Nintendo Vs SEGA - mid 80s/mid 90s

There is another topic, but it\'s very old, and I know the mods around here get really pissy when people revive old topics (why?), so I decided to make a new one.

I don\'t care whether the 360 has a higher fill-rate than the PS3. I don\'t care if the Wii sports more party games and what have you. I don\'t care that the PS3 plays Blu-rays. The only console war that ever mattered () was the war between Nintendo and SEGA from the mid-80s through to the mid-90s. That old playground argument - which was better, NES or Master System? SNES or Mega Drive? Growing up in the UK, everyone was pretty much into SEGA. I don\'t know why. For some reason, SEGA succeeded in PAL regions (massively usurping Nintendo in these territories) where they were beaten elsewhere.

Anyway, I hope this won\'t turn out to be too much of a absolute landslide victory for Nintendo, since C3 is surprisingly multi-platform, and I know a fair few of you were more into SEGA back in the day (this is a UK site, after-all). This isn\'t so much about which sold better and was officially the more successful platforms (NES beat SMS overall, and SNES beat MD overall) - this is about which you preferred, and why. Has your stance changed over the years?

My opinion has changed quite massively. Back then - it was all about SEGA, for me. My very first Nintendo console was my N64, years later. I think I was heavily-influenced by my friends. For example - Having a SNES meant being one of the only people I knew to own one, whereas owning a Mega Drive meant I could take my carts round my friends\' houses and play my games on their consoles, or vice-versa. Plus I preferred Sonic to Mario.

Now? Well now I have both, with games from all regions for both systems. I\'m unsure. Both the SNES and MD have a lot of great games, and I don\'t personally think there\'s enough either way in terms of graphics or audio to really pick out a clear winner on specs. It\'s all down to the games. I got Chrono Trigger the other day, and it\'s brilliant! It wasn\'t released in PAL regions, though. Personally, I think this is one of the most important factors. While in NTSC regions there were lots of great games for the SNES, Nintendo really neglected PAL regions. This neglect would carry on through the N64 era.

Maybe Nintendo couldn\'t be arsed with trying to convert PAL regions over to their console when SEGA had built up an early dominance. I don\'t know. I do think that if your only choice is PAL (which it was for us, back in the day), the Mega Drive was the better console. SEGA really aggressively supported the MD in PAL regions, and there\'s really not many games that didn\'t make the jump to PAL. Actually, I think maybe there were some MD games that were only released in Japan and Europe, such was Nintendo\'s dominance in America. Maybe it was the opposite situation there - support for the Genesis (as it was called in America) may not have matched support for the SNES in that country.

I don\'t know very much about the NES or Master System, they were a bit before my time. I did know a couple people with a NES or SMS, but not very many. I reckon the NES was better. Whilst the SMS had better graphics and stuff, the NES just had such a huge range of games. I see it as \'the first PlayStation\', in that regard. I don\'t know that much about the systems, though, so maybe I\'m wrong on that one.

So.. NES versus SMS, SNES versus Mega Drive - what is your angle on this old \'console war\'? What do you remember? Obviously, Nintendo made most of the better business decisions, SEGA killed themselves off with too many expansions to the MD, yadda yadda. You all know the rest.

I remember thinking it was stupid how on SNES games, the sticker on the cartridge didn\'t overlap the top of the cart. So if you had all your carts loose in a drawer or on a shelf or something, you had to pick out each cart to see what it was. On the MD, you could just browse your carts much easier since the name was on the top of the cart, as well as the front.

It\'s little things like that I remember bringing up in school debates over which was better

( Edited 30.07.2009 00:58 by Martin_ )

Back then, and even now, it\'s all about 2 things - the games and how they\'re promoted. It\'s really hard to tell because there were brilliant titles for both the Mega Drive and SNES that it\'s hard to tell.

I\'ve always been a SEGA guy at heart, I think - up until the N64. First console - Master System. Second, Mega Drive, Third? Saturn *shudder*.

Genesis/FD titles (cross platform ones) performed better, I think - I\'m not too clued up on hardware, but in general I felt they were more fluid on the SNES. The thing with the SNES is that it had a better controller - smaller, more buttons and that lovely d-pad.

Don\'t forget the old 16-bit Sonic foursome, easily easily were more fun to play for me, still now, than the old Super Mario Worlds.

3D Mario, 2D Sonic - though that said recent 2D Mario I\'ve liked, same with 3D sonic.

I did play a lot of SNES games, and still do, but I think back then it was definitely Mega Drive/Genesis for me, and now it\'s really a bit of both, though would choose the MD version over the SNES for multiplat games.

