Both of these are often touted for the title. In Hexbears opinion, which had the better library of the two and was the better console?
I'm a super Nintendo guy but I love the PS2 as well.
PS2 probably. It sits at the confluence of game programming getting pretty good, game design maturing, dev teams getting decently sized and AAA development not really existing yet. That plus the fact that it was the most popular console of its generation allow it to have the biggest and most diverse library of any console. Much as I love SNES, PS2 was on another level.
PS2 would be better right now, but SNES represented a bigger contemporary leap in performance and design principles.
PS2's era was the golden age. Games were getting complex, 3d graphics were decent, the industry was still new enough that it wasn't horribly capitalist, no subscriptions or DLC or anything,
The SNES was my childhood and what made me want to become a programmer so I have to go with that
This is a toughie as both consoles have amazing libraries but I'll go with the snes because it's easy to emulate.
Lol i'm in the same boat as you. Both are two of my favorites of all time, but in the end I give the slight edge to the Snes.
i prefer to pick best of a generation, otherwise this is just a LeBron vs Jordan argument.
Nail on the head lol. This really is the video game version of that argument. I see it argued pretty constantly which is better.
There wouldn't be a PlayStation without a SNES in the first place. That's both referencing the bastardry from Nintendo that prompted Sony to go it alone, but also the fact the Nintendo pretty much built the market that Sony would consider viable enough to move into in the first place. The PS2 deserves it's legacy status, but deciding that it's the better console because the games had a decade of advancement along with everything else the SNES helped innovate is silly. I vote the SNES as nothing that either Nintendo or Sony did after it after would have happened without it.
I like both. I'm just with you in that I prefer the Super Nintendo. Mostly because of games like A link to the Past, Super Metroid, and Final Fantasy 6 being on that console.
Probably PS2, but I think more people have experienced the top-tier SNES games than PS2 (Nintendo branding and easier emulation probably have a lot to do with this).
Not sure what is better for top tier RPGS. The Snes, The PS1 or the PS2
PS1 for me. SNES had some cool experimentation, especially untranslated ones, but PS1 had even more experimental JRPGs and RPG-likes.
Speaking of Which, I really wish there was Super Mario RPG booster Yaoi.
Gotta give it to PS2. SNES has some gems no question, but games like Silent Hill 2 and Shadow of the Colossus really pushed forward what video games were capable of doing as a medium.
Also had a bunch of great third-party exclusives (exclusives at the time) like FFX, KH1 and 2, and MGS2 and 3.
SNES by a mile. people still play those games on emulator (hell they even buy them through the switch to play them) and there are 200kb GameFAQs text files about some of the open ended strategy games (i.e. KOEI's Uncharted Waters: New Horizons, which is an insane game). not even getting into the library of foundational RPGs (Chrono Trigger, FF3, Earthbound, LoZ: ALttP) and offbeat games like Harvest Moon that played a clear role in major titles today (Stardew Valley), not to mention 4 player party games like Super Bomberman. SNES had good looking games that were and still are fun to sit down and play. it's first game, Super Mario World is still pleasant to look at. PS2 had cool games for its time, but the gameplay on its flagship titles is dated as shit. even when they "remaster" the graphics, it's a tub of wank. nevermind sony's endless mission to normalize 2+ minute load times.
Yeah, Nintendo had it's issues though as well back then. They were pretty heavily anti-consumer (even moreso than they are now). I also don't have an issue going back and playing most great PS2 games, but I can see how it might bother some.
That being said, I do agree with you in that I prefer the Snes. I just think it's a bit closer of a race than you seem to.
people still play those games on emulator
In my case, I've used emulation to experience them for the first time. Started gaming on the PS1 but the 16-bit era looks very attractive to me compared to say, 8-bit consoles or early PC or even pre-PC home computer games
SNES will always be my favorite. Great controller design. Why does no one else use concave buttons! Really great library a lot of which are stone cold classics that defined genres. But its hard to argue with PS2 as probably the best console of all time. You can't compete with its library for sheer size, especially since it was fully backwards compatible. So many of its games hold up as if they were made today, some better than their own sequels (cough Final Fantasy cough). Besides, even if Snake Eater was the only game in its library itd still be in the running
cough Final Fantasy cough
If this were 2015 I would agree with you, but FF15, Stranger of Paradise and FF7R are some of the best JRPGs of all time even with the often annoying quirks Nomura's leadership brings to the table.
Totally agree on FF7R, loved what they did with it. I didn't play FF15 so maybe I'm wrong. Didn't seem interesting to me and i didn't enjoy the gameplay in the demo. Maybe i should try it. Stranger of Paradise I'm definitely intetested in playing! FF13 has a lot to answer for though from me
Why does no one else use concave buttons!
Funny enough, I think only yanks got the concave buttons, I think in the rest of the world they were all bulbous
Yeah, which is weird. The contrast between the concave and bulbous buttons was great, very easy to know what you're pressing without looking. The buttons where also slanted off center, not on a crass like the dual shock which was very comfortable, while also being versatile. The shoulder buttons were a big innovation, and used great by fighting games like street fighter for a six button layout. Just a great great controller
I think I liked PS1 for the sheer number of RPGs, PS2 is likely better in overall game types that started to open up with the hardware.
I kinda think SNES is bit more timeless due to the 2d graphics though
Those are the top three that are always brought up the snes and ps2 usually duking it out, with some people saying they love the PS1 as well.
Yeah, there will always be a timeless quality to SNES because those 2D graphics will always hold up. So many gorgeous games.
there will always be a timeless quality to SNES because those 2D graphics
With the exception of Mode 7 racing games
:michael-laugh: yeah, got me there. OG mario kart was so fun at the time, but its a pretty rough game
Me, a millenial: Crash Team Racing on the other hand holds up VERY NICELY
I do mostly think that unironically though. A lot of early 3D didn't age gracefully but the Crash Bandicoot games definitely did better than most others
Its about more than graphics when it comes to the mode 7 racing. Its very interesting. Early 3D may look rough, but a well made expiernce that plays well, will still hold up. Never played Crash, but thats how i feel about Metal Gear Solid
I love MGS1 to bits but the graphics are probably weakest part of that game. Everybody being a pixelated origami man kind of detracts from the drama of the cutscenes. There's something amusing about the way they tried to add emotion to their characters when they couldn't make their faces move in the PS1 era. So many hand movements :AyyyyyOC-big: and head bobbing.
I've watched a lot of presumably zoomers playing through the series on Youtube. Their first reaction to seeing Snake in MGS2: "Oh hey, he's got eyes now!" :data-laughing:
The reason I picked Crash Bandicoot as an example is that the cartoony artstyle allowed them to make the characters' faces big and exaggerated enough to make facial animation work even on low-poly models. The PS1 just wasn't quite there yet when it came to depicting realism
