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[SatelliteOfLove]

I have a...fraught relationship with this generation. It was totally different from what was before, and what came after it. After the PS2 went off into that long, gentle night for a well-earned victory rest, the generation kinda ground to a halt for me for almost 2 years with very few offerings that caught my fancy on current machines I owned (PC/360/DS). It didnt help I was going thru some personal issues and had recently switched jobs to a more stressful, hours-heavy position which killed my energy level during this mid-generation phase.

But then I got ahold of a PS3, a new rig, a PSP, and a Wii and started taking chances again as my career settled into a groove that wasn't so intense, with indies, defiant iconoclastic action RPGs, and delving into genres I had avoided up till then reignited my lust for playing more than a bit.

Note how many of these are evolutionary lines from Gen 6 or the trailblazers of Gen 8.

1. Minecraft (2011)

Minecraft is one of the most monumental games in the medium's history since Street Fighter 2 and Doom 1. It not only codified a genre, it had a simple-yet-powerful creation functionality, allowing a 3yo-93yo age range that had an almost staggering ammount of modes, mods, and playstyles. You can build cities with friends, modded RPG quests, delving into dangerous caves, long jaunts across virgin lands to the minimalist soundtrack, or even making games within this game.

Whether it was alone in my sky island homebase encircled with with waterfall elevator-connected Nether portals to forward bases miles from home or building neighborhoods with GAF or other acquaintances on servers, I loved and respected my two years with this game.

2. Spelunky (2012)

Forgot this cuz I played it a year later on Ye Old PeeCee.

Like Minecraft above, Spelunky is one of the very, VERY few games I'd dare call "flawless". Everything aimed to make the game super-tight makes the game better...everything aimed to make the game super-CHAOTIC also does! Shopstorm? Ghosting for gems? Eggplant runs? How to get to Hell? Killing the Ghost? On and on and on, both an outstanding platformer and outstanding Roguelike in one. Just magnificent.

3. Demon's Souls (2009)

This game. It's hard for some to remember the time when this game came out and the sheer clutching of pearls that its systemic, indifferent title elicited as much as love in others. Dark, difficult, mysterious, and blessedly yet cruelly fair, DeS was some of the deepest atmosphere, largest (true) secrets, greatest level design, and most variety I have ever been witnessed to. I have never gone from 0-60 in sheer intensity on a game before this or since.

4. Portal 1 (2007)

I didn't get to this till much later, but the lean, clean design of this is nearly flawless. Never overstays its welcome, gives you fun toys to play with, has just the right amount of dark humor, and simply delivers on creativity in every minute.

5. Ghost Trick (2011)

Like Portal, this is lean and clean but has an endless charm to it instead of psychotic AI business. Like Portal, it gets by with a very limited toolset that gets brilliance wrung out of it for its perfectly brief length.

To be frank, this was much lower on my 2011 GOTY list, but only went up since. More than a few of these did this or the reverse since playing them, I've found.

6. Trails in the Sky: the 3rd (2007)

Calling an audible on two things: number one, this is the date it originally released on PC, and two...I played it only this month! shhhhhhh

The same monumental worldbuilding, characterization, quality conversation, music, and clever simple battlin' that Trails is delivering its best here with the highest consistancy of the series that I've played. I can't go into much without spoilers, but the fact the game could pull off such extremely different substories under one roof without a hitch is highly worthy of praise.

7. Etrian Odyssey II (2008)

Has some of the best dungeons I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Fun character building with restriction up front and center like a boss. Gorgeous Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack of amazement. Brutal, indifferent labyrinth. Man this was amazing.

8. Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter (2006)

Some pacing issues and playing a plot hand too early are this game's only flaws. God-tier soundtrack. God-tier protagonist. All of the great stuff from the above 3rd fills out the rest of this package.

I had waited on this game for 4 and a half years with absolutely no guarentee that it would fully exist on these shores. That's some dedication huh? Yet here we are with 5 under our belt now in 2 years; it's no wonder the original name of "kiseki" also means "miracle".

9. Dark Souls 1 (2011)

The breakout hit that blew wide the crack Demon's had wrenched open. More weapons, more secrets, an added bonus of intertwining levels, and one of the best expansion packs in history land this one as a stone-cold classic. If it wasn't for some of the backstretch, it would be fighting for number 1.

I remember salivating over this one, eagerly rewatching trailers and discussing it here and elsewhere. Being part of a wave of humanity enjoying a landmark event is wonderful from time to time, huh?

10. Ys Origin (2006)

One of the cleanest ARPGs out there. It's all movin', and slashin', and rockin', and fightin' like a boss with nothing but forward to go and more fun to be had. Gets away with just the right amount of exposition without wearing out its welcome, and MUH GAWD that soundtrack.

Honorable Mentions:

X. Witcher 2 (2011)

A game by adults for who they percieve as adults that appreciate gray morality for more than a nihilistic thrill. Excellent worldbuilding, nuanced characterization, and a sense of deftly placed whimsy and quiet time give this a laser-focused way about it that I still respect to this day.

X. Valkyria Chronicles (2009)

Another that just missed the cutoff. Never had this on the PS3 but the mighty fine PC port was a delight. So damn gorgeous and full of the ability to do Stupid Things.

X. Catherine (2011)

Another "game by adults for who they percieve as adults" and one of the oddest collections of parts to come together in a complete whole I think I've ever seen.

X. Dragon Age: Origins (2009)

Bioware back just before too many necessary parts rotted off. Just a few quibbles with some enemies hold back some great dialogue and modest branching of one's party; a good blend.

X. Super Street Fighter 4 (2010)

One of the most balanced Fighters alongside VF5 (which sadly was from that "no PS3" era of mine). Just needed to get rid of that Skill Wall and it'd be much better and a top 10 easy.

X. World of Warcraft: The Burning Legion (2007)

Played ENORMOUSLY too much of this during raiding's high point. Excellent variety of specs, boss mechanics, balance of QoL vs Restriction, and activities. Too bad about early raid balance, dungeon design became hallways, and later Arena balance though.

X. Pokemon Black 2/White 2 (2012)

Huge, huge, HUGE endgame. Nice selection of mods and where Pokemon felt truly "modern" with all the basic mechanics in place. Good music too.

X. Dragon's Dogma (2012)

Like with VC above, it is more complete and better for it, but this was WAY wonkier in its original form and needed those extras and more horsepower. Still, one of the best magic systems in existance, and you get to climb up on huge monsters and stab them in the face and neck.

 

[not psycho]

1. Super Meat Boy ; the first game you could smell (It's like ground meat browning too long on the stove), which only enhances the wonderfully creative level design and perfect controls
2. Dark Souls ; best game world ever, with thrilling exploration, sometimes I think I'm still living in Blighttown and everything after is a dream
3. Portal ;
4. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ;
5. Etrian Odyssey II ; not mechanically the best Etrian Odyssey (III has some great new options) but it's my favorite for the character design and dungeon layouts
6. Mirror's Edge ;
7. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia ; if a game had SOTN's layout and Order of Ecclesia's challenge it would be perfect, but each is already a classic by themselves
8. Ys Origin ; not quite as good as Oath in Felghana (which slightly misses the time span here), but 2nd best in the Ys series is still better than just about anything else
9. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ; never played the original, but the combination of strategy types is brilliant
10. Brandish: The Dark Revenant ; more Falcom goodness, really comes alive when you unlock Dela mode

 

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

1. Demon's Souls ; It's very hard for me to pick between Demon's and Dark Souls for the #1 spot. Ultimately I give the nod to Demon's Souls because of just how much of the vision for this series was in place right from the outset. Demon's Souls was a pivotal release, packed with new ideas, and it changed the game industry. This is the landmark beginning of what would become, for me, the defining series of the past decade.
2. Dark Souls ; Dark Souls clearly fleshed out and polished the formula laid out by its predecessor, introducing the ingenious Estus Flask system; building out a giant, inter-connected world; and featuring some of the series' most memorable and well-crafted bosses and locales. That said, it's uneven, and also features some of the series' low-points, like Bed of Chaos and Capra Demon.
3. Uncharted 2 ; Given how much I disliked its two sequels, I'm afraid to go back and play this game to see how it's aged. But in 2009, gliding through my first playthrough with a big dumb smile on my face, this was one of the most fun adventures I'd ever had in games.
4. Portal 2 ; Excellent writing combined with clever puzzles make this a classic.
5. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ; I never played the old Xcom games, but I fell in love with this reimagining of the classic formula. Mixing a tense, deep tactical layer with a longer-term strategy layer, it had me agonizing over every decision -- and praying before every life-saving 88% shot.
6. Super Mario Galaxy ; This game just exuded fun throughout, with lots of variety and charm to spare. Nintendo showing again that there are things in this industry they seem uniquely capable of.
7. Valkyria Chronicles ; Fun, inventive tweak on the tactics formula.
8. Rock Band ; It's hard to remember now that most of us are tired of this genre, but at the time this was a revelation -- so much fun to get a few people together and play through a set! And drums lent themselves to peripheral-based rhythm games far better than guitars.
9. Little Big Planet ; Yes, the jump controls feel floaty: Mario, this ain't. But a quirky, charming aesthetic, combined with creatively-designed levels made for a delightful playthrough as a single-player experience. And of course that was just the beginning! What made this game so special were the deep, intuitive creation tools. I spent a lot of time tinkering around, perfecting my own levels, and exploring other people's bizarre creations.
10. Spelunky ; Sadly I never made it to the true, secret ending in Hell; nevertheless my time with this game was a whirlwind of continuous discovery, surprise, and white-knuckle tension.

