The last console I owned was a Sega Saturn...

... and I thought to myself, "Well, the Saturn was not released too long ago. Was it?". Well after a glance over the wiki page and reminiscing about games I enjoyed like Virtua Fighter 2, Sega Rally, and Steep Slope Sliders, I realize that this is all about 15 years ago.
     Needless to say I've missed out on many monumental titles, but I was curious to ask about opinions on what you consider to be the most important releases of the past decade or so, and what game stands out to you on a personal level.

...

Well, it's not to say that I am totally unaware of developments in the world of video games, but I haven't had a lot of actual hands on experience with many titles in those years. Mainly due to what was going on in my personal life, and of course lack of money. I've never Master Chief'd a Halo for one. I hear it's all the rage with the kids these days.

Just pick up an Jasper 360 and pick up The Orange Box, Left 4 Head, Call of Dooty 4, Viva Pinata, Gears 1&2, and of course Xbox Live.

Oh man, there's so much out there... So hard to choose one.

Someone with taste yay.

Get a Dreamcast and Shenmue 1 & 2, Daytona, Virtual On 2, 4 Wheel Thunder, Gun Valkyrie, Rez, Ikaruga, Sonic Adventure, Headhunter (maybe), Skies of Arcadia, Grandia 2, Phantasy Star Online (Offline only), Virtua Tennis, Ferrari F355 Challenge, Chuc Chu Rocket, Gunbird 2, RE: Code Veronica, Fur Fighters, Jet Set (or Grind) Radio, Power Stone 1 & 2, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Marvel Vs Capcom 2, Soul Calibur :)

If you still have your Saturn get Panzer Dragoon Zwei and Saga (maybe the first too but for nostalgia only, it doesn't holda cande to the sequel), Radiant Silvergun, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Virtual On, Gun Griffon 1 & 2, Shining Force III, Fighters Megamix, Princess Crown, and eh, others!

PS2
Dreamcast
Above all else, a decent PC(read, something 3 years old in terms of hardware, should go dirt cheap).

Best bet is probably to crawl back under that rock you've been living under.

....how in the frozen over hell did you find this website then?

I could probably list hundreds of games I consider important, but I'll limit it to what I consider the top 5 most important releases of the last decade or so:

• Grand Theft Auto III
  

• Half-Life
• Ocarina of Time
• The Sims
• Super Mario 64

You're probably gonna need to play some Half-Life.

Interesting topic! For someone who hasn't played much in the last fifteen years, what titles are there that need attention?

The question is, are you able to enjoy games like Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy VII when many modern gamers cannot anymore, because these games haven't aged well?

Some titles are no-brainers, though. Half-Life 2. Portal. Shadow of the Colossus. Silent Hill 2. Wii Sports. Super Mario Galaxy. Metal Gear Solid series.

"You're probably gonna need to play some Half-Life.

That has to happen.

"

That's a long time to be out of console gaming...there are so may great games in between to list. I say take a look at Gamerankings and scan through the platforms since.

Get a Dreamcast and a 360, and catch up.

You need to play some Zelda, Metroid Prime, Super Smash Bros, Okami, No More Heroes, Dead Rising, Burnout games, Prince of persia: Sands of time and Shadow of the Colossus...and a ton more, the list is endless.

Nintendo 64: Goldeneye. If you haven't played that you don't deserve to live

Don't forget, he's also missed on PlayStation, N64, GameCube and PlayStation 2 on top of the Dreamcast :)
So, no Metal Gear Solid, no FFVII, no Silent Hill, no Xenogears, no Mario 64, no Ocarina of Time, no Ico, no Resident Evil 4, noShadow of the Colossus, nothing! And No DS!

I'd say ask specific genres and see what people recommend. If a game is something shallow, like for example a racer, you're good to go with just the latest stuff I suppose, you don't have to dig out obscure classics. If the games involve great storylines and innovative or unique gameplay mechanics then you should probably experience some of the old stuff before you move on to the newer ones which are usually lesser in all aspects but the visuals. Usually.

But more than that, what are you interested in? You've said you've followed things somewhat, what would you rather get into? PC gaming or console gaming? If you say both I find PC/Wii a great combo, but you may also just get a 360/Wii and achieve a similar balance (skip PC then). If you can also afford a portable, the DS is the way to go.

How are you now financially? It's different to simply ask for catch up than ask for the best choice for you. If you're well off and can afford multiple systems, home and portables alike, or if you're also willing to buy older systems as well as newer, then the suggestions will be very different than if you can only have one new system max.

