What is the moment in this gen where you actually felt next gen?

Inspired by Greg's email in last weeks Bombast.

For me, it was Vanquish. Every minute of that game, I was like:

It truly feels like a game from the future.

Playing MotorStorm in a kiosk at Gamestop somewhere in Daytona Beach. I felt like I was in the future. The graphics were NUTS.

Dead Rising. Walking out into the mall and actually having to stop in shock at the amount of zombies on screen was fucking mindblowing to me. That game singlehandedly sold me a 360.

I guess the first time I played a game on the 360, which was Call of Duty 3. I'm easily impressed.

Watching Lost Planet on an HD TV, it was the first time I really saw a next gen game running in HD. It looked really good at the time.

Replacing my PC and a 17" 4:3 monitor with a 32" LCD TV and seeing the intro to Motorstorm the day I got my PS3 was pretty awesome.

Mass Effect I suppose. It was the first game this generation where I really felt I was playing something brand new. Which is funny cause I played one of the Star Wars ones for X-Box. (for 2 seconds)

I don't know. Super Mario Galaxy, maybe? I remember thinking that was awesome.

Being able to download and play a demo of a game.

Or, after I finished the demo, buying it from a "buy now" prompt within the game and continue where I left...

Crackdown or Saint's Row 1.

Another vote for Dead Rising. Sure the graphics might not have been great, but the fact that there were that many zombies on screen was insane and completely impossible on a previous system.

I guess the moment that impressed me the most and therefore felt the most up-to-date or futuristic at the time is the first time I booted Dead Space on the same day I got a HDTV. It's such a focused experience and it looks, sounds and play great. I was terrified but it felt like gaming had taken a step forward, at least in the assurance of the knowledge of its medium.

Playing Gears of War as the first game I got for my 360 and just seeing how awesome the graphics were back then.

Crackdown, being able to jump over a building carrying a car and then throwing the car at somebody before I land, I couldn't believe I was doing that kind of stuff.

@N7 said:

Playing MotorStorm in a kiosk at Gamestop somewhere in Daytona Beach. I felt like I was in the future. The graphics were NUTS.

That was my next pick. There was a moment in that game that I'll never forget: It was one of those races where it's you on a dirt bike vs. like 15 big rigs. I was riding through this valley when all of a sudden this big rig comes crashing down behind me, Terminator 2 style. I was watching it approach me when, just as it was about to run me over, it snagged a rock and fucking exploded.

Also, that bridge collapsing in Apocalypse. Say what you will about that series, but there's no other games out there that provide moments like these.

Perfect Dark Zero, especially before I had even got my hands on the 360 (unfortunately). Maybe you define next gen differently or think of it differently than me though if your game is Vanquish.

The first time I loaded up the Xbox360 dashboard and looked at all the "blades" was a truly next-gen experience. Or better yet, when I switched over to PC and had my first Steam Christmas sale. Before Steam I was terrified of buying games digitally, now I can't imagine keeping up with all the discs for the games I own.

Probably Uncharted 2 maybe? thats when i was truly blown away by a game. Im thinking about like the early 360 and PS3 games. None of the 360 ones blew me away (i only had it on launch, it rrod on me so i got rid). Heavenly sword was quite cool, especially that last boss. Motorstorm, the first one on PS3, that was a DAMN good looking game as well.

Coming right off of KOTOR and buying a 360 to play Mass Effect. Just the title screen for that game made me feel very "next-gen".

@N7 said:

Playing MotorStorm in a kiosk at Gamestop somewhere in Daytona Beach. I felt like I was in the future. The graphics were NUTS.

That was my next pick. There was a moment in that game that I'll never forget: It was one of those races where it's you on a dirt bike vs. like 15 big rigs. I was riding through this valley when all of a sudden this big rig comes crashing down behind me, Terminator 2 style. I was watching it approach me when, just as it was about to run me over, it snagged a rock and fucking exploded.

Also, that bridge collapsing in Apocalypse. Say what you will about that series, but there's no other games out there that provide moments like these.

Playing Perfect Dark Zero for the first time, so I felt it instantly.

Kameo was the next game to floor me.

I don't understand the Rare hate. Maybe since the Kinect stuff, but damn, they have made some amazing 360 games.

I'm still waiting for a truly "next-gen" moment, but RIFT's version of the gambryo engine with everything maxxed is as close as it feels.

Mass Effect 1.
 
All of it.

Dead Rising was my first wow moment, followed by Kameo - then Gears cemented my feelings that the "next generation" had arrived.

...and oddly enough, upon completing Gears of War 3 I hit with the feeling that I'm now ready for the next generation.

@SuperSambo said:

I don't understand the Rare hate. Maybe since the Kinect stuff, but damn, they have made some amazing 360 games.

I think Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise is the best game they ever made personally - and BK:N&B and Kameo are up there too imo.

It was definitely playing Gears of War for the first time, a lot of the titles released before that point had felt like HD Xbox games. Gears of War really signaled the new gen's arrival for me. If I could point to one moment it would probably be when you're outside the imulsion plant in the rain at the start of the third act, it looked absolutely amazing at the time.

When i played Metro 2033, i was like "So this is the new generation of gaming? HOW COULD I LIVE WITHOUT IT!?". Maybe it was something about the atmosphere of the game, i dunno. The animations of Bayonetta were awesome, too. 
 
Also, this may be weird, but Wii Bowling also had a "WOW" factor the first time you play it.

@N7 said:

Playing MotorStorm in a kiosk at Gamestop somewhere in Daytona Beach. I felt like I was in the future. The graphics were NUTS.

