The 10th Hour 12.14.07: Top 10 Best Consoles Ever

Posted by Derek Robbins on 12.14.2007

There have been a lot of consoles released in our time...from the Atari all the way up to the Wii. Which ones do 411 columnist Derek Robbins deem to be the top ten best ever? This edition of the 10th Hour fills you in!

Hello and welcome to this week's tenth hour! Before I get started, I'd like to talk about a couple of things:

-For those of you who have followed me, you know about my weird obsession with Kousuke Fukudome. WE SIGNED HIM FINALLY. I so wanted to break the news on 411 (since I actually found out about it before I saw it posted on ESPN or anything like that), but I didn't know if I was allowed to do that, so I let it slide. I just figured I would let you know that I am EXCITED about this. What an awesome pick up. Now if we can get that ‘roid abuser Brian Roberts, we'll be good to go.

-I'd like to announce right her and right now that next week will be a VERY SPECIAL 10th hour. This was originally planned for this week, but I pushed it back to next week for two reasons. 1-) It's the last 10th hour before Christmas and 2-) I wanted to give NiGHTS for the wii a fair shake since I feel it holds a lot of potential. That's right, next week I break down the 20 best games of the year! Twenty! Ten more than ten! So make sure to check it out. I have a preliminary list typed out, and right now…anything could really change around. Except the top-2 games. I'm fairly certain I chose the right two. Anyhow, make sure to check back next week for that one.

Okay, with those two bits of news out of the way…let's check out my feedback from last week.

Viewer feedback

The reason I say "Feedback" is because I am also including comments I received on it. Alright, let's take a look at a few. As always, their stuff is in italics.

The first one is from Michael who writes here. It's pretty awesome, especially if you're a big wrestling fan like I am. Also, if you don't want spoilers on the Prince of Persia trilogy, you may wanna gloss over this one.

Liked your list of best game endings and would nominate the entire Prince of Persia trilogy for great endings all around:

Sands of Time: Having seen Farah die, the Prince manages to rewind time back to before his father attacked the Sultan. He takes the dagger to Farah and we realize this whole time the Prince has been telling the story of the adventure to her. He defeats the Vizer but Farah refuses to believe his wild tale. He kisses her but when she protests, he rewinds time to make her forget and leaves, having saved his people and the world but lost his love.

Warrior Within: Either going on your own or having saved the Empress, the Prince returns to his home to find it in flames as the words of the old seer come back to him: "You cannot change your fate. No man can."

The Two Thrones: After defeating the Dark Prince and saved the city, the Prince is asked by Farah how he knew her name and begins to repeat the speech from SOT on time, a wonderful full circle to the trilogy.


Just my own fave addition to your great list. Keep up the good work

Honestly, I haven't played a Prince of Persia after number one. No, I didn't let the professional opinion affect me. Hell, I never do. I love Sonic the Hedgehog for the 360, so there you go. I just didn't like the new image direction and felt they were whoring themselves out to appeal to a broader audience. That said, I appear to have missed out on an awesome story and will have to play the last two games. Thanks for showing me this Michael! I'm a huge fan of full-circle stories.

The next is a comment from Rod

If you like an epic ending, you HAVE to experience the Renegade ending of Mass Effect. Totally badass, and really made me want to start playing the sequel immediately. I liked how the choices you make during the final sequences really come together in the ending.

I agree that Mass Effect is an awesome, awesome game…but I'm not sure I liked the ending as much as you did. To be fair, I have an insanely unreasonably bias against Eastern RPGs…so that could play into it. But what's really important is that you enjoy it. I mean, really, I could care less if IGN gives God Hand a score in the threes. I LOVE IT.

Here's one from Luke

Final Fantasy IX... Personally I can't see how anyone can rate it so highly. The plot managed to bore me into stopping playing twice, (Once on Disc 3, once on Disc 4), and Zidane's arrival was so obvious and cheesy... Ah well- different strokes etc.

