Love letter to a generation

I want to talk about what I genuinely believe has been the greatest generation of gaming there has ever been - and no, this is not another overwrote trip down Memory Lane where I harp on about arcades. This article is about the last generation of games machines, the generation which, with the release of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this month, is finally entering retirement.

While I'm far from the oldest gamer around, at 38 I am still an old gamer. I'm old enough to remember the halcyon days of the 8-bit generation, the dawn of 16-bit generation and the sense of wonder that came with the first polygonal graphics. I started out on an old Pong clone, which featured two paddle controllers, five game modes and that's it! I "progressed" from that to an Atari 2600, then an Acorn Electron, then a Sega Master System, then a Commodore Amiga, then on to a PlayStation, an N64, a PC (with all the upgrading jiggery-pokery that goes with PC gaming), a Dreamcast, a PlayStation 2 and a GameCube combo, and I currently own a Wii and Xbox 360, with a smattering of PC gaming via Steam. I've owned GameBoys of all generations, as well as a Neo Geo Pocket and now get my mobile gaming kicks on my Sony Xperia phone. I was there when arcades ruled gaming and I rue the fact I did not realise they were fading into obsolescence until it was too late. I spent a number of years working in the industry for one of the UK's oldest developers, only to see them falter and fold under the mounting development costs of the last generation. What I'm saying is, when it comes to gaming, I've pretty much seen it all. So believe me when I say this past generation, the generation of the online console, DLC, motion gaming and indy games, has been the greatest generation in gaming history. Let's have a look at what's been going on since launch of the first last gen console.

Ex-Box

In 2001 Microsoft entered the console market with the Xbox, a vast black leviathan of a games machine with an equally vast controller, nicknamed "The Duke". The console was moderately successful, with Halo proving to be one of the most important games of the whole generation, but the Xbox was no where near as popular as its main rival, the PlayStation 2. Nonetheless, I think we were all surprised when Microsoft promptly replaced it, a mere 4 years later. That replacement was the Xbox 360, followed a year later by Sony's new console, the predictably named PlayStation 3. Little did anyone realise at the time just how different things were going to be this time around.

The first Xbox, not to be confused with the Xbox One.

High definition and online gaming

The mid-2000s saw the popularisation of two technologies that were crucial for getting the most out of the 360 and PS3: HDTVs and broadband internet. Suddenly, home consoles could offer the kind of high quality visuals and intense online competitive play which had previously been the preserve of PC gaming only. Both consoles had their fair share of brilliant online games, such as Forza 2 and Gears of War on the 360 and Killzone 2 and Resistance: Fall of Man on PS3, but it was a game that was available on both systems that really elevated online console gaming. That game, if you hadn't guessed, was Infinity Ward's sublime, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. From the moment we saw the ghilly suit and perks trailers, we knew this was going to be great, but we had no idea it would pretty much take over the gaming world, with people who might otherwise not even call themselves gamers buying consoles and playing nothing but Call of Duty.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was probably the most important
game of the generation.

But online gaming didn't just mean multiplayer, it also offered companies the opportunity to flog us Downloadable Content, or DLC for short. Some of this stuff genuinely added to the gaming experience, things like additional level packs, weapons and vehicles, but some of it was trash (the horse armour for Elder Scroll IV: Oblivion epitomised this kind of virtual racketeering)! It also allowed companies to push patches for their games, which lead to the unfortunate situation where games would ship needing to be patched right out of the box. The other controversial thing online consoles allowed companies to do was charge for content that was actually shipped on the disc . This had people incensed, although the idea of licensed software was not anything new, it was just new to video games; operating systems and software suites have been doing the same thing for years.

Motion gaming explosion

While Microsoft and Sony were winning over hardcore gamers, Nintendo, in a way that only Nintendo could pull off, won over non-gamers with something completely different. Technologically, the Wii console was years behind the 360 and PS3, but its use of motion based gaming as the central control method opened up the hobby to millions of people, from young children to mothers looking to do some exercise to old folks who had never previously even used a computer. For many people, the only games they needed on the Wii were Wii Sports, which was bundled with the console, and Wii Fit, complete with its high tech scales known as the balance board. Nonetheless, the console went on to ship over 100 million units - more than either of its HD rivals.

