On last week's mailbox 'Akradon', sent in an e-mail saying that he feels that people complain unecessarily about small things in games.
This week Mike Brady makes a case for this generation of consoles being the best ever, do you agree with him? Let us know in the comments below.
To have your letter featured on CVG's Mailbox, drop us a line.
PSM3 says: Mike, that's a fine and cheerful point. It's easy to criticise and nitpick - the internet specialises in it - and it's easy to lose sight of the truth. But the truth is as you say: there's a mountain of stunning, fun games out there, and their popularity is proof.
CVG says: We'd describe ourselves as healthy cynics, but in this case we'll have to go with the glass half-full answer. This generation has been fantastic, but whether it's one of the best ever... we'll need a little more time to think about that.
Comments
33 comments so far...
razors edge on 28 Jan '12 said:
Depends. I'd struggle to choose between 16 bit era and Nintendo 64 era. It's a toughy (scratches head....). nah, I'm plumping for 16 bit era, things were just more my kind of cookie in those days.
Plus magazines could be trusted more, Mean Machines, Mean Machines wherefore art thou Mean Machines?
Those were the days..........
(Puts on rose tinted glasses, and drinks his milk while a tear runs slowly down his cheek)
DavidVM on 28 Jan '12 said:
Last gen was best; it was a time when innovation and originality was matched by technological expertise, but for this gen the latter has very much the upper hand and we're left bottom feeding for the former. The games industry maybe consolidating it's dominance this gen but it's doing it in a way that have led all the other entertainment industries to their current plights; a lack of fresh product and only mere improvements in application of the tired, old products.
lordirongut on 28 Jan '12 said:
I actually think that this gen is one of the weakest. I can name countless NES, SNES, PS1 and PS2 era games that I'd consider classics. With this gen, it's become as much about graphical penis envy as anything else. Final Fantasy XIII is a fine example - it was stunningly beautiful but it was a barebones experience in comparison to Final Fantasy XII on the PS2 or any of the games before. Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed it immensely but I wouldn't consider it a classic as I do its 12 predecessors. For me the best games of this gen have been highly stylized ones that haven't pushed horsepower over story and gameplay. Many still look beautiful without pushing the limits of the consoles - Lost Odyssey, Tales of Vesperia, Valkyria Chronicles, Xenoblade and Nier are probably my favourite games of this generation. Of those, Lost Odyssey is probably the only one that even tried pushed the limits of technology. Nier is as ugly as hell but it succeeds where it counts. Xenoblade is on a machine which is running hardware from ten years ago. Valkyria uses its highly unusual Canvas Engine, and Tales of Vesperia looks anime-like and doesn't require ridiculous amounts of pointless detail (as much as Square Enix may think otherwise, I don't need to see the pores on Lightning's skin) instead relying on bright, bold colours and a strong art style.
For me the PS1 generation was the best. It had the best balance of power for developers to create what they wanted, and limitation so that games weren't entirely focused on graphics.
ste hicky on 28 Jan '12 said:
Do i agree? No.
However, it'll be hard to look back on this gen overall and not note some top quality software.
Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, Skyward Sword, Xenoblade, CoD4, Mass Effect 1, Dead Space, Oblivion, Lost Odyssey, Gears of War, Uncharted 2 and 3...and this could go on for quite a while across most formats.
The thing is that, for me, this gen will be remembered more for lower quality titles at release, Subs for online play, On Disc DLC, Content being cynically removed from titles 3 weeks prior to launch so we can pay for the rest of the game a month later, overpriced CoD map packs and the near death of the JRPG.
They overshadow the rest unfortunately.
TheLastDodo on 28 Jan '12 said:
I think it is the best generation I've experienced (so far).
There is just so many top quality experiences out there already and upcoming that's it's impossible to keep up, this generation has spawned countless new IP's that have eventually gone on to become some of the most loved franchises of the generation. This generation has something for everyone, whether it be shooters, RPG's, platformers, racers, survival horror, action/adventures, puzzlers, sandbox, your taste has been catered for and if you're not a fan of 'AAA' games then there's also the rise of PSN/XBLA which has delivered us numerous original, innovative budget priced titles.
