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[Celine]

It would be nice to haven even more detailed which differentiates between NA and EU. I guess it would be more even on the EU side.

These kind of voting isn't influenced by regional factor (unless only japanese gamers would be accepted to vote).

the genesis came close to snes numbers (40m to 49m in some reports, but others peg the genesis somewhere at 29-33m as well), and the game gear occasionally outsold the game boy in america. i think nintendo's handheld line guaranteed a way for snes era games to get into peoples' hands into the later game boy, gba, and ds era, and the virtual console allows for a lot of that opportunity as well. sega could never get that same level of visibility in later generations.

Nor by the original console sales because both Mega Drive and SNES were more or less equal outside Japan.

SNES vs Mega Drive (Genesis)

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1059657

What influence greatly these kind of voting are

1) Strength of the legacy software: Nintendo is the company that more proactively promote their legacy software as the best and more iconic therefore their legacy games have better exposition than others.
Since many gamers experience these games after the generation ended (even those that had a console during the generation because they were unlikely to own many games) there is a tendency to favour Nintendo.

2) Consolidation of the legacy software: By now it's evident that there is the emerging of a consensus of what is the best (see the many retrogaming top 10 available on youtube, many of which extremely predicable) which means a restrict number of games have precedence over the rest in a top 10 chart because there are so few spots that voters tend to choose "safe" choices.

Consider Chrono Trigger.
The game didn't sold that many units outside Japan and even the re-release on DS didn't sold that well but its iconic status as one of the best JRPG ever is so strong that it was easy to predict that it would finish in the first few spots in the final chart.

NeoGAF Games of the Fifth Generation Awards

This is another good example.
If it was a question of just what sold best at the time of release, PlayStation software catalogue would have dominated however this isn't what happened because what really these votings highlight is the consensus on what is considered the very best which tend to favour a very small set of iconic games.

 

[MineralCraver420]

Awesome job as always, AniHawk!

Really looking forward to the gen 7 vote! Going to be playing as many games as I can make time for in preparation for it. I am already really torn on that #1 spot though!

This gen 7 vote is going to get very heated.

Spoiler

The Last of Us will be number 1, and people will be pissed about it.

 

[Celine]

Neo Geo
1. Metal Slug
2. Metal Slug X
3. World Heroes Perfect
4. Garou: Mark of the Wolves
5. Windjammers
6. Samurai Shodown 2
7. The King of Fighters 98
7. Puzzle Bobble
8. Neo Drift Out
8. Metal Slug 3

Miss my Last Blade 2 vote:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=209561467&postcount=229

 

[Celine]

not sure how terranigma made it so high

I secretly believe that my proselytizing work is giving its fruits /jk

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1126775

 

[AniHawk]

This gen 7 vote is going to get very heated.

Spoiler

The Last of Us will be number 1, and people will be pissed about it.

i think it's possible. it's also one of the reasons i wanted some distance on gen 7 since i felt that a 2012 or 2013 vote like some people had wanted back then would have resulted in stuff like heavy rain, uncharted 3, and mass effect 2 closer to the top. my assumption now is that bayonetta, mirror's edge, the last of us, and super mario galaxy will be the ones fighting for dominance. i also think that, despite how incredibly popular handhelds were in that generation, there won't be much representation for them at all - although 999 might get way more love than a 2012/2013 vote would have allowed.

and then metal gear solid 4 will top the list for really no reason at all despite the game being a huge mess by 2017 standards.

 

[AniHawk]

Miss my Last Blade 2 vote:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=209561467&postcount=229

thanks. made an adjustment and added it in. for some reason i also listed it as arcade.

 

[Neff]

Disgusting results, as expected

Love ya bro

 

[Cramoss]

Aww yes, Super Metroid where it belongs.. at the top.

 

[Morfeo]

Great list, love that Sonic 3 is the top Sonic-game! But why is Hagane in adventure and not in action?

 

[AniHawk]

Great list, love that Sonic 3 is the top Sonic-game! But why is Hagane in adventure and not in action?

because on my side the genres for everything got really screwed up on the last day. anyway, fixed it now!

 

[Morfeo]

and that's it. thanks to everyone who participated. this is as far back as i'm willing to go, but yoshi has expressed interest in earlier generations. i'm preparing for a gen 7 vote in spring of 2017.

Looking forward to this!

 

[Grexeno]

i think it's possible. it's also one of the reasons i wanted some distance on gen 7 since i felt that a 2012 or 2013 vote like some people had wanted back then would have resulted in stuff like heavy rain, uncharted 3, and mass effect 2 closer to the top. my assumption now is that bayonetta, mirror's edge, the last of us, and super mario galaxy will be the ones fighting for dominance. i also think that, despite how incredibly popular handhelds were in that generation, there won't be much representation for them at all - although 999 might get way more love than a 2012/2013 vote would have allowed.

and then metal gear solid 4 will top the list for really no reason at all despite the game being a huge mess by 2017 standards.

