Why the limitations of the N64 and PS1 mattered

Technical limitations forced creativity in graphics and music compositions.

PS1 era: doing more with less. PS5 era : doing less with more.

5th generation: using creativity to surpass the limitations of technology and make the best games ever. 9th generation: using the unlimited power of technology to squash creativity and destroy the medium.

Late 90s to early 2000s was the peak of gaming innovation. The PS3/360 era would begin the graphics innovation era that we are still in today. All innovations are visual now.

pros of n64:- Cartridges cons of n64:- Cartridges

Metal Gear Solid was absolutely insane how far ahead of it's time it was. Kojima tried to do a full cinematic experience at the earliest possible time and pulled it off. The characters lips may not move but the story telling and cinematics and everything being rendered in real time was amazing. It's also the first game that I recall having dozens of hours of fully voiced dialogue, so much that it required 2 discs just for the sound files alone.

The developers of Crash Bandicoot talking about how they had to build such large levels with the system limitations. It was insane, the creativity.

Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, my favorite generation of gaming. There will never be another era quite like that one.

"Doing more with less" is a lost art now.

There is a fairly well-known paradox in creative arts that says sometimes boundaries, restrictions, and other limitations on what you can do or use actually leads to more creativity. When you are not overwhelmed by choice it can lead to lateral thinking, unconventional solutions you'd never bother with if you could just waste resources, collaborations with people outside your usual group, etc. Now in gaming, it just seems to be "get the game out and we'll push a bunch of updates later. By that time, it is the sucker consumer's problem."

I'm so grateful that I grew up in the 90s and 2000s where there was actual innovation and the game came complete on a disc or cartridge and didn't require a legal agreement and an internet connection to play.

“Creativity is not thinking outside the box. It’s setting the box on fire and trying to find a way out” - One of my favorite quotes about limitations breeding creativity.

You forgot the fact that there were NO UPDATES capability, since no storage, so games were much better finalized and tested than they are today

Oh man I can't believe you didn't mention ps1's CD quality audio. That was such a huge deal back then

Limitations in storage space kept the production costs in check. With lower costs came more risk taking. The biggest problem with modern games is too many of them are absurdly expensive to make.

One of the main things that has destroyed games is micro transactions, monthly, yearly subscription. I miss the old days.

the pre rendered backgrounds of digimon world are like a dream

It was wild. So much diversity, so many experiments on 3D, gameplay and how to make it all work. Modern gaming tropes solidified during the ps2 era.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen two competing machines that were so dramatically different! I’ve always been fascinated by how developers overcame the limitations of 16-bit consoles and earlier, so hadn’t even thought much about these consoles.

All I want to say is I really miss 4-player games of the n64 era. Playing Golden Eye with your buddies was insane back in the day.