Magic Mushroom
Member
Nah, we had games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Red Dead, Dead Space, Bayonetta, Portal 2, Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, to name but a few.
There haven't been dark ages in gaming for a long time.
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Is it just me or was 2004 to 2009 some of the dullest years in gaming.
- Thread starter mdzapeer
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Nah, we had games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Red Dead, Dead Space, Bayonetta, Portal 2, Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, to name but a few.
There haven't been dark ages in gaming for a long time.
LelouchZero
Member
2004-2009 was amazing! We had games like Mass Effect, Halo 3, Modern Warfare, Dead Rising, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, The Orange Box, Oblivion and so much more. Those were absolutely amazing times!
Jawmuncher
Member
I'd say 2013-2017 has been far worse than the period you describe op.
Omegasquash
Member
Demon's Souls released in 2009.
bigdaddygamebot
Member
Just a quick google...
2007
Bioshock
Portal
Halo 3
Witcher
Super Mario Galaxy
Uncharted
Rock Band
Mass Effect
2006
Oblivion
Bully
Okami
Rainbow Six Vegas
Guitar Hero II
Ghost Recon
Final Fantasy XII
2005
Indigo Prophecy
FEAR
Psychonauts
Resident Evil 4
Shadow of the Colossus
Jade Empire
Call of Duty 2
The Warriors
2004
World of Warcraft
GTA San Andreas
Half Life 2
Fable
The Thousand Year Door
Katamari Damacy
Knights of the Old Republic
City of Heroes
OP...I don't know what you were playing over those years. Maybe the thread could be retitled to "Hey I really need to post this VG Catz comic!"
2007
Bioshock
Portal
Halo 3
Witcher
Super Mario Galaxy
Uncharted
Rock Band
Mass Effect
2006
Oblivion
Bully
Okami
Rainbow Six Vegas
Guitar Hero II
Ghost Recon
Final Fantasy XII
2005
Indigo Prophecy
FEAR
Psychonauts
Resident Evil 4
Shadow of the Colossus
Jade Empire
Call of Duty 2
The Warriors
2004
World of Warcraft
GTA San Andreas
Half Life 2
Fable
The Thousand Year Door
Katamari Damacy
Knights of the Old Republic
City of Heroes
OP...I don't know what you were playing over those years. Maybe the thread could be retitled to "Hey I really need to post this VG Catz comic!"
Council Pop
Member
Well, I basically didn't play any games between 2004 and 2011, besides a few goes on my brother's wii, so you could be right.
Those were the real 'teenage boy smelling of Lynx' years of gaming, after the bright and inventive 90s and early 2000s gaming generations- but maybe that's just because I was a teen in the mid 2000s, and the people I knew who played video games smelled of Lynx and fetishised guns and atheism.
Those were the real 'teenage boy smelling of Lynx' years of gaming, after the bright and inventive 90s and early 2000s gaming generations- but maybe that's just because I was a teen in the mid 2000s, and the people I knew who played video games smelled of Lynx and fetishised guns and atheism.
I don't agree with OP (at least for '04-'07), but that list isn't really a very compelling counter argument.
Just a few
That was the era of 3D platformers being converted into dull brawlers with less bright colours. Crash of the Titans, the Legend of Spryo games and Pacman World 3 are some examples. Sonic Unleashed too but that's kind of an outlier because the graphics are good some of the game is okay-ish. I dunno, maybe they figured that mashing the punch button was less frustrating than platforming in 3D?
But Super Mario Galaxy also came out in that timeframe, which balances things out.
But Super Mario Galaxy also came out in that timeframe, which balances things out.
Magic Mushroom
Member
Not true either. Gaming is absolutely amazing at the moment. This year alone is probably better than any year last gen and it's less than four months old.
StudsMcKewl
Member
Huh? 2007 is easily one of my favorite years in gaming.
I'm guessing either fighting games or PC RTS
Now is the best time to be playing video games.
ughkingdom
Member
I'd say 2002-2004 were darker times, ending right about Christmas '04. Then we started getting some "end of generation" classics and then things bled into the next-generation which the 360 started off pretty decently.
But man. The fucking games that came out in 2002 and 2003. Basically hordes of developers stumbling around in the dark, falling down stairs trying to get games to run and look good on the PS2, and then watching them look and run better on GC and Xbox only for the flaws to show so hard.
The GC having one new game every 3 months. The Xbox having one or two actually good games a year with bump mapping turned WAY too fucking high up. For awhile there it felt like finding diamonds in the rough.
But man. The fucking games that came out in 2002 and 2003. Basically hordes of developers stumbling around in the dark, falling down stairs trying to get games to run and look good on the PS2, and then watching them look and run better on GC and Xbox only for the flaws to show so hard.
The GC having one new game every 3 months. The Xbox having one or two actually good games a year with bump mapping turned WAY too fucking high up. For awhile there it felt like finding diamonds in the rough.
What?
