2005- Present: The Era of Uncertainty
Ah, the current gen. While the ultimate grades will be dished out once it has come and gone, there are a few certainties. Thought gaming market has trended over to HD, and American developers seem to be leaving Japanese developers behind in some gaming netherworld of obsolescence, Nintendo has proved there is still room for the little guy. Or the old guy, who likes to wave a remote around to play games.
Regardless of personal preference, Nintendo has made a splash with “casual games”, and MS and Sony have already had to stand up and take notice. Where we go from here? Who knows. But it looks like we’re going there soon.
Microsoft XBox 360 (2005)
Notable titles:
- Year One (05-06): Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, Call of Duty 2, PGR 3, DOA 4, Fight Night Round 3, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Oblivion, Final Fantasy XI, Prey, Dead Rising, Saints Row, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Gears of War, Viva Pinata, Rainbow Six: Vegas
- Year Two (06-07): Lost Planet, Crackdown, GRAW 2, Earth Defence Force 2017, Guitar Hero II, Forza Motorsport 2, Shadowrun, Overlord, Bioshock, Blue Dragon, Skate, Eternal Sonata, Halo 3, Gears of War, PGR 4, Call of Duty 4, Assassin’s Creed, The Orange Box, VF5 Online, Mass Effect, Rock Band
Grade:
A-
Synopsis:
It’s a good thing we’re not grading based on the hardware. Year two was the saving grace of the 360, which had 6 of the roughest first months in console history. However, shortly after that, a slew of games started to arrive, all from new and exciting franchises like Crackdown, Bioshock, Gears of War and the like. While not all of these games are classics (and many are multi-platform), its the sheer variety and number of them (especially of its exclusives) that make the first two years so great.
Still to come:
The next year brought games like DMC IV, GTA IV, Ninja Gaiden II, Soul Calibur IV, Tales of Vesperia, Viva Pinata 2, Dead Space, Saints Row 2 and Fable II with Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, Fallout 3, Last Remnant, Alan Wake, FF XIII, RE5, and who knows what else in the future… But it most be noted that there seem to be far less exclusives.
PlayStation 3 (2006)
Notable titles:
- Year One (06-07): Resistance, Ridge Racer 7, Fight Night Round 3, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, MotorStorm, Virtua Fighter 5, Oblivion, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Rainbow Six: Vegas, GRAW 2, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, Ratchet and Clank: Future Tools of Destruction, Guitar Hero III, Call of Duty 4, Assassin’s Creed
- Year Two (07-08): Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Rock Band, The Orange Box, DMC 4, Lost Planet, R6: Vegas 2, GTA IV, Metal Gear Solid 4, Bioshock, Little Big Planet, Overlord: Raising Hell, SC IV, Dead Space, Saints Row 2, Rock Band 2, Eternal Sonata, Fallout 3, Call of Duty: World at War
Grade:
B-
Synopsis:
While the PS3 has many great games out for it, many of them are multi-platofm games that got released on the PS3 at a later date, a la Bioshock or Oblivion (and in some cases, worse condition a la The Orange Box). It also severely lacks the big hitter exclusives that are crucial to pushing systems, but it seems to be gaining ground in Year Two after things like Uncharted, MGS4 and Little Big Planet… The PS3’s first two years, while good, seem to mark a console that doesn’t quite know what its identity is yet. I mean, if you’re not a fan of MGS4 and aren’t into LBP, there’s really nothing that just jumps out and grabs you. One only hopes that like the PS1 and PS2, all of the great stuff is on its way. History gives us no reason to doubt it.
Still to Come:
Lots and lots of potential awesomeness, including Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2, Resistance 2, White Knight Chronicles, FF XIII, and the like.
