My subjective opinion on console generations and modern games

In the future, I plan to write a post about my favorite retro games, because this list mainly concerns games that are relatively new (released in the 6th generation of consoles and/or later), and these are generations of games in which diamonds (such as FEZ or The Witcher 3) are rather exceptions to the rule, and games that, at least for me, are interesting and give me a good dose of fun are a rarity in the new generations of consoles and PC games. Therefore, these ratings are about the games that I considered worth mentioning, but for contrast, I also mentioned a few games that I thought would be good (because, for example, I played previous iterations of a given brand) and turned out to be a total failure. The table format also forces me to write a maximum of 2-3 sentences per game. Perhaps I will write a more extensive review of my favorite platforms when it comes to retro games.

I also omitted competitive games such as LoL, TF2, CS:GO, Fortnite, etc. from this list. Why? Mainly because these games are not closed compositions, and if I wanted to evaluate them, I would have to evaluate a specific season in a given game, for example. Secondly, because I am not a fan of such games (I had a moment in my life when I tried to play TF2), I don't like them. Thirdly, from an ethical point of view, I disagree with what these games represent or have in their content: microtransactions, buying and trading skins, many anti-cheat systems do not work on Linux and not because it is technically impossible, but because many of the companies responsible for these games have decided to exclude the entire Linux system because it is by definition incompatible with anti-cheat systems here you can read more about this topic. Most games of this type fall under at least these two accusations.

This post would be far too long if I wanted to explain and describe in detail why I think these three points work against players. However, to sum up, if a game meets at least two of these points, I don't think it makes sense for me to spend the time needed to write a blog post about it or rate it on my list.

GameBoy Advance and Nintendo DS

In my opinion, these are the two best consoles ever released. I could also add the 3DS here, but I don't think it has as diverse a game library as the GBA and NDS.

Why this choice?

Some of my favorite game series were released on the GBA. In my opinion, the best remake in the Pokemon series is Pokemon FireRed. There are also very good iterations of the Zelda series, and great strategy games such as Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. Nothing more, nothing less. Admittedly, the display on the original GBA wasn't the best, but nowadays most people play these games on emulators or Linux handheld consoles.

As for the Nintendo DS, it is one of the consoles with the most diverse game library. Great RPGs, great puzzle games, great platformers, and even rhythm games. When it comes to this console, in my opinion, playing these games on an emulator is a bit pointless. The console itself suffers from broken hinges, but that doesn't change the fact that some of the best Pokémon and Mario games were released on this platform.

Nintendo 3DS, Classic GameBoy and Gameboy Color, PlayStation 1, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, Playstation Portable PSP.

Nintendo 3DS. The best portable console released to date, it can play NDS games and, with emulators, games from other consoles. It does not have as many different games as the NDS, but it is still a console worth considering for any video game fan. In a way, it is the console that the NDS aspired to be but failed to become. Despite this, it still sold better than its competitors' portable consoles.

Classic GameBoy and Gameboy Color. No backlight, poor graphics even for its time, and yet it's in Tier A. This is the console that started one of my favorite series, Pokemon, which is mainly why it's in this spot. Besides, many other great games were released for this console, some of my favorites being: Tetris, TLoZ: Links's Awakening, Mario Picross. Nowadays, I recommend playing classic GB games on the Super Gameboy emulator, which is an emulator of the SGB add-on for the SNES console. It has additional frames and colors for games, which makes them look less crude than on the original.

Playstation 1. I'm not a big Sony gamer, but the PS1 had such a diverse game library that I also found something for myself: Crash Bandicoot, Final Fantasy.

Sega Dreamcast. One of the most underrated consoles of all time. The first in its generation with such graphics. The first with online features. With a good game library, yet remembered in history as strange and forgotten.

Nintendo Wii. The console that started the motion gaming trend, backward compatible with GameCube, is in fact an extension of GameCube with several great games (e.g., Mario Galaxy) and motion features. It outsold all other consoles of its generation.

PlayStation 2. As I mentioned earlier, I am far from being a Sony fan, but in order for this subjective assessment not to be too subjective, I couldn't give the best-selling console in history a rating lower than tier A.

PSP. I remember this console mainly for a few cool games (Lemmings, LocoRoco, Patapon, etc.) and for the fact that it had real 3D graphics in games, rather than a voxel engine with overlaid textures like the NDS.

Nintendo GameCube, Sega GameGear, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Switch. GameCube. The first Nintendo console to compete with the PS1, it was technologically much better than the PS1, but unfortunately, due to a few bad decisions, it has been somewhat forgotten. Although I still think it is much better to have a small library of games, but with only gems in it, than to have a million games, half of which no one will play after 20 years. GC games have proven their timelessness, as some of them are still being released as remakes for subsequent Nintendo platforms.

GameGear. A competitor to the Gameboy, better than it in every way, although the game library is a little more meager. But I think it deserves a mention. Nintendo 64. In terms of its market position and game library, this console was similar to the GC, except that in this case the limitation was the hardware rather than management decisions. The design was very strange to still use cartridges for gaming instead of discs. Nevertheless, several games were released for it, thanks to which series such as Mario and Zelda became video game legends.

NES SNES. I put them in one category because, in my opinion, they should be evaluated in this way. These are consoles that have aged poorly, and it is difficult to play some games from these platforms nowadays. In my opinion, SNES performs much better in this respect, as there are several timeless gems that are worth playing even today. Nintendo Switch. Many people will ask why it ranks so low. My answer is this: it is a console that started the form factor of a tablet combined with a gamepad (no, Steam Deck wasn't the first), you can still see remnants of the Wii's motion controller, but it's not the same level of innovation as in the days of the DS and 3DS. The management's decisions regarding consumer treatment also leave much to be desired, and it is one of the first consoles to introduce a policy of remote console blocking and remote game deletion.

Nintendo Wii U, Playstation Vita, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox Classic, Playstation 3

Nintendo Wii U. The games for this console were great, with lots of remakes from GC in higher resolution and with better assets, as well as many original titles, including Zelda Breath of The Wild. However, the console had too small a game library and was not innovative enough to gain widespread popularity. If this assessment were even more subjective, this console would be in tier A or at least B.

Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox Classic. Not many exclusive games for these platforms. The devices themselves are not particularly innovative. The first Xbox is actually the same as the latest one, the only difference being the processing power . In its heyday, I had an X360, the Kinect games were terrible, and I only played a few titles that I could just as easily have played on my computer. PlayStation 3 and Vita. Two consoles that had a very difficult start at launch, and in fact, publishers were very reluctant to release games for them. It was only when modders got their hands on these consoles (Vita) or at the end of their life cycle (PS3) that they came back to life. I haven't played much on these consoles; I've held a PS Vita a few times in my life and played Gran Turismo on PS3 a few times. However, this does not change the fact that I do not have a good opinion of these consoles. PS4. A console that fixed the problems of its older brothers, Sony withdrew from the mobile market and introduced a real console with real network features and a good game library. So why so low? Because it's not a console I'm familiar with, it doesn't have a series of games I'd like to play, it's a kind of console that has disappeared somewhere between the weak PS3 and the new PS5 console.

VirtualBoy

It was a ridiculous console built on the wave of what was then very early VR. It was no more innovative than the GameBoy, it was very unergonomic, and as a result it is very rare and collectible nowadays, and therefore also expensive. It was a ridiculous console built on the wave of what was then very early VR. It was no more innovative than the GameBoy, it was very unergonomic, and as a result it is very rare and collectible nowadays, and therefore also expensive.

A version of the table with search and sort options is available at ostrowski.net.pl.