Good call. MotorStorm blew me away the first time I played it in a GameStop.

I'd probably add Condemned Criminal Origins to that list from launch as well.

I can't recall the date but it was the first time I managed to learn about, buy and play a game, in the space of 15 minutes, all while sitting at my desk. Digital Distribution, in other words, was the first thing that made think "I am in the future, aren't I?"

I thought Perfect Dark Zero looked pretty damn good on launch day but it was Gears of War that really showed that you could to some goddamn good-looking games on 360.

Playing Gears of War , LBP , or Mass Effect .. Im sure a few others , too.

@MEATBALL said:

...outside the imulsion plant in the rain at the start of the third act

Yeah yeah yeah. I remember that well too.

A lot of people seem to be responding to the phantom question "What game from this gen made you realise you were playing this gen?" I must be missing something.

Anyway, The Witcher II, I guess. I know it's a PC game, and therefore isn't exactly bound by generations, but I have never seen a game, let alone anything, so visually appealing before.

The first time I saw the outdoors of Oblivion. That sold me on a 360 right away. I'm absolutely drooling over what Bethesda will do with next-gen systems.

The first time was when I played Halo 3 for the first time.

@hermes said:

Being able to download and play a demo of a game.

Or, after I finished the demo, buying it from a "buy now" prompt within the game and continue where I left...

Oh, also this. Kinda blew my mind to be able to do that on a console.

I would say it was when Dead Rising came out, and you had a mall where almost anything you see can be used as a weapon, and the sheer amount of zombies they had on screen at once. It felt really next-gen in terms of basic design and also from a technical standpoint. It also had many gamebreaking issues, but at the time we all just wanted something to justify the cost of an Xbox.

When I first got my PS3 I also got my first big flat screen TV to go with it. Up to that point in my life all I ever had was crappy 19 inch CRT monitors/TV's. So when I hooked it up and started playing at 1080i on a huge 30-40 something inch screen it made me sit back and just go wow; the game was the first Resistance. Of course now the TV feels tiny the few times I use it, and my 23 inch monitor feels just right sitting in front of it.

No game comes to mind as far as gameplay that made me feel like it's now the next jump forward in games or anything like that.

Playing Call of Duty 2 at an Xbox station at a Target when I lived in the States. Dem textures.

@N7 said:

@EVO said:

@N7 said:

Playing MotorStorm in a kiosk at Gamestop somewhere in Daytona Beach. I felt like I was in the future. The graphics were NUTS.

That was my next pick. There was a moment in that game that I'll never forget: It was one of those races where it's you on a dirt bike vs. like 15 big rigs. I was riding through this valley when all of a sudden this big rig comes crashing down behind me, Terminator 2 style. I was watching it approach me when, just as it was about to run me over, it snagged a rock and fucking exploded.

Also, that bridge collapsing in Apocalypse. Say what you will about that series, but there's no other games out there that provide moments like these.

Indeed! I bought all of the DLC for the first one and still have it, actually. Shame Evolution Studios fell on hard times, but I hope they do a PS4 Gen MotorStorm to recapture me all over again. Day one. Swear to God.

Heh, I had forgotten about that. I saw it at some Wal-Mart kiosk and remember being blown away seeing all those things on screen, looking so amazing, and it running so smoothly. Never bought or played the game beyond that 5 min at the kiosk, I don't like racing games, but I still remember being shocked.

Probably after getting the 360 for Christmas and picking up Gears of War, Dead Rising and Condemned. Mostly Gears of War and Condemned really impressed me. Dead Rising was impossible for me to read because I still had a standard def TV, so although I was impressed I also couldn't do anything until I bought a VGA adapter.

Fallout 3. When you leave the Fault. Holy crap man, that was the best.

In all seriousness, it was when my father got a HD flat screen TV. The first game that I saw in HD was Resistance 1 for PS3 and hooooly moooly my mind was blown.

Metal Gear Solid 4 with Motorstorm and Bayonetta as honorable mentions.

i think maybe bioshock?

When I downloaded my first demo off of the internet with my not-computer. I'm easy to please.

The first time I saw the outdoors of Oblivion. That sold me on a 360 right away. I'm absolutely drooling over what Bethesda will do with next-gen systems.

I gotta say playing through Uncharted 1. I love 2 and 3 more but playing through that first game made me feel like we have arrived to a point where video games can tell any kind of story be it grand epic 40 hour RPG or a 6-8 hour action character story.

The first time I saw a 360 running in a shop it had King Kong on it I believe, the graphics blew me away.

Other than that there weren't really any moments that felt next gen, I just gently rolled into it after that.

Although the moment when the Bioshock opening cutscene ends blew my mind. The fact that I was controlling that was amazing, I let it sit there for 30 seconds thinking it was still a cutscene.

Gears of War 1. Nothing had ever looked that good.

When the Assassins Creed intro video started playing the first time I used my PS3. Even though I wasn't playing on a HD TV, the step up in visuals was astounding. Once I started playing, that feeling only got stronger. Later on, seeing Uncharted's visuals (I can be quoted as saying that Uncharted's water looked better than real water) which kicked anything I had seen before out of the water (pun intended). Playing Lair was pretty impressive too, being able to fly around the levels freely with dragons fighting everywhere and the way they handled cinematic moments, especially the one-on-one takedowns, felt incredible.

In short, my first fortnight with a PS3.

Even Lair.

Not Motorstorm. It was bad.

Gears of War I think or maybe Project Gotham Racing 3.