“It Was The Best Of Times…” Why This Is The Best Console Generation

Some say that this current generation of video game consoles is the best. Some say it’s the worst. BOTH viewpoints are correct.

This eighth generation of consoles has brought with it some incredible things that gamers could only have dreamed of before but it’s also brought out the worst in video game companies and gamers themselves.

This editorial will focus on what makes this generation the best.

[OOG]

The best eh?

[Kalowest]

Console generations 6&7 are the best.

[darthv72]

that is where it all really began. The rivalry between nintendo and sega with heavy hitting marketing like "genesis does what nintendon't" and "super nintendo is what genesisn't"

That was the time when real creative development meant finding ways around technical limitations. None of this overly used violence 3d this or that.

the days of the 2d side scrolling shooters (space shmups), sports, action, adventure, rpg....those were the days of glory.

[Kalowest]

"Console generations 6&7 are the best."

I mean 5&6 are the best to me(Born in 91), I didn't get to play much of the 4th gen consoles(I just started buying older game systems)

[nix]

it was one of the best but this gen instead of looking and talking about great games that came out... we were all too busy dissing each other. so much energy was spent just fighting.

in spite of some really great games we got, the publishers went lazy and started selling same games with minor changes again and again. the whole "release now, patch later" attitude is nothing but greed overtaking the passion. charging gamers for DLC that was already in the disk are some of the sad moments of this gen.

as for the media, fanboys running the gaming sites pretty much fueled the whole console war. so much hate has been spewed this gen that it's really embarassing. also the anti-sony campaign is a sad reminder of what this gen was all about.

thankfully as the time passed by i learnt to ignore most of the news and just stick to what seemed relevant. i also learnt to understand the review system better and not fall for the hype train. i hope others have learnt the same and won't fall for all that happened this gen.

overall, i'm content with this gen in spite of all the hatred. i'm proud to have played most of this gen's best games.

[SilentNegotiator]

4th, 5th, and 6th. The tip of the videogame generation bell curve. I don't have much faith in the future; not with the way the biggest publishers are working (DRM, shooter-fication, etc).

[antz1104]

Say what you want. Most people, myself included, go back to play N64, SNES, or PS1 and enjoy it to some extent, but these days we expect more.

Of course todays gen is better.

[HammadTheBeast]

Well, I came here for tits.

[Campy da Camper]

Agreed. Cameron Diaz's perky little Bcups are in my mind all the time. Damn, that woman is fine.

[nveenio]

She looks better in this thumb than in most instances. And she's starting to show her age, too. When it comes to women showing their age, I'm a Kate Beckinsale kind of guy. (Could you tell?)

[Marceles]

The worst thing I hate about this gen is the media coverage. In the Super Nintendo days I had GamePro and Electronic Gaming Monthly magazines to tell me everything new. Nowadays we have xboxsucksps3rules.blogspot.org or some crazy site reviewing games.

I'm not trying to sound old school, but media coverage this gen is in the crapper. Everything gets spoiled, everything is fanboy tainted, people that don't even play games are pursuading people on what's good and what isn't. When I see people giving opinions about that, it's like not watching a sports team until the playoffs and then bandwagoning on a favorite. So much misleading cluttered info.

[ATi_Elite]

Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Turbo GFX-16, Neo Geo is still the BEST era of console video gaming EVER!

None of that multiplat CRAP with only a handful of exclusives on each system like THIS Gen.

Each system back then had tons of Exclusives and even the few multiplats were totally different.

[vortis]

THANK YOU.

This article is absolute media drivel fail.

"Golden Era ftw 1991-2001
R.I.P, we still love you!"

[Carl_Shocker]

I highly doubt it...

Developers lying to us
Developers giving loyal fans the middle finger
Developers becoming greedy
Developers becoming obessed with sales
Developers changing a beloved franchise for a bigger audience
Devlopers cutting content for DLC
High DLC prices
Multiplayer/Co-op being tacked onto nearly every game
Disc locked content
Casuals being too much of a focus
Casual focus ruining core games and developers
Gimmicks being thrown into games

I could go on

This gen has done some amazing things but you can't beat the previous gens.

