Was Generation 6 The APEX Of Video Games? | PlayStation 5 VS Dreamcast...? 

Things I miss: -crazy peripherals -system link compatibility -memory cards -4 player split screen co-op -colored cartridges -gba GameCube link cable Also, for me PS3 was the peak because it supported 7 player couch multiplayer

I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and enjoy many different systems, and I don't have a favorite era however the 9th generation is the first one where there isn't a single game after 2 years from launch to entice me to buy a new console. The best games to play on the PS5 and Xbox Series X are from previous generations via backwards compatibility. I can tell you this much: I would never trade my Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube, and Xbox (systems and games) for a PS5 or Series X.

It was the last generation where when games released, they had to be DONE on day one. No DLC or software updates, no retarded microtransactions, or companies wanting to be as greedy as possible. This was also the generation where fanboys weren't nearly as dumb and toxic, as they are nowadays. Whatever piece of hardware you had, it didn't matter and in many cases, you can have friends who own different systems than you and make the best of that, as well. The 6th Gen will always be my favorite generation of gaming. I just wish it lasted longer than it did.

Time for Sega to make a comeback based on a vast game library.I think everyone agrees this new gen is DRY AS HELL

Gen 6 was indeed the peak. But after that not only did gaming start to decline but movies, books, comics and society. Basically the world was a better place pre 2007 and really went to shit after 2013.

I've just stumbled across your channel and I must say it's got some of the most interesting content I've found in a fair while on RU-vid. No over-produced intro, no sponsorship segments, no constant ad breaks, no desperate pleas to like comment and subscribe, no scripts; just 2 lads (my age?) sat talking genuinely about games. How refreshing. More, please.

1990-2010 will be remembered as the greatest years in gaming (NA release of SMB3 and the console wars going into full swing up until the release of Microsoft Kinect in 2010). The amount of technological developments and artistic creativity we saw in 20 years is staggering. The console wars did for gaming what Monday Night Wars did for wrestling. Creativity and innovation driven by fierce competition. In the 2010s creativity and technology started to stagnate, the big companies settled into their positions, DLC and microtransactions became widespread. The rise of indie games is of course the last bastion of creativity, but as far AAA goes the industry is almost completely bereft of any artistry or passion. Nintendo is the only big three company that even remembers that too often forgotten concept of "fun" and the only company still making consoles worth buying. For everything else a PC is really the only thing truly worth owning for gamers.

Gen 6 is when 3D gaming "truly" arrived and home consoles surpassed arcades. I also vividly remember gen 4 and 7 most. Gen 4 was when games seemed fully established, every household knew what Sega and Nintendo where and "console wars" for better or worse were born and there weren't 20+ consoles on the market like in the late 70's. Gen 7 was the last time I was blown away by the graphical leap in generations (look at MGS2 on PS2 compared with MGS V on PS3) and Gen 7 proved innovation and simplicity sells with the Wii.

What's great about the presentation from this era is that, while the graphics had reached an impressive new caliber, there was still need for creative art direction/art style to round off any rough edges. This made for visuals that are not only whimsical and charming, but also stand the test of time.

Gen6(PS2) was great because you put your disc in and you were gaming without downloading a game. Gen7(PS3) probably my fav to collect for and graphics still look perfect. Both libraries were fantastic but then things became a cash grab with remakes and remasters for Gen8 & Gen9.

Towards the end of gen 6 was when the greediest members of the game industry started to realize how much money they could make. When gen 7 started there was a shift towards making as much money as possible and anything that wasn't guaranteed to make a ton of money was out the door. By the time the 8th gen rolled around it was all about DLC, microtransactions, preorder bonuses, and special editions, and it only got worse from there (loot boxes and buying worthless game currency). Money hungry CEOs are what has killed the fun of the game industry.

I recently started playing my PS2 after a few years, and goddamn I always forget how good these games still are! It’s hard to explain, but I feel like they were limited by the times’ tech so they had to prioritize what to keep in their games. In modern times it’s all about packing in as much shite as possible. Some games today can be around 90 GB and I’m like for what fucking reason? I may just be blinded by nostalgia, but those ps2 games had a sense of purpose in their presentation. Like “what should we get rid of or keep?” Rather than “what other pointless sidequest or DLC can we fart onto here?”. Like I said, I could just be blinded by nostalgia, but the main issue I have with modern games is the vast amount of filler and empty content.

Gen 6 is defo the most interesting era. Games were so varied and didn't require you to sink hours on end to finish. Still Playing Wreckless the Yakuza mission on the Xbox and it still blows my mind how well good the game looks. I don't know if it is just me, but I never had this WOW effect with any modern games.

What was so great about gen 6 was how it was both able to embrace previous generations without large use of downloads (we had Midway, Taito, Sega, Capcom, Namco, Intellivision and Activision 2600 compilations - even Nintendo had the Zelda Collection with 8-bit and N64 titles and I think the Gamecube Animal Crossing had NES games available) and the leap in what games would become (Shenmue, Metroid Prime, GTA 3 and Halo) where many just build on what they have done with the open world. I do like gen 7 as well as they were also able to embrace forgotten genres like 2D platformers (Rayman Origins/Donkey Kong Country Returns) point and click adventures (Back to the Future/The Walking Dead Series 1) and on rail shooters (House of the Dead Overkill/Ghost Squad).

