Favorite Nintendo console? (handhelds included!)

[Soupy]

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Gamecube. There were SO many quality games in that gen.

 

[SJSB-FARTZ]

I'd have to say Wii U. It's a Smash BEAST now that we're getting USB controller support and other various vWii mods

 

[Dastardly Ridleylash]

Can I only pick one? ;_;

I guess I'll go with the Gamecube, then.

 

[Deleted member]

Probably Nintendo 64. Lots of good games back in the day.

 

[LunarWingCloud]

DS, it has way too many memorable games that I've gone through, so many hours sunk in, and I still haven't played a large chunk of what I wanted to all the way through.

Honorable mention to SNES though, that was the first system I actually owned and it's the reason I'm into games as I am now. I grew up with Nintendo, that's kinda why I'm here.

 

[SirJuicius]

I'm going to be in the extreme minority and say my favorite console is the NES. The sights and sounds of games such as Super Mario Bros. 1-3, Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Contra, Dr. Mario, Kirby's Adventure, Battletoads & Double Dragon, Castlevania, Metal Gear and Mega Man (to name a few) captivated me at a very young age. In hindsight, it probably captivated me because the games were nothing like I've ever seen or heard before in my life.

Also, the NES presented a fairly moderate library of difficult main series games. Some of this is a result of cryptic hints or no hints given at all to players. Nintendo Power was sometimes a necessity in order to know how to get through games. But for the most part, the games themselves were difficult and as a result had high replay value to them. Prominent examples are Ninja Gaiden, Battletoads & Double Dragon and Castlevania. Then there were the ruthlessly difficult games which unfairly handicap the player. The best example I can think of is Silver Surfer. Despite its difficulty, there are redeeming qualities to the game, such as the music.

But for the most part, the gameplay was enjoyable and that's what matters the most to me. A majority of the games didn't have an overly complex storyline and that's okay. They were simple and straightforward and for a child, that's what it should be like.

Now, speaking from a different perspective... I look at enemies in the Super Mario series and say to myself, "Oh, I see there's a Bob-omb ahead and a few Spikes." It's nothing new now, but back when SMB 2 and SMB 3 were released, these characters were fresh and new. They presented new challenges back then. Now that I'm older, I know how to get by them (not that it was a problem, but conceiving the idea of new enemies after SMB 1 was unreal to me).

But games like those, as well as a majority of the franchises that had their roots in the 8-bit era had raw, fresh ideas. Everything was new then and it's eye-opening for me now to see how far some of these franchises have come, relying on the same characters. Sure some of the franchises may be stale now and some may try to create new characters who whiff on their first impression, but back in the 8-bit era, they were fresh and new and that's how I remember the characters.

And there were a lot of good games back then. You've already seen some of the games mentioned, but I'll repeat them below and add more:

Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2: Mario Madness
Super Mario Bros. 2: The Lost Levels
Super Mario Bros. 3
Dr. Mario
Legend of Zelda
Legend of Zelda II: Link's Adventure
Metroid
Kirby's Adventure
Excitebike
Duck Hunt
Bubble Bobble
Clu Clu Land
Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Punch-Out
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Ninja Gaiden
Double Dragon
Battletoads
Metal Gear
Batman
Duck Tales
Contra
Super C
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Kung Fu
Golf
Tecmo Super Bowl
Tiny Toon Adventures
Ice Climber
Balloon Fighter
River City Ransom
Blaster Master
Ghosts N' Goblins
Crystalis
Life Force
Adventure Island

 

[MajinBuu272]

i'd say Gamecube...
Why?
'cause nastalgia thats why.

 

[UltimateXsniper]

Although I love the N64 and GameCube, the 3ds may be my Favorite Nintendo console ao far. Why? Because some of the games I own give me the feel of the ol' days of playing GameCube games such as,

Super Smash Bros 3ds - Super Smash Bros Melee
Paper Mario Sticker Star - Paper Mario Thousand Year Door
Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon - Luigi's Mansion
Super Mario 3D Land - Super Mario Sunshine (Not sure why but I get some feeling)
Mario Kart 7 - Mario Kart Double Dash
Mario Party Island Tour - Mario Party 4-7
Mario Golf + Tennis and I think you get the point

And also for the N64 as well,

Legend Of Zelda OOT 3D - Legend Of Zelda OOT
Starfox 64 3D - Starfox 64
Super Smash Bros 3ds - Super Smash Bros
Mario Kart 7 - Mario Kart 64
Mario Party Island Tour - Mario Party 1-3
I also think you get the point on this as well.

