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[Bakkus]

1. Super Mario Galaxy ; Such a fantastic game. While Wii was overall disappointing when it came to Nintendo's first party output, this game and it's sequel were definitely an exception
2. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ;
3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations ;
4. Castle Crashers ;
5. Pokemon Black/White ;
6. Portal ;
7. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ;
8. Bayonetta ;
9. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ;
10. Pokemon Platinum ;

 

[tav7623]

1. Batman: Arkham City - Imo the best Batman game EVA!!!!!! , no seriously I love this game (the 600+ GFD Riddler trophies not so much ) so much and will pop it in every now and then.

2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - This is one of the games that made me want a PS3 (along with MGS 4) and when I finally got to play it I was not disappointed.

3. Red Dead Redemption - I've never been a fan of "Westerns" (the only real exception was the Man with no name trilogy of spaghetti westerns) let alone "Western" themed video games, this game changed that as I would spend hours exploring the wilderness killing wild animals.

4. Mortal Kombat 9 - This was imo the first good MK game in a very long time and I absolutely loved the game's cinematic story mode and how it tied into the original trilogy of games.

5. Bioshock - OMG this F**king game is visually stunning and the setting of Rature is imo quite haunting. So if you haven't played this game already "Would you kindly" go pick up this game or the Bioshock Collection if you don't have a PS3/Xbox 360/PC

6. Ghostbusters: The Video game - The closest we'll ever get to Ghostbusters 3 and given how much I enjoyed this game I'm perfectly fine with that

7. Super Mario Galaxy - The reason why this game is here instead of it's sequel is mainly because I haven't played it, but I did play this one and prior to 3D World it was my favorite 3D Mario game since Mario 64.

8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

9. Dead Space 2

10. Far Cry 3 - Did I ever tell you the definition of Insanity ?

Honourable Mentions
x. Wii Sports
x. Portal - The Cake is a lie
x. New Super Mario Bros.
x. Castlevania: Order of Ecclessia
x. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - OMG a movie tie game that's actually better than the movie it's tying into, it's also imo one of if not the best Wolverine game we've gotten so far
x. Grand Theft Auto V
x. Alan Wake
x. Resident Evil: Revelations 2
x. Wolfenstien: The New Order
x. Rayman Legends

 

[Wozman23]

1. The Last of Us ; It raised every bar with its visuals, atmosphere, and story telling. It was also the first game that I every played where the violence and brutality actually serviced the desperation of the story instead of just feeling gratuitous.
2. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception ; Upon its release, I ranked it behind U2 - mainly because I was a bit disappointed due to a widespread aiming bug - but after revisiting it on the PS4 collection, it has many of the best set pieces and some great refinements to the gameplay.
3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ; Everyone always talks about the leap between the original and this one, for good reason. It established Naughty Dog as arguably the best studio in all of gaming, and was greatly influential to many other games.
4. Rock Band 3 ; The epitome of the rhythm genre. Pro Drum mode took the experience to a completely new level, and thanks to a massive collection of DLC the fun never stopped. I've never spent more money on a single franchise.
5. Velocity ; Originally released for free with PlayStation Plus as a PlayStation mini, compatible with the PSP, the Vita, and the PS3 - and later released as the reworked Velocity Ultra for the Vita - it innovated on the old school SHMUP genre with a amazing teleport mechanic that created an insanely addictive arcade game. It took a simple concept and executed it brilliantly on small scale, and now, five years later, the developer, FuturLab, and the franchise are thriving.
6. Alan Wake ; Reinvigorated the horror genre with a psychological thrill ride that innovated with brilliant darkness and light mechanics. Also had some of the best comic relief characters, especially Barry.
7. Dead Space ; Another shot to the arm for the horror genre, innovating primarily through strategic dismemberment and the arsenal and enemies to support the concept. The Ishimura provided the perfect unsettling atmosphere.
8. Rayman Origins ; A whimsical 2D platformer, and a quirky soundtrack, proving the genre can still flourish. The UbiArt Engine was a technical marvel, allowing for unbridled creativity via hand drawn means.
9. LittleBigPlanet ; It revolutionized the "Play. Create. Share." idea. Besides that, it was a delightfully charming platformer with terrific characters and level design.
10. Resistance 3 ; The pinnacle of Insomniac's take on the First Person Shooter. Trademark Insomniac weapons, a franchise with wonderful lore, and a campaign with shades of Half Life.
x. Sound Shapes; Rhythmic platforming reduced to its most minimal form. A trance-inducing amalgam of sights and sounds.
x. The Unfinished Swan ; An artistic alternative to the First Person shooter, with gameplay and environments that varied with every level.
x. Papo & Yo ; An intensely emotional allegory about substance abuse that showed that games can have gravitas, and deal with difficult, real-life issues.
x. Journey ; One of the early "Are games art?" games. A short but simply beautiful journey.

 

[AniHawk]

Yeah, that rule needs to be changed. First of all, 2011 is too early for a hard cut off since PS4 and Xbox One didn't come out until the end of 2013. It could be a soft cut off with some guidelines on borderline games, but I think 2012 would be a more appropriate baseline.

It feels pointless for me to vote if Dark Souls and XCOM: Enemy Unknown are not allowed for me (having played the PC versions, which came out in 2012), while at the same time this is the gen most others will be voting for them.

dark souls came out nearly a year later with more content. it's more like a next-gen remaster than a year-old port.

2012 is when the vita and 3ds were in full swing. wii u was out at the end of the year as well. i feel like it's a more appropriate start for gen 8 than 2013.

 

[DorkLord54]

1. Mass Effect - Bioware (2007, Xbox 360/PC/PS3)
It was a hard pick between this and my number two, but the initial outing of the Normandy crew won out in the end. While the combat is clunky and hasn't aged well at all, it still introduces us to a new world to explore that I can't help but keeping going back to, with interesting characters that I want to talk to and get to know. It also helps that I like slower-paced games, so the emphasis on conversation compared to its sequels is great for me, as is my love for KotOR, which got me interested in the project when I first heard about it.

2. Dark Souls - From Software (2011, Xbox 360/PC/PS3)
Sure, its second half is kinda crap without the excellent DLC, and its base game bosses aren't that memorable outside of a few, but I can say after replaying it recently that it's still hella enjoyable, with great level design and a world that oozes with atmosphere. If you want to know why so many people buzz about these games, just give this (or its sequels, successors, and predecessor) a try.

3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Bethesda (2006, Xbox 360/PC/PS3)
While there were better games that released in the last generation, none held my attention or captured my playtime like Oblivion did. There was just something about it that made me not want to put it down and just immerse myself in its world for hours, exploring every dungeon, taking every sidequest I could, and trying to join all the organizations I could. Horse armour aside, it also had some of the lengthiest DLC at the time, being more equivalent to full-blown expansion packs at a time when expansion packs were beginning to disappear in favour of smaller chunks of post-release content.

4. Halo 3: ODST - Bungie (2009, Xbox 360)
A controversial choice, for sure, but one that I feel is justified. After Halo 3's mediocre campaign and "Greatest Hits" score, it was nice to see Bungie experiment in a great way, having an open hub that led you to each mission where you got to play as other members of your squad. The hub itself was beautiful, being soaked in a gloomy darkness that helped extenuate your loneliness and build atmosphere. This is helped by the game's phenomenal score, which is easily the best in the Halo series, as well as one of the best in all of gaming.

5. Dead Space - EA Redwood Shores (2008, Xbox 360/PC/PS3)
As someone who usually hates horror, this game has the honor of being the only horror game I've played all the way through. There's a great sense of dread and atmosphere that resonates throughout the U.S.G. Ishimura that never dissipates or budges, leaving you always on the edge of you seat waiting for what's going to come next.

6. Portal 2 - Valve (2011, Xbox 360/PC/PS3)
This sequel to an already great game expands on the concept to make an even greater game that would become legendary for its memeage, thanks to its excellent characters and writing. The puzzles themselves are no slouch, and are just a fun to traverse as the ones in the first go-around. While we'll never know if the cake is a lie, we do know what a turret opera sounds like.

7. Mass Effect 2 - Bioware (2010, Xbox 360/PC/PS3)
Though it would strip away a lot of the complexity and wordiness of the first game, it also stripped away a lot of fat, and unlike Bioware's other streamlined games that would come after, ME2 still feels quintessentially Bioware thanks to its emphasis on its characters, with none of the loyalty missions feeling all that terrible, even the ones for more boring characters like Jacob and Miranda. One of the few sequels that can stack up favourably with its predecessor.

8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Infinity Ward (2007, Xbox 360/PC/PS3/Wii)
The game that started one of the worst trends of the last generation, despite almost everyone recognizing the game itself as also being amongst the best of it as well. With a short-but-sweet campaign that sends you across the globe, it contained some of the best scripted moments in any game, including the now-infamous "Aftermath", which unceremoniously kills off the playable American character. But the main attraction was of course its excellent multiplayer, which was great at the time, before its sequel wore out the formula's welcome.

9. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Bethesda (2011, Xbox 360/PC/PS3)
While it didn't enthrall me nearly as much as its predecessor did, Skyrim still proved itself to be a highly-engrossing experience that took up hours of my free time, much for the same reasons as Oblivion.

10. Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve (2009, Xbox 360/PC)
While it's hardly an innovative title, I don't think I had as much fun with friends last-gen as I did with this game, whether its a match of PvP or us desperately trying to get out of the carnival in PvE. Truly, these were the best of times.

Honourable Mentions
x. BioShock
x. Call of Duty 2
x. Call of Duty: Black Ops
x. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
x. Civilization V
x. Demon's Souls
x. Dragon Age: Origins
x. Gears of War 2
x. Halo 3
x. Portal
x. South Park: The Stick of Truth
x. Team Fortress 2

 

[SatoAilDarko]

The question I'm facing with several titles is to go with the installment I like a little more or go with the installment that everyone is actually voting for to support the series?

I usually count series as one thing in my head when making these lists. It doesn't help that most of my other games are mentioned by nobody yet. I know I shouldn't lie but it's hard to feel like your answers are completely pointless.

1. Super Mario Galaxy; The game that completely renewed my interest in video games.
2. Metroid: Other M; Fusion done right with a control scheme that absolutely sings once you get the nuances down. Ruined me for aiming in 3rd person shooters
3. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; The culmination of everything the wii had building to and the pinnacle of 3d Zelda in that format
4. Dead Rising; most refreshing zombie game in years and one of the games that truly felt next gen
5. Ghost Trick; the writing, characters, and gameplay are just a perfect match for the ds
6. No More Heroes; suda's last great game, great protagonist, amazing array of bosses, and possibly the best ost of the gen
7. The Last Story; finest jrpg of the gen from some of the genre's greatest artists. A little easy but the rest package is just superbly designed.
8. Fragile Dreams - Farewell Ruins of the Moon; Gameplay is so so but the emotional punch the game packs is unmatched.
9. Bayonetta; Amazing gameplay, music, super stylish, packed with content, and Bayonetta is just an amazing character
10. 999; That twist is enough to give it a spot

Honorable mention :
The Witch and the Hundred Knight
Deadly Premonition
Zero: Lunar Eclipse of the Moon

You are surprisingly close to my tastes. I salute you kindred spirit.

 

[AniHawk]

The question I'm facing with several titles is to go with the installment I like a little more or go with the installment that everyone is actually voting for to support the series?

I usually count series as one thing in my head when making these lists. It doesn't help that most of my other games are mentioned by nobody yet. I know I shouldn't lie but it's hard to feel like your answers are completely pointless.

sometimes your answers may show up in odd places. genre awards and other categories... and they get tallied towards platform and publisher totals too.

 

[iconoclast]

dark souls came out nearly a year later with more content. it's more like a next-gen remaster than a year-old port.

2012 is when the vita and 3ds were in full swing. wii u was out at the end of the year as well. i feel like it's a more appropriate start for gen 8 than 2013.

The Dark Souls DLC came out for the 360/PS3 versions like two months later though. That brief window of exclusivity was more of a sales tactic than anything.

I agree that the PC cutoff should be 2012. It's not like anything released on the 3DS, Vita, or Wii U came out on the PC that year. It wasn't affected by the generation shift until the PS4/XB1 were released - until then it was only getting 360/PS3-tier games.

 

[fatherKratos]

1. The Last of Us: From story to voice acting, visuals, progression, ellie-joel's relationship, everything was great. Special mention to the amazing soundtrack.

2. Portal 2: Amazing levels, humor & again voice acting. Co-op campaign was great too. Its second mainly because now that I know the solutions, i dint enjoy playing it again that much.

3. GTA 5: Attention to details is insane.

4. God Of War 3: Amazing boss battles.

5. Uncharted 2: Amazing set pieces and visuals. Special mention to that train section.

6. Puppeteer: What a unique platformer.

7. Batman: Arkham City: Great story and the city was packed with things to do.

 

[Dragon1893]

This is really hard, it was a long gen, the more I think about it the harder it gets.
It brought us so many great new IPs, Bioshock, Portal, Demon's/Dark Souls, RDR, Mass Effect, The Last of Us, Uncharted, Arkham trilogy, The Witcher, Dead Space...

Gonna try to keep this at one game per franchise (except Souls and SMT I guess, different sub-series).

1. The Last of Us ; The game I've always wanted someone to make. For many years my dream game was a survival horror game in a lush post apocalyptic world that portrayed a parent/child relationship like the one in The Road. I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic settings and survival/resource management and TLOU got everything right. ND nailed that vision of a post-apocalyptic world that isn't barren but instead reclaimed by nature, playing on higher difficulties forces you to choose carefully how you apply the scarce resources you manage to gather. The story, characters and acting surpassed all my expectations and turned it into an experience I'll hold very close to my heart forever.

2. The Witcher 2 ; I'm a huge Witcher fan and TW2 was such a tremendous step up from the first game. Unlike most games that claim to allow the player to make important decisions, here I really got to decide the fate of most characters I encountered and was able to influence the way events unfolded significantly. The game looked incredible, with insane attention to detail.

3. Demon's Souls ; The game that started it all and still my favorite in the franchise. The genuine sense of dread that came with every step forward and the trembling hands when crossing a fog door into a boss chamber will stay with me forever. No matter how good a sequel is, the intensity of the first time you get this experience can't be surpassed. NPCs are among the most memorable in gaming and the lore is fantastic.

4. Dark Souls

5. Fallout 3 ; Sure, NV is better but like with Demon's Souls the first time was the one that had the biggest impact on me. I'll never forget stepping out of the vault and going into that hostile world. There was so much to find and the music made the whole experience almost surreal. When I think back on it it feels like I was actually there, that's how immersed I was.

6. The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky First Chapter ; The first half of the best love story ever told in a videogame, featuring the best protagonist and some of the very best writing and world building ever seen in a jrpg.

7. Uncharted 3 ; I love all 3 games almost equally but if you put a gun to my head I'll have to go with UC3 as my favorite campaign. Nate, Elena and Sully are like friends that I'll never forget.

8. Devil Survivor ; I love srpgs and SMT is my favorite franchise, Devil Survivor is easily one of the best srpgs ever made.

9. Strange Journey ; SJ isn't among my favorite games under the SMT umbrella but it still easily makes the list.

10. Bioshock ; Rapture is probably the most fascinating place ever created for a game and uncovering its story was an unforgettable experience. Bioshock 2 is the better game but again the first entry leaves the bigger impression.

Honorable mentions: (again one per franchise, only franchises that didn't make the main list, or else this is gonna be impossible)

x. Mass Effect
x. Yakuza 5
x. Journey
x. Dead Space
x. God of War 3
x. Resistance 3
x. Portal 2
x. Catherine
x. Metal Gear Solid 4
x. Vanquish

 

[AniHawk]

The Dark Souls DLC came out for the 360/PS3 versions like two months later though. That brief window of exclusivity was more of a sales tactic than anything.

I agree that the PC cutoff should be 2012. It's not like anything released on the 3DS, Vita, or Wii U came out on the PC that year. It wasn't affected by the generation shift until the PS4/XB1 were released - until then it was only getting 360/PS3-tier games.

well i appreciate the feedback and i think any future voting there will be some consideration to those titles that morphed throughout the years like dota 2 and team fortress 2, but considering this vote's been underway for a while now i'm not going to change the rules after a couple hundred posts. 5 years is a fair enough time frame for a platform.

 

[Euron]

1. Dark Souls ; Challenging, rewarding, and immensely deep. While the second half of the game has its faults (Lost Izaleth), the first half presents the greatest pacing I have ever seen in a game. Each class feels genuinely different. Add in incredible bosses, one of my favorite co-op experiences ever, and the greatest DLC of all time and you have not only the best game of the 7th gen but one of the greatest ever.

2. Red Dead Redemption ; Combines a beautiful world with an excellent story. Quests provide both quantity and quality. Soundtrack has a few songs that take the game to a whole new level, particularly Far Away. While the start is slow, the latter half of the game makes it worth it, leading to one of the best endings ever in a game. Online play is probably my favorite that Rockstar has done. Free roam is a joy, especially in a posse, and the added co-op missions plus versus mode provide even more to do.

3. Super Mario Galaxy ; Absolutely ingenious level design evolves an already excellent series. But more than visual flair is at hand, the levels provide a challenge, sometimes escalated by additional parameters. Control scheme takes advantage of the Wii motion controls and feels natural. The soundtrack is beautiful and one of Nintendo's best. It's quite difficult for me to find any faults in the game other than my personal preference for the more open-ended design of Mario 64's levels.