Gen 6 was truly something special. It was a little tidbit of gaming history that I don't think we'll experience again outside of nostalgia. We played games together, we carried 200lb CRTs to our friend's houses and ran miles of ethernet cables to network hubs all so we could play games like Halo together competitively with our buddies. That was our weekends, into the wee hours of the morning. Then it was back to school where we eagerly waited for the next get together. Creativity was bountiful. Developers took risks. Countless great titles in every genre. A reason to own every one of the consoles. Games that still hold up and are still fun to play today 20 years later. No shortage of titles to enjoy, and there was seemingly always something new that I wanted to pick up. Gen 7, Gen 8... it's great and all and I still have a good bit of fun but there's just not the same level of blockbuster games to play. It feels so cookie cutter to me when I look back and compare these experiences to those I had as a kid. So many games are even partaking in the current political climate... I don't remember anyone caring or even talking about political crap when we were slaying each other in Halo, stuffing our faces with Casey's pizza, and slamming down 24 packs of Mountain Dew. Nobody cared about that stuff back then, we just had fun playing games. The rabid monetization, releases of unfinished games, and the constant remakes and remasters has become a bit stale to me as well. It's become more about how much money can we milk out of consumers, and less about how can we make a great game that's well polished, and everyone can enjoy right out of the gates. So I wholeheartedly agree that Gen 6 was the Mt Everest of gaming generations, at least so far. I miss those days where we just had fun playing with friends and enjoyed each other's company, today everything is online and I think it makes things less personal and more distant. The games too, just so many games to choose from. So much character and creativity. So much developmental freedom. Great video fellas.

Gen 6 is great, and you’re spot on about the mechanics that were pioneered here and the variety we had. I especially miss the Arcade sports games, but In one very specific aspect, Gen 6 accented a downturn in gaming as I feel like there are very few games that embrace challenging gameplay and that sense of accomplishment that is so prevalent on 8- and 16-bit systems. There’s something to be said about being able to beat Gradius or Castlevania or Batman on NES. There aren’t many games from this generation that are satisfying from a difficulty standpoint. Hard games didn’t really make a comeback until indie devs leaned into them again in the last five or so years.

Man. This is such a good take fellas. We literally played everything in gen 6. No genre was off limits.

I really believe this generation could be awesome, but only if the devs are a bit more experimental with their games and try out new things.

Gen 6 was just such a rich era of risk taking by developers. You will never see something fresh like Guitar Hero, Viewtiful Joe or Katamari Damacy in the world today. Companies demand built-in mass market appeal now. A lot of why gen 6 was so great is that it took the 3D rough concepts that was Gen 5 and refined them. Liked Goldeneye 007? Halo, Black and Timesplitters did it better. Liked Final Fantasy VII? FFX, FFXII, DQ VIII, Persona 3 & 4 and Kingdom Hearts blew the genre wide open. Liked Final Fantasy Tactics? Disgaea 1 & 2, Suikoden Tactics, La Pucelle and Front Mission 4 got you covered. Liked Metal Gear Solid? Splinter Cell, Thief Deadly Shadows and MGS 2 & 3 are going to blow your mind. Liked WWF No Mercy? Day of Reckoning and Smackdown Here Comes the Pain are even more accessible. Liked Zelda Ocarina of Time? Windwaker and Twilight Princess, Rogue Galaxy, Dark Alliance, Jade Empire and Knights of the Old Republic are going to knock your socks off. Liked 1080 snowboarding? SSX Tricky is the best snowboarding game ever made. Period. Liked Tekken 3? Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 5 and SoulCalibur I, II and III are superior. Liked Die Hard Arcade and Guardian Heroes? God Hand, Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks and Urban Reign are even better. Liked Super Smash Bros? SSB Melee is the GOAT. but Power Stone 2 isn't far behind Liked Super Mario 64 and Banjo? Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter are going to rock your world. Liked Spider-Man on N64 and PS1? Spider-Man 2 on PS2 is one of the greatest superhero games of all time. Punisher and Hulk Ultimate Destruction are pretty great too. It didn't matter which genre you loved, Gen 6 was so much bigger and better and brighter. So much so that Gen 7 really couldn't match it. I liked Gen 7 too but Gen 6 is such a pinnacle of greatness than ANY Gen would look somewhat lacking in comparison.

The sixth gen was definitely one of the best and hit me at the right time (high school to early college) where I had lots of friends available and free time. 5th-7th gen was my peak of free time and being able to hangout and game with friends. I do think that the best gen is relative to where you are in life. If I was 20 instead of 35 (with a wife, kids, career, etc) and had a ton of free time and friends to dedicate to the PS4 and Switch they might be my favorite consoles with all the mainstream, indie, and retro collections available. What I miss the most is definitely the innovation of the sixth gen and before.

Playing online during the ps2 and original Xbox era was insane, metal gear solid 3 online and socom 2 was magical, great discussion guys!