It also helps the fact that you can play Ds games as well and also the fact of virtual console exist. Also I like 3d. Knowing that I'm here so you can guess the smash franchise is my favorite of all time so a portable smash helps support why it's my favorite so far.

Now my 2nd favorite would be the GBA Advance SP for it being my first console that is mine and not for any family member.

GameCube would be my favorite home nintendo console for obvious reasons.

 

[SundayBest]

Why arent the PS2 and Atari options?

 

[Spak]

Why arent the PS2 and Atari options?

Because they aren't Nintendo consoles (look at the name of the thread).

 

[Mechageo]

The game boy advance, easily.
Backwards compatible with ALL game boy games, was able to play many games that were rereleased for it from SNES era, my first console with the most nostalgic memories, had a good battery life, the Super Mario Advance series in particular was a highlight. Pokémon, Metroid, Zelda, Kirby, Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, this console had it all.

I agree with this wholeheartedly aside from the fact that it's missing one tiny set of letters: SP

 

[Taunt]

I'm so torn between the gamecube (my childhood) or the 3ds (which has become one of my favorite consoles).

 

[AZ_Spellbound]

N64 for me. It was my first console, and still have it and play it regularly.
So many games i love like MKT, Smash, Perfect Dark, all the Mario titles, etc.
N64 is just too Gwadlike.

 

[BubbaDuke]

Gamecube all the way for me.

-Melee
-Double Dash (I still love this game. It was my go to Mario Kart until 8 came out.)
- Mario Sunshine
-Kirby Air Ride
-Starfox: Assault
-Windwaker
-Animal Crossing
-Pikmin

I know theres even more, like the Metroid games and Pokemon Colleseum. But I played the **** out of this list as a kid.

Sidenote: I'm a little surprised Kirby Air Ride never got a sequel. I feel like that game was loved by everyone who had it.

 

[Mysteltainn]

It's a tough decision to choose just one, but if I must, I'd have to go with the Nintendo 64. The Nintendo GameCube is probably not far behind due to Melee, Pikmin, Sunshine, Sonic Adventures, and many other fantastic titles that rose up, but some of my fondest gaming memories stemmed mostly from the SNES and N64 era with my family, relatives, and friends, personally.

EarthBound, Mario Bros 3, Donkey Kong 1, 2, 3 and 64, Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Star Fox, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Banjo-Kazooie / Tooie, Diddy Kong Racing, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Zelda; those were the childhoods of the majority of those I gamed with growing up. As you can tell, the majority of what's there are remnants of the Rareware days, so for me, the N64 comes out on top, hands down.

 

[TimeChain]

I love the SNES, the Wii, the DS, and of course, the Gamecube, but if I had to choose, it would go to the Nintendo 3DS (or if you're me, it's the 2DS XD). I grew up with a DS and the jump from the DS to the 3DS was amazing. There had some elements from the Wii (online shop and Mii Maker) and also added new stuff like Streetpass, which is one of my favorite things to do in my 2DS. But mostly I love it for its large selection of quality games such as Fire Emblem Awakening, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, The Zelda 3D Remakes, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Mario Kart 7, Pokemon X and Y, A Link Between Worlds, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Smash for 3DS...there are just so many great games!

 

[Nixon Corral]

This is a hard question to answer. In terms of native library (ie, not counting Virtual Console or backwards compatibility), I'd probably have to go with NES or SNES. But since the Virtual Console does exist, I'd probably have to go with the Wii U. It's backwards compatible with the entire Wii library (including its VC), and it even adds GBA and DS virtual console. This mean it captures a lot of the greatest hits (though certainly not all) from some of Nintendo's greatest systems while simultaneously having its own HD library and online functionalities. So depending on how you qualify it, my answer would definitely change.

