From a rough count on my hand just now, I have realized that I have owned 9 different video game consoles over my life so far; which is enough for me to write a Top 5-ish post! Video Gaming has been a major part of my life for over two decades now, but before that…not so much!
I have always enjoyed playing games, either it be video, card, or board games. I realized recently, that I am at my happiest when playing games with my friends. The first experience I had with video gaming, was through my oldest brother, who owned a Sega Mega Drive, and played classic games like Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Micro Machines, and Mortal Kombat II. But playing on his machine, was dependant on him allowing me and my other brother to play on it.
Eventually I got my own consoles. My first home console was a Sega Master System II, which was given to me by friends of the family. It was an OK machine, and had Alex Kidd in Miracle World built into it, which I played a lot. But I think the first actual console I owned in any shape or form, was a Nintendo Game Boy, which I had a lot of fun with, up to it getting stolen, but then played beyond that when I received the replacement for it, in a Game Boy Pocket. I even had a Game Boy styled bath toy.
For me though, my gaming life really took off, when my parents bought me a second hand Nintendo 64, from friends of my brother. I absolutely loved it, and it came with some classic games like Goldeneye 007, and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, and would later receive more games for it like F-Zero X, and Pokémon Stadium 1 and 2. And from there, gaming became an integral part of my life, and since have owned many more consoles, adding my total up to at least 9.
So, why not rank which ones were my favourite. It would also mean that I don’t have to randomly consider other consoles I didn’t own, nor have experience of playing on. Now originally, it was going to be a Top 5, but then thought, why not cover all 9, as it is more of a personal post, and each has a story to them? And so, without further ado, here are My Top 5 Favourite Video Game Consoles that I have owned at some point in my life so far; Enjoy!
9. Master System II – I’ve only just discovered, that the Master System II, wasn’t a second generation version of the original Master System, instead it was just a lower cost model. The master System II was as I mentioned given to me by some friends of the family, and it came with some games. Although the only two I can remember was a Sonic game with a minecart stage, and also Alex Kidd in Miracle World, a game fondly remembered by my Mam, who couldn’t get past the frog in the first level. It was a nice looking little console, but only had one great game on it, but is still fondly remembered for that one game!
8. Nintendo 3DS – I received my 3DS one Christmas, and it was a console I largely played, when I wasn’t on a home console, or PC. It was a machine I very much under utilized, as most game purchases I made, were for other consoles, so I had very few things to play on it. I did of course have a Brain Training game, and a couple of Pokémon games, in Pokémon SoulSilver, and Pokémon Rumble Blast. I also had a demo for Steel Diver: Sub Wars, but never got round to buying/playing the full game. I also largely kept the 3D effects off. It was a cool little console, and filled in my time quite usefully when travelling by train. But that all came to a halt, when I discovered the joy of reading on a train instead!
7. Game Boy – The first of (accidentally) two Game Boy’s I owned (barring the bubble bath toy), the first of which, was in a lovely yellow. I received it for Christmas from my parents, and initially had two games for it. I had Super Mario Land, and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Out of the two I preferred 6 Golden Coins. And then a year later I received the Game Boy Camera, which I largely used to make stop motion-ish films with, and play that fun game where you can use pictures taken, to become bosses in a Space Invader style game. And then one day, the house got burgled, and they took both my Game Boy, and 6 Golden Coins, which was in it at the time!
6. Game Boy Pocket – Once the whole Burglary thing had passed, I received my replacement Game Boy, in the form of a red Game Boy Pocket, which was sadly not as chunky as the previous console. Anyway, over the years that I owned it, I played a whole lot more on this than I played on the stolen one. I couldn’t play 6 Golden Coins obviously, but I played other terrific game on it, including Wario Land, and had my first taste of Pokémon (in video game format); firstly with a friend of my brother’s copy of (I think) Red, and then a copy of Yellow which I received for my Birthday one year. And a bit later on, I also got a Godzilla game too. Whilst it wasn’t as pretty or as chunky as the stolen model, I did get more out of this one, which is why it get’s placed a little higher.