Generation 6 consoles were the peak of gaming. And what made them so great was how well AAA development achieved creativity meanwhile being in the forefront of technical innovation as well as 3D rendering innovation. And for us players it meant hanging out with people we really enjoyed and exploring these things together... - Online vs Offline: We actually hung out with our close friends meanwhile having an awesome time together over video games. Today we logon with an avatar playing against huge amounts of anonymous people in gigantic environments. I mean compare Powerstone vs Fortnite... The base premise is kind of similar (last man standing), but the difference is that you were competing- and having an awesome time playing against friends. I still think you can find this in online games, the younger generation play minecraft with their friends from school, but online at home. They don't have the close connection by sitting in the same sofa, but i still think it's the talk of the playground meanwhile also connecting kids when they are at home. - AAA Development: Back in the early 2000s AAA development really was what indie development is today. You explored a fun game mechanic and then ran with it, created a game around the mechanics, polished that gameplay with the absolute best graphics you could produce. It wouldn't take more than 1 year to deliver a "full game" on the Dreamcast. This is why most games had more of an "arcade feel" to them as well (except many times being co-developed towards both consoles and arcades). Indies today however, can't really reach the graphical fidelity of AAA, so there is a huge gap between graphical innovation, and gameplay fun factor. And of course, AAA development don't take risks anymore. - The Tech: Ever since we were able to make "perspective correct 3D," with proper filtering as well as "hardware transform and Lighting", 3D development kind of stagnated. Sure we have gained massive amounts of performance. But that is mostly used to increase resolution. :) What happened in Gen 6 was that we got perspective correct 3D, texture filtering, lightmaps, shadow maps, cube maps, normal maps (bump mapping), geometry 3D culling (Dreamcast had hardware support for geometry culling). All these techniques are prominent in modern game engines today and actually don't look all that different or revolutionary... The step to gen 6 was HUGE. and these techniques were later elevated in gen 7. but after that we kind of stagnated in 3D graphics. Sure of course there were iterative improvements but most of the compute power was put into offering insanely high resolutions instead. I guess the most exciting thing today has to be ray-tracing and advanced upscaling. However, since we have become so good at faking lighting, reflections etc. with raster techniques, the massive jump in fidelity is lost on most.

Gen 6 was definitely my favorite; and for a while I've been thinking about how it was the last generation before a lot of things changed for the worse. While I like the later systems and loved plenty of the games; the PS2 is still my favorite system and I recently got an original XBox to discover and re-discover games I missed out on. There was something special about that generation and I think one of the reasons was that it felt like the last one to have games where you go "This is the future, these couldn't have been done on the previous generation." Games like Devil May Cry and Grand Theft Auto 3 were mind blowing at the time; DMC's gameplay, visuals, style, it was so unique. Even genres that already existed got mind blowing entries; Halo set the new standard for FPS games on console and Metal Gear Solid 2 was insane with all of it's details and cinematic cutscenes. Nostalgia is definitely part of it; but realistically there were so many things that Gen 6 did that we don't, or won't, see now. Games released when they were "done", there were no Day 1 patches or massive changes a few months down the line; if a game came out busted, it was panned and forgotten about. While I think patches can be helpful for those elusive bugs that get caught after launch: ex. Jak 2 had a progression stopper where a mission didn't appear and at the time you either had to start a new game or send Naughty Dog your Memory Card; those issues felt far fewer, at least in the big name titles, than they are now. It was the last generation where you just popped the disc in and played the game; and they were cheaper ($40-$50 on average instead of the $60-$70 now). No generation was "perfect"; but I feel like Gen 6 gets that love and nostalgia, because it truly earned it and we will never have a generation like it again.

The Dreamcast was hands down the most excited I’ve ever been for a console launch. I waited in line at midnight to pick up my pre-order at Electronics Boutique & then went downstairs to Software Etc. to pick up my brother in law’s. I haven’t been pumped about a console launch since the Wii & i just have no interest whatsoever in a PS5 or Series X/S/whatever.

Back when they didn't have DLC, microtransactions, pay to win, and online trolls.

When you mentioned going over to friends houses and experienced different thing, that hit me! I was the Dreamcast house with MvC2 and my school mate was the Xbox house where we all played Halo and another friend has PS2 where we watched DVDs for the first time...it was so great 👍

The problem with the latest gen, other than needing so many updates, and the microtransactions (or in increasing amounts Macro transactions), is we essentially have what feels like 2 consoles (PS has more exclusives, but most games are on PS and XBox). 6th gen, each of the 4 consoles had its exclusives and they all stood out on each of them. No DLC or extra costs, they came out and you could just enjoy them. Gen 7 started that way, and Nintendo has done it's best to keep that "uniqueness" with the Wii, WiiU and the Switch, but so much of late gen 7 through 9 just feels the same with higher costs. There are gems for sure, but overall it just feels less fun then it used to be.

I think Gen6 was the last generation when games came out they graphically blew away the previous generations graphics. Since then the graphical enhancements have been more measured. Yes there is raytracing and HD visuals today, but going from SNES/Genny to PS1/N64/Saturn then to PS2/GCN/XBox/DC had some jaw dropping holy sh*t moments graphically. And dont forget the advent of online console play with DC and Xbox. These two things in themselves are taken for granted today. But back then, they were amazing innovations, something I think is missing these days. So much is not only taken for granted today, but expected.