Ah it's so tough...

For pure variety and value get a PS2, that will give you backwards compatability for PS1 and a huge library of games of all types to choose from. There is a reason those things are still selling well two  years after its succesor hit the market.

    Thanks for all the responses so far. Although I know we have barely scratched the surface it's certainly given me a good starting point! Please forgive me if this post becomes a little long.

@ Icemael,  Lind_L_Taylor, Shadow: Fortunately, my rock had Internet access and since I've always had a passion for gaming I've been able to keep up somewhat in the literary sense. But to say that I've had time to follow more recent generations as I did when I owned a Gamboy, Master System, SNES and Saturn, I can't.

@ Captain_Fookup: No doubt those games are worth a look. I see that you're a fan of shooters, but can I ask  why you listed Viva Pinata as well? Seems an interesting deviation from the rest of the pack.

@ Al3xand3r : Ah, Shenmue! I would buy a Dreamcast tomorrow just to play those games. There are so many on that list that I would love to get, especially as they're from the time when I started to wane from the gaming inner sanctum (Though one might argue I was never there since I owned a Saturn.... "Someone with taste" sounds much better!)
    I do not own that Saturn anymore but I had some of the games you mentioned, such as Virtual On, Megamix and I had friends who had games like Daytona (Ever ingraining 'Rolling Start' in my mind). I'd love to get a replacement Saturn eventually. Was the Dreamcast not backwards-compatible?
    When you talk about a game that has not aged well, are you talking about visually or in the gameplay? I will play anything really. I suffered through 'The Last Ninja', and controls don't come more ghastly then that.
    As for my situation, it's still not great but I hope to be upgrading PC soon. Nothing fancy, but hopefully able to manage the Valve catalogue and CoD4 as Captain_Fookup suggested. And aside from that, I figure that finding a cheap PS2 and/or Dreamcast would be a good compliment until can afford a current-gen system setup and I probably should wait until I can get a TV that does HD shenanigans etc.
    Not too big on portable games (need new glasses as it is), but basically any platform goes as long as I can find it cheap enough. I'd love to have a collect of of older systems tucked away.
    Best not to get get caught up in the details right now though ;-) . I'd really love just to hear everyone's opinions on both personal and generally acclaimed games.

@ ishotmrburns: I played the Sims for a while a long time ago, and I think I have the disc (No serial number for unlocking though). Can I ask what makes GTA 3 the stand out in the series for you? I ask as it's the one I know least about.

@ Jensonb, lamegame621: You'll be relieved to know I had the privilidge of playing the first two Half Life games, but plenty of time after their initial release so perhaps I missed the experience that so many relate when talking about them. Not to say I didn't enjoy them though.

@ JacobBroderson, Metasin : The PS2 does sound like a good deal, and I think I've seen them flying around the internet for dirt cheap. I will see what I can dig out.

@ Black_Rose: Okami is a title that I have heard a lot about (Not just because of IGN watermarks) and the Metroid Prime series. 'No More Heroes' I have no clue about, but Dead Rising and Burnout look like bargins. The last Zelda I played was 'Link's Awakening' so a vast dungeon grind seems a bit intimidating, but perhaps it's the influence of so much time gone by.

@ Commando : My friend had it, so apparently I can live to see another day!

Sorry if this post became a touch derailed and garbled, but since the two previous attempts to post this has resulted in losing all I wrote, I was in a rush to post it once and for all!

Scud the Disposable Assassin LIKE A MUTHAFUCKA!!!

The DC is more like a classic system to keep. It died early so didn't get a massive library of titles like Sony's machine. It also wasn't backwards compatible sadly. So I think you're better off getting a PS2 for now since you say you won't get a current gen system to start with, and you'll upgrade your PC for more modern gaming. The PS2 does play PS1 games also so you can get some of those classics like Grandia, Xenogears, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Vagrant Story, Metal Gear Solid, and others I mentioned, while it has a vast library of good games of its own as it really dominated that generation. Personally I didn't have a PS2, I got my first PC around the same time as the DC so when that died I wasn't compelled enough to buy the console that killed it, but in later years it got some Sega love also in the form of a Rez port, Virtua Fighter 4, and other worthy titles. Not all though, I don't think Skies of Arcadia was put on the PS2 after the DC, only the GameCube.