PlayStation Move is probably the best motion controller of them all.

Of course Microsoft or Sony could not allow Nintendo to corner such a significant part of the market and so in 2010 Sony launched their own version of the Wii-mote called the PlayStation Move and Microsoft launched their controller-free answer, the Kinect sensor. Neither proved to be as popular as Nintendo's console and for many hardcore console gamers these devices were an affront to everything the 360 and PS3 stood for.

Rise of the indies

Something else significant happened during the last generation. In stark contrast to the rising budgets and increasingly cinematic feel of games such as Uncharted, Heavy Rain and Mass Effect, small and independent studios started to attract the attention of the gaming press. Figures such as Jonathan Blow, Phil Fish and Markus "Notch" Persson created imaginative, alternative games that formed the foundation for the indie dev scene (which was also the former name and focus of this very blog). With the success of Minecraft and rave reviews Braid received, small developers started springing up everywhere. And thanks to the popularity of iPhones and Android phones, these developers found audiences everywhere.

These days I don't have much time to play games and so I love all the little gems that are out there. The other thing about the indie dev scene is that they tend to make games with a retro aesthetic. For many this was done to cut costs, but it soon became fashionable and despite the HD capabilities of the modern consoles, it was no longer a crime to show your pixels.

(Clockwise from top-left): Minecraft, Braid, Fez and Super Meat Boy,
four of the most influential indie games over the past 5 years.

More than just a games machine

Just as mobile phones have become smart phones, with more power than most PCs had back in 2005, so too have consoles grown to become more than just games machines. These days people are just as likely to use their consoles to play DVDs and Blu-Rays or use one of the many media streaming services, such as Netflix or the BBC iPlayer to stream movies, TV series and even live events! I actually have friends who only use their consoles for this, because they can do such a good job of it (especially the PS3). 

Who needs Sky or Virgin Media?

My highlights

I wouldn't be writing this article if I didn't have lots of highlights, some of which I have spoken about already in So you don't like modern games? Aside from what I talked about in that article, other highlights have included the rise of the indie scene, with many of my favourite games costing less that £15 quid. Fez is such a beautiful, ingenious game that it makes me feel sad for people who don't play games. I've also loved the renewed popularity of pinball, thanks to Zen Studios and Far Sight Studios. I own versions of their tables on my phone, my PC (via Steam) and my 360 and I'm constantly dabbling with them. Other highlights have been little things like cable-free controllers (once I wised up and bought a load of rechargeable AAs). But if I had to pick just one franchise that has thrilled and enthralled me the most, it would be Bioware's Mass Effect. For me this series encapsulates everything that was great about this generation.

I've probably thrown myself harder into this generation than any other during my adult life, but despite that there are a number of big gaps in my gaming career over the past 8 years. Most notably, I've not played any of the Assassin's Creed games. I thought the original looked great, but it came out in 2007, same as COD4, Mass Effect, Portal, Guitar Hero III, Super Mario Galaxy and Uncharted, so something had to give. And because I no longer own a PS3, I haven't had the chance to play Last of Us, a stunning example of just how powerful and progressive modern games have become.

The new generation

I'm not one for early adoption, not least because early games are often poor, but also because I take a long time to get through games; I still have a considerable stack of 360 and Wii games to finish. Deciding which console to buy is always tricky. Last time around the decision was made for me, because I won my 360 in a competition and my Wii came with a phone contract. I did briefly own a PS3, but at the time there were not many exclusive games and Sony's online services did not compare well to Microsoft's, so I sold it (sorry, Sony fans). 

In some ways, as games machines get closer to one another, as the PS4 and Xbox One undoubtedly are, it actually gets harder to decide. Back in the days of the MegaDrive vs SNES, both machines had loads of exclusives, so which ever you chose you were going to get a pretty distinct experience, but the Xbox One and PS4 will only have a handful of exclusives, with only a few games on either machine to sway your decision one way or the other. I really like the look of the Xbox One and of all the next gen games I've seen Titanfall interests me the most, but... after 6 years of intensive gaming on the Microsoft machine, I fancy a change of scenery, so I'm being pulled towards the PS4. However, there is a new player coming next year, one who's service I already use and like a lot more than either Sony's or Microsoft's, so who knows.