Dark Souls will win the 7th gen vote.

 

[Morfeo]

oh wow I actually own every game in the top 25 except turtles iv

I own them all except Doom. Might have a version of it on steam or something, but no physical release

 

[AniHawk]

Dark Souls will win the 7th gen vote.

i forgot about how big the dark souls fanbase has grown over the years. i think it'll come down to a couple naughty dog games and super mario galaxy for the top spot though.

i think gen 7 wound up being really good, but it's also where my tastes and the mainstream's tastes really diverged.

 

[Morfeo]

I loved the Wii, DS and PSP, but thought the PS360 were really overrated - outide of the Souls-games. Those were and are fantastic.

 

[oggob]

Just a simple query, you have NHL 94 as the Sports Game of the Gen, was NBA Jam not considered due to the Arcade nature of the title? As that placed a a few spots higher with an extra vote.

Otherwise, Nintendo destroys everything!
Only had the Mega Drive, and was trying to remember what I really played on the system and what I remember placed really low, thought they would have got a few more mentions.

 

[Dmax3901]

they happen at the end of the calendar year. there was one this year too: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1154066

Thanks, I had seen that thread but must've had a brain fart when it came to the year.

EDIT: Wait that's just the voting thread, where are the results?

 

[timetokill]

NHL 94 baby!

As far as the Lufia 2 comments, great game but goddamn some of those puzzles man

 

[Shadoken]

GAF is primarily an NA forum so the results are mostly going to be biased towards the SNES. Should be fairly even in EU , and the rest of the world (Except Japan) would be heavily Megadrive dominated. Since Nintendo couldnt be bothered to launch the SNES in those territories.
But to be fair Genesis did appeal a lot more to the casual crowd with their focus on Action,Sports,Arcade titles..etc. GAF seems to be more in love with RPGs.


Also is Super Turbo not considered part of this generation? That game is considered by most as the best Fighter ever. And Damn Megaman X seems a bit low , that game was just something else.

 

[halfbeast]

wait, why is Rastan in the Game Gear list, when I voted for Dragon's Trap? or is it an exclusive-only list?

 

[Llyranor]

I wholeheartedly agree with the top 3, and I'm pretty okay with the top 5.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Prime got second, after Resident Evil 4.

But yeah, people here fucking love Super and Prime. And with good reason.

Oh yeah that's right.

 

[decoyplatypus]

i forgot about how big the dark souls fanbase has grown over the years. i think it'll come down to a couple naughty dog games and super mario galaxy for the top spot though.

i think gen 7 wound up being really good, but it's also where my tastes and the mainstream's tastes really diverged.

Super Mario Galaxy may be held back a bit by votes going to Galaxy 2. Voters can--and many will--list both, but I'm guessing I won't be the only one who saves room on my ballot by picking only one. I don't see Naughty Dog's games cannibalizing support in the same way.

 

[Sinople]

Live a Live just missed the top 100. It would've been an honorable mention for me anyway. I really wish that game would see an official English release but it'll never happen.

3 points means I'm the only one to have voted for it. Same with Tengai Makyou/Far East of Eden 2. I'm a little disappointed no one else brought them up as they're two of the finest RPG released during the 4th gen, but that's no surprise considering they never were localized.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

GAF is primarily an NA forum so the results are mostly going to be biased towards the SNES. Should be fairly even in EU , and the rest of the world (Except Japan) would be heavily Megadrive dominated. Since Nintendo couldnt be bothered to launch the SNES in those territories.
But to be fair Genesis did appeal a lot more to the casual crowd with their focus on Action,Sports,Arcade titles..etc. GAF seems to be more in love with RPGs.

As others have noted the SNES skew is more likely due to the extended life that these games have had since the end of the generation compared to the most popular Genesis/Megadrive titles.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

i think it's possible. it's also one of the reasons i wanted some distance on gen 7 since i felt that a 2012 or 2013 vote like some people had wanted back then would have resulted in stuff like heavy rain, uncharted 3, and mass effect 2 closer to the top. my assumption now is that bayonetta, mirror's edge, the last of us, and super mario galaxy will be the ones fighting for dominance. i also think that, despite how incredibly popular handhelds were in that generation, there won't be much representation for them at all - although 999 might get way more love than a 2012/2013 vote would have allowed.

and then metal gear solid 4 will top the list for really no reason at all despite the game being a huge mess by 2017 standards.

"Tis not prophecie, tis historie"

Super Mario Galaxy may be held back a bit by votes going to Galaxy 2. Voters can--and many will--list both, but I'm guessing I won't be the only one who saves room on my ballot by picking only one. I don't see Naughty Dog's games cannibalizing support in the same way.

This is why I dont agree with a Souls game taking it either; each of the 5 is for a significant chunk of the fanbase "the best of the greatest".