Stumbled upon this channel a couple of weeks ago. Keep up the great work 👍

I still don’t want a ps5 either which is weird because back when the ps3 and PS4 came out I really wanted the newest console. Modern gaming just isn’t doing for me anymore. I want a N64 rn wayyyy more than I want a PS5. Nothing is on the console that I either can’t play on my PS4 or that isn’t a remaster of which I have already played or own on a previous generation console. Everything else like GT7 I just don’t care about. Also why continue going forward playing half broken games and what not when there are so many other games that I haven’t played yet? I just picked up Mario strikers on GameCube and my wife destroyed me in it because she played it as a kid and it was my first time playing it. Idk game just aren’t the same so I’ll continue playing my older consoles. Gen 6 is my favorite personally but I feel as though if I was born 10 years earlier I would say this about the 4th gen instead

When you think about it. Most of the modern remasters/ remakes these days come from games in the 5th and 6th generations. 1996-2006.. give or take a year or two, was the greatest time for gaming.

The 6th generation of video gaming is by far my favorite generation. 4 amazing game consoles, all of which still hold up to this day. The last generation of game developers making games that worked and didn't need an update patch on the day of release. The era before developers tried to grab every cent out of gamers, although the X Box did start this with DLC (Disc Locked Content), but it was only in its infancy. Truly the last great generation.

Hey brothers first time subscribing after watching this video great content everything you guys said was spot on 100% My opinion: Gen 6 was definitely the ERA after that close to it is Gen 7. Generation 6 I am so grateful I got to experience that era from the beginning a year after release till the end it was An amazing time. The Games had so many variety like you guys mentioned you go to one house u play one style of a game u go to another house u get to experience something new it was a fresh of breath air every time. Company’s took more risks and if it was crap it was crap if it was amazing the replay would and still last long till this day. I feel since it shifted more to the online side of things slowly it shift to a whole other side of things that ruined what made gaming the best starting off with loot boxes , micro , patches (Giving excuses to Release half ass games). Then with company’s evolving it became more of a profit for them and not for the gamers that’s how I feel.

In my opinion gen 6 was the first generation of modern gaming. With relatively new games holding up compared to modern games. But now the new threat is games turning into play it safe money machines.

I’ve been calling this the best gaming era in history for many years. Finally a relief to see other veteran gamers like me to acknowledge this. Having four different consoles, distinctive exclusive only games to their home consoles. Gaming isn’t the same as it used to be… You had more casual gamers like me out there…. Many younger gamers can’t even understand or comprehend the importance of this time period or how this truly was the best era of gaming. You had to live through it to understand how remarkable it was. It was so surreal to play house of dead, powerstone, soul calibur on Dreamcast. While playing halo on Xbox, tekken tag on ps2, luigi’s mansion or super smash bros melee.

I think, personally, once online play became mainstream, it took some of the enjoyment out of gaming for me. I always remember how much fun we had all sat round a small CRT playing 4 player Goldeneye on the N64. Watching each others screens to see where they were, so much fun back then. These days, kids are sat on their own playing online. Im not saying its any better or worse but for me, I got so much more from gaming sat with my friends in the same room having a blast! Old school!

GEN 6, no downloads, no updates, no BETA testing as a consumer, lots of physical devices, microphone games like Sea Man and Mario Party...etc. You both are very correct on this. Thanks for the discussion.

I totally agree with you guys about Gen 6 being the apex of gaming. I could argue that Gen 4 was the apex of 2D gaming, but there's so much to love about Gen 6 that it's easily the high point of gaming. Most of what came after, while not necessarily bad, was very cookie cutter, with the exception of some indie games. Gaming needs to go back to that era of experimentation. Both SEGA and Nintendo were at their peak during this generation with really unique titles that were total quality.

Don’t forget the magical part of this era that was the ability to rent games and finish them on the weekend in the instead of dumping $50 on them 💫 Phar Mor had Sega genesis and super Nintendo game rentals for one dollar at a point I miss Blockbuster video so much ✊

This was a great video guys! Really enjoyed the nostalgia chat and you’re spot on with your points, I feel the same about the skateboarding boom and the Monday night wars I was lucky enough to be around for. Nothing beats those days! At home, I’ve told myself I don’t move my ps4 up to the games room until ALL my friends have a ps5. We’re all big on retro and old school shit, and we all agree that these days isn’t the same. NOTHING in the gaming universe will beat a rainy Sunday afternoon with no plans in the late 90’s, with curtains drawn and a cup of tea (UK baybay) with final fantasy, THPS2, Streets of Rage, No Mercy, Metal Gear etc etc and the feeling of full immersion. Thanks for the video guys, much love as always, love this channel! X

You guys nailed it! I've played from Atari 2600 to PS4 and love them all of course, but gen 6 was a special place in time for video games. I'm sure nostalgia is part of it, but I still play my PS2 and Dreamcast regularly and am still finding new games for them that are awesome! I don't know what the future holds for gaming but I hope the execs at Sony and Microsoft (and Nintendo) see videos like this and give us a reason to spring for the new consoles...they haven't yet for me.

