A fond farewell

[Senbei]

In case you’ve been living on Mars (or have been a middle-aged housewife) for the past few months, the biggest gaming news of late is the imminent arrival of the next wave of consoles. But before we look towards a future of sci-fi ivories, ebonies, and platinums, of nunchuku and (supposed) boomerang controllers, of advanced graphics, motion sensors, high-def, etc., let’s examine the immediate past. What were your favorite games and moments of the current generation, that of the PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox? What made you laugh, what made you cry? What did you become addicted to, what did you return to EB in disgust? What would you like to see expanded upon in the future? What do you hope is dead forever?

In my case, I’ve really just started to experience the current generation, having only bought a PS2 within the last year. Already, though, some games have migrated to the top of my favorites list.
-Spider-Man 2, though short-lived and completely lacking in compelling goals, offers at least one great feature: the ability to swing across the entirety of NYC, from the smallest alley to streets of Times Square. The webswinging system is so awesome, that it alone is worth the purchase of the game.
-Star Wars Battlefront was really my first 3D shooter outing and, despite its minor flaws and limited selection of battlefields, periodically finds itself in my PS2. The environments are not massive and your allies’ uselessness can be aggravating, but somehow the game pulls me in again and again to perfect my strategies and skills.
-Ico is completely beautiful and possibly the most atmospheric game I’ve ever experienced. The scope of the puzzles, considering how large each environment is, can be intimidating, but I never had to turn to a walkthrough, even if my character found himself falling off more cliff faces than the worldly population of lemmings.

These games and Ōkami have provided some of the most memorable experiences for me out of my ever-growing selection of current-gen games. It’s kind of cool that I can get so much use out of my PS2 before even thinking about buying into next-gen. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stake it out until the PS3 (if not the 360) price drops, if it does, but I still can’t wait to get my hands on Assassin’s Creed.

[Delphine]

or have been a middle-aged housewife

My mom is a middle-aged housewife, and she knows. :P

[MegaKitsune]

What made me laugh: Knowing that I got a Gamecube at launch, and that my console was going to spank the pants off of PS2 and XBOX, I was laughing at the competition.

What made me cry: When reality hit 2 months later.

What I was addicted to: Star Fox Adventures, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Ikaruga, Red Faction 2, F-ZERO GX, Super Smash Bros. Melee.

What I returned to EB in disgust: RE4. I seriously did not like that game. I can't even really tell you why, I just didn't have any fun playing it and I returned it after I got to the part with the "zombie" invasion in the house. I traded it in and only got half value. :( Luckily Ikaruga was only $20, but the GC version has no anime cutscenes and the used version didnt have a manual, so I was still ripped off. I<3 that game though.

What I would like to see expanded on in the future: Sandbox games. I love games that let you go anywhere and do anything you want, but they're too crime-orientated right now (although that is usually the consequence of letting people do what they want). I also want to see more new and exciting hybrid games, maybe even something like Pokemon/Nintendogs and Quake (catch and raise your warrior then fight FPS style) or stuff like that. Also, MORE GRADIUS AND R-TYPE! Yeah, I know about R-Type Final, but one little word hasn't stopped Final Fantasy, eh? (J/K I know the story behind the "final".)

What I hope is dead forever: Sports games. They need to die. Also FPS could slow down a bit, same goes for Japanese RPGs. I think we need to see more innovation, but not so much of that "let's import other cultures and call it innovation" nor that "BETTER GRAPHICS" inovation and not even the Wii style innovation. I personally don't want gaming to keep going mainstream, things start to suck when they go mainstream. However, I don't want to play the same damn game over and over.

Standout games from this generation IMO (that I've played):

- The GTA games. They showed us nonlinear gameplay can be fun. Too bad they also introduced us to Jack Thompson, but hey, good things come at a price sometimes.

- The Unreal Tournament series. Pure awesomeness, excepting 2K3 of course.

- F-ZERO GX. Best sensation of speed I have ever seen in a game (never played Wipeout Pure or Burnout).

- Super Smash Brothers: Melee. If I have to explain this, I pity you.


