http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/23200000/Pokemon-vs-Digimon-anything-vs-anything-23279641-600-400.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Toy_Story_2.jpg
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ytqS1SqpNu8/maxresdefault.jpghttp://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130818040712/disney/images/6/64/One_Saturday_Morning.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Batman_Beyond_soundtrack.png
http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/5/5d/Sell-Your-Pokemon-Cards-Step-3.jpg/aid253554-728px-Sell-Your-Pokemon-Cards-Step-3.jpg http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/002/021/290/attitudeera_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75 https://i.ytimg.com/vi/a5mVO8i2ZUo/hqdefault.jpg
http://41.media.tumblr.com/9c548e7bf0557e1ca5e793b4b5a479e8/tumblr_nhcq9iDAHi1qzh02bo10_500.png http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/2801862368_df8fdfdafc_o.jpg
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/the-disney-afternoon/images/d/da/ToonDisneyLogo.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140818062920

VS.
http://img09.deviantart.net/f8f2/i/2011/186/9/0/cartoon_cartoons___color_by_ssgba1380-d25yiwc.jpg
http://cdnvideo.dolimg.com/cdn_assets/dfd54a6e6c3e428ef1773b070e211dee34ebcb36.jpg
http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/justice-league-gods-monsters-chronicles.jpg
http://image-7.verycd.com/d3be662b1cfc3dd634321fd9ea2da5d458154(600x)/thumb.jpghttp://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/360612625294-0-1/s-l1000.jpghttp://www.toonzone.net/shows/foxbox/images/foxbox02.jpg http://s.ecrater.com/stores/236921/4f272f1f52dda_236921b.jpg
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5247081fe4b0240948a41898/t/552b20aae4b089f6872efd31/1428889773387/
http://pic.hqshuaimi.com/uploadimg/2012/0719/20120719110418826.jpg
http://img12.deviantart.net/7afc/i/2012/299/6/3/yugioh_and_pokemon_crossover_by_qwertygir-d5j2eba.jpg
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/Njg1WDExNjU=/z/CaUAAOSwBahVE4OW/$_3.JPG?set_id=2
https://t7.rbxcdn.com/2d040dbae9c6f87d905795b04564e222

Alright guys it's down to the nitty gritty!!!! Which period of kid culture did you guys prefer? 1999-2001 bought us N64, Pokemon,Digimon, Power Rangers Time Force, original Cartoons Cartoons, peak of silver age Nick, classic Toon Disney, Toy Story 2, One Saturday morning, WWF attitude etc. 2002-2004 bought us PS2, Pokemon vs Digimon, Finding Nemo, latter Cartoon Network powerhouse, latter years of Nick's silver age, Beyblades, ABC kids, Fox Box, Disney Channel early modern era etc.

Personally I'm going with the Y2K era kid culture slightly over the 2002-2004 kid culture. Both are VERY special to my heart, but I prefer the Y2K era more. The period gave us Pokemon, Digimon, N64, The original Cartoon Cartoons, silver age Nick in it's peak, Zoog Disney, WWF attitude era, Power rangers time force, Toy story 2, etc.

I was just about to respond to the What was life like as a kid in the early 2000s thread, then I saw this.

Vs threads are over used, can be complicated and too basic. The idea rotates over and over. Nostalgia is good, but add some cleverness to it.

To answer the topic, I like both. I can't just choose one. Both are too special.

I was just about to respond to the What was life like as a kid in the early 2000s thread, then I saw this.

Vs threads are over used, can be complicated and too basic. The idea rotates over and over. Nostalgia is good, but add some cleverness to it.

To answer the topic, I like both. I can't just choose one. Both are too special.

What do you mean by add cleverness? ???

What do you mean by add cleverness? ???


I wasn't being harsh. Just Vs. Threads happen too often. The years you have too choose from aren't far apart, basically still one era. As in cleverness, you could have named the topic "1999-2001, 2002-2004 in kid culture, one era or separate?

Vs. Threads are unnecessary, man.

I go with 2002-2004 kid culture. Although 1999-2001 kid culture was just as good. Damn, I felt nostalgic about that.

I strongly prefer video games from 1999-2001, but otherwise I don't have a huge preference either way. The core Y2K era had Pokémon, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and the Powerpuff Girls, but the early 2000s compensate for that with the introduction of Codename: Kids Next Door, Teen Titans, and TMNT '03, not to mention the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game.

I wasn't being harsh. Just Vs. Threads happen too often. The years you have too choose from aren't far apart, basically still one era. As in cleverness, you could have named the topic "1999-2001, 2002-2004 in kid culture, one era or separate?

Vs. Threads are unnecessary, man.

Well, I changed the title.
But... I do think the eras had it's differences. 2002 saw Fox kids become fox box, one Saturday morning became ABC kids, WWF became WWE, 6th gen was standard, Disney Channel changed, Bebylades became huge etc.
THAT's WHY I CHOSE TO DIVIDE THE YEARS!  ::) ;D

Well, I changed the title.
But... I do think the eras had it's differences. 2002 saw Fox kids become fox box, one Saturday morning became ABC kids, WWF became WWE, 6th gen was standard, Disney Channel changed, Bebylades became huge etc.
THAT's WHY I CHOSE TO DIVIDE THE YEARS!  ::) ;D


I don't think their programming changed during 2002. It's rather their logo that changed.

2002-2004 FTW! That was the first half of my peak childhood!

Also, there's some stuff from the 1999-2001 selection I remember still being relevant my K year from looooong time ago!  ;D

I've always preferred Pokemon over Yu-Gi-Oh for some reason.

If anyone knows me, you know that I thought January 1, 2002 - December 31, 2002 was an unreal time for CN of course.

While some shows on Disney Channel I first discovered in 2001/02, it wasn't until mid 2003 when I was hooked into the channel on a weekly basis.

Well, I changed the title.
But... I do think the eras had it's differences. 2002 saw Fox kids become fox box, one Saturday morning became ABC kids, WWF became WWE, 6th gen was standard, Disney Channel changed, Bebylades became huge etc.
THAT's WHY I CHOSE TO DIVIDE THE YEARS!  ::) ;D


Fall 2002 was definitely a big shift for Fox and Disney in general. Fox Kids becoming FOX BOX. One Saturday Morning becoming ABC Kids. Disney Channel not only discontinued its Zoog brand and switched to the early modern Disney Channel, but it also became available on basic cable like Nick and CN already was for a while. Toon Disney updated it's look and added the rest of its One Saturday Morning shows to the lineup along with the Disney Afternoon reruns already there. The only outlier was Fox Family changing to ABC Family the year before. As for other kid culture, WWF changing to WWE was huge, and Yu-Gi-Oh took over in popularity over Pokemon. This was also around the time Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire came out and Pokemon's last classic season Master Quest premiered as well.

The 2nd half of CN's powerhouse age began in Fall 2001 without a question, it was a big shift too. Samurai Jack, Time Squad, Grim & Evil, and Justice League premiered which made the lineup of original shows a lot more diverse. Adult Swim premiered on Cartoon Network, which made the channel no longer 24 hours each day although still only a few times a week then. Dexter's Laboratory was revived for its 3rd season and changed its voice actors and animation. Hanna-Barbera/WB classics started to get moved to Boomerang (or the block) accept for Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, or Tom & Jerry shows. Last but not least, Primetime block (w/the jazz music background) premiered.

Fall 2002 was definitely a big shift for Fox and Disney in general. Fox Kids becoming FOX BOX. One Saturday Morning becoming ABC Kids. Disney Channel not only discontinued its Zoog brand and switched to the early modern Disney Channel, but it also became available on basic cable like Nick and CN already was for a while. Toon Disney updated it's look and added the rest of its One Saturday Morning shows to the lineup along with the Disney Afternoon reruns already there. The only outlier was Fox Family changing to ABC Family the year before. As for other kid culture, WWF changing to WWE was huge, and Yu-Gi-Oh took over in popularity over Pokemon. This was also around the time Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire came out and Pokemon's last classic season Master Quest premiered as well.

The 2nd half of CN's powerhouse age began in Fall 2001 without a question, it was a big shift too. Samurai Jack, Time Squad, Grim & Evil, and Justice League premiered which made the lineup of original shows a lot more diverse. Adult Swim premiered on Cartoon Network, which made the channel no longer 24 hours each day although still only a few times a week then. Dexter's Laboratory was revived for its 3rd season and changed its voice actors and animation. Hanna-Barbera/WB classics started to get moved to Boomerang (or the block) accept for Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, or Tom & Jerry shows. Last but not least, Primetime block (w/the jazz music background) premiered.


So that's what Eric was saying about the Disney Channel changing in 2002.

So that's what Eric was saying about the Disney Channel changing in 2002.

Yes! :)

Overall, even though 2002-2004 were my all time defining years in the kid culture, playing PS2, watching WWE during it's ruthless aggression phase,2002 CN, watching 2003 Toon Disney,Nick Pick U Live,playing with Yu gi oh cards, and beyblades etc.


But I'm still gonna have to pick 1999-2001, because that era for me had EVERYTHING. It truly was something SPECIAL! Pokemonamia, Toy Story, fianl years of the Disney Renaissance, playing my N64, watching 2001 Cartoon Network, watching Zoog Disney at late nights, One Saturday Mornings and KIDS WB on weekends; also watching early playhouse disney, Nick Jr.; my peak interest in Disney, and don't get me started on WWF during the glory days of the attitude era, the best era in the company.

Fall 2002 was definitely a big shift for Fox and Disney in general. Fox Kids becoming FOX BOX. One Saturday Morning becoming ABC Kids. Disney Channel not only discontinued its Zoog brand and switched to the early modern Disney Channel, but it also became available on basic cable like Nick and CN already was for a while. Toon Disney updated it's look and added the rest of its One Saturday Morning shows to the lineup along with the Disney Afternoon reruns already there. The only outlier was Fox Family changing to ABC Family the year before. As for other kid culture, WWF changing to WWE was huge, and Yu-Gi-Oh took over in popularity over Pokemon. This was also around the time Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire came out and Pokemon's last classic season Master Quest premiered as well.

Dexter's Laboratory was revived for its 3rd season and changed its voice actors and animation.

Also 2002 had the NBA leave NBC and move to ABC; and Power Rangers left SABAN and moved to Disney


and yeah Candi Milo took over the role of Dexter after Christine Cavanaugh(R.I.P.) left for unknown reasons...

I just wonder what ocarniafan would have thought about this?! :o

I prefer the 1999-01 culture more as that was part of my childhood and it seems that it had more variety regarding video games, movies, music etc. While 2002-04 wasn't awful, I don't see that period as part of my childhood at all since I was entering puberty/adolescence and was about to head to MS. 

