I'm not a big fan of your echo screen (sorry I'm just not big on pod casts)< but i figured what the hell I'll check this out everything else is pretty good on here. Anyway, I'm watching number 6, the console wars one, I feel you guys over looked some pretty important stuff when discussing the 3rd generation.

You dicussed innovation, but missed out on the games that really pushed the console forward. You mentioned the franchises, but not the thigns the games did that grabbed peoples attention. Things that not only made a game popular, but improved the state of gaming forever.

Some quick examples:
The Legend of Zelda was the first game to feature a battery for saving. This added hardware did away with the need for password systems in games that were longer than novels.

Metroid was the first game to not only feature a female lead character, but it allowed for the first time for a player to go back and explore areas already explored. Previous platformers only allowed you to go forward, and could make you feel like exploring isn't an important part of the game. Even the famed Mario series dosn't let you actually explore the worlds you play in till the 4th installment on the next generation console.

The NES was (to my knowledge) the first console to feature games that told stories over endless game play for high scores. Zelda tells the story of a young adventurer trying to save the kingdom. Mario is trying to save the princess. Samus is trying to stop the evil Mother Brain. Games which featured clear story arcs, early game didn't feature indepth, emotional stories, but the characters weren't bland rehashed pixiels trying to kill the enemies quicker than player 2.

I think there is enough for a whole echo screen on the subject, and these were only from the 3rd generation, what about the first up to the current? Just an idea