DataDump

Caveats:

This data wasn't really meant to be interpreted in terms of individual gaming consoles, and the sample size per console probably isn't really enough to provide more than interesting comparative snapshots. Sort of an 'ooh, that's possibly worth looking into further' topic starter. The main purpose was to make a categorical and comprehensive assessment of 280 games from across gaming history.

All titles are listed by platform they were first spotted on, on a 'best selling' or 'critically acclaimed' list.

Please keep in mind that this data is useful for the points I will be making about gaming in general, if not consoles being compared directly. You may find data points in here you disagree with. I encourage you to PM me about mistakes, and I will correct them. Please don't turn the comments section into nothing but railing against individual data points, the overall numbers here aren't going to change considerably. With that being said, here you go:

NES:

Bionic Commando: FAIL
Castlevania: FAIL
Contra: FAIL
Dragon Warrior: FAIL
Dragon Warrior II: PASS
Dragon Warrior III: PASS
Dragon Warrior IV: PASS
DuckTales: PASS
Final Fantasy: FAIL
Mega Man: FAIL
Metroid: PASS
Ninja Gaiden: FAIL
Punch Out: FAIL
River City Ransom: FAIL
Super Mario Bros: FAIL
Super Mario Bros 2: PASS
Super Mario Bros 3: FAIL
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: FAIL
The Legend of Zelda: PASS
Zelda II: FAIL

35% Pass out of 20

SNES:

Chrono Trigger: PASS
Contra III: FAIL
Donkey Kong Country: FAIL
Donkey Kong Country 2: PASS
EarthBound: PASS
EarthWorm Jim 2: FAIL
FZero: FAIL
Final Fantasy II: PASS
Mega Man X: FAIL
Secret of Mana: PASS
Star Fox: FAIL
Street Fighter II: FAIL
Super Mario Kart: FAIL
Super Mario World: FAIL
Super Mario World 2: FAIL
Super Metroid: PASS

38% Pass out of 16

N64:

Banjo-Kazooie: PASS
Banjo-Tooie: PASS
Conker's Bad Fur Day: FAIL
Diddy Kong Racing: FAIL
Donkey Kong 64: PASS
GoldenEye 007: FAIL
Jet Force Gemini: PASS
Mario Kart 64: FAIL
Paper Mario: FAIL
Perfect Dark: PASS
Rayman 2: FAIL
Resident Evil 2: PASS
Star Fox 64: FAIL
Super Mario 64: FAIL
Super Smash Bros: FAIL
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: FAIL
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: PASS
Turok 2: PASS

44% Pass out of 18

GameCube:

Animal Crossing: PASS
Beyond Good & Evil: PASS
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem: PASS
Luigi's Mansion: FAIL
Mario Kart: Double Dash!: FAIL
Mario Party 4: PASS
Metroid Prime: PASS
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: PASS
Pikmin: FAIL
Pikmin 2: FAIL
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: PASS
Resident Evil IV: FAIL
SSX 3: PASS
SoulCalibur 2: FAIL
Super Mario Sunshine: FAIL
Super Smash Bros Melee: FAIL
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker: PASS
TimeSplitters 2: PASS
Viewtiful Joe: FAIL
Zelda: Twilight Princess: PASS

55% Pass out of 20

Wii:

Cave Story: PASS
Donkey Kong Country Returns: FAIL
La-Mulana: PASS
Link's Crossbow Training: FAIL
Little King's Story: PASS
Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games: PASS
Mario Kart Wii: PASS
Mario Party 8: PASS
Metroid Prime 3: PASS
New Super Mario Bros Wii: FAIL
Okami: PASS
Rayman Origins: PASS
Skyward Sword: PASS
Super Mario Galaxy: FAIL
Super Mario Galaxy 2: FAIL
Super Smash Bros Brawl: FAIL
Xenoblade Chronicles: PASS
Zack and Wiki: PASS

67% Pass out of 18

Nintendo DS:

Animal Crossing: Wild World: PASS
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow: PASS
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies: PASS
GTA: Chinatown Wars: FAIL
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story: FAIL
Mario Kart DS: FAIL
Mario Party DS: PASS
Mario and Luigi Partners In Time: PASS
New Super Mario Bros: FAIL
Pokemon Black 2 and White 2: PASS
Pokemon Black and White: PASS
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: PASS
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver: PASS
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future: PASS
The World Ends With You: PASS
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass: PASS
Zelda: Spirit Tracks: PASS

76% PASS out of 17

Mega Drive/Genesis:

Aladdin: FAIL
Altered Beast: FAIL
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: FAIL
Mortal Kombat 3: FAIL
Mortal Kombat II: FAIL
Ms. Pac Man: PASS
Sonic: FAIL
Sonic & Knuckles: FAIL
Sonic 2: FAIL
Sonic 3: FAIL

10% PASS out of 10

Dreamcast:

Crazy Taxi: PASS
Grandia II: PASS
Jet Grind Radio: PASS
Marvel Vs Capcom 2: PASS
Phantasy Star Online: PASS
Resident Evil Code: Veronica: PASS
Samba de Amigo: PASS
Seaman: NO NO NO NO NO
Shenmue: PASS
Sonic Adventure: PASS
Sonic Adventure 2: PASS
Soulcalibur: PASS