( Edited 30.07.2009 01:22 by jb )

SEGA had Sonic, and that was enough for me back then. Despite the character being my favourite, his games weren't the ones I played excessively; it was a bit of everything really. Can't say I ever supported only one company format though; between me and my brothers we owned all the major consoles up to the Playstation, so I enjoyed Mario games alongside Sonic ones.

In the 80's I wanted SEGA, because all the good arcade games of the time were coming out on SEGA machines. I spent a lot of money in arcades in the 80's and I wanted those games at home where I wouldn't have to spend a fortune pumping money into it. Nintendo just had games I'd either never heard of or never experienced. So I think SEGA had a one up on Nintendo in the 80's, in the UK.

That changed for me in the 90's though. My first Nintendo console was a Gameboy and I bought Super Mario Land with it. Tetris and Super Mario Land had me hooked for years, and swayed me towards getting a Super Nintendo when it came out. The Super Nintendo came with Super Mario World and I bought UN Squadran, as it was one of the first bach of games to come out after the initial launch games. Playing those games on the SNES was the nail in the coffin for SEGA in my eyes. I couldn't see anything as good as those games on Megadrive.

I've always been a Nintendo gamer. I did play SEGA at some friends, but I was never very impressed.

jb said:
though would choose the MD version over the SNES for multiplat games.

It really does depend on the game in question. Sometimes the SNES had the better version, other times it was the Mega Drive. Sometimes it was down to the hardware suiting whatever game better, sometimes the two version of the 'same game' are actually completely different titles made by different companies.

Aladdin for the Mega Drive, by Virgin Interactive (made by the team who would leave after Aladdin to form Shiny and create Earthworm Jim), whereas the SNES version was made by Capcom.

SNES version first, then the Mega Drive.

jb said:
The thing with the SNES is that it had a better controller - smaller, more buttons and that lovely d-pad.

I disagree, and think it's more a matter of personal preference. Maybe I have bigger hands than you, but I find the SNES pad a bit on the small side. If it was a bit thicker I'd like it more. I also prefer the Mega Drive D-pad. I feel the Mega Drive's D-pad offers better access to the diagonal directions than the cross that Nintendo have stuck with.

I don't know why, but where I grew up, the SNES was completely prominent. I don't think I ever encountered someone with a mega-drive in my home town. Perhaps I was a little too young to remember the prime of the console war, but certainly around the time Donkey Kong Country was released - as far as me and my friends were concerned, the SNES was the system to have.

Thinking about it, it could have been down to the big hitters - as Martin has already mentioned, there was little in terms of specs to separate the consoles. But back then, Super Mario Kart, Mario All-Stars and the Donkey Kong Country series made the SNES seem much more content heavy to me. I know really the mega-drive had a just as many great games, but for some reason the only game that I remember being publicised on the mega-drive was the Sonic series. Other than that, I remember nothing.

The only time I ever remember playing Sonic was when I went to my cousins' house. I absolutely loved Sonic for the few weeks I was up there, and yearned for him for a couple of weeks when I got back - but after re-acclimatizing to the pace of Super Mario Bros, all was once again well.

I had both when I was VERY young, thanks to my dad who was a gamer working in the games industry. I played Donkey Kong Country, EarthWorm Jim, Sonic, Starfox, Lion King, Quackshot, and even a few weird Japanese shoot'em ups (no idea why I remember those...).

Then one day, the SNES stopped working, and that was that. I grew up with SEGA, but thanks to my days with the SNES, I was never anti Nintendo, and I always liked Mario and Donkey Kong growing up.

So while as I grew up I got kinda anti-Sony (those who've been here on C3 for a long time will know that I was still like that until kinda recently) I've always been a fan of both SEGA and Nintendo. Although I can't say I ever felt a need to get a Saturn, and it's clear that unlike Nintendo, SEGA had some huge management problems between east and west back then.

Martin i just starred you for that aladin post.

That Mega Drive version looks quite interesting but i had the SNES version of the game, been hoping for VC release but i doubt it would ever happen! Although i heard a GBA re-release was made.

*Which it was*

Either way, i had a Master System with a couple of games, namely the Donald Duck game with those 3 shitty nephews of his, Alex the Kidd, Sonic the Hedgehog and others, but was a Ninty fan once i got hold of Pilotwings, Mario Kart, SMB 3 and W.

To be honest the only SEGA games i really ever loved were the Sonic games, other than that it really was Ninty all the way throughout the 90's.

