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[DenogginizerOS]

Looking at the most recent generation (PS2/XBOX/Gamecube/variety of handhelds) I would have to give the nod to GTA3. For better or for worse, this game did more for its generation than any other.

(PSX/Saturn/N64) = Metal Gear Solid

(SNES/Genesis) = Madden (and most other EA Sports games)

(NES/Sega Master System) = Super Mario Bros.

Atari Era = Pong

 

[SolidSnakex]

Love it or hate it, but its GTA3.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Love it or hate it, but its GTA3.

Same here. I WAS going to say Metal Gear but GTA3 brought the series and that type of gameplay to the forefront and now millions of players play it.

 

[SantaC]

RE4

 

[ghostface]

Halo, for turning Xbox into a fps box.

 

[Ristamar]

RE4

Unfortunately, the only thing RE4 defined is that most gamers have shit for taste, judging by its less than stellar sales. [/bitter]

 

[AtomicShroom]

GTA3. I bought a PS2 just so I could play it.

 

[Son of Godzilla]

I'd say Enter The Matrix defines this shit infested generation of hype the best.

 

[sonycowboy]

This Gen: GTA 3
Last Gen: Super Mario 64

 

[Wollan]

Last gen: FFVII - east meets the west

This gen: GTA3 - freedom, controversity, Halo - console fps games is the new big thing

 

[DDayton]

Looking at the most recent generation (PS2/XBOX/Gamecube/variety of handhelds) I would have to give the nod to GTA3. For better or for worse, this game did more for its generation than any other.

(PSX/Saturn/N64) = Metal Gear Solid

(SNES/Genesis) = Madden (and most other EA Sports games)

(NES/Sega Master System) = Super Mario Bros.

Atari Era = Pong

See, quite honestly, I'd be tempted to nudge forth Super Mario 64 for the PSX/Saturn/N64 age, if only because it was the game that really showed the shift from 2D gameplay to 3D gameplay.

 

[VALIS]

Yeah, GTA3 has got to be the winner.

Previous gen (PS/SAT/N64): Tomb Raider or Mario64 or MGS

16 bit: Super Mario World or Sonic or Final Fantasy III or Madden (sports games became huge in the 16 bit gen)

8 bit: Super Mario Bros

Golden age could be Pac-Man or Asteroids or Space Invaders (2600 versions)

 

[[Nintex]]

A few games define this generation
For Nintendo:
1: RE4 > showing devs finally mastered 3D on console's.
2: Metroid prime > Showing art and level design are important.
3: Sunshine > The beginning of a clueless Nintendo.

For Microsoft:
1: Halo > Modern FPS games on console's
2: Conker,Grabbed by the goullies, Starfox Adventures > That RARE sucks

For Sony
1: GTA > Took the western market by storm
2: Killzone > They still have a lot to fix on their own (2nd party) software.

For Sega
1: Fzero GX > They can still produce great games
2: Sonic > The perfect example of destroying a game mascot's reputation

 

[DenogginizerOS]

See, quite honestly, I'd be tempted to nudge forth Super Mario 64 for the PSX/Saturn/N64 age, if only because it was the game that really showed the shift from 2D gameplay to 3D gameplay.

I have to admit, I was torn between Super Mario 64 and Metal Gear, but Metal Gear Solid did more for changing the way people saw Playstation and how Nintendo lost its crown as the market-leader. This point is when that generation changed the most for me.

 

[Xrenity]

See, quite honestly, I'd be tempted to nudge forth Super Mario 64 for the PSX/Saturn/N64 age, if only because it was the game that really showed the shift from 2D gameplay to 3D gameplay.

I'd definately say Mario 64.

MGS only gave us sneaking? Or am I missing something?

 

[hahahax]

1st gen: Super Mario Bros NES

 

[Ristamar]

See, quite honestly, I'd be tempted to nudge forth Super Mario 64 for the PSX/Saturn/N64 age, if only because it was the game that really showed the shift from 2D gameplay to 3D gameplay.

I'd have to agree. And for that matter, why would Madden define the 16-bit era? IIRC, the franchise didn't really start to explode into the unstoppable mega-monster it is today until the PSX era. If you had to pick a sports title NBA Jam might be an even better choice.

 

[VALIS]

(PSX/Saturn/N64) = Metal Gear Solid

(SNES/Genesis) = Madden (and most other EA Sports games)

(NES/Sega Master System) = Super Mario Bros.

Atari Era = Pong

I was typing up my list while you were editing yours (lest you think I copied your list) and it looks like we have the same ideas except for the Atari era. Word.

 

[sonycowboy]

I'd definately say Mario 64.

MGS only gave us sneaking? Or am I missing something?

Metal Gear Solid had the whole cinematic story / presentation going on which was pretty revolutionary, but gameplaywise, it was really just a great game.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I think if you look outside the perhaps narrow view of hardcore gamers the two would probably be FFVII and GTA3. I think.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

I'd have to agree. And for that matter, why would Madden define the 16-bit era? IIRC, the franchise didn't really start to explode into the unstoppable mega-monster franchise until the PSX era.

In college, every dorm room/apartment had a Genesis with either Madden, NHL, Live, and/or FIFA. It was the first time I remember so many people piling in front of a TV and getting that involved in a video game. Plus, so many people who viewed games as a pure waste of time could not resist pummeling their buddies in an EA Sports game.

 

[sonycowboy]

I was typing up my list while you were editing yours (lest you think I copied your list) and it looks like we have the same ideas except for the Atari era. Word.

Atari era would be tough. What stands out as a revolution in that time from a game standpoint?

I'd have to say Pitfall. It had so many innovations that hadn't been seen in home gaming although many were borrowed from arcade games.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Single Player
GTA3

Multiplayer
Battlefield 1942

 

[VALIS]

I'd have to agree. And for that matter, why would Madden define the 16-bit era? IIRC, the franchise didn't really start to explode into the unstoppable mega-monster it is today until the PSX era.

Madden just kind of stands in for sports gaming in general in the 16 bit era. If it wasn't Madden it was NHL. It if wasn't that it was NBA Live. If it wasn't that it was FIFA. If it wasn't that, it was Sega's NFL Football. If it wasn't that, etc. Sports gaming was taking off.

 

[argon]

Really hard to narrow it down to one game, so I'll give 3 (in no order)

Current gen:
Metroid Prime
Soul Calibur
Resident Evil 4

N64/PSX:
Final Fantasy VII
GoldenEye 007
Zelda: OOT

SNES/Genny:
Super Mario Kart
Mortal Kombat (Genesis)
Street Fighter II (SNES)

NES:
Contra
Super Mario 3
Tetris

 

[Ristamar]

In college, every dorm room/apartment had a Genesis with either Madden, NHL, Live, and/or FIFA. It was the first time I remember so many people piling in front of a TV and getting that involved in a video game. Plus, so many people who viewed games as a pure waste of time could not resist pummeling their buddies in an EA Sports game.

Madden just kind of stands in for sports gaming in general in the 16 bit era. If it wasn't Madden it was NHL. It if wasn't that it was NBA Live. If it wasn't that it was FIFA. If it wasn't that, it was Sega's NFL Football. If it wasn't that, etc. Sports gaming was taking off.

Admittedly, they're all popular franchises, but I think they paled in popularity to the behemoth that was Street Fighter 2. Mortal Kombat would likely take a close 2nd (despite my distaste for most things MK). The amount of fighting games spawned from those two titles in the following years was insane.

 

[VALIS]

Atari era would be tough. What stands out as a revolution in that time from a game standpoint?

I'd have to say Pitfall. It had so many innovations that hadn't been seen in home gaming although many were borrowed from arcade games.

That's true, Pitfall was the most innovative and would be one of the "masterpiece" games from that gen, but I took the question more as "what game typifies its generation?" That's why I picked arcade ports, because there were a ton of 'em.