4. Halo 3 ; There is not a game that I put more hours into last gen, possibly ever. It has one of the most repayable campaigns of all time. It has some of the best sequences in any game: Scarab Battles, the end Warthog run, and many excellent vehicle fights. Add in four player co-op and a plethora of easter eggs and the single player alone would be worth the price of admission. But things are taken even further with the multiplayer. The maps and core game modes are both excellent, along with the overall gunplay, but it's the custom games and maps that make it my favorite ever. With the ability to edit maps and create game modes for up to 16 players, the replay value extends as far as the imagination of the player.

5. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ; While not the first "cinematic experience", it was the first to truly perfect it. The characters and writing set new heights for the genre. But the "game" part also truly excels, thanks to its strong encounter design and diverse set of locations.

6. Grand Theft Auto V ; One of those games that just does everything very well. My only complaint with it at the time was its performance on 7th gen consoles but there are obviously more options now. Still, I'm going to give credit where it is due even if the 7th gen version isn't the greatest: GTAV is an excellent game that succeeds in all aspects and is a great play on any platform (I also prefer this version's soundtrack)

7. Demon's Souls ; I didn't want to include multiple games from the same series on this list but Demon's Souls is too good to avoid. While Dark Souls surpassed it for me in perhaps every category, its combat, worlds, atmosphere, and bosses still make it an essential game to play and an all time great.

8. The Last of Us ; A different type of cinematic masterpiece than Uncharted 2: Its much slower place and frequent moments of downtime enhance the bleak tone and allow greater absorption into the world. Writing strikes a great balance: It is never too gritty and the humor mostly does not feel forced. Characters are some of the best ever and you actually feel the need to care about them. World design and gameplay is open-ended, which provides more options to the player, preventing encounters from being an average cover shooter.

9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ; Its simplicity is what stands out the most to me. Later CoD games, as well as many other shooters, became so overly-complicated and overwhelming that the fun factor declined. While this game has plenty of unlockables, they are easy to keep track of and understand, each serving a purpose. Killstreaks are merely bonuses and don't dominate the game. The map selection is one of the greatest in any game ever made. And while the campaign isn't the best in the series, it is still a great experience and provides twists and turns that enhance everything without going too over the top.

10. Mass Effect 2 ; While opinions on the series have greatly soured since 3, and my opinion of 2 has decreased over the years, I have to give credit to 2 for building up all game to a single mission that was actually worth the wait. The Suicide Mission is one of my favorite levels in any game. Decisions actually mattered and it felt that everyone on the team played a role. Combat throughout the game was fun as long as you played as a Vanguard. Mission design varied but the dialogue sequences made up for everything. A great atmosphere and soundtrack brought everything together and made the world of Mass Effect 2 one of the most immersive experiences of last gen.

 

[JehutyRunner]

The generation vote I've finally been waiting for. I did a whole thing on my blog about my top ten games of the generation on my blog a few years ago, so some of the words I wrote on those games at that time are gonna form a basis for this. Gonna do this in descending order.

10. The Beatles: Rock Band ; ”And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make," Paul McCartney says in that final song of the game. Anything Harmonix does is done with care and respect to music. After all, music is in its DNA and it's something they truly care about, you can see it in their games – past, present and future. But The Beatles: Rock Band was a lovingly crafted love letter from the developer, not just to The Beatles, but to music as a whole. Outstanding.

9. Portal 2 ; We may go on waiting another six years for a resolution to Dr Freeman's story [Ed note: hahahaha oh past me knows how to write these - its been six years alone since Portal 2 came out], but in the case of Portal 2, it was Valve's finest hour since that Red Letter Day.

8. Heavy Rain ; Heavy Rain is a game that told an engrossing story, one of the best of the generation, and asked the player serious questions about morality in the process. Beyond may not have lived up to the high standards of what came from the studio before it, but personally speaking, if Heavy Rain – and to a lesser extent tech demo Kara [Ed note: in this instance, Detroit: Become Human] – showed what's still possible from Quantic Dream, then Beyond was merely a blip.

7. Mass Effect 2 ; Mass Effect 2, more or less, feels like the Shepard trilogy's version of The Empire Strikes Back. Again, no dramatics, just an awesome AAA blockbuster that was incredible to sink your teeth into for the 30-40 hours or so that the game has you for.

6. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot ; Metal Gear Solid 4 has the hallmarks of Hideo Kojima within: ridiculously long cut-scenes, weird Kojima-like moments and the Hollywood inspiration that bears on the game like a hawk. And this won't make sense if you've not been following the series since MGS1 (or at least, like me, since MGS2), but Kojima always makes sure you're in for a massively wild ride.

If you got in just for MGS4, chances are you just won't get it. But for the fan who's been in since MGS1/2, who's had to put up with breaking the fourth wall, La-Le-Lu-Li-Lo and nanomachines but also some fantastic messaging on anti-nuke, riveting characters, censorship and current & future technology, MGS4 is still another enjoyable Hideo Kojima ride.

And I quite like it.

5. BioShock Infinite ; BioShock Infinite is a shooter that tries to break the norms of a traditional shooter and tries something different within a genre that is filled with so many space marine/military shooters as of these past few years. A fascinating, incredibly made world to explore – both before its downfall and whilst in the midst of its ruins – its themes of racism, politics and religion with a fascinating set of characters to boot and brilliant setpieces.

4. Grand Theft Auto V ; If GTA IV represented a cold and depressed Rockstar North that eventually perked up with the released of its DLC, Grand Theft Auto V represented the Edinburgh-based studio's finest work in not just the series' sixteen year history, but one of Rockstar's finest in its now fifteen year history.

3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ; Uncharted 2 was an action spectacle like no other. A story with some brilliant wit but also maturity around it and a superb cast, all with incredible setpiece sequences and outstanding scenery surrounding it. It advanced storytelling in games to whole new heights that, until then, not been seen for a long time. It confirmed Naughty Dog as the flagship studio within Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios and if they weren't already, they were now among gaming's development elite.

2. Journey ; Journey was already something incredible, in my eyes. But having now seen it in an entirely new way after this, it's something more, something higher. And that in itself is truly the biggest praise I can heap upon Journey and Thatgamecompany.

1. The Last of Us ; The Last of Us is special. Game of the Year doesn't even come close to how I feel about it. Game of the Generation gets it partly there. But it overtaking Metal Gear Solid 3, the first game I truly fell in love with and the one game to make me realise that all I want to do was write about games, as my favourite game ever is probably the biggest honour I can bestow upon it.

Honourable mentions:

x. The Orange Box ; The best god damn thing last gen on console that wasn't The Last of Us.

x. Alan Wake ; Remedy's best game to date. This is not up for debate.

x. Forza Horizon ; The series has gone from strength to strength, but its 2012 debut is such a monumental game and honestly one of the best racing games ever.

x. Grand Theft Auto IV ; Even if V is such a better game in every way objective, I still have a super soft spot for IV. I love it so and I'll happily die on its hill defending it.

x. Tomb Raider ; Crystal Dynamics revived an icon in the best possible way.

 

[AniHawk]

when this generation started, i had the idea that nintendo was going to be a successful owner of a niche part of the industry. what i was really expecting was what happened to them with the 3ds and currently the switch (which is basically mainstream but the dedicated hardware space is now a division of the overall industry). i bought the ds because i had some store credit at game rush, blockbuster's in-store game store. i had it and super mario 64 ds with the intention of flipping them, but wound up playing it instead. the ds wasn't a great investment. the psp looked cool, but i was worried it would kill a segment of gaming that i really loved, which was 2d games and basically the stuff i grew up with. in 2005 though, it became one of my more often-used systems, second to the ps2 and ahead of the gamecube. i gave stuff i wouldn't normally try a go, games like yoshi touch & go and lost in blue (which was the first game to use the ds's sleep mode as a gameplay mechanic iirc).

i thought the 360 was overpriced at launch, and the price tag prevented me from getting one despite the enjoyable call of duty 2 demo i played. so the ps3 press conference was a shock to the system. i had been looking forward to ps3 as the real entry for consoles into the 7th gen and sony came off clueless instead, and it was the first sign that they had no faith in the psp in hindsight. in 2006, the ds was still second to ps2 for me though, but i remember that year being full of pretty good games. the wii, after a minor scare with the lack of a nunchuck controller, seemed pretty cool. i was also loving what turned into resurgence in platformers. sonic and the secret rings was an early guilty pleasure in how new control methods could affect game design. while i was in college, it was something i thought about more and more.

