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The 7th console generation has aged quite poorly overall
- Thread starter Oscarzx n
- Start date
I feel like all generations age poorly depending on the metrics you're using. Yet I've been gaming since 1988 and if a generation is attacked I tend to think no way that had so many games I loved and still love.
All the older generations suck or are awesome depending on what you're looking for and what you're measuring. And generally I don't like the whole "that doesn't hold up" arguments. We are all incredibly unconsciously biased based on comparing older games to current ones. I don't remember thinking load times were awful during that gen. I was used to them. But when I fire it up now after playing my PS5 I feel like I'm just waiting for hours.
as others have pointed out that generation had a ton of great classic games. I got love for my PS3 and had great times on friends 360 and Wii.
All the older generations suck or are awesome depending on what you're looking for and what you're measuring. And generally I don't like the whole "that doesn't hold up" arguments. We are all incredibly unconsciously biased based on comparing older games to current ones. I don't remember thinking load times were awful during that gen. I was used to them. But when I fire it up now after playing my PS5 I feel like I'm just waiting for hours.
as others have pointed out that generation had a ton of great classic games. I got love for my PS3 and had great times on friends 360 and Wii.
Graphically, it's aged poorly overall but this is the gen that gave us Arkham Asylum so we shouldn't complain too much
Yeah, maybe the games aren't great to go back to - they are at that funny age old but not yet retro
But you know what - I had a blast playing the games at the time and that's what's important to me.
But you know what - I had a blast playing the games at the time and that's what's important to me.
i just recently went back to playing some 7th gen games. de blob 2 and lost in shadow were fun platfomers (lost in shadow is super underrated). started assassin's creed iv last night as part of my backlog.
the wii was pretty underrated in the end. lots of cool experimental ideas mixed in with some absolute classics like sin & punishment and super mario galaxy 2. the ds was the same way, but much more appreciated in and beyond its time.
the main things about the generation that suck are the external circumstances: the mass consolidation and death of studios, and the proto-gamergate attitude that took hold around 2007-2010 are problems we're still dealing with now.
the wii was pretty underrated in the end. lots of cool experimental ideas mixed in with some absolute classics like sin & punishment and super mario galaxy 2. the ds was the same way, but much more appreciated in and beyond its time.
the main things about the generation that suck are the external circumstances: the mass consolidation and death of studios, and the proto-gamergate attitude that took hold around 2007-2010 are problems we're still dealing with now.
I think the Xbox 360 has aged way better than the PS3.
With the PS3 you're stuck with an aesthetically pleasing but annoying to use dashboard, slow as hell PSN 1.0, mandatory partial installs (without the option to install the whole disc for any game like on 360), a patch system that takes years since updates aren't cumulative, no video output scaling (raw 720p vs a nice upscaled 1080p on 360), no cross-game party chat, and worse looking/performing multi-plats. Bethesda games literally become unplayable over time due to the PS3's terrible RAM setup, big games like Call of Duty can run as low as 540p and some games like Bayonetta are defacto 360 exclusives due to framerate problems. Whenever I go back to play mine it feels like I'm using some bolted together software mess that was never designed to do the things its trying to do. The Xbox 360 is no stranger to sub-720p or poor framerates, but at least from an OS level the system still feels modern and has all sorts of useful QOL features.
I hate using my PS3, but my 360 is still decent enough for most releases. Of course PC ports are always going to be better, but I don't mind going back to that generation on console. My 60GB PS3's full BC is pretty legit tho
With the PS3 you're stuck with an aesthetically pleasing but annoying to use dashboard, slow as hell PSN 1.0, mandatory partial installs (without the option to install the whole disc for any game like on 360), a patch system that takes years since updates aren't cumulative, no video output scaling (raw 720p vs a nice upscaled 1080p on 360), no cross-game party chat, and worse looking/performing multi-plats. Bethesda games literally become unplayable over time due to the PS3's terrible RAM setup, big games like Call of Duty can run as low as 540p and some games like Bayonetta are defacto 360 exclusives due to framerate problems. Whenever I go back to play mine it feels like I'm using some bolted together software mess that was never designed to do the things its trying to do. The Xbox 360 is no stranger to sub-720p or poor framerates, but at least from an OS level the system still feels modern and has all sorts of useful QOL features.
