I just finished replaying Xenogears the other night and it got me thinking how 1998-2008 really was the sweet spot for gaming. The golden age you get in every entertainment industry, when the enthusiasts who grew up loving the medium come of age and technology/techniques improved enough that they could make their visions materialize, while normies/ corporate suits hadn’t completely wormed their way into every facet of the industry in the name of clout or money. Doesn’t mean that no great works of art can come after, but It really is a lightning in a bottle moment that will never happen again. Kind of like how Marvel comics has never managed to recreate the magic of 1981-1991, or horror movies are still trying to reach the quality of the masterpieces from the late 70s- early 80s. Kind of sad how you may know times are good but you never truly realize how great things are until they’re long gone.