As this generation of consoles winds down to an end, it’s time to get all retrospective. It’s been nearly 8 years of great games on all the systems – but it’s time to decide which one is best.
There are a couple that stand out in my mind; There’s Gears of War, which many believe really ushered in this gen, and of course there’s the very first BioShock which left millions of gamers enraptured. There’s also Red Dead Redemption, which managed to make even GTA IV look silly, and of course there’s current darling The Last of Us. Perhaps it’s Mass Effect? Portal? Dark Souls? Metal Gear Soap Opera 4?
Not to be forgotten, there’s also the Wii’s Super Mario Galaxy – which is one of the most inventive and wonderful games I’ve played. Some might even consider Skyrim the very best game this generation, but they’d be silly.
So you tell us, what do you think this generation’s best game is? Or at least, is until GTA V is out later this year.
Last Updated: July 12, 2013
Deano
July 12, 2013 at 10:33
Fifa 13 🙂
Flame suit on.
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
July 12, 2013 at 10:38
O_o
Jonah Cash
July 12, 2013 at 10:43
Yes!!! Time put into it, it definitely wins!! Hands down in fact!! But yeah your about to get flamed on here!! But I also love me some Fifa!!
Vampyre Squirrel
July 12, 2013 at 11:06
Yeah, it would have to be hands down… because you’d get red carded if it was hands up!
In fact, you should be red carded for this comment 😛
Jonah Cash
July 12, 2013 at 11:40
Thank you lady… Will take my card like a man and go sit in the corner for a while!!
Theo Steenekamp
July 12, 2013 at 10:59
Here, have a downvote
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 10:36
Mass Effect
XCOM
HvR
July 12, 2013 at 10:41
XCOM!!!!!
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 10:53
Skyrim is definitely up there
HvR
July 12, 2013 at 10:56
I actually didn;t enjoy Skyrim that much, but I think Elder Scrolls fatigue is to blame after putting 100’s if hours in Morrowind and Oblivion.
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 10:59
Skyrim was my Elder Scrolls introduction…yes, it’s sad…but that’s probably why
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 12, 2013 at 11:04
You muuuuuuuuust play Morrowind!
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 11:05
I have a feeling that I might have to look into trying out Morrowind
*opens new tab, types in Kalahari.com*
HvR
July 12, 2013 at 11:06
I think he is going to be underwhelmed after playing Skyrim.
Before Morrowwind there was no game as big, as tall and as free.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 12, 2013 at 11:13
I dunno hey. Morrowind has a certain charm to it
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 11:14
I’ll try it and keep my expectations low.
HvR
July 12, 2013 at 11:20
Just keep in mind that it is has been released more than a decade ago.
Made that mistake with Airwolf, watched it again a few years ago and totally destroyed a section of wonderful childhood memories.
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 11:42
Oh, I know that feeling.
That’s a long time ago
Then again, Race Driver 2 was almost a decade ago and it’s better than GRID 2 (I’m bound to get flack for saying that)
Gareth L
July 12, 2013 at 14:36
Except for Daggerfall… 😉
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 12, 2013 at 10:39
Bioshock Infinte
Metro2033
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 10:39
ooooh, nice one
Lord Chaos
July 12, 2013 at 10:47
Yes, But I would add Last of Us.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 12, 2013 at 10:53
I can only comment on PC platform though :'( Really wish I could play TLOU
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 10:57
There are other platforms? O_O
I kid!
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 10:54
Wanted to play Metro2033 again last night, couldn’t find it. Sad Panda.
Spathi
July 12, 2013 at 11:00
Did you ever play Stalker? So loved that game. Metro 2033 just didn’t do it for me, although it was a decent game.
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 11:00
Stalker was too broken
Spathi
July 12, 2013 at 11:01
QUIET!! The Spathi has spoken and thats that!
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 11:02
Hmmmm okay well doesn’t change the fact that Stalker was broken tee hee
Spathi
July 12, 2013 at 11:48
With a few patches, the game became something awesome. Call to Pripyat or whatever, kinda a sequel, was also brilliant and not broken.
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 11:53
That game had so much mood. Didn’t it had distractingly bad accents though? I think that spoiled the immersion somewhat.
Spathi
July 12, 2013 at 12:04
Hehehe, didn’t bother me so much. But yes, the atmosphere was immense!
