Early Y2K Video Games

Early Y2K

Subdivisions

I will reiterate that I defined the Y2K era to be the years 1995 to 2005. I've written an article as to why I believe that is. We can decide on different years, but I feel this is appropriate. We can further subdivide this era into smaller subdivisions. I feel like declaring that 1995-1997 are the early Y2K, 1998-2001 is peak Y2K, and 2002-2005 the decline and subsequent descent into irrelevence due to the internet and Iphones. From 1995 to 1997, we started seeing an increased interest in the internet, 3D graphics, and technology in general. I distinctly recall starting in 4th grade discussing the Y2K bug. I started 4th grade in 1998. In 1999 it really ramped up along with the culture surrounding it, which crept in to the new millenium. In 2001, the 9/11 tragedy struck and changed the world forever. It was a steady decline from then on. This is obviously completely from my perspective. I still managed make some historical references to keep it grounded and not just totally subjective.

The Early Years

We are going to focus on the early years. In 1995, I was in the second half of kindergarten and entering first grade. Being so young, I was unaware of the internet. I did have a Super Nintendo at that time, having gotten one for Christmas the previous year. We where already aware of the potential for 3D graphics from Donkey Kong Country, Starfox, and Jurassic Park (specifically whenever you enter a building and into first person view), but even that couldn't prepare us for the 3D graphical revolution that would occur in the very next console generation of gaming.

Future Graphics

To be sure, there was already 3D games such as Doom and Virtua Fighter prior to 1995. But these where mainly arcade and PC games. With the arrival of the Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation, and a year later, the Nintendo 64 in North America, it brought the 3D gaming experience home and made it accessible to even more people. Which undoubtedly impressed the desire for more 3D graphics in all entertainment moving forward. Unfortunately, I wasn't exactly one of those people. Being from an immigrant family, we weren't exactly wealthy and had to make do with Super Nintendo, which was already being made outdated less than a year later. That didn't stop me from playing the newer consoles and having fun at friend's houses and participate in the 3D graphic craze myself.

Gaming the Consoles

I obviously missed out on a number of hit games during this time period. I was able to play, or even just watch, games such as Twisted Metal, Tekken, Resident Evil, Crash Bandicoot, Cool Boarders, Mortal Kombat 3, and one of my all time favorites, NFL Blitz. These are all Playstation games. It was the best selling console of that generation by far, so everyone had one. I did try Nights Into Dreams and X-Men vs Street Fighter on the Sega Saturn one time. I failed miserably at Nights Into Dreams. Although I definitely had my share of fun either playing or watching the other games I listed. The "You Died" animations in Resident Evil gave me the creeps. Hahaha!

A Shift

Each of these games, and many more I failed to mention, partook in a huge shift. The graphical shift is the most obvious. Going from 2D pixel-art on Sonic or Super Mario World to the 3D worlds of Resident Evil and Tomb Raider was mind blowing. Equally as important was a shift in tone, setting, and general vibe of these games. Games on previous console generations where generally family friendly. Even the darker games like Castlevania or Contra 3 (my favorite) where something safe you can show your mother. You cannot show Resident Evil or a Mortal Kombat fatality to your mother without her immediately being concerned. Hell, I remember I tried playing Clock Tower one time and being told to shut it down because it freaked my parents out. It was awesome. These new 3D games where definitely more serious, more edgy, more mature, and made to appeal to teenagers and young adults. This would generally be the target demographic during the Y2K era.

Out with the Old, in with the New

I mentioned in a previous article that one of the prevailing attitudes during the Y2K era was "Out with the old, in with the new". This shift in video games couldn't embody that statement any better. It was out with those old timey 2D pixel graphics and in with those new 3D graphics; out with those old kids games and in with those new edgy cool games. As a result, you see some rebelliousness in games like Duke Nukem 3D, carnage and destruction in Twisted Metal, gore in Resident Evil and Mortal Kombat, Xtreme sports like Cool Boarders, and a hyper exaggerated version of footbal in NFL Blitz. Even games that wheren't over-the-top like those I just mention featured characters with attitude such as Crash Bandicoot and Lara Croft. Characters where just made to kick ass back in the day and look stylish doing it.

The Search for Cool

This is where our search for coolness began. Shiny new 3D graphics along with characters with attitude imprinted themselves on our tiny minds. We wanted to be cool like Lara Croft, Eddy Gordo, Jonny Cage, or the snowboarders in Cool Boarders. This search for coolnes will continue until....well, it's still going. It will never stop until I'm an old man with an attitude. Movies during this time frame also fueled our search for coolness. That should be the topic for the next article. Stay cool.