Favorite unsuccesful console

[Waffles]

Also really dig the N-Gage.

 

[RageBurner]

I never tried it, but it was a pretty bold idea by Nokia in any case.

 

[Don Patch]

The Wii U. My most valuable possession.

Based

 

[Adrastia]

Based on what I actually owned, Saturn. You could have been so much more. I can say the same for Dreamcast even though I've only emulated it. I like to think there's an alternate timeline out there where the Dreamcast did well and Agartha got completed and released.

 

[Xeres]

Based on what I actually owned, Saturn. You could have been so much more. I can say the same for Dreamcast even though I've only emulated it. I like to think there's an alternate timeline out there where the Dreamcast did well and Agartha got completed and released.

Didn't know about that cancelled game. I hope there's enough info for a rabbit hole.

 

[Leon]

3DO for sure.
For it's day, it had some good games, and a whole lot of untapped potential.

At least that is if we're only talking about base consoles, and not addons.

Because if we are including addons then my choice would definitely be the Mega-CD.

The 3D0 was the victim of a mistake many systems make, it costed too much in a time where people couldn't afford it, if i remember correctly the 3D0 debuted at 700$ in 1993, that's around 1500$ in 2023.

That said the sega cd i 100% agree with and would be my top pic, add to that the saturn, which to this day is still a system i love as a part of my childhood.

The Ps vita for sure. I really love playing freedom wars and Soul Sacrifice delta

For what it's worth, freedom wars is getting a remaster on pc, ps4, ps5, and switch, it releases a little over 1 month from now, on january 10th.

Freedom Wars Remastered announced for PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC

Publisher Bandai Namco and developer Dimps have announced Freedom Wars Remastered, a remastered version of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s 2014-released PS Vita action RPG including previous…

www.gematsu.com

 

[Smiley Cat]

The 3D0 was the victim of a mistake many systems make, it costed too much in a time where people couldn't afford it, if i remember correctly the 3D0 debuted at 700$ in 1993, that's around 1500$ in 2023.

Yes, I know WHY it failed. That wasn't the question though.

I still loved mine, I just wish there had been some better devs releasing games for it. But regardless it was still good for what it was. Even just for the PC CD-ROM ports, which ran "out of the box", unlike actual PC CD games back then, which frequently ran into gfx/sound card issues, driver conflicts etc etc. And even if you managed to get them running perfectly, there was still the fact that almost nobody had decent PC gamepads back then (if at all). So the 3DO was at least good for these reasons.

But as a JRPG fan, my biggest wish is that there had been at least a few great JRPG's released for the system. Something like the Lunar games for example. Instead of what we actually got....

 

[46neko]

Definitely the PSVita. The Otaku Machine!

 

[miguk]

1. Dreamcast - Ahead of its time in many ways. Analog triggers, netplay, "HD" graphics (for the 90s, at least), and a screen on the controller before any other console. The fact that so many games from it were immediately ported to other consoles after its demise (and then more later on) shows just how good the lineup was.
2. Saturn - Not necessarily a failure in Japan, but overseas. Easy RAM expansions, unique quadrilateral 3D graphics, focusing on making 2D games better, and multi-processor architecture were all better ideas than people gave them credit for.
3. WiiU - A victim of stupid marketing, stupid naming, and stupidity in deliberately trying not to make it a better handheld than the current failing one (all proven by the Switch's success). Still, the basic idea was not bad, the free online service was cool (half-assed, but not bad for free), and there were some unique game ideas. Like with the DC, 90% of the games got ported to the next Nintendo console immediately after it ended because they were worth it.
4. TurboGrafx-16 - Again, did well in Japan, but not overseas. Games on cards and CDs were ahead of their time. Several great exclusives that weren't ported elsewhere until much later. (Dracula X: Rondo of Blood is still one of the best platformers ever.) Multiple JP-only games that get criminally overlooked even in the retro gaming and translating world (still only a fraction of the best selling Tengai Makyou series translated). Oh, and this was the only console that had the guts to bring eroge to the Western world (albeit very indirectly).