Harvey P Cheesewinkle
July 12, 2013 at 15:04
Shadows of Chernobyl, Clear Skies and Call of Pripyat. Stalker’s definitely one of the best this gen, hands down.
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 11:03
Moddb has about a kazillion mods for it. Makes it better than fixed.
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 11:04
Never tried the mods, should give it a go, the game really irritated me so never went back
Harvey P. Cheesewinkle
July 12, 2013 at 16:20
It irritates allot of people, because it’s extremely unforgiving. As far as I’m aware Clear Skies is still buggy, but Shadows of Chernobyl and especially Call of Pripyat are rock solid titles. And the mod side of Stalker is pretty staggering. When you get good at it, look for the SMRTR mod for Call of Pripyat, do not install it first, because it boosts the AI from the get-go, but adds a TON of other things.
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 11:01
Stalker is fantastic. Never forgot going underground the first time.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 12, 2013 at 11:02
Confession Bear time:
I never played Stalker *GASP* I know 🙁
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 11:04
BURN IT, KILL IT WITH FIRE!
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 11:03
Stalker! Man. That game….
You see the new mod they’re working on? I’ve spent countless hours on it…I think I might just agree with you there…
Mossel
July 12, 2013 at 12:45
Bioshock Infinte FTW!!!
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 12, 2013 at 12:49
indeed
OVG
July 12, 2013 at 10:40
I do not even own a PS3 and I will gladly say The Last of US without a doubt.
OVG
July 12, 2013 at 10:45
Runners up
Mass Effect because they invented the speech wheel back in 2007
Dead Space because they invented the NO HUD and Mission objective line.
Bioshock because they made the fly by narrative work with the recorders.
Assassins Creed because they broke all of the records in character animations.
Gears of War because they gave us the COVER SYSTEM and trigger reload.
Mirrors edge because they tried to get rid of guns but had to place them in to sell copies.
2007 and 2008 I will remember you for all time.
OVG
July 12, 2013 at 10:48
Bring back innovation.
Slade Boender
July 12, 2013 at 10:50
Man forgot all about dead space, but to be honest that was EA’s fault.
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 10:51
Assassins Creed is good, I bought the complete pack (before 3 was released) on Steam & motored through 1, 2.1, 2.2 & started 2.3 before getting AC’d out after around 100 hours lol
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 10:55
Nice list
Nirith1ZA
July 12, 2013 at 20:28
Dead Space really took dismemberment to the next level. Whatta horror
OVG
July 12, 2013 at 21:30
Another good point, while EA tried their hardest to stop the project, Glen Schofield gave us a hudless game, a line to to next objective, new shooting device called dismemberment, shoot while aiming (while RE5 COULD NOT DO THAT SHIT) and a low budget HORROR with more ATMOSPHERE than RE could ever dream.
LONG live Glen Schofield
OVG
July 12, 2013 at 21:34
FOR A DEADSPACE FAN
Zoe
July 12, 2013 at 10:46
indeed. there is no doubt. none whatsoever.
Brady miaau
July 12, 2013 at 11:13
Are you not saying that just because it came out recently and the adrenalin is still fresh from playing it?
What would you say in a year from now?
Zoe
July 12, 2013 at 11:35
no, it really was amazing. resonated on so many levels. made use of features and technology, as well as emotions and story-telling. best game of the PS3 for me, no doubt.
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 10:40
FUS RO DAMN YOU GEOFF.
Then again, Skyrim on consoles is silly yes. But on PC its simply amazing!
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 10:54
nope it’s still good on consoles
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 10:56
MODS.
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 10:58
Skryim on it’s OWN is still good on consoles
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 11:00
My console brothers really don’t know what they’re missing out on
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 11:01
Can’t judge a game with mods, it’s unfair 🙁 even though PC is the superior version
Brady miaau
July 12, 2013 at 11:11
Nah, I got lost in Mod Hell with other games. Not again. Too much time taken. Even if is fun
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 10:58
Oh the mods!
Spathi
July 12, 2013 at 10:56
Sorry, I down voted you. Skyrim is an overhyped mediocre game 🙂 Morrowind was far superior in my opinion, and even that felt quite “dead”.
Edit: removed my downvote, you are entitled to your wrong opinion 😀
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 10:59
I loved the FREEEEEDOM, game was quite meh, but the freedom was brilliant!