Honorable Mentions

• Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
• Mega Man 9
• Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
• Bayonetta
• God of War 3
• Infamous
• Catherine
• Metal Gear Solid 4
• The Last of Us
• Street Fighter IV
• South Park: The Stick of Truth

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

No need to be so aggressive about it. Someone asked why people don't vote in these threads I just offered an explanation. And as I said I rarely read the comments, most of them feel as if people really force themselves to write something just so their votes count. Yes, some of the comments feel like great contributions to the thread but most of the time I just follow threads like this to see the tendencies and to see what kind of games certain posters prefer. Even without comments list threads are always interesting imo.

Why the black person got to be aggressive?

 

[Courage]

1. Dark Souls ; A lot can be said about the way Dark Souls (or the Giant Crow rather) throws the player into its world. There is no explicit signposting or handholding to speak of, yet the game manages to impeccably convey how to proceed, whether it be through its architecture, or through brief NPC interactions. With Dark Souls, FROM has crafted the most well-realized world I've seen in the medium since Deus Ex and Morrowind. And within this world you must overcome challenging obstacles by demonstrating patience and applying your knowledge of the environment. And for a game so harrowing and difficult, it's my video game comfort food. I'm always tempted to go back with a new build, and spend another dozen hours in its world, with this being a testament to its design. It's a testament to its characters, which don't say much, or its locations, which don't show much. Yet what you find, through item descriptions or dialogue, are sufficient at alluding to this world's extensive lore. Dark Souls is a very ambient, understated game that knows when to build up to its more epic, climactic moments, such as setting foot in Anor Londo for the first time, with its gold tinted glow and gargantuan structures which make you look like tiny in comparison, giving off a feeling of unease or that you're not supposed to be there. And even after dissecting everything the game has to offer, there's still mystery in the world, and even after mastering the game's mechanics and systems, you still feel like a mere observer of something bigger. It's that feeling of the unknown that makes Dark Souls so special.

2. Ninja Gaiden II ; Character action games, to me, have always been about how good they ‘feel'. It's not a very substantive or tangible criterion, but it's one that dictates how much I'll be able to go back and play these games. Ninja Gaiden II is the best its in class in terms of #gamefeel. With a diverse arsenal, Ryu turns into an offensive beast as opposed to the more methodical and defensive approach of the first game. In order to accommodate this change in play style, Itagaki et. al craft the most satisfying combat engine in the genre. The game is most certainly rough around the edges and genuinely broken at times, but it is still unparalleled in weapon variety, audiovisual feedback through its visceral limb decapitation that also lends itself as a system on how to approach each encounter. It's ultimately about crowd control, flowing from enemy to enemy and efficiently taking them down with as few hits as possible. Make it BC already.

3. Halo 3 ; A console game so ahead of its time, across all its modes. The SP campaign is the first time Halo actualizes large scale sandbox shooting; a genuine blast playing with 3 other people, with scoring and skulls on. The MP is not that far behind from 2, it has better weapon balance and adds a few maps that stand with the best in the series. I also lost a lot of time in Forge, and just fucking around in all those different custom modes. A relic of XBL's heyday.

4. Hitman: Blood Money ; What a Hitman game should be. The open sandboxes allow for experimentation while also having to manage space by exploiting the AI. Best moment: Dressing up as a clown and silently stabbing everyone in the map.

5. Sleeping Dogs ; A unique open world brawler with a surprisingly touching story and great writing. A joy to explore and mince people's faces off.

6. Condemned: Criminal Origins ; The best horror game since Silent Hill 2. A tonally oppressive, helpless journey, with a solid melee system that is put to good use against Monolith's sharp AI.

7. Fallout: New Vegas ; Obsidian injects some life and depth into the drab Fallout 3 template, leading to their best game.

8. Skate 3 ; A laid back, yet mechanically deep game with some great skating spots.

9. Batman: Arkham City ; Metroidvania-esque in structure, Arkham City brings all its systems from its predecessor with some marked improvements and throws you in some neatly designed ‘dungeons' and exploration around a well-designed world.

10. Prototype

x. Mirror's Edge
x. Bayonetta
x. F.E.A.R.
x. Red Faction: Guerrilla
x. Red Dead Redemption
x. Super Mario Galaxy
x. Resistance 3
x. Singularity
x. Shadow Complex

 

[Iva Demilcol]

Why the black person got to be aggressive?

Man, really?

Haven't you thought you just reacted poorly?

My brother and my mom are what people call "brown", people ask me a lot if I'm Asian. I don't care if you're black or anything else, I'd have to hate half of my family if I cared about the color of someone's skin.

Hope you're just joking.

 

[Dion Blaster]

1. Super Mario Galaxy 2

The most fun I've had playing a video game since Mario 64.

2. Super Mario Galaxy

The game that sold me on buying a Wii.

3. Portal 2

Somehow even better than the original.

4. Portal

Honestly had to take some time to wrap my head around the gameplay. My favorite pair of puzzle games.

5. Wii Sports

Wii Bowling alone was the most fun multiplayer experience I've had.

6. 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors

Amazing story, and the rest of the trilogy is just as awesome.

7. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver

Tough to justify choosing a remake, but the game is different enough from the originals. Would have been higher up if the battle engine was faster, HP decreases so damn slowly.

8. Braid

Beautiful art, beautiful music, and excellent puzzles.

9. Bioshock

One of the creepiest, most enjoyable worlds to explore.

10. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Pointer controls were incredibly fun to use.

 

[thesaucetastic]

Unfortunately, I haven't played nearly enough of the games in this gen either. I'm still editing in comments, but the order won't change (except for maybe ordering the honorable mentions, but they don't count for any points anyway).

01. Super Mario Galaxy ; From the moment I stepped into the star festival, I knew this would be a game I'd love. Everything about it absolutely blew my mind. The art style was phenomenal. Long jumping around planets or even just the hub world was so damn cool. The storybook about Rosalina that had to be sneaked in behind Miyamoto's back is the biggest reason I rate this above 2.
02. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; The levels here were much improved over the original Galaxy, but I just missed the charm of the hub world and Rosalina.
03. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks ; This had the cutest relationship between Link and Zelda so far. I really enjoyed their banter, and the fact that I could finally control Zelda. It was a super charming game. I did have some set backs, such as never learning how to properly play the pan flute, and I had a hard time against the final boss in the last fight, but I still look fondly on this game.
04. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword ; To be honest, I really was frustrated playing this game. I had issues with the wiimote constantly desyncing and therefore making Link get stuck in a direction until I took out the batteries and put them back in again. That's not to mention the slow text speed and Fi never shutting the hell up. There were many more complaints that I had, but watching speedruns of this game (which skipped a majority of things that bothered me) made me realize that there's a great game hiding underneath. The dungeons were pretty good, with the Ancient Cistern being one of the best in the series. The bosses (besides the Imprisoned, fuck those fights) were as well, and again, Koloktos is one of the best ever. It may still be my least favorite Zelda, but it's still a good game.
05. Cave Story+ ; I really didn't expect much from this game, but it definitely left its mark on me. I got very invested in the story and the characters, and was a little shocked about how dark it got. The mechanics were really satisfying, whether it was taking down bosses or platforming or both. I really wish that my hard mode save that was at the last cave didn't get lost, I'm so bummed about that.
06. Super Smash Bros. Brawl ; Co-op'd through Subspace Emissary and we were both addicted to finishing it. The cutscenes were really cool, and while I understand why it's no longer a thing, I'm still sad that story mode got tossed for Smash 4. I don't play Smash competitively at all, so I'm unbothered by tripping (but I totally understand why it's a shit mechanic). I still play this when I have people over, if only because I don't own Smash 4 myself. ;-;
07. Psychonauts ; Played the PC version. The story and characters were so damn charming. Although the mechanics were kind of janky, and Milla's level made me sort of nauseous, the platforming was still pretty solid. The level design and art style were super cool. Velvet room was definitely the best mind.
08. Recettear ; CAPITALISM HO. (I liked the dungeon diving aspect a lot more than the actual selling part, even though that was fun too. Fuck haggling with that little girl though.)
09. Professor Layton and the Curious Village ; I liked the story a lot, and the puzzles were neat. I did, however, totally cheat and look up the hints online when I couldn't figure stuff out.
10. Wii Sports Resort ; The superior Wii Sports game. Ping pong and sword fighting all day erryday.
xx. VVVVVV ; I hated the pixel puzzle platforming, but the soundtrack was fucking amazing.
xx. Rock Band ; I never actually owned this myself, but I had fun playing it at my friends' houses.
xx. Final Fantasy III ; I don't even remember playing through this, but apparently I sunk 30 hours into it on the DS. The starting area and the music makes me nostalgic as fuck.
xx. Radiant Historia ; I bought it based on the hype and didn't really think it lived up to it. The book stuff was too linear for my taste. The story was decent and the battle system was pretty good though.
xx. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass ; People are down on this game a lot, but I still got some enjoyment out of it.
xx. Magical Starsign ; For being so shitty that it wrapped back into being fun for me.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Forgot a very, very important game in my list (for which I am ashamed of) if the count has already been took on it.

 

[Lynx_7]

1.Mario Galaxy ; This was the first game I got for my Wii and it ended up being one of my favorite gaming experiences of all time. There's just something about Mario games that makes them a joy to play, and Galaxy is the best of its kind imo. The OST is tremendous, levels are fun to play with some tough optional challenges, the presentation is top notch and it even has a few surprisingly touching moments for a Mario game. It helps that there really aren't any other 3D platforming franchises doing what Mario does best, so it kind of stands alone as the king of the genre. While the level design is not as varied or creative as those found in the sequel, Galaxy 1 still stands as the more memorable experience for me. It just feels grander. There's also a bit of "first experience" bias going on too, as the game felt a lot fresher and had that "wow" factor going for it.