Oh I knew Zidane was coming back, but I am a HUGE fan of cheese. I also love how the game told you what happened to everyone in your party…like Star Ocean 3, except…well, I liked it. I'm surprised you quit playing on Disk 4, though. But hey, if it bores ya', it bores ya'. I loved the Card Game, so I felt IX had a ton of replay value.

This next comment is from Scotty


I'm really surprised you didn't include Conker's Bad Fur Day. It has a "full circle" ending with Conker on his throne surrounded by all the characters you met in the game. Plus the buildup to it is great, with the Panther King not even being the final boss and the dialogue between Conker and the "Creator". Great stuff.

You're…actually right about this. I can't believe I forgot about Conker! What's weird about that game is that I preferred the N64 version to the X-Box version. I don't even know why. Still though, you got me…you're 100% right. Conker deserved recognition and I failed.

Lastly, here's another e-mail from Fred he wrote me last week in a barely legibly piece of literature,

hoi dar u insut me u fat fuk!!! at lest im not gay lulz o yeh ur list suks agan and all thise gaems suk!! finle fantsy 7 is the gretest and so is halo3

You've got to be a troll. I mean, there's no way you can say: "yeh ur list suks agan" and then cite FF VII (One of the worst endings ever) and Halo 3 (Average ending). I mean, jeesh. Still though, I noticed this week you've spelled more things correctly, so those classes at the adult correctional facility must be paying off.

Alright, let's move on to the actual list.

Top-10 Gaming Systems

Alright! This week's list is the top-10 best gaming systems ever. Every system is eligible…but you should notice that I don't include the PC. This list is exclusively dedicated to home consoles and portable systems. After that though, it's fair game. Anyhow, let's get this ball rolling!

10-) X-Box 360 - Currently the best of the Next-gen consoles available despite all of those red-ring problems that persisted with the earlier X-Box 360s. Sure, the Wii may be the more popular system…but between the Wii and 360 which system has more games to play right now? The 360. Sure, the Wii is going to have a pretty decent year next year…but the 360 has done nothing but impress me so far. You have stuff for everyone: Shooting fans have…well…a lot of stuff to play, but most impressively the Orange Box and Halo, JRPG enthusiasts can play some Eternal Sonata, WRPG fans have Oblivion and Mass Effect, Weeaboos have Katamari, MMO enthusiasts can play FF XI, gamers with standards so low they make my ex-girlfriend's standards look high (HIYO!) can play the same damn Madden game that was released four years ago. Oh, and for those of you saying: "THE PS3 has a lot of those!" Yeah, they do. Most of your games are also either A-)Uglier or B-) Run Slower. Madden runs at THIRTY Frames Per Second on the PS3. Pathetic. Also, what first party does the triple have? Resistance? Hurr Hurr Hurr, please. For third party and first party gaming…The 360 is the winner of the current console war. Though, let's be honest here…when the new Smash Brothers comes out I will probably be singing a different tune.

- The 360 is the ONLY next-gen console to crack the list. Hrm. This is Mass Effect, one of its better games.

9-) Gameboy Color - I'm going to give this the nod over the original gameboy namely because it can play all the old Gameboy games and even play some new ones in color. The Gameboy can be credited with pushing along portable gaming. Other portable systems WERE superior technologically to the Gameboy. The Game Gear kicked its ass. What set it apart was the games. Off the top of your head, can you name ONE classic Game Gear game? One game that you can say generations of gamers love? No. The Gameboy and the Gameboy Color have a couple, but I intend to highlight one in particular Pokemon. I mean, I don't even need to say anything else, do I? Pokemon entertains young and old even to this day. It's a game that can employ a lot of strategy if you are into the tournament scene or very little if you want to just beat the game and catch ‘em all. The Gamegear had no games like this, but the Color did and it is remembered fondly by a lot of gamers. Especially me.

- One of the most important franchises in gaming history was born on the Gameboy.