 

[JPC]

1. Dreamcast - Ahead of its time in many ways. Analog triggers, netplay, "HD" graphics (for the 90s, at least), and a screen on the controller before any other console. The fact that so many games from it were immediately ported to other consoles after its demise (and then more later on) shows just how good the lineup was.
2. Saturn - Not necessarily a failure in Japan, but overseas. Easy RAM expansions, unique quadrilateral 3D graphics, focusing on making 2D games better, and multi-processor architecture were all better ideas than people gave them credit for.
3. WiiU - A victim of stupid marketing, stupid naming, and stupidity in deliberately trying not to make it a better handheld than the current failing one (all proven by the Switch's success). Still, the basic idea was not bad, the free online service was cool (half-assed, but not bad for free), and there were some unique game ideas. Like with the DC, 90% of the games got ported to the next Nintendo console immediately after it ended because they were worth it.
4. TurboGrafx-16 - Again, did well in Japan, but not overseas. Games on cards and CDs were ahead of their time. Several great exclusives that weren't ported elsewhere until much later. (Dracula X: Rondo of Blood is still one of the best platformers ever.) Multiple JP-only games that get criminally overlooked even in the retro gaming and translating world (still only a fraction of the best selling Tengai Makyou series translated). Oh, and this was the only console that had the guts to bring eroge to the Western world (albeit very indirectly).

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[RetroLaw]

GE hasn't quite clicked with me yet. I'll likely revise it at some point, but I don't feel the same kind of weight in the combat that I enjoy MH for.

Toukiden is a pretty honest effort. Some of the unique weapons are very interesting, but I feel some of the mechanics make the combat drag on for too long. It seems to be balanced around having a full party of AI companions/players but I always preferred going at it solo, and Toukiden doesn't seem to be balanced around this.

Yes, GE is a more aerial based and allow fast movements, and the bullets mechanics not only allows for zoning but also broken stuff. Attacks and moves also don't require the same commitment as in MH. It's a totally different game, but I enjoyed it specifically because it didn't need as much investment as MH to get things done.

In Toukiden, monsters are mostly HP bags, and the limbs mechanics slows down the combat (and as you said, is a multiplayer mechanic considering several players allows for faster limb purification or just covering the player / CPU purifying the limb). It'a more braindead game that relies on mitama builds.
You can really tell it was made by Koei. That's also why I liked it, being a musou enthusisast.
I Also really liked the characters and the story, nothing exceptionnal but the characters are likable and I like the time altering concept.

 

[RageBurner]

Yes, GE is a more aerial based and allow fast movements, and the bullets mechanics not only allows for zoning but also broken stuff. Attacks and moves also don't require the same commitment as in MH. It's a totally different game, but I enjoyed it specifically because it didn't need as much investment as MH to get things done.

In Toukiden, monsters are mostly HP bags, and the limbs mechanics slows down the combat (and as you said, is a multiplayer mechanic considering several players allows for faster limb purification or just covering the player / CPU purifying the limb). It'a more braindead game that relies on mitama builds.
You can really tell it was made by Koei. That's also why I liked it, being a musou enthusisast.
I Also really liked the characters and the story, nothing exceptionnal but the characters are likable and I like the time altering concept.

You summed things up pretty well, there. I'm not a big Musou fan so I guess I prefer weightier, more deliberate combat, but it's always nice to see something fresh based around something one likes (monster hunting, in this case).

Would you say GE is story heavy enough that I need to play the games in order? because it seems GE3 has the most weapons to choose from and coming from MH and it having 14 choices means I value the ability to choose 1 or 2 favorites highly.

 

[RetroLaw]

You summed things up pretty well, there. I'm not a big Musou fan so I guess I prefer weightier, more deliberate combat, but it's always nice to see something fresh based around something one likes (monster hunting, in this case).

Would you say GE is story heavy enough that I need to play the games in order? because it seems GE3 has the most weapons to choose from and coming from MH and it having 14 choices means I value the ability to choose 1 or 2 favorites highly.

Nope, you can play GE3 directly.
That's my favorite just because it doesn't have broken bullets but that's more than probably a hot take lol.

 

[stealthRUSH]

3DO Interactive Multiplayer!

I would't consider Saturn or Dreamcast unsuccessful compared to a few that truly were cough PC-FX.

