Console Wars - SNES vs Genesis - Which is better?

When Nintendo revitalized the home console market with the NES they had very little competition. Their brand is still so tied to gaming that many non-gamers still refer to any video game as “Nintendo”. SEGA’s Master System was a decent first effort, but the Genesis was the first real challenger to Nintendo’s throne.

[Fist4achin]

Genesis for me. Yes snes had link, mario, mario cart, final fantasy, starfox, etc..., but genesis had golden axe, sonic, phantasy star, shining force, space harrier, the better version of mortal kombat, streets of rage, comix zone, kid chameleon,...

[Neonridr]

only the first mortal kombat was better on genesis. As soon as MK2 on SNES included the blood it was no contenst. Genesis sadly had a terrible color palette and thus everything looked so much worse. But Genesis definitely had some awesome franchises and definitely targeted a more mature audience.

[darthv72]

As bad as the color palette was... genesis had some very impressive games. It had limitations the snes did not and yet devs found ways to work around them.

Ranger x, gunstar heroes, batman and robin... unique tricks to make the hardware work via creative software.

I choose sega over nintendo in that gen but by a slim margin.

[ruefrak]

Where the Genesis really shined for me and my friends was in the multi-player games. Sports games were always better on Genesis, and then there were great arcade style games like Altered Beast and Golden Axe. They were the big games we could all play together.

Yes, SNES had Zelda and Mario and Metroid, but only one person could ever really enjoy them.

[Fist4achin]

I remember the first and second NHL hockey. Great times with friends!!!

[steveo123456]

4 player micromachines turbo tournament 96 was where it was at for us, oh and MK

[steveo123456]

I had a megadrive (Genesis) so that's what I would pick, but the snes was undeniably better spec'd. 16.2 million colours vs was it 256? The built in scaler chips, and best of all the sound processer. But my memories are with streets of rage, space harrier etc

[LastCenturyRob]

without engineering "tricks" the Genesis could display 64 colors on screen while the SNES could display 256

[steveo123456]

@lastcenturybob

Ah yeah just googled it, was a long time ago so a bit vague haha

[FallenAngel1984]

"When Nintendo revitalized the home console market with the NES they had very little competition. Their brand is still so tied to gaming that many non-gamers still refer to any video game as “Nintendo”."

Who seriously in this age still refers to a vastly diverse medium as video games as simply "Nintendo?"

[darthv72]

Lots still do. I hear people call gaming in general nintendo more than i hear playstation.

The brand becomes the general reference like Kleenex is used for pretty much all facial tissue. Before nintendo, people would use Atari as that general reference.

[BlackTar187]

I barely ever here anyone use Nintendo like that any more. I hear PlayStation or xbox from people when using a blanket statement for games.

[Pookandpie]

I still hear this a lot, as well. I work with a lot of people in their 30s and 40s who call any and all Nintendo gaming devices, "Nintendos."

Example: When speaking to one co-worker while I was waiting at the office for my wife to come back, I was sitting in a chair playing my 3DS (I wasn't that day; I was running errands). One of the women swung by my wife's office while I was sitting in there and said, "Oh, you have a Nintendo just like my teenage son!"

Another of her kids has a Wii U, and that was also a Nintendo. When they had regular DSes years before, those were Nintendos as well. The only thing that she doesn't call Nintendos were the kids' Playstations and Xboxes, but I can't even tell you if they have a PS2/3/4 or Vita because they're literally all Playstation to her.

.... That's not just a Pennsylvania thing, is it?

[Simon_the_sorcerer]

Both are great, so I can't pick just one console (I grew up with both).

[uth11]

Genesis

[septemberindecember]

I choose SNES:
-Secret of Mana
-Chrono Trigger
-Final Fantasy
-Super Mario World 1 and 2
-F-zero
-Super Mario Kart
-The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
-Super Metroid
-Donkey Kong Country
-Super Mario RPG
-Earthbound
-Castlevania IV

There are just many fantastic games!

[Muadiib]

I was all about the Mega Drive and Sega (until Sega took a mega dive :p), my bros had a SNES for Christmas and although I was resistant to it at first, it has to be said that it holds up better out of the two. I loved Sonic 2 but Super Mario World was the better game (took me years to admit that) and Sega had no answer for games like Star Fox, Super Metroid, F-Zero, Donkey Kong Country, Killer Instinct or Super Mario Kart. Mind you Nintendo had no answer for Streets of Rage, Ecco the Dolphin, Gunstar Heroes and Sega's arcade conversions.

It was great having access to both consoles and for me it really was the best gaming generation yet.

[Tetsujin]

Sega answered some of the SNES titles in a different way (and way later than expected). I do give Sega credit for the following:

Console upgrades
Color handhelds
CD medium
Online
Analog controller

As far as controller, the debates are SNES is better, and even the PS controller is modeled after it; however I prefer Genesis because it felt more responsive, and all the buttons were right there instead of 2 separate locations. The Saturn wasn't too bad because you still had the 6 and the 2 at top, and Dreamcast cramped my hands after a while because of how awkward it is. Also the SNES pad felt too small as I was getting older, while the Genesis felt right.