And I’m not wrong, its my opinion
Spathi
July 12, 2013 at 11:04
Your opinion is wrong 😛
The freedom was great yes, but the actual fighting put me off the most. It really is boring…There is awesome mods for it though, making the fighting more like Dark Souls.
Edit: Have you played RDR? If you buy your PS3 for only TLoU and RDR, it would be money well spent. RDR gives you an insane amount of freedom and co-op as well (not campaign, but missions en free roam stuff).
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 11:05
Nothing can make the fighting like DS I’m sorry
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 11:06
If Skyrim had combat like Dark Souls from the outset, there would be no other game in my life.
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 11:10
I played Skyrim at a time of my life where things were not in my control and Skyrim gave me so much freedom, hence my love for it reaches far and wide.
Also, the levelling up is done really awesome!
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 11:13
Have an upvote
Spathi
July 12, 2013 at 11:17
One of the things I hated the most in Oblivion, which was fixed in Skyrim, was the leveling of the creep. Kinda ruined Oblivion for me.
Skyblue
July 12, 2013 at 12:34
You could power level in Oblivion which isn’t really possible in Skyrim. I preferred being able to manipulate my leveling in order to maximise my character stats so enjoyed Oblivion tremendously.
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 10:56
The almost non-existent load times when you enter a door makes it a win on PC.
Tarisma
July 12, 2013 at 14:55
Am I the only one who thought oblivion was better than skyrim
Jonah Cash
July 12, 2013 at 10:41
Metal Gear Solid 4 was the perfect ending to what was a brilliant story line through continuous games!!
Voice in head: “There is a MGS 5 and something about Pain” ME: What? Voice: “Yeah I am telling you”….. Me: Shut up!!!
Playing Red Dead Redemption right now, while I am typing this in fact!! The only game to make the West look cool again!!
RDR gets the nod from me!!
Jonah Cash
July 12, 2013 at 10:48
Uncharted is also a lot of fun and have some seriously good story telling elements!!
Captain Minion TallTwit
July 12, 2013 at 10:55
I really loved the Metal Gear games.
Tortoise
July 12, 2013 at 10:42
Borderlands 2 was/is amazing. Although It might not take itself seriously enough to be considered the best of this gen, that is sort of what makes it so good.
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 10:42
I won’t pick just one, there’s been so many good games.
Dragon Age (even 2!), Borderlands, Mass Effect, Stalker, Dark Souls, Darksiders, Witcher, Bioshock, Elder Scrolls, etc, etc, etc
Jonah Cash
July 12, 2013 at 10:46
Darksiders are really 2 very good games!! I really enjoyed both equally and will play them again someday!!
Ultimo_Cleric N7
July 12, 2013 at 11:01
Dragon Age origins was epic
Vampyre Squirrel
July 12, 2013 at 11:08
I like the way you think Trev!
Slade Boender
July 12, 2013 at 10:42
Man. So many to pick from. Fallout New Vegas. Vanquish (underdog yeah I know). Portal 2 was very rad. MGS4 (though Im just a sucker for Hideo’s games). XCOM was a bunch of fun. But all in all? I think Kingdom Rush 😛
Jonah Cash
July 12, 2013 at 10:45
Hahahaha!! Nice!!! MGS4 was the best ending to a series ever!! Gears of War’s ending could be seen from a mile away!! But I love them all and own all of them!!
Slade Boender
July 12, 2013 at 10:51
Yeah, MGS4 kind of blew me away (spoilers!!) Its so weird that the menu of the game was the end. Was absolutely amazing, what a mind fuck of a game. Actually doing another play through as we speak, just for old times sake.
HvR
July 12, 2013 at 10:45
Which game was the first game that combined the shooter/RPG/Adventure story elements this generation? Was it Mass Effect?
That really set the path for the best games this generation (Bioshock, Mass Effect, Borderlands, Last of Us, Uncharted)
Slade Boender
July 12, 2013 at 10:52
You forget about Fallout though!
HvR
July 12, 2013 at 10:53
sorry I’m referring to whole group games (including fallout)
But which one set the trend? I think that is the one to be called the best.
Brady miaau
July 12, 2013 at 11:02
I think it was Fallout, based on Elder Scrolls
Lord Chaos
July 12, 2013 at 10:55
Was fallout still this gen?
Fallout would be the one game I’ll play over and over again. Another would be ME.
Slade Boender
July 12, 2013 at 11:24
Well definitely not the first two or tactics, but 3 and New Vegas, certainly.