On the other hand, if you upgrade to a powerful PC, maybe you can get by with the emulation of older systems like the original PlayStation making that compatibility plus void. Perhaps that will be enough even up to the PlayStation 2 (I don't know how good emulators are for that, but for PS1 they're near perfect) if you pair it with a decent controller for the PC, letting you raise money for a current gen system faster. Always in legal ways of course, only if you actually buy the games you emulate :)

Kane and Lynch

we wouldn't be here talking about this if it wasn't for that game

I actually envy you.  You have a ton of great games to experience for the first time.  I would look through a site like metacritics and play the top rated games in the order they were released.

Have you played any Resident Evil games? They're unmatched and develop an amazing story over the whole series.

"Nintendo 64: Goldeneye. If you haven't played that you don't deserve to live"

Shit, there's actually somebody out there that owns a Sega Saturn aside from me.

For getting back and starting off in the gaming world, I agree with most of the posters here. Get a PS2. It's compatible with the games on the previous console so there's a huge library at your expense, most of which are dirt cheap at this point (including the console itself). There's tons of great titles on the PS2 so it'll get you started. If you want to move onto the next-gen gaming it'll depend on what you want to experience as all three systems have their differences, it does boil down to the games but secondary functions and the price tags do count.

Probably Halo 2 because of it's online multi-player.

"Scud the Disposable Assassin LIKE A MUTHAFUCKA!!!

"Kane and Lynchwe wouldn't be here talking about this if it wasn't for that game"

"Have you played any Resident Evil games? They're unmatched and develop an amazing story over the whole series."

"Shit, there's actually somebody out there that owns a Sega Saturn aside from me.For getting back and starting off in the gaming world, I agree with most of the posters here. Get a PS2. It's compatible with the games on the previous console so there's a huge library at your expense, most of which are dirt cheap at this point (including the console itself). There's tons of great titles on the PS2 so it'll get you started. If you want to move onto the next-gen gaming it'll depend on what you want to experience as all three systems have their differences, it does boil down to the games but secondary functions and the price tags do count."

"Probably Halo 2 because of it's online multi-player."

"I could probably list hundreds of games I consider important, but I'll limit it to what I consider the top 5 most important releases of the last decade or so:

• Grand Theft Auto III
  

• Half-Life
• Ocarina of Time
• The Sims
• Super Mario 64

"

"... and I thought to myself, "Well, the Saturn was not released too long ago. Was it?". Well after a glance over the wiki page and reminiscing about games I enjoyed like Virtua Fighter 2, Sega Rally, and Steep Slope Sliders, I realize that this is all about 15 years ago.     Needless to say I've missed out on many monumental titles, but I was curious to ask about opinions on what you consider to be the most important releases of the past decade or so, and what game stands out to you on a personal level."

what did you do for all these years?

Hmm... that depends how much you enjoyed that first game. If you really liked it then I would say 'yeah, defo get the others'. But, if you weren't particularly awed by it then you probs could give them a miss and it wouldn't be that big a deal. In all honesty the original Resi is the only one I haven't played, but they remastered it on the Gamecube, and boy, was that a scary ass game.

"what did you do for all these years?"

"Hmm... that depends how much you enjoyed that first game. If you really liked it then I would say 'yeah, defo get the others'. But, if you weren't particularly awed by it then you probs could give them a miss and it wouldn't be that big a deal. In all honesty the original Resi is the only one I haven't played, but they remastered it on the Gamecube, and boy, was that a scary ass game. "

Metal Gear?

"....how in the frozen over hell did you find this website then?"

Wait until the next gen... it will be better. Wii HD anyone?

"jakob187 said:

It looks like a PS2 is in order initially from all the responses. Out of curiousity, how is the backwards-compatiblity of the PS3? I hear that it is not so hot though.

"Metal Gear?"

"Wait until the next gen... it will be better. Wii HD anyone?"

"GameON said:

"jakob187 said:

It looks like a PS2 is in order initially from all the responses. Out of curiousity, how is the backwards-compatiblity of the PS3? I hear that it is not so hot though.

I'm not very clear on that myself, but I think a few versions have it and some do not. If I recall correctly the cheaper version generally do not have backwards-compatibility.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS3#Retail_configurationsNevermind, the newer versions do not have them so it seems. The older ones that do have it aren't in production anymore.I really wished Sony didn't fiddle around so much with the PS3 by having 6 different versions of them..."

"LiquidPrince said:

"Metal Gear?"

Pre-Solid?

