As stated at the end of the previous installment, my interest in video gaming was waning – but it was not out of spite or anything. No: It was a natural progression of life. Other things were demanding attention, not least of which the real world, and I wasn’t in a position to ignore any of them.
But that’s not to say that I was completely ignorant of developments in the gaming world. I knew about the Dreamcast being the last hurrah for Sega. I knew the PS2 got off to a rocky start and I knew about Microsoft bringing a console of their own, the Xbox, to the table. I even had an Atari Lynx during this stage: Hey, it was cheap and, as befit this blog, I wanted to see if the grass was indeed greener on the other side.
But ultimately, the period of 2000-2005 was one where I parted ways with gaming. But little did I know that gaming wasn’t prepared to let me go. The connection was there and there was some potential for us to continue. All it needed was a catalyst.
And one such came: In late 2005, I stumbled across a list made by IGN on the Best 100 Games Ever Made. Through reading it, I saw a mixture of the recognised and the unfamiliar. I saw some titles I played and some that escaped my notice previously. And most of all, I was impressed that someone had sat down and fashioned such an official-looking list, providing substantial reasoning of each games’ selection and saluting the efforts of various pioneers.
Needless to say I was blown away – so much so, I actually made it my goal to track down every last one of them and play them. And thus, dreams were dusted off and raised from their slumber, opportunities that had passed me by the first time were now possible, and a world of brand new discoveries waiting to be found beckoned. A trigger had been set off and I plunged headlong into the sixth generation.
True it may have been at the tail end, when the seventh generation dawned but who the hell cares? I had returned to gaming and was prepared to savor every last moment. And what better why to kick it off was to return my gaze to a voice that called once before….
Playstation 2
As mentioned before, I knew the PS2 got off to a rocky start and wasn’t really that big of a hit. Funny how this baby is now recognised as the highest selling console ever.
As mentioned above, I finally made a goal in mind. This now presented the new problem of deciding which console, out of Playstation, Xbox and Gamecube, to get. With it’s extensive library, certain exclusives and it’s access to the PS1 catalogue, the winner was the PS2.
I recall the first game I placed into the system: Final Fantasy X. This was pretty much a return to console gaming after nearly a decade of absence. To be honest I had been away for so long I really had no idea what to expect – I had no idea what the graphics would be like (seriously!) or what advances had been made since the days of the fifth generation. Needless to say, what I saw was more akin to waking up from a coma. I was astonished that graphics had grown so spectacular. I was surprised that 3D gaming was actually playable and fun. Okay so maybe Final Fantasy X isn’t quite the best in the series but in any case, it was what got me back to gaming and, eventually encouraged me to seek out other entrants in the series (one has to start somewhere I guess).
I may have been a latecomer to the Playstation but I have many fond memories of playing my PS2: Appreciating the creativity that went into Resident Evil 4, being impressed with the inventiveness and brutality that went into God of War, the satisfaction of coming back to a boss in Final Fantasy X having levelled up extensively and knocking him flat, and, of course, completing Ico for the first time and, much to my surprise, having an emotional response.
I even hunted down some old PS1 games, granting me the chance to dust off some old favourites (Loaded, Darkstalkers, Raiden Project, Return Fire) and the opportunity to hunt some games that escaped me the first time around (Castlevania Symphony of the Night, Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy 7).
Interestingly enough, I also discovered how the PS2 could work as a social device. True going round to a friends place to play games is nothing new but when you’re the one who owns the console, you really see how it the social aspect works. Indeed, I remember when I went to a small LAN with my PS2: It was with a small group of people who had far better computers than my POS computer so I brought along the PS2 so I could be part of the fun. And indeed it worked a treat to have the other people queue up to fight each other on Soul Calibur 3. And was indeed gratifying to hear someone else see my playing through the inverted library in Castlevania Symphony of the Night and thinking the music was pretty cool. And finally, there has indeed great fun to have a bunch of friends around for an evening to have a bash at Singstar.
In a way, PS2 represented the destination of a journey: After leeching off other people, I finally had a console to call my own. I had discovered new wonders in a field I’d been away from for so long. And I discovered the power of the social element that can lie with owning a console. After years of having an interest in video gaming, a breakthrough had come like no other. Perhaps it was fitting that I should get my first console when I was well and truly into my adult years – and that console should be a Playstation.
So yes, the sixth generation was more or less the second coming with my gaming career. And as one journey ended another began….