CrasH
July 12, 2013 at 10:58
Your forgetting about Fable… and Yes i know that Fable1 was Xbox, not Xbox 360…
But its sort of shooter, RPG, Adventure Story and even semi open world and if you think about it like that, was the base for many games to build on.
Now if i wait long enough, a troll will put a game under this comment saying a game fable was based on… 😛
And if the cycle keeps going, about 8 posts later we will be on Ping Pong.
HvR
July 12, 2013 at 11:02
I know it has its roots in blocky one screen at a time dungeon crawlers, but I was referring to the “x factor” that was unique to this generation, combination immersive detailed world, memorable characters modeled on real actors with proper stories (things that fable, morrowwind and even kotor lacked)
Spathi
July 12, 2013 at 10:46
Red Dead Redemption, The Last of Us, Portal 2 – In that order.
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 10:50
PORTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL
Grant Hancock
July 12, 2013 at 11:09
My Birthday Sunday … got my Mom to make a Portal cake 😀 hehe
Portal must be one of best games of this gen… so different, brilliant 🙂
Vampyre Squirrel
July 12, 2013 at 11:09
but… the cake is a lie!!!
Grant Hancock
July 12, 2013 at 11:09
Calories are a lie ! the cake is real !! 😛
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 11:24
Calories do not exist on your birthday.
Also, happy early bday!!!
Grant Hancock
July 12, 2013 at 11:29
Thanks 🙂
Gareth L
July 12, 2013 at 10:49
Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2 and Batman: Arkham City.
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 10:50
Arkham City was quite fun yes, but not the best
Wtf101
July 12, 2013 at 11:11
HEATHEN! Okay, not the best but in my mind one of the best…
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 10:50
forgot about Batman! and Far Cry.
Ultimo_Cleric N7
July 12, 2013 at 11:01
Same here. The Arkham series has been incredible
Slade Boender
July 12, 2013 at 10:52
DAMMIT forgot about batman too.
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 10:50
Between EPIC games I’d say Mass Effect series and Bioshock series really stood out
Kromas
July 12, 2013 at 10:51
Bioshock was fun but I won’t play it again easily. Last of us was amazing yet its over and done. Mass Effect was awesome and I keep on playing it. So yeah … Mass Effect.
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 10:53
Torn between the Last of Us and Souls. for me Souls changed the way I see and play games, it reminded me of long forgotten mechanics and enforced a level of patience and vigilance inside of me. not to mention the insanely amazing lore
Then TLOU … one of the most heart felt and amzing stories I have ever experienced in a video with brilliant gameplay. Everything is balanced with nothing dropping in quality…..
tough choice, but for me it is ….. SOULS
Oh I really loved NI NO KUNI too and Deadly Premonition
Lord Chaos
July 12, 2013 at 10:56
For a Flamebait Debate not much debating going on, just a bunch of agreeing…
Gareth L
July 12, 2013 at 10:58
I disagree.
Lord Chaos
July 12, 2013 at 11:00
I am sorry, your time is up, to continue the argument, please insert $25
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 11:02
But it’s steam summer sale time, that $25 should be at least 50% off
Lord Chaos
July 12, 2013 at 11:03
I know I’m hot, but I ain’t no steam. ;P
And that money goes towards the fund for summer games.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 12, 2013 at 11:11
Your opinion is wrong and you should feel bad #trollol
Craig Boonzaier
July 12, 2013 at 10:57
So far the games that make squeal like a twilight fangirl has been Borderlands 2, Dust: An Elysium Tail & Bastion.
Gareth L
July 12, 2013 at 10:58
Just bought Bastion for R37 on the Steam Sale after hearing so much about it for years. 🙂
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 10:59
NIce, Dust and Bastion is amazing!
Martin du preez
July 12, 2013 at 10:58
Uncharted 2
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 12:16
Ja. Have an upvote.
Captain Minion TallTwit
July 12, 2013 at 10:59
Ah yes, FFD 🙂
Ultimo_Cleric N7
July 12, 2013 at 11:00
Mass Effect 2, Bioshock and Skyrim stand out for me as this Generation’s best games.
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 12:16
Mass Effect, cretin.
Bioshock, yup.
Skyrim, no. Get off that crack before I beat you.
Ultimo_Cleric N7
July 12, 2013 at 13:41
Dislike Mass Effect?