You guys have showed me the way. I've given up on modern consoles. I've started my collection of classics now. Hopped on the Wii U, Gamecube collection train. I just picked up both Rouge Squadron games on the Cube at the Iowa Retro meetup at the Uptown Garage this last weekend.

Its not Nostolgia games really were objectively better back in the day. Games came complete in box no game breaking bugs, well-polished, full of extras and unlockable no microtrans trash.

Thanks for this upload. Your videos really help me get out of my head. Keep up the good work brothers!

16 bit generation is the king. Fight me

I really feel you guys on this. I think gaming has lost its innovation. Everything feels the same anymore. My favorite era was a combination between Gen 6 & 7. I thought they made a lot of amazing games.

There will never be another gen 6… it was truly an amazing and groundbreaking time. We were all lucky to have been able to live through it

It seems like Gen 6 was the time when technical innovation and creativity in the industry truly reached a sweet spot and converged. Not to say there's no innovation or creativity today; but back then, you could feel the leap.

This is honestly a GREAT topic! I don't think I've seen anyone cover this. I was so unexcited for the PS5 and Xbox One Series X. The Switch still holds some mystery and fun. But I grew up in the 80s, born in the 70s. I've seen it all from the Atari 2600 to NES to Genesis to PS to N64....... and to today. The late 80s to the mid 2000s was the prime time. Those systems all overlapped. It's just stale and hollow now with some exceptiions.

Yes! Though like you guys I don't know what it's like to not have nostalgia for this time, but from a game design standpoint it was the perfect confluence of technology, creativity and accessibility. Lessons had been learned from the janky 3D pioneering efforts of the 5th gen, while remaining true to the core elements of what makes games FUN. Original ideas and small dev teams were still viable in the mainstream, and games as a service or loot-boxes weren't yet a twinkle in the greedy eye of shareholders. The tech hadn't ballooned out too much yet, but had also reached new heights that allowed for implementation of new ideas and art direction that stands up to this day. The old adage rings true: less is more. If nothing else, we can treasure the memories, and we'll always have gen 6 to show our grandkids when they ask "whats a video games?"

Fun and interesting video! Great topic. I think this was definitely the best time for gaming. I never had a Playstation or Xbox console growing up, but all my friends did. I had a GameCube. Now I have all of those Gen 6 consoles, and I am loving going back and playing those games. It was the golden age for gaming, for sure!

The 6th gen of video games is the best gen. It's something that will never be replicated. There was more competition and more options for the gamers to choose what to play. Sure, you could have gotten a dud, but you may also find a gem that not everyone knew about. It was a time where you still could get that couch co-op going on so many games before the online gaming really took off. Unfortunately, at the end of that generation, It was the beginning of the end of many licensed titles and exclusive deals being put in place. I'm especially looking at you Sports titles. Things seemed more flexible back then where developers and publishers would take more risks and put out something unexpected, that you had not experienced before that you didn't even know you wanted to play, but sure were glad you did. It was the last time where really the big and main focus was developing games to play before the more heavily favored services would be pushed in future generations. The last of the physical media for full games even if some digital DLC, which still would be released on discs at some point. The last where you could just pop in a game and play it. The last of being able to trip people with your controller cords or yell at them for walking by and Ripping it out. Sure Nostalgia plays a part in this, but there're games that I yearn to play and that I enjoy playing. 6th generation of video games equals the APEX of video games.

I was rocking out to Local H in the truck at work today, and the gamecube has my favorite console library period

I've been saying Gen 6 was the pinnacle for years. Sure, graphics improved, but there was something special about 6. Each system was special and amazing in their own way. DC was ahead of its time with some hidden gems, ps2 had a massive library, xbox had halo and Xbox Live, and GC had the great first party titles. I miss that generation. Nostalgia plays a part, but it's more than that.

Also, games came out complete back then. Not heavily relying on DLC or patches. Games back then, also aimed to be more fun. Less corporate and less copying what's popular.

I agree. The sixth generation was the best generation for video games. The technological advances were amazing, the amount of new and original games available was overwhelming, Karen was just Karen, I did not need blue pills to make things work when I went on dates with Karen. Ahhh, good times, good times. Cheers guys.

I do agree but also I feel like you mentioned in the video that it also pulls on the emotional nostalgia heartstrings.It feels like the game companies were willing to take more chances on gaming developers and the games that they were making as opposed to current generation consoles where the companies just want to bank on the titles that they're sure of. You do see some indie developer games here and there but not as with much gaming fanfare as they would have gotten during the 6th generation console lifetime.

Honestly though. Gen 6 was a different time. I had a gamecube and loved playing melee, the wind waker, Mario sunshine; my friend had a ps2 and I would go have just as much fun playing god of war, jak and daxter, smack down vs raw; my cousins had an Xbox and we had a blast playing crash nitro kart, 4 player shrek 2, and Disney skateboarding. There was so much more to offer from the 6th gen of gaming and the larger part of my collection is from the 6th gen because of it.

Gen 5 is my favorite since the N64 and PS1 were both revolutionary consoles that each had their own unique personality and complemented each other well with different types of games.

