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In which generations did Nintendo's console have a better library than its competitors?
- Thread starter Phediuk
- Start date
NES and SNES
It's been downhill for last few gens when considering overall library and third party support - first party from Nintendo has been superior but third party is where it lacks
Switch is the best since snes when it comes to both first and third party combined
It's been downhill for last few gens when considering overall library and third party support - first party from Nintendo has been superior but third party is where it lacks
Switch is the best since snes when it comes to both first and third party combined
Pretty much every third party game that can be ported to the Switch without a monumental hassle is ported to the Switch. Outside of high end AAA titles (which are fewer in-between these days) the Switch gets a port of them.
PC Gaming didn't become PC Gaming as we knew it until the late 2000s. Prior to that many games (especially Japanese) didn't get ported, and when they did they often ran like crap. You can't overstate just how much Steam changed PC gaming.
NES? Hands down the better library.
SNES? Maybe, depending on what you were into at the time (especially RPGs).
Every other generation's been a solid hard pass for me. They've got some gems here and there in every generation, like SM64, Breath of the Wild, etc., but the libraries overall just don't compare to their contemporaries.
SNES? Maybe, depending on what you were into at the time (especially RPGs).
Every other generation's been a solid hard pass for me. They've got some gems here and there in every generation, like SM64, Breath of the Wild, etc., but the libraries overall just don't compare to their contemporaries.
I'd put the issues I have with Mario 64 down to control mechanics (especially around aiming and positioning jumps, which is where the camera matters so much) and I keep that distinct from framerate analysis; plus, I don't think any JRPG has been particularly kneecapped by low framerate, since it's not what that kind of game is about.
I Voted NES & SNES, although I had a Genesis at the time so it still hurts to admit that the SNES library was just better. SUre, there were gems on the Genesis and some better versions of games (EA Sports games, for instance), but the catalog on the SNES was just broader and better in retrospect.
I don't think that Nintendo has had a better catalog than its competitors since then. N64 had a lot of great, unique games but I think you missed out on more if you *only* had an N64,a nd the Playstation lineup just appealed to me more as a teenager.
Gamecube had a good catalog but missed out on the most important games from that generation for the most part. Like when you look at the defining titles from that generation, most of them weren't on GameCube. A handful were. And most multiplats were worse on GameCube were worse, especially if they were multi-platform 3rd party games and those that had any interest in online gaming.
Wii, IMO, has a weak overall catalog. Some really fun games to play with your parents on Thanksgiving night or Christmas day afternoon, and have a ball, and then never play them again until the following holidays.
Switch is an interesting one and the closest generation for Nintendo. As games like The Witcher come to it, it does close the gap here and still have an amazing catalog of exclusives. BUt, for me, it's still a console that you have to have along side another one, like the Wii and GameCube, where as Sony's or Microsoft's can usually stand on their own and not be complimentary.
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also, edit, lol, talking about technical performance of the PSX & N64. It's a stupidly hilarious conversation because that's the worst generation for technical performance. It just wasn't a relevant conversation. Tomb Raider ran at like 8FPS in some sequences and you didn't care because it was amazing.
I don't think that Nintendo has had a better catalog than its competitors since then. N64 had a lot of great, unique games but I think you missed out on more if you *only* had an N64,a nd the Playstation lineup just appealed to me more as a teenager.
Gamecube had a good catalog but missed out on the most important games from that generation for the most part. Like when you look at the defining titles from that generation, most of them weren't on GameCube. A handful were. And most multiplats were worse on GameCube were worse, especially if they were multi-platform 3rd party games and those that had any interest in online gaming.
Wii, IMO, has a weak overall catalog. Some really fun games to play with your parents on Thanksgiving night or Christmas day afternoon, and have a ball, and then never play them again until the following holidays.