2007 was the year of the wii. it leapfrogged the ds and ps2 and became my main platform for about a year and a half. gamecube games, wiiware, virtual console, and new wii games ensured a lot of play time in those years. i finally got a 360 when it dropped below $300 at the end of 2007, just in time for bioshock, halo 3, and the orange box. i found halo 3 immediately boring and bioshock completely lacking of challenge, and sold them for store credit within a month of purchasing them. the orange box became my most played console game though. i replayed half-life 2, and had all new expereinces, even biting the bullet and getting xbox live for a year, sinking 500 hours into team fortress 2. the 360 became my multiplatform system and pc game-player between 2007 and 2009, and got the majority of playtime in 2009.

the only time i waited in line for black friday, i got a slim ps3. the system won't read discs anymore, but it became my netflix machine for years an it was home to some of my favorite games of the generation. the month of january 2010 when i really sunk some time into it, i finished valkyria chronicles and ratchet & clank: a crack in time.

at this point i didn't really need a pc or a psp. i was just starting to get into steam though. portal 2 came with a code for steam so i finally made an account. this led me to team fortress 2 there, which i hadn't played for a few years because i didn't want to invest in more xbox live. it was pretty shocking to know it had expanded so much out of what i had played a couple years earlier. since then, i've put in over 1700 hours into that game and play it regularly.

3ds was my first 8th gen platform, and it was followed by wii u and vita in 2013. i actually got an xbox one and ps4 in 2013, but returned them to the store within a month. as a result, i stuck around with the 7th gen longer than usual, even expecting to play persona 5 on ps3 until i received a ps4 as a gift last year. i think the most exciting time for the generation was between 2007 and 2010. that was when developers were committed to trying out new ideas or polishing the hell out of tried and true gameplay. that was when you had both super mario galaxy games, the orange box, bayonetta, 999, infinite space, valkyria chronicles, and so much more. it's probably my favorite era in gaming.

 

[CannonFodder52]

1-Dark Souls Continued to save gaming.
2-Demon Souls Saved gaming.
3-Deadly Premonition Best game.
4-Yakuza 3 Played this for the first time in 2017. Incredibly engrossing and emotional plot w/ great beat 'em up gameplay.
5-Dead Rising Best Dead Rising title, plus one of the only "survival' ish games I've ever enjoyed.
6-Nier Also played this for the first time in 2017. Would put it on this list for the soundtrack alone.
7-Ghost Trick
8-Catherine Good vibes.
9-Halo 3 The first time I ever got into online console gaming, nothing has yet to surpass it.
10-Silent Hill: Shattered Memories I like this game more than I should.

x Team Fortress 2
x Phoenix Wright
x No More Heroes
x S.T.A.L.K.E.R
x Penumbra: Black Plague (Better than Amnesia. Popularized/brought uninteresting gameplay to the horror genre)
x Metro 2033
x Metro Last Light
x Brothers A Tale of Two Sons
x Journey
x Bayonetta
x Vanquish
x Metal Gear Solid Rising Revengeance
x Orange Box
x Dead Space
x Alan Wake

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

10. The Orange Box; A great package. Come on this has Half-Life 2 which is a superb 1st Person shooter along with its two expansions, Team Fortress 2 although most play on PC, and Portal. Portal was really neat. I think it was made by Valve interns.

9. Grand Theft Auto V; I didn't get to play this much and when I did I rushed and played it since I was playing a friend's copy and in his room. A replay might put this up higher, but for now I'm leaving it at a 9. It is definitely a well-made game. I can't place it above San Andreas, but it's good. I would like to try the online someday.

8. Batman: Arkham City;
No one expected a superhero game to be that good, but Batman Arkham Asylum actually turned out to be great and Arkham City was even better. While some of the level design wasn't as good, City made up for it with more boss fights and improved combat and stealth. Like Asylum, this game feels like a love letter for Batman fans with multiple references to the comics and voices from 90's animated series. I still have yet to play Knight, but maybe one of these days.

7. Pokemon Black 2; I was absent from this series for years, but decided to give it another try. Played Emerald some time ago, but then hopped on Soul Silver, but wanted to play a game where I could capture some new pokemon and Black 2 was suggested to me. Actually, I never played the base game and all my experience is from a hacked version, but I want to put it on here anyway. The game doesn't look as pretty as Soul Silver, but it improves in a lot of other areas. Battles are much faster, items are more plentiful, and then you have the addition of triple and rotation battles. I really liked some of the new pokemon, but also disliked quite a few as well. The game offered me plenty of challenge and have put a ton of time in this game. It's the last Pokemon I've played to date and am eager to try out Sun & Moon some time in the future.

6. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride; I forgot how I came across this game. It was probably at random, but I'm glad I played this. Prior to V the only Dragon Quest game I've played was VIII. It's been a while since I've played VIII, but I want to say this game is just as good. I have a more emotional response to the story. It's not well-written, but it's presented beautifully and makes the journey feel longer than it is. I thought this game was about 60 hours long when I first played it. The RPG components can be a little frustrating at times like the random battles and barely having enough money for equipment, but the game is addicting and makes you look beyond its flaws. The random encounter rate is pretty bad though. Plenty of times I just wanted to leave a dungeon or get to a chest and I get bombarded by battles and trying to run away from them half the time leads to me getting fucked up hard. On that note, the battles in this game are pretty tough, but fair most of the time. You'll likely die a lot throughout the journey, but mostly against random enemies than bosses. Dragon Quest V makes you think in every encounter you have and how to beat the enemy in the most efficient way possible. DQ V also has a monster recruiting system where you can have certain monsters join your party. They too can be equipped with weapons and armor. You'll likely be switching some of these around throughout your journey until you get more permanent human party members. V has a lot of good in it and I think it's best enjoyed if you come in not knowing a damn thing about it like I did. I'm glad to experience it. I look forward to playing this again.

5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl;
Competitive community like to shit on this game, but I don't give a fuck. This is my shit right here! Fun as hell, plenty of single player content and oh, and oh the music. That shit is so dope. Unabashedly one of the best video game soundtracks of all time. Real talk.

4. The Last of Us; Naughty Dog made a great followup to the Uncharted trilogy. Basically a zombie story with mushrooms, the story of Joel and Ellie was compelling and the only time a game ending made me mad. I've still haven't gotten to play The Last of Us's multiplayer. I hope people are still playing it.

3. Super Mario Galaxy; One of the best Mario games period!

2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves;
Arguably one of the best games of all time. The E3 demo of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was the hottest shit in 09 and I got that shit day one. It was breath of fresh air in the industry with its spectacle and Hollywood action film type story. The multiplayer was also the greatest thing while there were still people playing it and I got really good at it at one point.

1. LittleBigPlanet; One of my favorites. The main reason I like this game actually is due to the non-game part; making levels. I am the creative type so this was meant for me. I had no happier time with a game than creating levels in this and even got a couple of people to help me design one.



Honorable Mentions

x. Scott Pilgrim vs the World
x. Tekken 6
x. Super Stardust HD
x. Catherine
x. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
x. Dragon's Crown


I feel like my opinion may change later, but I've had this tab opened for several days and haven't shut down my computer so I want it to be over with and I'll edit it later.

 

[Megatron]

1; Little Big Planet
2; Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
3; Super Mario Galaxy
4; The Last of Us
5; Super Smash Bros. Brawl
6; Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
7; Batman: Arkham City
8; Pokemon Black 2
9; Grand Theft Auto V
10; Dragon's Crown

Honorable Mentions

x. Scott Pilgrim vs the World
x. Tekken 6
x. Super Stardust HD
x. Catherine
x. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia


I feel like my opinion may change later, but I've had this tab opened for several days and haven't shut down my computer so I want it to be over with and I'll edit it later.

Good list, but you need to add at least one comment for it to count.

 

[Shambalakan]

It's really hard to make a top 10 or even top 20 list for last gen! :|

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ; One of the best games of my life, not only last gen!
2. Gran Turismo 5 ; I had really high expectations for GT5, but it wasn't a flawless game. Almost every part of GT5 had some flaws, but overall experience was fantastic for me.
3. Mass Effect 2 ; ME1&3 were great too, but ME2 was best one for me. Amazing characters, story and locations made it an outstanding game.
4. God of War III ; Best GoW after GoWII. Story wasn't that amazing, but gameplay was superb! And those boss fights... Wow!!!
5. Rayman Legends ; As a platformer lover who didn't have Nintendo consoles, it was something I wanted for years. Easily a 10/10 game for me. Please make a new Rayman!
6. Super Meat Boy ; Another amazing platformer with lovable difficulty and nice level design.
7. Batman: Arkham City ; I'm a Batman fan and there weren't lots of amazing 3D Batman games before Arkham Asylum. Asylum was really good, but City was much better in my opinion.
8. The Last of Us ; I like Uncharted series more than TLoU. Can't play games about zombies/infected creatures easily. But TLoU was something else. It was so good and loved every moments of it.
9. Gears of War ; One of the first amazing experiences of last gen. From outstanding graphics to great gameplay, it was so enjoyable.
10. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock ; Miss those days with GH. Really loved that series and spent lots of time in GH games, specially in GH3.

