Why no 2d Systems after 1990

[jon]

I’ve always wondered why everyone stopped making 2d games at the expense of ugly 5th gen 3d consoles. I think every 5th and 6th gen consoles are really ugly except the GameCube. It makes no sense. The Neo Geo showed what was capable. I’ve read that by 1993 2d arcade graphics could be made into consoles at a reasonable price. Actually the Jaguar has some incredible looking 2d demos. I think Sega could’ve come out swinging with an amazing 2d console in like 1993. Maybe the Jaguar should’ve concentrated on 2d, it always really irritated me how there was no bridge basically between the SNES and ugly looking 3d. I would’ve loved to see a reasonably priced great looking advanced 2d console go up against the PS1.

[Stalvern]

The Saturn and PlayStation are excellent at 2D, later systems even more so. 2D games were out of fashion, but that has nothing to do with the systems' 2D capabilities. The games were still being made, too, some of them continuing to be major hits, like Symphony of the Night and the Oddworld games.

[pacman000]

Simple: In the early 90's the PS1, Saturn, & N64's 3D graphics weren't considered ugly by the majority of gamers.

Saying "they should've waited till tech improved" is like saying Universal shouldn't have made Flash Gordon serials till the 70's when motion control was invented.

We needed models on wires to help us learn the skills needed to perfect motion control cameras; we needed simple blocky 3D to learn what was needed to perfect today's smooth shapes. Do you want a modern 3D game hampered by a fixed 1997 camera system?

If you mean to ask why folks demanded 3D... it gave developers a bigger pallet, so players would have more to explore. That felt more immersive.

[jon]

What was so ridiculous was after all those years Nintendo finally in 2006 starts making 2d games again. Not only that, but the Wii U had most of its most popular games were 2d. There was no 2d Super Mario game with Mario as the main character on a console from 1990-2006. I remember being upset about that especially as I couldn’t stand the 5th generation. There were 2d kind of parts in Super Mario Sunshine and it got me nostalgic and wanted a full game.

[TheEagleXIII]

I was playing my Mega Drive right up until it expired in mid-99 before upgrading to the PS1 - and that wasn’t out of stubbornness to upgrade or anything. I’m not saying 12 year old me was right, but I had absolutely zero interest in 2D games afterwards. They may look rough today, but back then the graphics were incredible to me. The first game I got and played was TOCA Touring Cars 2 and I can remember saying to my dad how I couldn’t believe how real it looked, let alone handled. I’d never played a racing game like it.

I had a few less fortunate friends whose parents wouldn’t/couldn’t upgrade them to a current-gen console even as 2000 came and it made it seem like they were in the dark ages still playing 2D games. I used to see reviews for 2D games on PS and wonder why they even bothered making them still for consoles that had 3D capabilities.

I can even remember briefly playing a Net Yaroze game on a PS Mag Demo Disc that was 2D (was about a time warping snail or something) and my sister and dad saw it and were both like “why are you playing 2D games on a PlayStation?” completely bemused.

3D opened the door for some of the best games of their time - Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, etc - that just weren’t possible in 2D.

[brendand]

You are mostly right but most people think of SNES and Megadrive as 2D machines as most games did not have 3D. Then we have the handhelds the GBA was the last true 2D handheld that was successful althrough it had some games that were 3D ( not many at all ).

[ThePixelatedGenocide]

Because even the Famicom wasn't completely 2d.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICRk4CBa-JQ

And there were systems with 2d only libraries released after 1990.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXHGcQrUXxU

[ThePixelatedGenocide]

You are mostly right but most people think of SNES and Megadrive as 2D machines as most games did not have 3D. Then we have the handhelds the GBA was the last true 2D handheld that was successful althrough it had some games that were 3D ( not many at all ).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79fgH08z6xs

Enough to make an entire half-an hour retrospective.

[VideoGameCritic]

3D was definitely in fashion around 1995 and there certainly was a demand for games with larger, more immersive worlds.

However, I also vividly recall a segment of gamers lamenting the lack of 2D titles, including me. Certain genres just work better in 2D.

What made me mad was that the Sony brass was making a concerted effort to keep 2D games OFF of their system. Even Symphony of the Night met a lot of resistance. Imagine how many great late-90's games we might have if those fat cat executives weren't putting their thumb on the scale?

I should also mention that a lot of people inexplicably believed 2D gaming would never return, and I think we know how that turned out.

[mbd36]

Just a reminder that great 2D games were still being made in the mid 90s. Super Metroid came out in 1994. Donkey Kong Country 2 came out in 1995. DKC3 and Super Mario RPG came out in 1996.

For the Sega Genesis, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3, Contra HardCorps, Earthworm Jim and Dynamite Headdy came out in 1994. Ristar, Vectorman and Comix Zone came out in 1995.

There were also 2D games being made for the 32 bit systems such as Gex, Rayman and Symphony of the Night.

3D didn't entirely dominate until the late 90s.