 

[DDayton]

Madden just kind of stands in for sports gaming in general in the 16 bit era. If it wasn't Madden it was NHL. It if wasn't that it was NBA Live. If it wasn't that it was FIFA. If it wasn't that, it was Sega's NFL Football. If it wasn't that, etc. Sports gaming was taking off.

The problem is that I think you are looking the data with a bias. Genesis owners would tend to veer towards sports titles as being defining; I doubt Super Nintendo owners would do the same.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

The problem is that I think you are looking the data with a bias. Genesis owners would tend to veer towards sports titles as being defining; I doubt Super Nintendo owners would do the same.

I agree that SNES gamers saw things differently, but that generation was really defined by the emergence of EA Sports and how it probably gave Genesis more of a mainstream acceptance than the more critically acclaimed gems one finds on the SNES.

 

[Tain]

I think if you look outside the perhaps narrow view of hardcore gamers the two would probably be FFVII and GTA3. I think.

Perhaps?

 

[ghibli99]

Some games that come to mind first (out of the dozens that defined their generation)...

NES/8-bit: Super Mario Bros.

Handheld (80's): Tetris

Handheld (90's): Pokemon

Circa Genesis/16-bit: Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Kart

Arcade (80's): Pac-Man

Arcade (90's): Street Fighter II

Arcade (00's): Dance Dance Revolution

Circa PS1/32/64-bit: Gran Turismo, Soul Calibur, Final Fantasy VII, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

 

[snatches]

Let's add handhelds

Original Game Boy: Tetris

Game Boy Color: Link's Awakening DX

GBA: Wario Ware

edit: beaten

 

[VALIS]

The problem is that I think you are looking the data with a bias. Genesis owners would tend to veer towards sports titles as being defining; I doubt Super Nintendo owners would do the same.

I played quite a bit of Madden and NHL and NBA Live on mine and others' SNESes. The more inaccurate stereotype is SNES owners were all hardcore RPG'ers. Sure, there were a fair amount of titles and some were quite popular (FF3, Chrono, Mana), but it was still mostly a niche segment then as it is now. I worked in a video game store in that era. Sports titles probably outsold RPGs 10 to 1.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Same here. I WAS going to say Metal Gear but GTA3 brought the series and that type of gameplay to the forefront and now millions of players play it.

I think MG's main influence started last gen since it basically started the stealth genre. There's always multiple games each gen though, but there's a main one too. Mario 64 would be the main game from last gen. Then you'd have MGS, FF7, Goldeneye and Gran Turismo.

 

[Leatherface]

This Gen: GTA 3
Last Gen: Super Mario 64

agreed.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

I think MG's main influence started last gen since it basically started the stealth genre. There's always multiple games each gen though, but there's a main one too. Mario 64 would be the main game from last gen. Then you'd have MGS, FF7, Goldeneye and Gran Turismo.

Metal Gear Solid also defined how great voice-acting, music, story, and design can bridge the gap between what one experiences at the movies with what one experiences in a game. For me, the promise of the videos shown in the commercials for FFVII was diminished by the small animated characters that, in appearance only, lacked the dramatic impact the CG cutscenes provided. Metal Gear maintained its appearance throughout and therefore was a more immersive experience altogether. FFVII's story, however, did leave an indellible mark on many of us.

 

[olimario]

THIS GENERATION
-Resident Evil 4
-Metroid Prime

 

[Fallout-NL]

Halo, for turning Xbox into a fps box.

Dont remember playing that many decent FPS games on the xbox.


But for last generation Im gonna be thinking about a few games, Halo, Ninja Gaiden, Resident Evil 4, TWW, Metroid Prime, and ehm GTA 3.

