Topic: Sony Receives Award for Pioneering 3D Gaming

[Renny]

I didn't keep up with last generation, so correct me if I'm wrong because that's a distinct possibility. But didn't the PlayStation lack 2D acceleration? I thought it was 'intended' for 3D only, and 2D games had to be rendered in 3D. If this is the case, why were so many games 2D? TIA for any clarification.

[KDR_11k]

If this is the case, why were so many games 2D?

Why not? If the game concept works better in 2d the choice between polygons and sprites remains. Considering that polygons were rather limited, especially back then, you may be able to make a better looking game with sprites.

[Ian Sane]

Technically Sony was the first company to release a polygon focused console.  Though TECHNICALLY the Saturn had 3D capabilities too even if they were shoehorned into a 2D console at the last minute.  I don't remember though if the Saturn beat the Playstation to the market in Japan as well as North America so Playstation might still be the first.

But if you're going to go with technicalities then Atari should get the award for I, Robot or if not that Hard Drivin'.  Sega's Virtua Racing and Nintendo's Star Fox also predate the Playstation.  If you're going to award something on a technicality then at least be factually correct about it.

Nintendo is the real pioneer of 3D gaming because before Super Mario 64 polygons were largely seen as a sparkling innovation but afterwards they were considered absolutely essential.  Before Super Mario 64 polygon games were obscure oddballs that came out once in a while and had tons of novelty appeal.  The Playstation may have been the first console to focus on it but most of the early Playstation games SUCKED.  Most of the time the games played very much like a sprite game but with polygons.  There were some gems like Jumping Flash but s adlyno one paid attention to them so they have no major influence.  Super Mario 64 was different, original, and it was a HUGE success and its influence is still felt today.  You play any sort of full 3D game today and you can't help but see comparisons to Mario 64.  There was a time shortly after Mario 64's release where people would refer to totally unrelated games as Mario 64 clones just because they were in full 3D.

The only reason Sony is getting this award is because they're the market leader so they get way more credit than they deserve.  If Nintendo was still the market leader this award would go to them, even if they didn't deserve it.  Hell Microsoft would probably win this award if they were the market leader despite not entering the market until a whole 3D generation had gone by.  Regardless of how popular gaming becomes in the mainstream the general public will always remain incredibly ignorant of it.

[Renny]

I don't have a problem with 2D games. SCEA seems to though, from what I've read. So the answer is that the PS had fugly 3D and that was enough to deter developers from using it. Then the N64 showed how it's done 'right,' and that encouraged those in the Sony camp to catch up. Is that the gist of it? Hope my Sony-hating mood today isn't distorting my perspective on this.

[The Omen]

Quote
Isn't it obvious, this is America...A.K.A. Bush world, where evolution doesn't happen, science is heresy and intelligence is synonomous with weakness.

O/T: You're an idiot.

[wandering]

O/T: Yeah, well, you're an idiot......TIMES INFINITY. Plus one.  
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Aw, I kid, I kid. C'mon everyone, group hug!

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

"sparkling innovation"

BLOL

[Zach]

wow, that is such BS, its like they just attempted to erase the N64 from history.  I wonder if any of the judges have ever actually PLAYED a video game?

[nemo_83]

Ah, a sigh of relief.  Decisions like this remind me that I am not insane, I am not depressed; the world really is upside down.  Nintendo wrote the ten commandments of 3d game design in granite.  Sega did more for 3d gaming than Sony.  

The people in the big media are going to flip when the Revolution spanks the PS3 like the DS has the PSP.  

[wandering]

Quote
Ah, a sigh of relief. Decisions like this remind me that I am not insane, I am not depressed; the world really is upside down.

Yes you are, and no it isn't. Doubting a major corporation like Sony might not just be a sign of misguided thinking....it could be an actual diagnosable mental illness! Dysmercuriusiutus is a major medical condition, defined as an unreasonable fear of monopolies, doubting a claims made in advertisements, paranoid thoughts regarding major corporations stealing ideas from other companies, and a lack of respect for people who make more money than you. But relief is now here, in the form of Expuratese (tm), a medicine brought to you by Global Medicines(tm), a Pfizer(R) Sony(R) Yum! Brands(R) Microsoft(R) Phillip Morris(R) AOL Time Warner (tm) joint venture. This medicine, in conjunction with therapy, will help stamp out irrational thoughts by tracking them down and destroying them at their source: namely, your frontal lobes.  

 

[nickmitch]

Quote
Originally posted by: nemo_83
Ah, a sigh of relief. The people in the big media are going to flip when the Revolution spanks the PS3 like the DS has the PSP.

Since it rhymed it must be true!

[nemo_83]

The nail that stands up gets hammered down.

[WesDawg]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Nintendo is the real pioneer of 3D gaming because before Super Mario 64 polygons were largely seen as a sparkling innovation but afterwards they were considered absolutely essential.  Before Super Mario 64 polygon games were obscure oddballs that came out once in a while and had tons of novelty appeal.  The Playstation may have been the first console to focus on it but most of the early Playstation games SUCKED.  Most of the time the games played very much like a sprite game but with polygons.  There were some gems like Jumping Flash but s adlyno one paid attention to them so they have no major influence.  Super Mario 64 was different, original, and it was a HUGE success and its influence is still felt today.  You play any sort of full 3D game today and you can't help but see comparisons to Mario 64.  There was a time shortly after Mario 64's release where people would refer to totally unrelated games as Mario 64 clones just because they were in full 3D.

Novelty on consoles of course. Games like Wolfenstein and maybe even DOOM had been out for awhile, and made 3D FPS's at least, normal affairs to see on PC's. They were really shocking to play too. I think I had assumed that something like them was impossible until I first played Wolfenstein. Even after that though, I assumed that Mario64 would also play like ass. It wasn't until I got my hands on it and actually played that I realized it was actually possible to make games like Super Mario Brothers in 3D. Nitendo shattered my conceptions of 3D gaming with that one.

Honestly, I don't remember anyone even caring about the PS1 (seems like every electronics company tried to put out a console in that 6 month span there) until FF7 came out, and then it wasn't for the console's 3D abilities. It was for its ability to spit out movie's for cutscenes. In fact, I always thought the console was made for 2D, and 3D was shoved out of it eventually when they realized they had to compete with the N64.

[darknight06]

PS1 was made for 3D and 3D only IMO. Unlike the Saturn it had all the basic hardware features for it but you just didn't really see it come into play until much later.  However on the 2D side the system was absolute crap.  Yeah it got a little better over time, but you still had missing frames and now muffled sounds to try to squeeze everything they could get out of it.  And everybody knows that it sure as heck didn't compete with Saturn on that front.