Console moments that made you realize how "next-gen&quo

[Indy_aka_Rex]

I think everyone has them after going from one console to another. For me, I've had plenty and I can remember quite a few of them actually:


SNES: Playing Super Mario World for the first time and seeing how much more colorful and detailed the sprites were.

Sega CD: Playing Sonic CD, watching the intro animation and thinking how beautiful it was and how cool it was to see that in a console.

Playstation: Battle Arena Toshinden, playing a 3D fighter for the first time. It was a big slap to the face going from Street Fighter to that, polygons were awesome.

N64: Playing Pilotwings 64 for the first time, going to Hoover dam, Mt. Rushmore AND the statue of liberty, oh and playing M64 with the analog controller, moving Mario 'freely' around the world.

DC: Noticing the clear water in the pool and in the ocean of the hotel level in Sonic Adventure.

PS2: Watching the size of the levels and the snow while playing SSX.

GC: Playing Rogue Leader and salivating over how awesome everything in that game looked (and still looks).

XB: Playing Splinter Cell, hiding in actual shadows, trying not to get caught.

and

XB360: Looking at the bumpmapped/normal mapped levels of the single player mode of PDZ. I'll be damned if there isn't a single level in PDZ that isn't bump-mapped to hell.

Anyway, what about your moments?

[bawitback]

NES: The colors!!! Vivid games such as Mario bro 3, Contra, Kirby, were wonderful.

SNES: ...Super Mario World was soo good, it was claimed to be 3-D (at the time)... besides SMW, Mario RPG was impressive, as well as Star Fox.

GENESIS: Genesis always seemed more faster and crisp, whenever I would have switched from playing SNES to GEN I would notice a HUGE diffrence in speed and colors. Comic Zone, Sonic, Toe Jam and Earl, all wonderful in colors/speed.

SEGA CD: Lunar. It was the first RPG to splice Animation and Vocals. Full Motion Video sequences.. Next Gen!!

ATARI JAGUAR: One game. RAYMAN.

SEGA SATURN: Nights into dreams was a turning point. THE .. POLYGONS. The first boss was crazy, I still remember the day playing it for the first time. beautiful 3-D graphics, the waterfalls, roller costers, everything smacked me up and back down. Daytona USA, and Virtual Fighter 2 were very impressive.

PLAYSTATION: Hmm, tricky question. Nothing impressed me at launch, but towards the middle of its life span Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy took my breath away.

N64: I was slighty impressed with Mario 64 free 360 movement, otherwise Nothing impressed me.

DC: I agree with you on Sonic Adventrure first level with the watch reflections, as well as the hotel area. The most stunning moment was the city, and the smooth character textures and how the DC portrade lighting effects. Second would have to bee Marvel Vs. Capcom... the speed was amazing, it was beautiful. When I started playing Shenmue.. I knew I made the best decision in buying the DC. very revolutionary....

PS2: Graphics in FFX, and FMV sequences.

GC: The sharp visuals in almost every title released, GC impressed me way more than PS2.

XBOX: The graphics and speed, knocked PS2 out of the water.

XBOX360: Nothing much.

[Saraph]

NES: It was my first console. But I believe SM2 did it for me. I remembered playing SMB1 and then 2 came out and blew my mind with the graphical improvement.

SNES: Super Mario World was good enough eye candy, but Star Fox and Megaman X's Z-Chip really impressed me.

GENESIS: First game, Sonic the Hedgehog. Wow. From there the graphics just got better and better!

SEGA CD: Any FMV game, they were all pretty amazing at the time.

ATARI JAGUAR: Never played it.

SEGA SATURN: Hmm, Nights and Street Fighter Alpha 2. One thing that really blew my mind over playstation was X-Men vs. Street Fighter. That ram cart really made a world of difference between what system had the most potential.

PLAYSTATION: First game was Warhawk. I loved it, second was Crash Bandicoot. Those games were awesome at the time. In the end, FFVII did ti for me in terms of next gen though.

N64: Only one game impressed me, which was Mario 64. Turok was good as well. The final weapon's explosion was so pretty to look at...

DC: Everything. The system didnt stop amazing me for maybe... 2 years. Even after I got my hands on a PS2 and X-Box.

