Support NeoGAF

[LakeOf9]

The PS1 was the best console of its generation. Hands down, no one will argue against this (and if they do they are fucking idiots because come the hell on guys).

But there were so many other consoles that also competed that gen. Almost all the others were, well, irrelevant and don't register. But two of them do. Made by the original stalwarts of the gaming market, they were the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64.

The Sega Saturn has a much bigger, deeper, and more varied library. However, the bulk of this library is in super niche genres, and a lot of the games ended up never being localized or released globally. Its games were also mostly emphasizing 2D at a time when 3D gaming was really taking off. However, in spite of all of this, it had a great library of some really good games - unfortunately, it was let down by its marketing, by Sony being as dominant as they were, and of course, by Sega completely dropping the ball on bringing over their big Mega Drive hits to the Saturn. But there were a lot of great games worth playing across a variety of genres.

The N64 library is extremely small, but that hardly matters when its best games are continued to be regarded as some of the best games ever made to this day. The N64 pioneered (or at least popularized) a lot of things in the console market, from analog sticks, four player multiplayer, and rumble. The N64 also has games that are blueprints for modern day 3D, including Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time. Goldeneye 007 was the first big console FPS hit. Nintendo opting for cartridges led to a total collapse of third party support (something they still have not recovered from thirty years later), but Nintendo and their partners managed to put out some meaningfully great games across a variety of genres.

Which of these two consoles do you think was the better one, and why?

 

[LakeOf9]

I never owned a Nintendo 64 and never played its games until years later on my Switch at which point I thought they were good but not revelatory. There are also not a whole lot of great N64 games to be honest. I pick Sega Saturn, even with all the problems, it was a really fun console and I had a lot of good times with it as a secondary system to my PlayStation.

 

[StereoVsn]

Saturn by far had the better library, especially if you count Japanese only releases.

Nintendo 64 on the other hand was rather poor from the perspective, IMO. Cartridge format killed them basically.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

I never had the privilege of owning a Saturn back as a child.

 

[Naked Lunch]

Saturn - and its not even remotely close.

 

[Syphon Filter]

N64 obviously. saturn had no games and was a failure.

 

[LakeOf9]

I am so surprised (and happy!) at Saturn winning, it almost never gets the credit it deserves

 

[IFireflyl]

 

[Perrott]

The console with Panzer Dragoon Saga.

 

[Badlucktroll]

I wonder how different the world would be if the n64 took cds or the 64dd was the 64cd! it would have gotten metal gear, ff7, and other shit too probably

 

[LakeOf9]

I wonder how different the world would be if the n64 took cds or the 64dd was the 64cd! it would have gotten metal gear, ff7, and other shit too probably

The N64-DD had a capacity of 64MB per disc. Which was the exact same as the cartridge. So imo no, even with that nothing would change.

Now I agree with you that if it had CDs instead, who knows. But then it would be a whole other machine, so that's a completely different discussion.

 

[nial]

Were you inspired by that one ERA thread from yesterday?
Sega Saturn, not even close.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Owned both in their prime.

Sega Saturn had way more amazing games in far more genres, so I vote Saturn.

Nintendo I will say had a few Monster games that nothing on Saturn could touch.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Looking back on the generation and considering how well it holds up today(top notch 2D)....

Sega Saturn if you bought imports.

N64 is great for wrestling imports though.

 

[fart town usa]

Sega Saturn for me but the N64 was easily the better one to own back when both consoles were on the market.

 

[thefool]

Saturn. Over PS1 too.

 

[ReyBrujo]

and a lot of the games ended up never being localized or released globally.

That's the issue. An European or North American Saturn is worthless so if you are asking in the western world, N64 no doubt. Only when you talk about the Japanese version of the Saturn (which holds probably over 70% of the games for the console) then you could say Saturn has a richer one.

 

[Gaiff]

Super Mario 64 annihilates the Saturn’s entire library and no amount of all the love for the defunct Sega console will change that.

Sega went from underrated when we had them to massively overrated in recent years. Saw some people trying to claim the DC was better than the PS2. Lol.

 

[StereoVsn]

Sega Saturn for me but the N64 was easily the better one to own back when both consoles were on the market.

I don’t see how. Even in US there was a better library on a Saturn, and if you did imports, than it would be no contest.

That said, I had PSX back then and didn’t get into libraries for either console until much later. I am still exploring Saturn’s Japanese side library to this day.

 

[Unknown?]

Super Mario 64 annihilates the Saturn’s entire library and no amount of all the love for the defunct Sega console will change that.

Sega went from underrated when we had them to massively overrated in recent years. Saw some people trying to claim the DC was better than the PS2. Lol.

Wow, one game. N64 had high highs but very few of them.

 

[nial]

Saw some people trying to claim the DC was better than the PS2. Lol.

As a Sony fan, the first-party Dreamcast lineup in 2000 completely annihilates the first-party PS2 lineup of the same year. Beyond that, yeah, no fucking way.

 

[Soodanim]

I'm going to see a seriously good list of Saturn games to counteract the N64 first party, Rare, and wrestling game library.

 

[Syphon Filter]

Wow, one game. N64 had high highs but very few of them.

saturn had no games.

N64 had landmark games literally like Mario 64, Zelda OOT, Goldeneye. Then you had amazing games like Perfect Dark, No mercy, Mario Kart 64, Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Star Fox, Donkey kong.

 

[Azelover]

They're equal to me but for different reasons. The N64 had amazing games but they were spaced out. The Saturn kept me entertained consistently.

I'll say Saturn because it's special to me for personal reasons. But they are both good..