 

[timetokill]

Great job running this, AniHawk. You can definitely see GAF's tastes on here. I'm surprised Myst wasn't mentioned more... I guess if you're voting based only on what holds up today I can see it, but there's no doubt it was one of the most influential titles to come out during that period, far more than a lot of the other games in the list.

 

[Tye The Czar]

Ultima VII's low place in this poll saddens me. It's sad to see how much RPGs before the mid-90s were forgotten. I guess the oldest PC games a lot of GAF seem to remember are from Lucasarts and id Software.

 

[timetokill]

Wait was Myst in the SNES generation?

Yup! Came out in 1993.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

Chrono Trigger is far too low.

 

[timetokill]

Chrono Trigger is far too low.

Lol

It's tough to go against three genre defining games. 4 is a great spot.

 

[timetokill]

Man that's so weird. I guess I think of it as its own separate thing.

Maybe most people do, as I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who voted for it! Surprising since it was the best selling PC game until The Sims came out.

It really blew up with Windows 95 and pushed CD-ROM adoption.

 

[SkyMasterson]

I wanted to vote, but was too lazy.

How Castlevania Bloodlines didn't make the top 10 for Genesis is beyond me.

 

[Effigenius]

I wanted to vote, but was too lazy.

How Castlevania Bloodlines didn't make the top 10 for Genesis is beyond me.

I was just comingmtomsay something to that effect. I think it has a lot to do with the game never being re-released. While people have been able to replay Rondo and IV over and over, if you didn't buy it in the early 90's you probably never played it. I wish Konami would give it a re-release.

 

[Yoshi]

Great effort Anihawk and strong list. Probably, from my perspective, one of the strongest lists on NeoGAF yet. From the top twenty I've played all of the games (to completion almost all of them) except for those four:
Final Fantasy 6
Doom
Mega Man X
Secret of Mana

I own Doom though (due to my wife), so I could play that.

Too bad about the Lufi 2 position, that's the best SNES RPG I've played so far - certainly better than Chrono Trigger in the only relevant (gameplay) department (though in all other fields, Chrono Trigger is better).

 

[Aters]

3 points means I'm the only one to have voted for it. Same with Tengai Makyou/Far East of Eden 2. I'm a little disappointed no one else brought them up as they're two of the finest RPG released during the 4th gen, but that's no surprise considering they never were localized.

I've been setting my eyes on this game for too long. No one seems to care about bringing it over, neither Konami nor the fan-translation scene.

 

[AniHawk]

wait, why is Rastan in the Game Gear list, when I voted for Dragon's Trap? or is it an exclusive-only list?

correct, it is an exclusive-only list.

 

[MikeMyers]

Street Fighter II CE came out on PC Engine too, or are you just referring to the original SF2 SKU?

 

[AniHawk]

Street Fighter II CE came out on PC Engine too, or are you just referring to the original SF2 SKU?

no it should include everything. i added it to the list.

 

[JinjoUnchained]

Chrono Trigger is far too low.

Lol

It's tough to go against three genre defining games. 4 is a great spot.

A Link to the Past is too low.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

How is Street Fighter II not the arcade game of the generation?

 

[Jucksalbe]

How is Street Fighter II not the arcade game of the generation?

It was not exclusive to the arcade.

 

[Inglorious_ Man]

The RPGs of this era were terrific. The four and fifth generations is a toss up on which one had better RPGs.

 

[kamineko]

Thanks for getting this all together, TC. Nice work

 

[Clockwork5]

Super Mario Kart is 17 while F-Zero is 75? What kind of a world am I living in? Otherwise, I can stand behind most of that list.

Also, Great job Anihawk

 

[Camwi]

I don't think I voted. If I had, Chrono Trigger would've at least been boosted to a tie with Super Mario World.

Great list of some amazing games, but my personal top 10 would definitely look different.

 

[Neff]

How is Street Fighter II not the arcade game of the generation?

It does seem an odd omission. It did debut in the arcades, after all.

 

[Nocturnowl]

Anihawk giving me the shivers with that MGS4 mention for Gen 7, crumbs, in the wake of 5's mixed reaction there may be more misguided love for that mess than ever before!

I was just comingmtomsay something to that effect. I think it has a lot to do with the game never being re-released. While people have been able to replay Rondo and IV over and over, if you didn't buy it in the early 90's you probably never played it. I wish Konami would give it a re-release.

Yep, I've played Bloodlines for an hour or two back in the day but not since, I'd love to but it was like the one CV game that managed to dodge every downloadable avenue for some reason.

 

[Yoshi]

It does seem an odd omission. It did debut in the arcades, after all.

Because "X game of the generation" means "game of the generation only release on X".

 

[Spieler Eins]

Anihawk giving me the shivers with that MGS4 mention for Gen 7, crumbs, in the wake of 5's mixed reaction there may be more misguided love for that mess than ever before!

Gen7 is Souls followed by TLoU.