Needless to say, my gaming tastes are not very broad, but I'm still testing the waters with 3D games, I'm a die-hard 2D gamer coming from a SNES/Genesis/TG-16/Amiga background, and I don't know what I like better. Maybe the next generation will pull me in.

[Locit]

Star Fox Adventures was some tedious shit for me. Too many fetch quests, collect-a-thons and "teamwork" scenarios, not enough actual adventure and fun. Also, it took Fox a fucking year to climb up a ladder, and introduced Krystal (or however the hell you spell her name) which treads on furry territory. The grass was pretty, though.

I enjoyed Okami, of course. Towards the end it felt like it was on the verge of falling apart, but I thought it really pulled together for the finale.

Shadow of the Colossus and Ico were also natural highlights. I think I spent more time wandering around looking at the environment in SotC than I did killing Colossi, eventually exploring the entire world down (up?) to the garden in Dormin's tower.

Bumpy Trot provided a great take on sandbox gameplay in a style completely different from that of GTA. I still wish you could take full control of your 'bot in towns and wreck up the place, though.

I really, really loved Wind Waker. It's probably my favourite 3D Zelda incarnation thus far. The teamwork aspects (unlike Star Fox Adventures) were very creative and fun, and the story stands out in my mind as one of the best in the series. Easy or not, the battle where you fight Ganon's puppet rendition of his pig form, then duel him and jam the master sword into his forehead was one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've had, this generation or any.

For great platforming: Psychonauts
For great 2D: Klonoa 2
For greatness underappreciated: Beyond Good and Evil
But everyone knew all these things already.

I don't have as much fun as everyone else does with the Smash Bros series. Maybe it's because Power Stone was like, a gajillion times better. Which reminds me, Power Stone Collection is out for the PSP now, and if you don't buy it you are being unpatriotic and the terrorists have won.

[Shadow Hog]

Or you don't own a PSP; and frankly, I never plan on owning one.

I do need to pick up the DC <i>Power Stone</i>s some time, though. I keep forgetting they exist, despite some fairly fun times with the first game's demo. Did any of those guys ever make it into Capcom's <i>Vs.</i> series?

[Segaholic2]

Or you don't own a PSP; and frankly, I never plan on owning one.

I don't own a PSP and I still bought Power Stone Collection. This is how much I love Power Stone, and it is exactly how much everyone else should love Power Stone.

[MegaKitsune]

Star Fox Adventures was some tedious shit for me. Too many fetch quests, collect-a-thons and "teamwork" scenarios, not enough actual adventure and fun. Also, it took Fox a fucking year to climb up a ladder, and introduced Krystal (or however the hell you spell her name) which treads on furry territory. The grass was pretty, though.

The only tedious parts for me were gettinmg that barrel to the thing to let that pterodactyl out of the cage, and then the flying/shooting level after that. And umm...let's just say I have a "thing"for Krystal. ;)

Bumpy Trot provided a great take on sandbox gameplay in a style completely different from that of GTA. I still wish you could take full control of your 'bot in towns and wreck up the place, though.

I <3 American McGee, his work is brilliant. Unfortunately SBC also came with a program called Starforce which ensures I will never EVER touch that game. A damn shame too. :(

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[aso]

I traded it [RE4] in and only got half value. :(

And this is a surprise how? It's pretty much standard policy to give you only half value for a title, if even that much.

I <3 American McGee, his work is brilliant. Unfortunately SBC also came with a program called Starforce which ensures I will never EVER touch that game. A damn shame too. :(

Unless I'm mistaken, you're referring to American McGee presents: Scrapland, a PC-only release, which is a far cry from Bumpy Trot, a PS2-only release.

Anyway, memorable titles of this last generation:

Okami: There was a whole topic about it. Locit and Senbei went on about it. I don't need to say much at this point. It's pretty much a given that it's wonderful.

Bumpy Trot: Free-roaming, Choose Your Own Adventure styled gameplay mixed together into a pot with delicious mech customization and battling, thrown in together with an expansive world and a wonderful day to night progression. One of those games that will most likely never get its due. Oh well.

