When did game consoles reach their peak for you?

[godslabrat]

I would say that the first half of the N64 era was the peak for me. The N64 took the SNES/Genesis generation, and made it bigger, better, and took it in a whole new direction. 3-D was here, it was the norm, but I hadn't yet begun to feel like 2-D games were being disposed of.

 

The latter half of the N64 era, when the Playstation was gigantic, it became clear that an irreversible shift had occurred. The 3-D that had been so awesome just a few years earlier was now so prevalent that it was no longer special. Once the PS2/Xbox/GCN era hit, it became clear that video games as I once knew them were gone, and I had a whole new world to get used to. I've had a lot of fun these last two generations, but it has NEVER been the same.

[Austin]

Dreamcast. It hit a pinnacle in many ways, from trying to standardize online gaming, to games running at a constant 60 frames per second finally becoming a common occurance, to much more. Everything seems to have plateaued since then. With the added power of newer systems simply allowing larger environments and more detailed visuals, games still haven't really had the initial shock factor the Dreamcast had when it launched, as they've only gotten marginally better since each system launch thereafter.

Edited December 18, 2009 by Austin

[CGQuarterly]

For me, the peak was the Playstation. That was the last console that made me say "wow" when I played games on it. There was an obvious progression in both the looks as well as the complexity and realism of games all the way back from the beginning up to the Playstation. Ever since then, it's mostly just been the same stuff with better graphics. I almost never see any innovation anymore. I guess that's why it is very rare for me to play anything newer than Playstation/Saturn.

 

Just my $0.02.

 

Chris

[accousticguitar]

The PS1 here too. There are a lot of really good games for it, and I like the control schemes better for the PS1 than I do the PS2.

[Reaperman]

I'd say around 1996-98.

A nice transitional phase, seems a pretty popular timeframe for others in this topic too.

 

Genesis and SNES were still somewhat relevant, inexpensive to obtain, and came in their redesigned trim packages.

N64/saturn/PSX were duking it out

the earlier, somewhat overpriced 32-bits dropped to the bargain basement.

Lots of little handhelds trying to topple the gb

 

and these were the best years for Neo Geo software.

Edited December 19, 2009 by Reaperman

[GideonsDad]

For me it would have to be the 16-bit era (although I cut my teeth on the 2600 and NES): The Sega Genesis/CD/32X and SNES. Games like: The Revenge of Shinobi, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, The 7th Saga, Actraiser, Lunar, Popful Mail, Vay, Dark Wizard, Star Wars (23X), are just near and dear to my heart. It seems this is where my true passion for games "peaks". While I have modern systems I much prefer the classic ones. I am glad that 2D games are still being made and for the extensive library of SNES/Genesis-type games that were released for GBA.

 

GideonsDad

[shadow460]

I'd say somewhere between 1997 and 1999 was when "modern gaming" ceased to interest me. There were some newer games I got into, like Emperor: Battle for Dune, Hydro Thunder, and Gran Turismo 3. Those were in the vast minority of my collection, though. I was just as happy playing Subterranea or Sword of Saros on my Woody as I was with Dark Reign on my PC.

 

IMO, PC gaming is dead and buried in the same coffin as the Glide apl. It took a good couple of years after Glide started getting phased out for me to find PC graphics that even came close to what a good Glide card could render. Two words describe Glide graphics: slick and fast.

 

Console gaming lost my interest in the later years of the fifth generation when the PS1 and N64 were grappling while the Saturn was on life support. The reason why is that I was mainly interested in good quality ports of arcade games, and the only one of those that could deliver was the Saturn. The PS1 arcade lineup seemed to be comprised mainly of fighting games, but the only ones I was interested in were done better on the N64 (KI Gold) and the Saturn (MK3). Time Crisis on the PS1 is terrible compared to its arcade version, and compared Virtua Cop 2 on the Saturn. In the arcades, Time Crisis was the better of the two, but I honestly felt ripped off of $60 when I brought home the game and found that the GunCon is _not_ as accurate as they claim and there was _no_ first party pedal available. I had the same feeling with the Arcade Racer on the Saturn, but when that came out, no console had a first party steering wheel with analog pedals. The PlayStation line still doesn't have one--Logitech is the closest you get.

