So how was the 7th generation of consoles?


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Even music and movies were better back then.

It's not just nostalgia kicking in, if you guys go back in time you'll see ingenuity and quality.

edit: I don't even want to get into it because it's not even on topic. All I can say is that I was born in the 70s and that is absolutely not true

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Just to name a few...

Portal

Rockband

Wii Sports

Braid

Flower

Peggle

Super Mario Galaxy

Bioshock 1/2

Fallout 3

Mirror's Edge

Left 4 Dead 1/2

Mass Effect 1/2

Assassin's Creed 1/2

Uncharted 1/2

Little Big Planet

Look, things don't need to be necessarily "new" in order to be imaginative. Can't the same be said for books or music or movies? For example, Star Wars and Indiana Jones weren't new concepts, they were just rehashes (and practically ripped off) older films of those genres. Yet people find a connection with those movies because they were done well. I think the same can be said with games. I know some people hate some of the games I listed above, and some games I listed above I liked less than others, but I can't deny what they brought to the industry.

Of those listed only Portal and Flower were anything remotely new and imaginative.

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I think this generation has highlighted a massive problem in the gaming industry. Gaming simply can't follow the original formula of release-something-more-powerful-every-five-years. These days designing a game for the latest and greatest comes with insane development costs, pushing publishers to think twice before taking a gamble on a new IP. Platforms such as the Wii, XBLA and DS have now become outlets for the new and original because it's cheaper to make games for. Massiveterra listed some games, but only a few were truly original and like MR_Candyman pointed out only Portal and Flower (and possibly Braid and Mirror's Edge) are the only truly new and original ones.

Let's think about that for a second. Portal was a "bonus game" with Half-life 2, a well-established brand in earlier generations. Sure, it got a standalone release, but via Xbox Live instead. Flower was PSN-only, as was Braid, leaving Mirror's Edge as the only original standalone innovative disc-based game. The industry is obviously changing, leaving most of the truly innovative to digital distribution. It's not just the idea of no discs that makes digital distribution the way forward, but also the way it's been implemented in modern platforms. Any Mac user can get to work and develop their own iPhone game, and for a small price share it with the world (as long as it doesn't infringe on some wacky App Store rule). Xbox Live Community Games are very easy to see, and bedroom programmers have a much greater presence than they ever would in a traditional high street shop. The other thing about digital distribution is that there's not such a large expectation of quality, making budgets much more flexible.

I'm not saying that the disc-based game will necessarily go away, as flexible budgets and a chance at innovation are both present on the Wii. What I am saying is that I don't see another generation of consoles for a while, and if we do see one soon, there won't be such a large jump in performance. Programmers can't keep learning how to program for increasingly complex systems every five years.

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Personally, I think this generation could use a little more innovation in gameplay. It feels like it's the same old recipe with a slightly different taste. I'm not trying to say it was bad though.

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So far, I'd say this generation has been pretty good. I mean, we have good graphics (360/PS3), wireless controllers, media center capabilities, free demos, arcade games, downloadable content, etc.

As far as the games go, yeah...maybe they can be a bit unimaginative or formulaic, but there are still some great games to be played that are fun and entertaining despite this.

One thing I dislike about this generation however is the lack of split-screen in most games. Not too long ago it used to be common for games to let you play with your friends on the same console. I realize that the majority of people play online now, but the option should still remain available for those who don't. Nearly every racing game this generation is basically a single player game if you don't count online play. :blink:

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So far, I'd say this generation has been pretty good. I mean, we have good graphics (360/PS3), wireless controllers, media center capabilities, free demos, arcade games, downloadable content, etc.

As far as the games go, yeah...maybe they can be a bit unimaginative or formulaic, but there are still some great games to be played that are fun and entertaining despite this.

One thing I dislike about this generation however is the lack of split-screen in most games. Not too long ago it used to be common for games to let you play with your friends on the same console. I realize that the majority of people play online now, but the option should still remain available for those who don't. Nearly every racing game this generation is basically a single player game if you don't count online play. :blink:

Of thank you for bringing that up! There's been quite a few times we have gotten together at my friend's place to play games and end up going "so...what IS split screen?" then we just end up playing some Wii game because there's virtually nothing for the 360.

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