 

[Leguna]

That's a fun question, here's what it should look like:

Atari/Commardor 64 generation: Pitfall and Pong

NES/Sega Master System generation: Super Mario Bros and Battletoads

SNES/Genesis generation: Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat

Saturn/Playstation/Nintendo 64: Super Mario 64 and Golden Eye

Gamecube/Playstation 2/Dreamcast/Xbox:Metal Gear Solid 2 and Halo (hard one)

Now if i was doing my favorite game of each gen, the list would look like this (this list is so hard to make):

Atari/Commardor 64 generation: Pitfall and Star Wars

NES/Sega Master System generation:Battletoads and Double Dragon 2

SNES/Genesis generation: Starfox and Contra 3

Saturn/Playstation/Nintendo 64: Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Metal Gear Solid

Gamecube/Playstation 2/Dreamcast/Xbox: Resident Evil 4 and Metal Gear Solid 3

 

[Kseutron]

Looking at the most recent generation (PS2/XBOX/Gamecube/variety of handhelds) I would have to give the nod to GTA3. For better or for worse, this game did more for its generation than any other.

(PSX/Saturn/N64) = Metal Gear Solid

(SNES/Genesis) = Madden (and most other EA Sports games)

(NES/Sega Master System) = Super Mario Bros.

Atari Era = Pong

you fool

snes/genesis = Street Fighter 2 ERA !

 

[Galactic Fork]

8-bit: Super Mario Bros. Doesn't need much explaining, it got everybody playing.

16-bit: Sonic The Hedgehog. The whole generation was a huge pissing contest between Nintendo and Sega. And Sonic was the start of the war.

N64/PSX: Super Mario 64. It showed that that 3d could be done well in that generation and brough about a 3d revolution of that generation.

PS2/Xbox/GCN: GTA III: Not cause I feel it was extremely revolutionary or even that great. After GTA III it seemed like games had to be "edgy" and "adult oriented" and full of profanity, and all kinds of other such things or else it was too kiddy. A big part of this gen was 16 year old boys feeling like adults cause they were playing a GTA game.

 

[AndoCalrissian]

Mario for 8-bit, Sonic for 16-bit, MGS/Zelda for 32/64-bit, and this past generation was undoubtedly the GTA/Halo generation.

 

[DDayton]

I agree that SNES gamers saw things differently, but that generation was really defined by the emergence of EA Sports and how it probably gave Genesis more of a mainstream acceptance than the more critically acclaimed gems one finds on the SNES.

It was? That generation always seemed defined by fighting games, to me. Fighting games were all over the place...

I played quite a bit of Madden and NHL and NBA Live on mine and others' SNESes. The more inaccurate stereotype is SNES owners were all hardcore RPG'ers. Sure, there were a fair amount of titles and some were quite popular (FF3, Chrono, Mana), but it was still mostly a niche segment then as it is now. I worked in a video game store in that era. Sports titles probably outsold RPGs 10 to 1.

Well, yes, RPGs wouldn't be the defining genre of the period. I just don't see how -sports- titles would have been, either. I don't think you can make the case for sports titles until Madden became a yearly best selling title, honestly.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Metal Gear Solid also defined how great voice-acting, music, story, and design can bridge the gap between what one experiences at the movies with what one experiences in a game. .

Absolutely, its overall cinematic approach definetly had an impact, especially this generation.

There are 2 games that haven't been mentioned for the current gen that should. Devil May Cry for starters, its really what started the modern 3D action games. The other is Dynasty Warriors 2 with its huge battles. It's influence is going to be seen in an even bigger way next gen as we're already seeing.

 

[Reilly]

Could someone please tell me what RE4 did to warrent talk of defining a generation of video games?

 

[olimario]

Could someone please tell me what RE4 did to warrent talk of defining a generation of video games?

It was amazing.
It's the same reason MP made my list.

 

[Reilly]

It was amazing.

you're confused about what "generation defining" is.

 

[SantaC]

Could someone please tell me what RE4 did to warrent talk of defining a generation of video games?

it was out of this world.

 

[renvi]

PS2: GTA3
GC: RE4
XBOX: HALO or NINJAGAIDEN

 

[ToxicAdam]

Pong is a horrible choice for Atari age. Pong is PRE-Atari age. It's like picking Dig Dug for the NES.

If I had to choose, I would go with Pitfall or Space Invaders. Space Invaders was the first arcade port to really sell units and Pitfall was the biggest exclusive title that Atari had.