1999-2001 felt a bit more "tremendous", though 2002-2004 was good as well.

I think we've been over this before, but this seems to be how kid culture seems to go per generation.

1987-1997 - Late Gen X/Early Gen Y cusp
1997-2004 - Late Gen Y culture
2004-2007 - Late Gen Y/Early Gen Z cusp
2007-present - Later Gen Z culture

I just wonder what ocarniafan would have thought about this?! :o


Don't remind me, it still hurts to this hour  :(

1999-2001 felt a bit more "tremendous", though 2002-2004 was good as well.

I think we've been over this before, but this seems to be how kid culture seems to go per generation.

1987-1997 - Late Gen X/Early Gen Y cusp
1997-2004 - Late Gen Y culture
2004-2007 - Late Gen Y/Early Gen Z cusp
2007-present - Later Gen Z culture


Could we maybe put 2007-2009 as Early Z culture? I mean, tablets nor smartphones haven't been dominating for kids at the time, so I don't think kid culture has been the same since 2007.

Well, this is an easy one for me. In 1999-2001 I was still young enough to be into some elements of "kid culture" (like Toonami, WWF Attitude, Cartoon Cartoons, etc.), but by 2002-2004 had aged out of it. I'm not really familiar with much of what kids were in to after 2001 or so.

Honestly, the kid culture of 1994-1996 tops everything else, though. ;)

Honestly, the kid culture of 1994-1996 tops everything else, though. ;)


Which is how I feel about 2002-2005!  ;)

Could we maybe put 2007-2009 as Early Z culture. I mean, tablets nor smartphones haven't been dominating for kids at the time, so I don't think kid culture has been the same since 2007.

Definitely!

1999-2001 felt a bit more "tremendous", though 2002-2004 was good as well.

I think we've been over this before, but this seems to be how kid culture seems to go per generation.

1987-1997 - Late Gen X/Early Gen Y cusp
1997-2004 - Late Gen Y culture
2004-2007 - Late Gen Y/Early Gen Z cusp
2007-present - Later Gen Z culture

IMO, it should be more like this...
1987-early 1990: Late Gen X/Early Gen Y cusp culture
1990-early 1993 solid Early Gen Y culture
1993-1996: Solid Core Y culture
Late 1996-1999: Core/Late Y cusp culture
Late 1999-2004:Solid Late Gen Y culture
Late 2004-2006: Late Gen Y/Early Gen Z cusp culture
2007-2010:Solid Early gen Z culture
2011-present Core gen Z culture


Your views on Gen Z seem pretty dated bro, no disrespect.

I love them both! :D My interests were getting more tweenish in the 2002-2004 era, but I still view it as a part of my childhood. Awesome years!

These instantly take me back to the respective eras ;D

1999-2001
xMk8wuw7nek

2002-2004
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp5FgwS4XT0

I just wonder what ocarniafan would have thought about this?! :o


He would have picked the 1999-2001 option. He was a very big fan of that period, but no doubt that he would admit that 2002-04 was part of his "real" childhood.

He would have picked the 1999-2001 option. He was a very big fan of that period, but no doubt that he would admit that 2002-04 was part of his "real" childhood.


I think ocarinafan96 would believe that 2002-04 was also part of his real childhood. Other than that, 1999-2000 is more likely to be his early childhood, since he wasn't in kindergarten at the time.

What do you guys mean by real? ???

He would have picked the 1999-2001 option. He was a very big fan of that period, but no doubt that he would admit that 2002-04 was part of his "real" childhood.

I'm nostalgic for both periods! :D

What do you guys mean by real? ???


I think ArcticFox meant true childhood years, as in core childhood, but I do think that ocarinafan96 grew up with both kid cultures.

One thing about ocarinafan96 knowing him for a year, is that he had a lot of older influence around him from the day he was born. I remember him telling me that he was the youngest one in the family, and he told me that all of his sisters were born in the 80's and he told me that all of his cousins were either born in the 80's or first half of the 90's as well. So I could see why he'd want to claim all of his childhood as important to him. He probably remembers the pop culture throughout 1999-2001 a lot better than I did. Going by this thread only the late 2001-2004 part is what I remember the best. I'm the oldest guy of my 3 younger sisters. All of my 1st cousins who I grew up with are girls, only 1 is older than me, the rest are younger than me by 1 or 2 years. I had to figure things out myself. So there's a lot of pop culture I missed out on that I could have experienced had I grew up with brothers or male cousins, especially if they had been older than me. Luckily, I was able to discover Cartoon Network myself in early 2001 thanks to some 2nd cousins from New York who came down and visited us, then around Kindergarten year, especially by Spring Break, I was keeping up with Cartoon Network on a regular basis for the rest of my elementary school years, and I was fortunate to discover EB Games around late 2002/early 2003 in 1st grade which is how I got into the gaming world, which is how I got my Gamecube for my 7th birthday. I was also glad that my dad got me into college football and the NFL when I was in 1st grade as well. I can only imagine how much more pop culture I could have been into at a young age had I grew up with brothers or male cousins. Mind you people, there is a HUGE difference growing up as the oldest child rather than growing up as the youngest child. Oh boy it is huge. There is also a huge difference between being a male growing up with brothers or male cousins or being a male growing up with a bunch of sisters or female cousins. I'm pretty sure the similar scenario goes for a girl as well. The badass girls who grew up with a lot of guys or males in the family!  ;D

One thing about ocarinafan96 knowing him for a year, is that he had a lot of older influence around him from the day he was born. I remember him telling me that he was the youngest one in the family, and he told me that all of his sisters were born in the 80's and he told me that all of his cousins were either born in the 80's or first half of the 90's as well. So I could see why he'd want to claim all of his childhood as important to him. He probably remembers the pop culture throughout 1999-2001 a lot better than I did. Going by this thread only the late 2001-2004 part is what I remember the best. I'm the oldest guy of my 3 younger sisters. All of my 1st cousins who I grew up with are girls, only 1 is older than me, the rest are younger than me by 1 or 2 years. I had to figure things out myself. So there's a lot of pop culture I missed out on that I could have experienced had I grew up with brothers or male cousins, especially if they had been older than me. Luckily, I was able to discover Cartoon Network myself in early 2001 thanks to some 2nd cousins from New York who came down and visited us, then around Kindergarten year, especially by Spring Break, I was keeping up with Cartoon Network on a regular basis for the rest of my elementary school years, and I was fortunate to discover EB Games around late 2002/early 2003 in 1st grade which is how I got into the gaming world, which is how I got my Gamecube for my 7th birthday. I was also glad that my dad got me into college football and the NFL when I was in 1st grade as well. I can only imagine how much more pop culture I could have been into at a young age had I grew up with brothers or male cousins. Mind you people, there is a HUGE difference growing up as the oldest child rather than growing up as the youngest child. Oh boy it is huge. There is also a huge difference between being a male growing up with brothers or male cousins or being a male growing up with a bunch of sisters or female cousins. I'm pretty sure the similar scenario goes for a girl as well. The badass girls who grew up with a lot of guys or males in the family!  ;D

Yeah.. my parents & grandparents were a MAJOR influences on me. They got me into the kid culture at a very young age, and even the pop culture to a certain degree. My older cousins were an influence, but surprisingly not a MAJOR one.
I think I just was ALWAYS an old spirit! ;D :D  I may be Late Y, but my mindset has always been more mature. ;)

One thing about ocarinafan96 knowing him for a year, is that he had a lot of older influence around him from the day he was born. I remember him telling me that he was the youngest one in the family, and he told me that all of his sisters were born in the 80's and he told me that all of his cousins were either born in the 80's or first half of the 90's as well. So I could see why he'd want to claim all of his childhood as important to him. He probably remembers the pop culture throughout 1999-2001 a lot better than I did. Going by this thread only the late 2001-2004 part is what I remember the best. I'm the oldest guy of my 3 younger sisters. All of my 1st cousins who I grew up with are girls, only 1 is older than me, the rest are younger than me by 1 or 2 years. I had to figure things out myself. So there's a lot of pop culture I missed out on that I could have experienced had I grew up with brothers or male cousins, especially if they had been older than me. Luckily, I was able to discover Cartoon Network myself in early 2001 thanks to some 2nd cousins from New York who came down and visited us, then around Kindergarten year, especially by Spring Break, I was keeping up with Cartoon Network on a regular basis for the rest of my elementary school years, and I was fortunate to discover EB Games around late 2002/early 2003 in 1st grade which is how I got into the gaming world, which is how I got my Gamecube for my 7th birthday. I was also glad that my dad got me into college football and the NFL when I was in 1st grade as well. I can only imagine how much more pop culture I could have been into at a young age had I grew up with brothers or male cousins. Mind you people, there is a HUGE difference growing up as the oldest child rather than growing up as the youngest child. Oh boy it is huge. There is also a huge difference between being a male growing up with brothers or male cousins or being a male growing up with a bunch of sisters or female cousins. I'm pretty sure the similar scenario goes for a girl as well. The badass girls who grew up with a lot of guys or males in the family!  ;D


You're right, the influence of older siblings is a very real thing. I only have one sibling (a younger brother born in 1991), and he was into alot more early '90s things growing up than most other '91ers. Because of me, the first video game console he ever played was an NES, the original TMNT movie was one of the first that he watched as a toddler, and he liked older cartoons like Garfield, Ducktales, and Talespin at a young age, too.

On the flip side, as the oldest, I wasn't as much into kids stuff from the early/mid '80s as I might've been if I'd had an older sibling. One of my friends growing up (same age as me) had an older brother born in 1979, and he remembers playing 2nd Gen video game consoles like Atari/Colecovision, watching cartoons like G.I. Joe/He-Man, and being into stuff like that which I always felt was "before my time".

I don't have any older siblings or older cousins of the same gender*, but I had/have a lot of friends who are older than me, because my neighbourhood was such that all the kids (ages 7-10/11) were friends with all the other kids in the neighbourhood. Even then, other than playing a few SNES/Genesis games and understanding complicated games like OoT at a young age, I didn't really pick up all that much from them. Kid culture in 1997 wasn't that different from 1999 wasn't that different from 2001 I guess.

*I have older male cousins who're born in the early and mid-80s, but I hated the 80s stuff they shoved down my throat, so I don't know if that counts lol. Also, they beat me up when I was very little. I just wanted to play Power Rangers but they took it for real and throwing me against couches and giving me RKOs. :( Now they act like we're all cool and stuff, but I still remember. >:(

I don't have any older siblings or older cousins of the same gender*, but I had/have a lot of friends who are older than me, because my neighbourhood was such that all the kids (ages 7-10/11) were friends with all the other kids in the neighbourhood. Even then, other than playing a few SNES/Genesis games and understanding complicated games like OoT at a young age, I didn't really pick up all that much from them. Kid culture in 1997 wasn't that different from 1999 wasn't that different from 2001 I guess.

