Favorite Gaming Generation?

[iStreet]

This is really hard this is like asking someone who has kids which one is their favourite IT'S UNFAIR DAMNIT!!!

Soooo true!!! I can not vote.. damnit!!

[fcgamer]

While I have played games from most of the generations, the 3rd generation has to be my favorite, followed by the 5th generation.  My first childhood memory is playing the original Super Mario Bros. at age 3 while visiting at my aunt and uncle's house; I was hooked since then, and that probably contributes to why my eyesight is so poor by now.

My brother and I played NES / Famicom all the time, and when we are together, we still play those two machines even now.  With this machine there are just so many great and interesting games, and many of the games that aren't great are still average, imo.  With the amount of software on that machine, I don't think I would ever run out of choices, and there is honestly something for everyone.

I also have some fond memories playing Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64, and I remember really wanting a Playstation when it first came out, though I would get it years later (and honestly never played it much, once I did have it).  So in terms of nostalgia and memories, this would easily be my second favorite generation.

For some reason, I just never got into the 4th generation of games, and it was only recently that I realized this.  I had a Super Nintendo when I was younger, but besides a few games, there just isn't much that has wowed me.  My feelings towards the Sega Mega Drive are even more lackluster, and I honestly have little to no desire to play either of those machines.  They just don't appeal to me as a whole.  I would say that the RPGs from the SNES era were king of the genre, but otherwise, you really can't get me to play anything from the 4th generation. To me it honestly felt as if they took the best stuff from the third generation, and threw in some souped up graphics.  But somehow, the magic was lost and the final product became an inadequate cousin to similar games on the NES.

[Profeta Yoshitake]

To me it honestly felt as if they took the best stuff from the third generation, and threw in some souped up graphics.  But somehow, the magic was lost and the final product became an inadequate cousin to similar games on the NES.

Man, this is very uneasy to admit, but you have gone to the bone.
I hardly have exposed my deepest feeling about 4th generation with such straighforwardness as you did, but I think it's undeniable: there are tons of direct or "spiritual" sequels (or even "original" games) specially on the SNES that fits in. 

[P]

I have to say that I disagree. I think most genres was mostly improved upon as part of a natural development. For example the RPG genre had become more mature. The tedious parts of earlier RPGs was toned down and the fun parts was more developed. Same things can be said about similar genres like SRPGs. Generally games was more well programmed and smoother to play. One problem I always had with the 8-bit era since I was a kid was the lack of colours (except maybe for PCEngine games). Sure limitations maybe forces developers to work harder to make something good but there's only so much you can do with 4 colours per tile and 4 colour groups per 4x4 tile group like for the Famicom.

Of course most of these improvements were made because the genres became more mature and not because the technical limitations decreased, as much of this applies to many late 8-bit games as well. But there are also games like Yoshis Island and Star Fox which atmosphere and gameplay (in the case of Star Fox) that would hardly be possible on technically inferior systems.

[Issun]

I have to say that I disagree. I think most genres was mostly improved upon as part of a natural development. For example the RPG genre had become more mature. The tedious parts of earlier RPGs was toned down and the fun parts was more developed. Same things can be said about similar genres like SRPGs. Generally games was more well programmed and smoother to play.

I agree, games matured during the 16bit era. It wasn't just more colours and better audio fidelity, they polished the overall gameplay as well.

... 4 colour groups per 4x4 tile group like for the Famicom.

You mean per 2x2.

[P]

Ah yes per 2x2 tile group it is.

[Dendy]

I grew up with 8bit, 30 years later I still play 8bit.

[smileyman8b]

my favorite is the 128 bit era specifically the gamecube i remember me and my dad used to play viewtiful joe on it all the time and he was in the middle of playing windwaker before he had to go so afterwards i played on his save for the longest time thinking the arrow was where i was supposed to go and being too stubborn to start my own save because i wanted to play on my dads but i just kept getting frustrated because i wasnt getting anywhere (i didnt know it was the direction of the wind and was a little kid) so i would continuously explore and screw around and sail without end so the game really became special to me and when i was a teenager i started my own save and beat the game then i beat twilight princess on gamecube and etc.

[tappybot]

I have the biggest Famicom collection among all my games, and I'm most excited to expand my NES collection, with Sega Genensis and SNES being less important to me..

..and yet, for some reason I voted for 16bit generation.
Just so many great games that couldn't happen on NES.. amazing stuff, but still, for the most part, keeps the classic, simple playability of the 8bit generation.

I love the old stuff, but I think the most complete games, still eye popping today, are in the 16bit generation..   It's mostly downhill from there  , or at least a completely different sort of experience for the most part.

[L___E___T]

Tppybot you've just summed up my voting decision exactly 

I also love Gameboy games for the same flipside reason - they took what I love about 8 bit games, reduced the tech and still managed to keep that magic.

[P]

Couldn't have said it better myself!