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 Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:09 pm
What a speculatable statement. What truely was the impeccable era of gaming? The entertainment console industry has experienced an intense quanitity of transformations in it's thirty year presence in the homes of our worlds citizen's. There's obvious a gigantic perimeter of estimation, as too assume what would realy be "Impeccable", so I've decided to provide a brief summary of some the Industries critical stages. If you're too lazy, or previously educated, just skip to the last paragraph, smartass. stare
It all started in 1977, when Atari released it's very first, remotely successful home entertainment device, the VCS( Video Computer System) which was later given the more attractive title, Atari 2600. The Atari 2600 hosted about two hundred cartridge titles by several devolpers. Games like Asteriods, Outer Space, and Space Invaders. It also released several varations of previous game titles they had published on the Magnovox Odyssey, such as Pong, and Pacman.
Fast forwarding to 1983, when Nintendo floped negotiations with Atari to publish games in the United States, deciding finally to go the extra mile and devolpe independantly in the US as well as Japan, which led to the NES(Nintendo Entertain System) reaching the shelves for North Americans later that year. This brought a collosal explosion in sales for the video game industry, then again following in 1985, when the first Super Mario Bros. was released, selling over fourty million copies as lately as 2005. Many other famous titles followed soon after, such as Legend of Zelda and Metroid. The original Super Mario Bros. as been identified as the best selling video game on earth.
Nintendo again set another record in 1989, with the release of the first ever hand held entertainment machine. This unit was about 11 inches tall, utilizing a small black and white LCD screen. This system, called the Gameboy, holds the title for the most video game systems ever sold, at over 100 million.
1989 also brought Nintendo's first true competition in the Sega Gensis. While the Sega was technicaly a more powerful unit, excerising a 16-bit microprocesser. As opposed to Nintendo's current 8-bit. It's lack of popular game titles crippled it from competing remotely with the NES untill 1991, with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog.
The 90's would quickly dawn a new age for the gaming economy world wide, introducing brand new fundamental apsects forever to change the way we experience home entertainment through a video console.
In 1995, Sony released it's first video game system, the Playstation. This system utilized a 32-bit microprocesser, and introduced for the first time, a three demensional interactive experience, as well using CD's(Compact Disk's) to host their games, rather than the clanky cartirdge's that Nintendo would continue to market for another half a decade. While the disks didn't necessarily provide a more high tech experience, they were considered a flashy, and welcomed accomidation to bring video games in the twenty first century. The PlayStation also holds the record for the longest home console in production, lasting all the way to 2004, and selling more than fifty million copies.
Nintendo wouldn't be far behind. In 1996 they released the Nintendo 64. Named after the 64-bit microprocesser it excerised, this console sold well over a million additions in the first month, and also had all the same qualities and classifications of the PlayStation, with the exception of the Playstations disks. It also using 3D graphics and enhanced gameplay options, giving it the potentials and possibilities never before seen in games. It's trademark titles continued to escolate Nintendo's sales radicaly, but unfortunantly at the end of the 64's run, it sold only half of what the Playstation had accomplished. It was a disapointment for Nintendo, but they would survive, and continue to evolve with the Industry.
The next generation of games exploded onto retail market, into homes and within the minds of it's now patriotic followers, as well as delighted newcomers.
In October of 2000, the PlayStation 2 was set to debute all across the United States, selling over 500,000 consoles within twelve hours! This system hosted a vast continuation of sequels from the PS1, it implimented enhanced graphics, and allowed a few new capabilities in terms of the intricacies of gameplay, as well as combined visual and audio potientials.
A year later, Nintendo took a back seat in the industry with the GameCube, after nearly a decade of corporate dominance. The gaming economy had become far more accustomed to a different element of games, an element that wasn't adressed in many of it's new titles. This forced Nintendo towards a younger audiance of gamers, which represented a very small minority of players, under teenager's and young adults. This led to the Gamecube selling only ten million copies across the globe. The system provided far less graphical and gameplay possibilities as opposed to the PS2, further continuing it's damaging sales. Nintendo did finally discard the now prehistory cartridge era, deciding with a tiny Mini CD to publish it's games.