One thing's for sure: I've been gaming for over 30 years and with how busy I am at work, it's about the only hobby I have left, so whatever happens, I'm not going to quit now.

MTW

Top 10 light gun games

Games and guns, it's like an unfortunate match made in heaven. These days there are anxious parents, politicians and religious groups worried that 11 year-olds who play Call of Duty will one day gun down their class mates, whilst simultaneously overlooking facts like 11 year-olds shouldn't be given access to Call of Duty, America's gun laws are way too lax or truly disturbed people need little reason to commit acts atrocity. Anyway, I'm getting a little off topic here. This month's top 10 is light gun games, one of the few types of game you're still likely to see in an arcade, which is ironic, as it's up there with pinball games as one of the very oldest forms of arcade entertainment, going back to the 1930s. This bunch are all a lot more modern than that though.

Operation Wolf/Operation Thunderbolt

Despite the fact light gun games have been arcades for decades before video games entered the amusement industry, for most arcade throwbacks the granddaddies of the genre are Operation Wolf and its sequel Operation Thunderbolt. At the time, Arnold Swartzeneggar was one of the biggest action heroes around and was synonymous with the Uzi 9mm, so getting to hold the replica on the cabinet was a thrill in itself.

Mad Dog McCree

Full Motion Video (FMV) in video games never fails to be cheesy, even when people have tried to use it seriously, but when it's used knowingly, as with American Laser Games' 1990 Western, Mad Dog McCree it's even more fun. The hammy acting, the distinct lack of any actual gun shot wounds and every Cowboy cliché under the sun, it's all here.  This game is now available on Wii, so you can still enjoy the cheese today.

Virtua Cop

The Sega Model 2 arcade system powered some great examples of the 90s polygon insurgence, which saw more and more video games move away from sprites in favour of 3D models. The Virtua series is worthy of an article all of its own, with Sega attaching the name to everything from sports games and driving simulators, to beat 'em ups and law enforcement. Virtua Cop pre-dates Namco's Time Crisis by a year and like many of the Virtua games tried to be more serious and realistic. Whatever, it was still great fun.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Back in the early 90s, Terminator 2 was a cultural phenomenon. Arnie being suitably robotic, Linda Hamilton butching up, but somehow still managing to be sexy, a Guns 'n' Roses sound track that rocked the cinema and the best CG we'd ever seen. Translate this to the arcade and of course we get a light gun game. This shooting gallery of mechanical mayhem may not have looked as good as Robert Patrick's liquid metal T-1000, but who wouldn't want to fill one of those cyborg monsters full of hot digital lead?

Ninja Assault

Ninja's are fast, agile, deadly assassins, employing shadows and camouflage to move through the night unnoticed, so when you think about it, the best way to deal with such a deadly foe is probably to blow them away with a machine gun. I never really understood the disparity between your weapons and the attackers, but it was a blast nonetheless.

Point Blank

So far this list has been full of soldiers, criminals and killer robots, so let's change gear and talk about one of the cuteness, craziest light gun games of all time, Namco's Point Blank. Instead of a cheesy story as with all the other games in this list, Point Blank was technically a mini-game collection, where the player could chose what stage they wanted to play next and no single stage took more than a 30 seconds to a minute to complete. The game used similar guns to Time Crisis, so you got that same great recoil action and in context with the game's visuals, the pink and cyan guns made a lot more sense than with Time Crisis.

Ghost Squad

Nothing Sega's Ghost Squad does is particularly original, in fact it employs every wrote trick and set piece in the book, but there's something about the way it brings all these familiar elements together that makes it a joy to play. It's like a really good cover band, who, despite playing another band's music, still manage to rock the house. This is a game I first discovered on the Wii and it demonstrates Nintendo's uber-popular console is a great platform for light gun action.

Police 911

Taking of motion gaming, before Microsoft's Kinect camera or even Sony's EyeToy camera, Konami's Police 911 used a similar system way back in 2000 to give players the opportunity to dodge digital bullets for real. It worked surprisingly well and made for one of the most energetic arcade experiences outside of Dance Dance Revolution or Final Furlong. As the image above shows though, as with all motion gaming, it required good amount of space for players to fling themselves around.