I'm sure a few bright sparks are going to pop up and mention publishers greed, Online Passes, DRM, pre order DLC, and of course the latest and greatest 'lets make our game a lot like CoD' mission statement as negatives which is fine because they are, but for me talking about the overall quality of the actual product infront of me (not the BS that surrounds it), in terms of actual in-game content, storytelling, production values, narrative, technical performance, accessibility, choice, we've never had it so good.
While there are a few negatives to take from this generation, I think the vast majority will remember it for the wonderful games that it provided.
damoxuk on 28 Jan '12 said:
Personally I can't really say as only really got into console gaming this gen but looks to be great with top IP's like Gear/Uncharted/LBP/Assassins/Modern warfare etc
But in terms of media convergence this generation especially ps3 and lesser extent 360 they have become movie playing devices/ media streaming devices/ music jukeboxes / TV catch-up providers and all round entertainment hubs.
However I still maintain the 16-bit era of Amiga/Megadrive/Snes was the golden age. (C64 was 8-bits king imo also)
humanhand on 28 Jan '12 said:
Easiest to play, and best looking generation for sure. I don't know if that qualifies for best?
delmariachi on 28 Jan '12 said:
Personally would say that the 16-bit gen was the one...
imagination and creation really came to the fore and amazing things like polygons were finally coming to fruition in albeit its infancy with the likes Sega's Virtua Racing and its 70 SVP based cartridge, whilst the SNES was wowing us with its 3-d scaling Mode 7 in games like F-Zero... It was an exciting time..
And even now nothing beats a session of Streets Of Rage 2
AJDarkstar on 28 Jan '12 said:
This gen took a really long time to find its feet, and there's been nowhere near as diverse a range of games as in the last, due to higher development costs. The highs have been marginally higher perhaps, but are the lows lower? I think they might be.
slatters on 28 Jan '12 said:
This is about as close as you'll get online although you may already know about it.... http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/
For me, i'm inclined to agree that this generation is the best, and i've been around since the Sinclair days of old. There's a whole new exciting feel with games for me in the last couple of years.
sonic_uk on 28 Jan '12 said:
Games wise there have been some cracking ones this gen. Personal favourites of mine included Crysis (possibly the best game ever imo), Ninja Gaiden, Oblivion, Mirrors Edge, Medal Of Honour, Uncharted, Singularity and Mass Effect to name but a few sprinkling of many.
However, this gen itself hasn't been the best as far as I'm concerned...drm, rip-off on disc dlc, online passes, subscription based stat trackers (we all know what I'm on about), rip-off r.r.p, cloud gaming, motion controls, public beta testing for released broken games, and digital download only titles make me wish for the good old 16-bit days where you simply bought a game and played it then, and forever as long as you have it in your possession. Want to play with friends? No need to pay extra, just invite them round for some two player gaming - its more fun anyway.
toaplan on 28 Jan '12 said:
The current generation is among the very best in my opinion.
8-bit/C64-Nes generation: Not that great, even back then. Arcade games, like Outrun (released in 1986) were painfully far ahead compared to the home systems. Not without its evergreen classics though, such as Megaman, SMB and Castlevania.
16-bit/Amiga-PCEngine-Megadrive-SNES generation: A marked improvement. Arcade quality gaming arrives home with near-perfect coin-op conversions including Golden Axe and Strider on the Megadrive, Operation Thunderbolt on the Amiga, Splatterhouse on the PCEngine and Final Fight and Streetfighter 2 on the SNES.
32-64-bit/PSOne-Saturn-3DO-N64 era: Another big generation and giant leap forward. Gaming advances from 2D-sprite based graphics to 3D-polygon based visuals and catches up with arcade games. Playing Ridge Racer (PS), Virtua Fighter 1&2 (Saturn), Need for Speed (3DO) and Mario 64 (N64) at home makes jaws drop.
Dreamcast-PS2-Xbox-GameCube era: Slightly underwhelming stuff, more of a continuation from the previous generation. Certain games nevertheless impress, for example Soul Calibur, Shenmue, MGS 2&3, GT3 and Rogue Squadron 2.
The current generation: Gaming again gets a big tech boost and is simply blooming in every way again. Motion controls expand horizons, downloadable games restore quirkiness, FPS-games are updated into the Modern era and Batman Arkham City makes every old licenced movie or comic book game look like an utter failure (apart from Goldeneye on the N64).