We're talking about a period of time that saw the explosion of motion, mobile, touch, and casual gaming, all of which transformed the industry. Even if you want to point at all the lazy usages of those aspects of gaming, we still had an amazing amount of innovation made with what they brought to the table.
We saw music/rhythm games transform from niche score attack games to an insanely popular party experience (that only really went away due to extreme oversaturation and bad management by the two main franchises) due to a clever reconsideration of how that entire genre worked prior to that point in time.
We also saw other genres completely transform, while other genres shuffled to the forefront in popularity. It absolutely was a time for change and innovation.
Glass Shark
Banned
.
2008:
- GTA IV
- Fallout 3
- Dead Space
- Left 4 Dead
- Burnout Paradise
- Braid
- Gears of War 2
- SSB Brawl
- Valkyria Chronicles
SpiceMelange
Member
For PC it was the age of shit half assed ports and GFWL. For console it was a good era.
Throwaway123456789
Member
Ehhhhh.
2004 had one of the craziest three months (oct-dec) in gaming:
GTA: San Andreas
Halo 2
Metroid Prime 2
Metal Gear Solid 3
Half Life 2
World of Warcraft
KOTOR 2
Paper Mario: TTYD
Ratchet & Clank 3
And, ehhh... the DS launch. And the PSP launch (in Japan).
2004 had one of the craziest three months (oct-dec) in gaming:
GTA: San Andreas
Halo 2
Metroid Prime 2
Metal Gear Solid 3
Half Life 2
World of Warcraft
KOTOR 2
Paper Mario: TTYD
Ratchet & Clank 3
And, ehhh... the DS launch. And the PSP launch (in Japan).
Simply Sami
Member
Delusional speak.
2007 was the greatest year in gaming history.
The Orange box
Bioshock
Fable 2
PGR 4
Halo 3
Mario Galaxy
Uncharted
Call of Duty 4
The witcher
Assasins creed
I probably forgotten a few
2004
San Andreas
Fable
Halo 2
Chronicles of Riddick
MGS3
Knights of the old Republic 2
Burnout 3
Unreal Tournament
Splinter Cell pandora
Metroid prime 2
I'm sorry anybody calling these years dull was probably 5 at the time.
2007 was the greatest year in gaming history.
The Orange box
Bioshock
Fable 2
PGR 4
Halo 3
Mario Galaxy
Uncharted
Call of Duty 4
The witcher
Assasins creed
I probably forgotten a few
2004
San Andreas
Fable
Halo 2
Chronicles of Riddick
MGS3
Knights of the old Republic 2
Burnout 3
Unreal Tournament
Splinter Cell pandora
Metroid prime 2
I'm sorry anybody calling these years dull was probably 5 at the time.
BigTnaples
Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
2004 was one of the best years in gaming ever. Just off the top of my head we had:
World of Warcraft
MGS3: Snake Eater
Half-Life 2
Halo 2
Ninja Gaiden
GTA: San Andreas
Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Metroid: Zero Mission
KOTOR
Jak 3
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Unreal Tournament 2004
The only year out of those that I'd say wasn't very good was 2008 since MGS4, GTA4, and Fallout 3 disappointed me.
World of Warcraft
MGS3: Snake Eater
Half-Life 2
Halo 2
Ninja Gaiden
GTA: San Andreas
Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Metroid: Zero Mission
KOTOR
Jak 3
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Unreal Tournament 2004
The only year out of those that I'd say wasn't very good was 2008 since MGS4, GTA4, and Fallout 3 disappointed me.
SuperBanana
Banned
2014.
AudioEppa
Member
I just did a Google search of the games that came out between 04 and 09. OP, you're grounded from Gaf. Now log off.
But seriously without putting together a personal list of the games I liked from those years. Overall there was plenty of great choices. Some years more, some less. But that's how it goes. Dull? I disagree.
But seriously without putting together a personal list of the games I liked from those years. Overall there was plenty of great choices. Some years more, some less. But that's how it goes. Dull? I disagree.
Magic Mushroom
Member
They were good, but 2015-2017 is better.
It helps that Bloodborne and Breath of the Wild are my two favorite games ever.
bigdaddygamebot
Member
That was during the talk of "PCs are dead" era...which can be attributed to the phenomena called "people are fucking retarded"
From the perspective of coming off from the 90s and early 2000s ground breaking games. It just wasnt as big a leap, apart from few stand out titles for each year.
Also consider not everyone is a fan of a certain genre of game. Whenever thinking back to that time, there was an over-saturation of certain genres types mostly FPS or action adventure, with linear maps.
Consider God of War, I like the game, but I will only play it once, the combat is pretty basic, great set-pieces etc etc. But not much depth beyond that.
Also compare with 2015-2017 period, so many different games released in different genres.
These years were the rise of the blockbuster AAA gaming and the shrinking of the mid tier segment.
Also consider not everyone is a fan of a certain genre of game. Whenever thinking back to that time, there was an over-saturation of certain genres types mostly FPS or action adventure, with linear maps.