5. Nintendo 64 – Whilst the Master System II, was my first home console (i.e. one that you plugged into the TV), the N64 felt like my first proper one, with a huge assortment of games to get stuck into. I received it in late 2000, and over the two years it held my attention, I loved the experience of it. As stated I did play Rogue Squadron and Goldeneye on it quite frequently. I also quite frequently rented games from Blockbuster to play on it, like Mario Kart 64, and Mario Party 2. During this time though, I like many loved Pokémon, and so loved playing the Pokémon Stadium games the most (as well as occassionally renting Pokémon Snap too); which is why it’s so nice that they (and Snap) have been re-released on Nintendo Switch’s N64 Online service!
4. Wii – Classic pun intended; I loved playing with my Wii. After four glorious years playing with my GameCube, I naturally progressed onto the Wii. I had known about it’s existence for about one and a half years, thanks to Cube magazine, highlighting it’s approach. The Wii was a very unique experience, and one that hasn’t really been attempted since. OK, both Sony and Microsoft introduced motion control systems to their then respective consoles, but that was entirely due to the success of the Wii, and them wanting some of that money. For me though, the Wii was a very solitary gaming experience, largely playing by myself, on a console largely directed at group play. But that doesn’t necessarilly mean I had a rough time, I actually had a great time, with highlights for me including Wii Sports Resort, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, and Red Steel. But eventually, there would come a time, where I would want more from my solo gaming experience, and so I bought an additional console!
3. PlayStation 3 – Needing more of a solo gaming experience, than playing a string of party based games by myself; I bought a PS3. It was a flip of the coin decision really, as there were things available on both Xbox 360, and PS3 I wanted to play; but then there was more I wanted to play on the PS3, like MAG, so I got a PS3. As time passed, I played more and more on the PS3, choosing to play on the Wii, when I needed a break from games like Killzone 3, Heavy Rain, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, and Far Cry 3. I think in total I played more games on the PS3 than I did on the Wii. And even when newer machines came out, I still chose to play on the PS3, and in total, had the console for 10 years, before selling it on. It was a nice refreshing experience, which allowed me to jump back into a more classic gaming mode, rather than playing things that involved waving a stick about!
2. Nintendo GameCube – It’s easy to feel sorry for the GameCube, as it was a very under-appreciated machine during it’s generation. It lacked many of the major games being released on both the PlayStation 2, and the original Xbox, and lacked some of their more enticing features, like being able to play DVD’s. I remember at school, other kids making fun of me for being a GameCube player. But to be honest I didn’t really care all that much, because they were the ones truly missing out. The GameCube had a whole range of truly unique titles, not available on either of the other two, it’s was a consistently fun machine to play on (I rarely ever had a dull gaming experience), and it had by far, the best controller ever designed for a games console. I spent hours, in my bedroom, glued to the screen, enjoying games like James Bond 007 Nightfire, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, WWE Day of Reckoning, and of course; F-Zero GX. It was designed to be a video games machine, pure and simple; and it did more than simply achieve that goal!
1. Nintendo Switch – Whilst I do still have posession of my GameCube; the only console I am aware of currently owning, and that I play frequently enough; is my Nintendo Switch. I bought it on release day in the UK, and even now, I am discovering more and more joy from it. I have played many of the major games for it, from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom, to Super Mario Odyssey, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe, along with some lesser considered titles like Pokkén Tournament DX. But what’s been really cool these last couple of years, is playing classic PC games on it, that I have played before, but gives me the opportunity to play them on a TV screen, rather than a monitor, with my two highlights (so far) being Borderlands 1 and 2. And then there other titles, that were released on older consoles, but which I didn’t to play until their Switch re-release; like No More Heroes 1 and 2. It’s a machine, which has continually evolved with me, over it’s lifetime, giving me opportunities I thought I had lost, as well as chances to try old favourites, in a new way. And whilst it’s being doing those two, it has provided new titles to enjoy in between. It’s the gaming gift, that truly keeps on giving!
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