Was Generation 6 The APEX Of Video Games? | PlayStation 5 VS Dreamcast...?

[@DubsBrown]

Things I miss: -crazy peripherals -system link compatibility -memory cards -4 player split screen co-op -colored cartridges -gba GameCube link cable Also, for me PS3 was the peak because it supported 7 player couch multiplayer

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

ps3 was amazing! All gen 7 was amazing as well. We miss all those items also! Cheers!

[@BirdMan00]

I will say, I was playing Halo infinite 4 player split screen about 2 weeks ago with some friends and it really brought me back to a good time when that was more of the standard.

[@jakeplayzyt5220]

Missing memory cards is crazy 😂

[@arioca]

I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and enjoy many different systems, and I don't have a favorite era however the 9th generation is the first one where there isn't a single game after 2 years from launch to entice me to buy a new console. The best games to play on the PS5 and Xbox Series X are from previous generations via backwards compatibility. I can tell you this much: I would never trade my Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube, and Xbox (systems and games) for a PS5 or Series X.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Neither would we! Granted we own multiples of most we wouldnt want to get rid of them because its always good to have backups! Cheers!

[@RealziesCuts]

🥇

[@noneed4me2n7]

I got a series X at retail and I tend to play retro games that I bought ages ago on my 360 more than anything. I’m so pissed I missed buying Outrun 2 HD from Xbox live while it was available. While I enjoy it on my hacked 360 I can’t imagine how it would look on the series X. Still playing outrun 2 on a modded OG Xbox. With coinops on it it’s also a retro arcade library of all the classics and some rare gems to boot.

[@arioca]

@@noneed4me2n7 I totally understand you because I play way more Xbox and Xbox 360 games than Xbox One/Series games. OutRun Online Arcade that came out for the Xbox 360 digitally is not compatible with later Xbox consoles unfortunately.

[@ROCK_UNIVERSE97]

Same

[@currychips]

I've just stumbled across your channel and I must say it's got some of the most interesting content I've found in a fair while on KZbin. No over-produced intro, no sponsorship segments, no constant ad breaks, no desperate pleas to like comment and subscribe, no scripts; just 2 lads (my age?) sat talking genuinely about games. How refreshing. More, please.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Glad you enjoy our channel! Hope to see you around! Cheers!

[@Jaxxon123]

I totally agree. They are definitely one of the best channels.

[@nsgames24]

It was the last generation where when games released, they had to be DONE on day one. No DLC or software updates, no retarded microtransactions, or companies wanting to be as greedy as possible. This was also the generation where fanboys weren't nearly as dumb and toxic, as they are nowadays. Whatever piece of hardware you had, it didn't matter and in many cases, you can have friends who own different systems than you and make the best of that, as well. The 6th Gen will always be my favorite generation of gaming. I just wish it lasted longer than it did.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah we have no worst feelings than buying a brand new game firing it up and there being a 2 to 3 hour update! Come on we just want to play the game! Cheers!

[@itchy.tasty.]

There was a game though (that I know of) that came out broken. Its save could corrupt your entire memory card. It was Soul Calibur 3 for the PS2. That baby was certainly in need of a patch. If there were patches back then. The only thing the devs could do was release the platinum version which was bug free. ps: Talking about PAL version. Don't know wether the other regions faced the same problem or not.

[@48hourrecordsteam45]

Ps3 was good. I just wash developers braught back more ip’s and some ip’s didn’t abandon some of the concepts that made them in the first place

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

yep if a game came out broken back then too bad thats your final product so they made sure that didnt happen!

[@Manic_Panic]

@@itchy.tasty. Soul Calibur 3 was broken on all releases. PAL, NTSC-J and NTSC. Platinum/Greatest Hits were also affected. Jak X has an auto save bug which would only happen on PS2 Slims. It was patched for the NTSC Greatest Hits release only. PAL Platinum still has the bug. Sphinx and the Mummy has a softlock on PS2, Gamecube and Xbox. If you reach a level called "Dungeon" and close the console, the next time you return you'll be softlocked in that level, you have to beat that level during your current play session. Final Fight Streetwise on Xbox has issues with auto saving, the game tells you it's saving but then it's not. It's easy to lose progress on this game. Problem is fixed on PS2. When it comes to save bugs, I think that's it for Gen 6. Meanwhile today, half of the games can easily lose your progress on the day one version.

[@retrogamer64007]

Gen 6 was indeed the peak. But after that not only did gaming start to decline but movies, books, comics and society. Basically the world was a better place pre 2007 and really went to shit after 2013.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Couldnt agree more! Things definitely have changed dramatically since i was a young pup! Cheers!

[@chunkymilk]

based.

[@BrD4GOD]

@chunkymilk simp

[@chunkymilk]

@@BrD4GOD ?

[@BrD4GOD]

@@chunkymilk lol

[@IndohNintendo]

What's great about the presentation from this era is that, while the graphics had reached an impressive new caliber, there was still need for creative art direction/art style to round off any rough edges. This made for visuals that are not only whimsical and charming, but also stand the test of time.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Very true man! Its still so amazing to remember how groundbreaking those games were back then! Cheers!

[@730indoorsman]

1990-2010 will be remembered as the greatest years in gaming (NA release of SMB3 and the console wars going into full swing up until the release of Microsoft Kinect in 2010). The amount of technological developments and artistic creativity we saw in 20 years is staggering. The console wars did for gaming what Monday Night Wars did for wrestling. Creativity and innovation driven by fierce competition. In the 2010s creativity and technology started to stagnate, the big companies settled into their positions, DLC and microtransactions became widespread. The rise of indie games is of course the last bastion of creativity, but as far AAA goes the industry is almost completely bereft of any artistry or passion. Nintendo is the only big three company that even remembers that too often forgotten concept of "fun" and the only company still making consoles worth buying. For everything else a PC is really the only thing truly worth owning for gamers.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah we were spoiled between 1990-2010! Wish we would of soaked up the moment more! Cheers!

[@squidwardtentacles2736]

well said! games have gotten cookie cutter because everyone's playing it safe and there's not much new under the sun. Emulation and "retro gaming" have gotten more popular I think not just because of covid but people are realizing the artistry and greatness of games and consoles in years past because of how stagnant things are now. I can't stand wrestling now because Degeneration X when it was still wwf in 90s was just the absolute best! The 90s and early 2000s was a very special time also in everything imo...music, culture, you name it.

[@jimmymac2292]

1980-2020 will be remembered as the greatest yrs of gaming

[@donaldsmith5667]

great post

[@BadAssMacmillan]

That comparison with the monday night wars (wwf vs wcw) is spot on. Sadly, just like wrestling, I don’t think gaming will ever be that good again.

[@XanderCrease]

Gen 6 is when 3D gaming "truly" arrived and home consoles surpassed arcades. I also vividly remember gen 4 and 7 most. Gen 4 was when games seemed fully established, every household knew what Sega and Nintendo where and "console wars" for better or worse were born and there weren't 20+ consoles on the market like in the late 70's. Gen 7 was the last time I was blown away by the graphical leap in generations (look at MGS2 on PS2 compared with MGS V on PS3) and Gen 7 proved innovation and simplicity sells with the Wii.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

In a vacuum gen 4-7 were the storngest! Its a close race we just prefer 6 the most! But all of them are amazing! Cheers!

[@bongdong69]

Time for Sega to make a comeback based on a vast game library.I think everyone agrees this new gen is DRY AS HELL

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Oh man would that be so amazing! But unfortunately doubt it happens! Cheers!

[@Norg1]

I think valve and the steamdeck has become the #4 in the gaming world

[@daddykarlmarx6183]

​@@Norg1yeah probably, I can't even really think of any serious console competition besides the deck

[@daddykarlmarx6183]

Yeah at best they might team up with Microsoft again lol, but I agree this gen is honestly the worst generation since at least 5 (gen 5 still has good games, it's just my opinion that it's a weaker one) there's only like 1 decent game every 3 months💀, on top of the industry starting to go all digital

[@tonystark6306]

Man. This is such a good take fellas. We literally played everything in gen 6. No genre was off limits.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

So much variety! It filled the needs of all types of gamers! Cheers!