So here's my (quick) take on the matter. The 16-bit, 32/64-bit and the current generation are the best in my eyes. To choose between them, I'd have to conduct a more thorough analysis, although I'm kind of partial to the 16-bit generation...
gmcb007 on 28 Jan '12 said:
Pretty much summed up my response. One thing i'll add, this gen was heavily influenced by the sudden impact the internet done to change our daily lifes. Multiplayer has dramatically improved and the introduction of digital distribution gave us a whole new way to buy or rent games.One negative about it though it has been the worst gen for fanboyism and I don't just mean between consoles but between games and sequels. The power of anonymous has brought on the worst in some people.
But yeah I do feel like we've lost the flames from the last gen, you know, the excitement to be creative with new technology, to try and push the limits, to really make a game that you could be proud and hopefully be considered an iconic game.
Sadly this flame has been reduced to a smoking piece of ember. Now that the industry is one of the biggest profit markets out there, publishers are constantly stealing other ideas or just finding the cheapest and quickest solution to maximum profit. In a way, present gaming has became present Hollywood and it's only going to get worse if things like SOPA and one user per game methods become the norm.
What we need to concetrate on next gen is not just how pretty games will be, but to get that passionate gaming spirit back into the industry and get it away from it's current bleak corporate look.
Black Mantis on 28 Jan '12 said:
Almost. Needs some Shenmue, Panzer Dragoon and Jet Set Radio. Come on Sega!
Padua on 28 Jan '12 said:
It is a loaded question like : Who is the best James Bond or who is the best Doctor Who.
Every current generation is going to be the best down to hardware and ever increasing production budgets.
Not one game this generation has blown my socks off to the same degree as my walking by Dixons in the 80's and seeing two bats hitting a ball back and forth, or using a light gun to shoot a dot. It was mind blowing - what alchemy was this!?
I think the best generation was the eight-bit generation where individuals could create master pieces like Elite or Manic Miner or Breakout. Later generations refine and perfect older games in brilliant ways but in the early days everything was new and imaginations ran riot. I know there are exceptions with original games coming out every generation but it was so much more exciting in the very beginning when nobody knew what was possible.
Rojoco on 29 Jan '12 said:
Surely every new console generation is the "best ever" as games are always evolving. Any preference people have to past generations is just nostalgic reminiscence.
alan666 on 29 Jan '12 said:
the 16-bit era was the best, it had some of the most innovative & original games, some of the PS1 games had this to.
he problem with games in this current generation is that they are catering for the lowest common denominator, i think it's only going to get worse though
dookiephonic on 29 Jan '12 said:
TheCrimsonFenix on 29 Jan '12 said:
No. There's been far too many problems and direction changes this generation that even the greatest games that have come out the last 5 years aren't enough to make me say that it's the best generation. DLC, online multiplayer, series changes, very little replayability, not enough longevity. It's getting worse too sadly which means I will pretty much bow out of anything "new" in videogaming when new tech comes out and hype isn't lived up to that developers have created from fancy looking tech demos and bull talk of it being unmissable. There have been some great games but they're few and far between for the sake of getting bigger audiences and catering to the mainstream audience that has been made from having games in the media spotlight. Was better years ago.
sevvybgoode on 29 Jan '12 said:
For me it was the Saturn / N64 era... You had a great technical leap with both consoles offerin excellence in different areas. The Saturn was a 2 d powerhouse and with the 4 meg ram cart actually offered arcade perfect conversions of games for the first time ever. Couple that with absolute gems like NiGHTs, Burning Rangers, Shining force 3, Guardian Heros, Radiant Silvergun, Sega Rally ( this list could go on forever tbh). The final addition to the awesomeness of the Saturn IMO is the greatest RPG of all time.... Panzer Dragoon Saga. As much as I love grandia, chrono trigger, Ff6 or Xenogears, Saga cannot be touched (again IMO).
Then with the N64 you had nintendo at their very best, titles like Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask, F-Zero X, Pilotwings 64, Paper Mario, Mario 64, Star fox 64, 1080, Wave Race and some real 3rd party gems such as rocket robot on wheels, blast corps, conkers, banjo kazooie, WCW vs NWO (the only wrestling game I've ever really enjoyed), Ridge Racer 64 (the best ridge in my opinion barring rage racer), Sin n Punishment (again this list could be very long).
The ps1 had some great titles as well but barring it's jrpgs it never usurped those 2 IMO. Althoug RC stunt copter was one of my favourite games tha gen.
