Sega Nerds

Worst consoles ever? Or possibly the worst article ever?

Posted by Chris. Filed under G, News, Retro.

{Note: Apologies but this article was lost during the transfer to b5. Fortunately the article itself had been saved, but any of the comments you filed have not. So apologies for that, we had some good replies originally}

It’s not unusual to see at least one piece of Sega hardware making a “Worst List” - nor would it be out of the question to perhaps see two of Sega’s machines taking the flak of the gaming public (professional or otherwise).

But it’s when you find a “Top 5 worst gaming consoles of all time” article to have four of the list being Sega products, that a reader has to question the integrity of the article’s writer.

Old-wizard.com is of the opinion that Sega has created the four worst consoles ever, and their reasons seem more like uneducated rantings than anything else. And I’m afraid that I may seem like a bit of a fanboy, with this response article, but I don’t think I can hold my tongue on this one.

At number 5 he put the Nintendo Virtual Boy. I’m not surprised to see this on any ‘worst’ list (because it was pretty poor, and gave players headaches). But the very first line written about the console should set the mood for the rest of the article…

Virtual Boy would be higher on this list except its made by Nintendo.

Well that says it all really, doesn’t it?

Here’s a quick run down of the list and a few of his opinions given as to why the consoles suck. Oh and I think you will be surprised (almost to the verge of a breakdown) as to the number 1 (as in worst ever, ever) console on his list!

• At number 4 we have the Sega Saturn.

The Sega Saturn first off was always more expensive than other systems in the 32 bit era which were all better.

More expensive than other systems in the 32 bit era? What other choices were there… the Playstation and… well that’s about it really. Yes you had the Jaguar and later the N64 - but as far as I remember the Jaguar lasted only a couple of years, and was actually more expensive than the Saturn. As for the N64, that was far more costly than the Saturn when it was launched - I should know, I bought one!

Beyond the exorbitant price point of the Saturn, there were no memorable games. The Saturn launched many arcade titles like the Street Fighter Series which never can claim greatness for a video game system.

No memorable games? *Sigh* - well I don’t think I need to argue that point on a Sega website, lets just say he’s wrong. As for the Street Fighter comment - well granted the Street Fighter games on the Saturn perhaps didn’t make the biggest splash ever in the gaming world, however having Street Fighter II: World Warrior on the SNES worked wonders for Nintendo, so the second part of his comment is also unfounded tripe.

• At number 3 he has put the Dreamcast.

But Past Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi there were simply no other games worth buying.

Err.. ok. I’ll just take it he’s not a fan of the original titles that the Dreamcast had on offer - I guess that’s his choice. Though I think he is clearly wrong with most of his comments on the Dreamcast.

• Number 2 it’s the 32X.

Now, like the Virtual Boy, I can understand why this would be on a list. So I shall let his comments slide for now.

• Number 1… The Sega Genesis (Megadrive) …!!!!

I’m sorry, but seriously? The Worst Console Ever Made? Really?

The only memorable piece of game play to come from the Genesis had to have been the prospect of taking a quarterback from Joe Montana’s Football and running him around the field with the entire defense following him. Other than this though, The Sega Genesis games were utterly forgettable.

You can call me a fanboy if you like (though that could make me cry) but I just cannot simply understand how the hell anyone can seriously say that the Megadrive is the worst console ever made?

I can understand some people preferring the likes of the SNES over the system, but actually stepping out there and saying that the Virtual Boy is better than the Megadrive?! I think it’s utter madness.

Now just imagine if this site was not a Sega fansite for a minute - and try to keep any idea of bias out of the equation (as with a Sega site you would expect some form of outrage here) - Ok, out of all the consoles ever made, can you really this list well thought out?

Are these truly the worst consoles ever?

How about the; Casio Loopy, Panasonic M2, NEC Supergrafx, Halcyon, Magnavox Odyssey, Fairchild Channel F - Any of these fine, upstanding consoles ring any bells to anyone? No? Thought so.

Probably best to read the full article first and make your own decisions, but I’m sure many of you will be just as shocked as I was.

I’ve never heard of Old-wizard.com until today, and I can safely say I doubt I will be revisiting it any time soon. This excerpt from their ‘About Page‘ should give you an idea as to what they are like…

Our staff is a crack-shot team of super gamers that break the bounds created by the word uber. We have a staff of 9 people, 9 companions to challenge the nine ringwraiths. However, when you line the staff up, you can only count two humans. That’s due to each of the two having 4.5 split personalities inside their heads making a total party of 9 which is a good number, the reasons being the aforementioned above. So two humans, 9 minds, and one internet connection brings you the most comprehensive all encompassing internet miracle in cyberspace.

It beggars belief, it really does.

[Source: Old-Wizard]

[Special Thanks: Sega Uranus Via The Forums]