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Sonic The Hedgehog (Mega Drive)
A classic that is still as playable today as it has ever been. Sonic The Hedgehog was the flagship game for the Mega Drive and made Sonic one of the most recognised video game characters of all time. At the time of its release, the fast pace of this game was almost unique. Players are rewarded for completing levels at high speed, and the levels are designed to encourage this.
Nintendo Gamecube
The Gamecube was Nintendo's fourth home console, released in the UK on the 3rd May 2002. It was much more affordable than the competition, and had some fantastic exclusives such as Super Monkey Ball, Ikaruga, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Sunshine and Zelda (Wind Waker). It was the first to introduce decent wireless control with the Wavebird, and is easily my favourite console to date.
Sega Mega Drive
The Mega Drive was my first console, and I'll always have a soft-spot for it. It was released in the UK on 30th November 1990 and its main competition at the time was the SNES. Games I remember enjoying include all Sonice The Hedgehog games, Bonanza Bros, Micro Machines 2 (TT), World Cup Italia '90, Jungle Strike, Ristar, The Lion King, Virtua Racing, Cool Spot, Quackshot and Pete Sampras Tennis.
Nintendo64
The N64 was Nintendo's third home console, released in the UK on the 1st March 1997. In my opinion, it was the decent selection of 4 player games (such as Goldeneye) that made this console special. Other games I enjoyed include Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong Racing, ISS 64, Snowboard Kids, Lylat Wars, Mario Tennis, Banjo-Kazooie, Wave Race 64 and Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Sony PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is the successor to the original Sony PlayStation and is able to play both PS and PS2 games. It was released in the UK on the 24th November 2000. Gaming highlights include the Grand Theft Auto series, Gran Turismo 3 and 4, the Burnout series, the Buzz games and controllers, the Eye Toy games and motion-sensitive camera, Final Fantasy series, Resident Evil series, Rez and Ico.
SNES
The SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), successor to the original NES, was released in the UK on the 11th April 1992. It provided stiff competition for the Sega Mega Drive and was equally successful. Games wise, my personal favourites include Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox and NBA Jam.
PC
The PC can provide a very powerful gaming system and is suited to particular genres such as the First-Person Shooter and Strategy Games. PC games I've particularly enjoyed include the Half-Life games, CounterStrike Source, the Command & Conquer series, Monkey Island series (and a number of other point & click adventures), Lemmings, Doom, Quake and Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS (successor to the Game Boy Advance) is the most recent addition to my collection. It was released in the UK on the 11th March 2005 (although I imported one from Japan in December 2004). Its main selling point is the lower touch-screen that allows for more intuitive game control. Gaming highlights include Wario Ware, Band Brothers, New Super Mario Bros, and Mario Kart DS.
Sega Dreamcast
The Dreamcast was Sega's fifth and final home video games console, released in the UK on the 14th October 1999. It was the first console with online gaming capabilities. Personally, I missed the boat with this console and it wasn't until 2003 that I got my hands on one. I since discovered the delights of Sega Rally 2, Jet Set Radio, Power Stone, Daytona 2001 and Crazy Taxi and I'm sure there are many more gems out there...
