VIDEO GAMES
From Pong to current super consoles, video games have been a means of interactive entertainment since the mid-70's. And the amount of people playing is higher than ever. This is confirmed by the fact that the video game industry is now a multi-billion dollar a year business, generating higher revenue than even the movie industry. More importantly, however, is the fact that the games are improving dramatically in their graphics, sound and gameplay on a daily basis.
Even more important than software is of course the hardware. The console is the base for any video game. There are currently 3 video game systems on the market. Sony Playstation (PSX), released in 1995, was the first of the current generation consoles and uses CD-ROMs. Nintendo 64 (N64), released in 1996, began to display truly 3D games and uses Nintendo favoured plastic cartridges. Sega Dreamcast (DC), released September 9th, 1999, is a huge improvement in graphics and sound, and uses GD-ROMs, which store up to 1 gigabyte of data. Due out in the fall of 2000 are the Playstation 2 and Nintendo Dolphin, which will use DVDs and will have modem networks for web browsing and online gaming.
The Christmas season is when the big three companies release their best games, in order to generate amazing profits. However, gamers benefit too, and this year is no exception. The following are each systems cream of the crop. For Playstation, there's Final Fantasy VIII, Dino Crisis, Gran Turismo 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. For Nintendo 64, there's Jet Force Gemini and Donkey Kong 64. The long-awaited Perfect Dark was recently delayed from December to April 2000. For Dreamcast, there's Sonic Adventure, NFL 2K, Soul Calibur and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing.
This is truly the golden age of video gaming. As an avid gamer myself, this is very exciting to me. It's been a long time since their was such a strong lineup of games for the holiday season. There is both variety and quality. As we enter the new millenium, I am confident that things will only get better.
by Jason
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Created & last updated November 22, 1999 by Jason