X. Fable II
X. Portal 2
X. Journey
X. BioShock
X. Dark Souls
X. Forza Horizon
X. Street Fighter IV
X. Burnout Paradise
X. BioShock: Infinite
X. The Walking Dead
X. Forza Motorsport 4
X. Grand Theft Auto V
X. Super Mario Galaxy
X. Red Dead Redemption
X. Project Gotham Racing 4
X. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
X. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
X. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

@AniHawk Sorry! Added comments.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

1. The Orange Box ; Team Fortress 2 is the team-based shooter perfected, and as close to the perfect balance between teamwork and individual skill as we've gotten (and likely will get, given the unfortunate trend of dumbing down mechanical skill we're seeing these days). 2000 hours and still going - like the quote says, "it's the most fun you can have online."
Hl2ep2 is one of the greatest single-player shooters ever made.
Portal is one of the greatest puzzle games ever made.

2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; An incredible experience with perfect gameplay and often jaw-dropping presentation.

3. Super Mario Galaxy ; Only one single-player game this gen managed to best it.

4. Fallout: New Vegas ; Easily the best RPG ever, and until this year the best open-world game.

5. Crysis ; Visually stunning and very innovative gameplay-wise, Crysis is what should have been the most influential shooter of the generation, and delivered more on the type of gameplay promised by Bioshock than Bioshock itself.

6. STALKER: Shadows of Chernobyl ;

7. No More Heroes ;

8. House of the Dead: Overkill ;

9. Portal 2 ;

10. Serious Sam 3 ;

 

[ASaiyan]

1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Nothing beats the magic and the incredible worlds of this game, which took an almost-perfect title and removed the only things holding it back.
2. Ni no Kuni - A dream collaboration between Studio Ghibli and Level-5 birthed this beautiful cel-shaded JRPG that apes Pokemon even better than Yo-kai Watch.
3. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver - Two of the greatest titles in the Pokemon series remade with beautiful new graphics, Pokemon you can take for a walk, and other updates.
4. Steins;Gate - The greatest VN of all time, with a beautifully weird cast and art style. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will learn damn well never to mess with time travel.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Only Wind Waker beats this Zelda in my heart, with its incredible dungeons and bosses. This is how you start a console off right.
6. Bayonetta - The first hour I spent in the original Bayonetta is literally the most fun I've ever had in a video game. You can combo almost any way and it feels utterly amazing.
7. Portal - A wonderfully unique game that once again refreshed what we thought we know about puzzles, narration, and end credits themes.
8. Journey - Journey is not even so much a game as a spiritual and emotional experience that will never leave you.
9. Mirror's Edge - Few titles are as immersive and unique as Mirror's Edge. I want another game that makes me feel like I'm soaring above a beautiful, yet dangerous city.
10. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box - A game that innovates puzzles by wrapping them in a lovely point-and-click adventure. With a story that will leave you surprised. And crying.

 

[Kangi]

1. Minecraft ; I can't in good faith say this isn't in my top three of all time, let alone this generation. I've simply had too much fun with it to this day to deny its impact on me. I've walked through too many servers, seen too many people, played with too many friends, experienced too many new experiences, and watched too many sunsets over worlds all my own to ever say this wasn't the best thing to come out of this generation.
2. Kirby Super Star Ultra ; I'm a big platformer fan. Kirby Super Star was one of the best 2D platformers of all time. The DS remake, with its added features, is the best 2D platformer of all time. That deserves (almost) top honors.
3. Portal 2 ; A near-perfect puzzle game. One of those rare games that I hop back into just to experience a level or two again.

Only putting down three because even coming up with these was tough.

 

[Nothing1016]

1. Dark Souls
2. Bayonetta
3. Super Mario Galaxy
4. Valkyria Chronicles
5. Mass Effect 2
6. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
8. Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen
9. Xenoblade Chronicles
10. Metal Gear Solid 4

Honorable Mentions:

X. Binary Domain
X. Devil May Cry 4
X. Gears of War
X. Halo 3
X. Fallout New Vegas
X. Call of Duty: Black Ops
X. Wii Sports
X. Shadows of the Damned
X. The World Ends With You
X. BioShock
X. Catherine

Will add in comments later. Darks Souls, Bayonetta, and Mario are essentially tied. but I needed an order.

 

[AniHawk]

It's really hard to make a top 10 or even top 20 list for last gen! :|

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2. Gran Turismo 5
3. Mass Effect 2
4. God of War III
5. Rayman Legends
6. Super Meat Boy
7. Batman: Arkham City
8. The Last of Us
9. Gears of War
10. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

X. Fable II
X. Portal 2
X. Journey
X. BioShock
X. Dark Souls
X. Forza Horizon
X. Street Fighter IV
X. Burnout Paradise
X. BioShock: Infinite
X. The Walking Dead
X. Forza Motorsport 4
X. Grand Theft Auto V
X. Super Mario Galaxy
X. Red Dead Redemption
X. Project Gotham Racing 4
X. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
X. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
X. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

please add a comment for this to count.

 

[AniHawk]

Thought we were waiting until around 2020 to do this. Recency bias and all.

people wanted this in 2013. i've held off quite a while and persona 5 is really the end of the super huge titles from the gen. it's pretty recent, but i doubt it will affect the list much.

 

[Ikon]

Thought I'd try to finish off a few more games before the deadline but it's starting to look increasingly unlikely. So here goes:


1. The Orange Box ; I thought I'd have a hard time picking out my number one game for this list - turns out it couldn't be easier! This compilation contains: One of the four games that I constantly debate whether they're the best game ever and its amazing expansions (Half-Life 2). My all time favorite competitive multiplayer game that I've put far more than 1000 hours into together with my wife and some great friends. I wonder if I will ever get a multiplayer experience as great as playing a spy in this game (Team Fortress 2). A really neat puzzle game full of charm and inventive gameplay. With one of the all time best theme songs to boot (Portal).

2. Dark Souls ; Another game I go back and forth on whether it's the best game of all time or not. The world, the atmosphere, the combat, the options, the individual areas, the challenge... I just love it all so much. There are some spots that are decidedly flawed (I'm talking about you, Bed of Chaos) but that feeling when you finally beat Ornstein and Smough (or whoever you get stuck on) after trying repeatedly for days is so amazing any and all blemishes pale in comparison. And then, going back in NG+ or on your next character and just destroying them is almost better still. I've come to understand it's not for everyone, but it's that one game I recommend to all my gamer friends to see if it'll click or not. If it does we can usually talk about our experiences for days and days. If you haven't already, go give this game a shot!

3. Mass Effect 2 ; Right now it feels best to focus on how great Mass Effect used to be. This game (and the entire trilogy, for the most part) had so many spectacular things going for it. The worlds they let you visit were wonderful and varied. The combat was some of the most fun I've ever experienced in a game with a diverse set of classes, powers and teammates to experiment with combinations of. Speaking of the teammates, holy shit I miss those guys! Everyone single one of them (minus Jacob) was great and I can't help but to go back and replay the game from time to time just to hang out with them again.

4. Super Mario Galaxy ; Others have praised this game far more competently and enthusiastically than I probably ever could. It's a masterclass in gameplay and creativity in the way that apparently nobody except Nintendo EAD can achieve. And even for them this is a standout game with few equals.

5. Grand Theft Auto V ; I've played and loved GTA since the very first game and to me GTAV is the most fun the series has ever been. There's just so much freedom to come up with any number of antics. The story is a roller coaster of equal measures stupidity and excellence that is home to some absolutely stellar missions. The best ones are without a doubt the heists, because they're more focused, but I think they're all the better for the sheer lunacy that envelop them.

6. Red Dead Redemption ; I bought this day 1 and couldn't stand it at all, without really being able to articulate why. I still played for quite a bit (halfway through Mexico) before putting it aside and feeling more than a little disappointed, given the usual excellence of Rockstar's open world games. Tastes change, thankfully, and upon revisiting it as part of me trying to clear out my backlog it just clicked with me immediately. Mexico still isn't the high point of the game in any way but it's still a ton of fun and the mission design throughout the entire game is really fun, though what cements its spot on this list is the writing. Every major - and many minor - character is exceptionally fleshed out and irrevocably flawed. It makes for a story that I now couldn't help but see all the way through, despite finding myself wondering who I loathed more every now and again.

7. Call of Duty: Black Ops ; Going into last gen I would NEVER have thought a Call of Duty would ever come anywhere near my top 10 list by the end of it - I'd have scoffed at the notion. However, I wound up making friends with a great group of people who were playing these games together online almost daily. After watching them play a few times I decided to try it out for myself, and found myself having an incredible amount of fun for the following couple of years. Black Ops was where I started and possibly because of that it's still my favorite. The series also peaked here in a couple of ways. A large number of the maps are series highlights and they all fit the gameplay and game modes just right. As a result Domination has never been better. There's so many great weapons to build classes around, with vastly differing play styles as an effect. I didn't even find my favorite gun until after I'd hit max prestige: the Enfield. It's honestly a pretty shit gun to most people, but it's accurate and has just the right rate of fire for me with decent range.