[@ClellBiggs]

Towards the end of gen 6 was when the greediest members of the game industry started to realize how much money they could make. When gen 7 started there was a shift towards making as much money as possible and anything that wasn't guaranteed to make a ton of money was out the door. By the time the 8th gen rolled around it was all about DLC, microtransactions, preorder bonuses, and special editions, and it only got worse from there (loot boxes and buying worthless game currency). Money hungry CEOs are what has killed the fun of the game industry.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah the bottom line is what its all about anymore! So sad! Cheers!

[@bretton_woods]

Yep well even with buying 2nd hand Xbox 360 and PS3 games so many of them are "incomplete" for me because all the DLC codes either expired or already had been used. The servers all offline. Multiplayer no longer works. All the special bonus content advertised on the case isn't accessible cos its tied up with the DLC code....why couldn't they just put it on the damn disc?? Greedy buggers. And don't even think about trying to get those "achievements" and "trophies" when half of them are locked behind online modes that you cant even access. Gen 6 on the other hand...I know it's all just on the disc, so no drama. Gen 6 was really the last "2nd hand" friendly generation. (with the exception of the Wii)

[@donfelipeofficial5055]

@@bretton_woodsyeah feels like 6th generation was the last retro gen

[@wadestanion4617]

Totally agree with you here. I said that when the PS3 started doing that crap. I have 4 REALLY nice ps2 fat consoles that I am going to keep till I die. I have a ton of games for them as well as parts machines. I have also recently seen some videos of people modding the crap out of the ps2 to make them faster loading, better visually, wireless controllers using ps4 controllers and so on. I am going to mod at least 1 of my ps2's.

[@piratesmvp]

You mean money hungry shareholders (which btw includes anyone who owns shares via their 401(k)). The CEOs are only doing what they're being pressured or incentivized to do.

[@SimonJones265]

Gen6(PS2) was great because you put your disc in and you were gaming without downloading a game. Gen7(PS3) probably my fav to collect for and graphics still look perfect. Both libraries were fantastic but then things became a cash grab with remakes and remasters for Gen8 & Gen9.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Gen 7 is definitely a hammer in its own rights! But you are spot on about gen 8 and 9 ! Cheers!

[@owenlasswell8447]

Gen 6 is great, and you’re spot on about the mechanics that were pioneered here and the variety we had. I especially miss the Arcade sports games, but In one very specific aspect, Gen 6 accented a downturn in gaming as I feel like there are very few games that embrace challenging gameplay and that sense of accomplishment that is so prevalent on 8- and 16-bit systems. There’s something to be said about being able to beat Gradius or Castlevania or Batman on NES. There aren’t many games from this generation that are satisfying from a difficulty standpoint. Hard games didn’t really make a comeback until indie devs leaned into them again in the last five or so years.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

You can argue the very end of Gen 6 might of lead to it! But if you put the whole Gen 6 under the microscope its so amazing! Cheers!

[@dapperfan44]

That's not true that hard games were gone. For example, Jak 2 is one such game that gets complaints about it's difficulty. The difference between this gen and the 8/16 bit gens is that now you can _save,_ and that's what gives that illusion of "oh this isn't hard" because the game no longer kicks you back to the start when you lose.

[@9aracna.]

There are plenty of challengibg games on the PS2, especially in the first few years. You know it's an early PS2 game when the you encounter the first boss five minutes in, just to find out it was an average foot soldier

[@WWammyy]

@@dapperfan44 I agree with you however the mass audience can feel the difference when you think that games that were previously quite difficult have added casual modes or outright changed the gameplay to be more inclusive to people that wouldn't normally play a particular type of game. In fighting games they now have single button auto combos for example

[@dapperfan44]

@@WWammyy The original Mega Man 2 already had an easier mode.

[@zclary923]

Gen 6 was truly something special. It was a little tidbit of gaming history that I don't think we'll experience again outside of nostalgia. We played games together, we carried 200lb CRTs to our friend's houses and ran miles of ethernet cables to network hubs all so we could play games like Halo together competitively with our buddies. That was our weekends, into the wee hours of the morning. Then it was back to school where we eagerly waited for the next get together. Creativity was bountiful. Developers took risks. Countless great titles in every genre. A reason to own every one of the consoles. Games that still hold up and are still fun to play today 20 years later. No shortage of titles to enjoy, and there was seemingly always something new that I wanted to pick up. Gen 7, Gen 8... it's great and all and I still have a good bit of fun but there's just not the same level of blockbuster games to play. It feels so cookie cutter to me when I look back and compare these experiences to those I had as a kid. So many games are even partaking in the current political climate... I don't remember anyone caring or even talking about political crap when we were slaying each other in Halo, stuffing our faces with Casey's pizza, and slamming down 24 packs of Mountain Dew. Nobody cared about that stuff back then, we just had fun playing games. The rabid monetization, releases of unfinished games, and the constant remakes and remasters has become a bit stale to me as well. It's become more about how much money can we milk out of consumers, and less about how can we make a great game that's well polished, and everyone can enjoy right out of the gates. So I wholeheartedly agree that Gen 6 was the Mt Everest of gaming generations, at least so far. I miss those days where we just had fun playing with friends and enjoyed each other's company, today everything is online and I think it makes things less personal and more distant. The games too, just so many games to choose from. So much character and creativity. So much developmental freedom. Great video fellas.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah alot of great points here! To sum it up the experience was one of a kind and pretty much the end of couch co op gaming! Cheers!

[@carlossince92]

Playing online during the ps2 and original Xbox era was insane, metal gear solid 3 online and socom 2 was magical, great discussion guys!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah those games were gamechangers! Changed the landscape of gaming! Cheers!

[@Toadlapidus]

Gen 6 is defo the most interesting era. Games were so varied and didn't require you to sink hours on end to finish. Still Playing Wreckless the Yakuza mission on the Xbox and it still blows my mind how well good the game looks. I don't know if it is just me, but I never had this WOW effect with any modern games.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah thats a game we still need to check out! Sounds good we will have to add it to our backlog! Cheers!

[@richardmacaulay783]

What was so great about gen 6 was how it was both able to embrace previous generations without large use of downloads (we had Midway, Taito, Sega, Capcom, Namco, Intellivision and Activision 2600 compilations - even Nintendo had the Zelda Collection with 8-bit and N64 titles and I think the Gamecube Animal Crossing had NES games available) and the leap in what games would become (Shenmue, Metroid Prime, GTA 3 and Halo) where many just build on what they have done with the open world. I do like gen 7 as well as they were also able to embrace forgotten genres like 2D platformers (Rayman Origins/Donkey Kong Country Returns) point and click adventures (Back to the Future/The Walking Dead Series 1) and on rail shooters (House of the Dead Overkill/Ghost Squad).

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah gen 6 is probably the last gen that utilized all that! I mean there is some sprinkled in gen 7 also! Cheers!

[@woodscrafter1971]

You guys nailed it! I've played from Atari 2600 to PS4 and love them all of course, but gen 6 was a special place in time for video games. I'm sure nostalgia is part of it, but I still play my PS2 and Dreamcast regularly and am still finding new games for them that are awesome! I don't know what the future holds for gaming but I hope the execs at Sony and Microsoft (and Nintendo) see videos like this and give us a reason to spring for the new consoles...they haven't yet for me.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah just something about that gen is so amazing! Maybe because they had 4 excellent consoles! Cheers!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah something special about that gen! Probably because it had 4 excellent consoles! Cheers!

[@woodscrafter1971]

@@GamingOffTheGrid For sure!!

[@raziax9603]

When you think about it. Most of the modern remasters/ remakes these days come from games in the 5th and 6th generations. 1996-2006.. give or take a year or two, was the greatest time for gaming.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

That is very true! And Those years were some of the best for sure! Cheers!