*I have older male cousins who're born in the early and mid-80s, but I hated the 80s stuff they shoved down my throat, so I don't know if that counts lol. Also, they beat me up when I was very little. I just wanted to play Power Rangers but they took it for real and throwing me against couches and giving me RKOs. :( Now they act like we're all cool and stuff, but I still remember. >:(

DEBATABLE.
1999's kid culture overall was more like 2001's imo. 1997 had no Pokemon, Digimon, Toonami with TOM as host, Pbs kids, Nick was still overall in it's golden age (granted it was ending but still!), Toon disney etc. You still had Anamaniacs, Disney Afternoon, Power Rangers was still THE kid fad, X-MEN and Spiderman TAS, The Tick, Gargoyles, Disney Renissance,  etc. IMO Late 1996 until early 1999's kid culture goes together. It was kinda half core/ half late Y kid culture

DEBATABLE.
1999's kid culture overall was more like 2001's imo. 1997 had no Pokemon, Digimon, Toonami with TOM as host, Pbs kids, Nick was still overall in it's golden age (granted it was ending but still!), Toon disney etc. You still had Anamaniacs, Disney Afternoon, Power Rangers was still THE kid fad, X-MEN and Spiderman TAS, The Tick, Gargoyles, Disney Renissance,  etc. IMO Late 1996 until early 1999's kid culture goes together. It was kinda half core/ half late Y kid culture


A lot of those shows had reruns later; I don't know about the channel stuff. My point was that there isn't much a 1999 kid can pick up from a 1997 kid. It's not like how a 1995 kid can show a 1999 kid some SNES games or some good Disney movies. Those 1997 kids are of no use to me :P

A lot of those shows had reruns later; I don't know about the channel stuff. My point was that there isn't much a 1999 kid can pick up from a 1997 kid. It's not like how a 1995 kid can show a 1999 kid some SNES games or some good Disney movies. Those 1997 kids are of no use to me :P

hahaha, nice post! :)

A lot of those shows had reruns later; I don't know about the channel stuff. My point was that there isn't much a 1999 kid can pick up from a 1997 kid. It's not like how a 1995 kid can show a 1999 kid some SNES games or some good Disney movies. Those 1997 kids are of no use to me :P


1995!? SNES!? The SNES is a system that belongs to those born in the 80's, my friend. ;)

1995!? SNES!? The SNES is a system that belongs to those born in the 80's, my friend. ;)


1990-1992 born's could have experienced the SNES during their early childhood, just like how us mid 90's babies could have experienced the N64 or PS1 during our early childhoods as well. Although, it's more likely that most people started gaming around their peak/core childhood years, so you're right that 80's babies were the main target audience to fully experience the SNES and Genesis from a core kid perspective.

1990-1992 born's could have experienced the SNES during their early childhood, just like how us mid 90's babies could have experienced the N64 or PS1 during our early childhoods as well. Although, it's more likely that most people started gaming around their peak/core childhood years, so you're right that 80's babies were the main target audience to fully experience the SNES and Genesis from a core kid perspective.

Yeah I guess N64's main kid target audience were early 90s babies, despite me playing it when it was still in its prime. ;)

1995!? SNES!? The SNES is a system that belongs to those born in the 80's, my friend. ;)
I think he was talking about the kid culture. What he probably meant is that the kids atmosphere of 1995 was different from 1999 which was similar to 1997.


Yeah I guess N64's main kid target audience were early 90s babies, despite me playing it when it was still in its prime. ;)
This right here. Throughout elementary, people my age group had played the N64 on a regular basis until the GameCube took its place.


1990-1992 born's could have experienced the SNES during their early childhood, just like how us mid 90's babies could have experienced the N64 or PS1 during our early childhoods as well. Although, it's more likely that most people started gaming around their peak/core childhood years, so you're right that 80's babies were the main target audience to fully experience the SNES and Genesis from a core kid perspective.
I say that depends. Considering that both consoles were popular until 1997, some early 90s babies had their part of their core childhood during that period which makes them part of the target audience of those systems.

One thing about ocarinafan96 knowing him for a year, is that he had a lot of older influence around him from the day he was born. I remember him telling me that he was the youngest one in the family, and he told me that all of his sisters were born in the 80's and he told me that all of his cousins were either born in the 80's or first half of the 90's as well. So I could see why he'd want to claim all of his childhood as important to him. He probably remembers the pop culture throughout 1999-2001 a lot better than I did. Going by this thread only the late 2001-2004 part is what I remember the best. I'm the oldest guy of my 3 younger sisters. All of my 1st cousins who I grew up with are girls, only 1 is older than me, the rest are younger than me by 1 or 2 years. I had to figure things out myself. So there's a lot of pop culture I missed out on that I could have experienced had I grew up with brothers or male cousins, especially if they had been older than me. Luckily, I was able to discover Cartoon Network myself in early 2001 thanks to some 2nd cousins from New York who came down and visited us, then around Kindergarten year, especially by Spring Break, I was keeping up with Cartoon Network on a regular basis for the rest of my elementary school years, and I was fortunate to discover EB Games around late 2002/early 2003 in 1st grade which is how I got into the gaming world, which is how I got my Gamecube for my 7th birthday. I was also glad that my dad got me into college football and the NFL when I was in 1st grade as well. I can only imagine how much more pop culture I could have been into at a young age had I grew up with brothers or male cousins. Mind you people, there is a HUGE difference growing up as the oldest child rather than growing up as the youngest child. Oh boy it is huge. There is also a huge difference between being a male growing up with brothers or male cousins or being a male growing up with a bunch of sisters or female cousins. I'm pretty sure the similar scenario goes for a girl as well. The badass girls who grew up with a lot of guys or males in the family!  ;D
I'm an only child, but I remember pop culture from my early childhood well.

This right here. Throughout elementary, people my age group had played the N64 on a regular basis until the GameCube took its place.


Yeah when I was in Pre K and Kindergarten, N64 was the console most of my friends(my age and your age group) had played with until the PS2 and Gamecube became popular at my school when I started 1st grade.
So yeah, I was a mandatory schooler when the console was still popular, but the awkward thing is.... I wasn't a GRADE schooler yet! :o

Yeah when I was in Pre K and Kindergarten, N64 was the console most of my friends(my age and your age group) had played with until the PS2 and Gamecube became popular at my school when I started 1st grade.
So yeah, I was a mandatory schooler when the console was still popular, but the awkward thing is.... I wasn't a GRADE schooler yet! :o
It's the same thing with me regarding the SNES. During my early school years, that console was still popular until the N64 took over in 1998 (over the first two years, the aforementioned system was less in demand and had less games as the PS1 had more and was the most popular at that time).

By the time I was in 1st grade, the Dreamcast was just released and it was very popular until the PS2 came out a year later.

It's the same thing with me regarding the SNES. During my early school years, that console was still popular until the N64 took over in 1998 (over the first two years, the aforementioned system was less in demand and had less games as the PS1 had more and was the most popular at that time).

By the time I was in 1st grade, the Dreamcast was just released and it was very popular until the PS2 came out a year later.


Didn't the N64 take over during the 1996-1997 season when Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 were released?

DEBATABLE.
1999's kid culture overall was more like 2001's imo. 1997 had no Pokemon, Digimon, Toonami with TOM as host, Pbs kids, Nick was still overall in it's golden age (granted it was ending but still!), Toon disney etc. You still had Anamaniacs, Disney Afternoon, Power Rangers was still THE kid fad, X-MEN and Spiderman TAS, The Tick, Gargoyles, Disney Renissance,  etc. IMO Late 1996 until early 1999's kid culture goes together. It was kinda half core/ half late Y kid culture


Wasn't PBS Kids around since the mid 90s?

t2QEMnrp7wI

Wasn't PBS Kids around since the mid 90s?

t2QEMnrp7wI


I think he meant the 1999-present era of PBS Kids, despite the eras of shows back in 1999 compared to now being completely different other than Sesame Street and Arthur still being around.

I think he meant the 1999-present era of PBS Kids, despite the eras of shows back in 1999 compared to now being completely different other than Sesame Street and Arthur still being around.


Along with Barney, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, Bill Nye the Science Guy, etc. Mostly which were popular before 1999.

Didn't the N64 take over during the 1996-1997 season when Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 were released?


Yeah, 3D began to overtake 2D in general around 1996-97, but the 16-bit era did linger for a bit longer. Sonic 3D Blast was a big Genesis title that came out during the 1996 holiday season, and Vectorman 2 was also pretty big around that time as well.

The last 16-bit game I got was actually NFL '98, a 1997 Genesis title that I got for my birthday in July of '98. So, even up to that point, stores like Walmart were still carrying some Genesis and SNES games.

Didn't the N64 take over during the 1996-1997 season when Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 were released?
Not exactly. Yes, those games blew people away and were popular; however, the N64 itself didn't have many games until 1998 and some major games were released for the SNES at that time.


Yeah, 3D began to overtake 2D in general around 1996-97, but the 16-bit era did linger for a bit longer. Sonic 3D Blast was a big Genesis title that came out during the 1996 holiday season, and Vectorman 2 was also pretty big around that time as well.

The last 16-bit game I got was actually NFL '98, a 1997 Genesis title that I got for my birthday in July of '98. So, even up to that point, stores like Walmart were still carrying some Genesis and SNES games.
That's how I see it, despite being very young during that season, I still saw SNES and Genesis games every time I went to Toys R us and K-mart with my family.

I remember SNES/Genesis still being relevant when I was in Junior Kindergarten (American equivalent of Pre-K) in 1996-97 school year. After that it was all 5th gen. I bought my N64 at the start of first grade, September 1998. My brother got a Gamecube in the March break of my fourth grade (March 2002).

I still played some Genesis games at my friend's and cousin's house in the Y2K era. Namely, Street Fighter 2, Ecco the Dolphin, and the Alladdin and Lion King platformers. I played Donkey Kong Country at my friend's house too... in 2004! His family wasn't very well off though, he didn't even have a computer.

I remember SNES/Genesis still being relevant when I was in Junior Kindergarten (American equivalent of Pre-K) in 1996-97 school year. After that it was all 5th gen. I bought my N64 at the start of first grade, September 1998. My brother got a Gamecube in the March break of my fourth grade (March 2002).


We were "behind the curve" a bit when it came to the PS1/N64 era as well. I got an N64 for Christmas in 1998, while my brother got a PlayStation 1 for Christmas 1999. I got a PS2 for Christmas 2001, so, for as much as I love the 5th Gen, my time with it was relatively somewhat short. For comparison, the gap between getting my first 4th Gen console and my first 5th Gen console was six years (1992-1998).