Silent Scope

Now we're taking serious action. Silent Scope wasn't about flicking the trigger as fast as possible, instead it was about patience and accuracy as you played the part of a sniper. In another brilliant innovation by Konami, the scope on the gun didn't actually magnify the the screen in front of you. Instead it contained a 2nd, mini screen, which rendered your target separately. This provided a crystal clear view of the action (not obscured by the sights rendered on the main screen), whilst still having the main screen for you to do your spotting. The gun was great to hold and required the player to really shunt themselves around to get the best angles. Brilliant stuff.

Time Crisis series

As a self-confessed arcade aficionado, it's easy to think I need to pluck some oft-forgotten treasure to top a list like this, but the truth is sometimes the most popular games are popular for a very good reason. Such as it is with Namco's Time Crisis. It's a former classic here on Arcade Throwback and who would argue with its status as one of the greatest, if not the great light gun game ever. Aside from the great gameplay, Time Crisis's double whammy of the recoil on the gun and the pedal to take cover and reload put it well ahead of the competition. Each new instalment added features that elevated the series even further, with co-op coming in the first sequel and different weapons in the second. It's a game any arcade nut would want in their private collection.

MTW

Worth a Look - November 2013

Wow, I've been so busy at work this past few months that it's been ages since I did a Worth a Look compilation. Let's have a catch up in time for Xmo.

RESOGUN

Developer:	Housemarque
Publisher:	Sony Computer Entertainment
Platforms:	PS4 PSN
Price:	Free on PS Plus
Demo available:	Unknown

Oooh, the first next gen game to make this list. It says a lot about where the industry is these days that a game as so obviously retro as RESOGUN is one of the most talked about launch games on the PS4. I could not have imagined a Defender clone getting so much attention when the PS3, PS2 or even the PS1 launched. I'm not arguing, it looks great. The next gen consoles have not launched here in the UK yet and I'm not one for early adoption, but after the love affair I had with my Xbox 360, I rather fancy a PS4 this time and this would definitely be the first game I'd get (plus it's free to PlayStation Plus members, which is cool if you're into that sort of thing).

More info: http://us.playstation.com/ps4/games/resogun-ps4.html

Pinball Arcade

Developer:	Far Sight Studios
Publisher:	Far Sight Studios
Platforms:	Steam (also Android/iOS and PSN
Price:	Platform dependant
Demo available:	Yes with Tales of Arabian Nights provided for free

I went a bit pinball crazy this summer, thanks to a combination of getting a phone that could finally play Zen Pinball and Pinball Arcade and having little time for anything other than mobile gaming. However, as good as video pinball is on a smart phone, the small screen means many of the details of the table are diminished. Now the greatest pinball simulator ever is available on PC via Steam. What's more, all 39 tables are available right out of the gate. If, like me, you really didn't play enough of these classic tables when they were in the arcade, there is absolutely no reason not to get this game. In the download not only do you get demos of all the tables, but you get the brilliant Tales of Arabian Nights for free. So get it - now! Not, not now, after you've read the rest of this article, then you can go.

There is no PC launch trailer so to speak, so here's the trailer for the latest two tables.

More info: http://www.pinballarcade.com/

Lawless

Developer:	Eight Pixels Square
Publisher:	DeNA
Platforms:	iOS
Price:	Free to play
Demo available:	N/A

In the interest of full disclosure I'll come right out and admit this game was developed by a team of my former colleagues, but even if that wasn't the case the Lawless's Time Crisis-esque gameplay would still make it worthy of a look. Set in LA in the 90s, the game throws together every goofy cop show trope ever. You take control of a professional criminal, trying to climb the greasy ladder of the criminal underworld by... well... blasting everything. The game isn't out yet, but when it's free to play, you might as well give it a go when it does appear.

More info: http://lawlessgame.com/

PixelJunk Shooter

Developer:	Q Games
Publisher:	Q Games
Platforms:	Steam/PS3 PSN
Price:	£6.99
Demo available:	No

Originally released for the PS3 about 3 years ago, Q Games' wonderful twin stick shooter is definitely a thinking man's shump and is now available on PC via Steam. As you explore vast caves trying to rescue miners, you find you can manipulate various substances in the environment. Blast open an underground reservoir and let the water hit a lava pool below and you'll create new land, fly past the magnetic goo and it will be attracted to your ship - or repelled if you have the right power up. The game is ingenious and also gorgeous to behold, with clean, pastel visuals and a corking sound track to go with it.

