The gaming industry continues to thrive in the 21st Century as next generation consoles have taken on the baton to provide gamers with the best quality titles possible. Continual advancements in technological capabilities have created wonderful games packed with high definition graphics and innovative gameplay features that immerse gamers into the action. The latest series of games for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have further reduced the parameters between reality and the virtual world, with cinematography and animation capturing systems creating realistic physical movements that have taken console gaming to a new level.
Games do not necessarily have to contain high definition graphics to create a cult following, with many retro titles continuing to provide endless hours of entertainment and fun that cannot be matched. Game producers continue to meet consumer demand by creating titles across a number of genres to ensure there is something for everyone on the market. From platform and racing games to sports and shooters, console games have the power to set trends across the gaming community and create a long-lasting legacy that provide the foundations for future titles.
Platform games
Certain genres require an element of skill and concentration in order to overcome every obstacle and level as you progress through a game and its engrossing storyline. Although jumping on different platforms in a standard or scrolling screen game may seem easy, platform games provide a test for gamers to pick the best route and avoid every potential threat. Super Mario Bros quickly became the archetypal game for subsequent platform titles to follow; selling 40 million copies illustrates the considerable worldwide appeal that a game released in 1985 on the Nintendo had, with Mario memorabilia remaining popular purchases across its loyal fanbase. Donkey Kong was arguably the game that promoted Ninteno’s name within the video game industry as the first true platform title, but the genre has developed over the years in conjunction with the latest console technology and graphic setups. Sonic the Hedgehog remains a classic 2D platform game, while titles such as Crash Bandicoot integrated 3D graphics into the genre to produce visually stunning console games.
Online games
The integration of online multiplayer on console games took gaming to a whole new level, with gamers able to play alongside or against each other. Online gaming also allowed for users to form game parties with their friends to further enhance the gaming experience. Playing online ultimately depends on the quality of latency between each gamer, but they brought many console games to prominence. Halo 3 remains one of the most popular online games in video game history, with millions of players taking to the battlefields ever since its release in x. While the Halo series continues to grow in strength, Halo 3 will always be the pinnacle instalment due to the overwhelming impact its online mode had – one which wonderfully supplemented an enthralling single player campaign mode.
Gambling
Although the gaming community are blessed to have such an array of title to choose from across numerous genres, gambling has never really taken off across any console. There have only been a few stand-alone poker titles in the history of video games, with the World Series of Poker: Full House Pro being the most recent game for the Xbox 360. Being free to download for Xbox Gold members may illustrate the lack of belief that game developers have in the gambling genre, although the game itself has won numerous fans from those who enjoy playing poker with their friends or against other people. Gambling is arguably more effective as a mini-game to provide more context and gameplay away from the main storyline, with Red Dead Redemption and Fallout: New Vegas the most popular titles to feature casino games such as slots, blackjack, roulette and poker. Consoles may never be able to replicate the considerable draw generated by online casinos, with bingo.com illustrating the different type of sites available across the internet that provide gamblers with endless hours of fun and entertainment, plus the opportunity to win big prizes.
Shooters
Being at the heart of battle, whether it is in war trenches or fighting in the famous streets of London and Paris, has always been the main draw for lovers of shooters. Ever-increasing advancements in game physics and graphics have created realistic gun actions and ballistics to provide gamers with a true feeling of how it feels to shoot a gun; environmental backgrounds, sounds and the overall landscape of battle have also been developed to be wonderfully accurate and realistic. The Call of Duty and Battlefield games series continue to battle for market dominance, with the gaming community divided between which titles they prefer. Both have led the shooting genre into the 21st Century, with next generation consoles further increasing the gaming experience that makes the genre so popular.
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