PS2: Final Fantasy X's completeness was wonderful. Voice actors, FMV's, in game beauty. Now if only the sphere grid could be replaced...

GC: I know it's graphics are really good, but the only game to really really surprise me was Resident Evil 4. It looks a hell of a lot better then the PS2 version.

XBOX: Panzer Dragoon Orta. I love it. Halo just didnt do it for me, I'm too much of an Unreal and Doom/Quake fan.

XBOX360: I'd say Oblivion so far.

[neohx_7]

NES: The slick control of Mario and the large environments in subsequent platformers wowed me. I forgot about any previous consoles... The beginning of Nintendo Nostalgia which is a medical phenomena that causes me to buy Zelda, Mario, DK, Metroid, etc titles over and over

GB: Tetris and Metroid II. I had a N64 kid moment opening this box for Christmas '91

Atari Lynx: Notable for being huge liek xbox

SNES: Super Mario World's layering high color and sound quality and later Donkey Kong Country for the prerendered 3D graphics and superior music. Also for the golden age of Squaresoft.

Genesis: The color and speed of Sonic and the slick black controller/console. The genesis had so many mysterious hardware revisions that made it seem mega-better.

GameGear: I couldn't believe there was a handheld that looked so good

SegaCD: Impressed by the magazine ads for Lunar, but never played it LOL

VirtualBoy: Impressive headaches...

PSX: Was anti-sony and was not impressed until Final Fantasy VII rolled out. The dual shock controller was another big win. Didn't age well...

Saturn: Nights controller impressed me, until I saw the N64.

GBC: Dragon Warrior III is the best RPG ever

N64: The control of Mario 64 impressed me more than anything since the SNES and the bilinear filtered textures and 3D environments that were more solid feeling than the PSX. Pilot Wings and WaveRacer also felt more 3D than anything the PSX had. Didn't age well...

NGPC: This system still has the best handheld titles ever and the best digital joystick. I was impressed with the fact that it even launched in the US

DC: The 3D graphics and speed for Sonic, the eclectic library of 2D and 3D games, VMUs, and the online play, later the homebrew capabilities. Jet Grind Radio still looks and sounds tighter than crap like SSX.

GBA: The resurgence of 2D games. Castlevania, Sonic, Mario, MegaMan, etc. This was win! Also, Square's return to Nintendo.

PS2: Metal Gear Solid 2 and FFX were the first games that showed promise over the dreamcast

GC: The size of the console and the discs and it still managed to look better than PS2

XBOX: I was impressed that Halo went from a Mac title to a Microsoft console title. Games looked better on Xbox than a PC for a bit. This system has set the standard for homebrew.

DS: Over time, the quality of the library is astounding even though the resolution is crap. Metroid Prime Hunters is actually a better internet FPS than anything on the PSP.

PSP: The smooth case and great resolution screen and the eventual web browser. Fantastic looking 3D , but crippled in many ways. No built in storage, proprietary flash cards, UMD movies, and mandatory firmware upgrades. Imagine this console with built in flash memory, a touch screen, SD card support, and no restrictive firmware updates....

XBOX360: I was surprised at the nice XBOX live package and the decent controller. Games didn't look as good as a PC.

PS3: Initially the concept of the cell and blu-ray and 1080p had me very excited... we'll see...

Wii: Nintendo's controller is the most exciting thing to me since the Dreamcast. I would have appreciated higher resolutions than 640x480 and so will most of you in a couple years.

[lordofduct]

The 640X480 picture of the Wii doesn't bother me one bit. On most TVs the low quality standards (compared to computer monitors) of televisions will blur out visually the lower res making it less noticeable. Still noticeable to the elites out there... but those elites should understand this.