[Muadiib]

Well I think the Mega Drive and it's controller still look cooler and probably fit better in my hands, but I did really like the SNES' bumpers and their button layout has definitely stood the test of time.

[steveo123456]

the sega 6 button pad was great especially for fighting games

[Shuckylad]

Both are amazing systems with ridiculously brilliant libraries, along with the amiga 600 I had made this my favourite generation ever.

[Bobafret]

Loved Turricon for the Amiga!

[LastCenturyRob]

I remember playing Dragons Lair on the Amiga at a friends house long before CD systems/add ons were available and being blown away! Wasn't perfect but it was the closest I had ever seen to the arcade and was just amazed!

[Tetsujin]

I owned both, and both together fit my gamer needs 100%. This was also the first time I had to look at other areas of gaming outside graphics, and even today I still boot these up on occasion since all I have to do is put in cartridge, turn on, and start playing - not wait for patches/updates.

Same with N64 and PS1; owning both filled the gaps in what is considered good experiences.

[Wotbot]

SNES hands down, so many great games.

[LastCenturyRob]

The Genesis was the first home system to truly give the arcade at home experience. It did release about two years earlier than the SNES so it wasn't as technically impressive but it could still hold its own even after the release of Nintendo's system. At the time Games like Strider, Ghouls and Ghosts and Sonic the Hedgehog were literally jaw dropping. The fact it gave Nintendo such a run for its money is a testament to the constant quality it achieved at so many levels.

[GrimReaperGamer]

I always will be a Sega guy. Genesis for the win :)

[Paul85]

I enjoy both!

[Discobastrd]

Had both. Saved my butt off for a Japanese import megadrive as a kid with three paper rounds!? Then got a SNES at launch. Both were great but SNES for me any day. SFII for a start. And those controllers!? So good. I just feel bad for what they did to the US version of the machine!? What were they thinking!? 🤣😂🤣

[Mr Marvel]

This question is laughable for anyone who either... A) Owned a SNES or B) Owned Both.

Only someone who exclusively owned a Megadrive/Genesis could think it was better than the SNES.

Winner: SNES by a f--king mile. It's not even close.

[LastCenturyRob]

I owned both, but when it came down to it SNES had more and arguably the better RPG's and exclusives but Sega had the better arcade conversions and sports titles with more than a handful of superb RPG's...Depends on what games you likes but "by a "F" ing mile"? IT was much, much closer than that. Geneses is still my go to retro system and I still play plenty of SNES games.

[Imalwaysright]

Maybe for kids that have english as their native language with all the great jrpgs for the SNES. I didn't understand english so streets of rage, golden axe, comix zone, quackshot, revenge of shinobi, ristar, X-Men (fun fact: developed by Bruce Straley)... were the shit.

[ruefrak]

Only Sega Genesis has Blast Processing. Super Nintendo doesn't.

Game. Set. Match.

Welcome to the next level.

[Neonridr]

Sega does what Nintendon't

god.. the marketing to try to make it look more impressive was laughable at the time.

[ruefrak]

Marketing?? Wha!??! Blast Processing makes everything better. I wish my car had Blast Processing. I'd never have to change the oil again.

Now, it's fun to look back and chuckle at the marketing. At the time though... it was serious as hell. SNES was for kids and Genesis was for the cool kids. Honest to god, it was years before I ever met a kid with an SNES, and when I did, I was kind of shocked. My initial thought was he was too old to be playing a Nintendo.

[Last_Boss]

Both!! Plus TG-16

[LastCenturyRob]

TG-16...Such an underrated system! First CD home system (add on) as well!

[Wotbot]

I had a PC engine import, a great console with so many classics and the first home console to have near arcade quality graphics.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

EA Sports games like NHL Hockey and MADDEN FOOTBALL made SEGA GENESIS my preferred console!! But SNES had great games also, listed in comments above me . Both consoles had awesome video games!

[Vetalka83]

used to own both,never liked snes,none of their games were my kind of games and to me those controllers sucked,so i sold it and still to this day the word nintendo makes me want to puke

[Brazz]

Snes for me.

[SynestheticRoar]

The SNES mode 7 graphics plus nintendo exclusives games.

[Themba76]

snes greatest system of all time they had my fav ff6 as well as crono trigger, super metroid, best version of street fighter2, castlevania 4, contra3, mega man x series, best version of mk2 damn near arcade perfect, earthbound, mariocart, zelda 3, f zero, donkey kong country series, secret of mana. the graphics and sound on the system in general was better.

[PaulFiend]

I had both consoles back in the 90s, loved both. But I preferred Genesis (or Japanese MD2) as my favorite console slightly more.

[reaper602]

Both were amazing systems but Genesis for me.

[Monster_Tard]

It's close, but SNES for me. To me nothing on Genesis is quite as good as Super Mario World or A Link to the Past.

[BlackDoomAx]

Both are better.

[CrimsonWing69]

SNES for sure, that RPG library is still one of the best.