This gen though barring xbla there's only been a few games that have really blown my socks off. Skyward sword, bioshock, bayonetta, Assasins Creed 2 and Batman are the onlys ones that automatically spring to mind. I suppose me not liking FPS games has some effect on that opinion.
In fact I'd probably put this gen 4th out of them all.
1st, Saturn, N64, PS1
2nd, SNES, Megadrive, NEO GEO
3rd, DC, Xbox, PS2
4th, Xbox 360, Wii, PS3
Again this is all opinion and thankfully this isnt Reddit or I'd be down voted into oblivion
dicky1993 on 29 Jan '12 said:
it's great right now, there is something in the market for everyone and enough with people whining about no innovation or something new, check out 2012 games lineup it's nuts i think i got about 30 games on my wishlist this year oh and check out arcade games if you want something reallllly different
Barca Azul on 29 Jan '12 said:
I think the PS2 laid the groundwork for mass media console gaming. Celebs were already playing PES back then. CoD and FIFA have cemented it on 360/PS3 though.
What makes the best generation? Graphics, gameplay, storey, online connectivity? I think all generations have added their bit. Online went mainstream this gen, but id question if its as popular as many as 4 years ago proportionally (Installed base to online users %). I loved CoD 4 online, but ive rarely played online since then.
This gen has CoD, Uncharted, Gears, mass effect, batman, RDR and Skyrim, however PS2 Era had PES, Res Evil, GTA Vice city/San An, Shaddow of the colossus, Halo, ICO to name a few.
jm3811 on 29 Jan '12 said:
In terms of inventiveness the younger the worse; at least as far as gaming is mentioned. Very little excitement on release day that is not due to marketing. The only exception being the Wii unless you owned a GameCube.
slick loose on 29 Jan '12 said:
I think it's more to do with our age. I know that might sound stupid but most peoples best gaming era was when they were a lot younger. Even though games now look better, play better and are more diverse (thanks to games designed specifically for the casuals) we all still say the best of gaming is behind us! I don't really remember games specifically on my Master System and Mega Drive but I remember loving them. The PlayStation was amazing with games like Metal Gear Solid and it truly was a beautiful era for me. The PS2 then came out and just did everything better, MGS2 was great and MGS3 is possibly the greatest game of all time. I was a teen when this was released and I spent a lot of time playing on my PS2, rather than go out with friends.
Now I'm an adult and game far less but the games I have played like Deus Ex, MGS4 and BioShock which have been fantastic. Technically these games are better than anything on the consoles before but we don't remember them like we remembered the older games. I suppose it's how we remember the games, I mean I loved the PS1 era but I've played some of the classics since...and they are not holding up so well. I reckon the teens of this era will say the PS3/360 was the best generation when the PS5/XBOX4 are out.
ste hicky on 29 Jan '12 said:
People say it's down to age and they are probably right but ask yourselves this: Are your favourite series games better now than they were 10 years ago? If you can say yeah then fair point but let's be honest here:
Resi?: LMAO!! If only?
MGS?: mmm, that's subjective but i think MGS peaked with Subsistence on PS2.
Final Fantasy?: Next....
Pro Evo? Not a chance
CoD: 1, 2 and 4 will always be my favourites
Starfox?: Come back Fox lad, i miss ya... and i'll leave it there.
If you take away the sheen and mapping from new games what are you left with that hasn't been done a 1,000 times before 20 years ago? Not much, I'm afraid.
It's a good gen, Some decent software but still a case of Evolution over the Revolution of the N64 era or watching Squaresoft nail a grand soap opera of a game in FFVI.
Yep, I've Decided: Best Gen? 16 bit. Devs were in their stride and some of the best games I've ever played fall at that time. I started with Pro Evo in those days, Chrono Trigger and FFVI were about, A Link to the Past, Starfox, Mario world 1 and 2, etc....
