They are, in my mind, the two greatest consoles ever released in terms of the classic games that appeared on them. Now it’s time to vote: SNES or PlayStation 2.
Which was the best console? In terms of classic games, overall library, longevity — all of those factors — which was number one.
I have a personal preference, but I want to know what you think!
Comments
43 responses to “The Big Question: SNES vs PlayStation 2”
SNES! SNESSSSS!
Very interesting generational disconnect there. SNES has a special place in my heart as my first console, so I can’t really add anything objective to that. Too hard.
I own 4 SNES, only 1 PS2. That should be enough of an answer.
But in my mind SNES wins because the library beats PS2 in terms of originality and overall quality. Yes, you can get a lot of SNES remakes on PS1 or 2 – but that’s exactly the point – they need to extend their library by taking the originals and making them available. The originals are great because they were original. That’s the important deciding factor.
PS2 is fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but it’s no SNES.
Playstation 2. SNES codified a lot of gaming, but wasn’t greatly ahead of its competitors in terms of content or technology.
PS2 pushed console gaming to new heights- technologically (things like Eyetoy), and in levels of complexity and maturity. Really brought gaming into the mainstream. The fact that it was still being produced LAST YEAR is insane.
How did you come to that conclusion? So games like Starfox, Stunt Race FX, Donkey Kong Country series – none of that was ahead of the competition (which was basically the Mega Drive)?
Well, Donkey Kong Country was all pre-rendered sprites- the system wasn’t rendering them in real time.
Star Fox and Stunt Race were landmarks, sure, but the Super FX processor was only ever on a handful of titles- and it wasn’t a component inherent to the SNES system, it was a coprocessor on the cartridge.
The DKC games may have been prerendered but you still need to grunt in the hardware to be able to put all that stuff on screen and get it running well. Same with the FX chip powered games. Yes, there was an extra chip in the cartridge, but the power still needed to be there in the console itself.
This is something the Mega Drive wasn’t capable of (and yes I’m not forgetting the Virtua Processor). It had a smaller colour palette, slower CPU and less memory for a start.
Both consoles had good games, but the fact is the Mega Drive was technically inferior to the SNES, and it showed – especially towards the end of their lifespans. One thing the Mega Drive did have over the SNES though was the controller. 6 face buttons pwned, especially for fighting games.
The gamecube had more innovative and new add ons… and im not being bias, I had ps2, xbox and cube
PS2 no question. The planets aligned with companies at the top of their game, a market that was hunger for home console games and prepared to spend. That and the market share dominance of PS2 allowing some fantastic niche titles that catered to everyone.
PS2…..Just. The exclusives it had, backwards compatibility, DVD player. SNES wins longevity though, I still break out some Mario Kart and NBA Jam occasionally on mine.
PlayStation 2 all the way for me. I played the shit out of Gran Turismo 3 & 4, GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, Need For Speed Undergound 1, 2 & Most Wanted & the Crash Bandicoot games, I had so much fun with that console. It’s going on 11 years old now my PS2 (silver edition from back in the day) and still works albeit a tad noisy..
Meanwhile, Nintendo have never been special to me like they are everyone else, it seems. Sure I had a 64 like everyone else seemed to, but I never found a game I truly enjoyed on it, never could find anything to like about Mario or Zelda. I liked GoldenEye upto a point, but then again i’ve never been a fan of First Person Shooters on a console.
If you clean the dust out of your PS2 it’ll be as quiet as the day you bought it.
I did that once, I almost broke one of the really fine ribbon cables… Since i’ve leant it to a mate, not sure what the dust factor is like now.
I loved the Snes, but if i had to be stuck on an island with just one of those consoles (and the island somehow had electricity and a TV) I’d choose the PS2. Because San Andreas.
Very tough call, but ultimately I chose the one I believe I put more gaming hours into. And the one that featured Diddy’s Kong Quest. 😀
SNES for me, I never owned a PS2. I went from the PS1 to the XBOX to the PS3 alongside always sticking with every Nintendo release.
I only say SNES because I never owned a PS2.
Neither – GameCube all the way!
@markserrels – This should really be Dreamcast VS PS2
@markserrels
More so Gamecube vs PS2, you mean right? I know one person who allegedly owned one, I knew plenty who owned Gamecubes though 😛
But thats not even a competition, the dreamcast wins hands down, dont care what the hatter say, PS2 got nothing on Powerstone or Shenmue….. NOTHING!
you either had a snes or a megadrive, but everyone had a ps2
megadrive
The PS2 didn’t have that longlivity factor for me. PS3 and XBOX 360 instantly demoted PS2, XBOX and GameCube games down to old tech. SD 3D graphics just don’t cut it for me in a HD world, and the emphasis on ‘realistic’ graphic styles during that generation caused the characters to date rapidly into plastic faced monsters, but the SNES’ graphics still stand tall today.
