Going to leave PC out of this as it has pretty much always delivered awesome games.
The SNES was the golden age. I used to rent or borrow games knowing very little about them before playing in most cases. I had a gift subscription to Gamepro and read the odd EGM as well. Highlights include renting Shadowrun for the first time, borrowing LOZ:ALTTP, renting Earthbound, buying Illusion of Gaia for $20, borrowing FFIII, and finally receiving a copy of Shadowrun as a gift from my father.
The PlayStation was the silver age. I had an N64 and also didn't play as much as I had in years prior (there might be a correlation there). When I got a used PSX with a copy of FFVII and Parasite Eve from a local used record/game store in 1999 I was in RPG heaven again. After finishing FFVII and PE I quickly moved onto FFVIII (which I never finished), FFIX, PE2 (gets too much hate), Persona 2: EP, Metal Gear Solid, Xenogears, Silent Hill and a handful of allegedly excellent RPG's that I just couldn't be bothered with.
This gen has the potential to be my favourite console generation with titles like Bioshock, Fable II, Heavy Rain, Fallout 3, and the inevitable next-gen Hitman. However I'm afraid there is far too much emphasis on online multiplayer, DLC, zombies, pirates, ninjas, and soccer moms. Also: fighting games and beat'em ups are a dead genre. Stop charging $60 for this repetitive crap. I have a feeling FPS will become just as tired a genre in the coming months (if it isn't already).