Despite my disappointment with the Arcade Racer, I still purchased (and still have today) several ports of arcade racing games like 95 Sega Rally and Sega Touring Car. Virtual On: Operation Moongate for the Saturn fires on all cylinders, even to this day.

Even the venerable Saturn began to disappoint me in 1998, though. I was quite underwhelmed with both Burning Rangers and Shining Force III. Shining the Holy Ark was excellent and it kept a fast pace. I expected that with SF3, and of course that's not the case. Burning Rangers sacrificed gameplay and fun to try and prove that the Saturn could "keep up with the big dogs" graphically. That was totally unnecessary, as there never was any doubt as to its capabilities.

 

Each of the three consoles had its titles that could rival the next generation. When I saw GT1's hi-fi mode for the first time, I nearly soiled myself. It is amazingly clear and detailed. Any 2D Saturn game is crystal clear, and even some of the 3D ones like NiGHTS blew my mind. The N64 holds its own graphically with games like Perfect Dark and wipEout. When they put that RAM expansion to use it showed. Sega, OTOH, didn't need a RAM expansion. Neither, for that matter, did wipEout 64. It could care less what the Expansion Pak is or where it came from.

 

Nowdays, the two eras I collect games from the most are the second generation and the fifth. The Atari 2600 was a juggernaut back in the day, and we were one of many families that had one. Matter of fact, with Daddy's income and Mom working as a kindergarten teacher, we had disposable income and we had hundreds of Atari games.

Similarly, during the fifth generation, I had few bills since I lived either with roommates or in military housing. I had more games than I knew what to do with.

 

So for me, here's a short list of the latest games I really enjoyed while the systems were new:

 

Atari: Pitfall II and Bounty Bob Strikes Back.

PlayStation: Gran Turismo 3, before that I'd say either Red Alert: Retaliation or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Nintendo: Perfect Dark, no question there.

Sega: Hydro Thunder, but that's really a homebrew more than anything else. Others include Shining the Holy Ark and Virtual On: Operation Moongate.

Glide: Final Fantasy 8. This game is drop dead gorgeous when running in Glide. FF7 isn't far behind.

Direct 3D: Probably Emperor: Battle for Dune. Jedi Knight II is good, but that runs under wickedGL, er, OpenGL, I meant.

 

Handheld gaming? Well, my last title I really enjoyed is not something you'd expect since it's a lot newer than what I listed above. It's the original Coded Arms. That game throws back to the day when you just went and killed stuff, never mind all this mission crap. Go from point A to point B and kill everything you see along the way. Simple, really. I'm new to the Lynx, so I won't comment here. As for the Game Boy, IMO the color titles I have aren't as much fun as stuff like Battleship, Qix, Sa Ga, and the three Star Wars titles. The best Game Gear titles I had in the '90's were Sonic and severa of the puzzle games including Klax and Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. I didn't discover Shining Force until about four years ago. Now that I've finished that Shining Force, I want to play SFIII again!

[CV Gus]

In your opinion, when did home video game consoles peak in terms of the experience they deliver?

 

This isn't an intellectual thing; I'm asking on an emotional level.

 

For me, it was the 5200/ColecoVision era. That's when it peaked for me. Those consoles delivered the home arcade experience we'd been promised all those years. And they were just so danmed cool. The 5200 looks like it's something from space. And it can frickin' talk to you without a voice module. Hey -- maybe it is from space!