[@TheCrankyTechnician]

What I miss the most about the years 1998-2003 was that whole futuristic sci-fi-like atmosphere in anything entertainment relates, be it music, movies, commercials or gaming. The peak was definetely The Matrix in 1999 and it had such a huge impact on pop culture. I fondly remember the sci-fi commercials for the PS2 and GameCube

[@buckchuckgaming597]

The sixth gen was definitely one of the best and hit me at the right time (high school to early college) where I had lots of friends available and free time. 5th-7th gen was my peak of free time and being able to hangout and game with friends. I do think that the best gen is relative to where you are in life. If I was 20 instead of 35 (with a wife, kids, career, etc) and had a ton of free time and friends to dedicate to the PS4 and Switch they might be my favorite consoles with all the mainstream, indie, and retro collections available. What I miss the most is definitely the innovation of the sixth gen and before.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah 5th-7th Gen was so amazing! Creators werent afraid to try things and take chances! Never will be a better time in gaming! Cheers!

[@godzilla7391]

I remember wanting to get the original Xbox when it launched, but it was sold out, so i bought a Gamecube. I was so glad I did, simply because I had so much fun with the Gamecube. Eternal Darkness, Rogue Squadron II, Metroid Prime, Mario Sunshine, Windwaker, etc. Both my close friends were able to get the Xbox at launch, but they had so much fun coming over and playing my Gamecube. I was eventually able to grab a Xbox when they were in stock. Halo blew me away. Then when Xbox Live launched, man was it a blast. Rainbow 6, Ghost Recon, and Ghost Recon Island Thunder were incredible online

[@bretton_woods]

@@godzilla7391 One of my friends got a Gamecube and was confused/angry that it wasn't backwards compatible with the N64 as had been rumoured at the time. I was barely allowed to touch the thing though I vaguely remember getting a go on one of the Mario Party games. Another friend had the Xbox AND Dreamcast (greedy bugger) and I got a PS2 sometime later a few years after launch since we couldn't afford it new. I didn't get to own the other big 3 gen 6 consoles I missed out on til only a few years ago (2018-19). Dirt cheap off eBay auctions. But I still play PS2 the most as I'm just more attached to it and still brings back the best memories.

[@PixelShade]

Generation 6 consoles were the peak of gaming. And what made them so great was how well AAA development achieved creativity meanwhile being in the forefront of technical innovation as well as 3D rendering innovation. And for us players it meant hanging out with people we really enjoyed and exploring these things together... - Online vs Offline: We actually hung out with our close friends meanwhile having an awesome time together over video games. Today we logon with an avatar playing against huge amounts of anonymous people in gigantic environments. I mean compare Powerstone vs Fortnite... The base premise is kind of similar (last man standing), but the difference is that you were competing- and having an awesome time playing against friends. I still think you can find this in online games, the younger generation play minecraft with their friends from school, but online at home. They don't have the close connection by sitting in the same sofa, but i still think it's the talk of the playground meanwhile also connecting kids when they are at home. - AAA Development: Back in the early 2000s AAA development really was what indie development is today. You explored a fun game mechanic and then ran with it, created a game around the mechanics, polished that gameplay with the absolute best graphics you could produce. It wouldn't take more than 1 year to deliver a "full game" on the Dreamcast. This is why most games had more of an "arcade feel" to them as well (except many times being co-developed towards both consoles and arcades). Indies today however, can't really reach the graphical fidelity of AAA, so there is a huge gap between graphical innovation, and gameplay fun factor. And of course, AAA development don't take risks anymore. - The Tech: Ever since we were able to make "perspective correct 3D," with proper filtering as well as "hardware transform and Lighting", 3D development kind of stagnated. Sure we have gained massive amounts of performance. But that is mostly used to increase resolution. :) What happened in Gen 6 was that we got perspective correct 3D, texture filtering, lightmaps, shadow maps, cube maps, normal maps (bump mapping), geometry 3D culling (Dreamcast had hardware support for geometry culling). All these techniques are prominent in modern game engines today and actually don't look all that different or revolutionary... The step to gen 6 was HUGE. and these techniques were later elevated in gen 7. but after that we kind of stagnated in 3D graphics. Sure of course there were iterative improvements but most of the compute power was put into offering insanely high resolutions instead. I guess the most exciting thing today has to be ray-tracing and advanced upscaling. However, since we have become so good at faking lighting, reflections etc. with raster techniques, the massive jump in fidelity is lost on most.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Lots of very good points here! It really was the end of great couch co ops and the move to online! We are so glad we have friends that still enjoy couch co ops like us so we can play games 2-4 players all the time! Its our favorite experiences still! Cheers!

[@benbehzadpour1177]

Gen 6 was just such a rich era of risk taking by developers. You will never see something fresh like Guitar Hero, Viewtiful Joe or Katamari Damacy in the world today. Companies demand built-in mass market appeal now. A lot of why gen 6 was so great is that it took the 3D rough concepts that was Gen 5 and refined them. Liked Goldeneye 007? Halo, Black and Timesplitters did it better. Liked Final Fantasy VII? FFX, FFXII, DQ VIII, Persona 3 & 4 and Kingdom Hearts blew the genre wide open. Liked Final Fantasy Tactics? Disgaea 1 & 2, Suikoden Tactics, La Pucelle and Front Mission 4 got you covered. Liked Metal Gear Solid? Splinter Cell, Thief Deadly Shadows and MGS 2 & 3 are going to blow your mind. Liked WWF No Mercy? Day of Reckoning and Smackdown Here Comes the Pain are even more accessible. Liked Zelda Ocarina of Time? Windwaker and Twilight Princess, Rogue Galaxy, Dark Alliance, Jade Empire and Knights of the Old Republic are going to knock your socks off. Liked 1080 snowboarding? SSX Tricky is the best snowboarding game ever made. Period. Liked Tekken 3? Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 5 and SoulCalibur I, II and III are superior. Liked Die Hard Arcade and Guardian Heroes? God Hand, Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks and Urban Reign are even better. Liked Super Smash Bros? SSB Melee is the GOAT. but Power Stone 2 isn't far behind Liked Super Mario 64 and Banjo? Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter are going to rock your world. Liked Spider-Man on N64 and PS1? Spider-Man 2 on PS2 is one of the greatest superhero games of all time. Punisher and Hulk Ultimate Destruction are pretty great too. It didn't matter which genre you loved, Gen 6 was so much bigger and better and brighter. So much so that Gen 7 really couldn't match it. I liked Gen 7 too but Gen 6 is such a pinnacle of greatness than ANY Gen would look somewhat lacking in comparison.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Gen 7 is amazing in its own right but totally agree no gen matches gen 6! Cheers!

[@bretton_woods]

Great post! Almost all those examples you give make perfect sense. Revisiting Goldeneye on N64 is tough work... the PS2 Bond games were a shit load of fun (I know you didn't mention them, but I will say it anyway to illustrate the point).. and then we get to god awful Daniel Craig era 7th Gen Bond games that are generic as all hell. The ultimate insult being that Goldeneye "remake". Can probably say the same about Tomb Raider... great concept in the PS1 era, then actually made PLAYABLE in the PS2 era (with the exception of Angel of Darkness which is awful)..but im thinking more like with Legend/Anniversary. And I did kinda like Underworld in Gen 7 though not nearly as good, but then we're fully in generic as hell action-adventure territory with the reboot.

[@RaphaelRemington6969]

I recently started playing my PS2 after a few years, and goddamn I always forget how good these games still are! It’s hard to explain, but I feel like they were limited by the times’ tech so they had to prioritize what to keep in their games. In modern times it’s all about packing in as much shite as possible. Some games today can be around 90 GB and I’m like for what fucking reason? I may just be blinded by nostalgia, but those ps2 games had a sense of purpose in their presentation. Like “what should we get rid of or keep?” Rather than “what other pointless sidequest or DLC can we fart onto here?”. Like I said, I could just be blinded by nostalgia, but the main issue I have with modern games is the vast amount of filler and empty content.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Some of it will always be nostalgia! But nostalgia has to deliver also! The variety and depth of games was so much more then! Cheers!