In November of 2001, a third game publisher would reach the market, as Microsoft's Xbox debuted on shelves. This system, at the exspense of a higher price compared to it's adivisaries, harbored an enmorous, seeming infinant 10GB Harddrive memory unit. The Xbox was also equipted to use a 733 MHz processer, which granted much deeper for enthrawling experience for players. As well as adapted an Ethernet cable, which prompted for the first time ever, live online capabilities through a DSL internet connection for compatable games released on the system! While it posessed glamorious qualities above that of it's conflicting consoles, it's much larger pricetag deminished it's sales. Producing only about thirteen million units worldwide. This stunt of sales would be compensated with the release of it's most popular published video game, Halo 2, in November of 2004. As of 2006, Halo 2 sold over ten million copies! 80% of sales in the US alone!
2006 and 2007 released the most recent barrage of consoles. Including Microsoft's Xbox 360. Sony's Playstation 3. And Nintendo's Wii. While they are considered the most advanced versions of a home entertain system, they are classified under the Sixth Generation of gaming along with the Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube, due to their inabilities to provide radical advancements or changes in the field. Microsoft is also considered the powerhouse for console gaming, as it was announced on July 2008, that they were the largest and most successful entertainment corporation on earth. With over fifty million Xbox 360 consoles sold, and roughly twenty seven million members subcribed to Xbox Live.
This huge explosion of enhancements, modifications and adaptions have given everyone from the die hard, to casual gamer something to appreciate and recognise from the industry. With an eternal variety of potiential delivered over the last thirty years, there was something in every generation to enjoy. The true question is, my loyal patriots of gaming, when exactly do you think was the "Golden Age"? What realy was the Impeccable Era of Gaming? Was is it the simple days of left right, up down experiences? The more modern, but less visual birth fo the 3D Era? Or has the best yet to come?
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:32 pm
No question: '97 and up from there. Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Harvest Moon, Legend of Dragoon, etc. You don't find games like that anymore. E3 used to be so exciting because sequels of huuuge games like Metal Gear Solid and Half Life would be shown, now we don't have that anymore.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:10 pm
Myself? I agree with Nomad or I look to the future.
If I was alive during the early age of gaming I would not have been a gamer - I would have been on of those people who go out and tell you to play real ping pong - or ask what is the point in trying to save a princess?
I don't enjoy those games, never have, never will, I respect them for being the building blocks, but just like as you build a wall, the wall isn't much use if it's only a few bricks up.
In the future I hope everything I love about the games from the age Nomad described will reach their peak, they will be my epic dream.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 3:31 pm
I believe the more innocent age of gaming is long dead. You're not going to find many games flying off the shelves anymore for their intriguing story lines, or their simple game mechanics. Which is one of the reasons I believe Nintendo is doomed to failure in the next decade or so. Several of their head game devolpers and CEO's have persistantly adressed their feelings about the gaming economy in todays age, and many of them still believe in the simple, sort of old school way of doing things. Unfortunantly, the vast majority of the gaming market disagrees.
The future is all about more hardcore multiplayer experiences, big explosions, big guns, and most of all, big money. I believe that's all we're realy going to see in the future. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not looking forward to that.
I believe the real golden era was the mid 90's. The Sony V Nintendo era. Regardless of the statistics, I believe it was a good stalemate. While the Playstation sold may more units, Nintendo sold way more games.
If you wanted your classic style, simple yet still enjoyable deep gameplay, you went to Nintendo. If you wanted your hardcore shooters or mega RPG's, you went to Sony. Plus, it was before the crippling days of online multiplayer. So if a game sold, it wasn't about 8v8 DOOM MATCH! It was all revolving around a games independant aspects, all on it's own.
That is what i truely believe defines good gaming, and I think we realy will see less and less of that in the future.
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:52 pm
I agree mostly with you, Veedlor.
I do think the golden era came, and ended with the first Playstation. It had everything. N64 was decent competition too.
Besides portable systems, I don't really like anything past Playstation.
I mean, I have a Gamecube, but that was only for the Sonic Mega Collection.
