Sonic generations is 11 years old and is still one if the best looking games I own. Forza Horizon 2 came out in 2014 and looks better than some modern AAA titles.
I’m 36 years old. The original Zelda is slightly older than me, but it is still one of the first games I remember playing in the early 90s. It still felt “new” at that time, even though the Super Nintendo already existed (I didn’t have one, though, and wouldn’t get one – my next console would be the N64).
Seeing things like this, while nostalgia, is actually somewhat painful and difficult to reconcile. The mind-blowing sense of wonder in seeing games change so drastically was amazing, but also, I can’t get over the sense of time dilation that getting older keeps inducing in me.
It was 10 years and three consoles between those games, but that 10 years felt, to a child, like an eternity.
It has been over 10 years since Skyrim came out, and while games are better, the amount of difference is so much less. I almost can’t *believe* that there can be such a staggering difference, not just in how much things can change in 10 years, but how the passage of those 10 years can *feel* based on age.
I don’t know if things were going “fast” then or going “slow” now. I know there’s diminishing returns in graphics and processing. But it absolutely boggles my mind that “eras” of gaming that felt so “foundational” were so incredibly short. A 4-5 year console cycle was an *era* then. That seems so incredibly short.
It makes life now feel so long and so short all at the same time. It is dizzying. Like looking back on the 80’s and 90’s nostalgia that’s so popular, it is hard to reconcile that a “decade,” with all of the cultural phenomena and instantly-recognizable tropes, was only a decade long. It feels like entire lives were lived in those “eras” when you look back at them, and now that I’ve lived in more than 3 decades myself, I don’t know how anyone ever defined themselves by the conventions of a certain time.
I remember sm64 really felt like the future. I remember getting the demo VHS and being in complete awe.
The analog stick was a massive shock- most people playing for the first time were running into walls, falling off cliffs, etc. Even more fun was the primitive camera that no one had quite figured out yet- players or developers.
The thing that impresses me the most about SM64 is I still think it plays really well, for whatw as pretty much a first stab at analogue controls and 3d platforming.
Other games from the same era – Goldeneye comes to mind – remain great games but don’t play half as well as SM64. I can remember seeing a demo kiosk in a store when I was 9 and not being able to comprehend it.
I just picked up and played that Zelda on the 3ds this week, finished it last night, I loved it, never played any of the zelda games before because i grew up in the PlayStation, planning on working my way through them
My first video game was the master system, but way late in the 90s and I made the jump not a cople years later directly to a N64. I saw this happen so fast and was mind blowing!
Everyone loves to say that game graphics havent changed in 10 years and we don’t advance anymore. To me, that’s far from the truth. We are entering a new era with UE5, and games are approaching a new level of cinematic realism that is miles beyond what we had in 2012, art direction has become so nuanced and mature in modern games too.. most games from 10-15 yrs ago just feel cheesy in comparison.. the tech nowadays and the artistry is on a whole nother level, it might not be as big as the leap from 8bit to 3d, but it’s still a leap…
I remember when N64 came out with Mario 64 and my world was turned upside down. Like, my brain just couldn’t imagine playing a 3 dimensional game. The closest I could wrap my head around before Mario 64 was a fighting game named Battle Arena Toshiden. In that game, rather than the side-by-side fighting like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, you were able to dodge to/away from the screen.
Being old enough to have played (in their times i mean) things like Atari, Coleco, Intellivision etc and I remember when I first played M64 and it just f’n blew my mind… Nothing made me feel that way again till I tried VR. That’s probably it for me… I’ll die without capturing the magic of that kinda feeling ever again, unless maybe somehow I get to fly around in space someday! If you didn’t live it yourself you probably can’t quite grasp how special M64 really was in its time.
I still remember walking into Toys R us as a kid right as the N64 / SM64 came out and they had the display N64 set up, and it was surrounded by kids in shock watching it.
And both are awesome
Yeah, that is how time works.
I’m trying to figure out why a Mario to Mario or Zelda to Zelda comparison wasn’t used. But absolutely, great leap in tech in that short time frame
That is how tech works.
Sonic generations is 11 years old and is still one if the best looking games I own. Forza Horizon 2 came out in 2014 and looks better than some modern AAA titles.
* *The Legend of Zelda*: February 21, 1986
* *Super Mario 64*: June 23, 1996
These came out more than 10 years apart.
It’s pretty clear a good chunk of people here don’t get how staggering this was.
And both of them are brilliant.
I’m 36 years old. The original Zelda is slightly older than me, but it is still one of the first games I remember playing in the early 90s. It still felt “new” at that time, even though the Super Nintendo already existed (I didn’t have one, though, and wouldn’t get one – my next console would be the N64).
