Retro Arena: 128-bit era consoles

[Leon Retro]

Which of these consoles from the 128-bit era is your favourite?

[DeathAdder]

Overall it's the PS2, but I'm reluctant to put it ahead of the Dreamcast. In footballing terms, the Dreamcast is that star striker who plays for your team for two seasons, and scores 40 or so goals in each season. The PS2 is the striker who plays for your side for ten years, notching up around 20 goals a season. He ends up with more, but you can't help nostalgically thinking of the amazing but short-lived excitement of the 40-a-season player.

There are more games I like on the PS2, but it never had years as good as the Dreamcast's.

I don't like many Gamecube games, and my first impression of it was immense disappointment that Blue Storm wasn't a patch on Wave Race 64. I've never had an X-box, so I've only played a handful of games on backwards compatibility on later consoles. I enjoyed them though - love Crimson Skies, Panzer Dragoon Orta and Jade Empire.

1. PS2
2. Dreamcast
3. X-box
4. Gamecube

[Neon Ignition]

Hardware Aesthetics
Dreamcast - Still the sexiest looking console ever made, physically just magnificent like a supermodel had a baby with a Super Nintendo
Playstation 2 - Has aged alright physically mostly due to how modern consoles have mirrored its dull design philosophy
Gamecube - I like its looks a lot but I can see why it would hamper its appeal
Xbox - I like it more than I fear I should, best system menu though

Controller
Dreamcast - I was fine with it and the VMU was a nice idea but the execution was off
Playstation 2 - It's a warhorse design so fine then as it is now
Gamecube - It's super comfortable but it reeks of the fact it was designed for a specific game and Smash fans should have let it go a very long time ago
Xbox - Was poor, got better but neither was amazing

Software
PS2 > Gamecube > Dreamcast > Xbox

PS2's library didn't always contain the best example of a port but it was without rival. Gamecube was a solid little runner and there's some great games on it that are particular to that system, Dreamcast was great to own for its software but it was arcade short experience heavy and has later been strip-mined to death by other systems including the ones in this face off. Xbox was good for 'best ports' but in a hindsight sense it has one of the shallowest 'legacy' lists of key games of any system hence its reputation being one more of it being great to run emulators on but not that worth emulating itself


Overall - It's the PS2. I can have all the soft spot I want for the others but objectively there can't be much contest for myself in what should win.

[CMcK]

This must be the first rhetorical poll on the forum. The only correct answer is the Dreamcast. It’s the last arcade influenced system and has blue skies in games not all the grim-dark west coast mutha fooka nonsense the marketing focus tested PS2 era cemented.
Look at all the great stuff the DC brought us - online, VGA, arcade perfect ports and a seemingly never ending homebrew scene.

Rez, Space Channel 5, Cosmic Smash, Crazy Taxi, Virtua Tennis, Mars Matrix, F355, MSR, Gigawing, Gunbird, Sonic, Headhunter, Shenmue, JSR etc. What a lineup. I suppose the creativity of Sega’s DC output was directly related to being a platform holder but who else had the bottle to put out stuff like that on a platform with a small user base? Easier to take chances on the PlayStation. And I appreciate that the DC did get lumbered with a lot of ports from the PlayStation but it was usually the best version of the game.

When the Dreamcast was discontinued and Sega became another third party publisher the console industry lost its soul.

[Nu-Eclipse]

The answer with my heart is the GameCube as I owned one (and STILL own a Panasonic Q - beautiful hardware even if it now sounds like a jet engine taking off!). Pretty much the last “proper” console that Nintendo have made imo.

The answer with my head is the PS2. The perfect follow-up to the gamechanging PS1.

Original Xbox was a meh for me at the time although Xbox Live set the standard for proper online console gaming and it was pretty much the first console to reinvent itself as a hackable emulation powerhouse and that deserves credit.

Dreamcast for me is a weaker Saturn and I say that with one currently sitting in my home. Yes, it has obvious arcade roots (its best games are almost exclusively coin-op ports, NAOMI architecture, etc.) but to me that was always at odds with Sega’s desire to make the DC more appealing in terms of original home content and online capabilities which gave the system a confused look imo, whereas the Saturn didn’t have the problem as it knew that its bread was firmly buttered on the arcade port side of things.

Would bite the hand off of anybody who offered to trade my DC for a JPN Saturn.

[Team Andromeda]

OG XBox for me. Pal gamers for the 1st time treated with respect, an amazing line up of games incredible graphics and 5.1 digital sound and LIVE was a reveulatiuon. Still play a lot of the system to this day (and no just for emu)

[speedlolita]

I actually think they’re all great in their own ways, very strong generation.

If I were to rank them though:

1. PlayStation 2
2. GameCube
3. Xbox
4. Dreamcast

[Leon Retro]

In footballing terms, the Dreamcast is that star striker who plays for your team for two seasons, and scores 40 or so goals in each season.

The Dreamcast is Suarez.

The PS2 is the striker who plays for your side for ten years, notching up around 20 goals a season. He ends up with more, but you can't help nostalgically thinking of the amazing but short-lived excitement of the 40-a-season player.

