From the Forum - Issue 205: Sega vs Nintendo

[NickThorpe]

Right then, it's the big one - the great console war of the Nineties! You don't need me to explain this. Sega or Nintendo? Mario or Sonic? Mega Drive or SNES? No fence-sitting - just let us know which side you were on, and why it was clearly the right choice.

All replies will be sent to print, and whichever ones don't jam the machine will end up in issue 205 of Retro Gamer.

[Antiriad2097]

Sega does what Nintendon't!

[TheAlex]

Nintendo. The only Sega exclusives I loved were Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 2. The latter seems a bit clunky and dated now, whereas many SNES games feel timeless. Super Mario World, DKC2, Tetris Attack, Yoshi's Island, Contra III, Killer Instinct... The SNES also had the best RPGs - Terranigma and Secret of Mana for a start. I bought Collection of Mana on the Switch ages ago and finally ordered a Switch today. Forget Breath of the Wild, I want to play a translated Seiken Densetsu 3!

[Crusty Starfish]

I'm not historically a Nintendo fan but out of the MegaDrive or SNES it has to be the SNES. I had a mate with a MegaDrive with loads of rubbish beat-em-ups (I don't like them) and a mate with a SNES and Super Bomberman and that was frigging awesome!

That may sound like a silly reason, but we really did have some laughs on Bomberman.

[kiwimike]

I was a Sega man through and through, from the early Computer which was a hit in Australasia, to SMS and MD. They were always the games to have down here in the Pacific. Sonic, Streets of Rage, MK2 with the fatalities! Playing NES/SNES since they are certainly quality as well of course. I guess the marketing of the time pushing Sega as Cool and Nintendo more for kiddies worked well down here! It worked even better for Sony of course in the next gen!

[ely]

I'm saying Nintendo but only because I've owned more of their consoles (3) them Sega ones (1). For me it has always been about what games I want to play not the hardware they are on. I'd likely never have owned my Dreamcast if, at the time, Virtua Tennis had been on the Playstation or Xbox.

[RuySan]

Sega. I feel that the Megadrive besides looking so much cooler than the SNES, has a much more diverse library. Also, Sega own IPs are more varied. Nintendo usually plays very safe with their games.

[ncf1]

I'm sitting on the fence with this one.

[ulrich7ad]

Nintendo. All my mates had mega drives, infact only one other person in my comprehensive had a snes yet I never felt I backed the wrong horse. Sega has never had a game as good a smw, let alone super mario galaxy or Ocarina of time. I do play a lot of sega games these days though.

[mr jenzie]

nah
i was more a sinclair spectrum whooping that commie64's ass!

loved my little gameboy original and megadrive, was pretty straight forward in my choices, simply because of the games
only later did i get the super mario world pack, was complete naff at playing it, but bought a load of games for it ..... i had thirteen games at one time too!

magazines too was pretty the same, the splitting of mean machines, even though it might not have been the best decision ..... well i bought both of them regularly.

but if i was gonna pick it would be sega

[Nikolai]

Nintendo, both because NO ONE had Sega (except that rich kid who had both), but mostly because the games were so much better. Mario was fun, Sonic was kinda boring.

[ToxieDogg]

Nintendo, easily. I loved Donkey Kong in the arcades as a kid, the Game Boy was THE handheld to own back in school and when I first got my SNES I was playing a great port of Street Fighter 2 months before my envious Mega Drive owning mates were finally able to get their own version. Oh, and a couple of little games called Super Mario World and Zelda: Link To The Past....

[bounty bob]

Has to be Sega. Never owned neither but can remember spending many a summer at my sister and brother in laws house playing on their Sega Genesis and getting wooped at Hockey and Evander Hollyfield. Great times thanks Mike and Paula.

[Big Shoes]

Nintendo SNES, the greatest console of all time. Too many great games to list, SMW, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Super Bomberman, Mario Kart, Turtles In Time, Super Ghouls N Ghosts, I could go on.

[kebabinho]

Sega All the way. It felt edgier, cooler and more grown up