 

As for the ColecoVision, it had unlimited expansion possibilities. And they actually fulfilled many of them. Sure, we didn't get the Super Game Module, but we did get a trak-ball, a driving wheel, a 2600 adapter, and a tiny little computer add-on. And the most amazing controller ever made, complete with four action buttons, a full keypad, a spinner, and a real joystick. All those add-ons were produced within the short lifespan of the ColecoVision. Amazing! (The light that burns twice as bright . .. )

 

And the games are just awesome. Galaxian, Defender, Star Raiders, Berzerk, Frenzy, Super Cobra, Robotron:2084...I could go on and on. These two systems have a high percentage of really great games. And thank you Coleco for bringing some lesser-known favorites to the home console. Back then, I thought I was the only one in the world who loved Venture. There was no way I'd ever see that on a console. But Coleco did it! That was amazing to me. It was like they were working from my video game playlist. If it was on my list and Atari hadn't made a cart for it, Coleco did.

 

It was a great time to be a kid. And now, as an adult, they're still great consoles. Sure, they both have their quirks, but they make putting up with it well worth while.

 

That's my opinion. What's yours?

 

 

Pretty much that.

 

It was so nice, seeing which arcade games from that era would make it home- Cosmic Avenger, Q*Bert, Bump `N Jump, Burgertime, Frenzy, Mr. Do!'s Castle, Turbo, Spy Hunter, Tapper, Ladybug, Pepper 2, etc.

 

Guess I just liked the whole scene better back then.

[Video]

 

-Killer Instinct (I STILL think this better than what the reviewers say about this version...)

 

 

Heck yeah, me and my friends enjoyed the hell out of that, we all had copys of it back in the day, and IIRC, this game could be played two playered on the SNES, which was just awesome!

[Austin]

 

-Killer Instinct (I STILL think this better than what the reviewers say about this version...)

 

 

Heck yeah, me and my friends enjoyed the hell out of that, we all had copys of it back in the day, and IIRC, this game could be played two playered on the SNES, which was just awesome!

 

It's weird how people look at that game (and series) now. It's like it's completely forgotten, and now looked-down upon. It's strange because everyone was crazy about it back in the day. All I remember were scorching (good) reviews, hoardes of people around the machines in the arcades, massive hype for the SNES version (which delivered, despite it being a scaled-down version). Hell, even the Game Boy version of the original KI was awesome--quick and very, very playable, unlike most GB fighting games. KI2 was even better than the original, but for some reason people lost interest when it was released.. Man, I still love playing the arcade version of that.. Makes me wish I still had my arcade board and machine..

Edited December 20, 2009 by Austin

[Ryanw]

Great thread.

 

I would say 1997 when they were still making SNES games but had the introduction of the PS1 and N64. SNES was my favorite system and being seven years old seeing 3d games for the first time was amazing. I can't think of a more exciting time for video games.

 

After that I never really got as excited anymore until Fallout 3 on the Xbox 360. I guess you can say this game has "repeaked" my interest in console games because between 2003-2008 I've been doing mostly computer games. My computer can't really handle anything new anymore so when I got the 360 I was just overwhelmed by how many great games there are. Right now I am playing through Dead Space which has been scary as shit but lots of fun

[genesisguy]

The peak for me was the early days of 16-bit consoles when the NES was still pumping out good games along with the Genesis and SNES. I was in highschool or late jr. high when the PS1 and N64 came out. I got a PS1 but either it had to do with my age or the games I chose but that console never held my interest. I recently picked up Ps2 and have had fun playing GTA 3 and Vice City for the first time but even after awhile the charm with those games wanes as well.

[roland p]

I think game consoles itself don't peak, since they get better with every generation.

 

I do think games have peaked around the ps2/gc/dc generation. Because games I play now, do have better graphics, but are gameplay-wise about the same the previous generation could do (at least at the games I play, silent hill/resident evil/shenmue style).

 

Currently, I am playing Silent Hill Homecoming, gameplay wise nothing new, and I must say, 1080p on big screen and 5.1 dolby-surround is great!

[Lord Helmet]

Still getting better IMHO. I love the current gen of systems.

[Reaperman]

I mean, I get my PS3 going regularly and we have fun and all, but she's never going to meet the parents. Sure I spend lots of money on her, but if they made new games for NeoGeo/GBA/SNES/NES/Genesis, I'd instantly be all "who's Sony?" about it.

 

There's just no attachment here--as soon as she's not the prettiest on the block anymore she's getting taken down, wrapped in plastic and stuffed into the 'unloved' section of my closet.