The PS2 is Matt Le Tissier.

I don't like many Gamecube games, and my first impression of it was immense disappointment that Blue Storm wasn't a patch on Wave Race 64.

I truly hated Blue Storm back in 2002. But I decided it was OK a few years later. Wave Race 64 is far superior in all areas though.

Dreamcast - like a supermodel had a baby with a Super Nintendo

A cute but very loud baby.

Playstation 2 - Has aged alright physically mostly due to how modern consoles have mirrored its dull design philosophy
Gamecube - I like its looks a lot but I can see why it would hamper its appeal
Xbox - I like it more than I fear I should, best system menu though

I've always thought the PS2 looks like a cheap mess. There's no finesse or charm to its design. The GameCube looks a bit like a kiddy console, but I think it's pretty cool. The Xbox is a bit too bulky, but I always appreciated how the design suited its status as the most powerful console of the era. It was very much a PC in a console case like we get with modern machines.

Xbox was good for 'best ports' but in a hindsight sense it has one of the shallowest 'legacy' lists of key games of any system hence its reputation being one more of it being great to run emulators on but not that worth emulating itself

Well, I could easily compile a list of Xbox games that stand the test of time. You have great titles like Panzer Dragoon Orta, Crimson Skies, Otogi 1 & 2, Kung-Fu Chaos, OutRun 2006, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Grabbed by the Ghoulies etc.. etc....

Overall - It's the PS2. I can have all the soft spot I want for the others but objectively there can't be much contest for myself in what should win.

As much as it's true that the PS2 dominated that era and gave gamers loads of great games, I wouldn't pick the PS2. I'd probably go for the Xbox, with the Dreamcast and GameCube fighting for 2nd place.

This must be the first rhetorical poll on the forum. The only correct answer is the Dreamcast.

Well, it's all about personal feelings. I really enjoyed my time with the Dreamcast between 1999-2002, but it definitely didn't receive loads of good to great games. There aren't many Dreamcast games that have me coming back for more.

And I appreciate that the DC did get lumbered with a lot of ports from the PlayStation but it was usually the best version of the game.

The Dreamcast is a powerful machine that can output a beautiful image, so it's a shame the tech wasn't pushed further and further over 5-6 years like most consoles are. We only saw two waves of games before Sega stopped making the machine.

Original Xbox was a meh for me at the time although Xbox Live set the standard for proper online console gaming and it was pretty much the first console to reinvent itself as a hackable emulation powerhouse and that deserves credit.

A lot of my fondness for the Xbox is down to its excellent online gaming. Xbox Live really was astonishingly good back then -- and games like Moto GP, PGR2, Halo 2 etc... were a joy to play online.

Would bite the hand off of anybody who offered to trade my DC for a JPN Saturn.

I'm sure you can get a nice condition JPN Saturn for under £50. It's worth it.

OG XBox for me. Pal gamers for the 1st time treated with respect,

Well, Dreamcast owners were treated quite well in PAL-land. It was great how machines from that era embraced 60Hz for PAL gamers. I think the PS2 was still delivering a lot of 50Hz games though.

Softmod an Xbox for 480p and it's a beautiful sight to behold. The HDMI adapter we have works really well.

[DeathAdder]

If I played online I'd probably rate the Xbox more highly.

Part of my fondness for the Dreamcast is probably down to the fact that it was the only choice in its generation for more than a year.

[Team Andromeda]

[QUOTE=Leon Retro;2316240

Well, Dreamcast owners were treated quite well in PAL-land. It was great how machines from that era embraced 60Hz for PAL gamers. I think the PS2 was still delivering a lot of 50Hz games though.

Softmod an Xbox for 480p and it's a beautiful sight to behold. The HDMI adapter we have works really well. [/QUOTE]

To a point , but VF 3, SEGA Rally 2 and Code Veronica only run at 50Hz. With the XBox almost every game supported full screen and 60 Hz gaming and with LIVE the wait for Pal games after the USA launch got smaller and smaller.

[ZipZap]

I'll probably go:

PS2
Dreamcast
Gamecube
Xbox

...but the Xbox far behind the other three.

My heart wants to put the Dreamcast first because it got me into gaming again after largely losing interest in my late teens. I loved all of the arcade ports, colourful graphics and cheerful music. Realistically though, the PS2 was my main console for many years and has a great line-up that probably beats the Dreamcast in most areas. Even when it comes to shmups, I would choose Dodonpachi DOJ, Espgaluda and Gradius V over anything on the DC.

The Gamecube had the usual line-up of good first party games, but I'm not sure there are too many that rank alongside Nintendo's best ( guess some people would say F-Zero, but I was never a huge fan). The "exclusive" Capcom games turned out to be not-so-exclusive with the RE titles ending up on pretty much every system since, and Viewtiful Joe and Killer 7 also appearing on the PS2.