Also mechanically developers still weren’t that confident with control schemes. It was an important generation on that front since it was all about exploration and towards the end we saw the standards that would later be refined on the XBOX 360 and PS3, but when you revisit a lot of titles it’s like ‘man, this handles like arse, why am I toggling iron sights with R3?’.
It’s also pretty hard to compete with the SNES in terms of which one I preferred at the time. That was a really great time in my life. I just had so much more freedom to play in my SNES days that even if I enjoyed playing another console more I’d still have way more good memories of playing the SNES. I think I’ll have to retire before I can sink that sort of time and energy into another console. =P
I struggled to pick. Both consoles are amazing, but I think I’ll have to go with SNES.
I didn’t have a SNES so the iconic games of the SNES don’t stand out for me. On the other hand, I loved my PS2. It fell into disuse as soon as I got my 360 and moved to a HDTV, but there was a solid 5 years where I couldn’t stop playing it, and it gave me FFX, Silent Hill 2, and… others.
I love them both but I voted based on which I would be happier with if I was told it was the only console I’d be allowed to use for the rest of my life. So PS2 it is.
I liked them both but played far more of the PS2 than the Snes (owned a ps2 not a snes) . However 1 gripe with the ps2 is that it lacked reliability i managed to over work at least 3 of them to the point that would only load a game if the console was upside down and even that was hit and miss.
I never owned a SNES. Yet even I know that it had a major impact. But when the PS2 came out, there really wasn’t competition. The Xbox had Halo… and…. well, that was really it. The PS2 gave birth to some fantastic franchises, while when the SNES came out, the C64 was king for me. Its still my favourite gaming machine of all time.
But seeing as their gaming history doesn’t overlap, a gamer could theoretically have enjoyed both at their peak.
It has to be the SNES. As someone whose owned (NES, GB, SNES, GBA, N64, GC, Wii, DS, 3DS, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS1, PS2, PS3, Dreamcast) I can honestly say no system has ever given me that same feeling of excitement and wonder when flicking through it’s library. Or when I first powered it on for the first time… I remember when I first powered on my PS2 and I was shocked by the loading times, the grainy graphics, and how not next gen it felt at the time :/
oh god… this has got to be the hardest question ever asked. But in terms of impact on me personally definitely the PS2 wins.
With there being a reasonable generation gap, perhaps it would also pay to have an attached poll to gauge the age of those participating?
What the what?
How on earth was the Dreamcast missed here!
I owned neither console during its heyday. I now own over 100 ps2 games. They have aged terriblt when compared to both the Gamecube (which is what I owned at the time) and Xbox. Ivwas a Sega kid but these days I turn my SNES on more than the PS2.
PS2. It was amazing on its own, and with a little effort you can run a SNES emulator on it. I guess that ultimately makes the answer PC, though.
Never had either. PS2 had the better games based on the stuff I’ve seen though
I know you like Snes and PS2 but Amiga had the best games.
This is an interesting question and while I loved both consoles, I would probably go with PS2 if I had to choose one. The consoles that should stand out more are the NES and PS1 as they both either saved the gaming industry or paved the way for the next generation in console gaming.
You have the NES that saved the industry as it was failing in the 80’s and the PS1 that in 1994 largely changed the way we play games in our lounge rooms. To me these are much greater consoles and would have much more interesting topics for this poll, however this is just my opinion and I am sure there will be some one who tells me I am wrong (dat internet).
I agree that these were probably the two greatest consoles of all time, but my heart says the SNES. I think its because I think the pinnacle (to this day) of a number of genres are on the SNES – particularly JRPG’s and platformers. I think that most PS2 titles still looked like the designers were grappling with 3D.
This is the hardest ‘The Big Question’ I have ever seen. Both systems were amazeballs – seriously solid hardware, with the most innovative, diverse, and enjoyable libraries of their time.
I had my Ps2 for longer. But then I also re-purchased a SNES twice in order to play some of my favorite games.. And if I was stuck alone on a desert island… The Legend Of Zelda: ALTTP and a SNES console is all I’d need to be honest…
If I can include psx games definately the ps2. Truly the golden era for jrpgs. My favorite MGS entries and local co-op (seriously why is this so rare on current/previous gen.) I wont include the ps2s emulation capabilities but all those lovely snes ports dont still count 😉