This Pin was discovered by Clayton E. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest.
Engadget is now part of the Oath family. We (Oath) and our partners need your consent to access your device, set cookies, and use your data, including your location, to understand your interests, provide relevant ads and measure their effectiveness. Oath will also provide relevant ads to you on our partners' products. Learn More
How Oath and our partners bring you better ad experiences
To give you a better overall experience, we want to provide relevant ads that are more useful to you. For example, when you search for a film, we use your search information and location to show the most relevant cinemas near you. We also use this information to show you ads for similar films you may like in the future. Like Oath, our partners may also show you ads that they think match your interests.
Nfl Blitz 2
Learn more about how Oath collects and uses data and how our partners collect and use data.
Select 'OK' to allow Oath and our partners to use your data, or 'Manage options' to review our partners and your choices. Tip: Sign In to save these choices and avoid repeating this across devices. You can always update your preferences in the Privacy Centre.
Every time there's a new generation of consoles, there's a certain amount of skepticism as to whether game graphics can get any better or if the console is worth the upgrade. It's a pretty subjective measure and nostalgia can muddy up the waters a bit - who doesn't remember the first console they really wanted for Christmas? - but graphics do improve with every generation. Developers become more adept with each console and begin to learn the tricks and shortcuts to make amazing things happen.
This series, Next Gen Graphics, is about the jumps each generation makes when it comes to graphics. We'll look at the early games of each major console for each generation and contrast them with similar games on that console when the next generation launched.
We're finishing this part of the series with the seventh generation of home consoles, which includes the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, and the Sony PlayStation 3. Being that this is USgamer, we'll also be focusing on the North American lineups and release dates. Click on images to enlarge, where applicable.
Generation 7
Nintendo Wii
The dark horse winner of this console generation is Nintendo's scrappy Wii. The Wii was technically weaker than its competition, but motion-controlled gaming via the Wii remote struck a chord with masses when the system launched on November 19, 2006. Even with 21 launch titles, the system's only big Nintendo staple at launch was the GameCube port The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. With Wii Sports as a pack-in, most consumers didn't care. Nintendo finally decided to move on six years later, releasing the Wii U on November 18, 2012.
Launch Titles:
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Call of Duty 3
- Cars
- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
- Excite Truck
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
- GT Pro Series
- Happy Feet
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Madden NFL 07
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
- Monster 4x4: World Circuit
- Need for Speed: Carbon
- Rampage: Total Destruction
- Rayman Raving Rabbids
- Red Steel
- SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
- Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
- Trauma Center: Second Opinion
- Wii Sports
Wii Cross-Generation
Here are just a few titles that were released on the Wii and the Wii U when the latter system launched in 2012.
Microsoft Xbox 360
If the first Xbox got Microsoft's foot in the door, the Xbox 360 showed they were serious about being the leader when it came to video gaming. The 360 was the first generation seven system, launching on November 22, 2005, almost a year before the Wii or PS3. It launched with 18 titles, many of them being third-party games, an area in which the original Xbox was lacking. The Xbox 360's successor was released today (November 22, 2013), giving the 360 a lengthy eight year lifespan.
Launch Titles:
- Amped 3
- Call of Duty 2
- Condemned: Criminal Origins
- FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup
- GUN
- Kameo: Elements of Power
- Madden NFL 06
- NBA 2K6
- NBA Live 06
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- NHL 2K6
- Perfect Dark Zero
- Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
- Project Gotham Racing 3
- Quake 4
- Ridge Racer 6
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
- Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Xbox 360 Cross-Generation
Here are a couple of titles that are just coming out on the Xbox 360, in addition to launching on the Xbox One.
Sony PlayStation 3
Nfl Blitz Free Download
Coming off the absolute dominance that was the PlayStation 2, Sony got a bit arrogant and the PlayStation 3's launch suffered as a result. The system had only 14 launch titles with no real stand-out and $599 was too expensive for many consumers. Sony learned from its mistakes and caught up to Microsoft this generation, but it remains to be seen how the PS3's performance will carry over into the next-generation. The PlayStation 4 was released last week on November 15, 2013, bringing the PS3's time as Son'y primary console to a total of seven years.
Launch Titles:
- Call of Duty 3
- Genji: Days of the Blade
- Madden NFL 07
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
- Need for Speed: Carbon
- NBA 07
- NBA 2K7
- NHL 2K7
- Resistance: Fall of Man
- Ridge Racer 7
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
- Tony Hawk's Project 8
- Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
PlayStation 3 Cross-Generation
Here are few games that have released on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in 2013.
And with that, we've finished this first round of Next Gen Graphics! Following features will look at the graphical evolution of certain series or genres, like Final Fantasy or football games. If there's something you want to see, let us know!
Images sourced from IGN, GameFAQS, TeamXbox, WiiUDaily, Videogamer, Engadget, and GameSpot. Apologies for any sourced image that I did not credit.