[Poll] Which generational jump was the most impressive for you?

[lunanto]

I think it is interesting to look at the past to talk about this, given that we are on the verge of a generation and we are hearing things like:

Xbox chief Phil Spencer expects next-gen games to be like '2D to 3D'

He´s a pretty cool guy tho.

Anyway, let´s take Wikipedia just for laziness and reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_home_video_game_consoles

Just a few points to take into account in this discussion:

- In the poll options I have only added the more popular consoles of each period. Pardon me.
- I am not only talking about graphics here: a change on how the games were sold or how the controllers improved can be valid points of course.
- Our perception on this is going to be subjective of course, so the comments of particular memories and nostalgia are welcomed.

In my case (I am still a young player :D), I´d choose from the 5th to the 6th. I remember being totally blown away with playing Ratchet and Clank on PS2, after having played mostly on PS1.




Share your hot takes!!

 

[pswii60]

5th to 6th easily.

5th foretold us what was possible but with abysmal graphics. 6th delivered.

 

[Tailzo]

The jump to Dreamcast. Soul Calibur, Shenmue, Sonic Adventure....

 

[Osahi]

First one I really experienced, as the PS1 was my first home console. From PS1 to PS2 was a big leap for me, and after that it felt like diminishing returns, every new generation seemingly taking a smaller step forwards than the one before graphically.

 

[Deleted member 11276]

Objectively it can only be the jump from SNES to N64. Going from 2D to 3D allows not only for much better detail but also for completely different gameplay.

 

[DanteMenethil]

snes to 64 for sure. The only comparable leap is VR (complete re-foundation on how to control the game, basic gameplay, etc)

 

[JamboGT]

Gran Turismo 2 to Gran Turismo 3 was an insane jump. Insane!

 

[Acquiescence]

Going from 2D to 3D, no contest. At the time it was mind-blowing.

 

[defaltoption]

4th to 7th are easily the biggest jumps, voted for 6th to 7th myself

I think most people are really going to be surprised though by 8th to 9th, going from 2TF ish to 12TF is no joke especially if it's not used just for resolution bumps. Uncharted 4, God of War, Gears 5, hell Red Dead 2 all on around 2TF is nuts. The only thing that might stink is the push for 4K or else from Sony and MS.

 

[mrfusticle]

4-5.. Going 3d is the only leap significant enough that a non-gamer would notice

 

[SigSig]

consoles: snes to n64
pc: everything pre Oculus Rift DK to a reality where affordable and great looking VR exists

 

[Kazooie]

SNES to N64, but N64 to GameCube was also pretty impressive. Everything afterwards was just nice to have.

 

[Gartooth]

I was too young to really appreciate games going into 3D for the first time, so it was the jump from the 5th to the 6th generation for me. That the PS2 could play movies or the Xbox had online play were pretty huge deals, not even mentioning the big graphical improvements too.

 

[Deleted member 5491]

Going 3D. Everything was new and different

 

[Deleted member 32135]

4th to 5th open a lot of new gameplay possibilities.

5th to 6th was most of the same but prettier.

Nothing was as mind-blowing as going from Super Mario World to Super Mario 64.

 

[Opa-Opa]

Voted NES and SMS to SNES. But Xbox 360 was also massive.

And the leap from SNES to PlayStation and N64 really depressed me, not impressed.

 

[Deleted member 31873]

4th to 5th. Playing Wipeout for the first time at home was magical.

The only other jump on the same level is VR, but that's a mid-generation jump, so I'm not sure it really counts.

 

[KLoWn]

4th to 5th EASILY.

If you weren't around back then you can't imagine how mindblowing those 3d graphics were.

 

[Yoshi88]

Very tough decision. The most prevalent memory of a generational jump is always the jump from the end of one generation to the mere beginning of the new one (for avid enthusiasts, release purchasers etc.). But the end of a generation sometimes looks very different compared to its early stages, so you're mostly comparing a matured tech with a very early, underutilized tech.

Comparing the direct transitions in that way the jump from 5th to 6th is the most impressive in my memory. There were some serious jumps early on, leaving those rudimentary 3D days behind. The jump from 4th to 5th just seems to crass (2d to 3d in most cases) and unfair to factor in, since it was more of a dimensional shift than a "regular" generational jump.

But factoring in the evolving nature within each generation and comparing the "mature" phases of the lifecycles i'd say 7th to 8th is a very impressive jump (5th to 6th counts as well here, though). We've gone from still goofy and flat looking faces, rather empty open worlds with some fog and low LoD to some huge-ass cinema and life-like games that span everything from VFX to physics etc. and don't break a sweat.

 

[Creamium]

4 to 5 no contest for me. I was a kid growing up then and it was mindblowing to see stuff like Crash/Mario 64/TR for the first time.

 

[Guzim]

I remember seeing a demo display of Super Mario 64 at Wal-Mart and my mind was blown.

 

[Deleted member 23850]

5th to the 6th for sure. 3D gaming really started to come into its own.

 

[Buff Beefbroth]

The jump from 2D to 3D cannot be understated in how exciting it was at the time, but gottdamn those grass textures in Sonic Adventure.

 

[ghostcrew]

I don't know anyone couldn't say from 4th to 5th unless they are too young to have experienced it. We'll probably never see anything like that leap again.

or from this to this...

Or from this to this...

