I wish I had played Final Fantasy XI when I had the chance at launch I did eventually play it for two years but it was old by then and I wanted to see the game as it grew.
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Period(s) in gaming history you never got to experience but wish you did
- Thread starter daTRUballin
- Start date
Could you elaborate? What do you mean by "everyone who bought it at the time knew what they were getting into"? And which of the three did you wind up liking most?
I'm in the exact same spot. I'm old, so I was there from NES on.
A broad one and a narrow one:
I never really started gaming until after the Internet, GameFAQS, YouTube, and Wikis made getting help easy. I can only imagine what playing one of those old Sierra games would have been like. Or figuring out the right approach in an action game like Ghouls N' Ghosts.
I would have liked to have played Team Fortress 2 out of the Orange Box on release date, so I could have seen the entirety of its life cycle.
I never really started gaming until after the Internet, GameFAQS, YouTube, and Wikis made getting help easy. I can only imagine what playing one of those old Sierra games would have been like. Or figuring out the right approach in an action game like Ghouls N' Ghosts.
I would have liked to have played Team Fortress 2 out of the Orange Box on release date, so I could have seen the entirety of its life cycle.
Been there for it all pretty much, started in the Atari days and so grateful I've watched the game industry transform year after year.
Started playing video games during the NES area (probably around 1986 or so) and really haven't stopped. Discovered PC gaming around '93 or so, and haven't stopped on that as well. Was also there during the arcade highpoints in the 90s.
So basically, the only VG era I missed was the Atari days and previous, but I don't think I'd miss it.
I'm good.
So basically, the only VG era I missed was the Atari days and previous, but I don't think I'd miss it.
I'm good.
We are, man. It's better if we just accept it. Read all these kids on here talking about having ps2/gcn as first consoles? Yeah, to them, we're ancient.
I started gaming in the early 90's (That I can remember). By that time I had a SNES and a NES... At the time, I didn't prefer one or the other. I just freely swapped console hookups and played whatever I felt like. It was really nice.
Haven't missed a single generation since... I do wish I could go back and experience Silent Hill 2 again :(
Haven't missed a single generation since... I do wish I could go back and experience Silent Hill 2 again :(
Watching The Video Game Years, I would have absolutely loved to have experienced the arcade scene of the early 1980s. Seems like there was so much innovation at that time, it would have been really cool to see that as it was happening.
I also would have loved to have been about 5 years older to be part of the very beginning of the fighting game scene in the early 1990s. I played them in the arcade when I was like 10, but I was too young to have any idea what I was doing really. Reading stories of how intense the scene was at the time, it would have been awesome to have been there.
I also would have loved to have been about 5 years older to be part of the very beginning of the fighting game scene in the early 1990s. I played them in the arcade when I was like 10, but I was too young to have any idea what I was doing really. Reading stories of how intense the scene was at the time, it would have been awesome to have been there.
I would have liked to experience the 'golden age' of arcades. I was around for the fighting game boom in the arcades in the 90's and that was great. I mean the old school arcade age. Like I've seen in movies like War Games or Tron. Although, I have heard they were pretty sketchy for younger people (I'm not young).
We got our Commodore 64 pretty late in the scheme of things and it came with a boxful of British gaming magazines. Living in New Zealand I read and reread those magazines till they fell apart. The thought of demo tapes and developer interviews (especially when they talked about the technical aspects of game design) makes me giddy to this day. I would have loved to have been in England during the heyday of the C64, in particular around the growing demo scene and the birth of bedroom programming icons.
I wish that I'd gotten to experience arcades when they were at their peak, as well as LAN parties. Other than that, I don't feel like I missed out on much.
Sure. Well it was pretty clear from very early on that Dreamcast would be a failing enterprise. It's launch sales were good but it dropped off significantly thereafter. However the software lineup was great and it felt like the first time you could actually own an arcade powered machine for a consumer price (Neo-Geo was a unicorn for most). I bought it for Metropolis Street Racer and Soul Caliber actually but Segas first part stuff was incredible, Jet set radio, Shenmue Ferrari F355, skies of arcadia, PSO; if you bought it it was because of the games not because it was "winning" or was the "best" console. I was clear that 3rd party support was not really there like it had been for Sony.
Gamecube had a great launch line up (SMB, Luigi's Mansion, Waverace BS) so I was in from the start like every other Nintendo fan. Nintendo's first part stuff was as usual excellent, games loaded quickly it looked great but again no 3rd party support. It was a no-brainer for Nintendo fans but the brand was quite weak in the west at the time due to N64 losing the previous generation and been seen as somewhat of an anachronism.
Nobody was sure about Microsoft. Halo made "Gamers" pay attention. If you were into games at the time Halo was something you had to be in on. I still remember the Edge cover and amazing review; I was sold. I don't think the original Xbox ever lived up to its potential however (the launch titles are some of the best on the system).
I mean I love the Dreamcast, just because of that Sega line up (it also had great arcade ports). It might just be my favorite console... but it certainly isn't the greatest console; the software line up lacked the depth of the PS2 for example. I also really love the Gamecube for the same reasons and it had the same failings. Xbox had Halo (and yes some other good stuff).
I think the overwhelming feeling from that time was that home consoles had surpassed arcade hardware once and for all and that gaming was big business now, not just a niche thing "you know for kids". I think you're right it was a seminal time in many ways, a real solidifying of the landscape. It definitely showed that great software doesn't guarantee anything tho. For people who loved videogame culture it was a bountiful time and lets not forget that Sega still made games then on all 3 platforms post DC. The best of times.
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I was born in 1986 and have been gaming from a very young age (see profile pic). I've been playing consoles since the NES but my family never had a gaming PC. I didn't have a PC capable of running modern games until I built my own after college.
