Over the last week or so the team here at TSA have been posting our Memories Of A Generation, a series of retrospective glances at our defining moments of what is now last generation. We’ve discussed everything from Modern Warfare to Minecraft, from BioShock to Burnout – and (thankfully) you lovely chaps seem to have enjoyed reading our thoughts as much as we’ve enjoyed writing them.
So, before we put Generation 7 to bed entirely, and all pack our PlayStation 3s and Xbox 360s away in the spare room, we thought we’d ask you good folk to discuss your Memories Of A Generation with us.
In the same way you would for our weekly WeView feature, we want you to share your thoughts about the past generation of consoles, and games – and it couldn’t be easier – all you need to do is leave us a comment below, and we’ll do the rest.
A couple of things to remember: Firstly, whilst you’re most certainly more than welcome to write us a 4,000 word monologue, and every word will be appreciated, we know you’re a busy bunch, so a couple of paragraphs about that one stand out moment is more than enough. And finally, we merely ask that if you want to be included in our round-up post next week, you try to leave your comments before the evening of Sunday December 15th – as that gives us a bit of time to read them all and once again reminisce on what has been a monumental period for gamers.
Over to you!
Bilbo_bobbins
I think for me.
1. Online gaming, COD4 introduced me to it and I was hooked.
2. FPS games like Battlefield have been great
3. Uncharted, fantastic games.
parryman
Fallout 3 blew me away.
Yes it was buggy and glitchy.
But my word was it expansive and absorbing.
Lost many hours to the Wastelands.
And I bought the GOTY version for the DLC, abd started all over again.
Fallout 4 would force my hand in buying the machine it’s on.
stonyk
I agree with what some of the other articles said. It was some of the first round of games that I have fondest memories of.
2 main ones are Oblivion with its massive, (at the time) gorgeous open world and freedom and FIFA 09 (was it that long ago?) when I played online was it 10 v 10 and I was left back and had a specific team role (and often let the team down). Since then nothing has wowed me as much.
Wonder if I’ll be saying the same in 10 years about these first lot of PS4 games. So far the only thing that wowed me was the reflection on the skyscraper on BF4 in shangai, until I spent too much time on it and realised the reflection – as amazing as it looked – wasn’t even slightly real, reflecting buildings that weren’t actually there :-(
jimmy-google
This generation has given me memories of great highs and great lows.
I felt let down by big franchises that for me didn’t deliver (mgs4, gta4, god of war ascension etc…), generally these were the games I couldn’t be bothered to finish.
There were great moments:
1. The first time it all felt next gen was playing the demo to drakes fortune. If felt like the game I’d been wanting for years. It was also the moment Nolan North became a household name to gamers.
2. The ending of infamous was the first time I really felt surprised by game from a plot point of view. It was an ending I never saw coming.
3. Heavy rain was the moment I Got excited about games because people were prepared to put big money behind different and new ideas. There are still risk takers out there.
4. Last week I sat down with kids I was babysitting to play diggs nightcrawler. Seeing a new generation in awe of games is amazing.
5. This one is kind of strange but getting kula world as a download.I’d been after it for ages but no one sold it and eBay prices were stupidly high. There it was on the store for 3.49 bargain.
6. Finally there is playstation plus which just amazes me every month. It’s possibly the best idea of the generation.
There are still games like last of us, dead space and beyond which defined the generation for me but I can’t pin point one moment in them.
jimmy-google
Can’t believe I forget lbp
bigchrissyc
First has to be Warhawk, first game i ever really played online. Got it with Kitch and we would have hours of fun, ironically even learning the ropes was fun, jumping into a Warhawk just to make it about a 100 yards before some Top Gun style expert blasted you out of the sky, i have yet to find an online game so well balanced.
Second has to be Burnout Paradise, the perfect mix of drifting at break neck speed, to knowning just where the best short cuts were and progression system was really well balanced. Online was ridiculously fun with friends and probably funnier with strangers.
