You can change the console settings in Linux by editing the file
/boot/grub/grub.cfg
Find the line starting with linux and append vga=X where X is a 3 digit number from the table below.
E.g. for 1024x768 in 16 bit colour use vga=791
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-0.bpo.4-amd64 root=/dev/sda1 ro quiet vga=791
+--------------+---------+---------+----------+-----------+-----------+
| Colour depth | 640x480 | 800x600 | 1024x768 | 1280x1024 | 1600x1200 |
+--------------+---------+---------+----------+-----------+-----------+
|    8 bit     |   769   |   771   |   773    |   775     |   796     |
|   15 bit     |   784   |   787   |   790    |   793     |   797     |
|   16 bit     |   785   |   788   |   791    |   794     |   798     |
|   24 bit     |   786   |   789   |   792    |   795     |   799     |
+--------------+---------+---------+----------+-----------+-----------+