Let's Look Back at the 7th Generation of Consoles

[Moonface]

The next thread is finally here!  As with the earlier threads for the other generations, what are your fond memories with anything from this generation of consoles? Do you have a favourite system? Memorable games/moments? How'd you get any of the consoles from this generation? What did you first play?

Want to look back at earlier generations? Check out the other threads in this series:

• Let's Look Back at the 1st-5th Generation of Consoles
  
• Let's Look Back at the 6th Generation of Consoles
  

As with every other generation discussed so far, all I had for this generation was once again PlayStation. I told myself I wouldn't get a PS3 on launch day, but everyone talking about it at school all day made me cave in, especially since I had the money to buy it. That will be the only time I ever buy any games console on launch day, since I didn't have many games to play on it for a while and like most launch PS3's, mine eventually kicked the bucket so I had to get a PS3 slim.

[ShiraNoMai]

I got the Wii first in I believe the Christmas of '07, with Mario Party 8 and Wii Sports as starting titles. Can't say I spent a horrific amount of time with this console, but the few games that I did spend time with were long lived. Definitely put hours into Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero 3, and Xenoblade Chronicles. This was definitely the generation where I took gaming relatively 'seriously', and the one where UG started on!

Got the PS3 a bit late, getting it the Christmas of 2010, IIRC (if not 2010, then 2011). First memory was playing LBP2 with Moony for the first time and it was fun =3

[Moonface]

Got the PS3 a bit late, getting it the Christmas of 2010, IIRC (if not 2010, then 2011). First memory was playing LBP2 with Moony for the first time and it was fun =3

We actually played LBP1 together first, although it was when you were playing with other friends at the same time.

LBP2 is also the best game I played from 7th gen. That game will be forever timeless for me and a time I would adore to go back and experience for the first time again.

[Monocle]

hacked the ever loving shit out of my wii. custom themes, launcher, homebrew, smash bros project m, omg so much stuff I did on the wii because I didn't want the ps3 right away

then ps3 took it all away for me. so much stuff on there that I enjoyed. and for some reason I can't recall much of it. age is getting to me.

Graces f, both Xillia games, mass effect trilogy, journey, last of us, arkham city. etc etc etc

[Moonface]

@Monocle: I imagine a lot of people hacked their Wii's. I actually have the impression it's one of the most hacked consoles out there, or at least is the one I see mentioned the most for hacking.

Thinking of games overall, this generation was the weakest one for me. It had good games, but nowhere near as many as I have from other generations. Also, shout out to the early games on at least PS3 that shoved bloom onto every light source and treated the colour brown as the only colour in existence.

[ShiraNoMai]

Yeah even my Wii had Homebrew on it. I don't remember why but I think it was for Smash reasons if I had to guess

The DS was of this era, no? That was a great handheld. It's a shame that mine is a little broken. Operational, but the hinge on one side got snapped when I dropped it off the side of a couch once. It's an original fat one, too. So many good memories with it. Just thinking about all my starving Nintendogs right now...

[Monocle]

yeah. the modded wii made it much more fun for me. so many custom games came out. project m was loooooads of fun and that newer super Mario bros one was fun too.

Honestly, I can't remember much from the DS but I know I loved it to hell too. weird

[Dragon Lord]

Honestly, I can't remember much from the DS but I know I loved it to hell too. weird

I don't know about you, but DS had some pretty memorable games for me.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2
Chrono Trigger port
Best version of Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy III (being the first time it was available in the West) 
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (can't say I enjoyed it much in the end, but another case of being the first time it was brought to us)
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver
Kirby Superstar Ultra (one of my favorite SNES games made on-the-go, what's not to love?) 

Also had the worst two hand-held Zelda games made for it, but let's not talk about those.

[Monocle]

Honestly, I can't remember much from the DS but I know I loved it to hell too. weird

I don't know about you, but DS had some pretty memorable games for me.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2
Chrono Trigger port
Best version of Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy III (being the first time it was available in the West) 
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (can't say I enjoyed it much in the end, but another case of being the first time it was brought to us)
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver
Kirby Superstar Ultra (one of my favorite SNES games made on-the-go, what's not to love?) 

Also had the worst two hand-held Zelda games made for it, but let's not talk about those.

know what's funny... i totally forgot about those games lmao. I genuinely couldn't remember like any game in the system for some reason. All those games were good. also fan patched fe12 too!

