What's the next level?

[profholt82]

Personally, I would recommend the SNES/Super Famicom. If you enjoyed the Megadrive, you need should explore the SNES library of games. Afterall, you cannot have the Ying without the Yang.

QFT, this was part of my argument as well.

[Barone]

Sorry for the late response, just working like a dog these last months... But, seriously, many thanks for the attention you spent with this thread. Valuable comments in most of the posts.
I rep'ed all guys that the forum allowed me to do so... Thanks a lot for all the info.

Based on the consoles you listed my next to collect consoles were the SNES and PCE/TG16, and then down the road I got back my Master System and NES. The N64 might be fun for you since you actually have friends who come over to play games, the Wrestling games and party games on that system are worth giving a shot.

Yeah, that's the "natural" course I think, but I like to pick some bizarre options from time to time and, seriously, the SNES doesn't appeal that much to me.

The N64 would be a good idea mainly for the FPS and racing games (I've read a lot about playing them with steering wheels and such) but the blurry/awful graphics, bad frame rate and poor music quality of many of those games keep telling me to think a bit more before actually jumping into it. It would be very interesting for 3rd party controllers collection though, since the first party stuff is pretty iffy and lacking for the most part, like for the PS1. The bad part in such regard is that you have just a few games to explore some of those awesome controllers. Like in terms of flight games you have almost nothing; unlike the PS1. And the racing games are mostly very generic in terms of physics and controls, with World Driver Championship being a big exception though... IDK...
I have to consider it a bit more I think.

From everything I know about it, I think the X68000 would fit this to a T, and would complement your Mega Drive wonderfully. I don't know how expensive the system is, though -- I'm sure it's never cheap.

(Another possibility is the FM Towns Marty, but I think many games require a floppy disk as well as CD media, and I don't know how much of a hassle that is.)

Yeah, in theory, the X68000 library is probably what I'm looking for but there are two major problems regarding the platform: price and availability. To *find* a X68000 in good working condition is hard, to find the better models is very hard and to ship them to Brazil would be VERY expensive. The X68000 + Compact Flash solution is my wet dream I think, but, boy, that will take me a lot of hard work to even find all the equipment I need and much more to actually pay for it.
However, I do already have two XE-1AP analog controllers that would perfectly fit the several X68000 games which are compatible.

The FM Towns, especially the Marty, has a clearly shorter library of good/great games when compared to the X68000, but it is way less difficult to find and ship a FM Town Marty to Brazil in comparison. And, still, the FM Towns has some games which are better than their X68000 counterparts, like the Genocide games, Viewpoint and Chase HQ. There's also several Psygnosis releases on the FM Towns and really love those games. Its Flashback version is also very interesting, despite me playing it already on the MD, MCD and 3DO, hehe, but, hell, I love that game.
The thing with the FM Towns is that it's not a parallax fest like the X68000 and it doesn't have so many far superior versions of games like the X68000 has when compared to the home consoles of that era. But, yeah, FM Towns Marty is in my watch list for a while on ebay.

Well, from all of the systems you have listed, my absolute favorite is the NES, but based on your post and the types of games you do not want to play ("I don't like sluggish games, flat backgrounds, muffled sounds and low/poorly detailed textures/tiles; and that stuff seems to be, until now, more present in the consoles I listed in the poll than in the ones I already own."), it is probably not the best system for you due to the fact that many games on the console suffer from sluggishness, and, notoriously, have flicker and slowdown. That being said, many of my all time favorite games can be found on that system, and basically every NES game published by Capcom has beautifully textured backgrounds that make me feel all gooey inside when I'm playing them.

Yeah, I may have sounded like a graphics whore in my OP but it's not exactly like that. NES is higher than SNES in my list, mind you.
Lots of very interesting games and especially in terms of platformers it does have a ton of good/great stuff. The purple-ish graphics do annoy me a lot more than flickering though...

If you like shmups, the PCE is one of the best systems that money can buy, but overall the hardware is lacking as the system is superior to the 8-bitters, but not as advanced as the Genesis or SNES.

Yeah, I pretty much agree. And I'm not a big fan of shooters. I like them but in small doses.

And unless you want to spend a small fortune on imports, the software library is lackluster. That can largely be blamed on Nintendo for their anti-competition policies locking up 3rd party publishers during that generation as well as NEC not really understanding the North American market well enough to be effective. Unless the system has nostalgia for you, it should be left for a point in your collecting when you've gotten more of the big dogs out of the way.