Although i did enjoy getting a Dreamcast for a while, however i'd invest in a SEGA console if they ever decided to release one in a heartbeat.

Super Mario and Link to the Past? SNES wins hands down. I don't know about NES vs Master System though.

When I was growing up it was all about SEGA and it was all about the Mega Drive, Batman, Earthworm Jim, Golden Axe, Aladin (Memories ) to name a few favourites!

Years passed, Then one day I finally beat Links Awakening and I knew from then on I\'d be an Nintendo fan the rest of my life. The Mega Drive was and probally will be the best thing that ever came out of SEGA.

( Edited 31.07.2009 00:47 by Birdo Is A Tranny )

I love all the systems and i own all the games mostly. sega needs to make their next move quickly because nintendo just keeps coming out with more and more games.

The first console I remember having was my dad\'s Mega-drive, I hadn\'t even heard of the SNES untill I was 12. However, once I get a Gameboy pocket, then later, a N64, I became a fan of Nintendo.

So for me, the Mega Drive was always brilliant and will always be a memorable part of my life. I loved playing Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2, FIFA 92 I think, and Street Fighter 2 , I\'ve also played Gouls and ghosts on it. But As i\'ve grown older, I\'ve played quite a few SNES games, such as Super Mario World, Yoshi\'s Island, LoZ:ALTTP, DK Country and Super Mario RPG (which ofcoure I have from the VC) and I have to say they\'re brilliant games.

Overall, I\'d call the early to mid 90\'s pretty even.

I\'ve also played both the NES and Master system. My Cousin has a NES and my Aunt had a Master System. I enjoyed playing Alex Kidd on the master System, as well as the Mcdonalds game and the Simpsons game (can\'t remember the specific names).

Although, to me, the NES has the more memorable titles, like Super Mario Bros. & SMB3, Donkey kong, and it\'s sequels. Legend of Zelda, Metroid. Xevious being a damn hard game from memory. 1942, Castlevania, Double Dragon, Chip & Dale: rescue rangers, and so on. I just guess I remember them alot more, so yeah, to me, the NES was the deserved winner of that Gen.

Edit: just remembered something else on the NES that was really good, that I played at FairPlay house in year 6, BattleToads.

( Edited 31.07.2009 01:05 by Stulaw )

I own loads of consoles, 'cos I don't like to sell them. But the only console I've ever sold was my Megadrive, and I gave my Master System away.

I only have fond memories of Sonic the Hedgehog on those. I couldn't find another game on them that I really liked. But most of the games I have on my SNES I love. I still get it out occationally. In fact I'm starting to get a craving to play Starwing now.

TURBOGRAFX BITCHES

I have always grown up with Sega, but I am not biased towards Nintendo either. I like both the same.

I never thought of them as being in competition. Maybe it was because I had both a MD and a SNES.

I grew up mainly with SEGA. We had 2 Master System IIs and then a Mega Drive. We also had a SNES at one point around the same time. One of the MSs had Alex Kidd built in and the other had Sonic 1.

MD: QuackShot, Sonic1-3, Radical Rex, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and loads more. The best of days those were.

MS: Fantastic Dizzy, (the best version of any dizzy game EVER!) Sonic1-3, Castle of Illusion, Krusty\'s Fun House, Golvellius and more.

I didn\'t have many SNES games. I\'ve still got my SNES somewhere. For it I\'ve got:

-Super Mario All-Stars (my introduction to Mario )
-Killer Instinct
-Mortal Kombat
-Battletoads
-Tiny Toons
-Donkey Kong Country
-Starwing

I can\'t remember what other SNES games I\'ve still got, if any.

Nowadays, I\'ve got most of my old MegaDrive games and several Master System games on the VC. The rest that haven\'t appeared on the VC I just play on an emulator.

After those days, I moved onto Sega Saturn then the PS1, missing out on the N64. I then got a PS2 and soon after, a Gamecube.

( Edited 01.08.2009 13:32 by wAyNe - sTaRT )

I like nintendo more because their consoles and games have always been more fun, although I did grow up with sega consoles mostly. That is until I got a Snes

Growing up in the States, it was SNES or nothing. We all looked at the kids with Sega's as if they had things growing out of their ears.

Looking back though with as unbiased an opinion as I can possibly manage, I still think Nintendo had the better system by far. Maybe if I liked Sonic I'd feel differently, but I've always thought the Sonic games were inferior to Mario platformers. And then the SNES had FF6 and A Link to the Past, two absolute master piece titles (among others on the system).

By the way Martin, I just got Chrono Trigger the other day as well (for DS). It is an amazing game. Probably blog about it later.