Gen 6 is and will always be the greatest ever for gaming. Currently its more fun hunting for these older games in the wild than seeing what's on the release schedule for the Series X/PS5 and cheaper too because of how much buy-in there was for the gaming market back then. Gamers back then saw the epic experiences that can be had with the variety of games & consoles on offer. Titles like Manhunt, the PS2-era GTA games and even the Tony Hawk games all focused on delivering a solid, enjoyable experience for the player and were not bogged down by the political correctness, microtransactions and half-bake releases that we see today. I have good memories of Gen 6 and I refuse to have this wither as I continue to buy and play many of the gems we had 20 years ago today.

Great topic. In my opinion, Gen 6.5 was peak: The Wii. The last system to have true CIB games with no DLC, patches. It still connects to a CRTV. All games included manuals. Developers were still experimenting with new concepts. So many hidden gems. I hated it at the time...but I now consider the Wii the ultimate and final "Retro" console. And the great thing about it is that it is still relatively cheap. I can guarantee that the Wii and many of its games will be very sought after in 20 years.

Was just about to suggest a video about your opinions on what was "the golden era". So many dead franchises and one-off gems where I can't find comparable games being made. On my shelf: Robot arms, Skies of Arcadia, The last story, Hexen, Shadowman, Duke Zero hour, Castlevania 64, Battlion wars - all games I go back to, Maybe not financial hits - and most new games are trying to copy the hits. So many limitations have been removed, that it feels like you're getting an AAA experience, or an indie game. No 10-20 hr games. A lot of big games I don't even finish. RDR2, Elden ring, FF15, one of the PS4 Batmans... Amazing games, but they're so big I somehow lose interest after taking a break, it feels like a chore to pick them back up with remembering the controls and what have you. Love your guys content and consistency. I appreciate the work you put in, and you guys should be a much bigger YT channel than you are IMO.

I saw Adam Koralik put out a funny message a few days back where the amount of time between the Atari 2600 and the PS2 matched up to the time between the PS2 and today. When I saw that, it made me realize how lucky I am to be born in 1984 to witness that period between the Nes up to PS2. Great times!

I came before the Atari and Colecovision generation and played and loved those then fell out of love with video games until the original Xbox and Halo CE came out and got me back into gaming and i have not stopped since. Even though the Turbografx-16 is my favorite system i did not collect hardcore for that system until well after it was long dead.

Gen 6 was just a much simpler time in gaming and for me personally it was no doubt a great one for so many reasons and in particular the ones you mentioned. I think that's the best way to put it, especially for myself as I was in my early 20s at the time. Games now have bigger budgets, are more complex and have longer dev cycles. With online a big part of games today, we see more games as a service which focuses more on shorter community-based experiences and gaming companies getting their return on investments with DLC and microtransactions. Because of this, we tend to see more innovation happening with smaller budget and/or indy games because the risks are less, especially financially. However, there are so many smaller budget/indy games now that they get lost in the shuffle. Back in Gen 6, devs had to jump through hoops just to get your games on a platform. I think another big part of it is nostalgia. What was happening during that time period in your life? What role did gaming play during it? I understand many people establish their primary taste in music during a certain time, maybe games are similar? I think every persons own "pinnacle of gaming" will vary based on their circumstances in life. I wonder if gamers way younger or way older would have different answers? Even though Gen 6 was great, I have had many amazing experiences in each generation (even the current) so it's difficult for me to pick just one as the "pinnacle". Great video I completely understand where you are coming from though. It really has got me thinking about what I like in each generation and I could personally do a story or video of why each of the generation is great. Great work boys. ✅

You guys remind me of old school RU-vid and I'm here for it!

For me it was bitter sweet. Sega discontinuing the Sega Dreamcast hit us Sega fans hard, but purchasing PS2, GameCube, & Xbox kind of filled the void.

These guys saying what I've been trying to put into words

Totally agree 6th generation is the perfect Sweet spot between the old way of things and the modern way of things and yet we didn't have to worry about DLC software updates micro transactions or any kind of censorship or woke nonsense or anything like that it was just pure fun games. 7th gen is a close second I really enjoy the 360 and the PS3 era but that's when you start having a foot in the modern era with the aforementioned issues but it's not nearly as bad as today's modern gaming which I barely do anymore. My series X hasn't been turned on in months although I have been gaming on my switch a little bit more recently but that's only because the switch reminds me of those good old days of gaming. The DLC micro transactions and software updates aren't nearly as egregious as other systems these days. Anyway long winded comment but keep up the great work guys you are always on point!!

The conclusion I've come to on the last two console generations is that there made with a different intention then past generations. It's all about the platform now, not the game. You can get almost any game on any platform now. These companies don't care if you use someone else's platform as long as you use there platform as well. Additionally, I feel the commercialization of the industry has come full circle. In that it's no different then the other entertainment industries. There's multi-million highly advertised releases and small indie releases and nothing in between. There are a lot of really fun indie games that come out all the time. But just like music, movies, books, TV shows and so on. Unless you are willing to dig to find them you'll never hear about them.

Guys are my favorite gaming channel, I full heartedly believe this also. I had the Dreamcast from launch and it was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Still discovering games for it! Also, you guys are hilarious, come to a Cali game con one of these days! 🤙🏽

The Dreamcast had one of the best launch lineups ever. Sega deserves credit for the amazing development tools they made available. PS2 had 4000 games, so no argument there. Simply said, I will never buy a PS5 in it's current form...I promise! New Gen gaming is summed up in one word: DELAYS. There's enough classic and indie stuff to keep me busy for 2 decades!