8. Bayonetta ; This game was a like a revelation for me and opened he doors to an entirely new world of gaming. Sure, the cutscenes are kooky, but the rest of the game is all out amazing. It leads with one of the strongest opening sections in all of gaming and manages to ramp it up to nearly absurd levels before one of the most epic final boss fights ever. The combat with those oh-so-important and satisfying dodges may seem daunting at first glance but it's surprising how easy it is to learn. Once you get it, playing through the game multiple times becomes more and more enjoyable. Eventually Nonstop Climax puts everything you thought you knew about how to play this game on its head and besting that is an incredibly rewarding task.

9. Super Meat Boy ; I grew up loving 2D platformers but for me the genre kind of fell by the wayside after Super Mario World. For years there weren't any real stand out games to me in the genre until one day at a friend's house I saw this being played. I tried it a little there and then went home and bought it the same night. After that I lived Super Meat Boy for a long while. The levels are tough but just the right length so you don't mind a whole ton of tries to master them. What seals the sea though, is the controls. This game controls better than possibly any other game and every kind of jump and movement feels exactly the way it should. I don't care much for achievements anymore, but that 200/200 I'm actually quite proud of!

10. DJMax Portable Clazziquai Edition ; I didn't much care for the PSP library, but the DJMax games completely redeemed the purchase for me. Clazziquai takes the spot for me because it was just such a nice little surprise after the first couple of entries. Same great gameplay but with a style that really fit me. Best rhythm game ever.

 

[AniHawk]

@AniHawk Sorry! Added comments.

thank you - added!

 

[jono51]

1. The Godfather: The Game ; Who knew that the best game of the gen would come out right at the start, right? It’s the movie, but better, and perfectly encapsulates why videogames have superseded all other entertainment mediums by every metric.

2. STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl ; GOAT FPS/Horror/RPG hybrid. For 15-20 hours, STALKER maintains an atmosphere that was engineered to fill you with sensations of panic, dread, and foreboding. All whilst every entity within the zone, living or not, relentlessly tries to crush your balls.

3. Guild Wars: Eye of the North ; Tactical vote.

4. Project Gotham Racing 4 ; Incredible simcade racer. Just simply sublime. I hope that Phil Spencer gets MKUltra’d and greenlights a PGR 4x4k collection.

5. Minecraft ; Don’t have to say much about this one.

6. Crysis ; Far Cry is a 9/10. You played the role of Arnold in Predator. Mathematician Cevat Yerli then applied the ol' f(1/Far Cry) formula to give us an 11/10 game where you play as the Predator.

7. Ninja Gaiden II ; is to action games, as milk is to oatmeal cookies.

8. Crackdown ; Just fuck shit up, the game.

9. Burnout Revenge ; It’s a shame that Burnout had to end in 2006, but it ended on a pretty fucking high note.

x. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance ; You won’t want it to end, which is why you’ll play it 4, 5, 6, 7 times.
x. Grand Theft Auto V ; I consider it gen 8, truthfully.
x. Half Life 2 Episode 2 ; It’s not that it’s not great, it’s that the above 9 are just /better/
x. John Woo Presents Stranglehold ; Fuck awesome go-sideways shooter #1…
x. Wet ; …and fuck awesome go-sideways shooter #2

 

[AniHawk]

3D Dot Game Heroes
42 All Time Classics
999: Nine Persona, Nine Hours, Nine Doors
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Akai Katana
Alan Wake
Alice in Wonderland
Alpha Protocol
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Anarchy Reigns
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed 2
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
Assassin's Creed IV
Asura's Wrath
Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Totori
Back to the Future: The Game
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Bastion
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham City
Battle Fantasia
Battlefield 1943
Battlefield 3
Battlefield: Bad Company
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Bayonetta
Beyond Good & Evil HD
Beyond Two Souls
Binary Domain
Bioshock
Bioshock 2
Bioshock Infinite
Blackwell Unbound
Blazblu Calamity Trigger
Blue Dragon
Borderlands
Borderlands 2
Braid
Brain Age
Brandish: The Dark Revenant
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Burnout Legends
Burnout Paradise
Burnout Revenge
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Castle Crashers
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Catherine
Cave Story +
Child of Light
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Contact
Corpse Party
Counter-Strike GO
Crackdown
Crysis
Crysis 2
Daigasso! Band Brothers
Dark Souls
Dark Souls II
Darksiders
Darksiders 2
Daxter
De Blob
Dead Island
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate
Dead Rising
Dead Space
Dead Space 2
Deadly Premonition
Deathsmiles
Demon's Souls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Devil May Cry 4
Diablo 3
Digimon World DS
Disaster: Day of Crisis
Disgaea DS
Dishonored
DJMax Portable Clazziqual Edition
DmC: Devil may Cry
Dodonpachi Resurrection
Donkey Kong Country returns
Dota 2
Double Dragon Neon
Dragon Age 2
Dragon Age Inquisition
Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
Dragon Quest IV
Dragon Quest IX
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Dragon Quest VI
Dragon's Crown
Dragon's Dogma
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Driver: San Francisco
Ducktales Remastered
Dustforce
Earth Defense Force 2017
Elite Beat Agents
Enslaved
Eternal Sonata
Etrian Odyssey
Etrian Odyssey II
Etrian Odyssey III
Everybody's Golf: World Tour
Excite Truck
F.E.A.R.
Fable 2
Fallout 3
Fallout: New Vegas
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 3
Far Cry: Blood Dragon
Fatal Frame 2
Fatal Frame 4
Fez
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy Tactics A2
Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy: Four Heroes of Light
Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Flying Red Barrel
Folklore
Fortune Street
Forza Horizon
Forza Motorsport 4
Fragile Dreams
Galactic Civilization 2
Gears of War
Gears of War 2
Gears of War 3
Geometry Wars
Geometry Wars 2
Ghost Trick
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
God of War 3
God of War: Chains of Olympus
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Gran Turismo 5
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Groove Coaster
Guacamelee
Guild Wars: Eye of the North
Guilty Gear Xrd
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (R – 3, Plus – 3)
Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero World Tour
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Half-Minute Hero
Halo 3
Halo 3 ODST
Halo 4
Halo: Reach
Hard Corps
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd
Heavenly Sword
Heavy Rain
Hexic
Hitman: Blood Money
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
Hotline Miami
House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
House of the Dead Overkill
Hydroventure
I Wanna be the Boshy
I Wanna be the Guy
inFamous
InFamous 2
inFamous: Festival of Blood
Infinite Space
Jeanne D'arc
Journey
Jubeat Copious
Just Cause 2
Kameo: Elements of Power
Katamari Forever
Killzone 2
King of Fighter XIII
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Kirby Canvas Curse
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Kirby's Epic Yarn
Kororinpa
LA Noire
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Last Window: The Secret of Cape West
League of Legends
Left 4 Dead 2
Life is Strange
Limbo
Little King's Story
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet 2
Locoroco
Lost Odyssey
Lost Planet
LostWinds
LostWinds 2: Winter of the Melodias
Lumines
Lumines Supernova
Madworld
MAG
Magical Starsign
Marble Blast Ultra
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart Wii
Mario Strikers Charged
Mark of the Ninja
Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet
Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect Trilogy
Max Payne 3
Medal of Honor
Mega Man 9
Mega Man: Powered Up
Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Meteos
Metro 2033
Metro Last Light
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Metroid: Other M
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Midway Arcade Origins
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
Minecraft
Mirror's Edge
Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme vs. Full Boost
ModNation Racers
Monster Hunter Freedom
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
Monster Hunter Portable 3rd
Monster Hunter Tri
Mortal Kombat
Motorstorm
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Mountain of Faith
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Mushihimesama Futari
N+
Naurto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3
NBA 2K13
Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2005
Neverwinter Nights 2
New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
NieR
Ninja Gaiden 2
No More Heroes
No More Heroes 2
Noby Noby Boy
Norrland
NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits
Okami
Ouendan
Ouendan 2
Outland
Outrun 2006
Outrun Online Arcade
Pac-Man CE DX
Papo & Yo
Patapon
Penumbra: Black Plague
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 5
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations
Picross 3D
Picross DS
Pixeljunk Eden
Plants vs. Zombie
Pokemon Black 2/White 2
Pokemon Black/White
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
Pokemon SoulSilver/HeartGold
Portal
Portal 2
Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Professor Layton and the Last Specter
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Project Gotham Racing 4
Prototype
Psychonauts
Punch-Out!!
Puppeteer
Rabbids Go Home
Radiant Historia
Rain
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Rayman Legends
Rayman Origins
Recettear
Red Dead Redemption
Red Faction Guerilla
Red Steel 2
Remember Me
Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence
Resident Evil: Revelations 2
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Resistance 2
Resistance 3
Resistance: Fall of Man
Resonance of Fate
Rhythm Heaven
Rhythm Heaven Fever
Ridge Racer
Ridge Racer 7
Rock Band
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 3
Rugby League 3
SaGa 2 Goddess of Destiny
Saint's Row 2
Saint's Row 4
Saint's Row the Third
Sakura Wars: So Long My Love
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Serious Sam 3: BFE
Shadow Complex
Shadows of the Damned
Shantae: Risky's Revenge
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Sid Meier's Civilization V
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
Singularity
Siren: Blood Curse
SKATE 3
Sleeping Dogs
Solatorobo: The Red Hunter
Sonic All-Stars Racing
Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed
Sonic Colors
Sonic Colors
Sonic Generations
Sonic Rush
Sonic Rush Adventure
Sonic Unleashed
Soul Bubbles
Soul Calibur 5
Soul Calibur IV
Sound Shapes
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Space Invaders Extreme 2
Spec Ops: The Line
Spelunky
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Split Second
SSX
Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
Starship Patrol
State of Decay
Steins;Gate
Stranglehold
Street Fighter IV
Suikoden Tierkreis
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Meat Boy
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Super Paper Mario
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Stardust HD
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars
Syndicate
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Tales of Graces
Tales of Vesperia
Tales of Xillia 2
Team Fortress 2
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
Tekken 6
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Terraria
Tetris DS
The Beatles Rock Band
The Binding of Isaac
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Godfather: The Game
The Last of Us
The Last Story
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Orange Box
The Pinball Arcade
The Saboteur
The Unfinished Swan
The Walking Dead
The Witch and the Hundred Knight
The Witcher
The Witcher 2
The Wolf Among Us
The World Ends with You
To the Moon
Tokyo Jungle
Tomb Raider
Too Human
Transformers Fall of Cybertron
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Trauma Center: Under the Knife
Trauma Team
Trials HD
Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins
Umineko n Kaku Koro Ni
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Valkyria Chronicles
Valkyria Chronicles II
Valkyria Chronicles III
Vanquish
Velocity
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
Virtua Tennis 3
Virtua Tennis 4
Viva Pinata Trouble in Paradise
VVVVVV
Warhawk
Wario Land Shake It!
Wet
White Knight Chronicles 2
Wii Fit Plus
Wii Music
Wii Sports
Wii Sports Resort
Wipeout HD
Wipeout HD Fury
Wolfenstein: The New Order
World of Goo
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Worms Reloaded
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Xenoblade Chronicles
Yakuza 3
Yakuza 4
Yakuza 5
Yoshi's Island DS
Ys Origin
Ys Seven
Ys: The Oath in Felghana

