RF Generation.  The Classic and Modern Gaming Databases.RF Generation.  The Classic and Modern Gaming Databases.

Posted on Jul 19th 2021 at 12:00:00 PM by (GrayGhost81)
Posted under gaming, collecting


I'm having a hard time coming up with something to write about, so it's time to pull from the old bag of cliches. Ok, let's see here...ah! "If you could take one game console or handheld to a deserted island, what would it be and why?" I love this one, don't you? The question forces you to narrow down your gaming collection to just one console, with the assumption being that it is the only one you can play for the rest of your life. There are many things to consider in making this decision. Are the controllers comfortable? Is the library deep enough to keep you busy forever? Let's assume for the sake of the question that the hardware will never break down, so the durability of the hardware doesn't need to be considered. So, let's say the choice is for one console with all original controllers and the existing library.

There is one more thing to consider here. Can I choose a modded console or does it have to be factory conditions? I have many modded consoles that can play most of the games of most of the consoles that came before them. Although I'd obviously prefer this, it dilutes the exercise, so let's go with a factory console, and to make it even tougher we'll say no backwards compatibility. That's right, choosing PS2 does not mean you can play PS1 games, no Gamecube on the Wii, and so on.



So we're stripped to bare bones, featureless consoles that don't actually exist, but let's go with it. My initial instinct would be to go with a Playstation 3, even without any backwards compatibility, but before I build a case for it, let's look at some runners up. A Super NES would be the first choice, no questions asked, for many people I know. I certainly would not kick the SNES out of bed. I have a deep nostalgia for it, it has a lot of long JRPs in its library to keep me busy, and the controller is plenty comfortable for how old it is now. Having said all this, I don't think the SNES could entertain me for life, and it is missing too many modern trappings that I am used to in gaming today, like voice acting, digital sound, and 3D environments and controls. Though I could really catch up on all the games I missed on Nintendo's second best ever console, it is not my choice.


What about a handheld? I can carry it around my desert island while I'm picking coconuts and play it on the beach. Everyone knows how much I love the VITA, and that VITA means life. Of course, the VITA has a deeper library than its detractors are willing to acknowledge, and even barring backwards compatibility and hacked units, there are many official reissues of older games in the library. While it's true the VITA would be a great choice in this scenario, I think I'd rather go with a console. While I haven't specified what kind of display is available, let's just say it's large. I have a projector and a huge screen on my desert island and can play console games in the moonlight.
 
So let's cut to the chase. I'm choosing the Playstation 3, which in real life is, to this day, my most played console. From what I can gather, the Playstation 3 North American library consists of over 1,000 titles, so even I spent about a week on each game, I have about twenty years of content. Of course there are tons of games I wouldn't want to play at all, but who knows? Perhaps if I was on a desert island I could really get into FIFA or the NASCAR games. On the other end of the time spent per game concept are RPGs like Persona 5 and the Fallout and Mass Effect series. I would have to deal with the lesser technical performance of some of these games versus their counterparts on the XBOX 360, but I've done it many times before. The PS3 library is extremely diverse and contains pretty much every genre you could think of. On a desert island the backlog is only behind food as a priority, but paradoxically you have the rest of your life to experience it. Perhaps I'd spend most of time wreaking havoc randomly in Metal Gear Solid V as I do now. Perhaps I'd play, and replay, and 100% the Earth Defense Force games available on the console.

So there are two ways this could go, and I have a feeling that the situation would map pretty close to my current reality. I would probably go through streaks of playing a single game that I'm already familiar with for a very long time, and at other times I could try new things and come out of my comfort zone. I have plenty of PS3 games on my shelf right now that serve both purposes and if I was stuck on a desert island with only a PS3, I know I would be entertained sufficiently for the duration of my stay there.     


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Comments
 
Personally I think I'd probably go with the Nintendo Switch. You get the best of both worlds to where you can play the system docked like a traditional console but also have the ability to use it in handheld mode (which I tend to do often). In my opinion the switch's game library is fairly stout. You have the typical Nintendo IPs (Mario, Zelda, Smash,  Pokémon, etc etc) that offer up a ton of replay value and or exploration. You also have multiple ports from the Wii U as well as remakes/remasters from previous console generations from Nintendo and other platforms (Super Mario 3D All Star, Link's Awakening, Skyward Sword, Advance Wars, FF7/FF8/FF9). And of course you can't exclude the indie/limited run support that the switch has as well. While the switch can't support everything, I feel like there is enough variety that I would always have something to play if I could only have/use the switch.
 
@Mr_Stubbes: Stubbes, I love this answer because the Switch would probably be near the bottom of my list. This was a corny topic but on the other hand the answer is going to be different for everyone. Thanks for reading and commenting!
 
I'm with Mr_Stubbes on this one. I'd have to go with a Switch, if it was a stock console, no mods, custom firmware, etc. Since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has become my favorite video game of all time, there's no question I'd want to have that with me. Given my penchant for shmups, and the fact that the system has a wealth of them, I could scratch that itch quite a bit. And there are a lot of other great experiences on the system, including great indies, plenty of great games from the current gen, as well as stuff that has been brought over from the last 2 generations, including some older favorites like Bayonetta 2, The Wonderful 101, and even No More Heroes. Add compilations to the mix, and there are more games for it than I could probably ever play, even on a deserted island. So the Switch is my pick.
 
This is always a fun question. I suppose I could cop out and just say PC, since it would give me practically every multiplatform game of the modern era, and quite a few of the classics like Chrono Trigger, the Final Fantasy series, Castlevania series, etc. are available via ports/remasters/collections. If I wanted to give a more interesting answer though, I'd probably go with PS1. So many of my all-time favorites are on this system, and I would have seriously considered going with SNES instead if it hadn't been for the FF Chronicles/Anthology collections. But yeah, so many all-time classics on the PS1, the birth of survival-horror (big selling point for me), and probably more quality JRPGs than I could finish in a lifetime.
 
There are a lot of nostalgia choices that flit through my brain, but I think the 'right' choice for me would be either the PS1 or 2.

I feel that, despite having well over a hundred games for both, there is still so much to discover - and that's what would be important to me on this mysterious island. Not having access to the games I love, but having access to so many more that I've yet to discover.

So the question is, which of those two vast libraries is likely to have the most unplayed games that I would like - and I think it's the PS2. Which really surprises me. But despite being a console with so little personality the library is so vast and varied that there's bound to be a ton of great stuff I've never even heard of.

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