I really wish I could have experienced the classic PC era. I have zero nostalgia for games like Diablo, Warcraft and the classic CRPGs. The only old PC game I have nostalgia for is Roller Coaster Tycoon, which is one of my all time favorites.
I really wish I could have experienced the classic PC era. I have zero nostalgia for games like Diablo, Warcraft and the classic CRPGs. The only old PC game I have nostalgia for is Roller Coaster Tycoon, which is one of my all time favorites.
I guess I missed the early 80s arcade days. I definitely grew up in its wake and all of that classic stuff was around. But if I'm being honest my arcade era was more the 90s.
I wish I had played more early Sega stuff, and in particular the Phantasy Star games when they were new. Something about them looks like they would have been magical in a young person's life. But I was over on the SNES rocking Squaresoft instead (no regrets on that).
I wish I had played more early Sega stuff, and in particular the Phantasy Star games when they were new. Something about them looks like they would have been magical in a young person's life. But I was over on the SNES rocking Squaresoft instead (no regrets on that).
I grew up owning only Nintendo consoles until I got a PlayStation late in it's life. I played a few Sega games because friends, neighbors and cousins owned them but I never regretted not owning them myself. I never enjoyed them as much. I still don't to be honest.
The closest I got was wanting a Dreamcast because I loved playing it with friends, but I never bought one.
Actually 1999-2005... I went to college in 2000 and pretty much skipped the Xbox / Ps2 era. I did have a Dreamcast and GameCube but rarely played anything during this time. Maybe a handful of games on both of those systems.
Wish I could have experienced the period of Nintendo reviving and dominating the video game industry in the US during the NES era, sounds like a crazy time. Really the point I'd most love to have experienced was all the craze around Super Mario Bros 3.
I actually did have a Genesis in its day but I don't think I got that far beyond Sonic. The SNES library was just too full of hits.
But in retrospect I missed some very SNES gamer-friendly games like Gunstar Heroes that are now obvious masterpieces.
I would have loved to live the Doom phenomena. I was alive, but I was 3-4 years old when it blew up, and I wouldn't be using the Interner regularly until 7-8 years later. All the "Doom clones", the incredible modding and mapping scene, the Doom attitude, the tournaments. I would have loved to be a part of that.
Felt like I missed a huge chunk of the golden age of jRPGs in the ps2 era, due to World of Warcraft.
Missed out on stuff like Shadow Hearts, The Shin Megami Tensei, Persona, Dark Chronicles amongst others.
I wouldn't have traded it away for the friends I made in WoW. Besides I've been able to track down most of the games afterwards.
Missed out on stuff like Shadow Hearts, The Shin Megami Tensei, Persona, Dark Chronicles amongst others.
I wouldn't have traded it away for the friends I made in WoW. Besides I've been able to track down most of the games afterwards.
Growing up I basically missed the N64 - Wii era of games. Basically missed out on Nintendo and really only has a GBA for a bit of my adolescents. I has a Wii for a year before selling it for a ps3.
I truly missed out on everything Nintendo. I only two years ago experienced a Zelda and this summer played a full Mario game. I'm disappointed I never really grew up with Nintendo.
I truly missed out on everything Nintendo. I only two years ago experienced a Zelda and this summer played a full Mario game. I'm disappointed I never really grew up with Nintendo.
Reading through this thread makes me realise how lucky I was for going through NES, SNES/Genesis, PS1&2, Gameboy/Game Gear era.
So that makes the initial Guitar Hero/Rock Band phenomena I truly missed out because I simply couldn't afford it as a student. It got me excited when both GH and RB announced a new game but...welp.
So that makes the initial Guitar Hero/Rock Band phenomena I truly missed out because I simply couldn't afford it as a student. It got me excited when both GH and RB announced a new game but...welp.
I was born in 1975, too. We lived a lot of it but nowhere near close to all. I would have loved to have experienced the entirety of the '70s as it happened: the arcades, the first home games, the deep mainframe games at universities.
I never bought a GameCube, but then again even now looking back, I don't regret it.
I do regret not being into PC gaming at an earlier age. I still remember a friend who worked with me at McDonalds when I was a teenager telling me I should come over and check out this new PC game "Half-Life" because it was amazing and I passed because I wasn't into PC gaming. So many incredible games I missed out on being apart of.
I do regret not being into PC gaming at an earlier age. I still remember a friend who worked with me at McDonalds when I was a teenager telling me I should come over and check out this new PC game "Half-Life" because it was amazing and I passed because I wasn't into PC gaming. So many incredible games I missed out on being apart of.
Wish I would've played Ultimate Online when it still had all the player killing everywhere, etc. It's a shame, since that kinda experience just doesn't exist nowadays at all anymore.
Phantasy Star was mindblowing in 1988, and its impact is being forgotten. It (and Miracle Warriors) introduced JRPGs to North America. The 3d dungeons, characters, and world design were unlike anything else on consoles. The $90 to $100 price tag in Canada was pretty brutal, though.
Same age here- I grew up in a small town, though, and never really got the full arcade experience. I played a ton of console gaming after school with friends, but the vast majority of arcade exposure was the 1-2 cabinets at every pizza place and convenience store. Watching Stranger Things S2 last night really brought home the false nostalgia I have for the golden era of arcades in the US.
I appreciate how shows like Stranger Things and Halt and Catch Fire show gaming being exciting and alive in 1984. That's how it actually was, and it was an awesome time for gaming. The crash of console gaming was never a wipe out of the whole medium like many have been lead to believe.
Born in 81. Grew up with an Atari 2600 and then an NES. I never got an SNES or an N64. I played them at friends houses but never got to got to experience that era on my own. I was playing PC games at the time. Started back up with consoles with the PS1. Definitely missed out on some great games.