[Romudeth]

Come back tomorrow for the 2nd part of this editorial "Why this is the worst generation of consoles."

[Smelly1sam]

Dude I 100% agree with you!

[AWBrawler]

best gen ever was the old SEGA vs Nintendo days and maybe last gen. last gen with PS2 Xbox and Gamecube had so much creativity unlike this gen.

[Kratoscar2008]

I couldnt say it better, for me the best is the PS1 era and PS2 next, i would add:

Games coming with bugs as result of DLC and the lack of testing games just to save extra bucks.

Too much shooters, now thanks to them games like RE died entirely, wich gets my next point..

Death of the Survival horror genre.

SE and Capcom now are greedy and they have lots their reputation entirely.

This generation has really sucked, just graphics and no essence at all.

[vortis]

Well said. Bubbles.

And I'd just like to tack on:

Bloated marketing campaigns
Overspending in production
Hollywood talent
Crooked media providing crooked bias (Jessica Chobot in ME3 + ME3 review scores + "OMG GOTY 5/5!!!" fanboyism)
Publishers tanking devs after milking fan favorite franchises

---

I'm gonna stop there 'cause I'm getting pissed thinking about all the crap going on in this gen.

[deathman6001]

This gen SUCKS!!!

[FunAndGun]

Like a Dyson

[SolidStoner]

with turbochargers!

[vortis]

Twin turbochargers.

[jc48573]

this is by the far the worst despite some great games. I feel sorry for the people that are just starting this generation.

[Ben_Grimm]

This gen was great! We got some awesome games and very new experiences this time around.

There were some bad times I admit, but I personally believe the good outweighed the bad.

*looks at X-Men:Destiny*

I take that back! *RAAAAGE*!!!

[Gamer-Z]

There were some great games but i would have to say it is the worst not because of the games but because of Publishers and the COD community.

[ShaunCameron]

Being able to play at my own pace via varied difficulty modes for most games makes this generation a win.

[InTheLab]

By far the worst gen...

Fanboys
critics paid off or fired for doing the right thing..
multiplayer every thing?
forced motion controls
EA reemerging as one of the evil heads of HYDRA
$15 map packs
hackers hacking for fame
RRoD
games made more accessible
DLC
Day 1 DLC
on disc dlc
pre-order bonuses
EA,Sony,WB,THQ adopting online passes

Just an endless mess of piss and vinegar. This gen was terrible.

[sikbeta]

Well, for next gen some stuff can change, right?

fanboys: nope, will be there as usual
critics: nope, same thing
multiplayer everything: same
EA the bad guy: maybe, unless Acti wants to fight for that crown: "COD:MW20, now pay for every bullet you shoot, yay!"
Hackers: gotta ruin the fun of others, bro!
$15 x map packs? just the beginning
RROD/YLOD: I HOPE NO! >:(
"games made more accessible" = casual bulls#*t Revengeance!
DLC/on Disc/day one: not going anywhere
pre-order crap: hate that and I'm sure it'll persist
Online passess are here to stay.... :(

Will not complain, as long as the big guys fight for my money like they do this gen, I'll be happy :D

[vortis]

Edit your post, knock off that last sentence and watch your bubbles rise to meteoric heights.

The mouth breathers and ragers demand it!!!

[ChunkyLover53]

This generation has had some great games, but overall this generation has seen a lot of bad habits added to the mix.
DLC on the disk, expensive DLC in general, especially since DLC was simply supposed to be added FREE content that couldn't fit on the disk.

The death of single player games, yearly releases, sequel after sequel, longest console cycle ever, which is stunting what was a ever growing industry. The list goes on and on. As I said earlier, its not an attack on some of the games this generation, which have been really great, but the overall trends have been pretty bad.

[Romudeth]

You're gonna like the follow up article. :D

[StrongMan]

For once I agree with you.

"DLC on the disk, expensive DLC in general, especially since DLC was simply supposed to be added FREE content that couldn't fit on the disk."

