One of the key games used by Sony to demonstrate the graphical prowess of the PlayStation 3 prior to its North American release, Majesco's safari simulator Afrika came out three years after the console launched and wasn't very good. It's dynamic theme, on the other hand, is exquisite.

It's human nature to want to break things down into easy-to-understand binaries: Introvert or extrovert. Gay or straight. Republican or Democrat. Autobot or Decepticon. And in video gaming, one of the greatest binaries of all is defined by how a player likes his or her right thumbstick: Regular or inverted?

PlayStation 3. Xbox 360. Wii. Over the past eight years, electronic boxes wearing one of those three brands came to occupy space in the entertainment centers of millions of people around the world. They were the heralds of the most innovative, occasionally uncomfortable, undeniably exciting era in video game history.…