Yeah, 3D began to overtake 2D in general around 1996-97, but the 16-bit era did linger for a bit longer. Sonic 3D Blast was a big Genesis title that came out during the 1996 holiday season, and Vectorman 2 was also pretty big around that time as well.

Don't forget, either, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, a severely underrated conclusion to the DKC trilogy that came out in November 1996 and still managed to sell over 2 million copies!

The last 16-bit game I got was actually NFL '98, a 1997 Genesis title that I got for my birthday in July of '98. So, even up to that point, stores like Walmart were still carrying some Genesis and SNES games.

Yeah, 2D 16-bit games became totally overshadowed by 3D fifth-generation games once the late 90s hit, yet stores still sold the older systems and software throughout the period. I distinctly remember when I was in kindergarten (1998-1999), my mom bought me a cartridge of the SNES version of Wario's Woods to play on the Super Nintendos at the daycare for the 24 Hour Fitness she taught classes for. From what I remember, that daycare held on to its Super Nintendos all the way through the fifth generation of gaming and only switched to Nintendo 64 about the time the 6th generation solidified itself.

At the time, while Nintendo 64 was definitely the hottest thing on everybody's mind, including my own, I was always super excited to visit the 24 Hour Fitness daycare just so that I had the chance to play Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Porky Pig, Street Fighter II, and Wario's Woods, all of which had an appeal of their own that was different from the 3D games on the N64. The GBA port of Super Mario World was an absolute godsend for me because I finally got to play through the entire game, whereas before I rarely saw anything beyond World 3 and didn't get to ride blue, red, and yellow Yoshi.

We were "behind the curve" a bit when it came to the PS1/N64 era as well. I got an N64 for Christmas in 1998, while my brother got a PlayStation 1 for Christmas 1999. I got a PS2 for Christmas 2001, so, for as much as I love the 5th Gen, my time with it was relatively somewhat short. For comparison, the gap between getting my first 4th Gen console and my first 5th Gen console was six years (1992-1998).


Christmas '98 eh, were you the N64 kid? ;)

We were "behind the curve" a bit when it came to the PS1/N64 era as well. I got an N64 for Christmas in 1998, while my brother got a PlayStation 1 for Christmas 1999. I got a PS2 for Christmas 2001, so, for as much as I love the 5th Gen, my time with it was relatively somewhat short. For comparison, the gap between getting my first 4th Gen console and my first 5th Gen console was six years (1992-1998).
Count me three. I didn't get one until that same time as you did and then the fun began. SM64, SSB, Goldeneye, MK64, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron etc...  :D


Don't forget, either, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, a severely underrated conclusion to the DKC trilogy that came out in November 1996 and still managed to sell over 2 million copies!

Yeah, 2D 16-bit games became totally overshadowed by 3D fifth-generation games once the late 90s hit, yet stores still sold the older systems and software throughout the period. I distinctly remember when I was in kindergarten (1998-1999), my mom bought me a cartridge of the SNES version of Wario's Woods to play on the Super Nintendos at the daycare for the 24 Hour Fitness she taught classes for. From what I remember, that daycare held on to its Super Nintendos all the way through the fifth generation of gaming and only switched to Nintendo 64 about the time the 6th generation solidified itself.

At the time, while Nintendo 64 was definitely the hottest thing on everybody's mind, including my own, I was always super excited to visit the 24 Hour Fitness daycare just so that I had the chance to play Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Porky Pig, Street Fighter II, and Wario's Woods, all of which had an appeal of their own that was different from the 3D games on the N64. The GBA port of Super Mario World was an absolute godsend for me because I finally got to play through the entire game, whereas before I rarely saw anything beyond World 3 and didn't get to ride blue, red, and yellow Yoshi.
Wait you couldn't pass World 3 or was the console was gone before you could finish?

As for the games, so many classics and replayables. DKC, SMW, SMK, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, NBA Jam, and LoZ: A Link to the Past. Awww yeah!!!  :D

Christmas '98 eh, were you the N64 kid? ;)


Well, we are somewhat close in age, and I was just about as excited as he was that same Christmas morning, but there ain't no way in hell 11-year-old me would've been caught dead on camcorder wearing those babyish dinosaur pajamas. ;D

Didn't the N64 take over during the 1996-1997 season when Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 were released?

Not really.... It was transitioning from 4th gen to 5th. Now, the 1997-98 season was when N64 took over, but it wasn't as popular as the Playstation 1.

Along with Barney, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, Bill Nye the Science Guy, etc. Mostly which were popular before 1999.


Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was still on PBS Kids throughout 1999 to most of 2001, but it was taken off the air by late 2001. Barney was still on PBS Kids well after 1999, I don't think it even ended until 2009. Of course, not as popular as it was in the 90's, but it was still there throughout the 2000's. Bill Nye the Science Guy was the only show from your list already disappeared from PBS Kids before the 1999 rebrand.

My point was that while PBS Kids is still in the same era bumper wise since 1999 (which is amazing compared to other channels, it's even beaten Boomerang's original 15 year bumps), the lineup of shows back in the early days of the era around 1999 & 2000 is nothing like the lineup of shows today other than Arthur and Sesame Street still airing the channel regularly.

Not really.... It was transitioning from 4th gen to 5th. Now, the 1997-98 season was when N64 took over, but it wasn't as popular as the Playstation 1.


Oh yeah I get it now. I made a mistake with that comment without thinking about it. The transitional period for generations despite a few big games for the console being released the previous season or two. Just like any other generational transition in gaming.

Wait you couldn't pass World 3 or was the console was gone before you could finish?

The problem was that my mom would only teach her class for about an hour, so that's how much time I had to play the game each infrequent time I visited the place. By the time I came back, I would have to start from a new save file. I, however, remember beating the Porky Pig game all the way through.


Not really.... It was transitioning from 4th gen to 5th. Now, the 1997-98 season was when N64 took over, but it wasn't as popular as the Playstation 1.


Well, I can see how the first half of the 1996-1997 school year was still transitioning out of the 4th generation, but I think there's no doubt that the PS1 and N64 were dominant once spring 1997 hit. DKC3 was the last huge 4th generation game, Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider had been out for months, and then games like Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64, Shadows of the Empire, Mario Kart 64, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter completely revolutionized the gaming industry and set so much of the foundation of gaming for the coming decade. SM64 became the golden standard all 3D platformers to come, Wave Race 64 was the first really successful 4-player home video game, Shadows of the Empire was arguably the most popular Star Wars title from the 90s, Mario Kart 64 absolutely exploded and solidified 4-person multiplayer pizza party games as favorite pastimes, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was the first successful FPS on a major home console that used the analog stick, predating GoldenEye 007.

In my opinion, the 1996-1997 school year, plus the subsequent summer, was the single most transformative period in gaming history, and it's no wonder no significant 4th generation video games came out after 1996 even though the systems remained in stores for a few more years. Sure, not everybody had bought a PS1 or N64 yet to replace their old SNES or Genesis, but pretty much all of 1997 was pure 5th-gen.

The transition from the 4th to the 5th generation of gaming was actually extremely long and goes all the way back to 1993, when the Panasonic 3DO and Atari Jaguar came out. Several popular arcade games from the mid-90s, like Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter 2, had 3D graphics on par with the fifth generation systems. The transition continued with the launch of the Saturn and PS1 in 1995, but the newer systems were slow to catch on until the onslaught of platform-defining games from the 1996-1997 school year came out.

Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was still on PBS Kids throughout 1999 to most of 2001, but it was taken off the air by late 2001. Barney was still on PBS Kids well after 1999, I don't think it even ended until 2009. Of course, not as popular as it was in the 90's, but it was still there throughout the 2000's. Bill Nye the Science Guy was the only show from your list already disappeared from PBS Kids before the 1999 rebrand.

My point was that while PBS Kids is still in the same era bumper wise since 1999 (which is amazing compared to other channels, it's even beaten Boomerang's original 15 year bumps), the lineup of shows back in the early days of the era around 1999 & 2000 is nothing like the lineup of shows today other than Arthur and Sesame Street still airing the channel regularly.


I think PBS Kids changed their bumpers in 2013, despite from having the same mascots (Dot and Dash) appearing on those bumpers. And this is when I quit watching PBS Kids a long time ago, so I didn't care about that deeply. But considering that I grew up with the 1999 bumpers, it was kinda surprising for me that they changed them.

1999:
6NML95DioOQ

2013:
SLbr0xejToY

Well, I can see how the first half of the 1996-1997 school year was still transitioning out of the 4th generation, but I think there's no doubt that the PS1 and N64 were dominant once spring 1997 hit. DKC3 was the last huge 4th generation game, Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider had been out for months, and then games like Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64, Shadows of the Empire, Mario Kart 64, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter completely revolutionized the gaming industry and set so much of the foundation of gaming for the coming decade. SM64 became the golden standard all 3D platformers to come, Wave Race 64 was the first really successful 4-player home video game, Shadows of the Empire was arguably the most popular Star Wars title from the 90s, Mario Kart 64 absolutely exploded and solidified 4-person multiplayer pizza party games as favorite pastimes, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was the first successful FPS on a major home console that used the analog stick, predating GoldenEye 007.

In my opinion, the 1996-1997 school year, plus the subsequent summer, was the single most transformative period in gaming history, and it's no wonder no significant 4th generation video games came out after 1996 even though the systems remained in stores for a few more years. Sure, not everybody had bought a PS1 or N64 yet to replace their old SNES or Genesis, but pretty much all of 1997 was pure 5th-gen.

The transition from the 4th to the 5th generation of gaming was actually extremely long and goes all the way back to 1993, when the Panasonic 3DO and Atari Jaguar came out. Several popular arcade games from the mid-90s, like Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter 2, had 3D graphics on par with the fifth generation systems. The transition continued with the launch of the Saturn and PS1 in 1995, but the newer systems were slow to catch on until the onslaught of platform-defining games from the 1996-1997 school year came out.