Dreamcast
Remember in the introduction how I made mention of having an Atari Lynx? Maybe it’s the Australian in me, but I’ve always had a fascination for the underdog. You know, the guy who has a go. That, coupled with my previously-established love for Sega, may have counted for me owning a Sega Dreamcast.
I’m still not entirely sure why I got a Dreamcast. Maybe it was indeed favouring the underdog. Or maybe it was a last gesture for years of loyalty to Sega. Maybe it was case of going out and exploring in the hope of finding some hidden treasure. Or maybe it was, at that point in time, case of having far too much money and not enough common sense.
Say what you like about the Sega Dreamcast but there’s no denying that there was a time when Soul Calibur looked mind-blowing (even now) and Sega looked likely to recover from the disasters from the past. But, as we all know, it was not to be and Sega’s reign as a console developer had come to an end.
In retrospect, we can all whinge about the faults of the system (no third party games, too many arcade conversions, no DVD capabilities, online features being overlooked, poor marketing and the impending arrival of PS2) but in the end, there was no denying the Dreamcast was a potent game machine and the potential to be great. Sure that potential wasn't truly realised but at least Sega were trying new things. Sure there was no third party support but at least Sega were trying to build up new IP and doing things that messed with the formula. Sure the Dreamcast wasn’t the hit it should’ve been but nowadays people treat it a reverence not seen for other failed consoles (maybe having no one to blame for the console’s shortcomings helps considerably). True the Dreamcast may have been the death-knell for the once glorious console giant but I still have mine and it still gets used.
But let’s drop the pretences: At the end of the day was buying a Dreamcast worth it just to play Skies of Arcadia?
Damn right it was.
Xbox
As with the other entrants in the sixth generation, I came to the Xbox at a rather late point in the console’s life. For a long time I got a lot of mileage out of my PS2 (and Dreamcast) but I didn’t care much for the seventh generation as it happened around me.
Then, in 2009 I moved into a flat with my girlfriend, Kathleen, and she brought along her Xbox. Curious, I decided to buy some games to use on it.
Of course at the time, I was still giving my PS2 a lot of attention so time on the Xbox was limited. But that’s not to say it was enjoyable: I have many fond memories playing Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Sid Meier’s Pirates. It was also fun to have someone watch me play my games – sure gaming has long been a solitary experience so to have a second person paying undivided attention to my progression through a game is indeed a welcome change (of course I had no idea how Kathleen really felt about my constant swearing through Burnout 3 but still….)
And I think that what I got the most out of the Xbox: After years of playing games in my room by myself, I finally felt that gaming had finally become a social event. Previously, I’d played games against other people on consoles but the game, so to speak, had now changed. The PS2 may have made me aware of the fun involved with playing games in the presence of other people but the Xbox expanded upon it. Indeed, it is fun to see someone else show an interest in the game you're playing and suddenly you don't feel like you're the only person in the universe who's enjoying it.
When I jumped on the PS2 bandwagon, it was after years of absence – and coming back from that time away I’d grown astonished by what games were accomplishing from the days of the 2nd and 3rd Generations. Games were now being marketed as experiences, offering social commentary, challenges of the relationship between the game & the gamer and triggering emotional effects one never would’ve thought possible.
And I got all that and surprised that gaming could do that. But that was all by my own in my bedroom – so to have someone else along for the ride playing just as much attention as you (the gamer) is particularly sweet.
And to have gaming be a contributing factor to a romance is also kinda cool too.
So that’s my thoughts on the sixth generation. In the terms of my gaming career it was more or less a Second Coming – the return after years of wandering in the desert. And when I came back, I’d seen how gaming had evolved beyond entertainment value. I had seen how gaming had now grown as a social event and more importantly, I see gaming from the perspective of an adult: Indeed, it’s great spending your own money on consoles and games without having to badger/explain to one’s parents. It is fascinating how something you liked as a kid can evolve to a point where you can enjoy it as an adult and not look silly (and having a partner who thinks the same is also pretty cool too). And I’m always amazed just how many people have played the same games I have – even when I thought I was the only on Earth who’d heard of the game in question. I even loved striking up conversations over games and sharing both opinions and solutions.
If anything, sixth generation got me wrapped up in the gaming culture like never before. Gaming had finally become the norm and was now taken seriously.
So where do we go from here?
Towards the next generation one would think….
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