I'm right with you here.

For my vote, from the systems you have listed, I would say that your best bet is going to be the SNES. I am basing that recommendation on the fact that the system has hundreds of excellent games, most of which are extremely affordable, and the system was so popular during its run that there are myriads of great and affordable controllers and accessories which you will surely be interested in. Several of the other systems you have listed offer some great titles, and I'm not saying you won't like or even love them, but I think the SNES offers the most bang for your buck.

You're right about the cost/benefit relation here, it's just that the system doesn't appeal all that much too me and only some non-standard recommendations would be able to make me change my mind, I think... I mean: "Oh, it has Zelda, Mario, Metroid and Final Fantasy" is the kind of stuff that only turns me off when I read.

Also, the system showcases excellent backgrounds and sound which seem to be important to you.

Sometimes it really does. Just take a look at its rendition of Wolfchild and you'll see some good looking stuff in comparison.

And obviously we all love the Genesis here, so I'm sure you will enjoy picking up games that were ported to both systems so you can contrast and compare.

That's pretty much the main reason for me to always consider it besides all my restrictions about the system and its library as a whole.

Somebody was working on a neat project (might have been Razoola) for Neo Geo CD. Basically, you connect a cable from the Neo Geo CD to a PC and with it, you can run games on the Neo Geo CD without discs and possibly faster load times.

Other than that, I don't really recommend Neo Geo CD, mostly because the hardware is very uncommon and expensive. It's actually much easier to obtain a AES than a CD, seriously.

If you like older Neo Geo games, consider buying an AES home system. Many of the early releases are dirt cheap, such as NAM-1975, Magician Lord, Blue's Journey, Riding Hero, The Super Spy and other such games. Some Japanese titles are also very cheap, like the early Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, Art of Fighting and World Heroes games. Heck, even KOF 94 is cheap.

If you want to play every Neo Geo game, get an MVS system, either a CMVS, a MVS board and a supergun, or a big red cabinet.

Lots of people recommend the multi-carts, but I don't. They're cheaply built, generate a lot of heat and are finicky. They are nowhere near as reliable as the original carts. Besides, they're always half-filled with useless hacks that just act as filler. When you buy a 161-in-1, you're only getting about 75-ish original titles, if not less. If you ask me, the best way to go is to buy only games you intend to play or already like. If you want to try before you buy, emulate. It's a lot cheaper than a crappy multi-cart. If you only keep your favorite games, you'll get far more bang for your buck than just owning every game and only playing a few.

Overall though, it's hard to recommend an absolute option. Picking a Neo Geo platform depends largely on the games you want. I for one own both MVS and AES hardware, because I take advantage of both their strengths. I don't really want a Neo Geo CD because it doesn't do anything that the other two platforms can't.

Superb post, Guntz. Thanks a lot for all the info. Feels like it would be better to see if someone comes up with a solution for the Neo Geo CD in the same vein of that one for the 3DO, in which in can use a HDD to load the games from. It would be really a stunning old console solution IMO.

I voted for the Wii. It's not my favorite system out of the ones listed, but I think it's a great and practical choice. Prices on SNES and PC Engine games have gotten insane. Whereas now is a great time to pick up cheap Wii games. And with you not having a Gamecube already, you get two systems in one. Gamecube is mostly cheap too, with only a couple of exceptions.

It's kinda easy for me to buy fully modded Wii consoles around here, even the a bit older ones which are still compatible with the GC games and controllers. It's really high on my list of possibilities. The Factor 5 exclusive games on the GC and some stuff like NiGHTs on the Wii are really tempting. Also, a lot of not-used-by-all-people controllers to explore. I think that some games are really dismissed due to people just using the lame motion controller or cheapo shitty stuff.

"I don't like sluggish games, flat backgrounds, muffled sounds and low/poorly detailed textures/tiles"
Avoid the Amiga and N64 like the plague.