Biggest Jump: N64 and to a lesser degree the PS and Saturn. Mario 64 made my world go in to tunnel vision when i caught an import version running in 96. I doubt i'll experience a jump like that again. You really had to be there at the time.
lordirongut on 29 Jan '12 said:
A lot of genres have actually stepped back this generation, though, the JRPG being a prime example. We went from Final Fantasy XII, which was deep, filled-to-the-brim with content, open and just generally magnificent. It was something of a shock to go from that to violently linear XIII. XII had some of the best RPG towns in history... XIII had none. XII had intricately customisable characters and a huge amount of player control... XIII had the Crystarium and the Paradigm Shift. XII had massive, open areas with lots to find and see... XIII had twenty hours of corridors. It's sad but true. Square Enix couldn't do 'detailed', 'HD Graphics' and 'open' all at once, so they stuck with the first two. Indeed, almost every major RPG of this generation, Western or Japanese, has sacrificed at least one of those - Bethesda used huge amounts of recycled assets and randomly generated terrain with all its current games, Nier had graphics that could barely be described as 'HD', and Dragon Age was just as linear as FFXIII. Very few have managed all three well - the two Mistwalker games on the 360, Tales of Vesperia and Mass Effect are the only ones that really have. But the vast majority will never match up to the levels of Morrowind and, indeed, many RPGs of the SNES, PS1 and PS2 eras. There'll never be an HD equivalent to Xenogears or pre-IX Final Fantasy. There'll never be HD Chrono Trigger, and there'll never be HD Bahamut Lagoon. And that saddens me. The 'HD' requirement on the PS3 and 360 has meant that most developers adopt an approach that eschews either openness or detail. And it disappoints me that only Mistwalker, Namco Tales Studio and to a lesser extent Bioware have insisted on all three. I say this from the position of someone who doesn't view most of these through rose-tinted specs. I only played Xenogears in 2011, for example, and that isn't the only example - I spent most of 2011 retro gaming. It's a fact that for the last two years I've bought and played more 'retro' than new games, and I've enjoyed almost all of them more (let's just forget about Tales of Legendia).
ste hicky on 29 Jan '12 said:
Irongut: The step back from the magnificence of Ivalice is one of the biggest sticks i used to beat XIII with. FFXII is a classic, I've always said it, It was the step forward the series needed and the XIII team failed badly after Matsuno's Vagrant Story II (Cos that's what it is, just set in the FF tactics universe)
An absolute technical tour de force on PS2 with scenery stretching as far as the eye can see and multiple routes in and out of everywhere.
The battle system had something for everyone. It was as hands on/off as the player desired. I used to turn most Gambits off and play it like an old school FF. I'd just keep a few Buff Gambits going like Auto Haste, Auto Phoenix, but the rest was all input manually.
FFXII is the next gen FF, just in standard def. It's also looking increasingly like it was the series' Death Rattle.
Square are updating the wrong one if you ask me, never mind X: XII is where it's at.
I'm gonna dig my US version out now....
billysastard on 29 Jan '12 said:
if i was female i'd want your babies
ste hicky on 29 Jan '12 said:
jm3811 on 29 Jan '12 said:
I don't really agree with that Sticktolose.
I was thinking today what PS3 game I could see my kids play and I couldn't think of many (of course there would be LBP and some footy games). I wouldn't like them to play FPS the way these games are designed. And the reason why the FPS look that way is because realism has overcome creativity. Plus the fact that the editors can't even be bothered to tell stories now that they just throw each and everyone into the multiplayer bin.
I do remember games mainly because they were new concepts or because they told something. The challenges used to be less physical as well, although I'd agree that without rumble you couldn't expect to exercise much. I don't see PS3 games who are brilliant because they created a new world or a new dimension.
Surely newer games benefit of greater technology and therefore they put the C64 to shame. However on that level I would compare with contemporary products like movies or any IT gadget which has benefited from the evolution of digital. And there again it seems to me that when the games used to stand out and show things that we didn't see anywhere else it's something that we have lost although I'm still waiting for the Last Guardian to make me dream again.
SpandexArmstrong on 30 Jan '12 said:
Nope!
That award goes to the ps1/n64/saturn era. 3 different consoles each with their own unique, exclusive titles. Every genre seemed to be represented equally too. With the exception of the Wii, this gen has been attack of the clones!
Very_Silver_Ownz on 1 Feb '12 said:
I think the best gen was the PS2/Xbox/GC. GTA Vice City, San Andreas, MGS3, Resi 4, Pro evo and Bully are all excellent games I played on the PS2.
Though I don't think this gen is the worst. Just watching a few retro collections on youtube of Atari and SNES games make you appreciate games that are made nowadays.
spunwicked on 3 Feb '12 said:
Off topic, but I think it's time CVG hired Radion Automatic. There should be a campaign for this, to satisfy the old school gamers.