Ok I feel ya here guys. Gen 6 was when the industry had a lot of income and most things were relatively unexplored. It was an exciting time. You are 100% right about 9th gen consoles. While I love my PS5, It only has a few true exclusives. Developers are afraid to go with PS5 exclusive because they know they can not make sales to 100% of a small install base. At the moment I know of only 2 true exclusive games, Returnal and Ratchet and clank rift apart. Having such a struggle to establish a large player base is not enticing to 3rd party developers. Plus Sony now stands accused of turning its back on Japan, and lots of Japanese gamers are turning away from Sony and the excessive censorship in games on Sony consoles. Games have become formulaic because the publishers are chasing money and not good games. The goal these days is profit. Back on 6th gen, a Good game had a lot of profit as a byproduct of being a good game, not because profit was the goal. Making a good game was the goal, and the reward was profit. Yea games are going with these huge budgets, and that creates a lot of pressure to make money. Publishers want big. Big Games, Big numbers, Big money. I wanted an Xbox Series X until I learned that I could play Halo Infinite on the One X. At the moment, 9th Gen does not have an exclusive killer app, and I think it may be a long time before we See 10th Gen. I hope this does not cause the 2nd big video game crash.

Totally agree guys, WWF, gaming and especially the guitar music…holy shit what a time to be alive!

Great job keep up the good videos 🔥

To me, it feels like rather than getting new generations, we just keeping getting a new generation 7 over and over again. I like gen6 but I don't think I'd call it the apex of gaming. I think that covers a number of generations from the late '80s up until about 2012 when AAA games really started to decline as a group. I suspect big games just started to cost too much money to develop and those who love games stopped having as much influence in what got made. Meanwhile medium size developers couldn't cope with the new and increasing expectations for high production values and largely went out of business or became very niche in focus. It seems all we have to look forward to now are indies. Indies are great but they're too small for some things. You're not likely to sell me a PS5 to play an indie game.

Add gba

Gen 6 is where the open world concept began. Driver + GTA 4 (and beyond) and Spider-Man 2 (Toby Mcquire) to be specific...

You guys are right on point! Back in the day, there was always that one specific game I NEEDED to play, so I absolutly had to by the new consol. For me it was Super Bario Bros for the NES, Super Mario World for the SNES, Resident Evil for the PS1 and of course GTA 3 for the PS 2. And there it ended for me! After that I always waited 1 year, 2 years or even longer to switch to the next generation... I am still planing on getting a PS5, but I have absolutly no rush... I just dont feel the need like back then... it feels like all Im gonna get is more of the same with better graficts and more FPS, but no real inovation at all!!

Honestly, this is the first console gen that I don't really feel like I need to run out and get. I'm pretty happy with my PS4 Pro and Switch, if anything I'd rather spend my money on the games for these consoles. Throw in getting a N64 for bday I'm rocking WrestleMania 2k & WCW/NWO Revenge plus bunch of other games I got.

G6 was crazy because there were "must-have" games coming out WEEKLY between the four consoles. It was also the birth of online gaming and the mmorpg. G7 was interesting because yes "AAA" mainstream gaming became more homogenized, but we saw the birth of indie games and a return to pixel art. But i think most of g7-g9 has such a huge focus on open world mission based games with heavy narrative. I will occasionally watch a compilation video of upcoming big budget games and after about 10 minutes of watching, the games start blending into each other.

Gen 6 was a perfect storm of developers wanting to experiment with games as they were more use to 3D and having 4 companies wanting to be top dog so they went all out.

Yeah, looking back there's definitely a nostalgia factor but at the same time hindsight is 20/20 so it's easier to see which games stood the test of time and why.

It just goes to show that competition always generates innovation and greatness! Will all these companies buying up all these game studios, there is no need for variety. Gen 6 forever! Love the content, guys! Here in KCMO. A great gaming community and events happening here.

"You don't realize that this is a pocket of time that will never be replicated again." Is it the fact that we're trying to replicate that pocket of time the reason why it feels like we'll never have that again?

Ok, here's were I show my age. My first system was the Atari 7800 (when it was contemporary). I have a lot of good memories about playing games with my dad. I was 9 and the high school kid across the street had a cool new system called the NES. He used to invite me over to play with him and we had a blast. After we moved around a bit, I stopped gaming for awhile and spent more time outdoors, so I didn't really get back into gaming until gen 5. I was living at home and my dad got a PlayStation. (For himself I might add Lol) It was great to spend some down time after work playing games. (I did buy my own btw😁) I was soooo impressed by the quality and sheer vastness of the library! If I had to pick my most nostalgic generation, it would be this one (gen 5). I totally agree with you about the gaming scene of gen 5 and 6 (I bought a new PS2 fatty at launch). Developers were innovative and daring. Publishers were willing to take risks and there was quite literally games to appeal to anybody. I love my PS4 and I also just got a Xbox One, but I feel that we are suffering a loss of true variety. Developers pump out FPS or 3rd person action, and Indies seem to lean towards platformers. Also, everyone feels the need to lean more towards online multi player. I am a die hard single player. Every time I try online multi player, the trolls come out to play. I don't see how gaming can advance if we get pigeon holed into the playing the same games just with different characters and maybe a plot twist. Give us something new and unusual to appeal to are inner child (or inner freak Lol)! Viv la revelucion! 😁

Local H. Hell yeah. My band gigged with them a bunch around the Gen 6 era. This all hits hard lol.