8-) Sega Dreamcast - Easily the most under-rated system of all time and I can't quite understand why it failed. Was it poor timing? Was it people questioning whether Sega can be credible following the Saturn debacle? Was it people simply shrugging their shoulders and saying: "lulz sega sux."? I don't know, but I do know that the Dreamcast was a very fun system that introduced us to a lot of classic games…From Shenmue, to Project Justice, to the two Sonic Adventures, to Jet Set Radio…the Dreamcast simply delivered. I may disagree with their advertising – I mean, really…"It's Thinking"? Sega, you can do better than that – but I don't disagree with their quality. The Dreamcast was better than most of its competition and had no business dieing out. I'd be in full support of Sega re-entering the console business.

- BEFORE I AVENGE MY FATHER, I MUST PLAY A TON OF PACHINKO. FUCK YEAH.

7-) NES - I think I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the NES on this list. Without the NES odds are that our little gaming ‘fad' would have been obliterated and all of us who wish to play videogames would have to import their stuff from Japan. The videogame industry was on death's door when the NES came out and the Nintendo pulled a "Chris Jericho" and saved us from things such as outdoor activity. The reason the NES is so fondly remembered is because it had great games. I mean, stuff everyone could enjoy…Mario and Zelda started here! Mario and Zelda! Imagine what our industry would be without those two franchises? Without a doubt, the most important console ever made…but unlike OTHER lists out there, I do not equate most important with best. The NES was wonderful, but there are better. Without a doubt though, we'd have been in a lot of trouble if it weren't for this little baby.

- We've come a long way, baby

6-) GBA - The next version of the Gameboy Advance. It featured high(er) quality graphics than the Gameboy, which admittedly wasn't too difficult, and a wider variety of games. Since a lot of parents buy gameboys for their children, you know, to shut ‘em up while they're in the car, there are a lot of junkie games out there. I mean, a LOT more than for your normal console. Outside the trash though, you get the treasure. Some awesome games have been released for the Gameboy Advance including a long-awaited sequel to Earthbound, a new version of Final Fantasy Tactics, a couple of Zelda games, and various other awesome first party stuff. Was there a lot of garbage for the GBA? Absolutely! Was it worth sifting through that garbage to play some greatness? Without a doubt. The only knock on the system would be the dark screen and the GBA SP takes care of that…really, until the DS came out this was the absolute pinnacle of portable gaming.

- FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NINTENDO. BRING MOTHER 3 to AMERICA.

5-) Sega Genesis - The 16-bit console wars were the best. It seemed that each of the two competitors tried their hardest to push their rival to the next level. The Genesis gave us a lot of classic games and introduced us to the blue blur himself: Sonic the Hedgehog! Say what you will about Sonic's latest games (And I won't listen. I'm a mindless Sonic fan. I'm one of three people in the world who can STAND Sonic for the 360 and Sonic Heroes) but he is a certifiable gaming icon who is possibly the second most well known character out there. Yes, Sega promised us "Blast Processing"…and they didn't give it, but I don't really care. What they gave us was wonderful. I have such fond memories of playing Aladdin and Rocket Knight Adventures and Earthworm Jim as a kid…Yeah, sure, Sega's attempt to add onto the Genesis is questionable (Sega CD and 32X? Hahah, oh wow), but I don't consider that into my account. The Sega Genesis was masterful for its time.

- The Genesis was competing with the NES originally. Clearly, it's easy to see why it sold so well. Sonic looks good for such an old game.

4-) Nintendo DS - The finest portable system ever made. People awash in nostalgia may argue that the original Gameboy was the best, but…it wasn't. The DS has by far the best games available – it has EXCELLENT third party support – and includes on-line play for the first time ever in a portable console. (Yes, I am aware the PSP does it too. The DS came first, though) On top of this, the DS has some impressive power behind it and it can play some of the classic N64 games out there. MARIO 64 portable AND better looking than the original? FUCK YEAH. As if that wasn't enough, the DS is also backwards compatible with the Gameboy Advance, so you can just throw your old GBAs away (Unless you're hell bent on playing your old Gameboy Color carts)! If you add all of these things up and INCLUDE its massive popularity – it's on track to becoming the most successful videogame system ever – you have a winner. Long live the DS.