True, a lot of game content couldn't fit on those outdated DVDs so devs started selling it as DLC.

"The death of single player games,"

This one's not true. GOW3, Heavy Rain, Infamous, and more disagrees with you. They only died on one console.

"yearly releases,"

Agreed. COD anyone?

"sequel after sequel,"

True again. It's bad when all you can do is release the same 4 sequels over and over for the past 7 years.

"longest console cycle ever,"

2005-2013 is way too long.

[Pintheshadows]

I'd say it's been mixed at best. We've seen some good new IP's but we've also seen some questionable business practices rear their ugly heads.

[urwifeminder]

For me because of battlestations pacific it is the best gen i got it on 360 and pc the game just is so different from anything i have ever played,plus the console war has been a fantastic laugh and the entitled gamer rant love it.
.

[pandaboy]

it was the best of times... it was the blurst of times?!

[knifefight]

Burns really should have fired those monkeys.

[vickers500]

I don't think there is such a thing as the "best console generation". Even if there was, none of us can really fairly say which it was.

Those who grew up back in the days would be too blinded by their nostalgia boners to be unbiased about today's generation, since whenever you think back to the past, you only remember the good times, while giving you this sort of fake memory about how things actually were, completely (or mostly) forgetting the bad things. Being younger as well always makes things seem better than they actually were as well, adding to that nostalgia feeling, making things seem even more perfect.

Then you have those gamers who are growing up in today's generation, completely oblivious to the generation before them, believing this one to be the best simply because it's the newest one (to the young and arrogant/ignorant, newer is always better), and kids always think anything that's theirs (this generation in particular)is better as well.

[vortis]

There is no "best console generation" most of us simply refer to it as the Golden Era, circa 1991-2001.

That specific era gave us revolutionary innovation across EVERY platform including portables/handhelds. Every aspect of gaming was just a joy and it was better balanced than the arcade/Atari era and more entertaining than the Atari/NES era. The PS2 - Xbox 360 ('cause of COD and Gears) was all right, but the games just weren't as nostalgic or are engaging as the SNES/Sega/PSX/N64 era.

If you look on most forums, younger gamers who finally get to experience Chrono Trigger or FFVI easily rate them as the best ever. And Super Mario World? Doom? Perfect Dark? Golden Eye? No One Lives Forever? Duke Nukem 3D? Sonic? Robocop Vs Terminator?

Heck, there were stinkers, of course, but the Golden Era was badass.

[LOL_WUT]

DLC ruined this gen...

[OOG]

its a love hate relationship

[papashango]

I don't know anyone that loves dlc. Nextgen is gonna suck some big ones for console gamers. With steam big picture in development pc gamers are in a nice spot

[Yangus]

The best console generation this?.......Wait a minute......................li ttle patience...................... .......one minute........................ ..the answer.........LOL NO.

[LAWSON72]

5th thru 7th Gen are the best, this Gen has done nothing good for gaming except a few great titles.

[The_KELRaTH]

It's been a generation of graphics effects over gameplay and cut backs on quantity to hit us for DLC

[19993568]

Last gen > This gen > Next Gen.

[Hicken]

I agree with the first two parts, but since we know nothing about how next gen will turn out, I can't sign on to that one.

[FinaLXiii]

This gen is ok many cool games but most of them will be forgotten with future releases.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

In-game services and terms of agreement we have to agree on in order to play our games is ridiculous. (EA)

Is this the best gen ever? No, in fact I don't really hate it besides overcharging with DLC. and how DLC was handled this gen in general.

Other than that, from last gen going on to this gen was natural progression. Kinda of like going with the tides with trends, tech and whats expected from our games of today.

With each transition, I have neutral feelings about next gen gaming and tech. So this gen, just like last gen, I'm I have no feelings for it. Its neither good or bad just,

"Ok, I'll have to adapt, and grab on the tech horse next gen, and go for the ride."

[Straightupbeastly]

People can only comment who've witnessed every major gen such as myself. This gen is without a doubt the worst, but it wasn't bad.