 

[ELITEWarri0r115]

Gamecube Is my favorite, it DID start my gaming career in my childhood. A very close second is the GBA. Third will be the N64. For gamecube, I grew up with luigi's mansion, Sunshine, Double Dash, Mario party 4&6, Wario World, Sonic adventure 1&2, Medal of honor frontline, Prime, pokemon channel, and paper mario ttyd. Games I grew up with for GBA is M&L SuperStar Saga, Sonic advance 1 + sonic Pinball party, Sonic advance 3, Mario vs DK, and Mario pinball land (something's up with me and pinball). N64 games I grew up with were Toy story 2, Mario kart 64, Super mario 64, Pilot wings 64, and DK 64. My grandpa owned a Gameboy and he owned tetris, and tetris attack (the yoshi game). But last year, his neighbors stole his gameboy with tetris... So I was given attack and i don't play it a lot.

 

[SphericalCrusher]

My favorite Nintendo console of all time would have to be the Nintendo 64. I've been with Nintendo since the NES.. and I'm a huge fan of it, SNES, and so on... but the N64 holds a special place in my heart that no other gaming platform can ever take. My favorite handheld is the 3DS... especially due to it being able to play so many VC games as well as standard DS games.

 

[Dem Bones]

Game Boy Advance SP, man. It was the penultimate. Great backlight. Folding screen for portability. Played every GB game from the originals up to Advance, and a battery that went on and on.

Then again, N64 did give me Banjo-Kazooie.

 

[EnigmaSSB]

It's a tough call for me, but I'd have to give the nod to the SNES. I grew up in what I still view as the golden age of RPGs, and the SNES was the king of them. Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Sword of Mana. I spent way too many hours on the SNES, and it's currently the main focus of my retro gaming collection. Recently picked up Super Metroid, Megaman X, and Contra 3. I use my SNES constantly lol.

As much as I love the GameCube, I'd probably say my #2 is the GBA. I didn't ever actually own a GameCube so I missed out on a lot of titles, but I spent a LOT of time on my GBA. Some of my favorite titles were the Megaman Battle Network games, the two Summon Night: Swordcraft Story games, Fire Emblem, and of course the classics like Pokemon. GBA might be my second favorite console of all time, not just from Nintendo.

 

[ScottyWK]

SNES and it's not even close for me. SNES games have aged the least out of any of the consoles, and it perfected the side-scrolling platformer.

Picking up any game on a home console after SNES (N64, GC, Wii), you can tell how poor it looks compared to today.

 

[finalark]

SNES and it's not even close for me. SNES games have aged the least out of any of the consoles, and it perfected the side-scrolling platformer.

Picking up any game on a home console after SNES (N64, GC, Wii), you can tell how poor it looks compared to today.

I'd like to disagree. The N64 has probably aged the worse out of all the Nintendo consoles. Bizarrely designed controller, cartridges that severely limited devs and forced multi-platform games to be garbage on N64, plus you get the fact that most games from the N64/PS1/SAT era have aged poorly period due to 3D being a new thing so nobody really know how to use it properly.

 

[Scarlet Knight]

As much as I love the Gamecube, I prefer the 3DS

 

[Warlock*G]

Seriously though, I voted Wii.

 

[oZzIIgk]

The GameCube is literally the best thing I have ever experienced or owned.

 

[ThePuffDaddy]

too obvious. Gamecube has Melee, Double Dash, All the great Mario sports games, Star Fox Assault, Wind Waker, Sunshine, Twilight Princess, MOTHER****ING METROID PRIME 1 AND 2! My two favorite games. Pikmin 1 and 2. F Zero and other stuff too! I'm saying this and I didn't even own a game cube growing up, it was my cousins. I didn't get mine untill 2007. Hell, looking back even though I grew up with the N64, the number of great titles are kind of lacking compared to SNES,Game cube, and NES.