4th generation

Super Nintendo
Release: August 23, 1991
Discont: 1999

Sega Genesis
Release: August 14, 1989
Discont: 1999

TurboGrafx-16
Release: August 29, 1989
Discont: 1995

Game Boy
Release: July 31, 1989
Discont: March 23, 2003

Sega Game Gear
Release: April 26, 1991
Discont: 2001


5th generation

Nintendo 64
Release: September 29, 1996
Discont: November 30, 2003

PlayStation
Release: September 9, 1995
Discont: March 31, 2005

Sega Saturn
Release: May 11, 1995
Discont: 1998

Gameboy Color
Release: November 18, 1998
Discont: May 30, 2003

Sega Normad
Released: October 1995
Discont: 1999


6th generation

Sega Dreamcast
Release: September 9, 1999
Discont: March 31, 2001

PlayStation 2
Release: March 4, 2000
Discont: January 4, 2013

GameCube
Release: November 18, 2001
Discont: 2007

XBOX
Release: November 15, 2001
Discont: March 2, 2009

Game Boy Advance
Release: June 11, 2001
Discont: 2008

Game Boy Advance SP
Release: March 23, 2003
Discont: January 31, 2008

N-Gage
Release: October 7, 2003
Discont: November 26, 2005


7th generation

XBOX 360
Release: November 22, 2005

PlayStation 3
Release: November 17, 2006

Wii
Release: November 19, 2006

Nintendo DS
Release: November 21, 2004
Lite: June 11, 2006
DSi: April 5, 2009

PSP
Release: March 24, 2005
Discont: January 2014


8th generation

Wii U
Release: November 18, 2012

PlayStation 4
Release: November 15, 2013

XBOX One
Release: November 22, 2013

PlayStation Vita
Release: February 22, 2012

Nintendo 3DS
Release: March 27, 2011
2DS: October 12, 2013
New: February 13, 2015

4th generation
Full duration: 1989-1999/2003 (handhelds are the outliers)
Peak: 1991-1996

5th generation
Full duration: 1995-2003/2005 (PS1 is the outlier)
Peak: 1996-2001

6th generation
Full duration: 1999-2009/2013 (PS2 is the outlier)
Peak: 2001-2006

7th generation
Full duration: 2005-present (DS wasn't around for most of 2004, so I'll just use 2005 as the start point due to the PSP and XBOX 360 releases)
Peak: 2006-2013

This is my opinion on how long the generations lasted and the *FULL* years it peaked, but what have I learned from here and my gaming experience. Most generations peak for 4 1/2 to 5 years on average, but 7th generation ended up peaking for the longest! Haven't we talked about that on here?

Take huge note, if you see the same year for both generations, that means it was a transitional year.

4th generation
Full duration: 1989-1999/2003 (handhelds are the outliers)
Peak: 1991-1996

5th generation
Peak: 1996-2001

6th generation
Peak: 2001-2006

7th generation
Peak: 2006-2013

but 7th generation ended up peaking for the longest! Haven't we talked about that on here?

Take huge note, if you see the same year for both generations, that means it was a transitional year.

IMO..
5th gen's peak: 1997-late 2001
6th gen's peak: holiday season 2001-2006
7th gen's peak: Late 2007-2013
8th gen's peak: 2014-present

Also, One of the reasons 7th gen lasted as long as they did was due to the economic crash of 2008. Had that not happened, the 8th generation possibly could have started, 2011ish.

Yeah, 2D 16-bit games became totally overshadowed by 3D fifth-generation games once the late 90s hit, yet stores still sold the older systems and software throughout the period. I distinctly remember when I was in kindergarten (1998-1999), my mom bought me a cartridge of the SNES version of Wario's Woods to play on the Super Nintendos at the daycare for the 24 Hour Fitness she taught classes for. From what I remember, that daycare held on to its Super Nintendos all the way through the fifth generation of gaming and only switched to Nintendo 64 about the time the 6th generation solidified itself.

At the time, while Nintendo 64 was definitely the hottest thing on everybody's mind, including my own, I was always super excited to visit the 24 Hour Fitness daycare just so that I had the chance to play Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Porky Pig, Street Fighter II, and Wario's Woods, all of which had an appeal of their own that was different from the 3D games on the N64. The GBA port of Super Mario World was an absolute godsend for me because I finally got to play through the entire game, whereas before I rarely saw anything beyond World 3 and didn't get to ride blue, red, and yellow Yoshi.


Your story just reminded me of something similar. When I was in 5th grade during the 1997-98 school year there was a special education teacher on my hallway that actually had an NES console in her class that she used from time to time to keep the kids occupied. I remember walking to recess one afternoon, and peeking in the window of that classroom on the way by to see them playing Super Mario Bros. 3. It's kind of amazing if you think about it. That was nearly 13 years after the NES was launched in America. :o


The problem was that my mom would only teach her class for about an hour, so that's how much time I had to play the game each infrequent time I visited the place. By the time I came back, I would have to start from a new save file. I, however, remember beating the Porky Pig game all the way through.

Well, I can see how the first half of the 1996-1997 school year was still transitioning out of the 4th generation, but I think there's no doubt that the PS1 and N64 were dominant once spring 1997 hit. DKC3 was the last huge 4th generation game, Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider had been out for months, and then games like Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64, Shadows of the Empire, Mario Kart 64, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter completely revolutionized the gaming industry and set so much of the foundation of gaming for the coming decade. SM64 became the golden standard all 3D platformers to come, Wave Race 64 was the first really successful 4-player home video game, Shadows of the Empire was arguably the most popular Star Wars title from the 90s, Mario Kart 64 absolutely exploded and solidified 4-person multiplayer pizza party games as favorite pastimes, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was the first successful FPS on a major home console that used the analog stick, predating GoldenEye 007.

In my opinion, the 1996-1997 school year, plus the subsequent summer, was the single most transformative period in gaming history, and it's no wonder no significant 4th generation video games came out after 1996 even though the systems remained in stores for a few more years. Sure, not everybody had bought a PS1 or N64 yet to replace their old SNES or Genesis, but pretty much all of 1997 was pure 5th-gen.

The transition from the 4th to the 5th generation of gaming was actually extremely long and goes all the way back to 1993, when the Panasonic 3DO and Atari Jaguar came out. Several popular arcade games from the mid-90s, like Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter 2, had 3D graphics on par with the fifth generation systems. The transition continued with the launch of the Saturn and PS1 in 1995, but the newer systems were slow to catch on until the onslaught of platform-defining games from the 1996-1997 school year came out.


Also, don't forget about Final Fantasy VII, which was released stateside in September 1997. When people say that FF7 is the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" of RPG's in America, they're not kidding. Most kids I know had never even heard of an RPG, nevermind actually played one, before FF7 came along. That game, along with Super Mario 64, were so far removed from any experience you could have on a 2D console, I think they were what really made 5th Gen consoles "must own" items by 1997.

I agree that 1996-97 was the year that 3D gaming really exploded into the public consciousness, at least among kids in my age group. Naturally there had been talk about the Sega Saturn and PlayStation 1 launches during 1995-96, but both of those consoles had rather mediocre launch lineups and lacked any real "marquee" games that kids like us could latch on to, so the SNES and the Genesis still dominated most of the gaming related conversation at my school that year.

Things started changing by late 1996 thanks to that impressive collection of games released that year that you mentioned (Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider, Super Mario 64, etc.). By early 1997, releases of 16-bit titles had begun to significantly dry up, even when compared to just one year earlier. I would estimate that, by the end of the 1996-97 school year, roughly half of my classmates had "next generation" consoles, compared to only a small handful at the end of 1995-96.

Also, don't forget about Final Fantasy VII, which was released stateside in September 1997. When people say that FF7 is the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" of RPG's in America, they're not kidding. Most kids I know had never even heard of an RPG, nevermind actually played one, before FF7 came along. That game, along with Super Mario 64, were so far removed from any experience you could have on a 2D console, I think they were what really made 5th Gen consoles "must own" items by 1997.

I was referring more to games released from the 1996-1997 school year, since Eric called that period transitional, when I would really see the transition as having lasted from autumn 1993 through winter 1996/1997, with 1996 in general being the period with the most rapid change.

However, yes, Final Fantasy VII was an absolutely revolutionary game in popularizing the RPG genre and probably warmed up a lot of people for Pokémon just a year later. The game actually came out in Japan in January 1997, but it was the start of autumn that it came out and made its mark. The thing is, plenty of well-received RPG's had already come out in the United States as far back as the late 80s, beginning I think with Dragon Warrior and eventually progressing to Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy II (IV) & III (VI), Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, and Super Mario RPG. It's just that RPG's didn't become a craze until FF7.

Around the same time, there was also Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which wasn't fundamentally that different from Super Metroid, but set the precedent for numerous 2D, nonlinear platformers to come. Of course, summer 1997 produced Star Fox 64 and GoldenEye 007, both of which are among the first things people mention when discussing the Nintendo 64.

Hey, you guys check out this topic. It talks about best and worst in the 7th generation

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/best-worst-thing-about-each-console-of-the-7th-gen-31024172/

Hey, you guys check out this topic. It talks about best and worst in the 7th generation

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/best-worst-thing-about-each-console-of-the-7th-gen-31024172/


To me, the 7th generation was like a mixed bag. Sure, it did have the Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3, but I don't see them being as classical as the 3rd-6th generation consoles. Those consoles are legendary and they still would be, even from 10-30 years ago.

The problem was that my mom would only teach her class for about an hour, so that's how much time I had to play the game each infrequent time I visited the place. By the time I came back, I would have to start from a new save file. I, however, remember beating the Porky Pig game all the way through.

The transition from the 4th to the 5th generation of gaming was actually extremely long and goes all the way back to 1993, when the Panasonic 3DO and Atari Jaguar came out.
Damn, that sucks. It was a good thing I had it and was able to complete the game before I lost it :(

You're right that the 5th generation did begin that year and it's the same thing with the 4th generation which actually started in 1987.


IMO..
5th gen's peak: 1997-late 2001
6th gen's peak: holiday season 2001-2006
7th gen's peak: Late 2007-2013
8th gen's peak: 2014-present

Also, One of the reasons 7th gen lasted as long as they did was due to the economic crash of 2008. Had that not happened, the 8th generation possibly could have started, 2011ish.
It did with the 3DS; however, I agree you that the 7th generation would have ended in 2010/11 and the 8th generation could have been current earlier. I never thought it was due to the bad economy at that time. Now I see why the 360 and the PS3 weren't being sold as much like the Wii until later.


To me, the 7th generation was like a mixed bag. Sure, it did have the Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3, but I don't see them being as classical as the 3rd-6th generation consoles. Those consoles are legendary and they still would be, even from 10-30 years ago.
Same here. The systems are decent and while I liked the games and the interaction with others online; however, I still prefer the older ones. After I get a PS4 and maybe a Wii U, I'll be done buying the newer consoles that come out and just stick with the older stuff.

Hey, you guys check out this topic. It talks about best and worst in the 7th generation

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/best-worst-thing-about-each-console-of-the-7th-gen-31024172/

Here's what Corey had to say about the 7th gen, and listen VERY carefully to the last part of the video, you 5th gen fans are gonna have a fit.
adjfQj1shFE

After I get a PS4 and maybe a Wii U, I'll be done buying the newer consoles that come out and just stick with the older stuff.