Silent Hill 3: Say what you will, but in my opinion, it's the second best Silent Hill (second only to the first). Beautifully grim and bloody graphics, improved combat, and a conclusion of sorts to the original, as opposed to a random sidestory (as seen in SH2 and SH4).

Resident Evil 4: In my opinion, the best Resident Evil ever. Does away with the horrible camera angles of the original titles and somehow manages to make the absolutely terrible control system workable.

There are some others, but these are what come to mind at the moment.

[Senbei]

I do need to pick up the DC <i>Power Stone</i>s some time, though. I keep forgetting they exist, despite some fairly fun times with the first game's demo. Did any of those guys ever make it into Capcom's <i>Vs.</i> series?

By the by, has anyone played Jojo's Bizarre Adventure? What's that like?

For greatness underappreciated: Beyond Good and Evil

Let me just disclaim that I haven't finished the game before I complain about BG&E. I can appreciate the cinematic element of the game. It's impressive how it plays like an interactive movie. But that constant cinematic element also made me feel very removed from the gameplay and story. The wide-screen black bars at the top and bottom of the screen don't help this, nor does the dramatic camera placement. And, while I don't like having characters yap about the obvious every other minute, the fact that Jade speaks so infrequently made me feel alienated from her and the partner characters. I also don't like the combat or the hovercraft sections; they just feel clunky. There are, of course plenty of things I liked about the game, but just as many popular games I could name that I think are better.

[Shadow Hog]

By the by, has anyone played Jojo's Bizarre Adventure? What's that like?

I haven't, but I'd imagine it's <i>Street Fighter</i> with 100% more steam rollers and WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!, albeit not at the same time as commonly believed.

[Anon]

By the by, has anyone played Jojo's Bizarre Adventure? What's that like?

There are three attacks: light, medium, heavy. There's also a button to call out your Stand, which is basically your familiar — or in some character's cases, their weapon. (Some characters don't hava a Stand, so this gets turned into a fourth attack.) While someone's Stand is on, their special moves are enhanced and gain the ability to chain attacks, but every time they're attacked, their Stand takes damage. If it takes too much damage, then they're "Stand Crushed", and they have to wait for a bit until they're able to activate their Stand again.

It's somewhat basic, but pretty fun stuff nonetheless.

[Arcade]

One of the advantages of Living in South America is that you have to say goodbye to consoles a lot later. For the next five years or so my city will be still plagued of playstacion 2 stuff. Heck, only this year the original playstacion became sold out forever.

What made me cry: That the Xbox didnt just die

[Double-S-]

What made me cry: stupid fanboys.

By "cry" I mean "fill with rage".

[Baba O'Reily]

What I returned to EB in disgust: RE4. I seriously did not like that game.

YOU LOST:
-Respek
-Your Right to an Opinion

[Delphine]

Obviously MegaKitsune didn't like that Leon controlled more like a person and less like a tank, as he did in his first game. Or the massive amounts of zombie-slaying.

Maybe it was just too hard for him. :(

[Baba O'Reily]

I bet he hates puppies.

[Double-S-]

You're both wrong. There obviously wasn't enough furry content in it.

[The Doc]

I only have a GameCube, so away we go:

Best Games: Resident Evil 4 and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. SA2B because I was actually able to finally get an Angel Chao out of it (it only took me, like, two years), AND because I'm good with the controls. Resident Evil 4 because it's Resident Evil Fucking 4.

Honorable Mention goes to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time because I only rented it.

Worst Game: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. Holy fucking shit. First of all, the graphics are more boring than Colin Powell at an insurance seminar. Second of all, the story and gameplay are so straightforward and stupidly retarded that they make George W. Bush seem like Ben Stein in terms of intelligence.

And do I need to mention that there are two (count 'em--TWO) points in the game in which if you turn the game off AFTER you save at a certain point, you respectively can't go forward at one point or backward at one point? Well, I just did, so fuck you.

Best Moments: Getting the Crazy Hand Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee after months upon months of getting my ass kicked. That was an orgasmic moment for me.