Lower but tolerable resolution means more power can be directed towards colour, gameplay and polygons. My expectations for this console are low and high at the same time. They aren't giving me uber resolutions, lightning fast missile guiding AI processors with cup holders built in and can cook you filet minogn while simultaneousily ripping a DVD and rendering tridippopolygonicalmumbojumbo at 80 bijilliion Gflops. They are promising a solid all around gaming experience that will facilitate old schoolers, new gamers, niche markets and new unexplored styles of games that will create a REAL arcade feel. (i.e. the physical active arcade games like shooters, dancers and other weird contraptions). I expect low system power giving massive gameplay in return. It reminds me of the old days when a 7mhz motorola 68000 teamed with a 3mhz Z80 and a could kilobytes of RAM busted out with games like Vectorman, Sonic, Thunderforce, Contra Hardcorps and Gunstar Heroes.

I loved my consoles for the wow and pizazz that came out of the under powered, lower resolution standalone consoles. That is WHY I am a console gamer. It's not the pretty's... it's the art of coding such perfect pieces of program that utilizes every last drop of a system.

[durkada]

Time to show my age...

Pong: Whack a square back and forth on the screen. Absolutely amusing and enjoyable, but does get old. Nonetheless, video games are born! and the world is intrigued.

Atari 2600: Color graphics, excellent sound, joysticks, and removable cartridges virtually guarentee Atari the crown of a this new market. Millions of kids became addicted to computers and games, one way or another, because of this system.

Intellivision: Despite the higher resolution, games look like crap and don't play much better. Atari is showing its age, but the games still play smoothly when properly programmed -- something which the Intellivision did not often equal. And that gamepad, it couldn't get worse?

Colecovision: Very cool system with some prime titles -- closer to the arcade experience than the Atari 2600 could ever get... and yet, doomed.

Atari 5200: Easily the superior to the Atari 2600, featuring beautiful color graphics, fluid gameplay, advance sounds and a terrible controller. It's as if everyone at Atari heard the complaints against the Intellivision, the ColecoVision, and Atari thought -- we'll show the consumer, no one can make a controller as horrid as Atari. While the 5200 was a generational leap of video game progress, people had seen it before. Years before my family became financially destitute, we bought an Atari 800. Atari computers were advertised by Alan Alda, were sold in popular retail stores along with the C64 -- and people took notice of these machines. Computers were invading the average home and the 5200 was, essentially, nothing more than a stripped down 8-bit home computer. In summation -- clearly a giant leap for video-games, but merely a tippy toe in overall technological progress.

Vectrex: Utterly cool then. No machine could properly do vector graphics -- the translations, while fun, just lacked that arcade feel. Utterly cool now.

NES: Only saw this in retrospect, really -- once the sytem had really run its course. My girlfriend's mother was addicted to it, and I was exposed to Mario this, Mario that... Thus began my intense dislike of Nintendomythos. Still, compared to the gaming systems right before the bust -- it was a decent system, but not great. The NES was not so far ahead of where home computers were many years before. Unfortunately, this generation was a little stagnant -- beyond the gaming bubble going boom, NES excercised a monopolistic stronghold on the market that was clearly criminal. Kids received coupons for $5 off the next NES purchase, the unwholesome moneyshot of a corporate gang-bang on lady justice. I wonder if anyone feels a little sad in retrospect?

Sega Master System: Same as above, only without the corruption and annoying characters -- I was not enthused.

Atari 7800: Picked on up on Ebay about 10 years ago, back before it was popular. $1 + shipping bought a whole system with almost the entire library. Unfortuantely, too little, too late for Atari.

Sega Genesis: Still piss poor, we certainly did not own one -- however, I was blown away by the blazing fast graphics, lush sound, and rich gameplay the system offered. It made the NES and all its might look like the shamblings of a crippled monkey. Another generation is born.

Super Nintendo: Mode-7 was clearly revolutionary for the day, but that is not to say I enjoyed any games which utilized it. In fact, other than Super Bomberman and its sequel, this system failed to hold my attention. Whenever a title was released for both the Genesis and SNES, I seemed to prefer the Genny . Nonetheless, I own one now -- so many years after its introduction and finale. All the Bombermans -- 1 through 5, keep this bugger plugged in.
NeoGeo: Wow! But who could afford it?

Jaguar: 64-bits, baby! ... and the world yawned. The Jaguar flexed its muscle with Alien vs Predator. Its most popular title was also its fate: DOOM.