Please leave the universe. Thanks ^^
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 22:53
Nah, I meant Mass Effect 1, not the sequels.
Ultimo_Cleric N7
July 15, 2013 at 10:27
Ah I see.
It is very different to the other 2, but its still a great game, some actually prefer it to 2 & 3. I have to admit, it has the best storyline of the 3.
Argentil
July 16, 2013 at 18:48
Yup, I prefer ME 1, out of the 3. So my comment was to prioritize 1 over 2 in your original post.
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 11:01
Darkspore!!!
Theo Steenekamp
July 12, 2013 at 11:04
Actually enjoyed it a lot, has great potential to evolve still.
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 11:10
It hurt me deep. It didn’t have near the flexibility that they said it would and it involved way too much clicking…but it has the potential to be good, I agree with you on that. But it’s EA, to think there will ever be worked on it now is like expecting Mugabe to donate his wealth to charity and admit that he’s been a bit of a d-bag.
Gustav Minnie
July 12, 2013 at 11:02
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Runners up: Starcraft 2 and Red Dead.
Theo Steenekamp
July 12, 2013 at 11:03
Subway surfers, Metro Last light, Bioshock infinite, Mass Effect series, Red dead redemption… I know we are not allowed to make predictions (hoping this will start an actual debate) I think the game of all generations will go to Tom Clancy’s: The Division
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 11:05
Subway surfers 0-0
Theo Steenekamp
July 12, 2013 at 11:07
Think games that entertain you on the loo also counts:P
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 12, 2013 at 11:08
Well I can’t disagree there lol
Lourens Jordaan
July 12, 2013 at 11:05
Call of Duty because it managed to be mentioned at least five times a day on this forum.
John Ambitious
July 12, 2013 at 11:11
I so badly want to downvote that, but it’s true.
The game is also crap though
CrasH
July 12, 2013 at 11:15
And they say single player is dead… with the most listed games all being solo games…
But a MP game that really made me and 3 friends play nothing else a whole weekend for the 1st time in years was the Left 4 Dead series and now almost everything is “insert name here” with a zombie mod and have team/group task/objective driven surviver theme in it.
So, i think it influenced more games than we actually give it credit.
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 12:15
Ja, I agree too. I’m completely worn on the zombie genre after playing both L4D’s to death.
Guest
July 12, 2013 at 11:16
Pokemon Red & Blue
oomjan
July 12, 2013 at 11:20
I should say Uncharted and The last of us.
DarthofZA
July 12, 2013 at 11:22
This is my list. And yes, those are in order for me (SMG best game I’ve ever played)
Wii – Super Mario Galaxy
Xbox – Lost Odyssey & Special Mention Left 4 Dead
PS3 – Little Big Planet & Special Mention Uncharted Series
PC – Minecraft
Other Special Mention – Tomb Raider
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 11:57
You see, to me I would say L4D belongs on PC. Otherwise, good list. I always forget about the brilliance of LBP. So much innovation stuffed into one little game.
DBL_ZA
July 12, 2013 at 11:30
Can’t comment on an overall, as I’m not diversified enough as a gamer, but for me the Mass Effect series was right up there. It had it’s faults, and a ridiculous ending, but was my personal best of what I played
Lardus
July 12, 2013 at 11:33
Only got ME3 after the extended finish was released, so I had no issues with the ending. Mass Effect as a series gets my vote as BEST EVA!
DBL_ZA
July 12, 2013 at 11:42
Yeah extended ending made a massive difference and it led well into the DLC that was released (just a pity that the DLC, read: leviathan, wasn’t better referenced in the ending). The original endings were such a joke that it put me off replaying the SP till the EE was released. MP kept me busy for months though 🙂 in fact I played SP for about 2-3 months before I touched the SP 😛
PointMan
July 12, 2013 at 11:44
Oi stop commenting here and leaving me hanging on gtalk, not cool bro not cool.
CypherGate
July 12, 2013 at 11:39
Mass Effect Trilogy was for me the perfect game that deserves the top spot for its ambitious story telling. Ok so the ending wasnt tooooooo great cause of the similarities to the choices, but overall the game was just amazing. I would go as far as to say its far better than Star Wars universe. I might get flamed for saying that lol All we need now is big budget Mass Effect Trilogy movies!
