Posted 2 Dec 2013 Wow. I can't believe the last generation of consoles is almost over. It was a long run, but it brought us some amazing experiences in gaming. The following list is a personal one, and the choices are based on my own experiences. If you disagree, that's fine, but I wanted to make this list with the hope that some of you will be driven to play these games. Every game on this list is the absolute best of what last generation had to offer, so I fully recommend that you find the time to play every game, including the honorable mentions. That said, I know we don't have enough time to play everything, so I'm putting them in the order that I believe they should be played. I'm also only listing one game per franchise, just for the sake of variety. Some games should be played in order, though (Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 should be played in order) so keep in mind that, just because it's my favorite and it's the one on the list, that doesn't mean you shouldn't play the honorable mentions or other games in the series first. Also, this is only a console game list. I will make a separate list for DS and PSP games. Without further ado, here is my list of the best games of the generation: 1. The Last of Us- For me, THE best game of last generation. The best graphics, the best story, the best characters, and Splinter Cell-like gameplay. What more can you ask for? Ellie is my favorite female character in gaming. I resonated with Joel near the end of the game, and I would do the same thing he did at the end. Dat giraffe scene. This game is a must play for anyone. Seriously, this game is worth buying a PS3 for. Play it all the way to the end. You owe it to yourself to experience this story. The characters in this game emit real emotions, and you will grow to love Ellie like a daughter. 2. Fallout 3- The Fallout series is one of the most immersive series in gaming. Nothing will top the moment I stepped out of the vault and was blinded by the sunlight. After regaining sight, I marveled at the huge, open world before me. This was the first time I really felt that “next gen” was here, and it was glorious. I poured over 300 hours into Fallout 3, and I could go back to it today. This would be one of the games I’d take to a deserted island. honorable mention: Fallout: New Vegas. 3. Mass Effect 2- My favorite game in the Mass Effect trilogy. It was the perfect balance of everything that makes Mass Effect great. Interesting, well-developed characters, fun combat, space exploration, and Commander Shepard. The ending was epic and set up for the 3rd game. Oh, and Miranda Yvonne Lawson. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. honorable mention: Mass Effect 3 4. Bioshock- I was blown away by the story of this game. Fortunately, the twist was not ruined for me, so I got to experience Ryan’s “would you kindly?” first hand. The game is dated, now, but I still rank it this highly because of the initial experience. If the game has been spoiled for you, play Bioshock Infinite and skip Bioshock. honorable mention: Bioshock Infinite 5. Super Mario Galaxy 2- Possibly my favorite Mario game. It’s hard to beat 64 because of pure nostalgia, but Galaxy 2 is one of the best games I’ve ever played, Mario or otherwise. The sweeping, orchestral music is charming and easy to listen to. The levels are varied, the challenge is balanced, and the powerups are fun to use. honorable mention: Super Mario Galaxy 6. Uncharted 2- I love this game so hard. It’s like the perfect Indiana Jones game. Everything about it (except the final boss fight) is perfect. I play this game every once in a while and I think I’ll play it every summer from now on. The voice actors are spot on (Nolan North!) and the characters move realistically. I often forgot I was playing a video game. honorable mention: Uncharted 3 7. The Witcher 2- This game feels so mature to me. It was a point where I said, “yes. Games are as mature as movies and television.” It's certainly not for everyone, but the choices you make in the game lead you down extremely different paths and the game is worth playing through multiple times just to experience everything. Also, best romance scenes in any video game thus far. 8. Twilight Princess- Far from my favorite Zelda game, but Twilight Princess is still a great game. I waited a very long time for this game, so long, in fact, that another console came out (Wii) before I was able to play it on my Gamecube. Was I disappointed? Yes, but I can’t deny that this game is a blast to play and is one of the darker Zelda titles. It won’t make the list of my top 5 Zelda games, but it still holds a special place in my heart for last generation. honorable mention: Skyward Sword 9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare- I must admit, I was never a big shooter fan before this game. I didn’t see the appeal, really. CoD4 changed