More info: http://pixeljunk.jp/library/Shooter/

Dragon's Crown

Developer:	Vanillaware
Publisher:	Atlus/NIS
Platforms:	Vita/PS3 PSN
Price:	Around £30
Demo available:	No

If you still have a soft spot for classic side scrolling fantasy brawlers, such as Shadow of Mystara, Black Tiger and (of course) Golden Axe, then Dragon's Crown will be right up your street. It's the same set up as all of these games, choose a hero (yes, there's a dwarf, yes there's a knight, yes there's an elf and a wizard and an Amazon, all of core fantasy archetypes are covered) and hack, slash and abracadabra your way through forests, caves, castles and dungeons. The game features a pretty decent skill tree to unlock more powers as you level up and generally pushes all of the right action RPG buttons. Its hand painted artwork is fantastic, but also somewhat controversial, as this features some of the most blatant sexualisation of women since Dead or Alive. Armour is scant and bosoms doth heave to the point of ridiculousness. So ridiculous in fact, that in this day and age of Miley Cyrus appearing naked on a wrecking ball in the video of the same name, I doubt even 12 year-old boys would think much about the pixellated flesh on display in this game. Nonetheless, it's needless and for many it has already detracted from what is otherwise a pretty decent hack 'n' slash game.

More info: http://www.atlus.com/dragonscrown/home.html (age check required)

MTW

Classic of the Month - Zoo Keeper

Manufacturer:	Taito
Developer:	Taito
Genre:	Puzzle/Platform
Board:	Dedicated
Year:	1982

Last month I finally finished reading Yann Martel's highly praised novel, Life of Pi, which, as I'm sure many of you know, features zoo animals in an unconventional setting (to put in mildly). Such is my retro gaming nature, this reminded me of Taito's Zoo Keeper from 1982.

The plot of many games from the 80s and 90s was to rescue your girlfriend from some peril or another and surprisingly, Zoo Keeper has the same overall objective. Animals are breaking out of their enclosures, so Zeke the zoo keeper must wall them back in and rescue his beloved Zelda, before something terrible befalls her.

Zoo Keeper is very much in the puzzle/platform genre, but there is a surprising amount of variety for a game of this period. On the first level most of the animals are contained within a fairly sturdy compound. However, they are bashing against the walls of their compound and will eventually escape, at which point they they prowl around the perimeter. Zeke's task is to run around this perimeter and rebuild the wall (which happens automatically). Every time you run over a section of the wall it gets thicker, so it's possible to focus of different areas depending on the level of threat. If an escaped animal gets in your way you have to leap over them, which also earns you points. Thankfully nets periodically appear on the play field, so it's possible to recapture the escapees. Keep this up until the timer runs out and you'll get a bonus for every captive animal. Each animal (elephant, snake, camel, rhino, moose and lion) is worth a different amount of points. In classic gaming style, the more points any animals is worth, the bigger the threat they are. Elephants are only worth 250 points, because they are slowest and as such the easiest to jump and capture (ignore the fact in real like they are mahoosive), while lions are worth 30,000 points, because they are the fastest and they jump, making it harder for Zeke to jump over them himself.

The next level follows this formula, but this time the initial wall is thinner, which means you have to work much, much faster to contain the animals. Things change on the third level, which is like a cross between Donkey Kong and Frogger. Zeke has to make his way up a series of moving platforms to rescue Zelda, who's being held prisoner by an ape. This ape is also lobbing coconuts your way, just to make the job of navigating the platforms all the harder. Succeed and you'll get a extra life.

Survive this and the fourth level goes back to the original formula, minus the starting wall. This level becomes much more about leaping over the escaped animals as it is about containing any additional animals that appear. After this the levels alternate between building walls around escaped animals and leaping up platforms to rescue Zelda from an ape. However, there is another level type that appears less often. On these levels you have to run along platforms and up escalators to rescue (you guessed it) the missus from all of the animals prowling around.

The video below shows a guy who is far, far better at the game than I ever was (to be honest, I never knew about the escalator levels until I saw this vid). It's a bright and colourful game and the animals are all surprisingly detailed for the period.

MTW