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 12, 2013 at 11:41
You said it. Story is done, just make the damn movie
DaxterZA
July 12, 2013 at 11:41
Its to hard to choose one…
Mass Effect 1-3
Borderlands 1-2
Gears Of War 1-3
Jak and Daxter 1-4
Bioshock 1-3
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 11:43
Wish I were more decisive. It’s too hard to name just one. I think RDR deserves special mention for fully realising the scope and feel of a spaghetti western in the context of today’s gaming.
XCOM and Mass Effect 1 deserve mention for rebuffing the norms (not ME2/3, they catered for mainstream appeal). Games such as Minecraft, Bastion and Braid deserve a place because they were unique indie games that altered industry perceptions and defined independent development.
Demon’s Souls was a gamechanger in 2009. What it did with pseudo-multiplayer, the establishment of a world, the refusal to cast aside older game design choices that are considered unappealing nowadays. Demon’s Souls was a reminder that making a game ‘accessible’ is not always the correct choice.
The Last of Us earns its praise because it made some brave decisions, and is one of the few mature, thoughtful games of this generation – and it wrapped it all up with emotional weight.
I believe the most notable and important game of this generation however, could be Journey, because it did a little bit of everything I mentioned above.
Nick de Bruyne
July 12, 2013 at 11:53
Man, I’m having a tough enough time picking the top 10 games of this gen, never mind the best one. All I can really say is, we have been spoiled with some really amazing experiences.
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 11:54
Yup, but this comment isn’t going to stoke the flames of debate 😛 You need to throw in some controversial examples!
Nick de Bruyne
July 12, 2013 at 11:55
Fair point. You know what’s a decent flame-starter that actually may hold some truth, is that its possible that one of the best… possibly one of the most important games of this generation was in fact Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 11:58
I wil begrudgingly agree with you.
Come on, surely you must have some secret game that you enjoy more than you’re usually willing to publicly admit? Like BK Nuts & Bolts (Oo) or uh, Black Ops 2.
Wtf101
July 12, 2013 at 12:05
Singles 2: Triple Trouble?
Nick de Bruyne
July 12, 2013 at 12:09
Hmm im trying to think if I’ve got a guilty pleasure like that in gaming… but I don’t think I do. Closest I can think of is how addicted I got to PS Move Table Tennis. I would spend whole Saturdays playing that shit until my arm damn near fell out the socket
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 12:09
That’ll do, lol.
Wtf101
July 12, 2013 at 11:55
Saints Row the Third.
PointMan
July 12, 2013 at 12:24
This game is heavily underrated, I actually prefer it over GTA.
Donovan
July 12, 2013 at 11:57
For me it has definitely been the God of War serious. I am a part time gamer but a game must catch my attention within the first few minutes or I get bored and GoW did just that
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 12:01
I like that. God of War serious.
But yes, God of War 3, this gen, was an evolution, and improvement over it’s predecessor. It also really pushed the envelope for graphical achievements when it released. Great game.
Gavin Mannion
July 12, 2013 at 12:01
Before reading these comments I’m going to see what comes to mind
1. Red Dead Redemption
2. Portal
3. Modern Warfare
4. Gears of War
5. Bioshock
6. Super Mario Galaxy
7. Super Mario Bros 2
8. Dance Central (broke new ground)
9. Borderlands 1 and 2
Man I feel like I’m missing some of the best games out there… I never got into Skyrim or Mass Effect or Fable..
Let’s go read the comments
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 12:08
RDR is getting a lot of love in the comments. Well deserved. The game was a love letter to spaghetti westerns – and to Romero for the Undead Nightmare expansion.
Portal is deservedly present, good job 🙂
Modern Warfare deserves its place, as does Gears for their contributions to multiplayer, and the shooter genre (corridor and cover-based respectively). I would put them lower down the list because I personally don’t think shooters are the be all and end all, and the genre is stifling creativity in the industry.
Bioshock 1 was very, very good, and I couldn’t help but compare infinite and TloU when I played them. TLoU is definitely the better game of the three, but Bioshock had such an impact when it game out. It would be hard to put one over the other.
SMG deserves to be there, but I would take SMB2 off the list entirely.
Dance Central wasn’t as worthy a contributor as the preceding Wii Dance games it was based on. Dance Central was an evolution, or refinement using Kinect’s better tech. If you’re looking for a motion control title, I would place Wii Sports Resort or Wii Fit in there instead (not that they’re good games).