2.Dark Souls ; This was my first contact with the series and while I love every single other entry in the franchise, none of them really reached the heights my first experience with Dark Souls 1 did. I'd like to believe there's more at play than just "first game wins" bias, though I won't deny that's also a factor, but Dark Souls 1 just has this adventurous feel to it that none of the other Souls entries ever really matched, and the way DS1 handles progression plays a big part in this. No fast travel means you have to commit to every single bonfire you find and really memorize the layout of the land. Progressing through a location actually feels like a risk you have to take instead of a "oh well, I'll just warp outside if it's too much to handle" affair. I have every single inch of Lordran engraved in my mind in a way none of the other Souls worlds are. It also has this loneliness to it that the other entries lost due to their hub-based approach, and the best NPCs and quests/storylines in the franchise. I really wish Miyazaki would tackle another game as uncompromising as this someday, as it definitely has some areas that could be improved upon (some being literal areas, such as the infamous Lost Izalith). Until then, Dark Souls 1 remains my absolute favorite of the series.

3.The Last of Us ; I wasn't really hyped or even interested in The Last of Us at all pre-release. It was one of those games I picked up because the setting is sort of up my alley (I love apocalyptic stories, even if the "zombie" variety is overplayed at this point), the production values were amazing and it got a great reception. The game immediately gripped me with its writing and, aside from a brief section in the first act, just never let go. Some of the strongest characterization and ending in the medium. The gameplay, while not particularly amazing for the genre, was still engaging enough for me to have fun with it, even if the gameplay-to-story segregation wasn't elegantly handled for the most part.

4.Mario Galaxy 2 ; Mario Galaxy 2 is pretty much a perfect sequel in all the ways that matter and, if you're a gameplay purist, it's no doubt the better game in the duology. Better level design, better comet challenges, better Luigi implementation, better reward for getting all 240 stars. Yet, for all its improvements, it felt too much like an expansion pack of the original and never quite reached its ambition. I dislike using such vague therms when speaking about a game, but Galaxy 2 lacks some of the "magic" that made the first entry so special, and a lot of that is due to presentation. None of that really matters though when the end result is this strong, and Mario Galaxy 2 is undoubtedly still top of the class.

5.Demon's Souls ; My second Souls experience and, perhaps not coincidentally, also my second favorite of the franchise. While Dark Souls' interconnectedness is still unmatched as far as overall world design is concerned, I think Demon's Souls has stronger individual areas. The Tower of Latria is something else and nothing in Dark Souls 1 (or 3, or Bloodborne, for that matter) quite matches it, easily one of my favorite videogame locations of all time. Boletaria and the Shrine of Storms are not far behind either, and I'm one of those weird people who enjoy the swamp areas in Souls games so I really like the Valley of Defilement too. This game also has the best atmosphere in a Souls game even to this day, which is an impressive feat considering the other games are also really strong in this category. If there's one area it kind of faulters compared to its successors it's the boss fights. Demon's has easily the weakest gauntlet of bosses in the Souls franchise (sans 2, the only entry I haven't played yet so I can't comment), which isn't to say they're weak or anything, it's just that From has massively improved since then.

6.Catherine ; This game came out of nowhere for me. I knew it was produced by the same guys behind Persona, a series I really love, but still, this was "just a lower budget puzzle game" so they could get used to HD development before delivering the real goods. I knew I'd enjoy it, but I thought it'd be one of those experiences I forget about a few years down the line. Well, I was completely wrong. Catherine blew me away with its atmosphere and I ended up enjoying the puzzle sections much more than I ever thought I would. The narrative and characters were entertaining and I loved the little gameplay sections in the bar. This game just did a lot of things right for me and I'd say it's still the most consistently good looking title Atlus has ever put out.

7.The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess ; Before BOTW, Twilight Princess was my favorite 3D Zelda game. It has probably the only companion character I truly like (Navi and The King of Red Lions are whatever, I haven't played MM too much and Fi just missed the mark), good atmosphere, a somewhat compelling narrative for Zelda's standards, a great (if too easy) final boss fight that felt appropriately climatic and, most importantly, excellent dungeons. It probably apes OOT more than it should and the first few hours are rough, but it's still a really strong entry in the series.

8.Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ; Phoenix would probably be higher up had I done this list a few years ago, but recent ho-hum Ace Attorney games have kinda cooled down my love for the franchise. Still, the first entry is one of the best VN/Adventure hybrids out there if not the best, and as much as I love the 3rd entry I still think the 1st one is the most consistent of them all, even if it doesn't quite reach the same heights as cases 2-4 and 3-5. It does have 1-4 and 1-5 though, which makes it pretty much the only game in the series with not one but two top tier finales.

9.Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots ; For all its issues, I had a lot of fun with MGS 4. Its cutscene to gameplay ratio is completely lopsided and it tries a little too hard to fill in the gaps, which ends up retroactively weakening some past entries (specially 2). It has some of the most longwinded and convoluted writting in the series, it gives John fucking Sasaki more screentime than he probably should've gotten, it has a few really bad gameplay segments which is really unfortunate considering how little of it there is in the first place, and I could go on about its flaws, but at the end of the day it's still a really memorable experience with some of the best moments in the series.

10.Batman: Arkham Asylum ; To be fair, this probably wouldn't be here had I played more gen 7 games. Still, it was a great surprise to see such a high quality licensed game back then and I still think it's the best Arkham game released due to its tighter level design and superb atmosphere. This game really made you feel like you were Batman.

Honorable Mention: Portal 1. I still haven't played the sequel.
---
I never noticed how my top 5 of the gen is basically the Mario and Dark Souls show (feat. The Last of Us). Like I said, I never really got to fully experience the 7th generation and there are a lot of games I still haven't played, including many fan favorites and Gaf darlings such as Red Dead Redemption, Uncharted 2, Valkyria Chronicles, Dragon's Dogma, Ni No Kuni, etc, so this list might look very different a few years from now whenever I catch up.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

Super Mario Galaxy. Magical

Gears of War 2 Epic

Wii Sports Should probably be number one based on impact but the game play was just right as well.

Bayonetta STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER

Elite Beat Agent "He was a skater boy"

Brain Age 4+4=."I did write an 8, but it put "10" for some reason"

Super Street Fighter 4. The gateway drug to the FGC and hours on YouTube.

The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess Still the best fight with Ganondorf Dragmire in thaw series.

No More Heroes

Outland

 

[AniHawk]

thanks to everyone's support, there's now been over 500 games posted in this thread

 

[dancingphlower]

1. Mass Effect 2 ; The best in the trilogy, and one of the best games of all time. Bioware excised what didn't work in the first game and polished the rest to a very fine sheen.

2. Batman: Arkham City ; Asylum was great, but City perfected the Batman experience. An expanded world, moveset, and rogue's gallery made for one of the most memorable experiences in gaming.

3. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 ; The ultimate version of my favorite fighting game ever. I have spent countless hours playing and watching streams of the game. No other fighting game series brings the hype like this one.

4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots ; Yeah, yeah, the cutscenes are too long. But the gameplay moments that are present are up there with the series' best. The changes to the control scheme and camera made going back to the old games a chore.

5. Devil May Cry 4 ; The backtracking and dice game are pretty bad, but this game has the best combat system in any action game, period.

6. Dark Souls ; A harrowing and tense experience through and through. My gateway into the Souls series, and probably the hardest as a result. But learning the systems and engaging in jolly cooperation made it worth it.

7. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen ; It took a while to get into but once I was in, I was IN. Climbing monsters, casting spells, shooting arrows; every action was fun. Everything felt good. Considering Itsuno came from DMC, this is no surprise.

8. The Last of Us ; A gut-wrenching adventure like no other. Tense, thrilling, and terrifying, this game engaged me and moved me on a level few games do.

9. Ultra Street Fighter IV ; The best version of Street Fighter IV, which was what got me into the FGC and such. Buttery smooth gameplay with classic sensibilities.

10. Infamous 2 ; Cole may be a boring protagonist but his powers are awesome. The simple acts of running and jumping are a joy, and the ice jump is simply one of the most satisfying actions in gaming.

I know that for voting purposes, the ranks are important, but personally I don't really put too much weight into these rankings, as they can shift by the day. And there are plenty of great games from this generation that did not quite make the cut. It really was a great generation, imo.

 

[SirShandy]

1. Journey (PS3) - One of the most beautiful games in every respect.

2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - More streamlined, crazier, and challenging than SMG.

3. Portal 2 (Multiplatform) - Perfect tone and great puzzles.

4. Uncharted 2 (PS3) - Extraordinary improvement on Uncharted 1; the best paced game in the series.

5. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - Only its sequel betters it in the platforming genre.

6. Grand Theft Auto 5 - (Multiplatform) Still the greatest open world sand box.

7. Bayonetta (Multiplatform) - The golden standard for character action games.

8. Alan Wake (Xbox/PC) - Great spooky atmosphere, and fun story.

9. Bioshock (Multiplatform) - One of the best games in terms of world building.

10. Braid (Multiplatform) - It's rare a game forces me to use my brain in a new way. A greatly rewarding puzzler.

 

[eot]

Just posting here to remind myself to post here, will edit in my list later

 

[krendler]

1. Super Mario Galaxy - A magical experience and the first game in over a decade to push platformers forward.

2. Bioshock - The definitive narrative experience of its time with first-rate world building and underrated combat.

3. Super Mario Galaxy 2 - A Yoshi-fied expansion of the greatest platformer ever.

4. Grand Theft Auto 5 - Outside of BotW, still the king of open-world games.

5. Rock Band - The most enjoyable gimmick of a generation with plenty of them.

6. Dark Souls - Possibly the most influential game of the gen and absurdly replayable.

7. Mass Effect 2 - One of the only games to successfully merge the third-person shooter with the RPG and not miss a beat.

