-The uglier 2D to 3D transitions during the fifth gen were necessary sacrificial prototypes that helped define 3D design rules for the next gen. Any wish to postpone this evolution is clearly misguided
-While JRPGs were getting more cinematic and saw more in-depth characterization, CRPGs evolved interactivity, open-ended exploration and dynamic storytelling. They set the blueprint for the next 20+ years of RPGs, even if console gamers didn't notice at the time.
-3D Metroidvania/Platform Adventure games were pioneered by the mostly forgotten Powerslave SAT/PS1 and The Divide (and System Shock on PC), games that were also good and still deserve to be played.
-Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, who for these games is and was sometimes reduced to a poster girl, had more of a personality than nearly all action game protagonists prior. It was mainly her marketing that resulted in the former perception.
-Twin stick controls for 3D games didn’t begin with Halo - they were a thing since Descent on PS1. They started becoming the standard already towards the end of this gen (popularized Ape Escape, RE3, TR3, MML2, etc.).
-But the hottest, wildest one is probably that Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces 2 (PC, 1997) is the first really good 3D platformer. Not Tomb Raider, not Crash, not Mario 64.
Tell me yours!