Well, that’s it.

As of 12:01am this morning, as Microsoft released the Xbox One to counter Sony’s one-week PS4 lead in the new generation, our shiny home consoles that have been the source of much gaming pleasure over the last eight years officially became last-generation technology. It’s hard to predict just where the new consoles will take us (and probably we won’t really know for another year or so), but it’s a great time to reflect and take a look at what the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii added to our gaming lexicon.

However, we’re not going to be doing full retrospectives for every single one of our overall favourite games, although there’s going to be an epic article nearer Christmas where Matt and I will go to great lengths to tell you what we consider to be *the* best game of this generation. Instead, all Awesome Friday contributors will be invited to add to a series of micro articles that capture the kind of observations we make when we talk about this closing generation – not about games as a whole, but the individual standout moments that still stay embedded in our memories even now. Sometimes these immaculate moments might exist within decidedly average games, a spark of inspiration against a grey background. Other times, it might be the flashpoint of one of our all-time favourite games. Either way, it’s these special moments that frame the rose-tinted lenses, so what better time to show them off?

Every day in the lead-up to Christmas, at 10am PST, a new Greatest Moment will hit the front page, so be sure to take a look and see if you shared in our same pleasures. Maybe we’ll even convince you to check out titles you passed over, just for that one experience. And remember, some of the best PS2 games came out just as that console was ending its cycle, so there may be even more great moments to come…