Switch is an interesting one and the closest generation for Nintendo. As games like The Witcher come to it, it does close the gap here and still have an amazing catalog of exclusives. BUt, for me, it's still a console that you have to have along side another one, like the Wii and GameCube, where as Sony's or Microsoft's can usually stand on their own and not be complimentary.
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also, edit, lol, talking about technical performance of the PSX & N64. It's a stupidly hilarious conversation because that's the worst generation for technical performance. It just wasn't a relevant conversation. Tomb Raider ran at like 8FPS in some sequences and you didn't care because it was amazing.
if you count first party, then quality wise, the answer is pretty much all of them. *shrug*
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The only one that is somewhat tough for me was the PS1 gen. The N64's highs were better but there were just not a ton of games to play in comparison. That's a coin flip for me.
PS2 is a goat console so Cube doesn't compete. I didn't love last gen but then Wii and Wii U were nothing to write home for me.
I prefer NES and SNES and the Switch is pretty great so far but too early.
PS2 is a goat console so Cube doesn't compete. I didn't love last gen but then Wii and Wii U were nothing to write home for me.
I prefer NES and SNES and the Switch is pretty great so far but too early.
I don't think time was kind on, say, Vagrant Story and the like. To each their own.
Nes and SNES. N64 had far less cool games than Psone, Gamecube had less exclusives that I liked than Xbox, but both were destroyed by Ps2. Wii/Wii U and Switch all have a small handfull of games I like compared to Sony/MS. Nintendo dominated each gen on the handeld console side tho.
Most of my console purchases are made for exclusives so Nintendo has been the best for me like every generation. In a general sense the NES and SNES have definitively the best libraries of their generation. Nintendo just lost too many 3rd parties after that.
I'd say 3rd and 4th, for sure. I know it's the minority opinion, but I also favor Nintendo in the 5th generation as well. I've just never felt that strongly about the PS1 lineup. I know the PS1 had a larger and deeper library overall, but I feel the N64 was still much, much stronger at the top and that matters a lot. It was the last generation where I felt like Nintendo 1st party games were still head and shoulders above the competition.
The 6th generation, I'm a bit torn on because Metroid Prime, REmake and RE4 are my favorite games of that generation and there's quite a bit of a gap after that. But there were also quite a few disappointing games that Nintendo rushed out there, such as Sunshine, Wind Waker and Double Dash. Ultimately, putting aside personal preference and slipping on my 'objective cap', I just can't give the GameCube the nod over the PS2. The PS2 has arguably the deepest library of quality games on record, and in terms of third-party support it blew everything else out of the water. I'd put the GameCube solidly ahead of the original Xbox, though.
Since then, Nintendo has lagged so far behind when it comes to third-party support, and their first-party lineup hasn't been as "can't miss" as it once was. They've still put out a number of amazing games on the Wii, Wii U and Switch, but they've come along with huge software droughts and some serious misfires stemming from overuse/misuse of motion and/or touch controls. At the same time, the quality of Sony's first-party lineup has only gotten better and better, closing the gap with Nintendo (if not passing them altogether). There have also been many more "GOTY"-caliber multi-platform games released over the past 10-15 years that didn't come to Nintendo platforms, or only got ported over several years after the fact. Starting with the Wii, Nintendo has been my clear secondary console. That doesn't mean I don't still like a lot of the stuff they've put out on those systems, but they're not in the same league as the PS3 and PS4.
The 6th generation, I'm a bit torn on because Metroid Prime, REmake and RE4 are my favorite games of that generation and there's quite a bit of a gap after that. But there were also quite a few disappointing games that Nintendo rushed out there, such as Sunshine, Wind Waker and Double Dash. Ultimately, putting aside personal preference and slipping on my 'objective cap', I just can't give the GameCube the nod over the PS2. The PS2 has arguably the deepest library of quality games on record, and in terms of third-party support it blew everything else out of the water. I'd put the GameCube solidly ahead of the original Xbox, though.
