Out with the old, in with the new
With the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One only weeks away, it's strange to think that the days of the PS3 and 360 are coming to a close. We've had those machines on our entertainment stand for years, y'know? And while games will continue to release on both platforms for a while yet, they'll be but a distant blip in our memories a few years down the road.
7. Homogenized cover art
As the old adage goes, if you can't beat 'em, imitate their box art. Publishers dump truckloads of money into figuring out how to get their games in the disc trays of those who make purchases based solely on how cool a cover looks. The path to big $$$, it seems, is to slap a painfully generic video game character on the box, put a gun in his (her?) hands, and obscure the whole thing with a nice explosion or sandstorm. Bonus points if the character in question has toned, rippling biceps and a tough-as-nails grimace--or some kind of next-level supersuit.
6. The presence of Parkour
Platforming elements like wall-jumping and ledge-scaling certainly aren't new, but it wasn't until the likes of 2007's Crackdown and Assassin's Creed that parkour entered the mainstream gamer's lexicon. Being able to climb almost any structure at any time meant that a game world's vertical space became just as important and open to exploration as its ground-level setting.
5. HD collections
It's fun to reminisce about your favorite games, even if they're ancient by today's standards. A good game is a good game, regardless of its age. But nostalgia is also an easy way for publishers to cash in on your rose-tinted obsessions. And that happened a lot in the past few years. With previous console generations, revisiting an older game meant you had to play it in its original form. But many darlings from the PS2-era have found their way back to current-gen consoles in the form of HD re-releases.
4. Downloadable content
It all began with the infamous Horse Armor DLC, the first downloadable add-on for 2006's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This delightful pack, as you may recall, promised to protect your horse from danger for a paltry fee of $2.50. But really, it was just a cosmetic upgrade, and a lot of gamers felt insulted by such a blatant attempt at prying the cash from their wallets. Thankfully, DLC has gotten a bit better since.
3. Persistent multiplayer progression
You'll find very few multiplayer games these days that don't feature some sort of experience point-based leveling system, dozens of unlockable rewards, or a multitude of character customization options. Persistent multiplayer is something we've come to just expect. But it wasn't really until 2007's immensely successful Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare that it became an integral part of online gaming.
2. The rise of the indie scene
There was a time not so long ago where the only kind of games you could play on your console were the kind that came pressed on a retail disc. Consoles had no way to make downloadable experiences available, considering digital storefronts weren't even a thing until the PS3, 360, and Wii came around. Now? Some indie devs have found huge success in the console space, thanks to innovative titles that would never have been funded by triple-A publishers.
1. The motion control craze
You didn't think we'd forget to mention the Nintendo Wii, did you? It was just as much a pivotal part of the seventh console generation as its competitors, even if for one wholly different reason: motion controls. Regardless of what you think about motion controls these days, there's no denying that people went nuts for 'em circa 2007. The novel tech had mass appeal, earning the Wii a spot in the living rooms of a huge range of audiences.