Saturn: It's revolutionary 3D graphics and superb sprite handling marked the end of an era -- but all its thunder was muted compared to the Playstation. So much has been written about this doomed system, that its pointless to rehash the history. Saturn Bomberman was revolutionary -- 10 players, utterly gorgeous colors and animation, a soundtrack that still kicks the jams today... It would take a while for the Saturn ship to get sailing, and once it did, Sega folded the sails.

Playstation: Easily the most revolutionary gaming console -- simply because of its incredible use of 3D graphics. It signified the end of the 16-bit era with inevitable decisiveness. Furthmore, its a testament to the system and its library that a great many of its titles are still relished: the Wipeout series, Trap Gunner, Point Blank, Crash Bandicoot... I could ramble on, but it certainly has one of the most impressive libraries of any console. Wipeout XL was the game that made me a Playstation whore -- between its veritable who's who of the techno dance scene, and nerve wrackingly intense racing, I was hooked.

Nintendo 64: Again, for Bomberman -- this time with contempt. This, to my mind, was a lacklustre POS. Technologically crippled, this little Sparc had bad games and ugliness. A child's console with an insipid and inbred cast of characters. It was clearly part of the generation, but it came late and should have been shot on arrival.

Dreamcast: Where to begin? Arguably the finest console ever produced. The Dreamcast signalled the premature beginning of a new generation with a refinement of the old. 3D graphics so hot that it made the Playstation and N64 melt like so much lard, but also 2D capabilities that would exceed anyone's expectations: these were the staples of the Dreamcast that ushered in the next generation. All of Sega's experimentation with online play, the innovations that never quite captured the market's imagination, finally paid off when it became not a mere add-on, but a core feature. While it may not have had as many great titles of as the Playstation, it had a consistently high good to crap ratio -- something almost all other consoles lacked.

Playstation2: It took almost two years for this system to show that it was superior to the Dreamcast in any way. Like a cab driver that took too many wrong turns and farted for most of the trip, it did not create a good impression. Even so, the Dreamcast is still comfortable on HD systems -- whereas the PS2 looks awkward.

XBOX: It seemed to borrow many of its core ideas from the Dreamcast, which is a good thing. The graphics and sound of this beast were incredible. Finally, all the hype and promise from the Playstation 2 camp was fulfilled. Oddworld was the title that hooked me. Like Sonic before, Oddworld made the transition to 3D in style. DOA3, beyond being a passable fighter, also functions as a tech demo showcasing the power.

Gamecube: Underwhelmed, but clearly somewhere between the PS2 and the XBOX in capabilities. I got one because it stole a Dreamcast title that had me intrigued: Monkey Ball. Pikmin was the great Nintendo innovation for this generation, otherwise, more inbreeding with its increasingly saccharine cast.

And for the next round -- Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony -- I don't give a crap. I'll probably own them all eventually, but I simply do not have in my heart of hearts, any love for these manufacturers nor their creations. Its taken me many years to realize it, but I'm a Sega fan. They alone seemed to rely on constant experimentation and innovation, and they did not seem to resort to the use of questionable/criminal market tactics. Since they got out of the hardware business, the game market has grown a great deal paler.

[neohx_7]

The 640X480 picture of the Wii doesn't bother me one bit. On most TVs the low quality standards (compared to computer monitors) of televisions will blur out visually the lower res making it less noticeable. Still noticeable to the elites out there... but those elites should understand this.

Lower but tolerable resolution means more power can be directed towards colour, gameplay and polygons. My expectations for this console are low and high at the same time. They aren't giving me uber resolutions, lightning fast missile guiding AI processors with cup holders built in and can cook you filet minogn while simultaneousily ripping a DVD and rendering tridippopolygonicalmumbojumbo at 80 bijilliion Gflops. They are promising a solid all around gaming experience that will facilitate old schoolers, new gamers, niche markets and new unexplored styles of games that will create a REAL arcade feel. (i.e. the physical active arcade games like shooters, dancers and other weird contraptions). I expect low system power giving massive gameplay in return. It reminds me of the old days when a 7mhz motorola 68000 teamed with a 3mhz Z80 and a could kilobytes of RAM busted out with games like Vectorman, Sonic, Thunderforce, Contra Hardcorps and Gunstar Heroes.