Since then, Nintendo has lagged so far behind when it comes to third-party support, and their first-party lineup hasn't been as "can't miss" as it once was. They've still put out a number of amazing games on the Wii, Wii U and Switch, but they've come along with huge software droughts and some serious misfires stemming from overuse/misuse of motion and/or touch controls. At the same time, the quality of Sony's first-party lineup has only gotten better and better, closing the gap with Nintendo (if not passing them altogether). There have also been many more "GOTY"-caliber multi-platform games released over the past 10-15 years that didn't come to Nintendo platforms, or only got ported over several years after the fact. Starting with the Wii, Nintendo has been my clear secondary console. That doesn't mean I don't still like a lot of the stuff they've put out on those systems, but they're not in the same league as the PS3 and PS4.
The first two were Nintendo by a large margin, then the PS1-PS3 gen libraries by a significant margin.
This gen isn't over but we're still talking about games that show up on the PS4/PC/XB1 that don't show up on the Switch. And since we're taking in whole game libraries, that's a lot of missed cross platform titles. Games like RDR2, Call of Duty, Jedi Fallen Order just to name a few recent ones.
And for Sony's platform, add in their first party developers that have really taken a lot of giant strides in the PS3/PS4 eras.
Yup.
This gen isn't over but we're still talking about games that show up on the PS4/PC/XB1 that don't show up on the Switch. And since we're taking in whole game libraries, that's a lot of missed cross platform titles. Games like RDR2, Call of Duty, Jedi Fallen Order just to name a few recent ones.
And for Sony's platform, add in their first party developers that have really taken a lot of giant strides in the PS3/PS4 eras.
Yup.
SNES/Genesis sales were very close up until the final years when Sega further spread itself out with the Sega CD and 32 X while Nintendo launched games like DK Country. Even still they're pretty close in US sales. The absolutely HUGE discrepancy between the two sales comes from Japan where the Mega Drive basically sold nothing.
As for 3rd party games (at least multiplatform 3rd party games), it seems like one platform was given priority, but it's random when it happens. MK 1 was better in all ways on Genesis, MK 2 was better in all ways on SNES, MK 3 Ultimate was overall better on Genesis. But I don't think anyone would say SNES games RAN better than Genesis games. It's usually the opposite. SNES games tended to have much more slow down than Genesis games.
And I don't like RPGs, which is most of the best PS2 titles. I had both at the time, PS2 collected dust while the GameCube holds my favorite games of all time. I still own both and have nearly double the amount of GameCube games as PS2 games.
I reluctantly voted gen 3 but there's no option for "none of them" >.>
It did have Eternal Darkness though, to be fair.
I only started having all the consoles from 6th gen onward, so I can't really compare with personal experience before that.
And while I love the GameCube, the PS2's library is simply too amazing for it to live up to.
The Wii was fine for what it was, but I still prefered PS3/X360.
The Switch and Wii U both have some great games, and the way the Switch gives you 2 ways to play your games is fantastic. I still think I prefer the PS4 though. Just overall more games that appeal to me on it.
And while I love the GameCube, the PS2's library is simply too amazing for it to live up to.
The Wii was fine for what it was, but I still prefered PS3/X360.
The Switch and Wii U both have some great games, and the way the Switch gives you 2 ways to play your games is fantastic. I still think I prefer the PS4 though. Just overall more games that appeal to me on it.
NES and SNES, if they had chosen CDs for N64, then probably there too, but that decision forever changed Nintendo's path.
and fighting games, and survival horror and at the peaks of all those genres, whereas n64 was a literal wasteland in those genres, minus smash and midway for fighters.
OP
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not to mention the Playstation's excellent lineups of racing games, and rhythm games, and shmups, and side-scrollers, and 2D action games in general, and, well, pretty much everything. PS1 catalogue is utterly gigantic, something like 4000 games, and the entire industry except for Nintendo and Rare supported it.
