What is the best console generation to date and why?

Middle of Nowhere Gaming does a "Question of the Week" each week where each editor answers their opinion on it. This week's is "What is the best console generation to date and why?"

Find out what they had to say here and answer in the comments below what your answer is!

[Majin-vegeta]

PS2 era.All them games.

[Dark_Overlord]

And no DLC abuse :)

[Yi-Long]

Personally, I really loved this 7th generation.

First of all, it just lasted very long. So you got a huge amount of value for money from your consoles, considering all the games that have come out for it. And there's just a huge variety.

Also, this was pretty much the first generations where 3D actually looked GOOD. We've had 3D games before of course, with the 5th and 6th generation, but let's be honest, even back then they almost never looked great, and looking back now, they haven't aged well, at all.

THE big reason why my choice goes to the 7th generation though, is ... downloadable games.

Platforms like PSN and XBLA really made it possible for smaller developers to create smaller cheaper games, which were fantastic. Super Meat Boy, Mark of the Ninja, TrialsHD, Journey, etc etc etc. Some of my all-time favourite games were small cheaper games that came out last gen.

And I truly hope that will continue in this new generation, which it looks like it will. :)

Also of course, online MP was finally an essential part of today's gaming.

THE big drawback however that came with the online-connection, of sadly DLC. And while the potential of DLC is great, and there were some instances when it was done 'right', the sad truth is that most DLC is just greedy nickel-and-diming, and sadly, that also seems to continue (even worse) with this new generation.

[Ezz2013]

i will always pick
PS1-3
loved every one of them

[BitbyDeath]

I hated the 7th gen.
Way too many shooters and games being conformed to COD standards. Final Fantasy was horrible, no Kingdom Hearts, delays left right and centre, GTAIV was the worst GTA to date, Free Radical closed down, no Timesplitters, no good socom, many studio closures etc etc etc

Worst gen ever.

PS2 gen was the best but this one is looking like it may overtake since indies are on the uprise.

[tbone567]

The xbox 360 is the best console of all time. It also currently has the highest sales 85 million to date compared to PS3 80 million.

[SilentNegotiator]

Ps1/N64 for me, but only because I loved the open world 3D platformers from those days...Banjo, Spyro, Mario, Crash....ohhh mama!

[VforVideogames]

Trolling aside, IMO the dreamcast was way ahead of its time and was one of the greatest consoles of all time.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Sixth Gen for sure!

[Relientk77]

- Genesis, SNES

- PS1, N64

- PS2, GameCube, Xbox, Dreamcast

generations

[Imalwaysright]

Agreed. It has been going downhill since the 6th generation ended.

[doolin_dalton]

Don't forget Sega Saturn as part of the PS1/N64 era. The Saturn may have died an early death, but it has some truly memorable games.

I agree that Genesis/SNES (and TG16/PCEngine) was the best generation.

[josephayal]

The PS2 is Best console of all time hands down, Why? PlayStation 2 has a mammoth catalogue of games over 3,800+

[doolin_dalton]

Well, the question is what ERA was the best, not what console.

You could certainly make the argument that the PS2 ERA was the best because of all the amazing PS2, Gamecube, Dreamcast, and Xbox games.

[SilentNegotiator]

Well, Ps2 WAS the 6th generation. lol

[PrinceOfAllSaiyans]

PS2 GameCube and OG Xbox and it's not even close

[Omran]

PS1 Era hands down

[mrpsychoticstalker]

Xbox 360 clearly. Soon xbox one will get the same title.

[xCOWBOYx78x]

SUPER NINTENDO !!!

[kevnb]

Golden era PC gaming, I know I'm cheating but that's my opinion.

[AnotherProGamer]

golden era PC was 1998-2004, so many great games during that time

[DougLord]

I'd put the golden age of PL gaming as start in with WC2, apexing with Doom and ending around BG.

[superherox7]

The sixth generation was the best generation. No dominate genre, all four consoles were different, it had online and dlc but no bs microtransactions and money milking, no console wars, every game had a physical copy, and the sound and graphics hold up today. Dreamcast, ps2, original Xbox, and GameCube are the four best consoles of all time and are really the ideal generation everyone strives for, the only negative was the fall of the dreamcast but it is still every part of the 6th gen as the other three consoles.