Seeing things like this, while nostalgia, is actually somewhat painful and difficult to reconcile. The mind-blowing sense of wonder in seeing games change so drastically was amazing, but also, I can’t get over the sense of time dilation that getting older keeps inducing in me.
It was 10 years and three consoles between those games, but that 10 years felt, to a child, like an eternity.
It has been over 10 years since Skyrim came out, and while games are better, the amount of difference is so much less. I almost can’t *believe* that there can be such a staggering difference, not just in how much things can change in 10 years, but how the passage of those 10 years can *feel* based on age.
I don’t know if things were going “fast” then or going “slow” now. I know there’s diminishing returns in graphics and processing. But it absolutely boggles my mind that “eras” of gaming that felt so “foundational” were so incredibly short. A 4-5 year console cycle was an *era* then. That seems so incredibly short.
It makes life now feel so long and so short all at the same time. It is dizzying. Like looking back on the 80’s and 90’s nostalgia that’s so popular, it is hard to reconcile that a “decade,” with all of the cultural phenomena and instantly-recognizable tropes, was only a decade long. It feels like entire lives were lived in those “eras” when you look back at them, and now that I’ve lived in more than 3 decades myself, I don’t know how anyone ever defined themselves by the conventions of a certain time.
“Bioshock Infinite” and “Flappy Bird” came out less than ten weeks apart.
“Chrono Trigger” and “Desert Bus” were released in the same month.
What of it?
I remember sm64 really felt like the future. I remember getting the demo VHS and being in complete awe.
The analog stick was a massive shock- most people playing for the first time were running into walls, falling off cliffs, etc. Even more fun was the primitive camera that no one had quite figured out yet- players or developers.
Then crysis
The thing that impresses me the most about SM64 is I still think it plays really well, for whatw as pretty much a first stab at analogue controls and 3d platforming.
Other games from the same era – Goldeneye comes to mind – remain great games but don’t play half as well as SM64. I can remember seeing a demo kiosk in a store when I was 9 and not being able to comprehend it.
Meanwhile bioshock infinite is ten years old and still looks stunning
OG legend of zelda is still one of the greatest games of all time.
That’s a wild amount of change for a decade. (Even if it was over by a few months).
I just picked up and played that Zelda on the 3ds this week, finished it last night, I loved it, never played any of the zelda games before because i grew up in the PlayStation, planning on working my way through them
My first video game was the master system, but way late in the 90s and I made the jump not a cople years later directly to a N64. I saw this happen so fast and was mind blowing!
aaaaand more than 20 years apart from us
Ahhh technology
Hence why SM64 was such a revolutionary game. One of the very first to show off 3D graphics to the mainstream masses and be successful.
Everyone loves to say that game graphics havent changed in 10 years and we don’t advance anymore. To me, that’s far from the truth. We are entering a new era with UE5, and games are approaching a new level of cinematic realism that is miles beyond what we had in 2012, art direction has become so nuanced and mature in modern games too.. most games from 10-15 yrs ago just feel cheesy in comparison.. the tech nowadays and the artistry is on a whole nother level, it might not be as big as the leap from 8bit to 3d, but it’s still a leap…
Where’s the next ten years with super Mario galaxy or equivalent
Member having to buy magazines to find everything in ng+ on Zelda?! It would have taken forever to set every tree on fire and move every stone.
The speed of progression between gaming during this time period is the fastest ever, and the fastest we’ll ever see. Incredible.
Crysis and Mario 64 are less than 10 years appart, and a much bigger leap imo
You lie!
How long we been waiting on GTA and elder scrolls?
Skyrim and Witcher 3 came out 3 years apart, kek
Nope. Check your dates. It is surprisingly close though😁
Super Mario 64 is stillthe best game ever to me. Alot of great memories playing that game as a kid
I remember when N64 came out with Mario 64 and my world was turned upside down. Like, my brain just couldn’t imagine playing a 3 dimensional game. The closest I could wrap my head around before Mario 64 was a fighting game named Battle Arena Toshiden. In that game, rather than the side-by-side fighting like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, you were able to dodge to/away from the screen.
Those where incredible times
I remember turning my N64 on and seeing Mario’s face pop up and I was fucking blown away.
Oh my god, is this shit the new “I came home and look what my wife bought me PS5!!!” posts?
Being old enough to have played (in their times i mean) things like Atari, Coleco, Intellivision etc and I remember when I first played M64 and it just f’n blew my mind… Nothing made me feel that way again till I tried VR. That’s probably it for me… I’ll die without capturing the magic of that kinda feeling ever again, unless maybe somehow I get to fly around in space someday! If you didn’t live it yourself you probably can’t quite grasp how special M64 really was in its time.
I still remember walking into Toys R us as a kid right as the N64 / SM64 came out and they had the display N64 set up, and it was surrounded by kids in shock watching it.
What is that thing on?