Penny Arcade's "The Sucking" from June 2001.

[Esmoreit]

I wouldn't go so far as to call the current generation a dip in gaming in general. Sure, people long to the familiair and simpler times of Mario and Sonic. Their heroes as they used to be out of nostalgia (smg of course is no smb) or they want the what I call wackiness back. Surprising titles that pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable. I'll admit, browsing through screwattack's video game vault there was a lot of creativity during the 80's and early 90's.

But we are already pushing there again. With Wiiware in full swing and Xbox Live arcade doing great we can see original titles popping up constantly. Even classic platforming is back, as are 2d shooters.
The old heroes are still here, only in a new coat. And I still get the same nostalgia-rush when taking my first leaps with Mario.

Perhaps 2001 was different, at least to console-gaming (I had locked myself up with first C&C Renegade and then Battlefield 1942 - and didn't rely on those so-called cockmongers) but in general now I can look at what is currently going on in the gaming scene and still think it gives the 80's a run for their money!