everything about the FPS genre. It was groundbreaking, revolutionary, and fantastic. I spent hundreds of hours on the multiplayer alone. All Ghillied Up is one of the best missions in any game. honorable mention: Call of Duty 2 10. Resident Evil 5- I can see a lot of people disagreeing with me here, and that’s fine. Resident Evil 5 is definitely not the best Resident Evil game (that goes to 4), but it is an action-packed co-op survival game. It has better co-op than any game last generation, so I feel like it gets a lot of undeserved hate for not being Resident Evil 4. In a way, I agree, but I’ve put more hours into this game than any of the Resident Evil titles, and I think that says something. honorable mention: Resident Evil 6 11. Red Dead Redemption- I’ve always wanted a good western game. RDR surprised me by not only being a fantastic western game (the best one ever made, no contest), but by being one of the best games of the generation. I’m not a fan of GTA games, so I was surprised to find that I enjoyed Rockstar’s western so much. I’ll replay this game again in the future, I’m sure. 12. Batman: Arkham Asylum- A GOOD Batman game? I had a side-scrolling brawler for my Super Nintendo that was pretty good, but this game took it to another level. It was finally Batman at his best. Here’s hoping Rocksteady can continue making amazing Batman games in the future. honorable mention: Batman: Arkham City; Batman: Arkham Origins 13. Assassin’s Creed II- I thought the first Assassin’s Creed game was very monotonous, but it was groundbreaking for its time. ACII took everything the first game did right and refined it. It’s my favorite Assassin’s Creed game to date (though IV is giving it a run for its money) and the series hasn’t been as good since. honorable mention: Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood 14. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim- What do I have to say about Skyrim? What can I say about Skyrim? It’s huge, it’s amazing, you fight dragons, you can do anything, go play it. honorable mention: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 15. Metal Gear Solid IV- It held the title of best looking game on the PS3 for a long time. A very short game with a very large amount of cutscenes, but MGSIV was certainly an experience. While MGS3 will probably remain my favorite, I enjoyed my time with IV and will eventually get around to earning those trophies that were FINALLY PATCHED IN. 16. Telltale's The Walking Dead- Clementine. If you don’t understand, play all 5 episodes of the game and come talk to me. I want to hear about the choices you made. 17. Dark Souls- A challenging, but rewarding game. This is a love it or hate it type of game. You’ll either play for 5 minutes and throw the controller in anger because you keep dying at the weak enemies, or you’ll delve deep into the experience and emerge victorious, praising the sun all the while. honorable mention: Demon’s Souls 18. Dead Space 2- I think this game is the quintessential Dead Space experience. It’s got a good blend of horror, action, and gore. I will never, ever stick a needle anywhere near my eye after playing this game. honorable mention: Dead Space 19. Tomb Raider- The new Tomb Raider does Lara Croft right. It borrows from the Tomb Raider games of the past, as well as adding some newer Uncharted and Arkham Asylum mechanics. What you end up with is a fun survival/action game that definitely should be played by any fan of the previous Tomb Raider games, or fans of the Uncharted series. 20. Final Fantasy XIII- Another potentially controversial choice, but despite the horrible, horrible grind to getting the platinum, I enjoyed my time with the characters of XIII. Lightning, Snow, Hope, Vanille, Sazh, and Fang were all memorable and the story was well written. Was it the Final Fantasy game I wanted/expected? No. Was it still a good game? Absolutely. If not for the Final Fantasy namesake, I feel that many people would praise this game for its attempt to shake up the RPG genre. honorable mention: Final Fantasy XIII-2 21. Xenoblade Chronicles- The best RPG on the Wii. I still need to put more time into this game (it might be higher on the list after I see the end), but so far, it’s one of my favorite games from last generation. 