Generation 6 is my favorite era of gaming as I still have my original xbox (modified to support Xbox hd+) and GameCube (using eon hdmi adapter) hooked up to my 4k tv. I have no intention of getting the newest generation of gaming as I still have a huge backlog of games to catch up on from generation 6, 7 and 8.

I'll never forget my dreamcast days. Bought it with my own money. Played chuchu rocket, quake 3 and 4x4 evolution online. Sonic. Seaman. Soul calibur. Powerstone. Nuts! I could browse the web and use mIRC on my tv. Amazing.

Saved by the Bell is still great! Back when shows taught you alot about growing up! Timeless show!

This video is what I’ve been talking about for a while, Gen 6 was about companies taking risks and us being rewarded with a once in a lifetime experience.

Agree with every word. Gen 6 was absolutely the peak, I do have a ps5 and series x, but they’re just gathering dust and I honestly wish I hadn’t bothered. I’m tempted to sell them since I still own a ps4/xb1 and nothing coming out makes me say “I HAVE to play this” I don’t own a single next gen exclusive game, and my new consoles are just glorified RU-vid machines, which has been a feature since the 360 and ps3. Pretty much the only consoles I’ve spent a lot of time with this year are the ps2, OG Xbox, and the 360 (gen 7 but still miles better than series x). It just feels like we have the most powerful consoles ever, yet the majority of games are increasingly getting worse as time goes on, both from a quality and innovation standpoint.

I agree with everything you guys said. Gen 6 was absolutely the peak for me, since gen 6 I have had every new gen until now. Had an og XBox then 360, my girlfriend at the time had a Wii. Then we got a Wii U, XBox One and PS4 then a Switch. I have had fun with all of the consols but right now I play more gen 6 and early gen 7 than about anything right now with some 8-bit and 16-bit thrown in. I bought another og XBox last year since the one I had when I was a teenager died long ago, my son loves playing on it and I play it more than any of my other consols right now and it's been amazing to go back to.

MONO NO AWARE : The impermanence of things. A gentle sadness or wistfulness at their passing as well as a longer deeper gentle sadness about this state being the reality of life

Gen 6 was definitely the Golden Age of video games indeed. I mean so many heavy hitters on the PS2/Gamecube/Xbox, you'd be hard pressed to get tired of playing something like Ace Combat 5 and Zero, and then of course there's the RPGs (notable examples being Shadow Hearts and Xenosaga trilogy). Oh and of course the fanboys of each respective console wasn't as toxic as nowadays, because all three of 'em are loaded to bear with quality game after quality game.

Graphics, animation and online has improved. Everything else has stagnated since Gen 6. And the worst part is the publishers are holding it back ON PURPOSE

Love "The Thing" shirt! Have you ever seen another one of Carpenter's masterpieces called In The Mouth of Madness?

The analogy of late 90s wrestling hit me hard. It might be that we have too much information these days but the magic of discovery feels missing. Also, I think the game room is iconic and helps give character to GOTG. You gotta keep using it in the videos!

Wow, I have to say it's refreshing to see someone explain so well how I feel about current gaming. I grew up in 84, I've had/have a nes, snes, ps1-4, gamecube, xbox, xbox 360, xbox one, Wii, Wii U. Much of these consoles I purchased after the fact because I got disenfranchised with modern gaming around mid to late ps4 time. Most games on ps4 I enjoyed were games already made and just remastered and didn't care much about the exclusives. ps4 gen wasn't bad just not for me so I Got an Xbox One to try the varied library plus the backwards compatibility. Most games on Xbox One I've played are indie developers and I've spent more time with previous gen games. 7th gen to me was last gen that they were trying to be innovative but 6th gen is still king. As yall said we didn't care about hardware and specs we just wanted games that were fun. PS2 could play ps2 games AND play dvds and ps1? So much incentive! And Gamecube was what got me to love Mario Kart cuz doubledash is up there along with games like Eternal Darkness, Mario Tennis, and Resident Evil Remake (which I can't beleve no one was talking about because it was sooooo good!) I know more about ps2 games now than ever still discovering gems like Haunting Ground and Rule of Rose, that's another reason 6th gen was great because it was the pinnacle of horror titles! Games from that era are just as exciting now as ever! I just beat Halo 2 because I didn't have og xbox in the day and it's exciting to check that off my list and find more xbox games that I missed out on. There are enough games from 5th and 6th gen to last my lifetime and I'm okay with that, emulation will hopefully keep these games alive well into the future as games get more rsre and costly and consoles eventually die, but the innovation and excitement of 6th gen gaming and it's legacy will never die.

Great video guys; as usual. Side note; love that Local H tee man. Underrated band for sure. They used The White Stripes formula of just two people over a decade before Jack White. Nice