Third would be Batman Arkham Asylum, i looked then enclosed setting of it being just within the prison, the fighting system was so fresh and worked well, and all of the riddles to collect after finishing it made me spend hours on this game, i remember playing the demo and instantly pre-ordering it.
Forth has to be Skyrim, having never played an Elder Scrolls game before i didnt quite know what to expect, but from the first time i walked into the open hills, i was hooked, that was even before utilizing the brilliant combat mechanics.
Finally it would have to be have to be Dragon Age Origins. Though the combat mechanics were quite simple you had a good array of choices and with a story i loved with engaging character and multiple outcomes and endings it had a lot of replay ability for me, it was also the second game i platinumed.
double-o-dave
I thought I was a late adopter to the PS3, but looking back it must have been around early 2008 as I remember waiting for Rainbow Six Vegas 2 to be released leading to co-op terrorist hunts pretty much summing up my first few months and first ever online play. My next fondest memories was Wipeout HD and Super Stardust combined with the introduction of trophies. My Saturday afternoons consisted of cans of beer & high octane music blasting throughout my lounge whilst flying around wipeout tracks and orbiting Stardust’s planets trying to beat my my mates for the first of many GOLD trophies! Apart from the obviously Naughty Dog games my longest running memory must be the 700+ hours I pumped into ‘Rush’ on Battlefield Bad Company 2, then comparing stats everyday at work on the bfbcs site.
In the run-up to the new generation I decided to make a new PSN ID to match my secret agent status so my old platinums and moments of ‘daveyboy01’ will be lost in time… Like tears in the rain.
double-o-dave
Christ I make a lot of typo’s. I really should remember to read my posts back before pushing the post button in the future.
Jimster71
Spent many an hour on Terrorist Hunt in R6V and R6V2. On the 360 you could use the camera to map your own face onto your MP character. It was a bit weird to see yourself repeatedly getting killed!
Takyu
Special mentions will go to the like of the Assassin’s Creed series, CoD4, Mass Effect 2 and my favourite game of the generation, Uncharted 2, but three games in particular provided me with my favourite memories of the generation.
Red Dead Redemption – Shortly after the co-op missions were released, myself and three friends, Iain, Lee and Michael, decided to team up and have a crack at them. Some missions went well, others did not, but the highlight was ‘Ammunition’, with the four of us fortified inside the walls of Tesoro Azul and surrounded by the Mexican army. The game had provided us with a thunderstorm, and after clearing the town, the four of us stormed up the hill towards the cannons and gatling guns that were firing at us, with lightning crashing overheard as we picked off snipers and advanced up the hill one piece of cover at a time. As we reached the encampment at the top, I went to confront one soldier only to find I had run out of ammo for my rifle. Ducking behind a tent, I equipped my throwing knifes and proceeded to clear one side of the camp while the others cleared the rest and then commandeered the cannons, which we all then used to annihilate the rest of the Army. Such a thrill in such a brilliant setting.
Call of Duty: World at War (Zombies) – While the main game was pretty decent, it was the Zombie mode of World at War where I had most of my fun. I played regularly with two other friends, Stewie and Jake, and our favourite map was Der Reise, where we would funnel the zombies along the raised catwalk in the room at the back of the map, while lined up with our upgraded light machines guns like a firing squad at the end. We always took care to leave one crawler zombie (affectionately called Steve) at the end of each round so we could repair boards and get any upgrades, though generally this time was also used to generally act foolish and taunt Steve. Poor, poor Steve.
Metal Gear Online – Kudos again has to be given to the superb story provided by the main game, but playing Metal Gear Online alongside a fantastic group of regulars every Sunday night was hands down the most fun I’ve had this generation. These sessions were always incredible fun, whether it was a tense round of Team Deathmatch, an elusive Sneaking Mission victory while playing as Snake, or general idiocy involving silly costumes, dirty magazines, hiding in boxes or throwing grenades as we attempted group photos. I can’t wait for the next instalment that will accompany MGS5!