Worst Moments: The months and months of getting my ass kicked prior to getting the Crazy Hand Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

What I Like That No One Else Does: The Mario Party games and SOME of the WWE games. Hey, I'm a wrestling fan. Sue me.

And Sonic Heroes. Go figure--I enjoyed that fucker. I mean, it's not nearly the greatest game in the world--I can see why it gets flak. I guess I can just overlook it.

What I Hate That No One Else Does: Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. I just didn't get into it like some people.

Would I Buy a PS2 or XBox Sometime?: Sure. What the fuck? Maybe one day. But I'm getting a Wii first.

[Squirrelknight]

Resident Evil 4 is hands-down, absolutely-postitively-100%-sure the best game on any platform to come out this generation. It's amazing how well designed that game is. It's up there with Ocarina of Time, the original Super Mario Bros and Chrono Trigger as one of the few, rare examples of absolutely flawless game design and execution. Not to be mean or judgemental or anything, but not liking RE4 instantly makes you a douchebag of incredible douchebagnitude; a douche bag who sets a new precedent of douchebaggery unmatched in the entirety of human history, a douche bag so douchilicious that if you were to move to the country of Douchbagistan, they would crown you the sultan of Douchebagdad.

Err, uhh, moving on, Phantasy Star Online was nice too. I've pretty much been playing that game continuously since it first came out on the Dreamcast, and then continued on with it on the Gamecube and Xbox. All of other games in the last few years have really just been temporary distractions to keep myself busy when I couldn't play PSO.

But I suppose the other stand out games of this generation are worth noting: Ico and Katamari Damacy are hands-down my favorite PS2 games. They're both amazing examples of how you can build a entire game around one simple concept. Dragon Quest 8 is an amazingly well crafter old-school RPG, and it's easily the best game to come out of Square this generation (though, that's not saying all that much.) I know I'll get shit for saying this, but Final Fantasy X (the first X, not the shitastic X-2,) was worth playing.

On the Gamecube, Zelda: Wind Waker was nice, but too short and too easy. Tales of Symphonia was worth a play through, and Metroid Prime proved that just because a game uses a first-person perspective, it doesn't have to be mindless shovelware about fighting nazi's.

For me, the Xbox and it's library of generic, cookie-cutter WW2/Sci-Fi/Anti-Terrorist based FPS's were the least interesting in this generation, but the system had it's uses: Halo is still one of the few FPS's I really enjoyed, and the system is home to the best version of the woefully underappreciated Psychonauts, as well as the equally underrated Panzer Dragoon Orta.

The biggest disappoinment of this generation? Square Enix. It's amazing how much they've started to suck lately. While I've heard pretty favorable things about FF12, a large majority of the games I've played from the company this generation have ranged from mediocre (Samurai Legend Musashi,) to outright crap (The Bouncer, Unlimited Saga, Drakengard 1 and 2, Dirge of Cerberus). They still come out with the occasional triple-A title here and there, but lately they really seem to be intent on raping the fuck out of their key franchises: more unneccesary FF7 sequels and spin-offs, three Final Fantasy 13's being developed simulataneously, and an endless parade of crappy cell-phone games. Sure, there are worse videogame companies out there, but Square used to be on of those companies you could count on to release a great game every time, and they've released so much crap in this generation that I've really lost a lot of my faith in the company.

Of course, I could say the same exact thing about Sonic Team. Or Sega in general.

[Double-S-]

The good old Sega slowly died over this generation. It was a sad sight to behold.

I don't quite get the "Resident Evil 4 is one of the best games ever" sentiments. I mean, it's a really good 3rd person shooter. But there's really nothing more to it than that. It's entirely linear, there are no worthwhile puzzles (the most challenging probably being the 8-puzzle in the castle, which is no credit to the game), and it suffers one of the worst fates of an action game - it gets easier the further you progress. It's definitely a very good game. But I don't think it would make my top 10 or anything like that.

If it had coop, then it would rocket up the list.

... More games need coop play. That's probably my 3rd biggest disappointment of this generation. No real advancement in coop play.

The first biggest disappointment would be no Shenmue 3. The second would be Shenmue Online.