I know what you meant and you're right about that. But the Amiga library is very interesting IMO. It has a extremely high ratio of shitty/unplayable/unfinished-like/awful looking/terribly cheapo/uninspired/generic games, ahahah, but it still has a lot of good stuff. Even the earlier ports (ports on Amiga == danger + early == Atari ST) in a very few cases are really interesting as a much better option to their purple fest/dull NES counterparts. Ikari Warriors, Cabal and Toki would be very interesting as a complement of what I already have on the MD, for an example. Two Dudes is a pretty good port IMO, and even Shadow Dancer looks and sounds clearly better than the SMS version. Ghosts 'N Goblins is also very good... Stuff that you won't get in better versions unless you're considering emulation or very high ass expensive systems (and I'm pretty sure they all run in a CD32). Crack Down seems to be closer to the arcade version than the MD port IMO...
And I'm talking just about arcade ports, which usually are the soft spot of the Amiga library.
There are several good racing games, I love the genre, so... My main doubt is about how hard it is to actually hack Amiga games, especially the controller routines. 'Cause if it's feasible to hack the racing games to use more buttons and/or the XE1-AP analog controller that I have (I already have the asm and C routines of the driver) it would be pretty awesome.
The awful part, aside from the average bad use of the hardware, is the bloody expensive *regular* 3rd party controllers and stuff like mouse and keyboard, which are very necessary to any further enjoyment of the platform.

I recommended the PCE, the shooters are even less sluggish than the MD ones, don't have flat backgrounds, sounds aren't muffled on the CD ones and the tiles are well textured.

They are awesome.

Of course, stuff that isn't a shooter will likely have flat backgrounds (except Castlevania Rondo of Blood), so take that into consideration.

My main complaint about the system.

Taking in mind that most of my experience is with what was released in the US, and I'm under the impression that you live in Europe, Barone (if I'm wrong feel free to enlighten me) so my experience reflects that:

Hehehe, thanks for the considerations but I live in Brazil, South America. A lot of bananas around here, ahahaha.

If you're willing to look past the "kiddy, not as powerful as its contemporaries" stuff the Wii actually has a lot to offer. If you add in the Gamecube support, it has a couple really stellar games for most genres. Take RPGs for example, Tales of Symphonia is one of the better entries into that series. I don't recall if you have a Dreamcast (you didn't mention it above) but it can give you access to a port of Skies of Arcadia which was probably the best RPG on the Dreamcast. Wii also hosts what I feel was the best RPG of this generation, Xenoblade Chronicles.

I'm not heavy on RPGs, actually it's far form being my favorite genre, but I never pass any genre. It's just that I prefer FPS, racing, flight, platformer and general action stuff. Will take your comment into account though.

For 2D style platformers/action games you have the Kirby games (I personally loved Kirby's Epic Yarn. Its balls easy to finish, but actually requires some skill if you want to 100% the game). There's a port of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (It's called something slightly different, don't remember what off the top of my head), that if you don't have the PS1 version is probably a cheaper why to pick up this game. There are the 2 Viewtiful Joe games from Gamecube that are pretty tough, but a lot of fun as well.

Klonoa is another big reason for my interest on it. Good call.

For 3D action games, you have the best version of Resident Evil/BioHazard 4, enhanced ports of the earlier RE games (if you don't already have them) as well as a pretty good port Bully. There are also the Metroid Prime games for FPS style action.

Those are another strong points that do count a lot for me.

Then there are the various Mario games (Sunshine, Galaxy, Paper mario 1000year Door, and Super Paper mario). Of course you also get access to the various Legend of Zelda games, Wind Waker (which actually holds up pretty well), Twilight Princess (available in Gamecube and Wii flavors), and Skyward Sword. I'll admit that I have not yet played either Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword, but I do present them as options.

Don't take it as personally or something, but I really don't give a damn about the Mario, Zelda and other Nintendo big franchises... They say almost nothing to me as a gamer, especially the newer iterations.

if you like fighting games, the selection is kind of weak but still have a couple of worthy titles. You have Soul Calibur 2 on the

Yeah, I know. It has like 4 good games or something. Awfully lacking in that genre. But it seems to be a tradition for Nintendo platforms since the N64 and all its kiddy bullshit.

Gamecube (Link is the exclusive character)

That's a detractor IMO.

and its an OK port of the game (the gamecube controller sucked for playing that game though). On the Wii you have Castlevania Judgement (which was kind of meh, though not as terrible as the internet would have you believe) and the pretty decent Capcom vs Tatsunoko.

That's THE good one actually.

Finally there are the Super Smash Brothers games (Melee and Brawl) which are pretty fun.

I *hate* all Smash Bros games, they are not fighting games in my book.