Dude, I've played a lot of consoles and you can't go wrong with the PS2. I mean... I'm a big nintendo fan, but damn. PS2 had a lot of games and a lot of genres. I also think it can scale well with modern tvs, but not sure... maybe 720p at least. Yeah... go with that.

If you have an HDTV, go straight to a PS3 and don't look back. There are enough multi platform games to suit your leisure and some exclusives. I don't have an HDTV, so I'm with the Wii and Xbox 360, but I would buy a PS3 only because it would suit my needs... even before an HDTV. Games come first, but if you can... make the console work for you.

It seems like everyone has already said what I think but, I would definetly go for a PS2. There are just SO many games you can get, and alot for cheap, $5-$10. You can play the entire PS1 collection. Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry, RPGs, Adventure games, Any Fighting game, the list is endless. For the price or less, than a PS3/360 game you can buy a PS2!

Also look into a Dreamcast. I never had one until last year when I picked one up on ebay for $20. (psst if your decent with computers...you can dl and burn the entire Dreamcast Library to CDs!)

Hell, even the original xbox is selling for $50 at gamestop. I might pick one up just for those non 360 compatable games.

I'm sorry to hear that... what made you decide to buy a Saturn anyways? Perhaps you didn't hear that Nintendo IS what Genesisn't?

dude, get a slim ps2, they're like 100 bucks new, and most of the greatest games of the last decade are on it, and they sell for like 19 bucks a pop. Get Grand Theft Auto Vice City, Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus, Final Fantasy X, God of War, God of War 2,Gran Turismo 3, Katamari. I think that AFTER those, if you're still interested, then it might be worth the investment to go "next gen"/current gen.
If you have to narrow that down, then start with  MGS3:subsistence, and Shadow of the Colossus.

...what's with the fonts?!? crazy

"@ Food : Sorry, I missed your response there. I am going through gamerrankings too. Thanks for the suggestion.

@ DevilishSix: I think I need to start writing all these down somewhere. Cheers!

TwoOneFive said:

"what did you do for all these years?"

Amongst other things, get married, have kids, leave the country ... You know, the usual.

Retrogimp said:

"Hmm... that depends how much you enjoyed that first game. If you really liked it then I would say 'yeah, defo get the others'. But, if you weren't particularly awed by it then you probs could give them a miss and it wouldn't be that big a deal. In all honesty the original Resi is the only one I haven't played, but they remastered it on the Gamecube, and boy, was that a scary ass game. "

  I never really got too deep into it actually. To be honest I am a bit of a coward, but it seems to me that the RE series has become less about the atmosphere and exploration and more about action etc."

"Both?"

"Dude, I've played a lot of consoles and you can't go wrong with the PS2. I mean... I'm a big nintendo fan, but damn. PS2 had a lot of games and a lot of genres. I also think it can scale well with modern tvs, but not sure... maybe 720p at least. Yeah... go with that. If you have an HDTV, go straight to a PS3 and don't look back. There are enough multi platform games to suit your leisure and some exclusives. I don't have an HDTV, so I'm with the Wii and Xbox 360, but I would buy a PS3 only because it would suit my needs... even before an HDTV. Games come first, but if you can... make the console work for you."

"It seems like everyone has already said what I think but, I would definetly go for a PS2. There are just SO many games you can get, and alot for cheap, $5-$10. You can play the entire PS1 collection. Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry, RPGs, Adventure games, Any Fighting game, the list is endless. For the price or less, than a PS3/360 game you can buy a PS2! Also look into a Dreamcast. I never had one until last year when I picked one up on ebay for $20. (psst if your decent with computers...you can dl and burn the entire Dreamcast Library to CDs!)Hell, even the original xbox is selling for $50 at gamestop. I might pick one up just for those non 360 compatable games."

"I'm sorry to hear that... what made you decide to buy a Saturn anyways? Perhaps you didn't hear that Nintendo IS what Genesisn't?"

"dude, get a slim ps2, they're like 100 bucks new, and most of the greatest games of the last decade are on it, and they sell for like 19 bucks a pop. Get Grand Theft Auto Vice City, Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus, Final Fantasy X, God of War, God of War 2,Gran Turismo 3, Katamari. I think that AFTER those, if you're still interested, then it might be worth the investment to go "next gen"/current gen.
If you have to narrow that down, then start with  MGS3:subsistence, and Shadow of the Colossus.

...what's with the fonts?!? crazy"

Buy a 360 and a PS2 (or PS3 w/ backwards compatability) and you'll have tons of great games to choose from.