 

[Unknown?]

saturn had no games.

N64 had landmark games literally like Mario 64, Zelda OOT, Goldeneye. Then you had amazing games like Perfect Dark, No mercy, Mario Kart 64, Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Star Fox, Donkey kong.

Those games suck. Can't even compete with no games.

 

[nickplaysgames404]

Nintendo 64 for sure

 

[baphomet]

The amount of games that hold up on N64 can be counted on 1 hand.

There's probably 50 on Saturn that still look and play amazing.

 

[Syphon Filter]

saturn neck beads are mad lol. not my fault saturn is a failure with no games.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Didnt have either, but from what I saw I preferred Saturn's library much more. Not a fan of Nintendo franchises except me dabbling with Super Mario Deluxe on my niece/nephews switch.

N64 anti aliased games looked nice and smooth for the time compared to pixelly PS/Saturn (around the era PC games got that feature), but as usual Nintendo systems historically get awful sports and gritty games. And Sega at the time still had solid arcade hits.

 

[nial]

saturn neck beads are mad lol. not my fault saturn is a failure with no games.

You'll need to try really hard to find a more soy boy appealing game than Banjo-Kazooie.

 

[Syphon Filter]

You'll need to try really hard to find a more soy boy appealing game than Banjo-Kazooie.

bro you have anime as your avatar and calling banjo soy lol.

 

[nial]

bro you have anime as your avatar and calling banjo soy lol.

I accept your concession.

 

[Celcius]

N64 easily, how is the Saturn winning this poll lol
Back in the day I literally only knew 1 person that had a Saturn. The N64 on the other hand was super popular.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I accept your concession.

cope.

 

[Alexios]

The near arcade perfect without breaking the bank for Neo Geo (or impossible to have CPS2) 2D fighting/shmup/arcade library on Saturn alone matches 64's "landmark" titles, of which it has its own in Sega Rally, Panzer Dragoon Zwei/Saga, Powerslave, Nights, Virtua Fighter 2/Cop 2/On, great RPGs & sRPGs etc., seems the N64 lovers (more like Saturn haters) grasp at straws regurgitating Sony marketing fuelled rhetoric of the era as if we don't know better, they even praise stuff like RE2, Mischief Makers, Quake and Duke 3D but trash RE/TR, Treasure's Saturn classics and the latter 2 on Saturn

 

[Unknown?]

cope.

You lost.

 

[00_Zer0]

In the grand scheme of things I think N64 had better US/Western support and Sega had better Japanese support, both paled in comparison to the juggernaut that was the PS One. I chose the N64, because I played more of those games growing up, even though I owned a Saturn at the time. Games like Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Wave Race, Goldeneye, Turok, and OoT had more of an impact on me than Saturn and its games at the time. I played all those games to completion, but even though I love Saturn and games like Panzer Dragoon Zwei, and Guardian Heroes the N64 games I mentioned had a greater wow factor for me and still do to this day.

 

[West Texas CEO]

When I was younger, I' would've said N64.

However, now that I am an adult who's developed exquisite gaming tastes, I have to pick the Saturn.

 

[RoboFu]

I've been doing a lot of retro collecting this year and I was surprised at the number of games the n64 actually had. I owned both back in the day and forgot about a lot of good third party n64 ports.

I could never choose between the two really , but I choose the n64 just because it's the underdog atm lol

 

[Little Chicken]

Saturn. Blurry, foggy N64 games have always been awful to look at.

 

[Sleepwalker]

N64 easy.

Never cared for the saturn's library.

 

[Barakov]

Never had a Saturn. Had A N64, though. So for me it's N64. SM64, TOZ Ocarnia Of Time and Goldeneye put it over the top for me. And if you were into wrestling games, that system had covered.

 

[Pedro Motta]

Saturn by a country mile. N64 was an overpriced paperweight.

EDIT:


This music alone wins the poll.

 

[fart town usa]

I don’t see how. Even in US there was a better library on a Saturn, and if you did imports, than it would be no contest.

That said, I had PSX back then and didn’t get into libraries for either console until much later. I am still exploring Saturn’s Japanese side library to this day.

Couch coop and Nintendo's first party games. I had all three back in the day, I've always loved the Saturn but in that timeframe the N64 was the system to have for those legendary multiplayer experiences. Saturn was cool, all my friends loved that I had one but I still dumped way more hours into N64 MP games. That's why I say back then it was better to own a N64. N64 MP is near impossible these days due to how badly the joysticks have aged and the majority of the software library aged terribly. Saturn in 2024 though, still one of the best libraries of all time if you can get a Satiator, fight stick, race wheel, etc. The system is GOATed.

 

[U n i o n 0015]

In terms of games that are fun to play even today, definitely Saturn.

 

[ShirAhava]

I had both back in the 90s this is like comparing an apple and an orange

I'd turn one or the other on for completely different experiences

4 player action in duke nukem 64 or goldeneye was amazing

or SF Alpha 2 or marvel vs x-men without having to get on the bus to the arcade was a dream come true

they were both great in very different ways each system had what the other lacked

I'd say its a tie

 

[Deerock71]

I'm actually glad to see this is close, and I'm only giving the slight edge to the 64 because of the countless hours of fun I got from Goldeneye.

 

[Valonquar]

The people that voted N64 probably never owned a Saturn with a pile of import games.

 

[Dr.brain64]

Where I live, I only ever saw the ps1 and n64.

 

[Crayon]

N64 had a couple of the best games ever to this day and that means something. Fact remains you can only play the same game so many times. Saturn murders it. My most used retro console.