The PS4 has about everything you need right now. I'd still rather get an XBOX One over a Wii U (which only has 2 or 3 games worth buying IMO) though.

Here's what Corey had to say about the 7th gen, and listen VERY carefully to the last part of the video, you 5th gen fans are gonna have a fit.
adjfQj1shFE


Yeah, I remember you sharing me this video several weeks ago. As a true XBOX gamer and a casual Nintendo gamer growing up, I agreed with almost all of his points.

Same here. The systems are decent and while I liked the games and the interaction with others online; however, I still prefer the older ones. After I get a PS4 and maybe a Wii U, I'll be done buying the newer consoles that come out and just stick with the older stuff.


Yeah, they seemed more like home consoles with Internet access, rather than real sh*t from the first six generations. Hell, even the Xbox and PS2 (which both had more abilities than playing games) seemed more enjoyable than the 7th and 8th gen consoles.

Here's what Corey had to say about the 7th gen, and listen VERY carefully to the last part of the video, you 5th gen fans are gonna have a fit.
adjfQj1shFE
I'll watch it when I get home.


The PS4 has about everything you need right now. I'd still rather get an XBOX One over a Wii U (which only has 2 or 3 games worth buying IMO) though.
It sure does. I really need to get it because I'm really behind (I already have the Xbox one, but I basically have no games for it :()


Yeah, they seemed more like home consoles with Internet access, rather than real sh*t from the first six generations. Hell, even the Xbox and PS2 (which both had more abilities than playing games) seemed more enjoyable than the 7th and 8th gen consoles.
That's what I thought. Nothing wrong with Internet access, but it seems there was more focus on that along with the graphics than the games themselves.

Yeah, when I had them all, I played them every single day until they broke and I had to give them away.

That's what I thought. Nothing wrong with Internet access, but it seems there was more focus on that along with the graphics than the games themselves.

Yeah, when I had them all, I played them every single day until they broke and I had to give them away.


Damn, that seems addictive. I used to love playing with my Wii back in 2008-2010, but then I started to get bored of it once I got into playing older games on my computer.

I'll watch it when I get home.
It sure does. I really need to get it because I'm really behind (I already have the Xbox one, but I basically have no games for it :()
That's what I thought. Nothing wrong with Internet access, but it seems there was more focus on that along with the graphics than the games themselves.

Yeah, when I had them all, I played them every single day until they broke and I had to give them away.


I'm not sure if the hype is worth it, but "Overwatch" seems like it's going to be a good game with an interesting single player/story mode.

The PS4 has about everything you need right now. I'd still rather get an XBOX One over a Wii U (which only has 2 or 3 games worth buying IMO) though.


The PS3 has everything I need.

Damn, that seems addictive. I used to love playing with my Wii back in 2008-2010, but then I started to get bored of it once I got into playing older games on my computer.
Yep, I was definitely a hardcore gamer back then. I'm still one, but not as much because of how the game industry turned out.


I'm not sure if the hype is worth it, but "Overwatch" seems like it's going to be a good game with an interesting single player/story mode.
I'll try it out then it's released. I hope it's good.

Yep, I was definitely a hardcore gamer back then. I'm still one, but not as much because of how the game industry turned out.


Yeah, it's sucks to be a gamer (unless you're really into PC gaming) in this decade.

Speaking of late 4th gen games...

http://i.imgur.com/UI1zTxU.png

I played this game long after its release, on an emulator (I know, I know, not as good as the real thing :-X) but I loved it! It's simplistic but really addictive! :D

Speaking of late 4th gen games...

http://i.imgur.com/UI1zTxU.png

I played this game long after its release, on an emulator (I know, I know, not as good as the real thing :-X) but I loved it! It's simplistic but really addictive! :D


I loved Super Mario RPG growing up. Never actually owned it, but I used to rent it from the video store from time to time. This tends to further my thinking about 1996 still being a solid year for 16-bit game releases, despite the presence of the Next Gen consoles.

I just can't believe that game's been out for 20 years, though. Damn time flies. :o

I loved Super Mario RPG growing up. Never actually owned it, but I used to rent it from the video store from time to time. This tends to further my thinking about 1996 still being a solid year for 16-bit game releases, despite the presence of the Next Gen consoles.

I just can't believe that game's been out for 20 years, though. Damn time flies. :o


What bugged me about renting long games on cartridge is that someone would either play on your save or just delete it.  :(

My Quest 64 struggle.

Yeah, it's sucks to be a gamer (unless you're really into PC gaming) in this decade.

That's why I am semi retired. I mostly play my old consoles I grew up playing(N64, PS2, SEGA ) and retro consoles I'm just now getting into(SNES).
I plan on getting WWE 2k16, MLB the show 16, Batman Arkham Knight tho.

What bugged me about renting long games on cartridge is that someone would either play on your save or just delete it.  :(

My Quest 64 struggle.


I feel your pain. Imagine trying to play through Ocarina of Time that way. That's what I had to do until I finally got my parents to get me my own copy of that game like two years after it was released. >:(

Believe it or not, though, I was actually able to get past a good portion of OoT (all the way through the Shadow Temple as Adult Link) just through renting the game from Movie Gallery about five times during a five month period in 1999. My trick was to start my game file in the third save slot, because most people that rented the game would typically delete the file in the first slot. It actually worked. ;D

That's why I am semi retired. I mostly play my old consoles I grew up playing(N64, PS2, SEGA ) and retro consoles I'm just now getting into(SNES).
I plan on getting WWE 2k16, MLB the show 16, Batman Arkham Knight tho.


Unfortunately, I can't waste my time and money on video games when I have way too much work and college in my way. Especially with these summer classes I'm taking right now.  :P

I wish I could get back into the gaming world, because it would be exciting for me to experience more games in the Madden series on a consistent basis, COD: Black Ops III, Batman Arkham Knight, Overwatch, Forza (series), and Fallout 4.

It's not too late for me to buy an 8th generation console though, heck, I could play some of these on the PC too. Maybe this Fall or Christmas. I haven't been playing on games much since I left high school. 

I feel your pain. Imagine trying to play through Ocarina of Time that way. That's what I had to do until I finally got my parents to get me my own copy of that game like two years after it was released. >:(

Believe it or not, though, I was actually able to get past a good portion of OoT (all the way through the Shadow Temple as Adult Link) just through renting the game from Movie Gallery about five times during a five month period in 1999. My trick was to start my game file in the third save slot, because most people that rented the game would typically delete the file in the first slot. It actually worked. ;D


;D  ;D What happened after you got through the Shadow Temple?

;D  ;D What happened after you got through the Shadow Temple?


I think you could probably guess. When I came back to rent the game for a sixth time later that year, my file had finally bitten the dust. I was devastated. :\'(

That's not even my worst "file deletion" story from the late '90s, though. My younger brother, unbeknownst to me, let one of his classmates borrow my Super Mario 64 cart once. The kid (who was an 8-year-old at the time) deleted my main save file where I had completed the game and had 102 of the 120 stars! I didn't have a strategy guide or internet at that time, so it had taken me a full six months to get that far! >:(

Yeah, it's sucks to be a gamer (unless you're really into PC gaming) in this decade.


I'm a gamer but I only have one game at home.

That's why I am semi retired. I mostly play my old consoles I grew up playing(N64, PS2, SEGA ) and retro consoles I'm just now getting into(SNES).
I plan on getting WWE 2k16, MLB the show 16, Batman Arkham Knight tho.


I have WWE 2k16.

Yeah, it's sucks to be a gamer (unless you're really into PC gaming) in this decade.
I know and I haven't played PC gaming in a long time since I didn't get anymore after Carmen Sandiego,


Speaking of late 4th gen games...

http://i.imgur.com/UI1zTxU.png

I played this game long after its release, on an emulator (I know, I know, not as good as the real thing :-X) but I loved it! It's simplistic but really addictive! :D
Somehow, I never got this game. You see it's pretty much the 1st Mario RPG (while Paper Mario would be the 2nd and I rented that one.)


That's why I am semi retired. I mostly play my old consoles I grew up playing(N64, PS2, SEGA ) and retro consoles I'm just now getting into(SNES).
I plan on getting WWE 2k16, MLB the show 16, Batman Arkham Knight tho.
I can see myself that way. Once I get some of the older consoles again, I'm going to be playing them everyday along with the newer ones.

I think you could probably guess. When I came back to rent the game for a sixth time later that year, my file had finally bitten the dust. I was devastated. :\'(

That's not even my worst "file deletion" story from the late '90s, though. My younger brother, unbeknownst to me, let one of his classmates borrow my Super Mario 64 cart once. The kid (who was an 8-year-old at the time) deleted my main save file where I had completed the game and had 102 of the 120 stars! I didn't have a strategy guide or internet at that time, so it had taken me a full six months to get that far! >:(


:o I would have destroyed that kid.

I remember I reformatted my Gamecube memory card because it was full, not knowing it would delete all my saves in all my games. I'm not sure if it's better to be angry at your brother or to be angry at yourself.  ;D


I know and I haven't played PC gaming in a long time since I didn't get anymore after Carmen Sandiego,
Somehow, I never got this game. You see it's pretty much the 1st Mario RPG (while Paper Mario would be the 2nd and I rented that one.)
I can see myself that way. Once I get some of the older consoles again, I'm going to be playing them everyday along with the newer ones.


That game was AMAZING and addictive as all hell.  :D I remember the first time I rented it, I instantly fell in love. Went ahead and bought it not long afterwards  :D

:o I would have destroyed that kid.

I remember I reformatted my Gamecube memory card because it was full, not knowing it would delete all my saves in all my games. I'm not sure if it's better to be angry at your brother or to be angry at yourself.  ;D


While on this topic, I have to ask. Do you remember that incident that happened back in 2004 where Sony sent out a PlayStation 2 demo disc of upcoming games that had a defective demo of Viewtiful Joe 2? The VJ2 demo had some weird bug in it where, if you played it with your memory card in the first slot, it would completely wipe out all save files that you had on that card. :o

You want to talk about mad. This was in, like, November 2004 and my recently started file on GTA: San Andreas where I'd made it all the way to Las Venturas was one of the victims. Sony actually had the audacity to send me a letter in the mail a few weeks later "apologizing for the inconvenience". >:(

That game was AMAZING and addictive as all hell.  :D I remember the first time I rented it, I instantly fell in love. Went ahead and bought it not long afterwards  :D
I don't know why my family didn't do that. That game sure was fun! Unfortunately, I could never pass it (until later on the emulator) as I was stuck in the castle after you obtain the 2nd star. I didnt know where to go. ;D

I don't know why my family didn't do that. That game sure was fun! Unfortunately, I could never pass it (until later on the emulator) as I was stuck in the castle after you obtain the 2nd star. I didnt know where to go. ;D


I remember when I played Paper Mario after I obtained the 2nd Star Spirit, and it seemed almost impossible to me with Peach. You have to go through these Koopa Guards that Bowser had up to the castle's library. If they see you, they'll put you all the way back to Princess Peach's room and it sucks. I know it's a kids game, but it just seems like those guards have OCD or something. I don't know why you can't get a disguise and go up to the library, just so that you could go to the next chapter.