I loved my consoles for the wow and pizazz that came out of the under powered, lower resolution standalone consoles. That is WHY I am a console gamer. It's not the pretty's... it's the art of coding such perfect pieces of program that utilizes every last drop of a system.

I'm getting the Wii, too, but I'm tired of Nintendo apologetics. The PS3 and 360 will have games that are fantastic as well. Nintendo cannot guarantee a solid all around gaming experience, and we have no idea what the future will bring. Lower powered systems don't mean better games, either. If the wii didn't exist and the controller was a Sony invention for PS3 you would be singing a different tune. 1280x720 is not uber-high and it hardly requires 80 bijilliion Gflops. I was playing Doom at 640x480 more than 10 years ago. GC games look better scaled up on emulators because the textures are pretty high for 640x480 and polygons scale well. Since the Wii isn't rendering tridippopolygonicalmumbojumbo that probably makes it even easier to scale at a higher res, just look at gpu technologies in the last 6 years. HDTVs are in the sub 400 dollar range and I know plenty of college age people who just use their monitor as a tv. Just because YOU don't see the benefit, others do. After gaming for 20 years with PCs and consoles and seeing the GAMEPLAY and aesthetic differences at moderately higher 3D resolutions, I'm ready to see consoles get a little more friendly, resolution wise. After all, how easy is it to go back and play 3D PSX games now? Nintendo should at least give the ability to for the publisher to add 720p support if their game runs well. Also the lack of AV options on the Wii are absurd because my native VGA Dreamcast still looks crisper than any 480i/p console and it works better with PC monitors, hdtvs, and projectors. I am buying the Wii, but I am not making excuses for Nintendo and giving them the title of "system with the best gameplay" when it has no track record.

Btw, the Genesis was a monster machine when it was introduced in Japan. Back then PCs couldn't boast specs that were so gaming friendly. Also graphics are important in games, and as a console gamer you appreciate when good graphics come out of a limited system in a great game. Vectorman wouldn't have been quite as cool without the outstanding graphics giving it mood and character. Thats why they should give the Wii a chance to be taken to its limits with 720p support. The SNES, Genesis, PSX, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, and even cube, were not low res for their time and 2D vs 3D resolutions is another topic. The PSX, SNES, and N64 supported a higher res mode that developers sometimes took advantage of. It's almost 2007 now and the Wii (upgraded GC) should have been released a full year ago. Once again, I am buying it and will play it, but I hate Nintendo for forcing these talented game artists into an ugly resolution with outdated AV outputs. In 5 years I will be emulating the Wii and getting more out of the games with better draw distances, more readable text, and a resolution scaled properly to my screen. Just like I am starting to do with the PS2 and have done with the N64.

[lordofduct]

First off I need to say I am far from a Nintendo fan. I've always found them to pump out subpar machinary with ugly annoying characters. But it seems this time around they are experimenting and trying out new things. They are spreading their arms out and thin to cover every ground a little. It's like the carpenter that could go... build a house, carpet it, wall it, run the electric and all the fun stuff for a great price.

The Wii will be more affordable and cover grounds even into the realm of unique and experimental. I being a Sega fan this peaks an interest.

Though Widescreen support WOULD be nice... but hey, can't get everything. On top of that I probably won't buy ANY of them. I own 16 video game consoles and have my living room packed to the ceiling with them. I don't need anymore... but that is me.

[neohx_7]

First off I need to say I am far from a Nintendo fan. I've always found them to pump out subpar machinary with ugly annoying characters. But it seems this time around they are experimenting and trying out new things. They are spreading their arms out and thin to cover every ground a little. It's like the carpenter that could go... build a house, carpet it, wall it, run the electric and all the fun stuff for a great price.

The Wii will be more affordable and cover grounds even into the realm of unique and experimental. I being a Sega fan this peaks an interest.

Though Widescreen support WOULD be nice... but hey, can't get everything. On top of that I probably won't buy ANY of them. I own 16 video game consoles and have my living room packed to the ceiling with them. I don't need anymore... but that is me.

I believe there is widescreen support, but I don't know if it will be 720x480 or just 640x480 with squished pixels like the PS2...