Don't get the people acting like you couldn't prefer the OG X-Box library that gen to GameCube or PS2, I know I did.
Microsoft had a small first party but it was quality and new, Halo was defining FPS not trying to recapture the old magic for instance.
They had real solid third party support with that version usually being the best tech wise.
More important if you wanted PC gaming without PC the OG X-Box made that a reality and paved the way with the pc-in a box mentality leading to it having things like Kotor and Morrowind.
And last but not least if you were a Sega fan not only did MS pick up the online baton but a lot of the "intended for Dreamcast before it's failure" games ended up X-Box exclusives, like that sweet, sweet Panzer Dragoon Orta.
Microsoft had a small first party but it was quality and new, Halo was defining FPS not trying to recapture the old magic for instance.
They had real solid third party support with that version usually being the best tech wise.
More important if you wanted PC gaming without PC the OG X-Box made that a reality and paved the way with the pc-in a box mentality leading to it having things like Kotor and Morrowind.
And last but not least if you were a Sega fan not only did MS pick up the online baton but a lot of the "intended for Dreamcast before it's failure" games ended up X-Box exclusives, like that sweet, sweet Panzer Dragoon Orta.
Nintendo easily wins the 3rd gen for me and it isn't all that close.
For the 4th gen I think Genesis stomps the competition but I still love the SNES quite a bit. I just think the Genesis is far better in genres I care about (SHMUPs, SRPGs, Platformers, overall action games, etc...).
5th gen I would actually put N64 last. Saturn is my favorite of the era but all 3 main consoles were great. I think the Saturn aged better but at the time OoT was the greatest game ever made, the N64 library is just incredibly thin.
6th gen is practically a tie for me between Gamecube and PS2. I give PS2 the slight edge for not having software droughts, Gamecube had some really long ones.
7th gen is the Wii for me, it has become extremely underrated. The VC alone makes it the best console of the gen, not to mention a good amount of excellent exclusives.
8th gen is PS4 right now but Switch has potential to swing that back around.
If we also included portables then Nintendo wins gen 6 easily (GBA is a beast), gen 4 becomes a virtual tie for me, and gen 7 becomes a virtual tie between Sony and Nintendo. PSP and DS were the 2 best systems of the late 2000s and early 10s to me. 8th gen might swing toward Nintendo but the Vita is no slouch. Gen 5 stays the game, late gameboy era was a disappointment and GBC was severely underbaked in hindsight (but still fun)
For the 4th gen I think Genesis stomps the competition but I still love the SNES quite a bit. I just think the Genesis is far better in genres I care about (SHMUPs, SRPGs, Platformers, overall action games, etc...).
5th gen I would actually put N64 last. Saturn is my favorite of the era but all 3 main consoles were great. I think the Saturn aged better but at the time OoT was the greatest game ever made, the N64 library is just incredibly thin.
6th gen is practically a tie for me between Gamecube and PS2. I give PS2 the slight edge for not having software droughts, Gamecube had some really long ones.
7th gen is the Wii for me, it has become extremely underrated. The VC alone makes it the best console of the gen, not to mention a good amount of excellent exclusives.
8th gen is PS4 right now but Switch has potential to swing that back around.
If we also included portables then Nintendo wins gen 6 easily (GBA is a beast), gen 4 becomes a virtual tie for me, and gen 7 becomes a virtual tie between Sony and Nintendo. PSP and DS were the 2 best systems of the late 2000s and early 10s to me. 8th gen might swing toward Nintendo but the Vita is no slouch. Gen 5 stays the game, late gameboy era was a disappointment and GBC was severely underbaked in hindsight (but still fun)
My thoughts exactly. I checked the first two box and then clicked on the vote button to see how NintendoEra was doing today. I was a die-hard 16 year old Nintendo fan when the N64 launched, having had a NES and SNES in my childhood. How the hell can you think Nintendo had the best library vs PS1/2/3/4?