8. Demon's Souls - A brave stroke of genius still overlooked by far too many.

9. Braid - Still the best indie game ever in its ingenuity, thematic depth, and personality.

10. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - My least favorite MGS, punctuated by unforgettable moments and series highlights.

xx. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - My favorite DS game and my favorite Castlevania since SotN.

xx. Bastion - Criminally fun with beautiful artwork.

xx. The Orange Box - I mean, come on, it has to be mentioned.

xx. Halo 3 - The last great game in my favorite shooter franchise.

xx. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Beautiful art and world-building with flawless signature Metroid exploration.

xx. Dead Space 2 - The most enjoyable survival horror game since RE4.

xx. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Dungeon design and boss battles override the lackluster wolf form and empty overworld.

xx. Wii Sports - The only game my grandma has the household high score in (and the only game where setting a high score became a household endeavor).

 

[Zophar]

I decided to limit each series to my favorite entry. This might be a separate list from games that might be objectively the "best" but these were the ones that either soaked up most of my time or I have the most memorable experiences with.

1. Dark Souls ; IMO, the one true masterpiece of the 7th generation. Demon's Souls was IMO a great proof of concept, and none of the sequels have lived up to the perfect formula Dark Souls 1 struck. The difficulty is overstated, but there is something magical about its hard-won victories and how it rewards players paying close attention.

2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ; There is nothing in particular that stands out as brilliant in Skyrim, but every part of it still compelled me to drop hundreds of hours into it on multiple platforms. Of all the games on here, it's the easiest to just drop into and kill some time. There's *always* something new to do, and even just wandering around the countryside is pleasant and relaxing.

3. Ultra Street Fighter IV ; I was stoked as *hell* for Street Fighter to return and SF4 did not disappoint one bit. It only got better and better with every iteration. I never got great at it, but as my first true experience with a robust online fighter I was having too much of a blast to care.

4. Mass Effect II ; My favorite of the Mass Effects because it perfected the blend of light-RPG combat with simulating interpersonal relationships. This featured the best cast of characters in the series and its focus on nurturing your connections with them all struck a chord with me. Just a great package.

5. Uncharted II: Among Thieves ; I was an Uncharted believer from Day 1 with Drake's Fortune, but U2 blew me away. I don't think there's a better set-piece driven action game in Gen 7. Still gorgeous and still plays wonderfully.

6. BioShock ; Loved it enough to 100% it three times. Even though it's less sophisticated than System Shock 2 or any Deus Ex, I still feel like this is my favorite RPG FPS; it streamlined it enough that it felt slick and easy to manage, while still feeling robust. The atmosphere was also killer and IMO a high watermark for the medium in that regard. Infinite was a massive disappointment by comparison.

7. Diablo III ; I discovered this late, and it became a couch co-op game for my spouse and I. To be frank, that is the biggest reason why it's on my list, because we sunk tons of hours into it together as filthy casuals and enjoying our new loot and spells.

8. Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots ; A lot of people feel really divided on this entry but I actually found the conclusion to Solid Snake's story to be incredibly moving and engaging. This game tries a lot of very interesting things with games as a medium, and though not all of them are successes I feel they were worthy, valuable experiments.

9. Grand Theft Auto V ; It's GTA, not much more to say there. Rockstar really outdid themselves with San Andreas here. Like Skyrim, it's just a great time to jump in and play around aimlessly.

10. The Last of Us ; While I think U2 did Naughty Dog's setpieces and bombast better, there are few equals to TLoU in games when it comes to characterization and dramatic narrative. IMO the best games as "art" candidates out there are non-narratives, but TLoU is one of the few that I feel like has writing that genuinely impresses. Though, I don't know if I like playing it as much as I enjoy thinking about it.

Honorable Mentions:

x. NieR Gestalt
x. Bayonetta
x. Red Dead Redemption
x. Portal 2
x. Dead Space
x. Final Fantasy XIII
x. Unreal Tournament III
x. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
x. Sleeping Dogs
x. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
x. Fallout: New Vegas
x. Dark Souls II
x. God of War III
x. Killzone II
x. Valkyria Chronicles
x. Tales of Vesperia
x. Catherine
x. Super Mario Galaxy II
x. Assassin's Creed II
x. LittleBigPlanet
x. Gears of War
x. Call of Duty IV: Modern Warfare
x. Halo 3
x. Xenoblade Chronicles

 

[AniHawk]

Just posting here to remind myself to post here, will edit in my list later

it's fine if you would like to bookmark this thread, but i would appreciate it if you could post your finalized list in a new post.

 

[wild wild rice]

1. Demon's Souls ; The one that started it all.
2. Bayonetta ; Played on three consoles, loved it every time.
3. Sin & Punishment: Star Successor ; A masterpiece. RIP Treasure.
4. Vanquish ; Best TPS OAT. RIP gameplay centric TPS.
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; Better than 1 due to fewer failed experiments.
6. Deathsmiles ; My first Cave game. RIP Cave.
7. The Last of Us ; ND's best attempt at their new Hollywood narrative genre. RIP Crash.
8. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption ; Great way to end the trilogy. RIP Prime.
9. Donkey Kong Country Returns ; Not as good as Tropical Freeze, still great. RIP Rare.
10. Resistance 3 ; The most fun FPS of the gen. RIP Resistance.

 

[AniHawk]

another reminder about the soundtracks of the 7th gen vote going on alongside this one, handled by earthpainting.

 

[SargerusBR]

1. Dark Souls ; Absolute exceptional game, an RPG with good combat, a beautifully crafted world and a lore that makes fans go crazy.

2. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King ; The best expansion a MMO ever had, it finishes the story started in Warcraft III, plus it had the best raid Blizzard ever produced.

3. Mass Effect 2 ; Bioware at it's finest, great characters and expands a lot more of the ME universe.

4. Halo 3 ; The best console multiplayer experience to this day.

5. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 ; Still the best CoD, fast and fun with great maps.

6. Team Fortress 2 ; A shooter where chaos is fun.

7. Dead Space 2 ; Top tier mix of survival horror experience and sci-fi.

8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ; Lots of hours spent in this game exploring, combat is not great but mod support was amazing.

9. Left 4 Dead 2 ; Great co-op game with improves shooting, melee mechanics and new zombies.

10. Super Street Fighter IV ; Best fighting game since Street Fighter Alpha 2, lost of characters new and returning, the competitive was insane and lots of salt on online matches.



Honorable Mentions

x. Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare ;
x. Batman: Arkham City ;
x. Devil May Cry 4 ;
x. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ;
x. Dragon Age Origins ;
x. Grand Theft Auto V ;
x. Ninja Gaiden 2 ;
x. Dead Space ;
x. Bioshock Infinite ;
x. Fallout 3 ;

 

[shingonation]

1. Mass Effect 2 ; To this day, still the best cinematic action rpg
2. Dragon Age Origins
3. Dark Souls
4. Portal 2
5. Bioshock Infinite
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

 

[decoyplatypus]

Limiting myself to one game per franchise:

1. Dark Souls; When I think of the Wii/PS3 generation, DkS is the first game to come to mind. I can't remember losing more hours to a videogame not made by Firaxis or Paradox. The weighty, tactical combat, layered and interconnected world, the immense boss fights and obscure secrets all coalesce in a game that speaks to so many of the medium's core appeals. Smart mechanics like Estus make for a surprisingly quick, accessible experience despite the game's intimidating reputation. And DkS, more so than its successors, finds a storytelling sweet spot between elliptical and inane.
2. Fallout: New Vegas; New Vegas marries the flexible quest design and top-shelf writing of the classic Fallouts with the immersive sim frame of Bethesda's efforts. The result is maybe the best CRPG of the last decade.
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2; Galaxy 2 takes the mechanical creativity and romantic tone of its predecessor, tightens up the level design, and jettisons an unnecessary hub world and story. It is a joyous game, bursting with imagination and simple pleasures.
4. Portal 2; The brilliant portal mechanic likely deserves some credit for the revival in the adventure/puzzle genre. Both Portal and its sequel display mastery of the short-form puzzle room that coaxes the player to try "just one more room." They are also the rare genuinely funny games. I gave Portal 2 the nod for co-op.
5. Elite Beat Agents; My favorite rhythm game.
6. XCOM: Enemy Unknown; Firaxis's revival of the classic strategy game was slick, accessible, and addictive. Its designers (and later modders) over time amended early weaknesses in its strategy layer and turned a very good game into one of the crown jewels of the generation.
7. Valkyria Chronicles; I loved the fresh art style, the use of time-units (exceedingly rare!), and just seeing a strategy game with such high production-value.
8. New Super Mario Bros. Wii; Co-op is somehow a wildly underrated addition to the Mario series. NSMBWii has maybe the best level design in the series and there are all new opportunities for chaos and improvisation thanks to multiplayer. I'm probably ranking this too low.
9. Rock Band; Pretty great karaoke machine, if you were in school when it released.
10. Donkey Kong Country Returns; Pretty incredible debut 2D platformer from Retro. Bummer about shake-to-roll, lame enemy designs, and the absence of David Wise.

 

[AniHawk]

Forgot a very, very important game in my list (for which I am ashamed of) if the count has already been took on it.

what did you change?

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

what did you change?

Added Spelunky as 2nd, bumping everything else down one (and Witcher 2 to HMs).

 

[Sid]

I hope this thread gets stickied before its final few days....

 

[AniHawk]

I hope this thread gets stickied before its final few days....

it should be fine if it doesn't. this will be the second-largest thread of its kind in terms of contributions and overall games voted in.

