
7th Generation- PS360 wins, although Wii had great games. They just fizzled out at the end of the generation.
8th Generation- Seems like cheating to put Switch and Wii-U together, but since we are I am going with them.

 

[steviestar3]

All of them except 5th and 6th.

 

[SpokkX]

Better than competitors?

NES and SNES pretty much...

switch is great but it does not have a better library than ps4

 

[maximumzero]

This seems rather subjective. I thought Nintendo's Wii U & 3DS output was heads and shoulders above what was available on other platforms during the time, but that's entirely down to my tastes and preferences.

 

[Dougieflesh]

SNES. I love my Switch, but it's missing way too many 3rd party games.

 

[Firemind]

Really they have been getting blown up since Playstation became a thing. I was a N64 kid at the time but looking back on it I'm not gonna say it had more good games than PS1 lol.

Click to shrink...

The N64 has more good games that aged well tho.

Whereas SNES is more 50-50.

 

[Alex840]

Just NES and SNES. PlayStation beats them in every other gen.

 

[Manmademan]

The only one is the third. No real competition for that one.

Gen 4: I can't speak for Japan, but The SNES struggled like crazy against the Genesis in the US. They had absolutely no answer for Sega Sports in particular, and the "censored" versions of stuff like Mortal Kombat, Wolfenstein, etc were the pits. Unless you REALLY loved JRPGs back then it was tough to recommend the SNES over the Genesis.

Gen 5: The PS1 completely dominated the N64 library and this wasn't close at all.

Gen 6: Same story with the PS2, but worse here.

Gen 7: PS360 library was far stronger than the Wii was with core gamers. Casual gamers who may have bought in for Wii Fit/Wii Sports/Just Dance/etc may disagree.

Gen8: i guess the WiiU goes here? Comparing a system that died an ignoble death to the PS4/Xbox One doesn't make any sense. The Switch is a better system but hasn't been on the market long enough to build up a library that can compete with those two.

 

[bombermouse]

Never since the SNES.

 

[Linde]

3rd/4th/8th definitely
7th for me personally


i dont think ill ever understand praise for the n64 library
its so bad aside from zelda

 

[jroc74]

Only the first two. This is scientifically proven.

Click to shrink...

I think these are the best answers.

Once 3rd parties jumped ship...it became up in the air.

And lol at doing a disclaimer for the Wii U and generations.


It...started...this...gen.... It is definitely an 8th gen console along with the Switch.

8th Generation- Seems like cheating to put Switch and Wii-U together, but since we are I am going with them

Click to shrink...

Not really, unless we call the Switch 9th gen, or the Wii U 7th gen.

Wii U being 7th gen makes no sense at all, despite the explanations I'm sure to get for some ppl.

 

[Derachi]

numbering generations like that is weird but anyway NES/SNES

 

[Trace]

3rd and 4th. Once Playstation/Xbox came out and the majority of third parties ended up there, they generally had better libraries.

 

[Hippopuncher12]

3rd for sure, 4th as well probably although I preferred the Genesis library. That is it though. I will take any Playstation library over any Nintendo library since. This of course isn't including handhelds at all since I don't play them.

 

[Virtua King]

3rd gen, and that's it. To me, SEGA was the best in the 4th and 5th, MS was the best in the 6th and 7th, and Sony has been the best in the 8th.

 

[Ryaaan14]

Imagine knowing about video games and voting for anything other than 4th

Edit: 3rd is true too but since we can only vote for one SNES had a stronger edge over competition than NES

 

[Aaron D.]

Gen 4: I can't speak for Japan, but The SNES struggled like crazy against the Genesis in the US. They had absolutely no answer for Sega Sports in particular, and the "censored" versions of stuff like Mortal Kombat, Wolfenstein, etc were the pits. Unless you REALLY loved JRPGs back then it was tough to recommend the SNES over the Genesis.

Click to shrink...

You think? I was always under the impression that SNES spanked Genesis in the US quite handedly.

Now sports dominance on Genesis I'll give you. But virtually everything else went to SNES as my memory recalls. From exclusives to better looking/running 3rd-party titles, it always felt like SNES was dominant. And I owned both consoles at the time.

 

[Zed]

For consoles as a whole, only the NES and SNES. For exclusives, all generations.

 

[daninthemix]

3 and 4 seems obvious. 8 is very dubious.

 

[Hippopuncher12]

You think? I was always under the impression that SNES spanked Genesis in the US quite handedly.

Now sports dominance on Genesis I'll give you. But virtually everything else went to SNES as my memory recalls. From exclusives to better looking/running 3rd-party titles, it always felt like SNES was dominant. And I owned both consoles at the time.

Click to shrink...

I believe the SNES did end up selling more, but it was close like within a million or so.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Nintendo single-handedly turned the 4th generation into one of the best console generations in history; not surprised to see it at the top. :)

I really wonder what an alternate present where Sony / Microsoft didn't enter the business and Sega didn't give up on hardware would look like.

 

[MegaMix]

I feel that today where every game gets ported to everything it's a hard sell to say any platforms library is explicitly superior to another's outside exclusives.

Imagine knowing about video games and voting for anything other than 4th

Edit: 3rd is true too but since we can only vote for one SNES had a stronger edge over competition than NES

Click to shrink...

The Megadrive's library was just as good as the SNES.

 

[Deleted member 48897]

I favor the RPGs on the Sega CD to most of what was on the SNES, but that's mostly because I think ATB is annoying more than engaging. Any other genre you can think of I'd say the Genesis and TG-16 had just as good if not regularly better entries in.

 

[MegaMix]

You think? I was always under the impression that SNES spanked Genesis in the US quite handedly.

Now sports dominance on Genesis I'll give you. But virtually everything else went to SNES as my memory recalls. From exclusives to better looking/running 3rd-party titles, it always felt like SNES was dominant. And I owned both consoles at the time.

Click to shrink...

The Genesis was neck and neck in the US with the system at the end. In terms of library, Genesis had much better action and arcade games than the SNES. SNES had better platformers and RPGs. Though there are exceptions on both systems.

 

[Kazer]

Only SNES. Probably NES too but I only had a handful of NES games.

 

[Aaron D.]

The Genesis was neck and neck in the US with the system at the end. In terms of library, Genesis had much better action and arcade games than the SNES. SNES had better platformers and RPGs. Though there are exceptions on both systems.

Click to shrink...

Right. I forgot about action games on Genesis.

Guess that does even the field a bit so that it's not a landslide.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Wii U and Switch easily, if you're grouping them together.
If you weren't, I'd still go for the Wii U.

Edit: Wait, the question isn't clear. If you're asking what gen Nintendo was best compared to its rivals, and not which was the best Nintendo gen, then I'd say NES, but that's it.

Click to shrink...

Wild take.

Wii U is a really weak library

The obvious answers are NES, Gameboy, GBA and SNES. ever since then the other consoles have been more competitive.

Genesis falls short for me. There were lots of great games for it but not as many on the same quality level as what the SNES had.

Any other genre you can think of I'd say the Genesis and TG-16 had just as good if not regularly better entries in.

Click to shrink...

SHMUPs, yes. I really can't think of others, though.