[@alexonthefly5861]

Stumbled upon this channel a couple of weeks ago. Keep up the great work 👍

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks for subscribing! Much appreciated! Glad you enjoy the content! Cheers!

[@VincentX]

Gen 6 was definitely my favorite; and for a while I've been thinking about how it was the last generation before a lot of things changed for the worse. While I like the later systems and loved plenty of the games; the PS2 is still my favorite system and I recently got an original XBox to discover and re-discover games I missed out on. There was something special about that generation and I think one of the reasons was that it felt like the last one to have games where you go "This is the future, these couldn't have been done on the previous generation." Games like Devil May Cry and Grand Theft Auto 3 were mind blowing at the time; DMC's gameplay, visuals, style, it was so unique. Even genres that already existed got mind blowing entries; Halo set the new standard for FPS games on console and Metal Gear Solid 2 was insane with all of it's details and cinematic cutscenes. Nostalgia is definitely part of it; but realistically there were so many things that Gen 6 did that we don't, or won't, see now. Games released when they were "done", there were no Day 1 patches or massive changes a few months down the line; if a game came out busted, it was panned and forgotten about. While I think patches can be helpful for those elusive bugs that get caught after launch: ex. Jak 2 had a progression stopper where a mission didn't appear and at the time you either had to start a new game or send Naughty Dog your Memory Card; those issues felt far fewer, at least in the big name titles, than they are now. It was the last generation where you just popped the disc in and played the game; and they were cheaper ($40-$50 on average instead of the $60-$70 now). No generation was "perfect"; but I feel like Gen 6 gets that love and nostalgia, because it truly earned it and we will never have a generation like it again.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

100% agree thats one our biggest pet peeves is new games not being 100% done! Very frustrating when your so excited to play a new game then a big long update comes on your screen then you finally start playing and its buggy ! Cheers!

[@dapperfan44]

I never knew that about Jak 2, that's really interesting. Maybe I had a later print of the disc that fixed that bug. I remember mine actually had greatest hits printed on the plastic wrap but the actual case was still the original black label. Greatest hits versions of games usually patched problems from the last version, e.g the Greatest Hits version of Spyro 3. It fixes the music in a couple levels where the first level theme is used as a placeholder because the tracks for those levels weren't done before the game released.

[@whalesequence]

I was rocking out to Local H in the truck at work today, and the gamecube has my favorite console library period

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Local H for the win! Gamecube is definitely one of our favorites! Cheers!

[@maverickninjaentertainment6670]

This was a great video guys! Really enjoyed the nostalgia chat and you’re spot on with your points, I feel the same about the skateboarding boom and the Monday night wars I was lucky enough to be around for. Nothing beats those days! At home, I’ve told myself I don’t move my ps4 up to the games room until ALL my friends have a ps5. We’re all big on retro and old school shit, and we all agree that these days isn’t the same. NOTHING in the gaming universe will beat a rainy Sunday afternoon with no plans in the late 90’s, with curtains drawn and a cup of tea (UK baybay) with final fantasy, THPS2, Streets of Rage, No Mercy, Metal Gear etc etc and the feeling of full immersion. Thanks for the video guys, much love as always, love this channel! X

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah the skating scene and wrestling in the 90s was so amazing! That list of games could get you thru any bad weather! They were such great times! Cheers!

[@maverickninjaentertainment6670]

@@GamingOffTheGrid oh hell yeah! Cheers to you both and looking forward to the next one! 🤘❤️🤙

[@crisjohnson5445]

The Dreamcast was hands down the most excited I’ve ever been for a console launch. I waited in line at midnight to pick up my pre-order at Electronics Boutique & then went downstairs to Software Etc. to pick up my brother in law’s. I haven’t been pumped about a console launch since the Wii & i just have no interest whatsoever in a PS5 or Series X/S/whatever.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

See back then consoles created that excitement! There were be so many console launch games you be oh man i need that console! Cheers!

[@Stylez-13]

The dreamcast was the first console i bought with my own money also the only consoleni bought on launch date , i was so exited about it i still have it today with mainly fighting games

[@onetwo6039]

Same here man. It was the first console I bought with my own money and pre-ordered at toys r us. That rock track intro for Sonic adventure " Open Your Heart " and that huge water monster really got me hyped and I knew at that moment that I had to have this console no matter what.

[@spursdynasty7378]

9/9/99 ! Got my wife to buy it for my birthday even though it wasn’t till November ! One of the best gifts I ever got 😆

[@jackhoff7880]

Thanks for this upload. Your videos really help me get out of my head. Keep up the good work brothers!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We appreciate you watching! Glad we can help you clear your thoughts! We try to bring joy and entertainment to everybody! Cheers!

[@sly2398]

I really believe this generation could be awesome, but only if the devs are a bit more experimental with their games and try out new things.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

100% need alot more creativity! We can always hopr! Cheers!

[@whatsjamieupto352]

Totally agree guys, WWF, gaming and especially the guitar music…holy shit what a time to be alive!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Oh man the wrestling games were amazing then! We need a new good wrestling game! Pray Aew game turns out hammer! Cheers!

[@Chris_978]

Hey brothers first time subscribing after watching this video great content everything you guys said was spot on 100% My opinion: Gen 6 was definitely the ERA after that close to it is Gen 7. Generation 6 I am so grateful I got to experience that era from the beginning a year after release till the end it was An amazing time. The Games had so many variety like you guys mentioned you go to one house u play one style of a game u go to another house u get to experience something new it was a fresh of breath air every time. Company’s took more risks and if it was crap it was crap if it was amazing the replay would and still last long till this day. I feel since it shifted more to the online side of things slowly it shift to a whole other side of things that ruined what made gaming the best starting off with loot boxes , micro , patches (Giving excuses to Release half ass games). Then with company’s evolving it became more of a profit for them and not for the gamers that’s how I feel.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah gen 6 was the last great couch co op gen where you popped in the game and it was 100% ready! Thanks for subscribing! Its very much appreciated! Cheers!

[@squidwardtentacles2736]

Wow, I have to say it's refreshing to see someone explain so well how I feel about current gaming. I grew up in 84, I've had/have a nes, snes, ps1-4, gamecube, xbox, xbox 360, xbox one, Wii, Wii U. Much of these consoles I purchased after the fact because I got disenfranchised with modern gaming around mid to late ps4 time. Most games on ps4 I enjoyed were games already made and just remastered and didn't care much about the exclusives. ps4 gen wasn't bad just not for me so I Got an Xbox One to try the varied library plus the backwards compatibility. Most games on Xbox One I've played are indie developers and I've spent more time with previous gen games. 7th gen to me was last gen that they were trying to be innovative but 6th gen is still king. As yall said we didn't care about hardware and specs we just wanted games that were fun. PS2 could play ps2 games AND play dvds and ps1? So much incentive! And Gamecube was what got me to love Mario Kart cuz doubledash is up there along with games like Eternal Darkness, Mario Tennis, and Resident Evil Remake (which I can't beleve no one was talking about because it was sooooo good!) I know more about ps2 games now than ever still discovering gems like Haunting Ground and Rule of Rose, that's another reason 6th gen was great because it was the pinnacle of horror titles! Games from that era are just as exciting now as ever! I just beat Halo 2 because I didn't have og xbox in the day and it's exciting to check that off my list and find more xbox games that I missed out on. There are enough games from 5th and 6th gen to last my lifetime and I'm okay with that, emulation will hopefully keep these games alive well into the future as games get more rsre and costly and consoles eventually die, but the innovation and excitement of 6th gen gaming and it's legacy will never die.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks! We have plenty to last us also! Cheers!

[@TheOnewingnut]

You guys have showed me the way. I've given up on modern consoles. I've started my collection of classics now. Hopped on the Wii U, Gamecube collection train. I just picked up both Rouge Squadron games on the Cube at the Iowa Retro meetup at the Uptown Garage this last weekend.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Awesome man! Great game! Wow didnt hear about that meetup! We would of enjoyed that! Cheers!