22. Halo 3- Halo 2 is the best Halo game ever made, agreed? Agreed. With that said, Halo 3 was the most anticipated game for the Xbox 360 that I can recall. Everyone wanted this game. Even stores like Hot Topic had it in stock. I first got to play it at my friend Emily’s house, on her brother’s big screen television. It was a new experience for me. Looking back, the graphics look like PS2-era graphics and the story leaves a lot to be desired, but you can’t deny what Halo has done for the Xbox brand, and continues to do to this day. honorable mention: Halo 4 23. Portal 2- The first Portal was a witty, short puzzle game with a villain more quotable than any other in existence. Portal 2 took the wit and the puzzles to new heights. This is unmistakably Valve’s best game. honorable mentions: Portal 24. CATHERINE- This game would be better off without the puzzles. There, I said it. I could not get into the puzzle system in the game. However, the story is so engrossing I had to keep playing to find out what would happen with Vincent. If you’ve ever cheated or thought about cheating on a significant other, you should play this game. If you want to learn interesting facts about alcohol, you should play this game. If you like sheep and seeing your protagonist in his underwear, you should play this game. 25. Dishonored- I feel like no one will understand why this game ranks so highly compared to everything else last generation. If you didn’t play through the game with no kills, no alarms, and with no powers...you won’t understand. This game is one of the best stealth games I have ever played, with a very dark, interesting story and true consequences for your actions. It’s sad this game was overlooked by so many, because it deserves to be played the correct way. No kills, no alarms, no powers. Just a man on a mission to save his kingdom and a little girl. More honorable mentions: Infamous 2- Great Superhero sandbox game. Gears of War 2- Chainsaw Bayonet. Yes. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption- The end to an epic trilogy. Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of the White Witch- A charming RPG about loss, friendship, and innocence. VANQUISH- Fast, arcade shooting, with the best controls in a 3rd person shooter, ever. Made by the guy that made Resident Evil 4. Short, intense campaign. Worth playing. Dragon’s Dogma- The fighting in this game feels amazing. If it weren’t for some confusing elements, this would be in the top 25. Just Cause 2- Cause chaos in an open-world sandbox. More fun than GTA. GTA without the drama, really. Borderlands 2- Amazing co-op play. Decently good story and villain. Awesome for people who like scrounging for loot. Half-Life 2- Valve’s story driven FPS. Didn’t love it as much as everyone else, but it had some great moments. Left 4 Dead- Co-op zombie killing fun. Don’t play alone. There. Phew. I haven't played every game from last generation, so if there is a great one I missed, please let me know so I can put it on my list of games to play! teenskat, pheonix561, Sahaqiel and 2 others like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 3 Dec 2013 I didn't see this thread for some reason. Nice thread. No Pokemon, though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 3 Dec 2013 There wasn't a console Pokemon or it would probably be on there. I'm going to do a separate list for handhelds. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 5 Dec 2013 Oh, for some reason I thought that I saw A Link Between Worlds Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 8 Dec 2013 WHY THE HELL IS DARK SOULS SO FAR FROM #1 Also, I definitely agree with you on Assassin's Creed. I personally enjoyed the first game very much, and would have liked to see all the refining 2 did, applied to 1. And a voice for Altair that actually made sense. 2 was a great game and a fantastic sequel to be everything the first game needed improving on, brotherhood and revelations were both progressively worse. I loved the setting for assassin's creed 1, and would have liked to go back to that again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 10 Dec 2013 I largely agree that these games (at least the one's I've played) are some of the greats of this fading generation, even if I disagree on the order they were put in. 4 respect points for not being afraid to put some controversial picks in there. Side note: Half-Life 2 was from the previous generation before this last (it was on the PC and original X-Box) even though it was released on this last gen via the Orange Box. The Half-Life 2 episodes could be considered last gen, tho. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 12 Dec 2013 WHY THE HELL IS DARK SOULS SO FAR FROM #1 Also, I definitely agree with you on Assassin's Creed. I personally enjoyed the first game very much, and would have liked to see all the refining 2 did, applied to 1. And a voice for Altair that actually made sense. 2 was a great game and a fantastic sequel to be everything the first game needed improving on, brotherhood and revelations were both progressively worse. I loved the setting for assassin's creed 1, and would have liked to go back to that again. See I liked Assassins Creed 1's sarcastic Asshole voice for Altair. I know its not historically accurate, but we aren't seeing a historical occurence, just the genetic memory of it. It sounds a lot like desmond cause its filtered through him. I wish it had been the same with Ezio Share this post Link to post Share on other sites