I hate using my PS3, but my 360 is still decent enough for most releases. Of course PC ports are always going to be better, but I don't mind going back to that generation on console. My 60GB PS3's full BC is pretty legit tho
I loved the PSP but that's about it. Parents were unwilling to shell out money for a PS3 so it was the only PlayStation console I missed out on. The Wii wasn't an option either. I feel FOMO looking back but it was probably not worth it going by some reactions here. The PS2 satisfied me well enough during that time period.
The OS/user experience on PS3's front end is AOK for me, still... but man using PSN is a chore on the PS3 in 2021. I feel like it's actively implemented these days to make you want to give up using it.
The 360's interface is still usable, I completely agree.
I don't agree. It is the first gen of the HD and flat panel LCD era and experiences similar transition pains like from 16 bit to PS1/N64 but there are lots of great games from that gen and emulators for PS3/360 are well on their way. Visually this was the first gen with a major push for gritty realism and some games did it in ways that age better than others, but that's on the devs. I don't think it's any worse than PS1/N64 which had lots of good and bad games with low poly graphics, and where most people play today via emulation rather than native or BC.
I've played so many 360 games via backwards compatibility and they're all great. Could disagree with this OP more.
It's my favourite console generation. Free online on console. HD AAA gaming before the RPG and crafting bullshit took over. HD AAA gaming with more reasonable dev cycles. Handheld gaming was incredible with the PSP/DS combo which offered a bit of everything. My favourite gaming subscription service ever came late in to the generation. It was so good because it was a trojan horse for paid online, but nevertheless it was so damn good on PS3. It was an exciting time across every platform. Lets not discount what the Wii was doing and what a breath of fresh air that was too.
7th gen games with Xbox One X patch/real 4K are f'n beautiful.
I can't wait to finally get more patches on Series X.
I can't wait to finally get more patches on Series X.
I think the dynamic is that the PS360 hardware enabled developers to radically innovate in especially the open-world setting, but that in order to realize these ambitions the technical quality of the games sometimes suffered.
It's the same way with basic 3D gameplay and the PSO/N64. The games are a chore to revisit and there's not a lot of retro-cool to them because the games of that gen were really just feeling out the possibilities that the console HW provided and aren't as well-realized as they otherwise should be due to the technical limitations.
Disagree. In fact, I find it shocking how well some of the games have aged. Especially gameplay wise, since the evolution in that area is far more modest than it was from 6th to 7th.
The only problem is with performance, really. But playing the games in modern consoles, with consistent framerates, is still great.
That being said, admittedly it was a weak generation for JRPGs in particular.
The only problem is with performance, really. But playing the games in modern consoles, with consistent framerates, is still great.
That being said, admittedly it was a weak generation for JRPGs in particular.
Nah, man, that era was actually really good. A gen that has Red Dead Redemption, Gears 3, Bioshock and GTA IV and V is exceptional. Even the Uncharted series started there.
That generation is where 30fps become "standard" so if you are a primarily PC gamer, you hate it for that alone. 30fps has never really bothered me.
Games are largely the same, just higher resolution. The Xbox 360 versions of Titanfall and Rise of the Tomb Raider proved that.
Games are largely the same, just higher resolution. The Xbox 360 versions of Titanfall and Rise of the Tomb Raider proved that.
That isn't what I meant at all. I meant that playing those games on that actual old hardware feels awful compared to playing BC on Xbox One / SX / PS5. The OS is bad and the load times are slow and just getting into and out of games is a pain playing on an Xbox 360 or PS3.
I'll repeat. The games were / are great. Using the hardware sucks.
