Wing Commander 3 did this way before MGS back in '94 and with actual actors. Shit was bonkers at the time.
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Times when you just "had to be there"
- Thread starter Reagan's BR
- Start date
Wing Commander 3 did this way before MGS back in '94 and with actual actors. Shit was bonkers at the time.
First year of Mass Effect multiplayer.
Free dlcs, weekly challenges that changed game mechanics, weekly (almost) hotfixes, support from teammates like I've never seen before (and never witnessed again, as much as Destiny supporters would like to fan off) 36 characters that played completely different from each other, difficulty settings for every taste and (after some time) a reliable microtransaction economy which made possible to get specific characters and specific weapons with a little bit of management.
Free dlcs, weekly challenges that changed game mechanics, weekly (almost) hotfixes, support from teammates like I've never seen before (and never witnessed again, as much as Destiny supporters would like to fan off) 36 characters that played completely different from each other, difficulty settings for every taste and (after some time) a reliable microtransaction economy which made possible to get specific characters and specific weapons with a little bit of management.
what I liked of "being there" for RE4 in year 2005 was the media reaction.
I have yet to see all of the media go collectively nuts for any one video over the course of one year.
before that the throne had belonged Metroid Prime, regarding media drooling
Last Guardian return, FF7 Remake, Shenmue 3? People used these games in joke predictions.
you kinda needed to be growing up during the transition to 3d to have any sort of longing for that era. most games that come from there and rely on 3d to build worlds with fairly complex controls are either unplayable or have been surpassed greatly since then.
i don't mean the likes of final fantasy vii, vii, or ix, which function like glorified 2d games, but first-person shooters, platformers, and sports games. crash bandicoot is a clunky mess in 2016, and ocarina of time is claustrophobic with very simplistic puzzles that later games shame. however, at the time, ocarina of time was a revelation for a lot of people.
i don't mean the likes of final fantasy vii, vii, or ix, which function like glorified 2d games, but first-person shooters, platformers, and sports games. crash bandicoot is a clunky mess in 2016, and ocarina of time is claustrophobic with very simplistic puzzles that later games shame. however, at the time, ocarina of time was a revelation for a lot of people.
Of all the games? I think Crash Bandicoot holds up really well, and it's still very unique in its approach. It's the epitome of classic 2D action-platforming transposed into 3D (as opposed to, say, Mario 64, which is more of an exploration/adventure game).
Okay, I'll give you Crash Bandicoot 1. That was infuriatingly difficult and unfair back then, and it must be even worse now.
Vorg
Banned
This. It was mind-blowing.
Seeing virtual fighter at the arcades. I'd just be mesmerized watching people play.
Same for virtua fighter 3, Daytona USA 2 and scud race. That model 3 board was superior to anything available at the time, pc included. It stayed that way for years too. Shit was incredible.
NippleViking
Banned
I'd argue that is actually even more reason why Halo was a "had to be there" experience. While you and many others think each Halo (and many other modern FPS for that matter) can mostly be blurred together as they are mechanically similar, it is still one of the games which shaped much of today's FPS-landscape - arguably the biggest genre in gaming. Just as Goldeneye was loosely the genesis of 'console' FPS, Halo was its prodigy offspring.
trugs26
Member
While that is amazing, and it would've been more amazing in person, I don't think it's a "you had to be there" moment, because I wasn't there and I still get hyped from watching the video. Whereas something like the launch of Halo 2 or Mario 64 are moments you can't really convey to people easily how significant that was.
PastorOfMuppets
Banned
How about the Rise and Fall of Sega?
There's been a lot of historical revisionism written about the 16 bit era when it comes to Sega. The most egregious one IMO is the narrative that Sega was fighting from behind for most of the 16 bit era when it was a lot more neck and neck. If anything, Nintendo had to play catchup to Sega in the early days. I think the sales figure for the consoles were pretty even at the height of the 16 bit wars - 1991 to 1993 probably. Nintendo took the lead in 1994-95 which by that time, everyone was prepping for the 32 bit era to begin.