Borderlands 1 & 2, I really dislike the series, but I see why it’s so popular, so you can keep it 😛
Gavin Mannion
July 12, 2013 at 12:19
Good point on the dancing… Wii Dance was actually played more in our house…
You no longer have an opinion with your dislike for Borderlands 2 🙂
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 13:24
And it’s gone. Oh well, you thought I was kewl once.
Skyblue
July 12, 2013 at 12:28
I love too many so will list a few genre favourites:
Dead Space
Demon’s Souls
Forza 3
The Last of Us
Bioshock (1)
Mass Effect
Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Batman Arkham Asylum
Super Streetfighter 4
Uncharted 2
New Super Mario Bros
Gears of War (1)
Metroid Prime 3
Almost forgot Plants vs Zombies
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 13:23
Good man. Very good list. Nice to see the firsts of series getting recognition. The related sequels didn’t innovate enough to warrant placing them higher above the originals.
Argentil
July 12, 2013 at 13:23
Good man. Very good list. Nice to see the firsts of series getting recognition. The related sequels didn’t innovate enough to warrant placing them higher above the originals.
Mossel
July 12, 2013 at 12:48
Bioshock Infinite hands down! It was the first game that I played through twice, not because I wanted to get some random achievement, but because the story is simply amazing. Also, I didn’t understand the story first time around…
BacchusZA
July 12, 2013 at 12:48
Mass Effect – the whole series – is top of my list, though that could be because I’m playing 3 again right now and absolutely LOVING every second of it.
Assassins Creed – I’m surprised that this hasn’t had more love than I’ve seen in the comments so far. I still need to finish Brotherhood sometime, & haven’t even got 3 yet, but I’ll pick it up at some point I guess.
SW: The Old Republic – it fell pretty flat because there wasn’t any endgame at release, & I’m starting to get the idea that the time of the MMO has passed & we’ll never see another WoW. On its own merits though, In terms of story & so on? Fantastic. Maybe not quite as good as KOTOR II, but still very good all the same. Given it’s F2P now, I can heartily recommend anyone who enjoyed KOTOR to try it, even as a SP experience.
Gears on the ‘Box is good, though I still need to finish 2 at some point…..
I understand Uncharted & GoW are both excellent, & I bought both series when I got my PS3. And I really need to actually do more with it than just set up my PS account at some point….
The Borderlands series has been great fun, & I’ve thoroughly enjoyed that, though I got off to a rocky start with 1, & lost interest about 1/3 the way through. Then her hotter, more flexible, lingerie model of a sequel came out, & I’ve had an absolute blast with her 🙂
Something I’ve not seen mentioned so far that was boatloads of fun, is the Overlord series. And it’s like $5 on steam atm, so grab it if you haven’t played it before, It’s fun to be the bad guy 🙂
Trevor Davies
July 12, 2013 at 13:33
Overlord is a good choice, never got around to playing the 2nd one much because it crashed worse than a detoxing heroin addict.
Sageville
July 15, 2013 at 12:34
Is it just me or has Assassins Creed published one too many sequels.
Jonathan
July 12, 2013 at 13:01
Grand theft auto V wins, No-one has played it yet, but it still wins.
Andre116
July 12, 2013 at 13:23
Mass Effect. Next question?
Andre116
July 12, 2013 at 13:23
Mass Effect. Next question?
Aussious
July 12, 2013 at 13:51
The first two words that come to mind are Mass Effect… But I would say that is the best series this gen. Best game has to go to Heavy Rain, David Cage and his team further demonstrate the superiority of games over movies and TV when it comes to narrative and story. Lucas and Spielberg can both suck it!
Tarisma
July 12, 2013 at 14:58
Controversial list of.
Bulletstorm, infinity blade 2, guild wars 2, fallout 3 and dark souls. Those are my games of this generation
Nirith1ZA
July 12, 2013 at 20:25
Gears of War!!! SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN for the WIN!
DriveMagazine
July 15, 2013 at 12:11
Days late perhaps, but still had to add to this list – Sleeping Dogs! Brought the flowing hand-to-hand of Batman to a full GTA style world dripping with Hong Kong flavour. Need a sequel.
Bubba
July 16, 2013 at 13:29
UNCHARTED
OminousRain
July 16, 2013 at 13:52
I don’t know about Game of the generation, but the new Tomb Raider was a very very good, well rounded game for me.
Tbone187
July 16, 2013 at 15:02
COD Modern Warfare series ruled the roost imo…haters can hate all they want…