 

[sleepydeer]

1. Altitude ; PC. 2D Rocket League. It was a pretty small community when I played (for hundreds of hours), with community-provided leagues and tournaments and maps. It's now free, and well worth trying out - it may be dead now but the bot matches are a good taste of what makes this game so amazing.
2. Left 4 Dead 2 ; PC. So satisfying to mow down zombies. I loved L4D, which had a very confined versus style, but the looser feel takes L4D's already big replayability and makes it massive.
3. Portal ; PC.
4. Minecraft ; PC.
5. Left 4 Dead ; PC/360.
6. BioShock ; PC.
7. SpaceChem ; PC.
8. Advance Wars Dual Strike ; DS. Tons of levels and they're all endlessly playable. I don't use handhelds much now but when I do this is my first choice game.
9. Mario Kart DS ; DS.
10. StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty ; PC. I enjoyed the story mode enough to beat it, unlike almost any other RTS. Great addition of modes, especially the on-line co-op, and a great quality of life update for an already incredible game. There were a few decisions that left a bad taste but this still belongs in the top 10.



x. Mario Galaxy ; Wii.
x. Unreal Tournament 3 ; PC.
x. Dark Souls ; PS3/PC.
x. South Park The Stick Of Truth ; PS3/PC. Flawlessly achieved what the developers wanted, which it turns out is what I wanted too.
x. Dominions 3 ; PC. It's incredible: sparse presentation, dense mechanics and ridiculous amounts of flavour. Somewhere between Civ and Dwarf Fortress.
x. Advance Wars Dark Conflict ; DS. AKA Days of Ruin.
x. Meteos ; DS. My favourite vs-style puzzle game.

EDIT: OK, this generation had so many good games, I need more honorable mentions:

x. Trials Evolution ; 360/PC.
x. Trackmania Nations Forever ; PC.
x. Resident Evil 5 ; 360/PC.
x. Dead Rising 2 ; 360/PC.
x. Burnout Paradise ; PC.
x. STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl ; PC.
x. STALKER: Call of Pripryat ; PC.
x. Far Cry 2 ; PC. Evocative and thought-provoking, and with many simple but novel pleasures.
x. Company of Heroes ; PC. The only other RTS where I liked the story mode enough to beat it. A great game, one that to me defines its own subgenre.
x. Gears of War ; 360/PC.
x. Battlefield Bad Company 2 ; PS3/PC.
x. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic ; PC. Kick!
x. Guitar Hero: World Tour ; Wii.


PC cutoff rule so don't count: BioShock Infinite, Sonic Racing: Transformed, Hotline Miami.

 

[thesaucetastic]

I'm still really surprised we haven't had a huge amount of votes for this.

It's also going to be really weird when the next generation vote pops up and I'll be voting for games that already showed up here because of the PC cut off date.

 

[uocooper]

1. The Last of Us ; Had the most emotionally charged and intense moments in gaming I've ever experienced. A masterpiece.
2. Uncharted 2 ; Put me in a world I wished I could visit.
3. Red Dead Redemption ; I loved the beauty of the world and the story was so well done.
4. Sleeping Dogs ; Super fun fights, fantastic driving and I loved taking down the bad guys. I’m still upset we’ll never see a proper sequel.
5. Mass Effect 2 ; I loved and hated the characters which kept me pushing to see what would happen next.
6. Red Faction Guerrilla ; I am the destroyer of worlds! Endlessly fun.
7. Just Cause 2 ; Boom! More destructive mayhem that is just a blast to play.
8. Far Cry 3 ; A great shooter with memorable characters.
9. Dragon Age Origins
10. Journey ; I never would have thought communicating using only chirps could be so emotional.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

1. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption ; The secret best Prime game, the best game Retro has done and one of the best games of all time. Everything was designed to perfection with the Wiimote in mind, and the game has perhaps the best art direction I've ever seen. It also has incredible environmental storytelling that far exceeded the previous Prime games, and the two best bossfights in the series in Rundas and Gandrayda.

2. Portal 2: The best puzzle game of all time. Such a simple idea and they took it as far as it could go. Wheatley, Cave Johson, and Glados are all awesome. The puzzles get crazier and crazier. It's an awesome setting with awesome music. And then there is a multiplayer campaign too thats almost as beefy as the single player. Just awesome in every possible way. I cannot praise this game enough. So sad what the once great Valve has become.

3. Dead Space: It's up there with Resident Evil 4 as the best action horror game of all time. And despite having such a large focus on shooting, this is the most scared I ever have been playing a video game. The Nercromorphs, while there were only a handful of them, were absolutely terrifying from the way they looked, shrieked, and animated. The Ishimura absolutely oozed dread with it's incredible graphical and sound design. The sequels were good too, especially 3. I sure hope we see a return to this series in the future.

4. Dark Souls: Ahh, what can I say about Dark Souls. I didn't play it until early 2014, where I did Demons, Dark, and Dark II back to back when it came out. Dark Souls took the spirit of the original Zelda and Metroid in terms of World design and presented it in a modern context. FROM are the best world builders and artists in the industry. This was a difficult game that sometimes frustrated me, but never made me feel like I couldn't accomplish the task ahead. The whole thing left me awestruck.

5. No More Heroes: My introduction to the crazy world of Suda 51. I still feel this is his best work, just barely edging out Killer7. Travis is an extremely likeable and somehow, relatable character. The music and bossfights are incredible, and the story is a story that only Suda and Grasshopper can do. It's a wild ride and a unique experience you can't get anywhere else.

6. Donkey Kong Country Returns: What people don't realize is that after Prime 3, Retro didn't just lose three people, they lost a crapton. To recover from that and deliver the best 2D platformer of the generation (in some ways it's even better than Tropical Freeze) was an amazing feat. An entire world full of minecart and rocketbarell levels? Insane. It also helped pioneer silohuette levels and background platforming in new unique ways. And the factory might be the best world in 2d platformer history. Yes, it's that good.

7. Red Steel 2: This is the last great game Ubisoft made in my opinion. Going back from gunslinging to swordfighting was an idea that seemed obvious on the Wii, but barely anyone tried and this is the only game that did it well. Beautiful cell shaded graphics, and really cool music as well. It was beauteous the way they merged western and eastern culture together in all aspects of the game. Truly a unique game.

8. Super Mario Galaxy: This game was so crazy. Platforming upside down had been done before, but not in the dozens and dozens of countless ways presented in the game. This could have only been a Mario game, and they nailed it. I was very against orchestrated music for a Mario game but they nailed that too. Mario became cinematic in a way without losing the gameplay. Galaxy 2 felt dull in comparison sadly.

9. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess ; I hadn't played a Zelda game since the original and AoL on regular Nintendo. This game absolutely blew me away. From a more objective standpoint, it looked at Ocarina of Time and made it a better game.

10. Bioshock: Originally this game didn't grab me. I had played it just after Dead Space and it seemed to pale in comparison. It wasn't till I replayed it a few years later that it hit me just how unique it is. Sure, the final third of the game sucks, but the first 10 hours were some of the most engaging I've ever played. I especially love the garden level. A unique atmosphere and story go along way, and I feel the combat is better than people give it credit for. The chemical gun in particular was awesome.


This really was one of my favorite generations. This list was VERY hard to order and many games were very hard to leave off. Here are some of my honorable mentions.

x. Vanquish
x. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
x. Uncharted 1/2/3
x. God of War 3/Ascension
x. Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack In Time/Tools of Destruction
x. Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One
x. Batman: Arkham Asylum
x. Darksiders 1 & 2
x. Musroom Men: The Spore Wars
x. Deadly Creatures
x. Zack & Wiki
x. RAGE
x. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
x. Kirby's Epic Yarn
x. Okamiden
x. No More Heroes 2
x. Shadows of the Damned
x. Lollipop Chainsaw
x. Dishonored
x. World of Goo
x. Mega Man 9
x. Limbo
x. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
x. DeBlob 1 & 2
x. Dead Space 3

 

[AniHawk]

I'm still really surprised we haven't had a huge amount of votes for this.

It's also going to be really weird when the next generation vote pops up and I'll be voting for games that already showed up here because of the PC cut off date.

this was me and twilight princess this gen because of the way the generations split and how the wii version is obviously the best one.

 

[eMpTy23]

1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

2. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
It felt like I was playing a movie. I had never played anything like it, and I loved it.

3. Resident Evil 4 (Wii)

4. BioShock

I can't remember playing and enjoying any other games which were released that time period...

 

[mujun]

1. Fallout: New Vegas ; My favorite RPG ever. Love the amount of choice it offers.
2. Demon's Souls ; I must have completed this more than 20 times. Had a blast running through levels with other people.
3. Bioshock ; The atmosphere of this game is something I just love to immerse myself in.
4. Dishonored ; The emergent gameplay and amount of options you have to tackle any given task are great.
5. Mass Effect 2 ; I love the sci-fi vibe, characters and gunplay.
6. Borderlands 2 ; So much to do, the shooting is fun and the loot is great.
7. Skyrim ; I wanted this to be more of an RPG but the atmosphere is great and I love spending time crafting up equipment that makes you close to invincible.
8. Dead Space ; Like Bioshock atmosphere makes this game great. I also like the gimmick and the resource management is fun.
9. Alan Wake ; I like the combat loop. The corny horror novel vibe is well done. The look of the game really ties it all together especially the torch and other lights.
10. Forza Horizon ; Pure fun with the freedom to do the stuff you enjoy.

 

[AniHawk]

nice to see the mp3 love, thespacebetween. an early pinnacle of achievement for retro.

 

[Lostconfused]

"Voting for imported titles is allowed. If you list an import game, please mention which country you are from. Otherwise I will assume you didn’t read the rules and the vote will not count." Wha?

 

[AniHawk]

"Voting for imported titles is allowed. If you list an import game, please mention which country you are from. Otherwise I will assume you didn’t read the rules and the vote will not count." Wha?

haha that's a holdover from my goty threads.

 

[Santiako]

Long post coming

I'm probably forgetting tons of games, this gen was insanely good for me:

1. Dark Souls ; My favourite game of all time. I got it on release based only on word of mouth for Demon's and it was my best gaming purchase ever.
2. Mass Effect 2 ; The whole trilogy was an amazing journey, but ME2 was the high point, the production values alone are insane.
3. Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen ; Dark Arisen elevated what was already an amazing game into a masterpieces (all you can't go wrong).
4. Mario Galaxy ; This game alone justified the purchase of a Wii.
5. Demon's Souls ; Even though it's my least favourite Souls, it's still one of the best games ever made.
6. Red Dead Redemption ; Rockstar's magnum opus, can't wait for the sequel.
7. NieR ; I got this game because it was on sale without knowing anything about it, the game turned out to be crazy in all the best possible ways, made me a lifelong fan of Yoko Taro.
8. Fallout New Vegas ; Only good fallout game since Bethesda bought the licence, please let them do another one after the unmitigated disaster that was 4.
9. Scott Pilgrim vs the World ; Amazing revival of the genre that it is now regrettably lost to any new potential buyers.
10. Borderlands 2 ; Fantastic mash of genres that kept me glued to the xbox (and the pc) for months.