People write fondly about Sega during the 32 bit era. I think in hindsight, they are right. The Saturn did not have a lot of games in comparison to the N64 and certainly not the Playstation but it did have good games. The thing is - and I say this as an owner of the console, if you were a kid, it sucked for you. For one, it was released at a higher price point. I can't speak for Europe but I'm almost certain in North America, if you owned a Saturn you were likely one of at most - 10 kids in your school that owned one in the mid 90's. I was literally the only kid in my school that owned a Saturn. The games were few and far between and unless you had the ability to import games from Japan, you had to endure a lot of dry spells.
I stopped playing consoles after my experiences with the Saturn so I wasn't really into that scene when Sega announced they were withdrawing from the console business but it came as a real shock to me that one of the staples of console gaming would disappear. Today, when you mention Sega to me, the first thing that comes to mind always is its war with Nintendo.
Edit: Here's one that pertains to video games themselves. The original Deus Ex is a lot more enjoyable IMO if spent any part of your adolescence in the 90's. The game is steeped in a lot of 90's pop cultural tropes such as quasi-governmental organizations, secret societies, shady multinational corporations and government conspiracies. I liked Human Revolution a lot but it glossed over a lot of those things - which I was okay with since it's a game for the 2010's, not a rehash of the 90's.
There's been a lot of historical revisionism written about the 16 bit era when it comes to Sega. The most egregious one IMO is the narrative that Sega was fighting from behind for most of the 16 bit era when it was a lot more neck and neck. If anything, Nintendo had to play catchup to Sega in the early days. I think the sales figure for the consoles were pretty even at the height of the 16 bit wars - 1991 to 1993 probably. Nintendo took the lead in 1994-95 which by that time, everyone was prepping for the 32 bit era to begin.
People write fondly about Sega during the 32 bit era. I think in hindsight, they are right. The Saturn did not have a lot of games in comparison to the N64 and certainly not the Playstation but it did have good games. The thing is - and I say this as an owner of the console, if you were a kid, it sucked for you. For one, it was released at a higher price point. I can't speak for Europe but I'm almost certain in North America, if you owned a Saturn you were likely one of at most - 10 kids in your school that owned one in the mid 90's. I was literally the only kid in my school that owned a Saturn. The games were few and far between and unless you had the ability to import games from Japan, you had to endure a lot of dry spells.
I stopped playing consoles after my experiences with the Saturn so I wasn't really into that scene when Sega announced they were withdrawing from the console business but it came as a real shock to me that one of the staples of console gaming would disappear. Today, when you mention Sega to me, the first thing that comes to mind always is its war with Nintendo.
Edit: Here's one that pertains to video games themselves. The original Deus Ex is a lot more enjoyable IMO if spent any part of your adolescence in the 90's. The game is steeped in a lot of 90's pop cultural tropes such as quasi-governmental organizations, secret societies, shady multinational corporations and government conspiracies. I liked Human Revolution a lot but it glossed over a lot of those things - which I was okay with since it's a game for the 2010's, not a rehash of the 90's.
DistortionOfReality
Member
So so true. Nailed in the first post. Growing with the game too through TBC and WotLK. Nothing will come close even if I spend the eternal struggle chasing the dream.
Both of these. Also:
- Super Smash Bros. Melee
- N64 Goldeneye
- Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow
- The incredible jump from GTA 2/London to GTA 3
- etc
What do you mean?
Zombies a risk?
Flintty
Member
The begining of Xbox Live. I was in the UK Beta and the community at launch was astonishing. Fond memories of Unreal Championship, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Ghost Recon and Moto GP. You really had to be there to appreciate the awesome.
The way that was reinvented with Halo 2 (as seen in OP) was also pretty awesome.
Edit; And vanilla/TBC Wow, of course.
Edit 2: Original Silent Hill. Oh my, that was amazing.
The way that was reinvented with Halo 2 (as seen in OP) was also pretty awesome.
