Welcome to the console middle class, with their two children and lovely three bedroom home in the suburbs. That's right, nothing to see here, but nothing to complain about, either!
To review, before beginning our newest tier:
Introduction
Trash Tier:
Atari 2600
Sega Master System
Sega Saturn
Sega Dreamcast
PSP
Xbox
Wii
I'm Pretty Sure I Should Own This? Tier:
Wii U
Game Boy Color
PS3
Switch
Sega Genesis
As always, a game gets 1 point for being good, 5 points for being excellent, and 10 points for being perfect/iconic. I am allowed to depart from the points in the case that a score is less than 5 points different from the next console either way, and I really want to for subjective reasons. This tier features consoles between 30 and 49 points.
Android (30 points):
Excellent games:
Candy Crush Saga
Candy Crush Soda Saga
Terra Battle
Final Fantasy Record Keeper
Pokemon Go
Hearthstone
These are all of the games I have burned a ton of time into my phone and haven't regretted it. Sorry, Fire Emblem Heroes and World Series of Poker. I'd probably swap the Genesis and this, but the rules are unflinching that less than 30 points lands you in the previous tier, so my hands are tied by my own ridiculous rules.
Gamecube (34 points):
Good games:
Donkey Konga
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Pikmin
Super Mario Sunshine
Excellent games:
Animal Crossing
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Mario Kart: Double Dash
Mario Party games
Perfect/Iconic games:
Super Smash Bros. Melee
This console rated a bit higher than I would have thought before doing the rankings, but math is math. I wouldn't have placed this above the Genesis, probably, but here were are. When I look at the titles, it's kind of hard to argue with, too.
Nintendo DS (36 points):
Good games:
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
New Super Mario Bros.
Children of Mana
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's World Championship 2011: Over the Nexus
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
Excellent Games:
Advance Wars DS
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Mario Kart DS
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time
Pokemon Black/White/Black 2/White 2
The first console for which I have a top ten list! That means there must be at least ten good, excellent, or perfect games for the first time here. I'd call this console "wide but shallow", meaning that I've got a pretty good knowledge of the library, and that there's nothing really spectacular for the console. A lot of good and excellent titles though!
Xbox 360 (36 points):
Good games:
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
Army of Two
Dynasty Warriors 8
Lego Batman
Lego Batman 2
Guitar Hero: World Tour
Excellent games:
Grand Theft Auto 5
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Halo 3
Lego Marvel Super Heroes
I was, frankly, gobsmacked to see the Xbox 360 so high up this list. But the truth is that it could be higher if not for NBA 2K and Madden switching over to the PS4 this generation! I spent a lot of happy hours with this console with my brother-in-law, building Madden dynasties and mowing down bad guys with a wide variety of firearms. I can actually make a legit top ten list for this console, and not have to reach in the slightest.
PS4 (34 points):
Good games:
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Street Fighter V
Minecraft
Excellent games:
Madden
MLB: The Show
NBA 2K
Diablo III
Marvel's Spider-Man
Red Dead Redemption 2
For all that I play my PS4 (a ton), I feel like this list should be larger. I guess I'll just have to keep exploring! I bumped it above the DS and XBox 360 because of how often I play it, and because of how little I've really explored the library.
Nintendo 3DS (36 points):
Good games:
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Pokemon Sun
Ultimate NES Remix
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright
Mario Golf: World Tour
New Super Mario Bros. 2
Excellent games:
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Fire Emblem Awakening
Super Mario 3D Land
Pokemon X/Y
Perfect/Iconic games:
Shovel Knight
I was stunned when this little gem came in tied with the DS in points. I feel like I play it a ton, but was really surprised how few games I could actually put on here. It's definitely better than the DS, though, especially given extensive Virtual Console support.
Game Boy (39 points):
Good games:
Super Mario Land
The Final Fantasy Legend
Yoshi's Cookie
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Pokemon Trading Card Game
Excellent games:
Tetris
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
Perfect/Iconic games:
Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
This is another one with a full top ten list, yet I feel like I have a ton more to explore on this little guy. He definitely has some growth potential. It has an absolutely killer library of top tier favorites, though. I'd put its top 6 up there with just about any console in this tier or the next.
PS1 (45 points):
Good games:
Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot 2
The Legend of Dragoon
Battle Arena Toshinden
Road Rash 3D
Twisted Metal
Twisted Metal 2
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX
Chrono Cross
Suikoden
Excellent games:
Crash Bandicoot 3
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Xenogears
Final Fantasy Tactics
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Perfect/Iconic games:
Final Fantasy VII
What a great little console! I really love all of these games here, and think that some of them, if I played them a bit more, may even bump up to the excellent tier. There's a huge selection of PS1 games on my list to acquire too, so look for growth in this one in the years to come. I did a full top ten list for this console, in case you're interested.
Catch up with my tomorrow to get into the consoles that I truly count among my favorite. Only seven more to go, so I think you can narrow down most of the ones that are going to be on there. And if you don't already know which console will be number one, you are definitely not my faithful reader.
-TRO
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