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Two OG's: Sega vs. Nintendo
9/29/05
by DJ

These two heavyweights ruled the late 80's and the mid 90's. They were Jordan and Bird. Foreman vs. Ali. One very yingish and the other was equally yangish. Which system was better? Growing up I had Nintendo first. It was only later that I got a Sega. Nintendo had "Nintendo Power," (which might be the worst magazine ever created) but Sega had that commercial where someone would yell "Sega!!" really fast. Nintendo had more games, but SEGA had the movie rights and major league endorsements so they could use real names and stats on their games and titles. Whatever Nintendo had Sega would try and outdo. Nintendo was the creator but Sega was the renovator, putting new bells and whistles on our game systems. To reach a legitimate scientific conclusion as to who was best I put them through a rigorous analysis, the tale of the disk so to speak (I apologize), for your reading pleasure.

Sports: Nintendo had many more exclusive titles to choose from. Double Dribble, both Tecmo Bowls, Blades of Steel, Bases Loaded, Mike Tyson's Punch Out, even Excite Bike. Nintendo's games ran the whole gamut of sporting games from putting yourself in the alter ego of Little Mac to designing your own track in Excite Bike. Tecmo Bowl and Punch Out are the only true classics from this sports collection, but they are all great games. Sega had two titles that in my opinion matched all these listed, for they were the first of their kind: college games. They had Bill Walsh College Football '95 that had actual bowls and scouting reports and Coach K College Basketball, both brought to us by the then fledgling EA Sports. These games were replete with injuries, accurate stats, and top 25 polls; easily the most up-to-date games at the time. Sega was also the forefather of the Madden series circa '93. Also, I do remember Sega having some good race games like Road Rash, Mario Andretti and Virtual Racing. Sega also had NBA Action as well, the best NBA game besides Lakers v. Celtics. Does quality and innovation outweigh quantity and selection? Yes it does...
WINNER: SEGA

 
The 2Pac and Biggie of sports video games.

Action/Adventure: This one is no contest. At all. Nintendo had the Mario Brothers series, which begat Wario, which begat Yoshi, and so on. And all the characters had cameos in each others' games like Donkey Kong, the Princess, Bowser, etc.They were all good except for Super Mario Bros. 2. That game really sucked. And let's not forget Contra, Metal Gear, Zelda, Metroid, and Castlevania. Sega had only Sonic the Hedgehog and his buddy Knuckles. It was all right but still lacked depth really. Sega also had all the Batman games, but they were average. Golden Axe was OK and at one point both had MegaMan, although Nintendo had it first.
WINNER: NINTENDO

 
Clay... I mean Mario outpixeled Sonic's sorry hide...

Roleplaying: No, not that kind, but close. Nintendo had the Final Fantasy series. My brother and I beat every single one, with FF 3 being the best. It was like Dungeons & Dragons sans dice and dorky cards that got you beat up. I don't think that Sega had anything in this category.
WINNER: NINTENDO

Fighting Games: aka Beat 'em Ups. Nintendo had Final Fight, the Street Fighter series, Bad Dudes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and so many more. Both systems shared Double Dragon later on but NES had it first. Sega did have Altered Beast, but the main contributor in this market was Mortal Kombat. Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were both made into incredibly sucky movies, but Street Fighter sucked far and away more than Mortal Kombat. Check out this SF vs. MK video. It is awesome. Truly awesome. (It may take a minute to load but it is worth it)
WINNER: PUSH

Design: Nintendo looked like a retard designed it. It was all boxy and two toned, aesthetically pedantic at best, like an ugly red 1985 Volvo Station Wagon (this was Clay's car in high school). The controllers were barely large enough and produced the dreaded "Nintendo Thumb." It was virtually indestructable. Sega was sleek and sexy, all black, and had three buttons on the controller, although it only came with one controller. The controllers were somewhat ergonomic as well. It was like Kit from Knight Rider. Plus, Wesley told me to always bet on black....
WINNER: SEGA

 
Angelica Huston Angelina Jolie

After all this analysis we're left at a draw between the two OG's (Original GameSystems). Scrutinize all you will and feel free to agree or disagree with my analysis (so long as you recognize that you will be wrong if you disagree). Each system had many things going in their favor. Both spawned generations of fun gaming with their offspring and spinoffs. As for my personal favorite, I will choose to remain mum on the matter. I cannot choose between the two. It's like choosing between sleeping and eating. I will leave that up to you HippoNation. Which one did you prefer? What were your favorite games? Feel free to post regarding your favorite system or favorite games for either system on our message board.

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