[@bubba842]

The 6th generation of video gaming is by far my favorite generation. 4 amazing game consoles, all of which still hold up to this day. The last generation of game developers making games that worked and didn't need an update patch on the day of release. The era before developers tried to grab every cent out of gamers, although the X Box did start this with DLC (Disc Locked Content), but it was only in its infancy. Truly the last great generation.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

100%! It was such a great generation to be the prime of our gaming! Cheers!

[@rbatesmotel]

I think Gen6 was the last generation when games came out they graphically blew away the previous generations graphics. Since then the graphical enhancements have been more measured. Yes there is raytracing and HD visuals today, but going from SNES/Genny to PS1/N64/Saturn then to PS2/GCN/XBox/DC had some jaw dropping holy sh*t moments graphically. And dont forget the advent of online console play with DC and Xbox. These two things in themselves are taken for granted today. But back then, they were amazing innovations, something I think is missing these days. So much is not only taken for granted today, but expected.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thats true but it got to the point they couldnt get much better! at least we didnt think so! Little improvements but not groundbreaking! Cheers!

[@emoboi311]

I’ve been calling this the best gaming era in history for many years. Finally a relief to see other veteran gamers like me to acknowledge this. Having four different consoles, distinctive exclusive only games to their home consoles. Gaming isn’t the same as it used to be… You had more casual gamers like me out there…. Many younger gamers can’t even understand or comprehend the importance of this time period or how this truly was the best era of gaming. You had to live through it to understand how remarkable it was. It was so surreal to play house of dead, powerstone, soul calibur on Dreamcast. While playing halo on Xbox, tekken tag on ps2, luigi’s mansion or super smash bros melee.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

It was so amazing to be in my prime of gaming in that gen! Cheers!

[@emoboi311]

@@GamingOffTheGrid I agree, this will always be my favorite era in gaming. Being able to live through those good old days was a privilege I’ll always hold true and be able to wave in the faces of these young gamers who play all these FPS shooters and online games. Back then we all played games in the same house. Such a different time.. Thank you guys for making this video.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

YW! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ronniebarter3857]

In my opinion gen 6 was the first generation of modern gaming. With relatively new games holding up compared to modern games. But now the new threat is games turning into play it safe money machines.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

There is alot of pay to play games now too and thats frustrating because it makes games more like jobs than entertainment! Games are suppose to be something after a hard day will lift your spirits! Cheers!

[@jclarke4NWbearcats]

It just goes to show that competition always generates innovation and greatness! Will all these companies buying up all these game studios, there is no need for variety. Gen 6 forever! Love the content, guys! Here in KCMO. A great gaming community and events happening here.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

100% man! Glad you enjoy the content! Yeah Kansas City is a happening area! Cheers!

[@M-G-n-T]

I think, personally, once online play became mainstream, it took some of the enjoyment out of gaming for me. I always remember how much fun we had all sat round a small CRT playing 4 player Goldeneye on the N64. Watching each others screens to see where they were, so much fun back then. These days, kids are sat on their own playing online. Im not saying its any better or worse but for me, I got so much more from gaming sat with my friends in the same room having a blast! Old school!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah dont get us wrong we like some online gaming but its killed the couch cop experience for younger kids! They would rather play all online! Cheers!

[@crzzymnn911]

I prided myself on not screen peaking back then and still dominating lol

[@matthewscottshea]

The problem with the latest gen, other than needing so many updates, and the microtransactions (or in increasing amounts Macro transactions), is we essentially have what feels like 2 consoles (PS has more exclusives, but most games are on PS and XBox). 6th gen, each of the 4 consoles had its exclusives and they all stood out on each of them. No DLC or extra costs, they came out and you could just enjoy them. Gen 7 started that way, and Nintendo has done it's best to keep that "uniqueness" with the Wii, WiiU and the Switch, but so much of late gen 7 through 9 just feels the same with higher costs. There are gems for sure, but overall it just feels less fun then it used to be.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Its by far less than it use to be! Its like they stick to status quo and afraid to take chances! Cheers!

[@snoozy04]

Back when they didn't have DLC, microtransactions, pay to win, and online trolls.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah thats what they build most of there games now! Its unfortunate! Cheers!

[@dadrand0m]

This is honestly a GREAT topic! I don't think I've seen anyone cover this. I was so unexcited for the PS5 and Xbox One Series X. The Switch still holds some mystery and fun. But I grew up in the 80s, born in the 70s. I've seen it all from the Atari 2600 to NES to Genesis to PS to N64....... and to today. The late 80s to the mid 2000s was the prime time. Those systems all overlapped. It's just stale and hollow now with some exceptiions.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We thought it was a great discussion topic because we know there would many different arguments! We agree the creativity and dedication has been kinda lost with new games unlike the old gens! Cheers!

[@Followthelemming]

GEN 6, no downloads, no updates, no BETA testing as a consumer, lots of physical devices, microphone games like Sea Man and Mario Party...etc. You both are very correct on this. Thanks for the discussion.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

And….. last true light gun generation:)

[@deangulberry1876]

Man I just bought the new golf game for ps5. Pop it in the console. Then I had to wait an hour and a half for it to load. Everything’s just a little weird. Yeah we get better graphics and a little higher quality fps, but at what cost? And can I even notice fps?

[@RealziesCuts]

Don’t forget the magical part of this era that was the ability to rent games and finish them on the weekend in the instead of dumping $50 on them 💫 Phar Mor had Sega genesis and super Nintendo game rentals for one dollar at a point I miss Blockbuster video so much ✊

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah i was aloud to rent 1 game a week growing up! Those Fridays were so exciting! Cheers!

[@casualcadaver]

Its not Nostolgia games really were objectively better back in the day. Games came complete in box no game breaking bugs, well-polished, full of extras and unlockable no microtrans trash.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Really makes you wish you appreciated more in the moment! How epic gaming was! Cheers!

[@mattgallagher7105]

Was just about to suggest a video about your opinions on what was "the golden era". So many dead franchises and one-off gems where I can't find comparable games being made. On my shelf: Robot arms, Skies of Arcadia, The last story, Hexen, Shadowman, Duke Zero hour, Castlevania 64, Battlion wars - all games I go back to, Maybe not financial hits - and most new games are trying to copy the hits. So many limitations have been removed, that it feels like you're getting an AAA experience, or an indie game. No 10-20 hr games. A lot of big games I don't even finish. RDR2, Elden ring, FF15, one of the PS4 Batmans... Amazing games, but they're so big I somehow lose interest after taking a break, it feels like a chore to pick them back up with remembering the controls and what have you. Love your guys content and consistency. I appreciate the work you put in, and you guys should be a much bigger YT channel than you are IMO.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah its almost like getting the new edition of some series is having the new shiny game! They just add a fresh coat of paint but its like the old game! Thanks for the kind words! We just keep plugging away! Cheers!

[@IcePakOG]

I totally agree with you guys about Gen 6 being the apex of gaming. I could argue that Gen 4 was the apex of 2D gaming, but there's so much to love about Gen 6 that it's easily the high point of gaming. Most of what came after, while not necessarily bad, was very cookie cutter, with the exception of some indie games. Gaming needs to go back to that era of experimentation. Both SEGA and Nintendo were at their peak during this generation with really unique titles that were total quality.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Gen 4 is our second favorite and is an absolute hammer also! Yeah the variety was at a peak also! cheers!

[@Fallen_Blade]

I was hoping y’all were going to “let’s talk about this coffee”

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Haha we just have plain old coffee nothing special! We filmed that so early in the morning we just didnt want a beer yet! Cheers!

[@PixelGameSquad]

16 bit generation is the king. Fight me

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

LOL will have to face you guys in some Wrestlemania the Arcade Game! Cheere brothas!

[@gametourny4ever627]

I saw Adam Koralik put out a funny message a few days back where the amount of time between the Atari 2600 and the PS2 matched up to the time between the PS2 and today. When I saw that, it made me realize how lucky I am to be born in 1984 to witness that period between the Nes up to PS2. Great times!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

all 80s and 90s kids are lucky! We never knew how good we had it! Wish we would of appreciated it more in the moment! Cheers!