I picked up the Xbox quite late on, mostly for the Sega games. I loved Outrun 2, but there wasn't much else that really gripped me. Once Outrun C2C came out for the PS2, it soon ended up back in its box. It's the only one of the four I don't own today. Maybe if it wasn't so BIG I might keep one in a cupboard somewhere

[ZipZap]

To a point , but VF 3, SEGA Rally 2 and Code Veronica only run at 50Hz. With the XBox almost every game supported full screen and 60 Hz gaming and with LIVE the wait for Pal games after the USA launch got smaller and smaller.

Whilst obviously there are a few exceptions, *almost* every Dreamcast game supported 60hz as well. The Dreamcast did really pave the way in this area, but even on the PS2, which had a few terrible ports early on (Devil May Cry, for example), 60hz mode was pretty standard by the time the Xbox was released.

[ZipZap]

I've always thought the PS2 looks like a cheap mess. There's no finesse or charm to its design. The GameCube looks a bit like a kiddy console, but I think it's pretty cool. The Xbox is a bit too bulky, but I always appreciated how the design suited its status as the most powerful console of the era. It was very much a PC in a console case like we get with modern machines.

I actually think the PS2 looks quite good. Whilst I have a soft spot for the Dreamcast swirl, I think that blue logo on the flat black face actually looks quite sophisticated compared to the others. I also remember liking the blue LED when I first bought it, though within 12 months they were showing up on Argos kettles and quickly looked tacky as hell.

Special mention to the PS2 slim as well. I wish I could get a version of every console that is so small and neat.

The Dreamcast looks fine, but is very 90s console-y. I like the Gamecube, it's very Nintendo. It screams "fun"! Far nicer looking than the dull Wii/Wii-U design and branding. It doesn't fit in TV stands very well though! The Xbox is just too big and bulky for me, and I don't really like the branding; a bit like a gamer PC.

[wakka]

Like others, PS2 has to be the one for me. A very broad variety of games, and it played host to the initial releases of the MGS and GTA games of that gen.

In terms of hardware design, the Dreamcast is kinda cute but a little ‘meh’ to me. There’s very little that stands out about it, it hews closely to the design of the PlayStation and Saturn - toploader in the middle, power and reset on the top and to the left and right respectively.

PS2, to me at least, had a much more interesting design. Oddly off centred when horizontal (unusual considering virtually every console up to this point had featured a symmetrical design), its sharply angular corners, front loading disc tray and discreet buttons let you know that this was intended to be a serious, futuristic piece of AV equipment.

The ability to place the machine vertically (and, in doing so with the original external HDD add on, make your console look like a mini set of Tokyo skyscrapers) was also a significant innovation that has been copied by almost every machine since.

It’s a highly distinctive design which I think was a strong expression of the message Sony wanted to communicate about the console.

I’ve said this before on here, but the GameCube was almost a perfect counterpoint - a toy box with a bright, multicoloured controller like a Bop-It!, through which Nintendo communicated that it was all about fun.

[Leon Retro]

To a point , but VF 3, SEGA Rally 2 and Code Veronica only run at 50Hz. With the XBox almost every game supported full screen and 60 Hz gaming and with LIVE the wait for Pal games after the USA launch got smaller and smaller.

Yeah, the Xbox really embraced PAL 60Hz and other options such as widescreen and 480p. Xbox Live was also brilliant. I had loads of fun with my Xbox from 2002-2005. I often go back to some of its best games and they still look pretty good.

My heart wants to put the Dreamcast first because it got me into gaming again after largely losing interest in my late teens. I loved all of the arcade ports, colourful graphics and cheerful music.

As much as the Dreamcast wasn't a big thing commercially, it really felt cutting edge to have a Dreamcast between 1999-2001. What it was doing with graphics really was astonishing. I have a lot of nostalgia for how exciting it was to be a Dreamcast owner.

Maybe if it wasn't so BIG I might keep one in a cupboard somewhere

It might just about fit in a loft.

I actually think the PS2 looks quite good.

I can sort of see what Sony were trying to do with the design -- to make it look monolithic, but the plastic and overall build is a bit too cheap. Of course, maybe it was a bit too ambitious for the price it sold for. I much prefer the tiny slim machine.

But it does have a distinct design that some people are fond of.

The Dreamcast looks fine, but is very 90s console-y. I like the Gamecube, it's very Nintendo. It screams "fun"! Far nicer looking than the dull Wii/Wii-U design and branding. .

Yeah, the GameCube design is much more interesting and attractive than the Wii/Wii U. It's such a cute machine.

Like others, PS2 has to be the one for me. A very broad variety of games, and it played host to the initial releases of the MGS and GTA games of that gen.

It really did dominate that era of gaming with all sorts of brilliant titles. It was interesting to see the hardware pushed further and further over the years. It also lasted longer than the Xbox and GameCube.

I’ve said this before on here, but the GameCube was almost a perfect counterpoint - a toy box with a bright, multicoloured controller like a Bop-It!, through which Nintendo communicated that it was all about fun.

The GameCube has an old school charm that sends the message it's all about gaming. It's easily my favourite console design from that period next to the Dreamcast,