I disagree.
As a general rule, when it comes to games with 3D graphics, the older they are the worse they are. Except for the few gems made by a handful of companies (mainly Nintendo & Rare), Gen 5 games were plagued with terrible controls, awful cameras, and visuals that were ugly even back then. Even a lot of the "good" games had these issues (tank controls were never good). 2D games were nearly abandoned, even though the few that still retained sprite-based graphics looked and often played good, and the industry for the most part charged headlong into making 3D games even though it was clear most of them had no clue how to make compelling, polished gameplay experiences that made good use of the third dimension. Fortunately, some genres, namely racing games (which always tried to emulate 3D) and turn-based RPGs (which weren't heavily impacted by the shift to 3D), managed to make the jump fairly well.
Gen 6 was a bit better, but that's not saying much. There were still growing pains, even though the visuals improved. I almost completely lapsed out of gaming that generation, with Halo being nearly all of what I played during the first half of the decade. Not only were there some lingering issues from Gen 5, but Nintendo went through weird experimental phase that was hit or miss (Mario Sunshine being the biggest miss, IMO) and Rare had been bought out by MS and hardly did anything on consoles for that whole generation aside from the forgettable Grabbed by the Ghoulies and a remaster of Conker.
But Gen 7 got me back into gaming full time. I bought a lot more games, and more games from that generation rank among my all-time favorites. Halo still retained its fun factor. Gears was great. Mario Galaxy was my game of the generation. New SMB Wii was a great 2D platformer. Mega Man made a triumphant 8-bit return. Crackdown was the first open-world game I enjoyed. And BioShock remains my second favorite FPS ever after Halo CE. I still play Gen 7 games to this day, far more than I play most Gen 5 & 6 games. Granted, some of those had remasters and I now play those, but some of the better-looking ones hold up decently (esp. with a resolution boost on newer hardware), even though their age is definitely showing.
As a general rule, when it comes to games with 3D graphics, the older they are the worse they are. Except for the few gems made by a handful of companies (mainly Nintendo & Rare), Gen 5 games were plagued with terrible controls, awful cameras, and visuals that were ugly even back then. Even a lot of the "good" games had these issues (tank controls were never good). 2D games were nearly abandoned, even though the few that still retained sprite-based graphics looked and often played good, and the industry for the most part charged headlong into making 3D games even though it was clear most of them had no clue how to make compelling, polished gameplay experiences that made good use of the third dimension. Fortunately, some genres, namely racing games (which always tried to emulate 3D) and turn-based RPGs (which weren't heavily impacted by the shift to 3D), managed to make the jump fairly well.
Gen 6 was a bit better, but that's not saying much. There were still growing pains, even though the visuals improved. I almost completely lapsed out of gaming that generation, with Halo being nearly all of what I played during the first half of the decade. Not only were there some lingering issues from Gen 5, but Nintendo went through weird experimental phase that was hit or miss (Mario Sunshine being the biggest miss, IMO) and Rare had been bought out by MS and hardly did anything on consoles for that whole generation aside from the forgettable Grabbed by the Ghoulies and a remaster of Conker.
But Gen 7 got me back into gaming full time. I bought a lot more games, and more games from that generation rank among my all-time favorites. Halo still retained its fun factor. Gears was great. Mario Galaxy was my game of the generation. New SMB Wii was a great 2D platformer. Mega Man made a triumphant 8-bit return. Crackdown was the first open-world game I enjoyed. And BioShock remains my second favorite FPS ever after Halo CE. I still play Gen 7 games to this day, far more than I play most Gen 5 & 6 games. Granted, some of those had remasters and I now play those, but some of the better-looking ones hold up decently (esp. with a resolution boost on newer hardware), even though their age is definitely showing.
Yeah. I greatly enjoyed BioWare's output and numerous Wii games but there wasn't a whole lot else for me. The design trends in particular were eugh.