Edit; And vanilla/TBC Wow, of course.
Edit 2: Original Silent Hill. Oh my, that was amazing.
the_milkybar_kid
Member
Playing the 16 bit era games for the first time when your first introduction to gaming was the 8bit era. No internet previews, no trailers. Just- here you go, enjoy.
It seems to be common in this thread but for sure Mario 64. I remember coming from from school during Easter, just ended for half term. My Mum had set up the N64 in my bedroom with no prior knowledge that we'd be getting the console. Playing Mario 64 for the first time with that analogue stick was a revolution in gaming. Such a monumental shift in the way that games were played.
It seems to be common in this thread but for sure Mario 64. I remember coming from from school during Easter, just ended for half term. My Mum had set up the N64 in my bedroom with no prior knowledge that we'd be getting the console. Playing Mario 64 for the first time with that analogue stick was a revolution in gaming. Such a monumental shift in the way that games were played.
Amen.
Funny thing about FF7 being mind blowing, I was a few years late on the game and played it on PC in 1999 or 2000. After hearing so much about its graphics - I hadn't actually looked up the game much - I was pumped to see this legendary game. When lego-man Cloud jumped off that train I thought something was wrong with my video card.
Still absolutely loved the game (despite the PC version's horrific shittiness) and it was one of the games that got me going on RPGs. Before that time I'd only played through FF1.
Still absolutely loved the game (despite the PC version's horrific shittiness) and it was one of the games that got me going on RPGs. Before that time I'd only played through FF1.
Sheriff_Battlesnake
Banned
Yup! Really cool stuff. I know they weren't the only ones doing it nor the first, but they were the major player that standardized it.
Definitely this.
Plus, those who mentioned arcades in general having so many games that made consoles of the time look so inferior in comparison.
The first few years of Everquest were really something never replicated. The late 90s Pc fps scene with ut99 and quake 3 and tribes and half life and all the mods for them and the rise of broadband making it all possible. Star wars galaxies being a new kind of mmo and then seeing it killed. The glory days of eve online and fighting in the forever war and being there for the real final epic battle. A battle between thousands of capital ships lasting something like 22 hours and making news around the world. Then realizing after it was the end of an era. These are things that you can never experience if you weren't there.
pineapplepizza
Member
Always picture old gaffers reading majority of these threads sitting back chuckling.
Thread from the future on GAF in 2042:
"Times when you just had to be there"
2034- Oculus Rift V6.3 with NeurosynapticinjectionHologram and Force-intramuscular feedback - Can't believe people called tapping buttons on a pad while looking at some ugly flat screen "gaming", all your prior experiences are irrelevant, you had to be there! It changed my life and I've been playing since birth! - says Little Timmy age 8
"Times when you just had to be there"
2034- Oculus Rift V6.3 with NeurosynapticinjectionHologram and Force-intramuscular feedback - Can't believe people called tapping buttons on a pad while looking at some ugly flat screen "gaming", all your prior experiences are irrelevant, you had to be there! It changed my life and I've been playing since birth! - says Little Timmy age 8
keltickennedy
Member
And to expand on this, the phenomenon of those shareware disks and how they seemed to spread everywhere. Doom was basically a "viral" hit before that term even existed. That's really something you had to experience to appreciate.
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
It really blew the lid off 1st person UIs and how things like rain and steam appeared on the visor
CharminUltra
Member
Super Mario Bros (how do you beat this scree-HOLY SHIT IT'S SCROLLING SMOOTHLY TO THE RIGHT)
Mortal Kombat (did... did that guy just kill the other guy?!?!)
Super Mario 64 (Mario in 3D! And moving around feels AWESOME!)
Ocarina of Time (1. can I go there or is it just a background? HOLY SHIT I CAN TOTALLY GO THERE! 2. hang on, I get to keep the horse? FUCK YEAH I get to keep the horse!)