For Shmups you have a couple options: Ikaruga was released on the Gamecube. There are a couple of shooting collections available for the Wii as well as a port of the Monkey King shooter (an adaption of the old SMS Cloud Master game).

Those are certainly interesting ones. I didn't know about Monkey King, good one, thanks.

There are also some puzzle/adventure game options. for Gamecube, Odama is kind of weird but amusing. Zach and Wiki is a way under-rated adventure type game. There is also Little King's Story which is pretty cool.

Sounds interesting, I'll need to have a look on those.

I'd be remiss if i didn't mention the Wii VC as well

VC == payed emulation == crap, in my book.

I guess what I'm saying is getting a Wii gives you the most options over all. just make sure to pick yourself up the Nunchuck extensions and very definately the classic controller extension. it makes playing a lot of games way easier. It probably also wouldn't hurt to pick up a couple of Gamecube controllers.

I'm aware of that, thanks again.

I guess the obvious choice for you would be the PC Engine, mano.
Lots of different games to explore and discover, in all genres imaginable. Try to get a Turbo Duo for ease of access to the CD material, which is IMO the crown jewel of the system (moreso than the Sega CD is to the Mega Drive, let's say).

Duo-R or RX would be my goals but IDK how many good/great games, not present in other platforms, I'd actually have, besides tons of shooters.

Seriously, if you love the Genesis/Mega Drive, then the PC Engine is next best thing.

Yeah, I kinda agree.

As this thread shows, the PC Engine is full of superior/improved/extended/unique versions of games, with lots of versions of obscure and not-so obscure titles.

That thread shows a lot of non-real screen sizes for the PCE versions and a lot of fanboys claiming superiority based on a few still screenshots, I'm really not very impressed. Not at all.
Especially considering that many of those "superior looking" versions do lack parallax and some animation when compared to the said "inferior" ones, which are actually games and should be analyzed using video comparisons IMO.

You'll also find lots of unique games, that either are or were very original, or do something in a way that stands out from similar examples. Stuff like (Ai) Cho Aniki, Kiaidan 00, Gekisha Boy, Download (2), Sapphire, Hana Taka Daka, Star Parodia, Kabuki Itouryoden, Vasteel, etc.

Shooters and RPGs, mostly, I know. But I'm looking for suggestions in other genres, more action related stuff. Kabuki Ittou Ryoudan is good but nothing all that special IMO.
Anyway, thanks.

For every PCE game with flat backgrounds, but shouldn't, -there is one full or parallax. An endless amount of amazing redbook soundtracks and lots of nice adpcm sound samples. Many CD games also feature the kind of variety in tile/sprite artwork that you don't often find in cart games, especially SNES games.

Surely, soundtracks of PCE CD games are really amazing for the most part IMO. And, no, the SNES with its all-alike (mostly) muffled soundtracks can't match the PCE CD in that department, by any stretch of imagination IMO.

And if you like Sega games, the PC Engine has lots of them.

After Burner is very interesting. Any homemade schematic for a XE adapter???

Original Xbox, Wii: mod them for great homebrew. Also Dreamcast too has a good homebrew scene. All three have good libraries too.

IDK how interesting those homebrew offerings actually are. I'd like to know more about that...

[KnightWarrior]

SNES, NES & TurboGrafx-16

You prob know the games are going up in prices

[TurboRotary]

Don't get the TurboGrafx.. Get the PC Engine..

[Kogen]

FM Towns Marty is your entrance to a whole new level of fun. Hop aboard your Galaxy Force II shuttle and explore the deep reaches of Japanese hentai gaming like a Tasuke. Play on either console or Marty PC, it is YOUR CHOICE. Just remember to follow Marty's law at all times.

[Kamahl]

Non-Shooter PCE Games that are on par with the better offerings on the MD/SNES.

RPG:
Legend of Xanadu 2 (It has parallax !1!!!111)
Anearth Fantasy Stories (I think it's available on the saturn too)
Cosmic Fantasy 4 part 2 (avoid part 1 like the plague)
Tengai Makyo Kabuki Den
Xak III

(Ys games are awesome but look like crap)

Strategy/RPG:
Langrisser (much better version than warsong)
Solid Force
Kisou Louga 2
Macross Eien no Love Song
Neo Nectaris

Others:
Beyond Shadowgate (PnC adventure game where you get to punch people!)
Devil Crash (I like it more than the genesis version, no annoying border on the side)
Bomberman 94
Castlevania Rondo of Blood
Blood Gear (Monster World style game with mechs)
Flash Hiders (Fighting Game/RPG hybrid)
Fray
Magicoal
Godzilla
Kaze Kiri (It's a Kung Fu clone, but I like it a lot)
Last Alert
Pop 'n' Magic
AfterBurner (easily the best 16bit version)

[Drakon]

hmm...I mean snes, for the rpg library

[Chukka]

Amiga is awesome. Get an A1200. SNES and PCE are obvious choices.

