A Look Back: The X-Box 360, The PS3, and The Wii Generation

 A Look Back: The X-Box 360, The PS3, and The Wii Generation

With the Nintendo Wii U already launched sitting on retailer shelves,combined with the recent Sony Press Event announcing the PS4, and Microsoft’s next console announcement right around the corner, it’s time to face the hard facts my friends. Our beloved current generation has just about come to an end. Seems like just yesterday it was 2005-2006 when we were reading in our favorite gaming magazines how Nintendo was setting the holiday buying shoppers into a stampede frenzy with the cute little Wii and it’s remote sensor controller.Let’s also not forget the first time we watched a Blu-ray movie on our PS3 while opening our brand new pre-ordered copy of Metal Gear 4. Many 360 owners were the first to experience the sheer thrill of playing online for the first time with the fresh copy of Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare while talking trash to some poor little 14 year old kid in Ohio as he was repeatedly sniped from 100 yards and having kill streak air strikes laying mayhem to the battlefield on the way to a team deathmatch victory. Good times. It wasn’t all a one stop shop in gaming heaven though,remember the infamous Sony hack attack? How about the 360 Red Ring of Death? Dark days for sure followed the Wii with the lack of 3rd party support after the consoles successful launch.So why don’t you all pour a fresh cup of hot coffee and sit back as we give a Look Back and take a virtual tour of this soon to be retired ground breaking current generation of home console gaming.

The Wii Console:

Ahh the Wii….let me get this out the way now,I’m a Sony man.That being said,being a Super Mario Bros. and Zelda fan I did in fact buy this console.I must admit,Super Mario Bros. Wii was a classic return to the old school 2d franchise in a modern setting earning a average score of 9.5 out of 10. Many nights I spent with palmy hands on my controller as I attempted to make that nostalgic “perfect” timed jump on mushroom heads as i cleared level after level.The concept of turning the Wii controller sideways to simulate the old NES controller was briiliant.

I think the biggest disapointment for me personally was Zelda: Skyward Sword.Now keep in mind this game got a masterpiece score of 10 out of 10 by GameInformer, and being a long time Zelda fan this game was THE core reason I purchased the system.The game itself was awesome,but sadly I just could “get into the swing of things” so to speak using the mandatory motion sensor controller.I remember throwing in the towel on this game after 3 hours due to the frustration of trying to navigate my flying giant pet bird through the clouds of Hyrule.Very bitter sweet for me considering this was the first time I never finished a Zelda game.

Moving on, the third game I bought for my Wii was the classic SNES remake of Donkey Kong Country Returns.I must say for a non HD gaming console,this game just oozed slick colorful polish earning outstanding reviews from gaming magazines.Again,sadly I did not finish this game either.Who knows,maybe I simply lost my touch with platform games.This was a very hard game to play….which was a huge blow to my ego whenever my six year old nephew came to visit and would just clear levels one after the other like he is poccessed with a 6-pack of root beer in front of him.

Worth mentioning is the phenomenon of Wii’s target dempgraphic.Reaching out to both kids and soccer mom’s across the country.The widely popular Wii Fit and it’s exercise step board accessories changed the way consumers looked at home consoles.They were no longer just “video games” for the kiddies.Now people of all ages could do a wide variety of home exercises from yoga,cardiovascular work outs, and weight training.I personally got on board with this and lost 50 pounds.Thank you drill sargeant Mario!

Ultimately as fantastic as these games were,the Wii suffered the same failures as it’s predecessor the Gamecube did….serious lack of 3rd party support and long game release draughts.Not to mention when compared to it’s competitors ,the web browser naviagation was a nightmare and the lack of any consistent online Nintendo store to offer gamers a decent library of downloadable titles other than 1st party Nintendo classics. Hopefully the recently launched HD Wii U will have a better future. Rest in peace Wii…you will not be forgotten.

X-Box 360:

I remember back during the original PS2 and X-Box day’s that I actually thought the Microsoft console was a better system.Longer controller wires,( oh how far have we come,thank God for wireless controllers!) a built in hard drive,DVD playback,and some truly great exclusives like the Halo franchise as well as Chronicles Of Ridick: Escape From Butcher Bay and the epic role playing gameStar Wars: Knights of the Old Repuplic.So in 2007 ,I was debating on which system to buy and I was honestly leaning towards the 360.Now keep in mind,this was still during the HD disc vs. Blu-ray movies battle.Then the news started to circulate like the beginning of a plague outbreak….the public nightmare of the RED ring of death!! As reported across many media,Microsoft shamelessly rushed manufacturing and shipped out literally thousands if not millions of consoles that would blink the red ring of death on gamers across the country who spent their hard earned dollars on their new console in a attemt to beat Sony to the punch a year earlier for retail before the PS3 launch. In addition with Blu-ray winning the home movie media war and the having to pay a subscription fee for online play,needless to say my decision was made.I went with Sony.However,that doesn’t mean many Sony gamers were not left without jealousy with some pretty awesome exclusives that sadly I never got to play first hand.Such games as Halo 4, Left 4 Dead, and Gears Of War were a pretty solid feather in the 360 hat.

