Author Topic: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?  (Read 1468 times)

telekill

What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« on: January 05, 2021, 10:45:42 am »
I've been continuing my wall of fame project lately where I create a shadowbox themed around a single series. I'm doing one per generation and I've found it hard to narrow it down to a single series that defined an entire generation for me. I've found with this project that there were a couple series from the previous generation that I felt were better series than what was offered. As an example, the PS2 generation didn't have a new IP for me that really stood out as incredible enough to spend dozens of hours making a shadowbox display for. So I'm using a continuation of a PS1 series for that gen.

It got me to thinking though, what are your top three new IPs from each gen that defined each generation for you? As there aren't dozens of hours of work on the line for this, I thought it'd be interesting to see where I stood as well. If the series or game is cross gen, it must have been released first with that newest generation on the market already. So you can't do Resident Evil Remake for PS4 as an example.

I broke up the gens by systems. I know I've missed a few, but this is an example of what systems were around.

Here's where I stand:

2nd Gen - Atari 2600
 - Pitfall
 - Dig Dug
 - Joust

3rd Gen - NES/SMS
 - Ninja Turtles (created a shadowbox for)
 - Double Dragon
 - Ducktales

4th Gen - Genesis/SNES and Game Gear/Game Boy
 - Sonic the Hedgehog
 - Jurassic Park (Sega games - created shadowbox for)
 - Mortal Kombat

5th Gen - PS1/N64/Saturn
 - Resident Evil (currently creating shadowbox for)
 - Tomb Raider (will take PS2's shadowbox with Anniversary)
 - Dino Crisis

6th Gen - Dreamcast/PS2/Gamecube/Xbox and PSP/DS
 - Shenmue
 - Amplitude
 - God of War

7th Gen - PS3/Wii/360 and PSV/3DS
 - Uncharted (will be the shadowbox for this gen)
 - Mass Effect
 - Assassin's Creed

8th Gen - PS4/X1/Wii-U
 - Destiny
 - Ghost of Tsushima
 - For Honor

9th Gen - PS5/XSeX/Switch
 - This is basically to be determined for me as Switch has produced the usual staple of Nintendo games, but they're all existing IP from previous gens and so far wouldn't count. PS5's Demon Souls and Astro Bot can't count either as both were existing IPs from previous gens.
 
« Last Edit: January 05, 2021, 11:05:04 am by telekill »

Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2021, 11:27:57 am »
3rd Gen - NES/SMS
 - Super Mario Bros 3

4th Gen - Genesis/SNES and Game Gear/Game Boy
 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2
 - World of Illusion
 - Snake Rattle N' Roll (Platformers define most 16-Bit era & prior games for me)

5th Gen - PS1/N64/Saturn
 -  Final Fantasy VIII (I think this game is probably my biggest influence in many things :P)
 - Tekken 3
 - Crash Team Racing ((For 4-Player madness at late hours)

6th Gen - Dreamcast/PS2/Gamecube/Xbox and PSP/DS
 - Shenmue (Excelled with it's interactive world)
 - Final Fantasy X (Set the next benchmark for JRPGs even after the excellent PS1 Era FF's)
 - Grand Theft Auto III (1st sandbox style game I really remember playing.)

7th Gen - PS3/Wii/360 and PSV/3DS
 - Fallout 3 (Felt like a real PC gaming experience on console)
 -  Resistance Fall of Man (First proper online multiplayer game I played)
 -  Heavy Rain (Despite lesser praise these days this was a big deal upon release and for interactive narratives.

8th Gen - PS4/X1/Wii-U
 - Life Is Strange
 - Resident Evil VII (Worked in 1st person & the RE series being so accessible on PS4)
 - Shenmue III (The comeback!)

9th Gen - PS5/XSeX/Switch
Astro's Playroom (Best DEMO ever!)
« Last Edit: January 05, 2021, 11:46:34 am by vivigamer »

koemo1

PRO Supporter

Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2021, 12:17:03 pm »
5th Gen:
- Pokemon Silver

6th Gen:
- Shadow of Rome
- Tekken 5
- Halo 2
- Pokemon Sapphire

7th Gen:
- Halo 3
- Runescape
- Minecraft

8th Gen:
- Fortnite
- Raiden V
- Assassins Creed: Syndicate/Origins/Odysey
Currently playing:
Rogue Trooper [xbox]
Days Gone [ps4]


dhaabi

Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2021, 12:45:11 pm »
As far as new IPs debuting within the ninth generation to list, you'll be hard-pressed to name any considering how few have been released to-date. The Nintendo Switch is a part of the PlayStation 4/Wii U/Xbox One eighth generation. As far as my selections go, these aren't necessarily new IPs that defined each generation for me but instead defined the generation as a whole.