[SkullBlade169]

4th gen for me, I spent so much time playing on the Mega Drive... and sometimes the SNES too.

[Juste_Belmont]

PS2 was the pinnacle. After that, greed took over and gaming became less social. Sure, you can play online with people around the world, but it was impossible to rage quit with your opponent sitting right next to you.

[DougLord]

SNES and Genesis.

[Guy105]

Just measure each generation by the amount of fun had in it. Or the potential fun and promise of the generation.

[BosSSyndrome]

4th 5th and 6th all tie for me.

[i3eyond the Circle]

The one with Dreamcast

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

6th generation: Gamecube greatness + PS2
GC TOP 10:
Zelda Twilight Princess
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Tales of Symphonia
F-Zero GX
Soul Calibur II
Pikmin 2
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
Star Fox Assault
Super Mario Sunshine
XIII

PS2 Top 5:
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
Final Fantasy X
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3
Red Faction II
Test Drive Unlimited

[specialguest]

PS1/Saturn/N64 era

It was the dawn of 3d/polygon graphics gaming and it was like the uncharted wild frontier for developers. Some devs played it safe sticking to 2D graphics/gameplay while others did amazing things with 3D graphics/gameplay. Even though the CD based games started on the TG16/SegaCD consoles, it didn't show it's true potential with high quality sound tracks until the next gen.

This video game generation in my opinion introduced horror games that can creep you out or make you not want to play it alone at night. Games like Resident Evil which was creepy, and Silent Hill which can freak the hell out of you . This was not possible during the prior gen with 2D side scrolling gameplay.

[s45gr32]

Definitely the 6th generation for me when games still had reams of content from branching paths, map editors, mini games, alternate endings, the character able to swim. The games from Zone of the Enders franchise, MGS 3 the best metal gear game ever. Hell, jak and daxter, ratchet and clank, resident evil 4, midnight club, the craze of pimping. your vehicle in racing games. It was staggering with a wide variety of games, developers still able to be creative and lots and lots of genres to choose from whether it was horror, puzzle, 3D platformers, etc. No DLC, no signing up to an account, no EULA agreements, no installing to hdd, patche/update crap. It was just playing the game.

[Max-Zorin]

5th and 6th Gen.

[optimus]

Well i was around for all those generations and for me i would have to go with the 4th generation; or as i call it, the 16-bit era...it was the only era that truly was a major leap from the previous generation. It was the era that finally brought the arcade experience to the home...And there was some pretty stiff competition not just in companies and game software but the industry as a whole...
the slew of gaming magazines, advertising, commercials that took blatant shots at one another, gaming cartoons, movies. It was in this era that videogames became a factor in the entertainment industry as it began to make billions in revenue and would continue to do so from then on.

It was in this era that everyone in the gaming industry pushed each other and themselves to do better, just look at the variety of games in that generation compared to the ones that followed. Today you can tell when developers are just being lazy and put out games just to meet a deadline or something. Not saying that is the case with all of today's games as each generation had their fair share of great games (and bad ones)...but in terms of the generation as an industry for me it's hands down the 16-bit era.

[Picnic]

Between the 16 bit era and the 128 bit era, it was a crazy time. Early 90s, there were all kinds of systems apart from the Megadrive that didn't sell well. But they tried things like FMV which have laid the path for later games.

I think that 1996-2001 was an epic era for 3D gaming.
It's basically the period that the N64 had games releases although that doesn't necessarily mean that all the greatest games were Nintendo exclusive.

The N64 started with Mario 64 and ended with Conker's Bad Fur Day. What could be better? Yet immediately after that the launch of the Dreamcast and games such as Max Payne and Silent Hill started a new wave again- atmospheric shooters which would end up turning in to the great Bioshock.

This all covers around 3 generations so it is difficult to pick. If I could pick only 1 console I'd actually pick the PS3 so 'last generation'. So many great indie games plus Uncharted, The Last Of Us, Motorstorm, Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls and multiformats such as Dishonoured, Bioshock series. I knew it was a golden age dawning again for Sony when Uncharted 2 came out - unfortunately for the PS4, Sony are so pleased with what the PS3 eventually did and so needing to recoup costs that they're mostly making remakes.

[Ck1x]

The 6th gen so far, which is why publishers and developers keep chasing the game ideas from that era. Since the 6th mostly everything has been prettier HD versions of those game play elements from that time.