[16-bit]

SNES has a ton of really good platformers, RPGs, adventure games etc. Only problem is the price, so if ya get an SNES, make sure you can play Japanese games because they're cheaper.

NES is another great system, lots of games you can play in just one sitting, tons of hidden gems, and most are still pretty cheap! Only problem is hardware is quite finicky, so I'd go for a Famicom/AVfamicom/Twin Fami with a 72 pin- 60 - pin converter.

[SEGA.GENESIS1989]

SNES has a ton of really good platformers, RPGs, adventure games etc. Only problem is the price, so if ya get an SNES, make sure you can play Japanese games because they're cheaper.

NES is another great system, lots of games you can play in just one sitting, tons of hidden gems, and most are still pretty cheap! Only problem is hardware is quite finicky, so I'd go for a Famicom/AVfamicom/Twin Fami with a 72 pin- 60 - pin converter.

True but wouldn't you say that in most cases the price of a SNES can be quite reasonable as long as Barone is not looking to buy a CIB copy of a game? There are exceptions to that rule but there are alot of stellar games on the system that are quite affordable. And let's not forget that he does have the option of purchasing a Super Everdrive as well.

Barone, my goal-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l (Soccer/Football slang so that your Brazilian blood understands) is to make you change your mind and pick up a SNES!

[sketch]

I voted for the N64, taking your statement about being budget conscious into account. It's a fun platform, cart based and pretty reliable, with a lot of unique games (not a lot of ports to or from this console for obvious reasons). There are very high quality Nintendo-developed games (Mario 64, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Wave Race, Mario Kart 64, Starfox, Goldeneye (semi-inhouse)) as well as fun third party games (SF Rush, Doom 64, Beetle Adventure Racing, Star Wars Rogue Squadron (RIP LucasArts)). Best of all, the system and the games can be had pretty cheaply, even the good games. It's also great as a party machine, if you have friends who game.

[KnightWarrior]

SNES prices even for Cart Only is going up ..Even for common games

[TVC 15]

I don't own nor have I even spent more than 5 minutes playing one (a retro game exhibition in London), but get a PC-Engine.

The roads less travelled are always more interesting.

Theres a plethora of options for collecting, Hu-Card, CD-Rom so you could dip your toes into some of the cheaper options without getting burned if the prices seem off putting and it doesn't quite suit your tastes.

Then you can use your knack and extensive analysis skills to share your collecting/purchasing tips with the rest of us, like me! Ha!

[Moirai]

Hop aboard your Galaxy Force II shuttle and explode the deep reaches of Japanese hentai gaming like a Tasuke.

lol

[TurboRotary]

Non-Shooter PCE Games that are on par with the better offerings on the MD/SNES.

RPG:
Legend of Xanadu 2 (It has parallax !1!!!111)
Anearth Fantasy Stories (I think it's available on the saturn too)
Cosmic Fantasy 4 part 2 (avoid part 1 like the plague)
Tengai Makyo Kabuki Den
Xak III

(Ys games are awesome but look like crap)

Strategy/RPG:
Langrisser (much better version than warsong)
Solid Force
Kisou Louga 2
Macross Eien no Love Song
Neo Nectaris

Others:
Beyond Shadowgate (PnC adventure game where you get to punch people!)
Devil Crash (I like it more than the genesis version, no annoying border on the side)
Bomberman 94
Castlevania Rondo of Blood
Blood Gear (Monster World style game with mechs)
Flash Hiders (Fighting Game/RPG hybrid)
Fray
Magicoal
Godzilla
Kaze Kiri (It's a Kung Fu clone, but I like it a lot)
Last Alert
Pop 'n' Magic
AfterBurner (easily the best 16bit version)

I've got Anearth Fantasy Stories and I want to play through it sooooo badly but I cant find a english guide anywhere.. The graphics are soo good.