Nintendo Wii (2006)
Notable Titles:
- Year One (06-07): Excite Truck, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Red Steel, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, WiiPlay, Cooking Mama, Super Paper Mario, Metroid Prime 3, Zach & Wiki, Super Mario Galaxy, Geometry Wars: Galaxies
- Year Two (07-08): No More Heroes, Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, Boom Blox, Wii Fit, Rock Band, Sam and Max, Wii Music, Call of Duty: World at War, Tales of Symphonia 2, Animal Crossing
Grade:
C+
Synopsis:
While Nintendo’s console has sold like hot cakes, it just lacks the proper game library to really be a contender in terms of exclusive games that move systems, especially in the multi-platform games that litter the 360 and PS3’s release lists. While there are a couple of notable entries, over all, the Wii seems to have epic lulls where nothing gets released. Still, one can’t overlook the grip its sales have taken on the industry, so it must be given credit for that in terms of being able to sell crappy games (or no games at all) to millions of people.
Still to Come:
Castlevania: Judgment, Rock Band 2, Star Wars: Clone Wars- Lightsaber Duels, Wii Sports Resort, Dead Rising: Chop Til You Drop, FF Crystal Chronicles, Sin and Punishment 2, Punch Out, and uh… More waggle! But no, let me guess: Mario, Zelda and Metroid?
Awesome post, Eddy. I think you were very fair with all the consoles.
Haha, thanks dude. I had a really hard time with the N64, the 360 and the PS3, actually. It’s tough trying to put some of these games into perspective. And in reality, it’s all just my opinions anyway.
Really good dissection of the past few generations, Eddy. I don’t think I disagreed with you on any of the grades you assigned to each console. I was surprised with your “C” grade for the X-Box, but looking back on it, it makes a lot of sense. I think you should have taken Live into account, however.(unless I missed that)
Anyways, here’s what I think:
We’re barely three years into the current generation, and there’s already a buzz about the next wave of consoles. It’s going to get to a point where we’re going to be over-saturated with “the next big thing”. The industry really needs to break it’s dependency on the generation cycles. You don’t need to introduce a new console every five years(or six, or seven in my opinion) to generate new ad revenue.
I mean, gaming is just starting to become more “mainstream”. If parents purchase an X-Box or a PS3 or even a Wii for their kids, are they really going to want to drop another half-grand in two years? Your average consumer doesn’t care about advanced bit-mapping, or higher resolutions. Heck, your average gaming enthusiast will give up a bit of graphical polish to play something innovative.
Games this generation can hardly be described as lacking in the graphics department, anyways. Take Gears of War, for example. It introduced the cover system in a big way, but it still managed to look great. The second one looks like it’ll top the original in looks, and they’re still trying to innovate.
The problem with changing consoles so quickly is that it never allows the industry to mature. If you have to re-learn how to make a good looking game every five years, you’re never going to get down to the nitty gritty.
So no, I don’t think I’m ready for a new generation of consoles. Give me some innovation with this generation. Let me squeeze a few more years out of my $500 before you make me do it all over again.
Your grade for the Xbox is why I never got one. Fantastic job on being fair.
Epic indeed.
You pretty much nailed everything. And yes, I believe it is too early for people to discuss the next gen. We’re just starting this one!
I loved my GAMECUBE. It really made me a gamer.
Yeah, it really did have some good games. When I was making this list, I remembered the GC being crappy to me, but looking back at all the games I played, it was at least better than the 64, which afters its first 1.5 years, did nothing as a system until Perfect Dark.
No good games for the game cube,
i think someone is forgetting pokemon snap and pokemon staduim!!! jeez :).
That was one epic analytical piece about consoles. I still remember the PS2 as being loaded with games. With the talk of future consoles ALREADY, I doubt that the current consoles will manage to have such a plethora of awesome games. 🙁
The only question that should be asked is “How do Nintendo innovate more?”. Better graphics with slightly improved controls? Is that even innovation? But hey, that’s what we said BEFORE the Wii!
the only way any of this could get any better is if the graphics and gameplay get better, and better, and pretty soon games will be controllable movies!
Don’t you guys know anything. It’s a well known fact that every three to five years a new game system has to come out. I’m Not saying that it needs to come out, but it comes out none the less.
BTW KotOR is the best rpg of all time with Morrowind coming at a close second.