Generation 4: Bonk, OutRun, Pokémon
Generation 5: Crash Bandicoot, Gran Turismo, Mario Party
Generation 6: Guitar Hero, Halo, Katamari
Generation 7: Dark Souls, Nintendogs, Wii Sports
Generation 8: Overwatch, Splatoon, Undertale
« Last Edit: January 05, 2021, 12:50:02 pm by dhaabi »

DreamsDied13101

PRO Supporter

Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2021, 03:48:59 pm »
These are my answers based on when I actually lived through the generation. My answers might actually be different looking back now.

2nd Gen - Atari 2600
 - Q-Bert (2600)
 - Warlords (2600)
 - Space Invaders (2600)

3rd Gen - NES/SMS
 - Super Mario Bros. (NES)
 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
 - Mega Man (NES)

4th Gen - Genesis/SNES and Game Gear/Game Boy
 - Sonic the Hedgehog (GG and GEN)
 - Street Fighter II (SNES)
 - ActRaiser (SNES)

5th Gen - PS1/N64/Saturn
 - Final Fantasy VII (PSX)
 - Super Mario 64 (N64)
 - Lunar Silver Star Story Complete (PSX)

6th Gen - Dreamcast/PS2/Gamecube/Xbox and PSP/DS
 - Space Channel 5 (DRC)
 - Sonic Adventure (DRC)
 - Super Smash Bros. Melee (NGC)
Bonus: Skies of Arcadia (DRC) - my copy would never load past about 45 minutes into the game. The store wouldn’t exchange it and I never contacted Sega to see if they would help. It is my biggest upset that I didn’t get to experience this game until later)

7th Gen - PS3/Wii/360 and PSV/3DS
 - Culdcept Saga (X360)
 - Blue Dragon (X360)
 - Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball (3DS)

8th Gen - PS4/X1/Wii-U
 - Final Fantasy XIV (started playing in PS3 gen) (PS4)
 - Persona 5 (PS4)
 - Nintendoland (WIIU)

9th Gen - PS5/XSeX/Switch
 - Zelda Breath of the Wild (NSW)
 - Dragon Quest Heroes I / II (NSW)
 - Super Mario 35 (NSW)
The Day That Dreams Died 01/31/01


Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2021, 04:34:50 pm »
This is a good topic I don’t think I’ve seen before. Well done, OP!

I’ve done my best to take this question as literally as possible, and list what I consider to be defining games, not necessarily my favourites or what I consider the “best” games.

2nd gen
- E.T.

Yes, it sucked horribly, but it also summed what I think of this gen as a whole. I know there were plenty of good games, but I also remember none of them ever interesting me for more than a few minutes, and as a young child I had no interest of asking my parents to purchase one of these systems for me. ET was, and is, emblematic of a gaming generation that I couldn’t take seriously, then or now.

3rd gen
- Super Mario Bros.

This is the defining game of the entire hobby for me. It brought me back, it made me realize gaming was fun and not a novelty. For the first time, I had to have one. I played this game over and over at our local K-Mart while my mother would be shopping.

4th gen
- Chrono Trigger

This one is also my favourite game from my favourite generation. So many great games for SNES and Genesis (and to a lesser extent, TG-16), but this one solidified everything that made this gen great. Bright, beautiful sprites, gorgeous music, and a console RPG with (then) many unique features, including multiple endings meant to be seen via the “New Game +” mode.

5th gen
- Metal Gear Solid

Suck it, Ocarina of Time. MGS was, and still is, a master class in fun gameplay, novel mechanics (the massage via the rumble feature, Mantis reading the memory card, etc) and of course, probably one of the best, mature attempts at real storytelling. It’s quite actually the game that got me into this generation, as not even the mighty (and overrated) FF7 could get me to buy in.

6th gen
- Grand Theft Auto III

San Andreas is the better game, but we wouldn’t have open world, sandbox gaming at all without this groundbreaking title. I played the original GTAs on PC, and yes, though fun, they were also tedious. Bringing those games into the third dimension, providing countless, enjoyable side distractions such as optional missions and collectibles, and pulling zero punches with respect to its subject matter, while also retaining a great sense of humour (something most “grim n gritty” titles seem to forget) make this one I can go back to even today, blocky graphics and all.