Honorable mentions:

x. Skyrim ; I love the game, but what I love most are the mods so Bethesda doesn't get a point there
x. Dark Souls 2 ; I like it more than Demon's Souls, but the vesion I like most is the pc/ps4/bone one so I'll vote it next gen.
x. The Last of Us ; Same as before, probably would be around 8th or so, but the ps4 version is so much better that it'll get my vote next gen.
x. Uncharted 2 ; I really like it, barely edged out of the top 10.
x. Fable 2 ; I like this game way more than it deserves, but it just worked for me, I was grinning like an idiot the whole time I played it.
x. Halo: Reach ; still best Halo.

Honorable mentions, Portable edition:

I ignored the PSP/DS on my top 10 since otherwise it would just be too many games:

x. Patapon and Patapon 2 ; my favourite rhythm games ever.
x. Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 ; the best pokémon games.
x. Final Fantasy Tactics A2 ; insane amount of quality content let down by a crappy story.
x. Phoenix Wright saga ; I love all of these crazy games.
x. Layton saga ; they got kinda samey by the end, but I loved them all.
x. Castlevania Drown of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia ; best DS games and just immensely good games.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

nice to see the mp3 love, thespacebetween. an early pinnacle of achievement for retro.

I thought you didn't much care for Retro's games? I may be thinking of someone else though.

 

[AniHawk]

I thought you didn't much care for Retro's games?

yeah but i liked metroid prime 3 a lot. that first section up through when you fight ridley really sold me on the game.

 

[jj984jj]

1. Super Mario Galaxy ; This was the game that got me really excited about getting into the home console side of this generation. It was the Mario platformer that took a new approach to 3D Mario with incredibly care given to the presentation far beyond what came before (and after too so far). And of course the overall design of the game was fantastic as well.

2. The Orange Box ; While this wasn't a defining collection for the 360 specifically I did play these games for the first time on it. Looking back it's still an incredible package with two games I absolutely love (Portal and Half-Life 2).

3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ; Choosing between the first and third entries of this series was a tough one, but I think the first won out here since it started it all and ended up being one of the most memorable games on the DS.

4. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC ; For kicking off such a special ongoing series I just had to put it above all the other RPGs of this generation. If you're a fan of world building in this genre you shouldn't hesitate to dive in.

5. Bayonetta
6. Xenoblade Chronicles
7. Mirror's Edge
8. Catherine
9. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
10. Trauma Center: Under the Knife

x. Tales of Vesperia
x. Fallout: New Vegas
x. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
x. BioShock
x. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
x. Nier
x. Batman: Arkham Asylum
x. Rock Band
x. Resonance of Fate
x. Blue Dragon
x. Dark Souls
x. Darksiders
x. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
x. Alice: Madness Returns
x. Infamous 2
x. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
x. Hotline Miami

x. Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time
x. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
x. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
x. Etrian Odyssey
x. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
x. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
x. Radiant Historia
x. Hotel Dusk
x. Rune Factory 3
x. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
x. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan
x. Lumines
x. Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
x. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
x. Space Invaders Extreme

Man, getting that top 10 to balance out the way I wanted wasn't easy. Personally I was a big fan of the DS so I made sure that was reflected in the top 10, I still consider it the greatest handheld ever made (and with PSP easily made it the greatest generation of handhelds). A few great games got knocked out of the top 10 as a result though. I didn't vote for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance because I want to vote for the PC version but it's beyond the cutoff date. Same with a few others like XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

 

[sleepydeer]

Edited my post for more honourable mentions, should be clear where.

is anyone interested in seeing the generation broken down into years? i am considering going back and doing the same for the gen 4-6 stuff as well, but the idea is to have each year shown to have their own 'goty', compared to the actual goty thread results, and then also have a breakdown of the years ranked by points like i do for publishers and platforms.

I'm interested to see that.
I did something like that for the Gen 5 thread and checking release years for 100 games took longer than I thought it would; I'll help if you want.

 

[F-Pina]

1. Team Fortress 2 ; The best online multiplayer. Redefined what team based game could be. Hundreds of hours of fun with friends or just randomly playing with other people.
2. Wipeout HD ; Perfection in the form of an anti-grav racer.
3. Warhawk ; If TF2 is the best online multiplayer, then Warhawk gets the second place with the most awesome mix of planes, cars and tanks along with everything else that comes with an online shooter.
4. The Last of Us ; A Story in a videogame told the right away. Perfect mix of tension, action, emotions and everything else.
5. Read Dead Redemption ; Finally. A game set in the old west that gets it right. Best part was always riding your horse into the sunset.
6. Uncharted 2 ; The best Uncharted. Great action set-pieces push the bar so high that it is still up there, waiting to be topped.
7. God of War III ; Killing gods with all the rage and awesome graphics. What more could you want?
8. Killzone 2 ; It did not live up to the infamous E3 trailer but it was so good and so well designed that everyone forgot about that (well, I did).
9. Demon's Souls ; The one that started it all. Such a big surprise playing it for the first time.
10. Under Siege; This one is special and needs to be here. The first PlayStation game I worked on and the first made in Portugal. Also one of the first RTT games made from the ground up for console. Couldn't be prouder of what we accomplished.

X. Bioshock; Shocked! Shocked, I say! Well, not that shocked.
X. Dead Space; An horror game with jump scares done right.
X. Little Big Planet; 4 players co-op with an awesome in-game editor.
X. Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time; Best Ratchet and Clank.
X. Street Fighter IV; What a great return. And so much salt!
X. Fez; Going over 100% gets your mind blown.
X. Burnout Paradise; So much racing fun. Where is my sequel?!
X. Motorstorm Pacific Rift; Best arcade racer of the generation.

 

[Barry Burton]

I've generally thought of Gen 7 as largely being a disappointment, when AAA games had gotten dumbed-down and heavily catered towards the "Call of Duty audience" at an alarming rate. Some of my favorite franchises hit rock bottom during this generation. That being said, I pulled together my Top 25 and it still ends up being really strong. Not as strong as Gen 6 was and Gen 8 will be, but there were still a number of very good games.

(I wrote most of this a few years back when I did a similar list elsewhere, but made a few changes here and there...)

Honorable Mentions (starting from 25 and on down):
x. Condemned: Criminal Origins
x. Fallout: New Vegas
x. Wii Sports
x. Rayman Origins
x. Mark of the Ninja
x. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
x. The Walking Dead
x. Grand Theft Auto V
x. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
x. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

x. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption ; This is Retro Studios' worst game, but that's not a slight on Metroid Prime 3 -- it's still a great game. It's just that their other four games are even more great! It's not quite as memorable to me as the first two were, and things were made a bit more streamlined and linear compared with its predecessors. But Corruption is nonetheless a strong finish to what I still feel is the best pure trilogy in video games, and also one of the best early implementations of first-person motion controls on the Wii. It's just a shame that, nearly ten years later, there hasn't been another one...or really anything else quite like the Metroid Prime Trilogy. (2007, Retro Studios)

x. Deus Ex: Human Revolution ; This was my first Deus Ex game, so I don't know how it compares to the original, but in many respects this game felt tailor-made for me. As if the design document was simply "Make TheBigG753 happy". As the game allowed me to play my specific style of stealth gameplay unabated, as well as allowing me to maximize my effectiveness in doing so, I had a great time playing this for the majority of the 60 or so hours I spent with it. Human Revolution excels in a number of areas, whether it's the excellence in world-building that brings the cities of 2027 to life. Or how the decisions that you make seem to make a tangible impact on the characters that populate this game's world. Or the well-designed levels and hub worlds that encourage exploration and provide numerous different avenues to traverse. I also really liked the way this game did side quests in contrast to many other modern games. Instead of being littered with a number of shallow, repetitive missions, you get a pretty good bang for your buck here. There aren't a ton of them, but they are all pretty unique and have plenty of substance to them. The side missions never felt either superfluous or "lesser" than the main story missions. And even though the story eventually drifted into Metal Gear Solid territory, there were still enough revelations and twists and turns to keep me engaged beginning to end. (2011, Eidos Montréal)

x. Dead Space ; In the midst of a generation where the survival horror genre really hit a slump, the original Dead Space was a pleasant surprise for me. Through the excellent use of lighting and sound, exploration of the Ishimura was as tense and atmospheric as anything I played on these consoles. While the game did get action-heavy at times, it was not such to the point where I felt overpowered vs. the enemy, unlike Resident Evil titles that were being made back then. I still had to carefully manage my resources and not get careless with when I saved, and as a result, the level of tension in the game never subsided -- it's still a survival horror game at its core. Dead Space did a near-perfect job of capturing that feeling of being isolated and helpless out in the silence of space, without anywhere to go to escape the darkness. While I was not pleased with the direction the series went in with its sequels, that doesn't take anything away from the excellence of the first game. (2008, EA Redwood Shores)

x. Hitman: Blood Money ; I first played Blood Money well after its release, and it's one I wish I had gotten around to playing sooner. It is one of the most satisfyingly good stealth games I've ever played, and one of the very few games this generation where I felt compelled to replay it over and over again. Each sandbox-style mission gives you a multitude of tools and tricks to help you carry out the hit, and replaying each mission several times to see all of the different possibilities as well as to see how much improvisation you can do, is really a lot of fun. And when you pull off the perfect hit, without ever having to save and without anyone ever knowing you were there, it's a great feeling. (2006, IO Interactive)

x. Deadly Premonition ; This sometimes gets described as a "so bad, it's good" game, but I disagree with that label. Where the game is bad, it's really fucking terrible. But it excels in other specific areas where most other games unfortunately have not, and it leads to this game being one of my most beloved of the generation in spite of its incredible shortcomings. It's a game I'm always thinking about going back to, but the atrocious combat has turned me away from ever wanting to play the game again. Ultimately, it's why it doesn't make the cut for this list; if I was doing a "Top 10 Most Memorable Games of the Generation" list, it definitely makes the list and frankly it might be #1 on such a list. The game features an excellent storyline full of all sorts of twists and turns, characters that are memorable and can genuinely be cared about, an open-world environment that I can actually feel like I am a part of, and dialogue that is always entertaining and, at times, downright hilarious (not to mention an shamelessly-addicting soundtrack). Deadly Premonition is one of the most charming games I've ever played, and one game from this generation of consoles that I will remember for a very long time. (2010, Access Games)