[Mr EliteL]

I had a PS3, Wii and DS. In the end I'm torn between which one I liked best as I had games on them I really enjoyed and invested time in playing. Actually DS may drop down because my DS sort of glitched out with it's screen which made me rely on the 3DS backwards compatibility for the main game I played for DS. But the DS was also the first games console I bought with mt own money, and it was on a whim too and, I remember standing in HMV looking at the box for a while then go "Yup! I'll get it!" I've forgotten when abouts that was now though...2007 or '08 as I bought the DS Lite and during college. ...now thinking about the games I have that stood out for me is more than Wii and PS3 so, but but...! Well anyway those are New Super Mario Bros, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story, Pokémon HeartGold, Pokémon White, Izuna The Unemployed Ninja and Luminous Arc 2. 

The original fat PS3 we as in my siblings and I, owned and played on. Probably an F1 or football game for my brother, Resistance: Fall of Man for me (I barely played it), maybe something my sister had or just Tekken 6 which was the main reason other than what my brother wanted for us to get the PS3. We didn't get it on launch but later in 2006. Would also be last joint console and Tekken game we would share. I've kinda inherited T6, my sister would get her own PS3 Slim down the line, I would get the PS3 Super Slim even later as I was on the DS and Wii. Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, BlazBlue Continuum Shift, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Dragon's Dogma were the best games for me.

The Wii I got as a present, think it was Christmas '06 or it was a late one and I got it early January or I'm remembering wrong. Ah whatever. Best games for me were Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros Brawl and Super Paper Mario. I didn't branch out or get much for my Wii partly because my Wii stopped reading discs and I left it for a few years before getting that fixed. I could play Virtual Console games which I got two of, one being the great N64 Paper Mario. That was probably when I got my Super Slim PS3. For Brawl it was the best online experience I've had even with it's bad lag and only two modes to play of Basic Brawl and Team Battle, I met a player from DeviantArt who I'd try and meet up with and we'd find each other quite often, it was blast to play. Yeah we and other randoms did taunt parties or mess around but also serious play too. I used to go well into the hours of night playing to like 3AM.

[Moonface]

We didn't get it on launch but later in 2006.

That'd be impressive considering the UK didn't get the PS3 until March 2007.
What happened with the fat PS3? Did it break down or did your brother take it?

Anyone remember the Wii Mini? I don't think I've ever even seen one, even at any gaming store that sells retro stuff. XD

[Mr EliteL]

Oh whatever year it was then, I just went for around initial release but UK release then.
The fat PS3 never broke down, and haven't heard from my brother if it had ever since he took it, was his really when we all got our own versions. Although I doubt he's played on it or very little if so, but yeah had no problems with it fortunately when it was used.

Wii Mini, nope I'm not aware of it, I assume it came out when I was not bothering with my Wii console.

[Moonface]

I just remembered that this generation was the death of demo discs, at least for PlayStation (I don't know if the same was the case for other systems) in favor of downloadable demos, which from what I can recall were actually pretty rare.

Not that it mattered for me anyway, since downloading anything took ages for me on PS3, which back at the time I attributed to my internet speed but considering that I downloaded the Ratchet and Clank games a couple of months ago with 1GB internet speeds and it still took all night for a 8GB file told me that internet speed is irrelevant when it comes to downloading anything on PS3 because it's just complete shit no matter what.

Also, the original PS3 store will forever be superior to the new one they did that runs like ass because it's just loading an external website rather than something built into the system.

[Metallix]

The PSP blew my mind in 2005. A handheld that could play PS2 quality games(well in the ballpark) was crazy. Also it could play all kinds of multimedia before smartphone were a thing.

Got a PS3 summer 2008 with Uncharted because I didn't have the money when it was new. The crapstorm PS3 caused due to price was something to behold though.

I agree with Moon about the store. It is PAINFUL to go to these days. I guess I was just used to it back in 2012 but the original was snappy and clean.

[ShiraNoMai]

The PSP was pretty cool. I never owned one but managed to get my hands on a few friend's ones that had them. It was quite impressive. It was like a little portable TV + console (much like how we view the Switch now) and it was neat as fuck. I can't say I was a big fan of how it felt to hold and play it, but when you got used to it, it was functional. Namely that little stupid nub they called the analog stick on that thing was atrocious. When the Nintendo 3DS came out with their little stupid analog "C" stick for the newer 3DS models, it definitely took me back to playing the PSP