I may be in the minority here, but I never cared for Paper Mario, it just didn't fit with me as the regular Mario platformers. I never cared for Mario Party games either. I had Mario Party Advance and that game didn't last long with me, and Mario Party 8 was a disaster. When it comes to Mario games it's only 2-D/3-D platformers and Kart with me, throughout all generations except the current one. Anything from Super Mario Bros. (1985) to Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010).

and I still regret I didn't give the PS2 a chance growing up  :-\\

I remember when I played Paper Mario after I obtained the 2nd Star Spirit, and it seemed almost impossible to me with Peach. You have to go through these Koopa Guards that Bowser had up to the castle's library. If they see you, they'll put you all the way back to Princess Peach's room and it sucks. I know it's a kids game, but it just seems like those guards have OCD or something. I don't know why you can't get a disguise and go up to the library, just so that you could go to the next chapter.
;D ;D ;D OCD! ;D ;D

Yeah, that was the difficult part. I tried everything and it wasn't working. OTT, the game was easy, but it had some hard parts.


I may be in the minority here, but I never cared for Paper Mario, it just didn't fit with me as the regular Mario platformers. I never cared for Mario Party games either. I had Mario Party Advance and that game didn't last long with me, and Mario Party 8 was a disaster. When it comes to Mario games it's only 2-D/3-D platformers and Kart with me, throughout all generations except the current one. Anything from Super Mario Bros. (1985) to Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010).
No worries ;). Not everyone is going to care about certain games that everybody else likes.


and I still regret I didn't give the PS2 a chance growing up  :-\\
And you still can. You might not be a kid anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't play the PS2. I'm sure there's a game store in your city that sells retro games. There's one here where I live and they refresh everything :)

1999 to 2002 was Britney Spears's hey day. Then 2002 to 2004 she was still big, but past her peak.

and I still regret I didn't give the PS2 a chance growing up  :-\\

You REALLY REALLY should have!! ::) ;D    Cause the gamecube turned me off from Nintendo, and the PS2 looked soo badass and amazing, I knew that's what I wanted when I first saw it at Toys R Us in 2002!

You REALLY REALLY should have!! ::) ;D    Cause the gamecube turned me off from Nintendo, and the PS2 looked soo badass and amazing, I knew that's what I wanted when I first saw it at Toys R Us in 2002!


To be fair, despite how great the N64 was and how it was the most mature Nintendo console of all time for core gamers, even a lot of its games haven't aged well either. I've heard people say that some of the Metroid and F-Zero games for the Gamecube were a lot better than the N64, but there's no doubt that the Pokemon and Mario games for the N64 were better than the Gamecube ones, hell, even the DS and Wii had better Mario and Pokemon games platform wise than the Gamecube. So I think when it comes to Nintendo it depends on whether you wanted the console for the true/core gamer experience, if you were a flat out Nintendo fanboy, or if you only cared about it for a specific franchise (like me with Mario). When I look deep into it now, the SNES was the most balanced Nintendo console for its time. Excluding the Wii it was the 2nd best selling Nintendo console of all time, while some games in the SNES series haven't aged well, it had the best library & variety of games for 2-D gaming of all time.

I found a user named "MidnightRain" from IGN, and he gives a debatable description about his opinions on Nintendo consoles throughout the years. Based off success and library overall. It doesn't go by popular opinion or nostalgia goggles which is what I like about it. Some I do disagree with though.

If what's out and what little remaining is what the Wii U is left with, I'd rank Nintendo's 6 consoles as:

SNES - Still the king of Nintendo consoles. Best third party support to date of any Nintendo system, many new franchises and/or seminal entries of existing franchises, as well as arguably the greatest console generation to date in the 16-bit wars with Sega & NEC.

NES – I think this system gets a tad underrated by many younger gamers. They just see it in iphone cases and some archaic games and wonder what they hype was about. The little grey toaster saved the North American console industry, MANY franchises got their start on the little grey box, and the simplicity of game design from this era still permeates in the ever burgeoning indie gaming scene to this day.

GCN – The underrated little purple lunchbox. Was the last Nintendo console that really tried to compete directly with Sony and MS, at least graphically. Had the best third party support of any Nintendo console since the 5th generation, and many of its games have still held up well after more than a decade. Some of the last best entries in Nintendo’s franchises happened on the GCN like F-Zero and Wave Race. Only real detractor imo was some first party games weren’t as well received as others like Mario Sunshine.

Wii – I think the amount of hate this machine gets stems from the casual focus, the lightning in a bottle success, and obvious motion gaming and being a slightly enhanced GCN falling a generation behind Sony and MS. It was a major deviation from the GCN and turned off many core gamers in the process despite the fiscal prosperity it brought the big N. At its heart though and ignoring a lot of shovelware it had, there were a lot of really great entries in core Nintendo franchises on the box.

N64 – I’ve honestly never understood the love this console gets. A lot of its games have aged rather poorly (like most early 3D games), it has a major dearth in key genres like fighting and RPGs, had many droughts in between big releases, and it’s mainly held up by a handful of quality first and second party titles that are fondly remembered by kids who had the system growing up. Nintendo’s downslide in the industry and in many core gamer’s minds started here. Coming off the SNES, the system was pretty disappointing and a reason is was a distant second to PSX in overall sales. It has the smallest dedicated library of any Nintendo console to date.

Wii U – As much as I’ve enjoyed Nintendo’s first HD foray, it’s hard to argue that it is dead last as of now. Absolutely anemic third party support even by GCN standards, a wholly under-utilized gimmick in the tablet controller, and many poor decisions by Nintendo really sentenced this system to fall flat on its face right out of the gate. Nintendo is still the king of local multi-player with this system with great entries like Mario Kart 8 and SSBU, but it pales in comparison to both Sony and MS’s eighth gen entries for value and support.

Now personally I think it's unfair that the N64 is ranked this low, especially being below the Wii. For it's time and the games that revolutionized gaming throughout the N64 era was huge! As for what I have in bold is HUGE which applies to my view on Nintendo completely. Which is why I'm at crossroads when it comes to the Gamecube and Wii. I can't blame myself for enjoying 1st party Wii games better than what the Gamecube offered while other core gamers felt the opposite when Mario was my main focus with Nintendo consoles. This wasn't the case with the XBOX (& had I owned a Playstation) since I'd play almost everything those consoles offer. I even consider the XBOX/Playstation to be similar in this modern gaming era because there's so many franchises I can play on both of those, but with Nintendo it's always been only one franchise I care about, which I've completely grown out of so there's no point of me buying a console just for one or two games.

To be fair, despite how great the N64 was and how it was the most mature Nintendo console of all time for core gamers, even a lot of its games haven't aged well either. I've heard people say that some of the Metroid and F-Zero games for the Gamecube were a lot better than the N64, but there's no doubt that the Pokemon and Mario games for the N64 were better than the Gamecube ones, hell, even the DS and Wii had better Mario and Pokemon games platform wise than the Gamecube. So I think when it comes to Nintendo it depends on whether you wanted the console for the true/core gamer experience, if you were a flat out Nintendo fanboy, or if you only cared about it for a specific franchise (like me with Mario). When I look deep into it now, the SNES was the most balanced Nintendo console for its time. Excluding the Wii it was the 2nd best selling Nintendo console of all time, while some games in the SNES series haven't aged well, it had the best library & variety of games for 2-D gaming of all time.

Yup Gamecube was more for die hard Nintendo fans rather than making a significant mainstream impact like the other consoles.

I found a user named "MidnightRain" from IGN, and he gives a debatable description about his opinions on Nintendo consoles throughout the years. Based off success and library overall. It doesn't go by popular opinion or nostalgia goggles which is what I like about it. Some I do disagree with though.

If what's out and what little remaining is what the Wii U is left with, I'd rank Nintendo's 6 consoles as:

SNES - Still the king of Nintendo consoles. Best third party support to date of any Nintendo system, many new franchises and/or seminal entries of existing franchises, as well as arguably the greatest console generation to date in the 16-bit wars with Sega & NEC.

NES – I think this system gets a tad underrated by many younger gamers. They just see it in iphone cases and some archaic games and wonder what they hype was about. The little grey toaster saved the North American console industry, MANY franchises got their start on the little grey box, and the simplicity of game design from this era still permeates in the ever burgeoning indie gaming scene to this day.

GCN – The underrated little purple lunchbox. Was the last Nintendo console that really tried to compete directly with Sony and MS, at least graphically. Had the best third party support of any Nintendo console since the 5th generation, and many of its games have still held up well after more than a decade. Some of the last best entries in Nintendo’s franchises happened on the GCN like F-Zero and Wave Race. Only real detractor imo was some first party games weren’t as well received as others like Mario Sunshine.

Wii – I think the amount of hate this machine gets stems from the casual focus, the lightning in a bottle success, and obvious motion gaming and being a slightly enhanced GCN falling a generation behind Sony and MS. It was a major deviation from the GCN and turned off many core gamers in the process despite the fiscal prosperity it brought the big N. At its heart though and ignoring a lot of shovelware it had, there were a lot of really great entries in core Nintendo franchises on the box.

N64 – I’ve honestly never understood the love this console gets. A lot of its games have aged rather poorly (like most early 3D games), it has a major dearth in key genres like fighting and RPGs, had many droughts in between big releases, and it’s mainly held up by a handful of quality first and second party titles that are fondly remembered by kids who had the system growing up. Nintendo’s downslide in the industry and in many core gamer’s minds started here. Coming off the SNES, the system was pretty disappointing and a reason is was a distant second to PSX in overall sales. It has the smallest dedicated library of any Nintendo console to date.

Wii U – As much as I’ve enjoyed Nintendo’s first HD foray, it’s hard to argue that it is dead last as of now. Absolutely anemic third party support even by GCN standards, a wholly under-utilized gimmick in the tablet controller, and many poor decisions by Nintendo really sentenced this system to fall flat on its face right out of the gate. Nintendo is still the king of local multi-player with this system with great entries like Mario Kart 8 and SSBU, but it pales in comparison to both Sony and MS’s eighth gen entries for value and support.