Literally just the NES.
Genesis=SNES
PS1/Saturn>N64
PS2/Xbox > GC
PS3/360 > Wii/WiiU
PS4>WiiU/Switch
This
Genesis=SNES
PS1/Saturn>N64
PS2/Xbox > GC
PS3/360 > Wii/WiiU
PS4>WiiU/Switch
This
I'm almost leaning toward saying the N64 had a better library but that's a bit revisionist of me. I didn't feel that way at the time it's just that now there are more N64 games I remember and care about all these years later than PSX games.
I'm not sure but emotional attachment aside, the PS1, PS2, PS3 and PS4 have absolutely amazing libraries and are IMO only beatable by each other so it would have to be before PS1
(PS2>PS4>PS3=PS1>Any other console)
(PS2>PS4>PS3=PS1>Any other console)
I am also going to say just NES/SNES
Every gen has had outstanding Nintendo games, but the libraries are too small. I've owned every Nintendo system except virtual boy, and with the exception of SNES/NES I always felt another system was necessary due to limited offerings
If you asked whether N had more top ten titles in a generation, that would be a different matter, or even at times the best titles of a generation
But not the best libraries overall, no
Every gen has had outstanding Nintendo games, but the libraries are too small. I've owned every Nintendo system except virtual boy, and with the exception of SNES/NES I always felt another system was necessary due to limited offerings
If you asked whether N had more top ten titles in a generation, that would be a different matter, or even at times the best titles of a generation
But not the best libraries overall, no
Its funny how time changes people's opinions on stuff. I remember when the Gamecube was a disappointment to most people, large reason why it finished behind the OG Xbox. But now nearly 20 years later and people claim the GameCube has one of the best libraries ever. Strange how that works.
For just consoles, NES was the obvious winner, SNES was close enough and widely beloved to take the gold.
64 has a smaller library but the games that were popular were among the biggest hits out there. Gamecube was a weak gen for Nintendo compared to PS2. It edged out the Xbox on exclusives but the GC exclusives are typically only held high (collectively) by a niche subset of gamers.
Wii, even if weaker in major third parties, I want to give a shoutout. I feel a lot of people undersell the sheer quantity and quality of superb niche Japanese games that went overlooked due to the severe console warring narrative against casuals at the time. Wii is a surprise underdog that could overtake the PS360 if you enjoy that strange and ecclectic flavor.
Switch has been killing it and (combined with the Wii U) really can compete with the other systems if you enjoy smaller titles. The Nintendo games are the "best of" in their respective franchises, theres a handful of cool major 3rd party support, and indies are flocking to it in droves.
64 has a smaller library but the games that were popular were among the biggest hits out there. Gamecube was a weak gen for Nintendo compared to PS2. It edged out the Xbox on exclusives but the GC exclusives are typically only held high (collectively) by a niche subset of gamers.
Wii, even if weaker in major third parties, I want to give a shoutout. I feel a lot of people undersell the sheer quantity and quality of superb niche Japanese games that went overlooked due to the severe console warring narrative against casuals at the time. Wii is a surprise underdog that could overtake the PS360 if you enjoy that strange and ecclectic flavor.
Switch has been killing it and (combined with the Wii U) really can compete with the other systems if you enjoy smaller titles. The Nintendo games are the "best of" in their respective franchises, theres a handful of cool major 3rd party support, and indies are flocking to it in droves.
Currently I'd say only gen 3 and 4. And I'd also say that's hard to argue.
Switch might be the top dog from this gen if first party games continue to impress as much as they have so far. But that's a pretty big if as PS4 has had a stellar library with great exclusives as well as all the third party support. Wouldnt bet on it, but wont rule it out either.
Switch might be the top dog from this gen if first party games continue to impress as much as they have so far. But that's a pretty big if as PS4 has had a stellar library with great exclusives as well as all the third party support. Wouldnt bet on it, but wont rule it out either.