GTA III (wait, there are no levels? Everything is just one huge 3D level and I can approach these missions however I want? Yisss)
Resident Evil 4 (did I just shoot that axe out of the air in this beautifully conceived third-person, over-the-shoulder view? Yes, I just did)
Mortal Kombat (did... did that guy just kill the other guy?!?!)
Super Mario 64 (Mario in 3D! And moving around feels AWESOME!)
Ocarina of Time (1. can I go there or is it just a background? HOLY SHIT I CAN TOTALLY GO THERE! 2. hang on, I get to keep the horse? FUCK YEAH I get to keep the horse!)
GTA III (wait, there are no levels? Everything is just one huge 3D level and I can approach these missions however I want? Yisss)
Resident Evil 4 (did I just shoot that axe out of the air in this beautifully conceived third-person, over-the-shoulder view? Yes, I just did)
DeviantBoi
Member
When the Shard of the Herald fell on Thistledown in Asheron's Call.
I wasn't one of the defenders, but I knew what was going on and I was online when it fell.
I wasn't one of the defenders, but I knew what was going on and I was online when it fell.
William Bonney
Banned
Mortal Kombat.
Mechassault during the launch of Xbox Live.
Mechassault during the launch of Xbox Live.
I have a feeling that TLoZ: OoT fits in that category. I missed the boat when it was released since I didn't own an N64. I've tried playing the game oh so many times, but I cannot get into it. The controls piss me off. The camera is awful. Navi is annoying. I just don't get the appeal of this game. At all.
I even bought the 3DS port to see if my feelings would change. Nope. I simply cannot get over how the camera works. Mapping the camera controls to the C-stick of the CPP/N3DS would've been perfect, but it's not going to happen.
I even bought the 3DS port to see if my feelings would change. Nope. I simply cannot get over how the camera works. Mapping the camera controls to the C-stick of the CPP/N3DS would've been perfect, but it's not going to happen.
The first time you saw a game with more than 1 screen was one of the most mind blowing experiences. I was so sure after I beat level 1-1 of Super Mario Bros, I had beat the game. Certainly after beating 1-4, that had to be the end.
Final Fantasy 4 - What game before that even had a story? I hadn't played any. Not only did it have a story but it had a good one. Even today it's still worth seeing. It's still unique. I mean the main protagonist is someone that starts off killing innocent people to rob them for the king. He's basically a villain. That's still really interesting in 2016. So imagine it in 1991.
Final Fantasy 4 - What game before that even had a story? I hadn't played any. Not only did it have a story but it had a good one. Even today it's still worth seeing. It's still unique. I mean the main protagonist is someone that starts off killing innocent people to rob them for the king. He's basically a villain. That's still really interesting in 2016. So imagine it in 1991.
darth_infamous
Member
History that should be taught
VincentMatts
Member
I was "there" for both, halo left more of an impression than goldeneye. Also, still plays amazing to this day. Goldeneye, not so much. But i guess that qualifies for, had to be there.
What the fuck... I mean, the PS4 is a cool console and all, but I've never understood why people go nuts like that. If they sell out, too bad, let me know when it's in stock again, no biggie. No need to run over each other because otherwise I might not get to play Knack today.
I concur with all of these. Spot on "Had to be there" moments.
megashock5
Member
So true, it would definitely be hard to understand if you didn't experience it.
Anyone interested in the industry should read Console Wars, but especially if you remember the 16 bit era. Incredibly entertaining read.
Bloodporne
Member
Resident Evil preview footage in old print magazines.
I was an all SNES/NES player before and had just gotten a PSX, so to me and my friends it was literally unbelievable looking. We couldn't understand how the graphics could look so great and how it could be a Horror game with that level of violence on top of it all since we were Horror freaks. The whole thing was just wild and felt so completely 'new'.
I was an all SNES/NES player before and had just gotten a PSX, so to me and my friends it was literally unbelievable looking. We couldn't understand how the graphics could look so great and how it could be a Horror game with that level of violence on top of it all since we were Horror freaks. The whole thing was just wild and felt so completely 'new'.