Consider God of War, I like the game, but I will only play it once, the combat is pretty basic, great set-pieces etc etc. But not much depth beyond that.
Also compare with 2015-2017 period, so many different games released in different genres.
These years were the rise of the blockbuster AAA gaming and the shrinking of the mid tier segment.
Thanks for the list. It was a very solid period.
Simply Sami
Member
Exactly.
We got a shit ton of new ips like Gears, Uncharted, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Dead Rising, Assasins Creed and Saints Row between those years.
The start of last gen was miles better than this gen.
Pantaghana
Member
No, that period is actually very significant:
Consoles became a household name with the 360 while the PS3 was something of a joke, a major turn-around from the previous generation, new technology and HD development saw increasing rise in development costs which led to the near disappearance of the mid tier/B budget developers and games, which then took several more years to become the today indie scene.
PC on the other hand saw the transformation of Steam from a hated piece of shit malware (because that's what it was back then) to much beloved DD platform. That transformation also brought back significant interest to the platform from developers and publishers that were on the verge of abandoning it.
Consoles became a household name with the 360 while the PS3 was something of a joke, a major turn-around from the previous generation, new technology and HD development saw increasing rise in development costs which led to the near disappearance of the mid tier/B budget developers and games, which then took several more years to become the today indie scene.
PC on the other hand saw the transformation of Steam from a hated piece of shit malware (because that's what it was back then) to much beloved DD platform. That transformation also brought back significant interest to the platform from developers and publishers that were on the verge of abandoning it.
I'd disagree with that, but it depends on what kinds of Japanese games you're into.
That's quite true, I do enjoy Japanese games. But I also immensely enjoy western PC games for being deep and open-ended. Homeworld, Half-Life, Unreal, Quake, Starcraft II, Diablo 2. I missed out on CRPGs back then though
the better twin
Member
Early 360 was some of the best gaming to be had. I'd say around 2009-present is easily much worse thanks to the COD effect.
Spieler Eins
Member
This covers both some of the best days of PS2-gen and Nintendo DS-gen. I mean, as much as I hated PS360 prior to like 2010...
I agree with this, the middle of last gen was a definite low point IMO. Not that there weren't good games coming out, but like you said it was the peak time for a type of big budget game that burned a lot of people out.
Raylan Targaryen
Member
As a multiplayer gamer I wasn't too fond of that era so I would agree.
dragonyeuw
Member
No need to regurgitate a list of games, as it's been well covered already, but no. That period spawned a series of mega-blockbuster franchises that been the backbone of the AAA industry ever since. I'd argue few, if any, new IPs this gen have reached the peak/popularity of what was produced in this time period.
Exploratory
Banned
OP how is that even possible?
Greatest Ever
Member
A lot of games from that era never played as well as we made them sound like they did. I think a lot of questionable decisions were made in the most popular games out there, and then the less popular games copied that.
I love a lot of games from those years, but I don't think a lot of them are actually great today.
Edit: I misread 2006-2009. 04-05 were amazing. You are high fam.
I love a lot of games from those years, but I don't think a lot of them are actually great today.
Edit: I misread 2006-2009. 04-05 were amazing. You are high fam.
NinjaCoachZ
Member
I never even had a 360 but I can acknowledge what a crazy time 2005 - 2007 was for it. Halo 3's launch was one of the biggest events in gaming up to that point. And then on all consoles that was followed by The Orange Box, Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, and then the new year kicked off by Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, and Grand Theft Auto IV. Hard-hitting game after hard-hitting game.
I didn't even notice the OP went up to 2009. Plenty of good stuff released in 08-09. Bayonetta, Mario Kart Wii, Persona 4, Pokemon Platinum, Klonoa, Rhythm Heaven, Bit Trip Runner, 999, Uncharted 2, Kirby Super Star Ultra, Wario Land Shake It, Mirror's Edge, Vesperia, Valkyria, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Street Fighter IV, Tekken 6, Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet... In retrospect last gen on home consoles isn't my favourite since there was a definite turning point where things started to get a bit ehhh for me, but those first few years paired with the end of the prior gen was strong as fuck. I'm barely even bringing the DS into the equation because there was an embarrassing amount of great stuff for it that I don't think I could even fit into one post. It's easy to shit on things like motion controls, touch, and the rhythm explosion in retrospect, but at the time, it was massive, revolutionary, and such a blast to be going through all that crazy new stuff in such a short time. It was an exciting time for the industry and one of the only gens where every single console did extremely well. Absolutely no way can you describe that as dull.
2010 actually was pretty good but 2003 was kinda blah.
Lunarwhale
Member
man nah I don't see how you can lump 2004-2009 altogether like that. I think a couple years in there were a bit bland, but that's more a couple of years in there were kind of nuts. Even if the games didn't all age great (scrolling through some of these lists is making me realize how few games from this era I still revisit, admittedly), we had some incredible leaps in terms of how games are played. Early touch and motion, even if we've taken the former for granted and calmed considerably on the latter, completely shifted how things are today.