[@antiquecardboard]

Great topic. In my opinion, Gen 6.5 was peak: The Wii. The last system to have true CIB games with no DLC, patches. It still connects to a CRTV. All games included manuals. Developers were still experimenting with new concepts. So many hidden gems. I hated it at the time...but I now consider the Wii the ultimate and final "Retro" console. And the great thing about it is that it is still relatively cheap. I can guarantee that the Wii and many of its games will be very sought after in 20 years.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We agree but we would sprinkle on some gen 7 also! Makes you wish you appreciated it more in the time doesnt it!? Cheers!

[@DubsBrown]

Wii games did have occasional DLC but I also love the Wii and it got me back into video games. IMO Nintendo lied by implying the original Wii remote worked like the later Wii motion plus and that hurt a lot of their momentum with poor motion controls. Also certain Camelot Mario sports games from GameCube didn’t get Wii sequels, as well as Star fox and F Zero hiatuses

[@antiquecardboard]

@@DubsBrown I believe (aside from the Zelda Skyward Sword patch that fixed an uncommon but game-breaking glitch) there was no DLC/patches for physical disc Wii games. The only DLC was for a couple wiiware games. Also: F-Zero Wii goes by the name "Speed Racer". Starfox Wii goes by the name "Counter Force" or "Sin and Punishment" (Both better than that abomination starfox "game?" on the Wii U.) Wii motion plus definitely improved motion controls. A new F-Zero on the switch would be a dream come true.

[@aceassn716]

@antiquecardboard I still have a Gamecube an F-Zero GX Would buy a nintendo system in a heartbeat if we got a new F-Zero All we need is literally GX remastered with online play, creating, sharing

[@DubsBrown]

@@antiquecardboard nice tip I’ll check out speed Racer and counter Force

[@mrmacnugget]

You guys remind me of old school KZbin and I'm here for it!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks man glad you enjoy the content! Hope to see you around! Cheers!

[@Kdawg-rx8db]

I really feel you guys on this. I think gaming has lost its innovation. Everything feels the same anymore. My favorite era was a combination between Gen 6 & 7. I thought they made a lot of amazing games.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah both amazing Generations that we wish we would of appreciated more in the moment! Cheers!

[@patricksgarage9416]

mine also so many good games

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

For sure man! We find new ones every year!

[@jasonh5547]

Original XBOX, PS2, and Game Cube had the perfect combination of graphics and story. While graphics have improved even more since then the stories are more shallow now and really to be fair every type of story has already been told.

[@theguyinthere]

i feel like 2004/2005 was where i seen the most creative innovation. could could name 100 games that came out in those years that were bangers. half life 2 halo 2 resident evil 4 splinter cell: chaos theory MGS 3 need for speed most wanted OG star wars games for days i could go on but i've made my point.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Those were two epic years for gaming! So many great games! Cheers!

[@theguyinthere]

@@GamingOffTheGrid yeah thank you a toast to the past my man.

[@JosephAlanMeador]

Yes! Though like you guys I don't know what it's like to not have nostalgia for this time, but from a game design standpoint it was the perfect confluence of technology, creativity and accessibility. Lessons had been learned from the janky 3D pioneering efforts of the 5th gen, while remaining true to the core elements of what makes games FUN. Original ideas and small dev teams were still viable in the mainstream, and games as a service or loot-boxes weren't yet a twinkle in the greedy eye of shareholders. The tech hadn't ballooned out too much yet, but had also reached new heights that allowed for implementation of new ideas and art direction that stands up to this day. The old adage rings true: less is more. If nothing else, we can treasure the memories, and we'll always have gen 6 to show our grandkids when they ask "whats a video games?"

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Gen 3 4 5 6 7 and some 8 for sure. Hopefully this new gen steps it up or we are afraid where gaming is heading! Cheers!

[@JosephAlanMeador]

@@GamingOffTheGrid That about sums up how I feel about Humanity in general, ahaha! Luckily, the next generation is full of brilliance and promise. Life goes ever forward. Thanks for the reply! Love your channel

[@jsttv]

For me it was bitter sweet. Sega discontinuing the Sega Dreamcast hit us Sega fans hard, but purchasing PS2, GameCube, & Xbox kind of filled the void.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

gen 6 had 4 iconic consoles in one gen! Such an amazing time! Cheers!

[@jsttv]

@@GamingOffTheGrid you guys totally rock!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks!

[@erichopkins1679]

Gen 6 is for sure is the pinnacle. Now days Most Devs won’t take risk, the diversity of the gen 6 catalog won’t be matched ever again. Our greatest hope for modern day games is in Indie Devs. All the mainstream is just same old same old re releases.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Its all about the bottom line unfortunately! Gaming probably will never return to the apex! Cheers!

[@sebastienlinck4908]

6-7th generation I consider to be the best in development for consoles. The best titles came out during these two generations as well

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We agree! Cheers!

[@dlzchaos588]

I still don’t want a ps5 either which is weird because back when the ps3 and PS4 came out I really wanted the newest console. Modern gaming just isn’t doing for me anymore. I want a N64 rn wayyyy more than I want a PS5. Nothing is on the console that I either can’t play on my PS4 or that isn’t a remaster of which I have already played or own on a previous generation console. Everything else like GT7 I just don’t care about. Also why continue going forward playing half broken games and what not when there are so many other games that I haven’t played yet? I just picked up Mario strikers on GameCube and my wife destroyed me in it because she played it as a kid and it was my first time playing it. Idk game just aren’t the same so I’ll continue playing my older consoles. Gen 6 is my favorite personally but I feel as though if I was born 10 years earlier I would say this about the 4th gen instead

[@JohnnyDollar720]

Same. I couldn't wait to get a ps4. Now I don't care and just want to play my retro consoles. Get you a 64!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah we agree gaming just isnt the same as it use to be especially Gen 6! Cheers!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We totally agree with you man! Cheers!

[@tristangruener9571]

There will never be another gen 6… it was truly an amazing and groundbreaking time. We were all lucky to have been able to live through it

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

You are spot on. It was a great time to be alive and a gamer. Cheers 🍻! Thanks for watching this oldie

[@AlBeQuirky]

The 6th gen of video games is the best gen. It's something that will never be replicated. There was more competition and more options for the gamers to choose what to play. Sure, you could have gotten a dud, but you may also find a gem that not everyone knew about. It was a time where you still could get that couch co-op going on so many games before the online gaming really took off. Unfortunately, at the end of that generation, It was the beginning of the end of many licensed titles and exclusive deals being put in place. I'm especially looking at you Sports titles. Things seemed more flexible back then where developers and publishers would take more risks and put out something unexpected, that you had not experienced before that you didn't even know you wanted to play, but sure were glad you did. It was the last time where really the big and main focus was developing games to play before the more heavily favored services would be pushed in future generations. The last of the physical media for full games even if some digital DLC, which still would be released on discs at some point. The last where you could just pop in a game and play it. The last of being able to trip people with your controller cords or yell at them for walking by and Ripping it out. Sure Nostalgia plays a part in this, but there're games that I yearn to play and that I enjoy playing. 6th generation of video games equals the APEX of video games.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

100% agree somethint you didnt think of at the timr but being able to pop in a game no updates downloads etc. young kids now mostly have no clue how that is. or have great couch co op games! Cheers!

[@dragonroot2616]

Yeah, looking back there's definitely a nostalgia factor but at the same time hindsight is 20/20 so it's easier to see which games stood the test of time and why.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thats a good take that doesnt get expressed much! But we speak to at the time there were so many console sellers for all those 4 consoles. Very few in this new gen! Cheers!

[@CarlosVS]

These guys saying what I've been trying to put into words

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks! I think lots of people see it this way! Cheers!

[@weirdo3381]

Also, games came out complete back then. Not heavily relying on DLC or patches. Games back then, also aimed to be more fun. Less corporate and less copying what's popular.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah alot of games now are the same or similar with a fresh coat of paint! We want creativity! Cheers!

[@MrCoffeeMrRadar]

Honestly, this is the first console gen that I don't really feel like I need to run out and get. I'm pretty happy with my PS4 Pro and Switch, if anything I'd rather spend my money on the games for these consoles. Throw in getting a N64 for bday I'm rocking WrestleMania 2k & WCW/NWO Revenge plus bunch of other games I got.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

This is a common response! They didnt do anything to get people excited enough to truly buy the new consoles! N64 the peak of wrestling games! Cheers!

[@jcthomas87]

Guys are my favorite gaming channel, I full heartedly believe this also. I had the Dreamcast from launch and it was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Still discovering games for it! Also, you guys are hilarious, come to a Cali game con one of these days! 🤙🏽

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks! We appreciate the kind words! Glad you enjoy the content! We plan to go to more cons in the future! So many to pick! Cali would be a good place to visit! Cheers!

[@ridwaankaranie5089]

Gen 6 is and will always be the greatest ever for gaming. Currently its more fun hunting for these older games in the wild than seeing what's on the release schedule for the Series X/PS5 and cheaper too because of how much buy-in there was for the gaming market back then. Gamers back then saw the epic experiences that can be had with the variety of games & consoles on offer. Titles like Manhunt, the PS2-era GTA games and even the Tony Hawk games all focused on delivering a solid, enjoyable experience for the player and were not bogged down by the political correctness, microtransactions and half-bake releases that we see today. I have good memories of Gen 6 and I refuse to have this wither as I continue to buy and play many of the gems we had 20 years ago today.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Totally agree! We still in 2022 find new games from all consoles we never played that our bangers! Its amazing! Cheers!

[@kitnoCC]

I'll never forget my dreamcast days. Bought it with my own money. Played chuchu rocket, quake 3 and 4x4 evolution online. Sonic. Seaman. Soul calibur. Powerstone. Nuts! I could browse the web and use mIRC on my tv. Amazing.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Was in the same boat as you! So many fond memories! Cheers!

[@ricsw9303]

I do agree but also I feel like you mentioned in the video that it also pulls on the emotional nostalgia heartstrings.It feels like the game companies were willing to take more chances on gaming developers and the games that they were making as opposed to current generation consoles where the companies just want to bank on the titles that they're sure of. You do see some indie developer games here and there but not as with much gaming fanfare as they would have gotten during the 6th generation console lifetime.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Indies scene has improved that is true! Gaming thrives when the AAA scene is strong and its very weak atm! Cheers!

[@DoubleDguitar]

Local H. Hell yeah. My band gigged with them a bunch around the Gen 6 era. This all hits hard lol.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Nice!!! We did as well around 2012-2017. Awesome live band to say the least. Cheers 🍻

[@DoubleDguitar]

@@GamingOffTheGrid 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Rock on brother!

[@haukkes8546]

I came before the Atari and Colecovision generation and played and loved those then fell out of love with video games until the original Xbox and Halo CE came out and got me back into gaming and i have not stopped since. Even though the Turbografx-16 is my favorite system i did not collect hardcore for that system until well after it was long dead.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We are still learning about the Turbografx 16. like it so far! Halo was a gamechanger! Cheers!

[@shae1547]

This is EXACTLY what I have been thinking, I got a PS5 and basically have just been using it to play PS4 games....great video guys

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah its kinda the direction you have to go. Hopefully they step up there game soon! Cheers!

[@Spartan77]

I agree. The sixth generation was the best generation for video games. The technological advances were amazing, the amount of new and original games available was overwhelming, Karen was just Karen, I did not need blue pills to make things work when I went on dates with Karen. Ahhh, good times, good times. Cheers guys.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Lmao! Yeah Karen was an awesome lady then! How things changed! Cheers!

[@PaperBanjo64]

I have an aunt named Karen and she's an awesome lady and doesn't act like the stereotype.

[@Danny-xm1pe]

Gen 5 is my favorite since the N64 and PS1 were both revolutionary consoles that each had their own unique personality and complemented each other well with different types of games.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Gen 5 was the beginning of 3D! We appreciated them trying something new! Taking a chance! Thats what we want in the new gen! Cheers!

[@MatticusFinch1820]

Totally agree 6th generation is the perfect Sweet spot between the old way of things and the modern way of things and yet we didn't have to worry about DLC software updates micro transactions or any kind of censorship or woke nonsense or anything like that it was just pure fun games. 7th gen is a close second I really enjoy the 360 and the PS3 era but that's when you start having a foot in the modern era with the aforementioned issues but it's not nearly as bad as today's modern gaming which I barely do anymore. My series X hasn't been turned on in months although I have been gaming on my switch a little bit more recently but that's only because the switch reminds me of those good old days of gaming. The DLC micro transactions and software updates aren't nearly as egregious as other systems these days. Anyway long winded comment but keep up the great work guys you are always on point!!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah we just want a completr game! Developers have gotten lazy knowing they dont have to release full products day 1! Cheers!

[@miaxhurricanes43]

Saved by the Bell is still great! Back when shows taught you alot about growing up! Timeless show!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Was just saying it isnt quite what it use to feel like! Cheers brotha!

[@EdsHead]

Gen 6 was just a much simpler time in gaming and for me personally it was no doubt a great one for so many reasons and in particular the ones you mentioned. I think that's the best way to put it, especially for myself as I was in my early 20s at the time. Games now have bigger budgets, are more complex and have longer dev cycles. With online a big part of games today, we see more games as a service which focuses more on shorter community-based experiences and gaming companies getting their return on investments with DLC and microtransactions. Because of this, we tend to see more innovation happening with smaller budget and/or indy games because the risks are less, especially financially. However, there are so many smaller budget/indy games now that they get lost in the shuffle. Back in Gen 6, devs had to jump through hoops just to get your games on a platform. I think another big part of it is nostalgia. What was happening during that time period in your life? What role did gaming play during it? I understand many people establish their primary taste in music during a certain time, maybe games are similar? I think every persons own "pinnacle of gaming" will vary based on their circumstances in life. I wonder if gamers way younger or way older would have different answers? Even though Gen 6 was great, I have had many amazing experiences in each generation (even the current) so it's difficult for me to pick just one as the "pinnacle". Great video I completely understand where you are coming from though. It really has got me thinking about what I like in each generation and I could personally do a story or video of why each of the generation is great. Great work boys. ✅

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

100% man! its all about the bottom line than taking chances! Wish we would of embraced those old gens in the moment! Cheers!

[@kevingoodwin9204]

I agree with everything you guys said. Gen 6 was absolutely the peak for me, since gen 6 I have had every new gen until now. Had an og XBox then 360, my girlfriend at the time had a Wii. Then we got a Wii U, XBox One and PS4 then a Switch. I have had fun with all of the consols but right now I play more gen 6 and early gen 7 than about anything right now with some 8-bit and 16-bit thrown in. I bought another og XBox last year since the one I had when I was a teenager died long ago, my son loves playing on it and I play it more than any of my other consols right now and it's been amazing to go back to.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thats awesome you have your son enjoying the same games that you did and made memories! We love hearing those stories! Cheers!

[@Septer_Sever]

The Dreamcast had one of the best launch lineups ever. Sega deserves credit for the amazing development tools they made available. PS2 had 4000 games, so no argument there. Simply said, I will never buy a PS5 in it's current form...I promise! New Gen gaming is summed up in one word: DELAYS. There's enough classic and indie stuff to keep me busy for 2 decades!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Delays and incomplete games could sum it up well! Yeah the indie seen is still doing well! Cheers brotha!

[@JamesMete]

The analogy of late 90s wrestling hit me hard. It might be that we have too much information these days but the magic of discovery feels missing. Also, I think the game room is iconic and helps give character to GOTG. You gotta keep using it in the videos!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah its so hard to be surprised anymore! This is our normal video format! Its been used 99.9% of the time! Cheers!

[@moandaindesigns]

Ok I feel ya here guys. Gen 6 was when the industry had a lot of income and most things were relatively unexplored. It was an exciting time. You are 100% right about 9th gen consoles. While I love my PS5, It only has a few true exclusives. Developers are afraid to go with PS5 exclusive because they know they can not make sales to 100% of a small install base. At the moment I know of only 2 true exclusive games, Returnal and Ratchet and clank rift apart. Having such a struggle to establish a large player base is not enticing to 3rd party developers. Plus Sony now stands accused of turning its back on Japan, and lots of Japanese gamers are turning away from Sony and the excessive censorship in games on Sony consoles. Games have become formulaic because the publishers are chasing money and not good games. The goal these days is profit. Back on 6th gen, a Good game had a lot of profit as a byproduct of being a good game, not because profit was the goal. Making a good game was the goal, and the reward was profit. Yea games are going with these huge budgets, and that creates a lot of pressure to make money. Publishers want big. Big Games, Big numbers, Big money. I wanted an Xbox Series X until I learned that I could play Halo Infinite on the One X. At the moment, 9th Gen does not have an exclusive killer app, and I think it may be a long time before we See 10th Gen. I hope this does not cause the 2nd big video game crash.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yep everything is about the bottom line! How much can you make from microtranscations! Takes the joy out of games! Cheers!

[@dvdknight1]

Really enjoy these conversations bros, generation 6 rocks! I’m a long time gamer. I agree with you guys 100%. I loved the GameCube and play it a lot now, but I had to buy the PS2 at the time! Keep up the great work, cheers!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Was the peak of gaming! Thanks for all the love abd support you give the channel! Cheers brotha!

[@dvdknight1]

@@GamingOffTheGrid I’m glad I found you guys, I got back into retro gaming during the pandemic, you guys do a great job and remind me of me & my bros back during Gen 6. Thank you!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We have been glad too! Your a joy to chat with in streams and comments!

[@classicpctinker5070]

To me, it feels like rather than getting new generations, we just keeping getting a new generation 7 over and over again. I like gen6 but I don't think I'd call it the apex of gaming. I think that covers a number of generations from the late '80s up until about 2012 when AAA games really started to decline as a group. I suspect big games just started to cost too much money to develop and those who love games stopped having as much influence in what got made. Meanwhile medium size developers couldn't cope with the new and increasing expectations for high production values and largely went out of business or became very niche in focus. It seems all we have to look forward to now are indies. Indies are great but they're too small for some things. You're not likely to sell me a PS5 to play an indie game.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah the indie seen has improved we can agree on that! Yeah you can make debates for gen 3 4 5 6 and 7 as the best we just lean toward 6! Cheers!

[@Bilious303]

G6 was crazy because there were "must-have" games coming out WEEKLY between the four consoles. It was also the birth of online gaming and the mmorpg. G7 was interesting because yes "AAA" mainstream gaming became more homogenized, but we saw the birth of indie games and a return to pixel art. But i think most of g7-g9 has such a huge focus on open world mission based games with heavy narrative. I will occasionally watch a compilation video of upcoming big budget games and after about 10 minutes of watching, the games start blending into each other.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

100% We didnt realize how spoiled we were in the Gen 6 era! So amazing! Cheers!

[@85fabricio]

Add gba

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We are starting to get more into handhelds but our nostalgia isnt strong with them! We do enjoy playing them and wish we would of started sooner! Cheers!

[@EricSega-pe8fl]

I am in complete agreement with this narrative. Very Well Done.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks man! Cheers!

[@kaizarcantu8240]

It seems like Gen 6 was the time when technical innovation and creativity in the industry truly reached a sweet spot and converged. Not to say there's no innovation or creativity today; but back then, you could feel the leap.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah you could really feel the leap then and now you dont! Cheers!

[@turismofoegaming8806]

There’s a reason that most hard-core gamers still got a Sega Dreamcast hooked up to this day!!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

For sure man! So many great games! Cheers!

[@montevision1]

This video is what I’ve been talking about for a while, Gen 6 was about companies taking risks and us being rewarded with a once in a lifetime experience.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

For sure and prior generations definitely took risk also! Now its all about the bottom line! Cheers!

[@nickparsons337]

Great video guys; as usual. Side note; love that Local H tee man. Underrated band for sure. They used The White Stripes formula of just two people over a decade before Jack White. Nice

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yeah they are one of our all time favorite bands! Cheers!

[@nickparsons337]

@@GamingOffTheGrid Me too guys. Keep up the great content!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks man!

[@nickparsons337]

@@GamingOffTheGrid Deserved. I almost forgot to tell you guys; one of my best friends had pre ordered a Dreamcast back in the day. We waited in line for the midnight release at an Electronics Boutique (remember that shit?) at a mall in South County St. Louis. They had a Dreamcast on display to play with Soulcalibur and we were just completely blown away. Two hours later, we get back to his house; hooked it up and played Soulcalibur for two hours straight before he threw in the towel because he had to later that morning. As for me; I stayed up playing the demo disc with Powestone on it until the damn sun came up. Lol

[@sniderke]

MONO NO AWARE : The impermanence of things. A gentle sadness or wistfulness at their passing as well as a longer deeper gentle sadness about this state being the reality of life

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

This is 100% true! We just hope it improves! Fingers crossed! Cheers!

[@Palendrome]

Graphics, animation and online has improved. Everything else has stagnated since Gen 6. And the worst part is the publishers are holding it back ON PURPOSE

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We can fully agree! Nothing will top gen 6 ever we believe! 🍻

[@zimmy4868]

Personally, I loved the 16-bit rivalry between the snes and the genesis. It was downright hilarious watching each company trying to “out cool” the other. But that fierce competition gave us some really awesome gaming experiences back then. Ahhh the memories…..

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Oh yes one of the best rivalries in all of gaming. i remember all the heatee debates in the playground on this one. I owned the SNES so you know which side im on even the genesis was amazing also! Cheers!

[@zimmy4868]

@@GamingOffTheGrid I was an snes guy myself, but I was spoiled b/c my best friend was the sega guy and we both got to play each of the other competitor’s games that we were jealous of, lol.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Oh yeah i had a buddy down the street with Sega and he had the Sega Channel! That was a moment i was doubting myself as a nintendo guy! Im like where is the Super Nintendo Channel! Thats one thing Sega really did well was the Sega Channel! Completely ahead of its time by over a decade!

[@NewGabeOrder]

It feels mind-blowing to have games continued to be released for a discontinued product. Like, Sonic Adventure 2 and Capcom vs. SNK 2 came out on the Dreamcast despite being discontinued.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

That is very true! They still do releases today off retro consoles like the NES! We think the love of some of these retro consoles will never die! Cheers!

[@stigee]

I've been saying Gen 6 was the pinnacle for years. Sure, graphics improved, but there was something special about 6. Each system was special and amazing in their own way. DC was ahead of its time with some hidden gems, ps2 had a massive library, xbox had halo and Xbox Live, and GC had the great first party titles. I miss that generation. Nostalgia plays a part, but it's more than that.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

We really believe the same! The variety of different genres you could play and they all had multiple great games! It was amazing! Cheers!

[@dapperfan44]

I think one of the great things about the 6th gen is the framerate. I remember finally getting my own Dreamcast a few years ago and popping in Crazy Taxi. After you play PS3 and PS4 for years and get used to 30 FPS games, when you see that crazy taxi driving and the world feeling so fast and frenetic, you remember just how much fun 60 FPS made a game.

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

For sure! Thats a huge factor! We just like the selection of different genre and games gen 6 offered compared to modern gaming! Cheers!

[@dapperfan44]

@@GamingOffTheGrid Thanks for the reply, cheers to you too!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Yw! Thanks for watching!

[@Unknown2030U]

Love both of y’all’s shirts! One of the best horror/suspense movies of all time and an awesome, underrated 90s grunge band!!!

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks man! We are big into shirts also we have so many and always buying more! Cheers!

[@junior2522]

Great job keep up the good videos 🔥

[@GamingOffTheGrid]

Thanks man! the kind words are very much appreciated! Glad you enjoyed! Cheers!