- THIS cutscene is from FF XII: Revenant Wings. A DS game. Damn impressive.

3-) Playstation 1 - I credit this system with making gaming "cool". Prior to the release of the Playstation, I felt there was a general consensus that gaming was either A-) kiddy or B-) For dorks. The Playstation changed this, as it incorporated CDs and mature-looking 3D games. As if that wasn't enough, it also has a rather impressive library of games and it REALLY launched the RPG genre off in America with the massively over-rated Final Fantasy VII. Like the GBA a lot of companies were out to make a quick buck off of Sony's success, but the ‘golden' stuff the PS1 has is simply amazing. From the legendary Metal Gear Solid to Twisted Metal the Playstation really did have something for everyone. When I was younger I was a HUGE Nintendrone and always went on and on how the N64 was better than the Playstation. I was wrong, I was dead wrong. The PS1's expansive library and accessibility is FAR better than what the Nintendo 64 had to offer. If I had known this, I may have actually purchased my Playstation sooner than I did. I ended up getting it four months before the PS2 came out. Needless to say, I had a lot (and I mean a lot) of catching up to do. An amazing, amazing system.

- He may not be in high esteem these days, but...for a while he was considered to be the next Sonic or Mario.

2-) Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Without a doubt, this system had the best "good game to bad game" ratio. When I sift through my SNES game collection I rarely find one I can't get any enjoyment out of. As much as I loved the Genesis – which I got more than two years before I got the SNES – the Super Nintendo absolutely blows it out of the water in my opinion. Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VI, Super Mario RPG, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country, Killer Instinct…and so many more. Nintendo delivers on every level with this console. It has the finest side-scrolling games out there, it has possibly the best collection of RPGs (Chrono Trigger! Earthbound! FF VI!)…it really has everything. The SNES is the reason, in my mind, that there are so many people so feverishly loyal to Nintendo. Super Smash Brothers is successful because of this. We LOVE these characters. The SNES was the very best console until quite recently…

- *Insert Obligatory EB reference*

1-) Playstation 2 - I can't believe how good the SNES is. That's right IS. For some reason, the Playstation 2 is STILL putting out quality games. I remembered earlier last year, I thought: "Kingdom Hearts 2. This'll be the LAST good game I play for the PS2". Odin Sphere, Persona 3 (A game of the freaking year candidate) and the Second God of War slap me right upside the head. The fact is, with all of these new consoles out…I find myself playing MORE Playstation 2 than I do the current consoles. I don't know if that says something bad about the next-gen consoles or it says something good about the Playstation 2…but I think that's really impressive. The Playstation 2 has a pretty vast library of games – with many classics from all sorts of genres…including the creation of a new mascot in Ratchet – and includes the ability to play DVDs and PS1 games. I really can't say enough good things about this system…really, if I had to compile a top-10 favorite game list…I think three or four of those games would come from the Playstation 2. That's pretty good when almost HALF of my favorite games come from one system. If you are sitting at home reading this and DON"T own a PS2…go out right now and get it. It cots 129.99 and I guarantee it'll be the best 129.99 you ever spend. You'll have so many great games to go back and catch up on it'll really drive ya' crazy finding them all. The PS2 made me fall back in love with gaming. It is easily the finest system ever made.

- You need to play this game. Persona 3 is incredible.

That is it for this week, check back next time for the TOP-20 GAMES OF THE YEAR. We'll see how I do. Hopefully I hit all the marquis games out there. I'm sure it'll be fun coming up with a list, and hopefully you can somewhat agree with me.

Then again, the beauty about gaming is that we all have different tastes and there are literally hundreds of different games that people could put into their own individual top-20 games of the year.

That said, these are my picks. See you next week!

Til' the crossroads