 

[GamerJM]

Mushihimesama Futari and Mushihimesama Futari Ver 1.5 would probably be better consolidated into one entry. I think I'd say similar things about Dragon's Dogma and Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen?

It's also worth noting that Rhythm Paradise is just the European title for the game known in the US as "Rhythm Heaven" (DS).

 

[mrmickfran]

Am i the only one who voted for Sin & Punishment?

 

[Megatron]

I do kind of wish that on top of the game of the year award that everyone voted for their favorite game in every major genre too. It would be interesting to gauge the opinion of Guitar hero vs Rockband, Forza vs GT, Halo vs CoD, etc.

 

[AniHawk]

Mushihimesama Futari and Mushihimesama Futari Ver 1.5 would probably be better consolidated into one entry. I think I'd say similar things about Dragon's Dogma and Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen?

It's also worth noting that Rhythm Paradise is just the European title for the game known in the US as "Rhythm Heaven" (DS).

thanks - made those adjustments.

Am i the only one who voted for Sin & Punishment?

there have been a few others

 

[AniHawk]

I do kind of wish that on top of the game of the year award that everyone voted for their favorite game in every major genre too. It would be interesting to gauge the opinion of Guitar hero vs Rockband, Forza vs GT, Halo vs CoD, etc.

i agree, but i don't have something that can gauge it accurately. instead all we have to go by is who likes a genre and game in it well enough to give it a slot in their top ten. that said, i'm seeing a surprising amount of rock band and a lack of racing games in general.

 

[Version 3.0]

Just want to bump. Seems like these voting threads are waning in popularity. Come on, everyone, it's fun!

 

[AniHawk]

Just want to bump. Seems like these voting threads are waning in popularity. Come on, everyone, it's fun!

i'll be honest i'm a bit surprised this isn't more active. i thought that if any generation was to have some conversation and interest it would be the one with the most dedicated gaming platforms sold.

 

[Grexeno]

i'll be honest i'm a bit surprised this isn't more active. i thought that if any generation was to have some conversation and interest it would be the one with the most dedicated gaming platforms sold.

People aren't seeing the thread.

 

[AniHawk]

People aren't seeing the thread.

that did not stop previous threads from participants participating.

 

[Ventara]

It might be that it's just hard to narrow down an entire generation to a top 10. I know I'm still debating it. Even with being able to list an unlimited amount of honourable mentions, there are some games that I feel are definitely top 10 material. Problem being said games number more than 10, lol.

Edit: Wait, has there been previous generation voting threads? Never saw those. Just the GotY ones.

 

[AniHawk]

It might be that it's just hard to narrow down an entire generation to a top 10. I know I'm still debating it. Even with being able to list an unlimited amount of honourable mentions, there are some games that I feel are definitely top 10 material. Problem being said games number more than 10, lol.

Edit: Wait, has there been previous generation voting threads? Never saw those. Just the GotY ones.

Games of Generations 1-3
Games of Generation 4
Games of Generation 5
Games of Generation 6

 

[Ikon]

Going over that list of games really drives home the point that there were an incredible number of good games last gen.

With that said I didn't have nearly the problems I thought I'd have with narrowing my list down to 10ish games. The gap between my absolute favorites and the rest was just too wide.

 

[LaNaranja]

I made a blog post about this four years ago over on Giant Bomb to coincide with the release of the Xbox One. Holy shit time really does fly. I remember specifically thinking to myself that I should document my feelings on these games because hindsight was going to make me feel differently. The way this list is done now, I am listing them based on the experience I had playing the games, not necessarily the games that I think are objectively the best nor are they necessarily games I would have any interest in replaying today or recommend others play. It is an interesting thing and there are different ways I could have made this list based on how we are defining "best" but I decided to go with "games I personally had the most fun playing."

1. LittleBigPlanet ; If I had to describe LittleBigPlanet in a word, it would be "charming." Sackboy himself is an adorable creature and the primitive tools in the original LittleBigPlanet that allowed you to see the seams of the designs and what was holding the world together added to the charm. I got really deep into this game too and got into a clan for the first time (shout out to the Chicken Alliance). Yes, believe it or not LittleBigPlanet had clans. And besides building levels to show off your groups excellence there would also occasionally be beef with other clans. How would you attack them? Create a false account, befriend them and give them a level bomb glitch. For those of you who are sane and did not dive deep into the darkness that is the LittleBigPlanet community, a level bomb glitch was when you would create a bomb made out of a ridiculous game-breaking amount of tiny explosives, trigger them in a level someone is working on causing the frame rate to go between 1 and 4, and then turn off your system. This would cause the person's level to become permanently fucked. Besides that you would also go into all their levels, plaster your logo all over, and upload the pictures to their pages. If this all sounds ridiculous and silly to you it's because it is. The community was all about goofy shenanigans and that is what made me fall in love with it. When you would play levels with others and shit would break down and glitch it was part of the fun to simply laugh at the absurdity of it all. I remember when the water dlc came out just messing around in create mode brought much entertainment as we figured out how stuff would react in water. This ridiculously charming game is the game I had the most fun with this generation and without a doubt the greatest game of generation 7.

2. Resident Evil 5 ; Resident Evil 5 is a really fantastic game and is the game that really made me fall in love with the franchise. It took the really good controls from Resident Evil 4 and perfected them. Resident Evil made the full jump into being an action title with the game and that is ok. This game does not even try to be scary so any arguments about the second player ruining the tension are ridiculous. I am a firm believer that coop makes every game better and Resident Evil is no exception. Playing through the campaign on the higher difficulties with random people online and no microphone was made entertaining thanks to the games limited communications functions ("Go!" "Thanks!" "Give me an egg!"). Getting things done required a game of charades. Mercenaries was extremely addictive and I spent tons of hours playing through it. I fell into a really deep rabbit hole for a few months with this game as I worked to earn the platinum. My save file was actually corrupted when I was one trophy away from finishing and so I played through everything again reupgrading, unlocking, and collecting everything. This was also the first real game I played online so it holds a special place in my heart.

3. inFamous 2 ; I think superheroes are pretty damn awesome. inFamous 2 took everything that was good from the first game and cranked it up to 11. The story is goofy comic book fun and the two endings are equally satisfying. I loved the super powered enemies and monsters that were actually a threat to you in this game. I loved playing this game on the highest difficulty where enemies had the ability to kill you extremely easily. Cole is more than well equipped to handle any of the enemies he encounters, the trick is knowing what to do; when to dodge, when to attack, and what attack to use. Being surrounded by enemies that all have the ability to kill you and zipping around taking them all out is satisfying in a way few other games are. Both the good and the evil powers have a unique feel and make it worth playing through the game at least twice. Me? I have played through it in its entirety like 6 times. This is the greatest superhero game of the generation.