7th gen
- Grand Theft Auto IV

I. HATE. THIS. GAME. It’s awful. The driving mechanics are impossibly floaty, the palette is far too brown, the story is just boring, and the silent protagonist in III has more personality than this jerk. It also ranks among the highest scored games ever on Metacritic (R.I.P. gamerankings.com). Why am I listing it as the “defining” game of the genre? Because while I was growing up, the gaming press was not, and what’s worse, they all appeared to be in cahoots with each other just to rank this one highly “because it’s GTA and it’s so realistic, it MUST be better than the games that preceded it, which we also gave high scores too.”  More is not always better. Everything they did to make this “better” to take advantage of the new hardware made it worse, and then they forgot to even make the core game any fun. As far as I’m concerned, this game should be buried next to ET in the desert. Burn it.

As an aside, in the same generation that Rockstar released this turd, they also made their best game ever, Red Dead Redemption. However, even this great game can not overcome what to me was the defining badness of GTA IV, and the clear exposure of an ever present, flawed gaming journalism.

8th gen
- Star Wars Battlefront II

Look, this was one of the best generations of all time, as far as games go. I’m very, very happy with all the great titles that have been made..... but nothing, nothing can define this genre more, to me, than the sea change towards selling incomplete titles at launch (even going so far as to strip content) and sell it back to the customer for more money, the cynical approach to DLC, and of course, the god awful rise of microtransactions, even to the point of literal gambling.

To be fair, A LOT of titles this gen suffered from at least one, if not all, of the above boners. And while Star Wars Battlefront II may not be the most egregious example, AFAIK, it was the most visible (especially regarding micro transactions and gambling).

And we only have ourselves to blame for this mess. Way to go.

9th gen
- Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I’m currently playing it, and 40 hrs in I’m not only barely scratching the surface, I’m not even remotely tired of it. I want to keep going. As young gamers in the late 80s, my friends and I would always ask the “wouldn’t it be cool if....?” questions about our favourite games, like what if you could do THIS, or if you could do THAT, especially in RPGs, especially in Zelda titles. Link to the Past is the ultimate 2D Zelda title. As a father and husband who enjoys games, Nintendo has made manifest in BOTW what my imagination always hoped LttP could be if the technology were ever there. It was impossible then, and it even still seems improbable now. Not the open world (that’s been done ad nauseum), but an open world rich with all the details, lore, and questing that made the Zelda franchise so beloved in the first place.

BOTW isn’t genre defining to me because I love it (which I do), but because it also served to put every other game developer and publisher on planet Earth on notice: Nintendo can do “your” genre, and it can do it better than you. I see your western open world game and raise you with THIS.

ADDENDUM: yes, I know BOTW was also released on Wii U, and for the ten people who bought that system, congratulations. For the rest of us, this is a Switch title, and the ability to just pull the Switch out of the dock and continue playing the game in handheld mode without waiting, really helped highlight the brilliance of this hybrid platform.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2021, 10:13:42 pm by bunnybear »
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turf

PRO Supporter

Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2021, 03:52:33 pm »
To me, and this is just my opinion, “Games That Define a Generation” are the first games that immediately come to mind when you think of that time in gaming. These aren’t my favorites by any means, it’s just the biggies from that time.
It gets a little tricky around the Wii/Xbox 360 era. Those were completely different animals.

2nd Gen - Atari 2600
 - Combat

3rd Gen - NES/SMS
 - Super Mario Bros.

4th Gen - Genesis/SNES and Game Gear/Game Boy
 - Super Mario World

5th Gen - PS1/N64/Saturn
 - Metal Gear Solid

6th Gen - Dreamcast/PS2/Gamecube/Xbox and PSP/DS
 - Grand Theft Auto III
 - Halo

7th Gen - PS3/Wii/360 and PSV/3DS
 - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
 - Wii Sports
8th Gen - PS4/X1/Wii-U
 - Spider-Man
 - Red Dead Redemption 2

9th Gen - PS5/XSeX/Switch
 - I’m not really sure. Once again things kinda split since the Switch is so different. It’s kinda it’s own thing.


Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2021, 06:12:47 am »
WORK IN PROGRESS

1st Generation: Magnavox Odyssey and Most Dedicated PONG consoles

PONG
even though I never played it on a REAL 1st Generation console. Like the Magnavox Odyssey, or any of the other dedicated PONG consoles of the 1970's. in my own opinion PONG paved the way for all way for all video games period. It was one of the vary first games ever to reach the homes as early as the 1970's. I've only played the remake versions though. I know that is not what the OP wants. But to be honest PONG is probably the best game of the 1st generation period in most peoples opinions I mean for a while that was the only game being played at home televisions at the time.

