The C-E staff give their views on gaming's most important issues.

We're heading into the one hundredth edition of the CE Roundtable, so will be dealing with heavier issues. This week we ponder what the defining games of this generation have been, so far. See, we're not just Gamecube fans!

We also contacted a couple of developers, and Peter Morawiec, from True Crime developers Luxoflux, was kind enough to give us his view.

What do you think have been this generation's defining games so far?

Peter Morawiec:

- Tony Hawk (ushered a wave of next-gen Extreme Sports games)
- Jak & Daxter (introduced massive/seamless environments)
- GTA (introduced 'sandbox' gameplay, and a criminal hero)
- True Crime (recreated entire city, brought classic detective/cop genre into games medium ;)

Ash:

I think the most interesting thing about this generation is that "defining" games are no longer about the gameplay. It's about many things now, some good, some bad.

I won't say which game is the most defining in terms of gameplay, I won't try and even pretend that I have played nearly enough of all the games. I think there are some contenders, such as "Eternal Darkness", but having not played many games on the other consoles I can't state.

Otherwise "Grand Theft Auto: 3" because of its mass market appeal and, well, the fact it is casual gaming in a game. Halo for being quite revolutionary, Zelda for art style, Viewtiful Joe for nicheness. So many games can be described as defining because what should a game define? Who is to say what is a good quality and what is not.

There you go, some watered down philosophy for you.

Tom:

I think that the defining theme of this generation has been mass produced, identical average games. Oh, and sequels.

So that makes the identification of defining game somewhat harder, as by definition there have been hundreds. How do we find this one game? The most prolific mass produced games of this generation have been platformers. Whilst there has been some innovation and goodness (Mario Sunshine, Ratchet and Clank or Jack and Daxter) most have been very average.

The king of average platformers, that has sold the most, that has greatest appeal. That everyone has played. It is... Crash Bandicoot.

Yes, Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex is the defining game of this generation. Spawn of a hundred prequels, multiformat and offering simple gaming that appeals to everyone. It fits the bill completely. Yes, I know everyone was hoping for me to say Metroid Prime, Halo or even GTA, but they just don't define what has happened this generation.

Bas O:

In this raging console war that is going on, gameplay, challenge or innovation aren't deciding factors anymore. Getting a large market share is important for survival. So you should look at titles that can attract gamers to go out and buy a console for that perticular game.

In this perspective I vote for games such as the Wind Waker, Jak & Dexter, Final Fantasy X and both GTA games. These titles bring a good game experience for a wide audience and still manage to be innovative. So for me these are defining titles; fun, quality games that do well for the console they're running on.

Bas B:

The two most important games of this generation are in my opinion:

Halo:

Though of course its A.I. is not close to human intelligence, it does make enemies in other games look stupid. It also pushed co-operative play and the use of vehicles to new heights and succesfully remodeled the strategic two-weapons system (it was used before, like Contra 3 for example). Most important perhaps is the fact that it gave the Xbox and thus Microsoft a chance, which might become much more important player in the future.

Grand Theft Auto III:

For blending genres and giving the player much more freedom than in most games. It's also innovative in large game worlds, use of music and humour.

Other influential titles: GTA: Vice City, The Wind Waker and Viewtiful Joe for choosing for a distinct style, Metroid Prime (and Breakdown) for clearing up the difference between 'First Person' and 'Shooter', Knights of the Old Republic for intelligent plotting and Midtown Madness 3 and Moto GP (among others) for making Xbox Live a succes (more or less, at least it's a start). Compared to most games EyeToy is very innovative, but it hasn't really become a standard (yet). It is an important step in the 'simple gaming' trend, though (Super Monkey Ball, Singstar, Donkey Konga etc.) Finally, games are getting increasingly high production values. EA's Lord of the Rings games and the latest Bond title are influential in that area.

Jayseven:

I think Tom has been pretty spot-on with what he said. If you were on the outside looking in on the Games Industry you would suggest that a game like Fifa 2004. It symbolises what the industry means or has meant in the last 10 years, pretty much since the Playstation turned up. I think it's fair to say that Sony introduced gaming to the masses, helped drag the industry into the world of billion-dollar earnings, changed the face of computer games forever!

This generation of gaming is different to previous iterations, this generation can freely talk about the latest big-release on the bus on the way to work without too much fear of sounding like a total nerd. Gone are the days of "the book was better than the film" arguements, it's "yeah, the game was ok but the movie had better graphics" which you're more likely to overhear (or maybe even say if you're shallow enough). Games are about franchises, graphics and cool-factor.

Of course, if you're reading this the chances of you voting FIFA 2005 the game of the generation are slim to none, if you're reading this (ok, no point saying 'if' really, is there?) then you're not going to be one of the masses, unlike the majority of gamers you're HARDCORE, which pretty much means taht computer games are your hobby as opposed to going to the pub or chess or being a townie or whatever. Chances are you have played genuine masterpieces of this generation, games like Halo and Metroid, Eternal Darkness and Ico, games which have not changed the industry from the consumers point of view, but games which have forced the industry to change the way they approach games, the way they make the games.

Half-Life, for me, is a leading example of a world-shaking game. Half-Life (for the PC not the half-arsed PS2 version) changed the world of First Person Shooters. It introduced to the world the "hey, why exactly am I running around killing these things?" train of thought, it helped bring the idea of games having a decent storyline to the forecourt of developers (and producers) must-have lists. Half-Life is one of few games which single-handedly pushed the industry further, gave developers the incentive to better their games.

Having said that, it's not like 100% of games since Half-Life have paid attention and given gamers something to be proud of, but I don't care and I think what I've said so far is really neat and dapper, so I'm not going to go into that.

Conor:

It seems we're differing on our definition of what exactly a 'defining' game actually is; for me, it's more than a matter of quality. It has to be a game that symbolises one of the industry's and medium's greatest achievements of that generation.

First on my list is the two Grand Theft Auto titles on the PS2, particularly Vice City. Few other games have so successfully pierced the psyche of the massmarket. I could mention them to a casual gamer and have an instant conversation with them about it. Everyone knows about GTA, whether they're into games or not. But the astonishing mainstream appeal isn't its only credential; it's also one of the best games of the generation. It simply oozes style, embracing the 80's context and sucking every bit of pop culture out of it. It's unashamably funny and witty, and offers freedom that surprasses all its predeccessors. You can get lost in Vice City for hours.

Not to sound like a broken record, but next is Halo. I've had the game (and the console) for about two months now and have been completely converted. It's easily the best FPS on the generation, and the best I've played since Half-Life and Goldeneye 007. What's so great about it is the little things; the subtle refinements that pushed forward the genre. It's isn't revolutionary, but it does bring brilliant new ideas to the table, notably the two-weapon system. Things like vehicles and open environments had been done before, but not this good. Despite its noted flaws, it remains hugely impressive and memorable.

Eyetoy Play has to get a mention, for its success in bridging the gap between games and the ordinary person, and for offering a novel way of playing games. I've had a go, and it's great fun. I also think Zelda: Wind Waker is one of the defining games. It may be flawed, but it boldly presents a superlative visual style, probably the most emotive and evocative one I've witnessed yet.

What else? Wario Ware on the GBA, for its refusal to abide to stifling genre labels. Animal Crossing, for the wonderfully leisurely pace. Metroid Prime, for its cohesion of the various game elements. Soul Calibur 2, for perfecting the 3D fighter genre (no, I'm not joking). And lastly, Advance Wars 1 and 2, for offering unparalleled alance and challenge.

Let's hope we see some more mentionables in the next two years.

So what do you think have been the generation's defining games? Post your views!