10. Bayonetta ; Hideki Kamiya has directed a number of excellent video games over the years: Resident Evil 2, Viewtiful Joe, Okami -- just to name a few. But Bayonetta is his best work. At its heart, the game could be considered the unofficial fifth Devil May Cry game. But it goes so far beyond that basic framework, and the result is one of the most fun and varied character-action games I've played. There are so many different tools and techniques at Bayonetta's disposal, and each and every one of these are worthwhile and fun to use. In some games, you'll tend to focus on what is effective and what you are good at, and stick to that approach. In this game, you're encouraged to try anything and everything that you possibly can do, and this makes each and every enemy encounter a completely unique and satisfying experience, rather than ever feeling repetitious like some games of this genre can be. It's beautiful, it's stylish, it's got a ton of variety, and it features some absolutely phenomenal boss fights that serve as entire levels in their own right. Bayonetta consistently sets the bar higher and higher as it goes along, and was a game where at no point did I want to put the controller down. (2010, Platinum Games)

9. Batman: Arkham Asylum ; Batman games have historically been sub-par, but starting with the release of Arkham Asylum, this all changed. Playing as Batman has never felt or looked better, with a natural and seamless combat system, smart usage of his gadgets throughout the environments, and better-than-expected stealth mechanics. In particular, the heavy inspiration it drew from the Metroid franchise in its world design and progression was something that really appealed to me; in a lot of ways, I'd consider Arkham Asylum to be the best third-person Metroid-style game of this generation. I've enjoyed each of the Arkham games, and really any of them could have filled this spot. But I still have a preference for the original game, which had less of an open-world influence and more of its own distinct identity and in general, is a more focused and cohesive product. All in all, it's a damn good video game that looks and plays extremely well and does so with a high level of polish, and to top it all off, makes excellent use of the Batman license. (2009, Rocksteady Studios)

8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess ; Twilight Princess is sort of an enigma for me: it is undeniably an excellent video game, but it's a game that I haven't exactly held in high-esteem since its release. In fact, it originally wasn't on my shortlist of games I was narrowing-down for this list. But after actually thinking rationally about it for more than a few seconds, it was clear that it absolutely belonged here. Look -- if I'm hard on a Zelda game, it's only because I hold the series to the absolute highest of standards. And while this is certainly a flawed video game that left me disappointed in some areas, it is nevertheless a terrific, flawed video game. As purely a gameplay showpiece, Twilight Princess is one of the most impressive games I've ever played. It boasts the strongest set of dungeons in the series, and honestly I don't think it's even close. And in the very best of these dungeons, the game design is a sight to behold, with the game's special items working heavily in tandem with the level design and boss encounters in some truly jaw-dropping ways. The 40+ hour quest delivered on everything you'd expect from the grand, epic Zelda adventure it was touted to be. It just didn't do very much that was unexpected, and that in a nutshell is why it's not higher on this list. But based on its achievements in the gameplay department, make no mistake about it: Twilight Princess firmly belongs in the upper-echelon of Zelda games. (2006, Nintendo)

7. Bioshock ; I really, really loved all three of the Bioshock games, and I knew they'd be represented on this list, but I needed to really think about which one to pick. Ultimately, though I feel that Bioshock 2 is the strongest in the gameplay department, while Bioshock Infinite has the strongest narrative, it's the original game that is the best representation of what makes this series great. My first experience with the original Bioshock was my first real "Okay, this is next-gen" moment on the Xbox 360, not necessarily from a technical standpoint (though that water looked awfully good), but mostly from how engaged I became in the world they had crafted and the systems contained therein. Rapture was so completely unbelievable as a concept, and yet through the excellent job they did of melding that early 1900's art deco style with futuristic technology, it becomes something entirely believable, as far being a place that you could allow yourself to become lost in. Bioshock also did an effective job of storytelling in a way that made sense considering the context of the medium, letting the player discover the secrets of Rapture on their own while having the story play out in real-time without relying on heavy-handed cutscenes, something that would disrupt the sense of immersion established by the setting. Oh, and it's also a really good first-person shooter. (2007, Irrational Games)

6. Donkey Kong Country Returns ; No Metroid? No problem, as Retro Studios' track record for making excellent games continued unabated with Donkey Kong Country Returns. In many respects, you can see a lot of the same design ethos carried over from the Prime games: Excellent art direction, crazy level design, and boss fights that you don't want to screw around with. It's a challenging game, but it's not hard to the point of being frustrating or unfair. The game expects the player to hold up their end of the bargain, and that's where most of the game's fun comes from. Nothing comes easy, and clearing through the levels without failing while also getting the puzzle pieces and KONG letters is so much fun to do when you've also nailed the platforming part of a difficult stage. And as it goes along, it continues to get better and better (and crazier and crazier), peaking at a point where three straight worlds were stacked with great stage after great stage. I really can't say enough about this game...in fact, I've probably already written a lot more than I had to. I had an absolute blast playing Donkey Kong Country Returns from beginning-to-end, and it is certainly among the best 2D platformers I've ever played, if not my favorite overall. (2010, Retro Studios)

5. Dark Souls ; Without a doubt, one of the landmark titles of the 7th generation. Released back when excessive hand-holding was the norm, and most big single-player games were either fully open-world or completely linear, it was the right game at exactly the right time. Having played the rest of the Souls series since then, they've all surpassed the first Dark Souls in most areas. But none of them come close to matching its world design and, building off of that, they don't offer nearly the same element of discovery and adventure. Very few video games have in the years since. While a major staple of the series is the great satisfaction that comes from overcoming challenging obstacles and feeling the sense of actual progression that comes along with it, it's just as rewarding to explore the world of Lordran and discover just how intricately most of it is interconnected. I consistently had a mental checklist going of where I could go explore next, right from the moment I got to Firelink Shrine. There's very little waiting for the game to "open up". Dark Souls may not be the best game of the 7th generation, but it's arguably one of the most important, and its impact and influence is still being reflected today, among AAA and indie games alike. (2011, From Software)

4. Red Dead Redemption ; For a long time now, I've had a desire to play another great western-themed video game, and Red Dead Redemption scratched that particular itch. To me, this is my favorite of all of the open-world games that Rockstar has made, and here's why: the economy of scope really allowed me to become immersed in the game world, and in turn, led me to want to do and see everything that there was to do and see -- not because I felt like I had to, but because I wanted to. Too often, open-world games consist of these enormous city-scapes that I feel no attachment to, and are filled to the brim with activities that are unrelated to both the narrative and the game world; they are just there for you to waste time on. Red Dead Redemption was one of the rare open-world games where I really looked forward to completing everything 100%, and in the end, I felt fulfilled in doing so. Everything that there is to see and do feels so well integrated into the sandbox, and while geographically this is a large game, it doesn't necessarily feel that way. This is because the game's structure was set up in such a way that you could familiarize yourself with each of the areas spread out across the map, and not feel overwhelmed by the environments or detached from the overall experience. It's an open-world game that really capitalizes on the aspect of being an open world setting, working hand-in-hand with the story, characters and activities to establish a place that, as a player, you'll want to feel like you're a part of. (2010, Rockstar Games)

3. The Last of Us ; If there was ever a game that felt designed with me in mind, it might look something like The Last of Us. When the game was first shown off, I had a lot of "hopes" for the game, because the potential for greatness was readily apparent from the get-go. I wanted to be able to play the game in such a manner that I would feel like I survived a stressful ordeal by the end, and not ever get the sense that I was able to just shoot my way through it. I wanted to be able to play it slow and methodically, in a survival horror manner, in such a way that I'd feel exhausted by the time it was over. I wanted this game to be a true battle of attrition, and thankfully, the entire time it felt as though the game was always meant to be played that way. In every way that I had hoped that the game would be a brutal and unrelenting test of survival, it was. But gameplay is just one part of it, and it wouldn't be the same if the campaign and the narrative driving it weren't also top-notch. On a moment-to-moment basis, The Last of Us is one of the most memorable single-player campaigns I've played. Every scene, area, and encounter feels as if it was meticulously constructed under the lens of a microscope. And the pace of the game is nearly perfect, ratcheting up the suspense little-by-little as it goes along before reaching a fever pitch in its final act, leading up to what was an absolutely perfect ending to the experience. I wanted a lot out of this game, and in just about every area, it delivered. (2013, Naughty Dog)

