PlayStation vs. Nintendo 64

[Ayen]

VS.

The console wars continue with the PlayStation versus the Nintendo 64. Which do you prefer? Which did you grow up with? Vote now!

This one is progressively more difficult for me than the last one because I like both consoles equally. I grew up with both of them, too. The N64 was the first console I actually owned. Before I mainly just played whatever my brother had, but when the N64 came along I had my own console I could play anytime I wanted. And the PlayStation wasn't far behind. Sales wise the PlayStation crushed everything else that was out at the time, but I think their libraries made them pretty good competition. PlayStation may be the strongest console with the ability to play CDs, I remember that being a big deal back then, but there was the load time. N64 didn't have any of that. Just playing WWF War Zone on the PSX, and then playing it on the N64 I could see how much of a wait there was in comparison. Plus, I think N64 just did 3D better. Super Mario 64 became the standard that pretty much every 3D platformer would follow, and games like Super Mario 64, and Ocarina of Time, just aged far better visually than a lot of PSX games did.

That said, both game had a lot of classics on it. Nintendo had your usual powerhouse with games like Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Pokemon, and other gems like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and the Bomberman games on the N64 were heads over heels better than the ones that were made for PlayStation. BattleTanx Global Assault is of course another personal favorite of mine. N64 also introduced Banjo Kazooie to an entire generation of kids. Also, N64 has hands down the best wrestling games ever created, WCW vs. nWo World Tour, WCWnWo Revenge, WWF WrestleMania 2000, and WWF No Mercy. The StarCraft N64 port wasn't half bad either from what I hear.

But the PlayStation had of course one of, if not the best generation of Final Fantasy games on the market, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania SoTN, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil (N64 players only got RE2), the WWF SmackDown! games, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, a bunch of RPGs that's probably going to give it the edge in this poll, Monster Rancher, and a lot of good fighting games. How awesome was the start up screen for the PlayStation? I still get goosebumps whenever I hear it.

Nintendo got screwed around this time period when it came to Final Fantasy and Castlevania games. I feel sorry for anyone who got a N64 expecting the next FF and Castlevania titles to come out on it. Castlevania 64 was fun, but pales in comparison to SoTN, there's not even a contest there. I did enjoy playing the witch though. I liked throwing energy balls at people. And what was up with the skeletons on motorcycles?! That graveyard level was crazy!

Discuss.

[Pumpkin]

I like both a lot but considering I have more PlayStation games, I'll have to give it to the PlayStation

[CimminyCricket]

Playstation is the easy winner. I only had a couple of games for the N64 (Mario 64, Pilot Wings, Wayne Gretzky), but I had a ton of games for the PS1. I still think of many of them as the best games I've ever played: Einhander, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2, Jet Moto 2, Crash Bandicoot, the FF series, Small Soldiers, the list goes on.

Sorry Nintendo.

[Agent Proto]

I'm going to say that the Nintendo 64 was better than the PlayStation. While it doesn't have as many games as the PlayStation, it did have a lot of good games for it, and it featured four controller ports for four-player madness. The games on PlayStation did have loading times, which I thought were quite annoying. Sadly I didn't own many games for the PlayStation, so the N64 has my vote.

[Pike]

I have to concede that the PlayStation had the far larger library although personally I mostly grew up with the N64 and hardly ever played any PlayStation games FF and MGS were really the only reasons I bought Sony consoles for a while, and now that those are no longer exclusives (and I'm not a ~huge major fan~ anymore) I can happily play my PC or Xboxes instead

[Carl the Llama]

PSX:
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Suikoden II
Breath of Fire III
Breath of Fire IV
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX
Grandia
Vagrant Story
Crash Team Racing (freaking LOVED this game)
Chrono Cross
Legend of the Dragoon

N64:
TLoZ: OoT
TLoZ: MM
Mario Kart

These are just a few of the games I have played on both consoles, I think the Playstation is the clear leader in titles here.

[Psychotic]

Like everyone else I have way more PlayStation games than N64 games.

[Colonel Angus]

This is tough. I'm pretty much a Nintendo fanboy, but Sony has always been my #2.