Now personally I think it's unfair that the N64 is ranked this low, especially being below the Wii. For it's time and the games that revolutionized gaming throughout the N64 era was huge! As for what I have in bold is HUGE which applies to my view on Nintendo completely. Which is why I'm at crossroads when it comes to the Gamecube and Wii. I can't blame myself for enjoying 1st party Wii games better than what the Gamecube offered while other core gamers felt the opposite when Mario was my main focus with Nintendo consoles. This wasn't the case with the XBOX (& had I owned a Playstation) since I'd play almost everything those consoles offer. I even consider the XBOX/Playstation to be similar in this modern gaming era because there's so many franchises I can play on both of those, but with Nintendo it's always been only one franchise I care about, which I've completely grown out of so there's no point of me buying a console just for one or two games.

That dude was TRIPPIN! :o :o :o
The Gamecube and Wii should NOT be above the N64. >:( >:( >:(

While on this topic, I have to ask. Do you remember that incident that happened back in 2004 where Sony sent out a PlayStation 2 demo disc of upcoming games that had a defective demo of Viewtiful Joe 2? The VJ2 demo had some weird bug in it where, if you played it with your memory card in the first slot, it would completely wipe out all save files that you had on that card. :o

You want to talk about mad. This was in, like, November 2004 and my recently started file on GTA: San Andreas where I'd made it all the way to Las Venturas was one of the victims. Sony actually had the audacity to send me a letter in the mail a few weeks later "apologizing for the inconvenience". >:(


Damn, I didn't know that :o That's crazy. How did you get your hands on that demo disc? Stop complaining about free things ;D

I found a user named "MidnightRain" from IGN, and he gives a debatable description about his opinions on Nintendo consoles throughout the years. Based off success and library overall. It doesn't go by popular opinion or nostalgia goggles which is what I like about it. Some I do disagree with though.

If what's out and what little remaining is what the Wii U is left with, I'd rank Nintendo's 6 consoles as:

SNES - Still the king of Nintendo consoles. Best third party support to date of any Nintendo system, many new franchises and/or seminal entries of existing franchises, as well as arguably the greatest console generation to date in the 16-bit wars with Sega & NEC.

NES – I think this system gets a tad underrated by many younger gamers. They just see it in iphone cases and some archaic games and wonder what they hype was about. The little grey toaster saved the North American console industry, MANY franchises got their start on the little grey box, and the simplicity of game design from this era still permeates in the ever burgeoning indie gaming scene to this day.

GCN – The underrated little purple lunchbox. Was the last Nintendo console that really tried to compete directly with Sony and MS, at least graphically. Had the best third party support of any Nintendo console since the 5th generation, and many of its games have still held up well after more than a decade. Some of the last best entries in Nintendo’s franchises happened on the GCN like F-Zero and Wave Race. Only real detractor imo was some first party games weren’t as well received as others like Mario Sunshine.

Wii – I think the amount of hate this machine gets stems from the casual focus, the lightning in a bottle success, and obvious motion gaming and being a slightly enhanced GCN falling a generation behind Sony and MS. It was a major deviation from the GCN and turned off many core gamers in the process despite the fiscal prosperity it brought the big N. At its heart though and ignoring a lot of shovelware it had, there were a lot of really great entries in core Nintendo franchises on the box.

N64 – I’ve honestly never understood the love this console gets. A lot of its games have aged rather poorly (like most early 3D games), it has a major dearth in key genres like fighting and RPGs, had many droughts in between big releases, and it’s mainly held up by a handful of quality first and second party titles that are fondly remembered by kids who had the system growing up. Nintendo’s downslide in the industry and in many core gamer’s minds started here. Coming off the SNES, the system was pretty disappointing and a reason is was a distant second to PSX in overall sales. It has the smallest dedicated library of any Nintendo console to date.

Wii U – As much as I’ve enjoyed Nintendo’s first HD foray, it’s hard to argue that it is dead last as of now. Absolutely anemic third party support even by GCN standards, a wholly under-utilized gimmick in the tablet controller, and many poor decisions by Nintendo really sentenced this system to fall flat on its face right out of the gate. Nintendo is still the king of local multi-player with this system with great entries like Mario Kart 8 and SSBU, but it pales in comparison to both Sony and MS’s eighth gen entries for value and support.

Now personally I think it's unfair that the N64 is ranked this low, especially being below the Wii. For it's time and the games that revolutionized gaming throughout the N64 era was huge! As for what I have in bold is HUGE which applies to my view on Nintendo completely. Which is why I'm at crossroads when it comes to the Gamecube and Wii. I can't blame myself for enjoying 1st party Wii games better than what the Gamecube offered while other core gamers felt the opposite when Mario was my main focus with Nintendo consoles. This wasn't the case with the XBOX (& had I owned a Playstation) since I'd play almost everything those consoles offer. I even consider the XBOX/Playstation to be similar in this modern gaming era because there's so many franchises I can play on both of those, but with Nintendo it's always been only one franchise I care about, which I've completely grown out of so there's no point of me buying a console just for one or two games.


I actually pretty much agree with this ranking. The only thing I would change would be to flip the Nintendo 64 and the Gamecube, but other than that it's basically in line with my views.


Damn, I didn't know that :o That's crazy. How did you get your hands on that demo disc? Stop complaining about free things ;D


It actually came in the mail under the PlayStation Underground banner. Sony sent the apology letter in the mail to everyone that had their memory cards erased about a month later.

I know you guys might not care about commercials and mascots, but there's something in those commercials that I believe was a metaphor for the 00s turning "lame" in 2004, as Jordan would claim.

In the commercials for Coco Puffs, the bird Sonny would be depicted as wearing "90s cool" clothes and giving other kids the cereal. But in 2004, they changed the format of the commercials. He no longer wore clothes, and he would now be depicted as being addicted to Coco puffs and trying to avoid it...almost like a crack addict, heh.

This character losing his cool clothes in 2004, is a metaphor for the 00s losing their cool in 2004. ;)

In general, it seems all of the late 90s/early 00s pop culture ending in 2004 lines up unbelievably well; it's almost as if God snapped his finger that year and said "All x-treme things will end right now".

I know you guys might not care about commercials and mascots, but there's something in those commercials that I believe was a metaphor for the 00s turning "lame" in 2004, as Jordan would claim.

In the commercials for Coco Puffs, the bird Sonny would be depicted as wearing "90s cool" clothes and giving other kids the cereal. But in 2004, they changed the format of the commercials. He no longer wore clothes, and he would now be depicted as being addicted to Coco puffs and trying to avoid it...almost like a crack addict, heh.

This character losing his cool clothes in 2004, is a metaphor for the 00s losing their cool in 2004. ;)

In general, it seems all of the late 90s/early 00s pop culture ending in 2004 lines up unbelievably well; it's almost as if God snapped his finger that year and said "All x-treme things will end right now".


There were some things in the mid 2000s that were Xtreme related. So it's not like all things from the early 2000s were removed, just because it was Xtreme.

Well, the mid 00s still had some x-treme, but it was distilled x-treme.

Well, the mid 00s still had some x-treme, but it was distilled x-treme.


Well yeah, but it was kinda related to Y2K x-treme.

I was at my cousin's house over the weekend and we were looking at our childhood pictures. I'll say that while I preferred the kid pop culture of 1999-2001, I had way more friends and fun times in 2002-2004 so my nostalgia is mostly on the latter years now :D

I was at my cousin's house over the weekend and we were looking at our childhood pictures. I'll say that while I preferred the kid pop culture of 1999-2001, I had way more friends and fun times in 2002-2004 so my nostalgia is mostly on the latter years now :D


That's exactly how I feel about 2002-2005 being superior when it comes to the kid pop culture like TV shows/cartoons, toys and movies, but 2006-2008 being superior for my personal life, playing video games and going out with friends.

That's exactly how I feel about 2002-2005 being superior when it comes to the kid pop culture like TV shows/cartoons, toys and movies, but 2006-2008 being superior for my personal life, playing video games and going out with friends.


Heh. I guess you really liked the 2000s, even though the kid culture wasn't on par in the late 2000s.

That's exactly how I feel about 2002-2005 being superior when it comes to the kid pop culture like TV shows/cartoons, toys and movies, but 2006-2008 being superior for my personal life, playing video games and going out with friends.


Yes, agreed! I think mach!ne_he@d said it best in a previous post: you can always go back and watch those old TV shows, but bringing back those friends from your childhood is slightly more difficult.  :(

Yes, agreed! I think mach!ne_he@d said it best in a previous post: you can always go back and watch those old TV shows, but bringing back those friends from your childhood is slightly more difficult.  :(


I agree. I once had a friend that I known since 1st grade, and I never really talked to him after the summer of 2012. I also known his other friend that I talked to during the 2013-2014 school year, but I never talked to him after he went away in December of 2013. He didn't die, it's just that he went to another school.

I'm gonna have to get with the 2002-2004 kid culutre. Simply since I was never in my childhood in '99-'01 becasue my childhood started in '03 and I remember that stuff being more relevant to me. Although I do remember watching shows from the Y2K era.

2002-2004! Toonami, Fox Box, Toon Disney, PBS Kids, Nickelodeon... YU YU HAKUSHO AND KIRBY WERE MY LIFE!

2002-2004

Yu gi oh > pokemon

I know you guys might not care about commercials and mascots, but there's something in those commercials that I believe was a metaphor for the 00s turning "lame" in 2004, as Jordan would claim.

In the commercials for Coco Puffs, the bird Sonny would be depicted as wearing "90s cool" clothes and giving other kids the cereal. But in 2004, they changed the format of the commercials. He no longer wore clothes, and he would now be depicted as being addicted to Coco puffs and trying to avoid it...almost like a crack addict, heh.

This character losing his cool clothes in 2004, is a metaphor for the 00s losing their cool in 2004. ;)

In general, it seems all of the late 90s/early 00s pop culture ending in 2004 lines up unbelievably well; it's almost as if God snapped his finger that year and said "All x-treme things will end right now".

I remember those Sonny commercials! I LOVED Coco Puffs! Isn't he still addicted to them? Whatever.

Who remembers that video game Mega Man and Bass, btw? I bought it at Toys R Us back in '03, I always chose Bass because he was more powerful.

I remember those Sonny commercials! I LOVED Coco Puffs! Isn't he still addicted to them? Whatever.

Who remembers that video game Mega Man and Bass, btw? I bought it at Toys R Us back in '03, I always chose Bass because he was more powerful.


I didn't play that game in particular, but I did play and was a huge fan of the Mega Man Zero series on the GBA. 

Both periods were solid! Objectively though I'd have to say that 1999-2001 was slightly better. But regardless they were great eras for kiddy culture (no need to offend you MachineHead ;D).