Console gaming, time with buddies, so many incredible memories. But did you ever asked yourself? Top 5 retro gaming consoles in the US : For the retro collector who has everything, or for the Japanese culture enthusiast in your life, Nintendo’s Famicom Classic is a rare and delightful gem. It shares a level of build quality (and adorability) with its NES counterpart, but comes with a couple of cult favorites that the US model missed. Filling a couple of obvious holes are River City Ransom and Mario Open Golf, but there are also some lesser-known or Japanese exclusive titles that still hold up well, stuff like platformer Atlantis no Nazo or Tecmo’s puzzler Solomon’s Key. And while the original Final Fantasy is an important piece of history, Final Fantasy III (included on the Famicom) is a better game to actually play in practically every regard.
Released in 1996 in Japan and North America and 1997 in Europe and Australia, the Nintendo 64 was Nintendo’s third console after the NES and the SNES. It sold over thirty million units in its six-year lifespan before eventually being phased out by the introduction of the GameCube. For most of us, it’s the iconic games and the next-generation graphics that we remember about the Nintendo 64. When it was first launched, it mostly competed with the Sony Playstation and the Sega Saturn, and you’ll find no shortage of Nintendo fans who think it’s a better console than both of them put together. See extra info at Most Popular Retro Console by State.
The Super Nintendo (SNES) of 1991 is by far the best retro gaming console of the 16-bit era. The SNES faced a number of rising contenders, like the Sega Genesis, but managed to stay on top with is triple-A titles (read: Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario World), affordable pricing and superb hardware with stereo sound. With over 725 games in its library, the SNES was one of the best consoles that came into the market with third-party support. Due to its previous promising history and savvy business deals, Nintendo got an early public relations advantage with third-party developer Capcom, giving them the first console port of Street Fighter II. Nintendo went above and beyond with the SNES by developing the Super FX chip, allowing 3D capabilities with titles like Starfox and Doom without adding on any unnecessary hardware. For anyone wanting to relive the definitive early 90s gaming experience, the SNES wins hands down.
As good as Nintendo’s own SNES Classic is, it does limit you to the included 21 games. If you’re looking to breathe some life into your cartridge collection, the Analogue Super Nt will play them just as well as an original SNES and also make them look great on modern HDTVs. As you might expect, that does come at a bit of a premium price, but it is at least considerably more affordable than Analogue’s previous high-end take on the standard NES, and, as CNET notes in its review, clunky menus aside, there’s not much more you can ask for in an updated SNES.
The NES Classic may have started off this craze, but going all the way back to the 80s might cause a bit of gaming jet lag. The older 8-bit games, with their extremely simple graphics, sounds, and two-button control schemes, haven’t aged as well in reality as they might have in your memory. The SNES Classic is the way to go. Not only are the Super Nintendo games featured in its collection much more palatable than the older NES games, it’s an overall better group. Timeless Nintendo classics like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mario Kart, and Donkey Kong Country are joined by third-party all stars like Mega Man X, Street Fighter II, and Super Castlevania IV. The SNES’s rich RPG legacy is also honored, with Earthbound, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy III, and Secret of Mana, but Chrono Trigger is an unfortunate no-show. Star Fox 2, an SNES sequel that was developed but never released, gets a world premiere on this new hardware. Naturally, the SNES Classic plays all of these games over HDMI, and there are some excellent accessories offered for the hardware, too.
Source: https://www.jjgames.com/