Video Games just started becoming serious buisness after that.
My heart belongs to Sega. <3
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:49 am
Bluh=Playstation mad
I realy only appreciated the Playstation for LoD. I'm still a card carrying patriot of Nintendo. They prevented this industry from complete failure and annihilation, and this is how the market will repay them.
I owned every Console they ever manufactured up untill most recently, with the DS and the Wii. Well, that's not entirely true. I never purchased or recieved a Virtual Boy, but those were awful mad
But all the traditional consoles I owned 3nodding
I hope one day to collect the largest concievable collection of Nintendo 64 titles and just fade into ripe old age in blissful ignorance of the unpleasant metamorphasis that was once a favorite hobby, plague and corrupt itself into convictionless obliteration 3nodding
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:02 am
I recently sold my N64, because I realized there were no games on it that appealed to me. xp
Plus I was sick of playing Hey You! Pikachu. gonk
Playstation has so many memorable games for me, that the N64 couldn't possible beat it.
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:36 pm
You're full of crizap! gonk
Smash Brothers. Mario Kart. Starfox. Donkey Kong. Metroid. Easily one fo the greatest selling games of all time, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You name it, Nintendo had a kick a** version of some sort of activity. Not to mention Pokemon Stadium was the bad a** among bad assry for braging rights, if you had a clutter of obnoxious, talkative Pokemon obsessed friends.If even had awesome shooters. Like Perfect Dark and Goldeneye (argueably one of the greatest first person shooters ever!).
Unless you're a super RPG fanatic, or impressed with early tactical shooters, there realy wasn't much there in my opinion. I can appreciate a good story within a game, don't get me wrong. But when it came to just pure, fun and simple gameplay, I realy think they were the top of the mountain 3nodding
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:17 pm
I had Ocarina of Time, and Pokemon Stadium too, and they bored me. xp
Goldeneye was good. And the only other game I can think of is Super Mario 64, which I now have for my DS.
Playstation had stuff like Spyro, and Crash Bandicoot, Croc, Gex, Punky Skunk, Ape Escape. Those were fun, and simple gaming.
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:48 pm
Master Veedlor I believe the more innocent age of gaming is long dead. You're not going to find many games flying off the shelves anymore for their intriguing story lines, or their simple game mechanics. Which is one of the reasons I believe Nintendo is doomed to failure in the next decade or so. Several of their head game devolpers and CEO's have persistantly adressed their feelings about the gaming economy in todays age, and many of them still believe in the simple, sort of old school way of doing things. Unfortunantly, the vast majority of the gaming market disagrees.
The future is all about more hardcore multiplayer experiences, big explosions, big guns, and most of all, big money. I believe that's all we're realy going to see in the future. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not looking forward to that.
I believe the real golden era was the mid 90's. The Sony V Nintendo era. Regardless of the statistics, I believe it was a good stalemate. While the Playstation sold may more units, Nintendo sold way more games.
If you wanted your classic style, simple yet still enjoyable deep gameplay, you went to Nintendo. If you wanted your hardcore shooters or mega RPG's, you went to Sony. Plus, it was before the crippling days of online multiplayer. So if a game sold, it wasn't about 8v8 DOOM MATCH! It was all revolving around a games independant aspects, all on it's own.
That is what i truely believe defines good gaming, and I think we realy will see less and less of that in the future. Well, games can have big guns and explosions and still have good storylines, and I believe that a great story is still a great marketing tool.
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:20 pm
Sseafaring I had Ocarina of Time, and Pokemon Stadium too, and they bored me. xp
IS it even possible to use those words with that specific order? confused
No, no it isn't! It's a fluke. A lie! Nobody can resist their fun addictive charms, or their adorable, jingle commentated circumstances. gonk
Inconceivable! scream
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 5:18 pm
I did like Pokemon Stadium at first. It just got dull after a few years.
But Zelda I've never really liked. Any of them that is. Oracle of Seasons/Ages, and Minish Cap were good. But the rest. Eh.
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:18 pm
I did love pokemon stadium as well, but it did get boring xp
I still love Run Ratatat Run though ninja
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