I originally had a N64, then later got the PSX. Each system had many great games. In particular, the PSX had the Final Fantasy series, Street Fighter Alpha III. The N64 had a ton of great games, as well, Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Doom 64, StarFox 64, the LoZ games.

[Galuf]

my fav game ( FF ix) is on PS1 so yeah that

[Polnareff]

PSX had the biggest variety of good games out of the two. There were some games on N64 like Paper Mario, hell anything with Mario, Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2, Rakugakids, Fighter's Destiny, Bomberman 64 and Hero, etc. but PSX had games like Crash Bandicoot, Resident Evil (though yes, N64 did get a port of RE2 later), the Final Fantasies, Breath of Fire III and IV, Trap Gunner, Einhander, Thunder Force V, Rival Schools, Xenogears, 2Xtreme and 3Xtreme, Sled Storm, Crash Team Racing, Suikoden 1 and 2, Grandia......the list goes on

[Vyk]

I think I maybe missed some good games on the N64, but barely anything in the N64 library had much story or character depth, so it really didn't have anything to hold my interest. It had a bunch of fun and easy time wasting games that would include Mario and Starfox, but I don't think the system got off the ground the way it should have

The Playstation may have had a larger library, but that's mostly irrelevant except for the fact that it increased the odds of finding gold. And there was gold on there for me. With the end of the good Final Fantasy games FFVII was a nice experience, and the beginning of cinematic blockbusters with MGS. Also one of the best collections of obscure and beloved RPGs that actually made it to the west (unlike the SNES which had a comparable RPG library, but most of the best of the obscure was left in Japan). Grandia, Lunar, Wild ARMs, Brave Fencer Musashi, Alundra, and my beloved Xenogears. Its probably the system I've had the most fond memories with. Even though I went into that generation hating Sony for sticking their nose where it didn't belong and ruining the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo, I would have to choose Sony as my favorite of that generation now that rose colored nostalgia glasses are off

Edit: For the record, the Saturn was no slouch that generation. It may not have been able to compete with the Playstation's library, but I feel that it easily trumped the N64's library. Shining Force 3, Shining Wisdom, Shining the Holy Ark, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Astal, the best Street Fighter games with the best control for those games, Magic Knight Ray Earth, Dragon Force, Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA and Championship, Virtua Cop, Burning Rangers, Mystaria/Blazing Heroes, Blazing Dragons, ah the memories..

[Rez09]

I . . . have no particular love for the N64. I've owned one, numerous times actually, and I'm never sorry when I do, but it's just Nintendo's most forgettable console for me. Conversely, the Sony Playstation is tied with the SNES for my favorite console, sooo . . . there's no real comparison.

So I leave this instead.

[Sephex]

Again, while I think the PlayStation is the better console, that doesn't mean that I didn't own and love both. For this generation I appreciated how fast N64 carts could run, but I felt developers made better use of the CD-ROM format with the PlayStation. It depended on the game, though.

A rare (for me) example (of a N64 cart being utilized FAR better than a CD-ROM) is that I felt the Mortal Kombat Trilogy on the N64 was far better than the PlayStation version because it ran far smoother and had a better controller for it. It was missing one of the Sub Zeroes, but other than that it was a very complete game.

My love for RPGs also grew and grew as this generation marched on. While most others were praising these "new" types of games, I was all like, "Welcome to the party, friends!" So that was a key factor for me. They might as well renamed the console "RPG Player" at one point.

[Pike]

If we're talking about areas where the N64 actually came out ahead, I do feel that the N64 had the better platform games.

Yes, I played Spyro, Crash, et al.

But the Banjo series and Mario 64 were (IMO) better.

(I'm also a weirdo who liked the N64 controller )

[Sephex]

If we're talking about areas where the N64 actually came out ahead, I do feel that the N64 had the better platform games.

Yes, I played Spyro, Crash, et al.

But the Banjo series and Mario 64 were (IMO) better.

(I'm also a weirdo who liked the N64 controller )

I'm with you on all of those points as well. Honestly, choosing between the two is far more agonizing than the SNES vs Genesis topic.