 

[LIVERPOOP]

cube
64
game boy
snes

cube, ps2, dreamcast, game boy advance was just the best period in time. pure gaming. no online bull**** yet. no HD glamour bull**** yet. just games. 4 controller ports (except ps2 i know). av cables. no ****ing around. no multiplayer alone in your bedroom.

melee. double dash. f zero. monkey ball. wind waker. metroid prime. resident evil series! eternal darkness. paper mario! a bloody metal gear solid port! fire emblem! animal crossing! remember how hype link in soul calibur II was? i wonder what i'm forgetting, i want to go home and look at my cube games now.

 

[finalark]

remember how bad link in soul calibur II was?

Yeah, he was pretty bad.

 

[LucarioDude]

Sadly I had never owned a GameCube or N64 when I was young and I too think they're probably the best Nintendo consoles to date. However, personally the 3DS is my favourite Nintendo console, specifically the 3DS XL. Most of my favourite franchises on the DS transitioned to the 3DS very well; especially the Pokemon and Ace Attorney series. <3

 

[LIVERPOOP]

Yeah, he was pretty bad.

but it was so HYPE

 

[therabbitholenc]

I have to go with the SNES, followed by the N64 and then the Wii U.

 

[N3ON]

Wow it's pretty evident which age demographic made up the majority of the votes on that poll. :3

I'd have to say my favourite is the SNES. Love the sprite art style and the library was fantastic. I mean, we got:
Super Mario World
Super Mario All-Stars
Donkey Kong Country 1-3
A Link to the Past
Kirby Super Star
Super Metroid
Star Fox
F-Zero
Earthbound
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VI (or III)
Street Fighter 2
Super Castlevania IV
Doom
Contra 3
Yoshi's Island
Super Mario Kart
Mega Man X1-3
Super Mario RPG (my favourite game on the system)
Harvest Moon
Super Punch-Out
Killer Instinct
Mortal Kombat 1-3
a bunch of FE games if you were in Japan
the Super Game Boy
and like a ton of other awesome RPGs

to just name some. Excellent excellent system for platformers, fighters, and RPGs. Which coincidentally are my favourite genres... ;D

Next would be the 64 for me.

 

[Tino]

I grew up playing the Nintendo 64 and it had a lot of great games on the console. No doubt it has my vote for all time favorite Nintendo console.

 

[Deleted member]

Love me some N64! Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2, Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, Star Fox 64, Yoshi's Story, Pokemon Snap, Hey You! Pikachu!, Smash Bros., Chameleon Twist, Blast Corps, Banjo Kazooie, Bomberman Hero, and a bunch of other games I'm most likely forgetting to mention right now that are awesome and some of my favorites of all time.

 

[misterOWAIN33]

Why can't we vote for Virtual Boy?
I haven't played on all of these consoles, but I voted for the Wii, mostly because on it one can play games from pretty much all of their home consoles before that, including GameCube games, for which one can use the same controller.
If I had to choose a second, it would be the N64.

 

[Underhill]

Nintendo Gamecube would be my favorite console and its still is up to this day. It had all of favorite my games on there and they're pretty good so far. Second favorite would be Wii u, and a tied between N64 and Nintendo DS.
Favorite gamecube games:
All of the Mario sports(but golf and strikers)
Kirby air ride
Super Smash bros Melee
Tony hawk Underground 1
Tony hawk pro skater 3
Paper Mario thousand year door
Dragon Ball z budokai 2
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Adventure dx

 

[Foxus]

The GameCube without a doubt takes the crown, the N64 being a close second.

GameCube has some of the best games in Nintendo's rich portfolio. While the console fell flat on its feet, a good chunk of the games that followed were masterpieces in themselves. Super Smash Bros Melee, Star Fox Advetures, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 4 and 5, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, list goes on.

 

[Jakenomad2.0]

My Favourite is the Ds, liked a lot of the games(Super Mario 64 Ds, Pokémon SoulSilver, etc), able to play gba games, and probably spent the most time of any of my systems on it. Close second is the Gba which was my first system and it had the Megaman Battle Network series and my favourite generation of Pokémon.

 

[Albie83]

I went with the Nintendo 64. I have so many fond memories playing Smash Bros, Mario Kart 64, Perfect Dark, Mario 64, Conker among others.