And the absolute best thing about this generation is something that all three of these games share, in that everyone who I was playing with or against I had met and befriended online through a love of Playstation and gaming in general. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of them in person, and hope to meet them all again at some point, but overall I’m hoping that the next generation can carry on this theme of connectivity, and provide me with even greater experiences than the ones above.
rept0n
Move, 3D gaming, Wonderbook, Wireless Buzz, Wireless Singstar, Rock Band.
PlayStation Plus becoming the essential service.
Flow, Flower, Journey, Walking Dead, Catherine, LittleBigPlanet
Dead Spaces, Mass Effects, Uncharteds
Main disappointments: Gran Turismozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and remote play (PSP), and Pain… I just never really got it, and for what ever reason, never un-installed it, quite often getting that really annoying intro music on my XMB.
Kennykazey
How dare you speak foul of Pain? I’ll agree single player is awful, but multiplayer HORSE is SO good with the right crowd!
Kennykazey
Because I could ramble for hours on the subject, I’ll give you the “very short” version:
I entered the generation on PC, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare hooked me like no other multiplayer ever had. In 2009 I bought a PS3, open worlds defined the generation like never before with GTA IV, Infamous and Assassins Creed becoming stand outs.
Uncharted won my heart, I felt like I was the bullseye of a target audience and fell in love with Nathans stumbling, Sullivans crude jokes and Chloes… you know.
There’s the multiplayer joy brought by games like LBP, Gran Turismo and Buzz. The single-player marvels that is the divine God of War series (I played them all throughout this gen), the stellar Mario Galaxy games and the epic Legend of Zeldas.
And I won’t forget the late Halo-nites with my cousin; split-screen coop on legendary, about two difficulty settings too high for us. But we fought our way through all the games on 360, fueled by a high on sugar and a burning desire to get payback on those damned Scarabs.
Then there’s the Mass Effect trilogy I played through across three different platforms. The truly awesome Killzone 2. Bioshock. Valkyria Chronicles. The Walking Dead. Journey.
This last year of the generation has given plenty of modern classics: Ni No Kuni, Bioshock Infinite, GTA V, The Last of Us, Gran Turismo 6, Mario 3D World and Pikmin 3 just to mention a few.
And although the generation is considered over, now is just the beginning of the end. We’ll see some great games make their way to PS3 for a while yet, Persona 5 is proof of that.
LegendishThingy
My launch game for this generation was Virtua Tennis 3, it might not have been the most glamorous title but at that time it was brilliant. Considering that the day before I picked up my PS3 I was playing on a PS2 with an SD TV, my new PS3-HD TV combo was something pretty special. Just booting up the PS3 and seeing the XMB pop up in front of me is something I’ll never forget.
It’s probably my first 3 or 4 games that stick with me the most. I remember picking up both Assassin’s Creed and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune later on in 2007 and it was nothing like I was expecting, it was far superior. The sheer size of the map on AC and just the general ‘wow’ feeling I got from Uncharted are two memories of this generation that made it all seem like things just couldn’t get any better – obviously, my naivety got the better of me and all I had to do was wait for the next iterations of each of those games to see that things really could only get better!
LittleBigPlanet followed the year after and I don’t think I’ve ever spent more time with a game that’s quite as simple as LBP is. The simplicity of the platforming and create mode were just something else and the game really did live up to what I’d seen at its initial reveal at GDC.
Somewhere in there Call of Duty: Modern Warfare turned up as well, and much like many others on TSA it’s the game that truly got me into online play. The joy of finally reaching 10th Prestige, Level 55 was truly overwhelming until I realised that I’d just wasted away 2 months of my life in playing – in fact, looking back on it now there were probably many better things I could have done with my time. Mind you, it was extremely rewarding!