The Sega Genesis looks like crap compared to the SNES, but I'll be damned if they both didn't pump out some of the best music in gaming history! My lady and I have been amassing quite the NES/SNES/Genesis collection as of late; we are going to need more shelves soon! I plan on taking some pictures of our collection to upload soon
Yes, I am a self-proclaimed 8-bit/16-bit connoisseur lol.
Joined: June 28 2005
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Posted: March 04 2011 at 11:57
I hate it when people always say "Genesis graphics/audio sucks compared to SNES", of course it does, it's 2 years older.
Genesis was made before the SNES, it's initial competitor was the NES, what's considered dated now was absolutely MINDBLOWING back then, it only became "out of date" when the SNES came out but it continued to sell well due to both slick marketing and some excellent exclusive games.
The Genesis still has several games that look great and sound great considering the limitations of the time. I'm one of those crazy people who actually prefer the Genesis to the SNES, as great as the SNES was. I was fortunate to have both as a kid.
Anyway. Just because graphics have gotten more technically accomplished over the years doesn't always mean they ARE better. I feel like video games have become less inspired and imaginative as the industry started pushing for realism. There are exceptions of course, like Katamari and the still superb Mario series.
I find something very aesthetically pleasing about a lot of old school games that I don't get from many of today's brown and generic looking first person shooters. I think the challenging technological limits is what drove game designers and composers alike to be so imaginative. Imagination is what it took to impress gamers back in the day when video games could never look realistic.
As video games have gotten more advanced, there has been less demand for imagination and more demand for looking real. That's not to say there aren't games now that combine realism with great imagination. But many games now like Uncharted and Gears of War are basically striving to be like hollywood movies. Video games are starting to lose the distinct style and identity they once had.
Video games will never perfectly emulate the quality of the best movies, I don't think it's healthy for one medium to become so obsessed with being more like another.
I hate it when people always say "Genesis graphics/audio sucks compared to SNES", of course it does, it's 2 years older.
Genesis was made before the SNES, it's initial competitor was the NES, what's considered dated now was absolutely MINDBLOWING back then, it only became "out of date" when the SNES came out but it continued to sell well due to both slick marketing and some excellent exclusive games.
The Genesis still has several games that look great and sound great considering the limitations of the time. I'm one of those crazy people who actually prefer the Genesis to the SNES, as great as the SNES was. I was fortunate to have both as a kid.
Anyway. Just because graphics have gotten more technically accomplished over the years doesn't always mean they ARE better. I feel like video games have become less inspired and imaginative as the industry started pushing for realism. There are exceptions of course, like Katamari and the still superb Mario series.
I find something very aesthetically pleasing about a lot of old school games that I don't get from many of today's brown and generic looking first person shooters.
Just because it's obvious that the graphics look dated compared to the SNES doesn't mean that the games are less than stellar my friend; just personal observation! The Genesis was actually my first console; I didn't even own an SNES until about ten years ago! So if anyone is understanding and un-biased on the matter it would be someone who actually grew up with the lesser of the two systems. I do however agree with your opinion on the realism of modern games; it completely distracts from what makes games so great; escaping reality for a bit! I will always find lush, 2D SNES sprites more appealing than perfectly rendered, anatomically correct humans running through fields mowing down enemy soldiers over and over and over and over...
The Genesis looks amazing relative to it's sole competition in 1989, the NES. Of course the SNES will blow it away by comparison; it's even got the SONY sound chip! The Genesis looks washed out even with great A/V cables while the SNES looks pristine on almost any type of TV; this is the deciding factor for me, as well as the SNES controller being more or less perfect (IMHO); the Genesis did have a one-up with the six-button for fighters though (even though MKII was FAR superior on the SNES; nearly arcade perfect for 1994!). The standard 3-button "boomerang" controller is one of the worst designs possible for 16-bit gaming; even the Sega Saturn (another obscure gem) perfected the controller lay-out with it's smooth buttons and response time; something the Genesis severely lacks in comparison to the SNES.
It all boils down to personal opinion, but this Nintendo fan boi can't be budged lol.