2nd. Generation
Atari 2600.
Intellivision,
Colecovision,
Fairchild Channel F,
Bally Astrocade,
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Vectrex


The 2nd Generation was kind of a mess since this was before the video game crash of 1983. But most can probably agree the Atari 2600 was the king for this generation. Even though, the Intellivision technically was much more advanced. with a 16 bit processer and better graphics then the Atari 2600. But the Colecovision also had better graphics then the Atari 2600 but both the Colecovison and the Atari 2600 were both 8 bit consoles of that era.

2nd Generation Games:

1: Asteroids this was a great early shoot em up where you controller a triangle shape spaceship and shoot down spheres and flying saucers  and try to survive.

2: Adventure Adventure was the vary first RPG game as far as I know. It came out for the Atari 2600 . it was vary basic. You basically moved a square around a maze gathering a sword to slay a dragon and get keys in order to unlock gates.  also this game had you use tools to access parts of the maze. in order to complete the game.

3::Boxing for the Atari 2600. This is another 2600 game that was the vary first of it's kind, it was a vary primitive one on one fighting game, made by Activision. you basically have an overhead view of a white and black fighter. And you move the joystick about and mash the only button on the Atari 2600 controller in order to throw the most punches, the player or CPU with the highest number of punches' winds the match. Which is timed, but once a match is done you need to hit the reset button on the console, to play again.

3rd Generation
SG-1000
 Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Sega Mark III/Master System
 Atari 7800


Games of the 3rd Generation

1: The Legend Of Zelda The largest 3rd generation RPG I ever played. It took everything from adventure and made it a more modern structured colorful RPG game in my opinion.

2: Blades Of Steel One of the vary first fully colored hockey games for the NES. It came out in 1987 and featured fully animated hockey characters and even had fighting

3: Super Mario Bros 1 not my favorite  game, but if it was not for this game. There probably would not be so many 2D platformers that followed this example.

4th Generation
Atari Lynx
Turbografx 16
Super Nintendo
SEGA Genesis


4th generation games
1: Super Mario kart a great racing game it defined the kart racing genre of racing games. It was the first kart racer ever and it came out on the Super Nintendo originally.
 
2: F-Zero the first of it's series the F-Zero game for Super Nintendo was one of the vary first futuristic racing game ever created and it came out on the Super Nintendo.

3: Doom (SNES) while the PC version is better. This was one of the vary First Person Shooter games ever created for the home console, for the Super Nintendo

5th Generation

PlayStation 1
Nintendo 64
SEGA Saturn


Games Of The 5th Generation
1: 007 Goldeneye (N64) this game defined probably all console first person shooters that came after this one did for the Nintendo 64
2: Doom 64 (N64) great spooky atmosphere and a great first person shooter for the Nintendo 64
3. Twisted Metal 1 (PS1) it was a different game then most it started a well known series the had 4 game total released on the PlayStation 1 alone

6th Generation
PlayStation 2
Xbox
SEGA Dreamcast
Nintendo GameCube


Games of the 6th generation
1: Call Of Duty: Finest Hour This is the vary first squad based combat FPS I played and it is vary fun I played this game so much I can almost remember the entire game in my head.
2: Gran Turismo 4 Only on the PS2 this game is a great racing sim with over 700 cars to choose from and over 80 real life car companies. it's just sad that most races only give you 500 credits for winning races
3: Halo: Combat Evolved: Another FPS game that has a brutal difficulty mid to late section in single player.. so don't play this one unless you are in a good mood and have some time on your hands.

7th Generation
Nintendo Wii
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360


7th generation Games:

1: Call Of Duty 4 Modern Warfare: it was one of the vary first film grain FPS games and it is great game overall.
2: Halo: Reach this is my vary favorite Halo game in the entire series so far.
3: Wii Sports this game put the Nintendo Wii on the market and probably the best sports game compilation ever in my own opinion.

