25 years...How far have games come?

[recon_zero]

This consoles we have now last at least 4 more years, at least in my case.

[Diff-chan]

I think with the current generation we've really seen the culmination of the art. Games like Ninja Gaiden, Metroid Prime, Breakdown, and Ikaruga, to name a few, have really been everything I always wanted as a kid in video games. I also would like to see a shift in the industry dynamic to make a viable standard platform. Personally, I see no real reason for the 'next gen' consoles at the moment- I really don't see any possibilities to warrant them at the moment, with the possible exception of the PS2.

Did you imagine games like Ninja Gaiden, Metroid Prime, Breakdown, and Ikaruga coming in, say, 1997? Honestly... probably not. And thats the point. We WILL get next-generation game experiences, boundary pushing, all that good stuff. Its just not immediate.

As for whether or not we need next-gen consoles... we absolutely do. I am taking a gander at the current-gen's lineup for this year, and its pathetic and worthless. Current gen systems dont have anything left in them except for retreads of concepts that were boundary pushing in 2002 or 2003.Like, look, we got Devil May Cry a few years ago. Totally groundbreaking, awesome action game IMO. Just really great, and way beyond whatever was out for PSX or N64. But now, its fucking old hat, and Capcom seems to not give a shit about churning out games. DMC3 was never close to a purchase for me, and I loved the first game to death. Now a new one is lined up for PS3, who cares! But there will be games as groundbreaking and awesome as DMC was.

[Prince Planet]

As for whether or not we need next-gen consoles... we absolutely do. I am taking a gander at the current-gen's lineup for this year, and its pathetic and worthless.

Agreed. People have mysteriously complained about the 4+ year cycle for this gen, yet I can't imagine playing on the same hardware for another year or more.

DMC3 was never close to a purchase for me, and I loved the first game to death. Now a new one is lined up for PS3, who cares?

Capcom has a teaser set up where a clock ticks down on the monitor for the next "showing." A crowd (including me) stood around for many minutes to watch what turned out to be about 10 seconds of FMV that looked no different than the myriad Capcom FMVs which appear in all of their games this gen. That doesn't mean the game will suck upon release (whenever that is), but it was a real waste for an E3 showing. The groans were very, very audible. Definitely time for something new.

[Cowdisease]

I really liked how multiplayer gaming has advanced during these past 25 years. Co-op was awesome for Contra, Double Dragon II, and Battletoads back in the NES days, but I was floored when Nintendo released their four-player adapter. Super Spike V'Ball, M.U.L.E., and 7-Up were a blast to play with friends.

With the SNES, I got Super Bomberman with the multiplayer adapter, and had a lot of fun with that and Super Bomberman 2. When the N64 came, it was all about Smash Bros and Goldeneye. Dreamcast tried to go online with Chu Chu Rocket with lagtastic results, but did a better job with Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament. Gamecube had Smash Bros. Melee and Xbox had Halo.

I completely and sadly missed online PC gaming primarily for monetary reasons, but I am very glad that Xbox Live came about. Granted, it took Halo 2 for me to take the plunge, but it has been a worthwhile investment. Connecting with friends is really easy, and standardized voice-communication have made Halo 2 and Chaos Theory an absolute blast to play. I'm stoked about the future of online gaming, primarily because we'll see more online co-op modes, like in Chaos Theory.

[voltz]

I'm still not happy with developers when it comes to preset controls in mind. Many times I'll be playing something that I wish I could map a button independently, but I have to take what layout they give me (metroid prime, halo) and don't think twice about the preference of who's investing.

That BS needs to end. NOW!