Edited January 6, 2010 by Reaperman

[CGQuarterly]

I mean, I get my PS3 going regularly and we have fun and all, but she's never going to meet the parents. Sure I spend lots of money on her, but if they made new games for NeoGeo/GBA/SNES/NES/Genesis, I'd instantly be all "who's Sony?" about it.

 

There's just no attachment here--as soon as she's not the prettiest on the block anymore she's getting taken down, wrapped in plastic and stuffed into the 'unloved' section of my closet.

 

Very well put. Replace "PS3" with "XBox 360" and that's my situation as well. Modern games are fun, but they don't give me the same feeling that I get from playing classic stuff.

 

Chris

[zylon]

mid 90's. After that, it seems that every system generation has less that I want to play than the one before...

[Tr3vor]

mine was about a year ago, when i put in a new 72pin connector for the only NES i have that wasnt working. after that, i couldnt get off the sucker.

[rpgfaker]

Mine was definitely the NES era..maybe it's rose-colored glasses but it seems there were about 30-40 new games a month. There were great chances that one of those were fine tuned to your tastes. Today's consoles have what? 2-6 releases a month..

[RevEng]

It hasn't peaked for me yet.

 

I enjoy gaming, and I've found enjoyable games on all the platforms I've tried over the years.

 

Maybe I'll declare a peak when they finally come out with a portable holodeck console that I can fit in my flying car.

 

Maybe.

[+wood_jl]

I'd have to agree with the previous poster, that it hasn't "peaked" for me....that implies a downward swing.

 

That having been said, I'd say it "started to plateau" with the original Playstation. Everything else has just been steady improvements - resolution, textures, larger environments. And what a fine plateau it is!!!

 

But the original PS opened the whole realm of fine, 3-D racing. You could always play your little RPGs and manage your hit points just fine with everything before and after the PS1, but the genre of auto racing was just blown wide open by stuff like the original Need for Speed and Gran Turismo games. Prior to that, it was more like Stunt Race FX on SNES and Hard Drivin' on Genesis.

 

Also, the 3-D fighting genre was incredibly opened, with Tekken 3 and such.

 

I should say that the less-popular Saturn deserves some credit too, as Need for Speed (orig) is just as excellent, plus Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 all made nice contributions to 3-D racing and 3-D fighting.

 

Everything since has just been refinement, not redefinement like PS1 did, at least to me. Good refinement, however.

[monzamess]

Jaguar/3DO/Saturn era. Playing (relatively) fast 3D games on a home machine was my own personal holy grail of videogaming.

[atarian63]

1980 to 1984

Atari 800

2600

Intellivision

 

All the real arcade games,not like the craptastic stuff we have today. Games were fun and generally unlike today they were not something you could "beat" then throw away. You played for high score.

[Shannon]

I'd have to go with everything stopping (for me) around the PS2/Gamecube/Xbox era. Although I never cared much for the Jaguar, Saturn, or the PS1. I skipped those until the Dreamcast and N64 came out and then my interest peaked again.

 

I still like alot of stuff that comes out today on the 360, PS3, and Wii. There were also alot of nice titles for the PS2, Cube, and Xbox. But it seems that alot of companies started settling into lesser genres around that time. So creativity seemed to be going out the door and being replaced with more realism but less game. And what is it with all this crazy character customability. It's neat and all, but sometimes it seems more effort was put in blinging out your character than creating a more extensive game.

[RevEng]

But it seems that alot of companies started settling into lesser genres around that time. So creativity seemed to be going out the door and being replaced with more realism but less game.

Respectfully disagreeing. The game industry has always had a glut of unoriginal companies.

 

How many pong knockoffs were there? How many 2600 games involve a ship at the bottom of the screen shooting at stuff? How many retro console games were knockoffs or ports of arcade games?

 

The last 5 years or so has brought us some original titles too. Off the top of my head: World of Goo, Lit, Bit.Trip, Wii Sports, Little Big Planet, and Peggle.