 

[dropsmegamega]

the virtual boy most underrated console ever, so sad ppl didn't like getting risking their lives to play it

 

[usenet]

The GamePark GP32, baby!!!! South Korea's first ever handheld console, this little beast released in 2001, right before Korea's gaming industry switched nearly exclusively to mmo-style live service games. It features a heap of some Korean gaming gems, some standouts include:

Tomak: Save the Earth, Again! (Seed 9 - 2003)

This is a shoot em up spinoff of a dating sim (?) about falling in love with half-houseplant-half-human girls (??) in order to stop a benevolent god from destroying the world (???!?). The original game is a story for another time.. The gp32 spinoff delivers on the series' trademark kookiness, as your potted hero battles countless beautifully sprited enemies, all while bullets flood the screen. Perfect showcase of the console's power, as well as it's eccentricities.

GP Fight (TeamBlaze - 2003)

I'm highlighting this beat 'em up title almost exclusively for it's absolutely breathtaking intro. I think this may be my favourite intro animation out of any game, on any console. The style, the distinct character designs, it all punches WELL above it's weight. you'd be forgiven for thinking that you were about to play a forgotten late SNK fighting game instead of the River City Rampage homage you were actually getting. Goes to show the staggering amount of talent and effort that can be put into ANY game, no matter how unassuming they may be. Sadly there's no non-emulator footage of this game on youtube, and that means no audio and low framerates, anyone wanna spend a few grand to import a GP32 and fix this issue?

Little Wizard (GamePark - 2001)

If you had your trust forever shattered by GP Fight being a simple little brawler and not a proper 1-on-1 fighting game, then GamePark's got your back with their very own first party fighting game. Little Wizard is a fighter brimming with personality, pitting 8 magicians against eachother as they punch and curse eachother to submission. A lot of lovingly drawn cartoonish sprites in here, some very charming slapstick humour (turn your enemies into snowmen!!), and colourful visuals that burst off of the screen. Regretably, The same problem that plagues GP Fight's online documentation also effects Little Wizard. The only footage of the game online is low frame rate and not representitive of the original experience.

If the GP32 only had this small library of 30 or so Korean games I dont think I'd be any less fascinated by it, but I've been leaving out one of the handheld's most surprising features.
It was fully open source.
In 2001.
While nintendo were busy trying to stamp out the passionate homebrewing scene that sprung up for their handhelds after the GBA, GamePark went the exact opposite direction, opening up their console for indie devs and hobbyists to do absolutely whatever they please. No modification needed, if you wanted to make your own game, emulator, application, demo, anything, on the gp32, you could do it. This is something that stands out even to this day, I'm hardpressed to think of any other commercial gaming console that so openly embraced homebrew. This led to a small but dedicated scene of coders creating their own projects for the little device, as well as causing the GP32 to become one of the very first emulation capable handhelds.

https://youtu.be/iXBQXJPEN0w?si=8IC6g1kOFLjH0RNC

I don't think I'll ever be able to stop thinking about this little failed device, it captures the creativity, strangeness, and passion that keeps me interested in videogames as a medium. The GP32 did not sell particularlly well, and it's successors faired even worse. Each GamePark handheld that followed the GP32 became less of a full commercial console, slowly falling into the flooded retro emulation handheld market that they once were the trailblazers of. Even if we never got to live in the world where GamePark somehow rose to the top of the console market, the GP32 was a brief, fascinating glimpse into a world where commercial and homebrew gaming happily coexists.

If you're interested in seeing more of what this console can do, check out this stream that showcases many of the GP32's original and homebrew releases. bless!

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

youtu.be

 

[PhrawzT]

Wonderswan, I was sad it was never released in the US. Picked one up a few years ago along with the Flash Masta cart. Put in an IPS screen and took it everywhere with me. I was able to play the original Final Fantasy in English on the go. The ports of Mr. Driller and Gunpey were a lot of fun too.

Unfortunately, mine seems to be having some issues and won't turn on any more.

 

[RetroLaw]

This is a shoot em up spinoff of a dating sim (?) about falling in love with half-houseplant-half-human girls (??) in order to stop a benevolent god from destroying the world (???!?).

This is the best description for a game I have ever read.

 

[Skeetos]

The easy choice is the Dreamcast or Vita. I got a Vita last year and love it. Working on finding a Dreamcast. But one I've always been intrigued by is the CD-I, It's such a strange piece of hardware with even stranger titles. I've always wanted one but I don't have that kind of money.