Playstation 3:

Christmas came early for me one summer day in 2007.I had made up my mind to purchase the PS3 as my gaming console of choice and surprise ,surprise, when I walked in to my local Besy Buy I saw the newly packaged Blu-ray combo pack for $399. I took home that day a PS3 console with not only a inside the box Blu-ray copy of Spiderman 3, but a mail in voucher for five more Blu-ray movies as well which I still own in my collection today.Was a great beginning for what was to become my favorite gaming system of all time.Not only did I have a epic line up of masterpiece games to play such as Unchartered: Drakes Deception,Grand Theft Auto 4,Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Metal Gear 4 just to name of few titles of my early days with the console,but this system could do ANYTHING. From watching bootleg movies on the web( I know,shame on me),to excellent internet browser navigation to watch Youtube video’s,using the Playstation Eye Camera to face time with friends in chat,renting movies and buying games from the PSN store,being able to play online for FREE, as well as watching Blu-ray movies at home and keep in mind when Blu-ray players were launched they came with a hefty $999. price tag.So a PS3 with Blu-ray capability was a steal for it’s $599. launch pricetag.Honestly,it was the Sony exclusives that were the real jewel of the system for me.God Of War 3,The Uncharted trilogy,MotorStorm and Metal Gear 4 were truly in a league of their own.

Of course as much as I love my PS3,I can’t leave out the infamous 2011 Sony PlayStation security breach that affected a reported 77 million network users and it’s off line for over 30 day’s aftermath.A public black eye for sure.What I do appreciate about the company was their accountability.The hack cost the company billions of dollars and not only did they take the proper steps to ensure it would never happen again,they laucned a “Welcome Back” camaign to it’s comsumers offering gamers several choices in free games.They didn’t have to do this….but they did as a apolagy.It worked.It is 2013 and the final year of the PS3 and I am still not done with enjoying this ground breaking console.I have actually chosen to continue playing my PS3 during the lauch year of the PS4 to wait for a bigger library of next generation games,and software updates.It will be a sad day when I box up my PS3.Thank you for the countless hours of entertainment.You will be missed.

Multi Platform Hits and Misses:

I think when it is all said and done,this generation will mostly be remembered for it’s incredible multi-platform games that were released on most consoles.So many to name.One thing that I really love about gaming is when I am truly offered something new.Two games come to mind right off the bat.RockStar’s Red Dead Redemption and Bioware’s Mass Effect trilogy! Both offered truly new epic gaming experiences.From riding horse back across the wild west in a Grand Theft Auto open world to being the commander of my own space ship as i cruised the galaxy with my crew.Also the countless hours I put into my favorite genre …first person shooters!This was a tale of two loves.I began my “next” gen. online shooter love affair with the Call Of Duty franchise.Three to five nights a week you would find my lazy ass sitting on the couch with a controller in the hand and a mic in my ear killing and cracking jokes with my friends.Ahh the memories.After playing year round Call Of Duty 4 and COD: World at War,something happened when I started playing the Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 sequel….the thrill was gone.I defected to the franchises arch nemesis….the Battlefield franchise.To this day,Battlefield 3 is still my shooter of choice.Never have I played a console shooter with so many online players,destructable enviroments, and plenty of land and air vehicles.Truly in my humble opinion the evolution of the genre.

We also saw a lot developers come out with some incredible new franchises.Honorable mention would definetely go to the Assassins Creed,Crysis,Dead Space,High Moons Transformers,Dues X,Far Cry,The Elder Scrolls,Batman Arkham Asylum/City,Bio-Shock, and Little Big Planet just to name a few.Of course there were so hugely disapointing duds as well….im looking directly at you Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Well my friends,we have just like the current console generation ,im afraid we have come to the end.It’ still not over yet.Many of the best has been saved for last.Keep a eye open for The Last Of Us,Watch Dogs,God Of War Ascension,DC Injustice: Gods Among Us and Grand Theft Auto 5.Plenty to keep us buisy until the Next generation!