It's finally here. What was once talked about in hushed tones as next-next-gen all those years ago is officially unleashed upon the public, with Sony's Playstation 4, Microsoft's Xbox One and - yes I'm including it - Nintendo's Wii U all now out the wilds for purchase (unless you're in the European market and have to wait till November the 29th to get your hands on a PS4). Which system is the best is a debate for another time and will be waged pointlessly for years to come, but it's important to remember the past as we move forward into an exciting new era for gaming. This generation has, after all, been the longest in living memory. We've lived and bonded with our consoles of choice over the years, laughing, crying, shouting and embracing the massive innovations that have been thrown at us and dismissing others as corporate nonsense. We've had some terrible moments for sure, but the last few years have seen so many great things happen it's honestly pretty hard to condense them into 50 entries. But persevere I must, and in the name of gamers everywhere, I shall compile this list. You may of course throw things at me if your favourite moment doesn't make the cut (provided they're made of foam rubber) but I hope you enjoy this walk back through next-gen's memory lane.
50. Gaming In HD
Remember way back when the Xbox 360 and PS3 were first released? It was a simpler time, a time when HD TVs cost as much as Smart TVs do now, and everyone still had those ridiculously massive TVs with the huge backs that would cause you to put your back out if you tried to move them as much as an inch. Like all such things, the HD era saw a massive boom as these huge prices started to come down, and the amazing potential of the next-gen consoles was finally unlocked for so many who'd been limited by the availability of high definition television. I still remember the first time I saw a game on an HD TV. It was the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and it simply took my breath away. Admittedly it now looks like ass compared to Skyrim, but these things are only to be expected. No longer would I be forced to view everything with crappy textures. No longer would I be squinting at my TV and giving myself severe eye strain while trying to read the text on Dead Rising (seriously, impossible on a normal TV). Instead my games were in shiny HD, and there was no going back from there. I'm sure you all had this experience at some point and I hope you all remember it as fondly as I do. I can't wait to get my hands on the next-gen consoles this Christmas and see what they can do in the years to come. Roll on Ultra HD gaming!