2. Portal 2 ; A lot of times you'll hear someone say, "Hey, this game had a really awesome story! But the gameplay really stinks..." Or you might hear someone say, "Hey, holy crap was this game incredibly fun to play! But I wish the storytelling wasn't such an afterthought..." Enter Portal 2, a game that excels at both game design and writing better than most games achieve in either one of those departments. The original game was an awesome few hours of puzzle-solving fun, but it always felt like a prototype for something greater. Portal 2 is the full-realization of that promise. Sure, it starts off with a continuation of the first game's puzzle chambers, but over the course of the game it goes way, way above and beyond that initial set-up. The end result is a game that is constantly subverting your expectations and taking delight in the unpredictable, both incorporating within and surrounding the insanely creative portal chambers with a very entertaining narrative, strengthened by well-written dialogue that is consistently witty and oftentimes very funny. It is an incredibly smart game, in terms of its design and its ambitions, and it is more than happy to allow you to feel smart along the way. The game never tells you what is or isn't possible, but if you think for one second that something off-the-wall just might work, it typically does. Playing a hunch and then ending up being correct is one of the most gratifying things you can get out of a game. Portal 2 is always being creative and is never predictable, and this is really something that every video game should set out to achieve. (2011, Valve)

1. Super Mario Galaxy ; There are a lot of awesome games on this list, but for me, this was a no-brainer. Super Mario Galaxy is the best game of this generation, and it's not hard to see why. No other game left me more impressed and astonished by its experience, nor did I have more sheer fun playing anything else. But what exactly makes it so special? Between the time when Mario's early foray into 3D was a new open-ended take on the platforming genre, and the more recent approach which has blended classic 2D Mario gameplay into 3D environments, there was a period of intense experimentation with the series and its genre, and the fruits of this became Super Mario Galaxy. It's still Mario, but this time it came out of the design mindset that "nothing is too crazy or out of place", and the outcome is an experience that is consistently awe-inspiring and mind-blowing. Through the implementation of gravity effects, and building the game entirely around this concept, Galaxy features levels designed in such a way that I never thought was possible, because it hadn't ever been done quite like this before. Nothing was off-limits, and at just about any moment in the game, I'd find myself doing something I've never done before in any game. And that this was a concept that extended over not just one game, but across two games, is a testament to how revolutionary this game was to the genre. It practically rewrote the book on what can and cannot be done in a platformer. And in spite of all of this, it's still a Mario game, with all of the charming elements that you'd come to expect from the franchise. It's both totally familiar and something completely brand new at the same time, but Super Mario Galaxy can best be described with only one word: "magical". (2007, Nintendo)

 

[CJCW]

1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; I think I can explain this pick by telling how I got to it. Despite Super Mario 64 being my all-time favorite game since it came out, I hadn't touched a new Mario game for a very long time. I had only really played games on Sony systems, and while I wanted a Gamecube when it came out, my siblings preferred the PS2. So a PS2 is what we had. I played some of my favorite games on it, as well as the PS3 we got afterward, but I still had a love for Nintendo that went unsatisfied. It took until 2011, when I started college, for me to buy my first console of my own, a Wii. Super Mario Galaxy 2 was one of the games I picked up with it. I had been out of the loop on gaming news for awhile, so I had no real idea how good it might be. I don;t need to tell you how blown away I was. The jump from SM64 to this was unreal. Trying to explain the joy I felt while playing might as well be pointless, so I'll just leave it here as my immediate, obvious #1 choice over all these other games. Just try and imagine how much I liked it.

And yes, it's better than the first.

2. Rayman Origins ; Seriously in contention for best 2D platformer ever made, alongside Super Mario World. Jeez, does this game control perfectly. The way momentum carries through jumps and attacks is exactly as it should be (and something the sequel got wrong). The way the levels are designed to be played both regularly, with heavy emphasis on exploration, or as a straight-ahead time trial is incredible, and something I can't recall any other game doing as good a similar approach. It also helps that the game is gorgeous, with the best hand-drawn art I've seen in a game, and a very fitting and catchy soundtrack. I really can't ask for more from a 2D platformer; Rayman Origins is effectively perfect.

3. Dark Souls ; My first Souls game, like I assume it was for many others. I may like Bloodborne better than it now, but DS1 taught me how to play games in an entirely different way. No more rushing, button-mashing, hoping I can get by without any real effort. Dark Souls demands you play by its rules, and rewards you with gaming's best real-time combat system to date. The monster designs are fantastic, as are most of the boss fights. The lore can be interesting, but sometimes too obtuse for its own good (guess that fits the whole game though). I played on PS3 originally, so my time was a bit iffy in spots (Blighttown, namely), but the brilliance was impossible to deny.

4. The Last of Us ; If I were to award a game for having the best combined story and gameplay, TLOU would win pretty easily. Yes the story is fantastic, with maybe the best ending a game has ever had (I can't remember being so angry at a character at the end of a game before or since). But more than that, I feel the way the game plays is vastly undervalued, and perhaps even better than its story. The constant feeling of tension during firefights when low on ammo, or when trying to move past a pack of infected that would kill you easily without being spotted, is the game's true achievement. The difficulty curve matches its progression of upgrades perfectly, making it seem like you just barely have enough to scrape by. It's definitely the PS3's best looking game, and shows what years of working with a single piece of hardware can do for a studio. On top of all this, the multiplayer's very good, and I typically don't bother with any game's MP mode. Looking forward to the sequel.

5. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors ; Either I'm preaching to the choir, or you've never played it, but 999 has one of the best stories told in gaming. I mean that less so because of the actual story itself, and more in the way that it uses the medium to tell it. The game constantly uses with the relationship that a player has with a game they're playing in interesting ways, right up to its ending. Saying more might spoil some things, so I'll just say, go buy it if you haven't. It's available digitally now, so you have no excuse.

6. Bioshock ; Still my favorite FPS ever. Though really, I consider it more of a survivor horror game than anything else. It has the genre's best elements: scarce supplies, unpredictable enemies, and a creepy atmosphere. And Rapture is just such a beautiful place to explore, especially in ruin. I haven't mentioned the story at all, but that's because I didn't get around to the game until about 2012 and had had the twist and everything about it spoiled years before. I can only imagine how much more I'd love Bioshock if I had seen it's story untainted.

7. Spelunky ; Probably the first rouge-like I ever really "got". The idea of restarting every time seemed cruel to me at first, so I'd just use the shortcuts. When I finally got used to playing the way you should, I realized how brilliant the game is. It demands that you understand each of its mechanics, enemies, items, and more, and will beat them into you until you can handle almost anything. It also stresses thinking ahead and being observant, something a lot more games could stand to do these days.

8. Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time ; The best game in the series to date. Opening up the series' progression and giving the player more freedom to explore the galaxy was a brilliant move, and the shmup sections in between are a nice change of pace too. Of course all the things you'd expect are still here, like creative weapons, smooth platforming, and genuinely good humor; the surprise was a story that made me care about Ratchet's origins, and his nature as a character being contrasted with the only other Lombax he meets. Sad to say I can't see Insomniac ever topping this one, but I'm more than happy if they can't.

9. Infamous 2 ; Infamous 1 has a better story and boss fights, but everything else feels much smoother in this sequel. Movement powers are unlocked faster, making the city a joy to move around in, melee is far better than before with the amp's addition, and the extra powers you can choice give even more reason to replay than the first did. The game also does an interesting switcheroo near the end with its morality system, and leaves a choice between two very different endings with huge consequences.

10. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ; The absolute best version of a big summer action movie in video game form. People like to talk down on that kind of game like they're a bad thing, but to me, Uncharted is the only one that really gets it right. I always feel like I have some amount of control over Drake outside of cutscenes, and everything feels fluid as I do so, which the various imitators seem to miss badly. U2 is still the best in the series, by having massive, memorable sections throughout, and a story that strikes a nice balance between fun and serious. And c'mon, that train level is insane. Maybe the best level in any game ever.

Honorable Mentions, in no real order:
Dead Space
Limbo
Dead Space 2
Dragon's Dogma
Mass Effect 2
Resistance 3
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Metal Gear Solid 4
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Super Paper Mario
Folklore
Assassin's Creed 2
Devil May Cry 4
DmC: Devil May Cry
God of War 3
Fez
Journey
Wipeout HD
Demon's Souls
Fallout 3
LittleBigPlanet 2
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Prince of Persia (2008)
Dust: An Elysian Tale
Portal 2
Batman: Arkham City
Vanquish
Dishonored
Kirby's Epic Yarn
Super Meat Boy
Sonic Generations
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Picross 3D
Alice: Madness Returns
Guacamelee!
Lone Survivor

 

[haikira]

01. The Last Of Us ;

02. Max Payne 3 ; Same Max, different location, in Rockstar's turn at the gruff, wise cracking, addict, that is Max Payne; in this fish out of water tale.

Don't let the all that sun, or the new location fool you, as this still feels very much a noir, with it's downbeat tone, clipped dialogue, one truly convoluted plot, and a whole lot of moral ambiguity. When it comes to the game's visual style, Rockstar have lifted wholesale from Tony Scott's Man on Fire.

So why is Max Payne 3 in my top ten? That's actually a good question, as for all the love I have for it, I also have a number of criticisms. I really dislike the game's constant need to take control from the player, and the decision to make almost all cut-scenes unskippable is bewildering.

For all the negatives, I just can't help but love the game. From it's bold style, to the amazing soundtrack by HEALTH, and the frankly awe-inspiring bursts of violence. Although Max's commentary throughout the game almost falls over into parody at times, i find it hard to not love him, his dialogue, or James McCaffrey's performance.

03. Alan Wake ;

04. Uncharted 2 ;

05. Red Dead Redemption ;

 

[AniHawk]

[Will be continuing to tweak and revise before the deadline

i wont add your list until then. please notify me when you are done.

 

[haikira]

i wont add your list until then. please notify me when you are done.

Sorry, I'd assumed it was like the GOTY threads. I should have actually given the opening post a proper read, rather than just skimming over it...

I'll let you know when it's complete. It'll probably be in a day or two.

Thanks for all the work putting this together.

 

[Psychoward]

Oh almost forgot about this, bumping so I remember to post when I have free time

 

[NathanDiego]

TheBigG753

If I am not a mistaken,in 2013 GOTY thread The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was your first spot,now not even a honorable mention,did the honeymoon phase end?