16-bit console wars

[Mister Jack]

This topic is for those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s.

 

When you were a kid, if you had a 16-bit system, which one did you own? If you ended up owning both after the prices plummeted, only count the one you owned back when they were still relevant. Owning both consoles was fairly uncommon since most parents didn't want to buy games for two systems. Which side were you on? Did you get into immature arguments with your peers about how yours was better than theirs? Be honest.

[Sindo]

Both. I LOVE 16 bit games.

[Mister Jack]

I didn't get an SNES until after the PS1 was out, so I just had the Sega Genesis. Fortunately, I knew a friend who had the SNES, so I still got to play it often. Oh the hours we wasted on Donkey Kong Country...good times.

[Sindo]

I did enjoy my SNES more, but they both had great games.

[Mister Jack]

I pretty much had no choice but to enjoy my genesis more. I would have been a pretty bitter kid if I didn't.

[Dev_Revenge]

I had both. Got the Genesis pretty soon after launch, a few months after. The TG-16 was on the market but I had a feeling that wouldn't do as well (basically because I knew SEGA from the 8-bit days.) I had no idea that NEC was dominating in Japan, although I had read about it. I think the main thing for me on the Genesis vs TG-16 was that I could tell the Genesis was a real 16 bit machine. The TG was definitely capable of incredible things, don't get me wrong, but I felt like the Genesis had the better future.

 

I think my parents might have been a little annoyed that I got a Super NES at launch, but by that point I knew I had to have Mario in my life. The Genesis was a gamble that I was happy with, the SNES was a calculated decision.

 

I'm definitely glad to have had both, I had friends that had only one and their opinions were shaded. As a fan of sports games back then, definitely glad I had the Genesis. The EA games on SNES were usually terrible. As a fan of RPGs, had to have a SNES. Had to have both really, but you couldn't be without a SNES.

 

It was a pretty cool time in the industry. I don't think a generation has ever been split more down the middle. Certainly there has never been a case where one machine did some things better than the other, but you couldn't really define which machine was better.

 

We're still arguing about it 20 years later. It was SNES btw

[Commander Shepard]

 

All that blast processing.

 

Though I went through both consoles, enjoying what they had to offer. I used to have a local game shop where I traded in my NES and games for a Genesis and some games, then traded it, down the road after playing so many Genesis games, in for a SNES. Had equal fun and fond memories with both.

[Mister Jack]

I think I actually still have a magazine somewhere with that ad. I have a lot of old magazines from the NES or Sega/SNES days. They're useless now as news or tip sources, but I just can't bring myself to throw them away. Too many memories.

[Dev_Revenge]

Those ads were awesome. Nintendo had some ads that answered in a similar fashion, and then Neo Geo joined in. Loved it, it was like an extension of EGM honestly.

 

Back then sometimes a well-placed magazine ad was the only coverage a game got before launch. I used to scour those old Genesis ads with the 20 or so games on it looking for a new screenshot or which game might be coming out soon.

[slithy toves]

i only had a genesis during the 16 bit days. i don't regret it at all. i got to play some fabulous exclusives like toe jam and earl and ecco the dolphin right when they came out and even though as a fan of rpgs i did get into fights with some of my friends about the viability of the genesis v. the snes i will still argue that the phantasy star and shining force series were more than worth my waiting to play some of the final fantasies that i didn't get to play until later in my teens due to my lack of snes. actually it still kind of irks me when people fail to acknowledge the fact that sega actually did have some pretty bad ass exclusives when they talk about the superiority of the snes. it's like they're refusing to play fantastic games still because of a console war we had when we were like 10. get over it people!

[Yantelope]

I had both. I got my Genesis after my SNES but I still enjoyed both systems. I clearly played my SNES more but the Genesis had X-Men and that was a big deal. It's all about the games and since there were great games on both systems clearly I had to buy them both. It helped that my brother was also into games so almost all of our allowance went to videogames.

[King Jimmeh]

I had both, but in general I preferred my Sega Mega Drive, as I thought the games I had for it were better, plus I preferred the control pad for it. On the other hand, the SNES had Kirby's Fun Pak, which is one of my favourite games of that era.

[Pheermee]

I had a Super Nintendo, And I loved it cause in Super Mario World, Mario could look up and the camera would pan. It blew my mind when I was 5.

[Yantelope]

Yeah, having six buttons instead of 2 led to a total freakout the first time I tried Super Mario World in the store.

[Strangelove]

I had a Genesis and loved it. Getting the less popular system guarantees youll play every good game since your friends and family will surely have the popular system and you can just play with theirs.

 

Also, kids who own more than two systems are a pet peeve of mine. It's so fucking spoiled. Just so fucking wrong. Your kids dont need two or three videogame consoles.

Unless you legitimately paid for it, fuck you, you spoiled little asshole.

 

I will take a handheld and a console as an exception though. I had a Genesis and years later a Gameboy.

[Pheermee]

I got to pick which one I wanted. SNES was epic.

[Yantelope]

Yeah, we didn't get a lot of toys or other things. It wasn't so much that we were spoiled it was just that every single dollar we had went to videogames.

[Battra92]

I had neither. I grew up kind of poor (not like cardboard box poor but there's no way my parents were spending that much on a toy when other household expenses were to come first)

 

Though the 16-Bit days were great for me. See, when everyone was buying Super Nintendos and the NESes and Ataris were collecting dust my dad and I went to a garage sale and bought my first video game console, the NES, with two controllers, the zapper and the power pad along with SMB/Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet and Contra. We also had been given a box of NES games for free a few weeks before that (without the system) so I had lots of fun buying other people's NES collections for a few dollars here and there. $60 for one SNES game or 60 NES games? You decide which was better. ;-)

[Yantelope]

That's awesome.

 

Also, on the issue of who is spoiled, it was the kids who had a Neo Geo when we were stuck with an SNES who were spoiled.

[D-K]

I was in the Snes camp, bought it with my brother off the back of a truck for 50-,

To this day it is my favourite console, favourite library, favourite medium (cartridge) and favourite controller.

 

Zelda LTTP, Turtles in Time, Street Fighter Turbo 2, Total Carnage, Ren and Stimpy Timewarp, Mortal Kombat II, Bubsy,

the list goes on and on. Total Carnage was the first speed/zero death run I ever attempted. Never succeeded though, Total Carnage is ridiculously hard. SMW was the first game where I unlocked all secrets/alternate exits + Star road. Zelda was the first game I put 50+ hours in, no walkthroughs.

 

I love the Snes, and I'll be buying one again very soon.

[Showmeyomoves!]

I had neither, but I loved the SNES (hence the avatar and username). I never did understand the appeal of the MegaDrive. It just lacked a certain "charm", in my opinion. I guess I'm a born fanboy.

[Strangelove]

Yeah, youre a fanboy. Fanboy.

 

Fanboy.

 

FANBOY!

[Showmeyomoves!]

I can't help it I was born this way asshole!

[Strangelove]

Take it up with the god that made you that way!

[Mr. GOH!]

SNES, and I loved the fuck outta it. I did occasionally trade systems with my neighbors who had a TG-16 and Genesis to play some of teh exclusives. I only had the TG-16 for a few weeks and never wanted it back, although my other neighbor and I traded the Genesis and SNES off and on for a few years before I lost all interest in Genesis games.