The year 2000 was a memorable time for most, with the Y2K scare being a bust -- makes me think of the 2012 nonsense -- that meant that the future for all things would be bright, at least brighter than humanity going into a new stone age. The last 10 years brought us a handful of new consoles, a plethora of amazing games, as well as light-years worth of technological advances. I will be going over the highlights of the last 10 years, as experienced by myself, so stick with me and don't crucify me for missing anything important.
In the year 2000, I was in the 6th grade, and the PlayStation 2 was the most sought after console (I had one), With the PlayStation 2's release, it was the beginning of a new generation of gaming, and Nintendo was readying for a new release soon after. The PlayStation was my first disc-based console, also it marked the first time I would stray away from Nintendo. The PlayStation 2 was the first console that had games that really made me say wow. I remember thinking about how I thought it was impossible to top the graphics of a PlayStation 2 (don't blame me, I was like 12..). It was a bit weird, I was having people who never talked to me in school trying to pretend to be my friend so they could play my PS2 -- I guess that is why I have trouble taking people seriously... Thanks Sony.
The new millennium was a time where I realized the potential of computers as gaming machines, mainly due to the fact that computers were becoming so common, that it seemed outlandish for a family to not formally own one. I had Starcraft as well as Diablo 2, but I did not have internet, so I never experienced either online. However, I played the hell out of both games over LAN with my brothers and my cousin. I remember losing an entire summer to Diablo 2. 2000 was a year that showed things could only continue to improve in the world of gaming.
Noteworthy Games:
- Final Fantasy IX
- Diablo II
- Chrono Cross
2001 was the year that brought us the Nintendo Gamecube. The Gamecube was the first Nintendo console that had CD based games, which meant Nintendo could finally do things close to what the PlayStation 2 was doing. My cousin had a Gamecube, but it didn't appeal to me because I didn't want to do what I felt was downgrading. Nintendo fell below Sony, and the Dreamcast fell off completely, since it was discontinued. Also, 2001 brought a new contender in the console market, Microsoft.
The Microsoft Xbox was the console that was truly going to give Sony a run for it's money since it was more powerful. Also, Microsoft, like Sony, had other streams of revenue, so they could afford to lose a bit on the console side. The Xbox was met with decent reception, my brother even bought one. The Xbox gained a stronger following due to the popularity of a launch title that some of you may have heard of, Halo: Combat Evolved. However, with Sony so far ahead, ultimately, the Xbox would never catch up.
Nintendo also released the Gameboy Advance, which was the most powerful gameboy yet, but it still lacked many features that were needed (we will get into those with the DS). The Advance was the first handheld by Nintendo that really made me excited for handheld gaming.
The year of 2001 was a year of shift in the industry, with Sega leaving the console space, and Microsoft jumping in.
2000 and 2001 were the years that would start off the 6th generation of console gaming. These years were pivotal when it came to new technologies, and laid the groundwork for the consoles to come. Come back tomorrow to get the years 2002 and 2003.
Noteworthy Games:
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Golden Sun
- Final Fantasy X
- Gran Turismo 3
- Ico
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty