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Game History - 6th Generation

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22 views2 pages

Game History - 6th Generation

Uploaded by

zubinverse
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SIXTH GENERATION CONSOLES (1998-2004)

In the sixth generation of video game consoles, Sega exited the hardware market,
Nintendo fell behind, Sony solidified its lead in the industry, and Microsoft
developed a gaming console.
The generation opened with the launch of the Dreamcast in 1998. It was the first
console to have a built-in modem for Internet support and online play. While it was
initially successful, sales and popularity would soon begin to decline with
contributing factors being Sega's damaged reputation from previous commercial
failures, software pirating, and the overwhelming anticipation for the upcoming
Playstation 2 at the time. Production for the console would discontinue in most
markets by 2002 and would be Sega's final console before they switched into
becoming third party.

The second release of the generation was Sony's Playstation 2, which would go on to
be the best selling console at the time. Nintendo followed a year later with the
Nintendo GameCube, their first disc-based console. Though more or less equal with
Sony's system in technical specifications, the Nintendo GameCube suffered from a
lack of third-party games compared to Sony's system, and was hindered by a
reputation for being a "kid's console" and lacking the mature games the current
market appeared to want.

The Xbox, Microsoft's entry into the video game


console industry.

Before the end of 2001, Microsoft Corporation, best known for its Windows operating
system and its professional productivity software, entered the console market with
the Xbox. Based on Intel's Pentium III CPU, the console used much PC technology to
leverage its internal development. In order to maintain its hold in the market,
Microsoft reportedly sold the Xbox at a significant loss[46] and concentrated on
drawing profit from game development and publishing. Shortly after its release in
November 2001 Bungie Studio's Halo: Combat Evolved instantly became the driving
point of the Xbox's success, and the Halo series would later go on to become one of
the most successful console shooters of all time. By the end of the generation, the
Xbox had drawn even with the Nintendo GameCube in sales globally, but since nearly
all of its sales were in North America, it pushed Nintendo into third place in the
American market. In 2001 Grand Theft Auto III was released, popularizing open world
games by using a non-linear style of gameplay. It was very successful both
critically and commercially and is considered a huge milestone in gaming.

Nintendo still dominated the handheld gaming market in this generation. The Game
Boy Advance in 2001, maintained Nintendo's market position. Finnish cellphone maker
Nokia entered the handheld scene with the N-Gage, but it failed to win a
significant following.

Console gaming largely continued the trend established by the PlayStation toward
increasingly complex, sophisticated, and adult-oriented gameplay. Most of the
successful sixth-generation console games were games rated T and M by the ESRB,
including many now-classic gaming franchises such as Halo and Resident Evil, the
latter of which was notable for both its success and its notoriety. Even Nintendo,
widely known for its aversion to adult content (with very few exceptions most
notably Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64), began publishing more
M-rated games, with Silicon Knights's Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem and
Capcom's Resident Evil 4 being prime examples. This trend in hardcore console
gaming would partially be reversed with the seventh generation release of the Wii.

Return of alternate controllers


One significant feature of this generation was various manufacturers' renewed
fondness for add-on peripheral controllers. While novel controllers weren't new, as
Nintendo featured several with the original NES and PC gaming has previously
featured driving wheels and aircraft joysticks, for the first time console games
using them became some of the biggest hits of the decade. Konami introduced a soft
plastic mat versions of its foot controls for its Dance Dance Revolution franchise
in 1998. Sega's alternate peripherals included Samba De Amigo's maraca controllers.
Nintendo introduced a bongo controller for a few titles in its Donkey Kong
franchise. Publisher RedOctane introduced Guitar Hero and its distinctive guitar-
shaped controllers for the PlayStation 2.

Online gaming rises to prominence

As affordable broadband Internet connectivity spread, many publishers turned to


online gaming as a way of innovating. Massively multiplayer online role-playing
game (MMORPGs) featured significant titles for the PC market like EverQuest, World
of Warcraft, and Ultima Online. Historically, console based MMORPGs have been few
in number due to the lack of bundled Internet connectivity options for the
platforms. This made it hard to establish a large enough subscription community to
justify the development costs. The first significant console MMORPGs were Phantasy
Star Online on the Sega Dreamcast (which had a built in modem and after market
Ethernet adapter), followed by Final Fantasy XI for the Sony PlayStation 2 (an
aftermarket Ethernet adapter was shipped to support this game). Every major
platform released since the Dreamcast has either been bundled with the ability to
support an Internet connection or has had the option available as an aftermarket
add-on. Microsoft's Xbox also had its own online gaming service called Xbox Live.
Xbox Live was a huge success and proved to be a driving
force for the Xbox with games like Halo 2 that were overwhelmingly popular.

Rise of casual PC games

Beginning with PCs, a new trend in casual gaming, games with limited complexity
that were designed for shortened or impromptu play sessions, began to draw
attention from the industry. Many were puzzle games, such as Popcap's Bejeweled and
Diner Dash, while others were games with a more relaxed pace and open-ended play.
The biggest hit
was The Sims by Maxis, which went on to become the best selling computer game of
all time, surpassing Myst.

Other casual games include Zynga Games like Mafia Wars, FarmVille, Cafe World,
among many others, which aretied into social networking sites such as Myspace and
Facebook. These games are offered freely with the option buy in game items, and
stats for money and/or reward offers

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