OP
OP
I never complained about the games themselves though, it was mosly the consoles
Yeah going back to the 360 dashboard is rough compared to PS5 even PS4. Pretty sure it's resolution is like 420p.
It's my favorite console generation (more specifically the 360) of all time so I completely disagree. I still have a 360 on my desk and play it occasionally. The biggest problem for me is the awful loading times after being a PC gamer mainly the last couple years.
This is so true. I thought I was the only one that thought this way. I think the PS2 and Xbox generation was just too good that it was bound to be that way
Everyone is talking about the libraries when OP is clearly referring to the hardware limitations.
Exactly! We need a major paradigm shift. Hopefully 10th gen consoles will bring this with more accelerators for AI and raytracing. If this gen is long enough maybe developers can get enough time with the hardware to do some interesting things.
I'm playing some 7th gen games on xss, without improvement and some of them still looks fantastic but not all games of 7th are the same
The 7th gen is the gen of brown era games, a shit idea for me but also some great games didn't run well on the 7th gen console
For me what microsoft did with the 360 games on x1 is perfect
Super Mario 64 plays really well even today 👌.
Regarding the topic I remember how I hated playing Bioshock. It had so clunky controls. The same with Fallout3. The games were good but they just controlled so bad.
Honestly, I've dusted off the old 360 a few times the past couple years for a handful of games (Doom 3, COD Finest Hour, COD 2 Big Red One, Nier and Dishonored) and I have to strongly disagree. The 360 Dashboard was still smooth as ever, logging in was painless and the whole process of playing my games was as smooth as ever. I will say this though, playing OG Xbox games on 360 is an incredibly clunky experience that feels bolted on, but since it works well enough it's not really a huge issue most of the time. The PS3 is a lot more sluggish and I couldn't imagine running that bad boy constantly, but that still is serviceable in my mind.
I guess the part about how the hardware themselves isn't very useful these days if the games can be played on newer hardware and how it's better to play it there is pretty true though. When playing on my 360 I did really wish I could play the games on Xbox One instead because of the better texture filtering and performance, and I wish I could play my PS3 games on PS5 for the same reasons and more (like not having to deal with the clunky UI and no upscaling)
I guess the part about how the hardware themselves isn't very useful these days if the games can be played on newer hardware and how it's better to play it there is pretty true though. When playing on my 360 I did really wish I could play the games on Xbox One instead because of the better texture filtering and performance, and I wish I could play my PS3 games on PS5 for the same reasons and more (like not having to deal with the clunky UI and no upscaling)
Don't blame Sony for not using the x86 architecture during that era, blame them for using the Cell processor. However, some of these mid and late gen First Party Titles still look great today. (Killzone2, UC2 and 3, Resistance 3 just to name a few) 😂
Xbox 360 was kind of a pioneer in the cheap, good indie games you could download. For that I think its super important.
I don't know what to say. I never had an issue with it. The XMB has always been super smooth for me even with Dynamic themes. 🤔😐
Graphics not always great looking back, I think most people can agree with that. A lot of bad textures and very drap looking games just covered in grey, brown and dark green. Vibrant colors feels like a rare sight in non-Nintendo games.
But in terms of Gameplay it still has some of the GOTY's and a pretty huge and impressive catalogue overall. To name a few of my favourites:
Super Mario Galaxy
Portal
Warhawk
Uncharted 2
Dark Souls
Bayonetta
Red Dead Redemption
God of War 3
Journey
The Last of Us
Papers, Please
Super Meat Boy
In terms of game releases I think it's probably at least as strong or stronger than 8th gen.
But in terms of Gameplay it still has some of the GOTY's and a pretty huge and impressive catalogue overall. To name a few of my favourites:
Super Mario Galaxy
Portal
Warhawk
Uncharted 2
Dark Souls
Bayonetta
Red Dead Redemption
God of War 3
Journey
The Last of Us
Papers, Please
Super Meat Boy
In terms of game releases I think it's probably at least as strong or stronger than 8th gen.
