Not too long ago I was reflecting back on this generation of consoles.  Of course to an outsider it's clearly evident that the "winner" in terms of console hardware sales would have to be the Nintendo Wii, and I don't question that for a second.  Still, there's a lot to be said of the Wii's lack of software - i.e. games worth playing.  When it comes to strictly software I'd have to say that the Xbox 360 wins hands down.  In fact it might just be the most complete lineup of any console I've ever owned.

So that brought a very important question to my mind...is the Xbox 360 this generation's SNES?  If you've been involved in the gaming community for any length of time and are roughly my age (or better yet, a bit older) you'll know that most gamers consider the SNES to be the epitome of game consoles.  It had a ton of great games, ranging from established first party franchise titles to lesser-known newcomers in the form of 3rd party titles.  The SNES was on the cusp of the gaming revolution in the United States, coming just before developers and publishers started pandering to wider audiences in order to cash in and just after the technological advances necessary to take the gaming experience to another level.

The Xbox 360 is also in such a period.  With the 360 we've seen the standardization of online gaming services.  Xbox Live on the original Xbox was just a nice addition to the gaming experience, but the 360 (as well as the other consoles, though none have achieved to such a high degree as the 360) has made online services, including multiplayer and community features, a necessity.  I cannot imagine playing games without being able to join up with my friends, play cooperatively online, or download arcade games and add-on content for the games I already own.  This has become the rule rather than the exception.

Of course as I mentioned, it's all about the games.  On the 360, including first and third party titles, we've had a steady flow of quality games since the launch.  Sure there have been dry periods but on the whole I can say I've always had a game to look forward to no matter what time of year it was.  Right now for instance I'm looking forward to the GTA4 expansion, FEAR 2, and Resident Evil 5.  That's a total of three huge releases in the typically slow late winter period.  In the busiest time of the year, the holiday rush, we've been buried consistently in great games and each year has been proclaimed the "best year in gaming."  There are almost too many games to play, and even if there's nothing worth playing that came out recently you can always visit the back catalog of games you probably missed.  That's far more than I can say of the PS3 (which I own), a system that seems to get a couple quality exclusive titles a year.  Those games are great but they're too few and far between...hopefully that'll change this year.

So what do you think?  Ten years from now will gamers be looking back at 2005 - 20?? and  proclaiming it as the best era in gaming because of the 360?  It's possible.  It's also possible that the whole "greatest console" or "greatest era" thing is just generational.  Since I played SNES as a kid that's my favorite era, but since kids growing up today are playing the Xbox 360 (or Wii, PS3) this will be their favorite era.  With all that having been said, nostalagia be damned: this is one hell of a time to be a gamer.