4. Fallout 3 ; I had never been a big fan of RPGs. However, this game generated a lot of positive buzz around its release and I it was personally recommend to me by a friend. I didn't have any cash at the time but as fate would have it I actually won $100 on a lottery scratcher so I was able to get the game. At this time I was doing my video game playing on an old tube tv that was less than 20". This really added to the aesthetic for this particular game and it probably helped me fall in love with it that much more. At first I was having trouble with the game because I kept trying to do all the good things and the game was a pain. Then I restarted and started doing whatever the hell I wanted to. I ended up siding with Tenpenny but before I blew up Megaton I killed the citizens, took all their stuff, carried it all to one of the nearby abandoned houses and put it in a closet (I had to make several trips). After this, I blew up the town, then sold all their stuff over the course of a few days at the shops. The fact that I was able to think "hey wouldn't it be cool if I could do this" and then actually being able to do it blew my mind. This is the first game really felt next gen to me, something that was unlike any video game before it. It was an open world full of personality and new different quests were always just a short wander away. It remains the only open world game where I actually felt like I could do whatever I wanted to do and I wasn't being funneled toward a certain path (looking at you New Vegas).

5. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception ; This games campaign is a slightly weaker one than Uncharted 2's. However, the reason it is placed higher on my list is because of the refinements they made to both the competitive and cooperative multiplayer. I also had a clan to play it in multiplayer making it that much more fun. Behold, the fearsome Chicken Alliance!

6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ; Uncharted 2 has the greatest single player campaign of any Naughty Dog game to date. I must have played through the campaign at least 5 times as I earned the platinum. I even played through it in Spanish once (the voice acting is pretty good). The set pieces in this game remain unrivaled in my opinion and the score is fantastic. The set pieces here never felt forced like they do in some other games (that includes you Uncharted 3). While I was never really able to get into the competitive multiplayer, I did have a blast with the coop mode. Fighting off hordes of enemies with two other people was never not fun. Those 200+ game of the year awards this game received were absolutely well deserved.

7. House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return ; The arcade light gun experience is something I had always wanted to have at home when I was growing up. While Umbrella Chronicles was very similar to the games you would see in the arcades these House of the Dead games were actually ports of the arcade games. My uncle and I played this game a ton (specifically House of the Dead 2) but we never did manage to beat it. The furthest we ever got was reaching the headless dude with the little flying creature for the second time. It didn't matter though, we simply enjoyed the experience of playing it. I had a bit more luck with House of the Dead 3 and was able to completely finish that one once (not even sure how, I tried to do it again later and wasn't able to). While obviously this whole list is subjective both this game and Umbrella Chronicles in particular are some of my favorite games of the generation because of the experience playing them with others. They are probably not as fun if you play them by yourself but if you know any people who also enjoy these kinds of games with their cheesy dialogue and violence then I cannot recommend these games enough.

8. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles ; I never played the original Resident Evil games when they came out. Umbrella Chronicles was a fun way to get up to speed on what has happened and who did what in the universe. I have always loved light gun games in arcades and would often wish there was a way I could play these at home. I owned several devices that claimed to "recreate the experience" at home but they would never work right. Playing this game with the Zapper was the arcade at home experience that I had always wanted. I played through the entire game with my sister and we had a blast going through it and learning the ridiculous Resident Evil lore. If you are interested in the back story of the franchise I highly recommend you play this instead of the originals. Trust me, those old games are unplayable pieces of poo, don't let any so called "fans" tell you otherwise.

9. MAG ; 256 players on a map at once. This action game is pretty damn massive. MAG was the greatest online first person shooter of the generation. There was most definitely a learning at first where you had to learn that if your standing in the wrong place, you were going to get killed and never see it coming. Same goes for running at the enemy by yourself. However, once you learned the ropes and decided what role you were going to be playing in the match the game became a thing of beauty. I played this game enough that I had a load out for every class. Playing sniper was my favorite, looking for places to hide in the massive maps and take down other players. Field support was also great as you would go around healing people people and repairing/destroying vehicles, bunkers, and everything else on the field. This game was truly something special and it saddens me to no end that not only was the developer Zipper shut down, but the servers for the game were also taken down. SVER forever!

10. Heavy Rain ; David Cage once said that Heavy Rain was a game that people should only play through one time. David Cage is full of shit. As someone who has earned the platinum trophy and has seen just about everything there is to see in this game I can confidently say that playing through it multiple times only made me appreciate the game that much more. There are several entire scenes and subplots that can change or be missed depending on how you play through the game. The story is well done and the characters were all interesting to follow around. I can also say without a doubt that this is by far the best game that utilizes the PlayStation Move. The motion controls make the whole game more fun and it feels way better then using the DualShock. The soundtrack by the late Normand Corbeil is second to none and is the best score of the generation. If you have only played through this game once do yourself a favor and go play through it again making different choices. I guarantee you will be surprised how much you missed.

x. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
x. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
x. Midnight Club: Los Angeles
x. ModNation Racers
x. Gran Turismo 5
x. Alan Wake
x. The Last of Us
x. Resistance 3
x. Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet
x. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

You can read about my feelings on the last ten games in the link in the first sentence.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

Bumping this so people see it.

 

[AniHawk]

Going over that list of games really drives home the point that there were an incredible number of good games last gen.

With that said I didn't have nearly the problems I thought I'd have with narrowing my list down to 10ish games. The gap between my absolute favorites and the rest was just too wide.

that seems to be the case every generation. i think the hardest one was probably this gen. the easiest was the 5th because of ocarina of time.

 

[Zambayoshi]

Really liking all the love people are showing Mirror's Edge!

Source

 

[Cromat]

To be edited with details:

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

2. Mass Effect

3. Civilization 5

4. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl

5. Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations

6. GTA5

7. Excitetruck

8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

9. Dead Space

10. Super Mario Galaxy

 

[Morrigan Stark]

1. Demon's Souls ; The game that got me back into gaming for good after more or less lapsing during the previous gen. I got it for Christmas 2009, not really expecting much... and after a rough start where I almost rage quit (absolutely hilarious in hindsight, considering the reasons and what a Souls fan I've become), I was so engrossed that I couldn't put it down. Not only was combat satisfying, but the intricate level design, unique and memorable bosses and incredibly tense atmosphere was something I hadn't felt in ages. I made a dexterity build but quickly made new characters to experiment with all the different types of weapons, magic and playstyles, and wasted absurd amounts of time on the broken-yet-irresistibly-addictive PvP mode. Demon's Souls marked the start of a new age of gaming, and has turned From Software from a relatively obscure developer into my current favourite.

2. Dark Souls ; Well duh. How could I not also adore Demon's Souls spiritual sequel? While I find that the PvP mode suffered greatly, in terms of single-player, Dark Souls brought many great improvements, most notably the interconnected world, plunging attacks, unforgettable bosses like S&O and Artorias, and the Estus system.

3. Dark Souls II ; I am glad #2 and #3 are awarded the same number of points because I can't really pick a favourite between the two. The oft-maligned sequel is actually an amazing game, bringing many QoL improvements, and being so full of intricate secrets, a myriad different ways to play it and approach every situation, I spent countless hours once again making tons of characters and exploring every inch of the game world. Best series ever.

4. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen ; Good action-RPG combat will always win me over, and I sunk many hours in Dragon's Dogma. It was a deeply flawed game, but the combat, exploration, customization system (best character creator ever) and boss design more than made up for its rough edges.

5. Monster Hunter Tri ; Another game where I sunk countless hours (how much of that was farming Alatreon skypiercers, I wonder...). Did I mention I love good combat and great monster design yet? Capcom sure knows how to do those things, that's for sure.

6. Borderlands 2 ; Guns, guns, and more guns! Oh and cool cartoony style, fun levels, and jolly cooperation. What's not to like?

7. Fallout: New Vegas ; Beyond the Beef. Enough said. Honestly, one of the very, very rare fully-open world game I enjoyed.

8. Dishonored ; Fantastic assassin/adventure game with cool mechanics, a very reactive world, cool world-building and a decent story.

9. Dragon's Crown ; Amazing, beautiful 2D brawler with fantastic RPG mechanics (character building + addictive loot grind) and tons of replay value.

10. The Last of Us ; I don't think I need to explain why it's on the list, do I? Funny that it barely made it though. Last gen was stacked.

Honourable mentions:

x. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
x. Uncharted 2
x. Gears of War 2
x. Rock Band 2
x. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
x. Jeanne d'Arc
x. Ys: The Oath in Felghana
x. Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
x. Trails in the Sky: First chapter
x. Resident Evil 5
x. Rayman Origins

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Bumping this so people see it.

Thanks because I forgot I had to edit my post.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

Thanks because I forgot I had to edit my post.

I'd PM Anihawk to make sure he sees the edit.

 

[AniHawk]

I'd PM Anihawk to make sure he sees the edit.

that's all right. i got it. thanks though!

 

[SargerusBR]

Would be better to ask a mod to stick the thread.