Edited by AllP0werToSlaves - March 04 2011 at 12:13
Yes but even that screen shot shows how limited the sprite color blending (pixel ratio) is on the Genesis; it did a damn good job of pushing the limits of its own capabilities, I'm not arguing that in the least bit. You can tell SEGA was sick of this fact because they kept introducing failed peripheral add-ons all throughout the Genesis' life span; the 32X, Sega CD, 32XCD (yes, they actually tried to make games that worked in combination with the two) etc.
The colors are great, and it has definite speed advantage over the SNES (older games are very prone to slow-down and lag) and has a huge library of stellar titles. Toe Jam and Earl Panic of Funkotron is my all time favorite Genesis title; great graphics, music, concept, execution etc; THIS is what the Genesis was all about for me!
Edited by AllP0werToSlaves - March 04 2011 at 12:34
Joined: June 28 2005
Location: United States
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Points: 905
Posted: March 04 2011 at 12:46
Yeah that game kicks ass.
The speed (Blast Processing was Sega's big marketing term for it back then as everyone knows) was definitely a high selling point for The Genesis. It allowed games like Sonic and Gunstar Heroes to display tons of action on screen without serious lag. This is also one reason I think the Genesis fared better with two player games.
But the big reason I prefer the Genesis is it's library. I prefer platformers and action games over RPGs and that's something Genesis had over SNES IMO.
Not to take away the greatness of the SNES though. I still consider Link to the Past to be the best game of the 16 bit era.
I just think it's unfair to say SNES did everything better, even when it comes to music there were certain soundtracks that worked better for the Genesis. For example I think more aggressive or funky soundtracks worked better on the Genesis because the more tinny sound chip gave them a more raw, "rock n roll" quality and they would have sounded more washed out on the SNES. While more cinematic and orchestral soundtracks obviously worked better for the SNES.
One thing I hate about the Genesis though is how sound effects can interupt the music of some games, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is one of the worst offenders, though it's still my favorite Genesis game.
Speed absolutely goes to the Genesis, and I agree about the action games. I've always just personally preferred games like Actraiser, Castlevania, Contra, Zelda, to games like Ristar and Gun Star Heroes but that;s all preference once again. I agree that the Genesis sound chip did make some games sound better, but the SNES was almost always midi synth based so it sounded a lot fuller most of the time. The Genesis versions of Mortal Kombat 1-3 will always have a place in my heart because of their soundtrack limitations lol.
Joined: January 20 2009
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Posted: March 05 2011 at 02:10
Nintendo had great music. Zelda: Ocarina of Time had some of my favorite. As did Banjo Kazooie. I very much like the atmospheric ambient music that plays when you walk around in Fallout as well.
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Joined: April 06 2008
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Posted: March 05 2011 at 02:57
Final Fantasy IX is my favorite video game soundtrack ever. This is probably my favorite piece on the soundtrack. Basically anything by Nobuo Uematsu is fantastic. Many of Koji Kondo's soundtracks are also great. Another note to add is that the soundtrack to Silent Hill 2 contains some of the best dark ambient music I have heard. Here's a clip from the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack:
Joined: May 27 2005
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Posted: March 05 2011 at 12:59
spookytooth wrote:
Another note to add is that the soundtrack to Silent Hill 2 contains some of the best dark ambient music I have heard. Here's a clip from the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack:
Now that's where it's at. Sorry guys, that 8-bit stuff is no good to me. It's ok for gaming, but I'm not going to listen to it in my spare time. Same with chiptune music, oh god my ears.
Joined: September 14 2010
Location: East Bay, CA
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Posted: March 05 2011 at 13:43
spookytooth wrote:
Final Fantasy IX is my favorite video game soundtrack ever. This is probably my favorite piece on the soundtrack. Basically anything by Nobuo Uematsu is fantastic. Many of Koji Kondo's soundtracks are also great. Another note to add is that the soundtrack to Silent Hill 2 contains some of the best dark ambient music I have heard. Here's a clip from the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack:
I agree completely on both. Aside from being one of my favorite series, the SH games also have some of the best, most unique soundtracks. Part of the reason for SH being one of my favorites. And with any FF, there's always a great soundtrack. My favorite one is still FF7.
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