92% PASS 8% SWEET JESUS WHY out of 12

PSX:

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: PASS
Chrono Cross: PASS
Crash Bandicoot: FAIL
Crash Bandicoot 3: PASS
Final Fantasy IX: PASS
Final Fantasy VII: PASS
Final Fantasy VIII: PASS
Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone: PASS
Metal Gear Solid: PASS
OddWorld: Abe's Exodus: FAIL
PaRappa the Rapper: PASS
Silent Hill: PASS
Spyro: Year of the Dragon: PASS
Street Fighter Alpha III: FAIL
Tekken 3: FAIL
Tomb Raider: PASS
Tomb Raider II: PASS
Tomb Raider III: PASS
Vagrant Story: FAIL
Xenogears: PASS

75% PASS out of 20

PS2:

Devil May Cry: PASS
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King: PASS
Final Fantasy X: PASS
Final Fantasy XII: PASS
GTA: San Andreas: FAIL
GTA: Vice City: FAIL
GTA III: PASS
God of War: PASS
God of War II: PASS
ICO: PASS
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy: PASS
Kingdom Hearts: PASS
Klonoa 2: PASS
Metal Gear Solid 2: PASS
Metal Gear Solid 3: PASS
Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando: FAIL
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal: FAIL
Red Faction: PASS
SMT: Persona 3 FES: PASS
SSX: PASS
SSX Tricky: PASS
Shadow of the Colossus: PASS
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4: PASS
Silent Hill 2: PASS
Sly 2: Band of Thieves: PASS
SoulCalibur 2: PASS

85% PASS out of 26


PS3:

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood: FAIL
Assassin's Creed II: PASS
Batman: Arkham City: FAIL
Battlefield 3: PASS
BioShock: PASS
CoD: Black Ops: FAIL
CoD: MW2: FAIL
CoD: Modern Warfare: FAIL
CoD: Modern Warfare 3: FAIL
Demon's Souls: FAIL
Fallout 3: PASS
Far Cry 3: FAIL
Final Fantasy XIII: PASS
GTA IV: FAIL
God of War III: PASS
InFamous: FAIL
LittleBigPlanet: PASS
Metal Gear Solid 4: PASS
Ni No Kuni: PASS
Persona 4 Arena: PASS
Portal 2: PASS
Red Dead Redemption: FAIL
Resident Evil 5: PASS
Super Street Fighter IV: FAIL
The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series: PASS
Uncharted 2: FAIL
Uncharted 3: PASS  27

51% PASS out of 27

PSP:

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII: FAIL
Daxter: FAIL
Dissidia: Final Fantasy: PASS
GTA: Liberty City Stories: FAIL
God of War: Chains of Olympus: PASS
God of War: Ghost of Sparta: PASS
Monster Hunter Freedom: PASS
Monster Hunter Freedom 2: PASS
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite: PASS
Monster Hunter Portable 3rd: PASS

70% PASS out of 10

XBOX:

Counter-Strike: FAIL
Dead or Alive 3: PASS
Fable: PASS
Halo: FAIL
Halo 2: FAIL
Splinter Cell: FAIL
Star Wars: Battlefront: PASS
Star Wars: KOTOR: PASS
Star Wars: KOTOR 2: PASS
TES III: Morrowind: PASS
Panzer Dragoon Orta: PASS
Jade Empire: PASS
Max Payne: PASS
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay: FAIL
Psychonauts: PASS

60% PASS out of 15

XBOX 360:

Assassin's Creed: FAIL
Batman: Arkham Asylum: FAIL
Bayonetta: PASS
Bioshock 2: PASS
Borderlands 2: PASS
Call of Duty 2: FAIL
Cod: World At War: FAIL
Dark Souls: PASS
Dead Space: PASS
Dead Space 2: PASS
Deus Ex: Human Revolution: PASS
Fallout New Vegas: PASS
Gears of War: FAIL
Gears of War 2: FAIL
Gears of War 3: PASS
Halo 3: FAIL
Halo 3: ODST: FAIL
Halo: Reach: PASS
L.A. Noire: FAIL
Left 4 Dead 2: PASS
Mass Effect: PASS
Mass Effect 2: PASS
Mass Effect 3: PASS
TES IV: Oblivion: PASS
TES V: Skyrim: PASS

65% out of 25

PC:

Baldur's Gate: PASS
Baldur's Gate II: PASS
Battlefield 2: FAIL
Civ IV: PASS
Civilization II: PASS
Crysis: FAIL
Deus Ex: FAIL
Diablo: PASS
Diablo III: PASS
Dishonored: PASS
Dragon Age: Origins: PASS
Grim Fandango: FAIL
Guild Wars: PASS
Half-Life: FAIL
Half-Life 2: FAIL
Mark of the Ninja: PASS
Myst: FAIL
Neverwinter Nights: PASS
Planescape: Torment: PASS
Portal: PASS
StarCraft: FAIL
System Shock 2: PASS
Team Fortress 2: FAIL
The Longest Journey: PASS
Thief: The Dark Project: PASS
World of Warcraft: PASS

65% PASS out of 26