« Last Edit: January 11, 2021, 06:48:54 am by oldgamerz »
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astralsoul

  • Guest
Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2021, 06:58:07 pm »
2nd Gen
Pitfall - Atari 2600

3rd Gen
Super Mario Bros 2 - NES
Super Mario Bros 3 - NES
Blaster Master - NES

4th Gen
Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island - SNES
Earthbound - SNES
Donkey Kong Country - SNES
Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars - SNES
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Genesis

5th Gen
Super Mario 64 - N64
Final Fantasy VII - PS1
Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time - N64
Conker's Bad Fur Day - N64
Diddy Kong Racing - N64

6th Gen
Animal Crossing - GCN
Final Fantasy X - PS2
Super Smash Bros Melee - GCN
Resident Evil 4 - GCN
Legend of Zelda Wind Waker - GCN

7th Gen
BioShock - PS3
Super Mario Galaxy - Wii
Donkey Kong Country Returns - Wii
Elder Scrolls V Skyrim - PS3
Dark Souls - PS3

8th Gen
Super Mario 3D World - Wii U
Astro Bot Rescue Mission - PS4
Resident Evil 2 Remake - PS4
Splatoon - Wii U
Animal Crossing New Leaf - 3DS

9th Gen
Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild - Switch
Super Smash Bros Ultimate - Switch
Animal Crossing New Horizons - Switch

Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2021, 09:12:03 pm »
Only 1 game for franchise and 3 games for generation. Not exactly my favorites, but games that have a great impact on industry, for bad or for good.

2nd Gen - Atari 2600
 - Space Invaders
 - Pac-Man
 - Pitfall

3rd Gen - NES/SMS
 - Mega Man
 - Double Dragon
 - Castlevania

4th Gen - Genesis/SNES and Game Gear/Game Boy
 - Street Fighter II
 - Donkey Kong Country
 - Mortal Kombat

5th Gen - PS1/N64/Saturn
 - Resident Evil
 - Super Mario 64
 - Final Fantasy VII

6th Gen - Dreamcast/PS2/Gamecube/Xbox and PSP/DS
 - Shenmue
 - GTA San Andreas
 - Devil May Cry

7th Gen - PS3/Wii/360 and PSV/3DS
 - Call of Duty 4
 - Minecraft
 - Wii Sports

8th Gen - PS4/X1/Wii-U
 - Destiny
 - Dark Souls 2
 - Rocket League

Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2021, 10:19:22 am »
Gen 2 - Atari 2600: ET


Gen 3 - NES: Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt


Gen 4: Sonic 3


Gen 5: Super Mario 64


Gen 6: Shenmue


Gen 7: Motorstorm


Gen 8: Mario Kart 8

sodapop18x

Re: What Games Defined Each Generation for You?
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2021, 01:51:56 am »
Starting from 3rd Gen since that's as far back as my experience goes...

3rd Gen - NES/SMS
 - Super Mario 3: Flying around was so fun xD
 - Maniac Mansion: The point and click style was super unique at the time I played it (didn't play many on the PC until later in life)
 - River City Ransom: I loved how it had soft elements of an RPG while being a side scrolling beat-em-up

4th Gen - Genesis/SNES and Game Gear/Game Boy
 - Sonic The Hedgehog: I sucked at it, but it was a staple in video game history.
 - Pokemon Blue: A classic :P
 - Mortal Kombat: Seeing blood for the first time was almost taboo, I remember. xD Lots of buttons were mashed!

5th Gen - PS1/N64/Saturn
 - Super Smash Bros: Had an easier learning curve than Mortal Kombat, plus I was insta-cool when I brought my copy to summer camp. xD
 - The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time: I can always replay this game without getting sick of it. <3
 - Goldeneye 007: One of the most influential FPS games!

6th Gen - Dreamcast/PS2/Gamecube/Xbox and PSP/DS
 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Best 3D GTA in my humble opinion. (GTA V is a close second, followed by GTA 2.)
 - Super Monkey Ball: The first Gamecube game I played, and still haven't found another series like it.
 - Animal Crossing: You have no idea how important this game was to a girl that had no friends, lol. :,)

7th Gen - PS3/Wii/360 and PSV/3DS
 - Beyond Two Souls: The first game I played of that cinematic, Quantic Dream-style of games that I absolutely fell in love with.
 - Guitar Hero 3: This game was the gateway into a genre that I would sink so much of my life into xD Yay, plastic guitars!
 - Wii Sports: A great party game for literally anyone, and was great at showcasing the motion controls.

8th Gen - PS4/X1/Wii-U
 - Marvel's Spider-Man: An amazing open world game that looks absolutely amazing.
 - Monster Hunter World: Slaying big baddies with friends for the first time was super fun!
 - Wii Party U: A fun party game that utilized the game pad really well!

9th Gen - PS5/XSeX/Switch
 - Probably going to sit this one out until more games come out for this gen.
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