1. Sega genesis, super Nintendo era (late 80's early 90's)
2. Ps1, n64 era (mid thru late 90's)
3. NES era (80's)
4. Ps2, Xbox era (early thru mid 2000's)
5. Ps3, 360 era (late 2000's currently)

[Tetsujin]

I still say common sense in gaming died in 2005

I also say this is the worse gaming gen; biggest reason #1, when a collector in the future buys one of our games, the servers will be down/defunct and can't get access to any updates, patches, etc.

Also this DLC craze is only making it harder for people to buy new games since some "super hyper turbo" version comes out later with everything for 1/3 of the price.

[isntchrisl]

Last gen was pretty good, really. Games were $40-50 new. $20 Best Sellers. All the consoles received great exclusives. No bullshit DLC practices. Developers spent more time testing their games before releasing them. This gen undid all of that.

[Donnywho]

The best part was all the patches.

[Tetsujin]

That's actually the worse part of this gen; a patch should be for something that wasn't caught during testing and should be a "sorry we didn't see that" fix; now games are released broken just to meet street dates, THEN patches come later. What really pisses me off and lose confidence in a company is day 1 patches that's 20+ MB when the game should have been fixed to begin with. I understand some games have online/multiplayer patches installed on street dates to prevent "early access" however this practice gets old as well.

I'd rather have a delayed game that's done right than a broken game just to meet public demand for the release date.

[Donnywho]

I was being sarcastic.

[Tetsujin]

I know, but I still wanted to get my word in

[Donnywho]

...yeaaaaa

[TheLastGuardian]

I've been gaming for 15 years since the PS1 era and this gen is probably my favorite because I've been able to afford way more games than during the previous generations. I also didn't read about games much back then so I didn't really know the best games to buy. I'm playing at least 10 times more great games nowadays as I did last gen.

[Tetsujin]

I've actually cut back gaming this gen, and even started up some older games to remind myself where gaming came from, and when the quality of gaming started going south. I can play GTA San Andreas/Vice City a lot more than I can GTA 4; because it was more focused on having fun, as well as proving games can tell a story just as good as a Hollywood film if not better.

[Tornadobounce]

It's the best generation if it's your first. I haven't got a favorite 360 or ps3 game to put into my favorite games collection so yeah...PS2 gets my vote.

[Cajun Chicken]

I just came here for Cameron Diaz.

[GrahamGolden]

PS1-PS2 nuff said

[Kratoscar2008]

Yeah PS1 got me in gaming then PS2 just made it an obsession.

[Picnic]

There's never quite been as exciting a leap for me as there was from the Commodore 64 to the Commodore Amiga and the 16 bit generation. But, for anyone who didn't choose to buy a Sega console between the Megadrive and the Dreamcast, the Dreamcast was pretty extraordinary , especially for Jet Set Radio. That game was 8 years ahead of its time when only other games that gave an impression of a free roaming city in a cel shaded fashion emerged like Mirrors Edge. But, although I think the Dreamcast game is prettier in some respects, it is wiser to suggest playing Jet Set Radio Future on the Xbox because it is faster, even though you can explore it in your own time, more of a manageable difficulty level, and more of a platform game.

[violents]

God people are annoying, read the article and discuss the pros of this gen like it is intended. Dont sit here and tell us every reason why you dont like it when he even says in the article he is writing a "worst console gen ever" article tommorrow for discussion of the cons of this gen.(i believe he even mentions corporate greed, day one dlc and such).

Despite all the shortcommings of this gen I do think it has been the best. We got everything graphics, great cinematic stories, motion controls, voice controls, great variety in genres, online functionality is constanly evolving to become a better experience and game emmersion levels are awsome on many great games.

Not to say there hasnt been some setbacks in this gen but as a gamer i would have to say i've gotten the most out of this gen than any other.

[Romudeth]

Check out the second part "Why this is the worst console generation" http://n4g.com/news/1081188...

[kewlkat007]

I don't agree...The generation ending with SNES--->Playstation 1 was better..JRPG's this gen was horrible...