I agree for the most part. But there are exceptions. In general though it felt like a generation that was trying to do what the current gen is achieving way before it actually could. Like textures were aiming for realistic, but they didn't have PBR. Reflections wanted to be accurate, but didn't even have SSR let alone RT. with the generation prior (PS2) I felt like there was more emphasis on style because they KNEW they couldn't achieve realism and so never really tried. But PS3...games just looked...wrong.
But as I say. There are some late gen exceptions that are still pretty impressive. Last of us, GOW ascension and uncharted 3 to name a few.
But as I say. There are some late gen exceptions that are still pretty impressive. Last of us, GOW ascension and uncharted 3 to name a few.
There were alot of growing pains that gen.
Imagine a 40 man PS2 dev who made good solid single player games, then all of a sudden they're told "You need to triple the size of your dev team, learn the cell processor, learn HD Development, create a new engine, figure out how to make online multiplayer, and port it to Xbox 360 and PC which have completely different architecture, oh btw 1 million copies sold is a disappointment now, good luck!"
...needless to say we lost alot of studios.
Imagine a 40 man PS2 dev who made good solid single player games, then all of a sudden they're told "You need to triple the size of your dev team, learn the cell processor, learn HD Development, create a new engine, figure out how to make online multiplayer, and port it to Xbox 360 and PC which have completely different architecture, oh btw 1 million copies sold is a disappointment now, good luck!"
...needless to say we lost alot of studios.
I have a 360 setup literally just to play PGR3&4, i wish they were b/c
Stupid question, perhaps, and not really related...
But I vaguely remember getting 3 free bluray movies or something with my PS3. Could have been less, but I think I got Layer Cake and Casino Royale from buying the PS3 at least.
Did Microsoft offer any free goodies?
I honestly can not recall why I got those Blurays. Backlash, price, bonus, I honestly can't recall
And all those glorious HD movie trailers back then on the store, haha
e: might as well ask further. PS3 was considered a really good Bluray player for a while. Did that last long or was it considered 'bad/surpassed' quite fast?
But I vaguely remember getting 3 free bluray movies or something with my PS3. Could have been less, but I think I got Layer Cake and Casino Royale from buying the PS3 at least.
Did Microsoft offer any free goodies?
I honestly can not recall why I got those Blurays. Backlash, price, bonus, I honestly can't recall
And all those glorious HD movie trailers back then on the store, haha
e: might as well ask further. PS3 was considered a really good Bluray player for a while. Did that last long or was it considered 'bad/surpassed' quite fast?
I can get behind this. I always here how poorly different systems sell, and maybe it's because I grew up on the NES that I can still go back and play the older systems and have a ton of fun on them.
At the same time though, the tail end of 360/PS3 showed that people are absolutely okay with playing games that aren't aiming to be AAA or AA or even A level and budget doesn't really matter as long as they're solid games and nail a clear aesthetic. I wonder if a lot of developers maybe could've been saved if they hadn't chased trends or maybe didn't listen to their marketing departments. That's clearly a lot more feasible nowadays with Unreal/Unity being relatively easy to take advantage of but still, I feel like a lot of studios took lumps trying to out whiz-bang their peers.
Where is my MGS4 remaster/remake :'(
Its one of the few 7th gen games that haven't been ported.
7th gen was the start of modern gaming. It was all about standardisation in both development and player environments. I mean, it's so hard to go back to older games with their nonsensical control scenes and such. Like a lot of the previous gen games are real hard to back to unless you are nostalgic for, where for the most part the 7th+ feel mostly similar, which is why they get remastered more easily.
Its one of the few 7th gen games that haven't been ported.
7th gen was the start of modern gaming. It was all about standardisation in both development and player environments. I mean, it's so hard to go back to older games with their nonsensical control scenes and such. Like a lot of the previous gen games are real hard to back to unless you are nostalgic for, where for the most part the 7th+ feel mostly similar, which is why they get remastered more easily.
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