 

[TheGhost]

PS360 to Xbox One Ps4

going from battlefield on last gen to battlefield on next gen was a holy shit moment for me.

 

[Deleted member 10726]

Given 3D esque things were a thing for a while, the N64/PS1/Saturn era didn't blow me away as the one that followed it. Games looked unbelievably good compared to what N64/PS1/Saturn managed to do.

 

[cowbanana]

4th to 5th.

The Playstation was mindblowing. Nothing came close before or after. If you weren't there at the time, you probably won't understand.

 

[Deleted member 23850]

I don't know anyone couldn't say from 4th to 5th unless they are too young to have experienced it. We'll probably never see anything like that leap again.

or from this to this...

Click to shrink...

Does PC gaming count in this as well? Half-Life was released in 1998 as you all know.

 

[IIFloodyII]

4th-5th for sure. 6th, 7th and 8th gen have been perfecting it.

 

[Vexii]

From SNES (etc.) -> PS1 (etc.) I think was amazing technologically/conceptually, but PS1 (etc.) -> PS2 (etc.) was where technology really allowed UX to begin to shine and 3D games really came into their own.

And I think that going from PS3 (etc.) -> PS4 (etc.) has had a similar effect in standardising UX to feel much more universal, though a lot of that groundwork was laid shortly into the PS3 & X360.

 

[Dizastah]

4th to 5th is the only right answer.
How is 5th to 6th even close in this poll.......

 

[Azurik]

I have been playing since my trusted Atari 2600. However, nothing has impressed me more than the reveal of killzone shadow fall and the flight over the city. This was just an amazing, cant wait for next gen experience

 

[Tribes of Trusty]

I don't consider 4th to 5th as a mere jump but as a whole new paradigm, going from mainly 2D games to 3D games with depth, everything was just new and you had to rethink everything, every genre, how it would workd, with camera and all.

I consider 5th to 6th a massive jump graphically, it was the same but better looking. Playing MGS2, my most anticipated title at the time, was a mindblowing experience. I thought I was playing CG cutscences but in real time.

 

[Clive]

7th to 8th because of VR. It completely changes the perspective of games. You're no longer an observer but actually inside the game world. That's a bigger leap than 4th to 5th in my book.

 

[Soupbones]

Really surprised at the results so far.

Leaving sprites behind after the 16bit era was a mistake imo. Going from games like X-men vs Street Fighter to 3D Battle Arena Toshiden was disappointing to say the least.

Polygons got there eventually obviously, but that 4th gen to 5th gen initial jump was rough.

 

[Deleted member 5725]

From 2D to 3D. Though I first experienced the shift to 3D on PC and got PS1 in '98 iirc.

 

[Deleted member 31133]

It's got to be 4th to 5th. I went from playing 2d games to 3d games. Biggest jump in gaming in my lifetime.

 

[KLoWn]

Man, this thread is getting me real nostalgic thinking back on the day I got my new Nintendo 64, turning it on, and hearing this:


Good fuckin days...

 

[Powerofthecloud]

It's the 3rd gen specifically the NES. It's not even close.

 

[Jimnymebob]

Mega Drive to PS1 was most noticeable immediately, but if we're taking the whole console lifespan into account, PS2 to like 2014 PS3 was a huge jump.

 

[AudioEppa]

7th to 8th.

 

[entremet]

PS1/N64 jump was too strong. The rest were refinements.

 

[daninthemix]

Objectively it can only be the jump from SNES to N64. Going from 2D to 3D allows not only for much better detail but also for completely different gameplay.

Click to shrink...

Agreed. 5th gen invented 3D. 6th gen only refined it. 7th gen refined it further, and standardised dual analog controls (camera control was far from guaranteed during the 6th gen).

 

[Midgarian]

Didn't expect PS1 to PS2 to be neck and neck, I thought 2D graphics to 3D graphics would win by a land slide.

There's no way that 2D graphics to 3D graphics will be topped in my my experience. Not even VR will top that transition. The first time playing Crash Bandicoot and Super Mario 64 at Toys R Us was mind blowing for someone who had only played GameBoy up to that point.

I suppose the closest I get to that feeling in the modern day is stuff like FFVII Remake.

 

[Master Alucard]

i skipped the 4th gen so for me it's from 5th to 6th

 

[jay]

Hard to answer. 2d to 3d was such a shift but then first gen 3d looks terrible but second gen is entirely fine to me.

 

[HellofaMouse]

ps1 to ps2, followed closely by ps2 to ps3. diminishing returns hit the generational leaps hard after that.

 

[retrosega]

Tough choice but I went for 6th to 7th gen

The jump to full HD was a big step forward. I'm an fps fan and the 360 was when they got really good imo.
Call of Duty 2 on the 360 was so impressive back in 2005.

 

[WellbornWarrior]

I still vividly remember playing Extreme G 3 on my Gamecube, driving up a slope and being unable to comprehend the fact that I could see as far as the horizon goes.

Haven't had a moment like that past that.

 

[Koukalaka]

5th to 6th easily.

5th foretold us what was possible but with abysmal graphics. 6th delivered.

Click to shrink...

This is my reasoning as well - the 5th gen came around at the dawn of dedicated 3D hardware and it showed with often abysmal framerates and a whole host of visual issues - to the extent that it often got "in the way" of the gameplay.

Then the 6th generation came along and actually delivered on that front - the insane leaps in PC hardware capability between the mid-90s and early-2000s paints a similar picture.