Games this generation which really impressed you

[system11]

I've been seeing a bunch of articles online about the 'best' games of the generation, and I disagreed with a lot of their picks. It made me think about what I enjoyed most from the 360/PS3 generation (I simply don't have a Wii or I'd have included it), and I've started writing them up:

http://blog.system11.org/?p=434

I actually had to refer to some overall release lists for the systems just to remember everything I'd played in the long years since release, and people say this has been a bad generation for gaming? I beg to differ.

So what did everyone here really like - it would be nice if there were a few words explaining choices rather than just listing stuff.

[Gespenst]

Uh.

EXVS/EXVSFB.

[sven666]

the uncharted games really took me by storm, especially the first game which i felt focused more on exploration rather than mindless combat (drake is a f-ing mass murderer btw!), felt like when i bought tomb raider on release and was blown away by that..

fallout 3 and NV were great games too, i dont think i ever enjoyed such an insanely buggy game that much before, huge and charismatic world.

not really unknown games by any means tho this and next generations games are all massive budget games so "hidden gems" are somewhat a thing of the past i suppose..
I think the overall standard of games has increased massively but at the same time creativity has gone way down.

[Jonst]

i have to say,i'm not a fig fan of modern games as such and pass most things by if it's not a shmup or a fighter...but,i did really enjoy bayonetta and vanquish when they came out.It felt like a refreshing change for me at those particular times,nothing has grabbed me since though.Got lollipop chainsaw when it came out,but have barely played it

[KAI]

None.

[rancor]

I don't really own a lot (any?) games of other genres for this generation, but Futari for X360 was so extremely well put together. The conversion from PCB was near-perfect, and the menu system is the best that CAVE put to use for the 360. I was really disappointed that they didn't use it for SDOJ.

Futari gets my vote for best STG this generation.

[BobbyNewmarkiii]

I'll go for portal and portal 2, braid, and cave story. And maybe Demons Souls. Shumps aside. And Wipeout HD

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I don't really own a lot (any?) games of other genres for this generation, but Futari for X360 was so extremely well put together. The conversion from PCB was near-perfect, and the menu system is the best that CAVE put to use for the 360. I was really disappointed that they didn't use it for SDOJ.

I love Futari too, but don't forget it had that odd Black Label stuttering issue that hit a number of people. I was lucky enough that it's not happening for me, but I've played on consoles with it. It's a bit irritating, but by no means unplayable, just a shame it wasn't resolved via a patch. Totally agree about the menu thing, Futari is the only Cave 360 game that used that menu system? Whyyy?

SDOJ's menu issues that needed patching were hilarious.

Vanquish was awesome. It took the standard third person shooter genre and breathed life into it with the crazy dash/slowdown mechanics, boost kicking and then pumping bullets into the enemy during the backflip, quick weapon switching after an HMG flip... so much versatility and pure awesomeness in the game. The challenge maps were fantastically fun too.

[dunpeal2064]

I don't really own a lot (any?) games of other genres for this generation, but Futari for X360 was so extremely well put together. The conversion from PCB was near-perfect, and the menu system is the best that CAVE put to use for the 360. I was really disappointed that they didn't use it for SDOJ.

Futari gets my vote for best STG this generation.

Gotta agree on this one. I put more hours into this game than any other this gen, STG or not. Heck, its the reason I'm into the genre.

Might get flak for this, but I actually quite enjoyed The Last Story.

[royalfan84]

I thought the first Bioshock was pretty amazing. I haven't gotten around to Infinite yet...I have Fallout 3 and was impressed at first but I got a little tired of it and haven't played it in months. I though Transformers Fall of Cybetron was awesome; I'm admittedly a Transformers fan. Arkham City was very addicting and very cool albeit a bit too short. And of course Mass Effect 2 was epic. The most fun I've had in any game in awhile however was Red Dead Redemption; just a near perfect game.

So I'd say Red Dead Redemption was my favorite follwed by Bioshock and Mass Effect. But I have many to play yet.

[Jonst]

I don't really own a lot (any?) games of other genres for this generation, but Futari for X360 was so extremely well put together. The conversion from PCB was near-perfect, and the menu system is the best that CAVE put to use for the 360. I was really disappointed that they didn't use it for SDOJ.

Futari gets my vote for best STG this generation.

Gotta agree on this one. I put more hours into this game than any other this gen, STG or not. Heck, its the reason I'm into the genre.

Might get flak for this, but I actually quite enjoyed The Last Story.

Why? Because it's on the wii?

[dunpeal2064]

Its on the Wii, its a JRPG with feels, it isn't 80 hours long, and I haven't really heard people talking about it in a positive way.

I haven't looked up reviews or anything, I just figured it wasn't too highly reguarded. I loved it though.

[royalfan84]

I was also very impressed with Limbo.

[Neathyr]

The original Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing rendered the entire Mario Kart series (or any other kart arcade title for that matter) completely obsolete for me, because not only does the racing itself is more precise and well put together than the aforementioned series but there's no blue shell coming out of nowhere to punish you for playing good.

Castle of Shikigami III. This game in particular is very special because it was single-handedly responsible to reintroduce me to the world of shmupping after years on hiatus. So it's worth a mention. Fenomenal replay value.

Ninja Gaiden II. Don't think I have much to add to what's already been said, aside from having the deepest, most adrenaline-inducing, satisfying combat system to appear on an action game. Some cheap fake difficulties were added, but hey...
The Mission Mode only makes it better.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Easily my favorite open-world game this generation. So much quality content, a well-designed enemy A.I., a menacing world inviting you to get lost in, et-cetera. All in an overall amazing package. European PC gaming at its finest.

Vanquish blowed me away and took the traditional TPS formula with Platinum's know-how for cosmic-tier gameplay variety, all the while being a huge "You are weak" for those who like to stay behind a wall and play whack-a-mole. It's actually a little boring for me to play another TPS after being introduced to this juggernaut.

The Mortal Kombat reboot also deserves a mention, since I could finally play a MK game with a decent fighting engine, and I kinda have a soft spot for this series, for some reason (nostalgia, perhaps, but whatever). There's still a lot of room for improvement, so I can only hope Netherrealm go up from there.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. A bit unbalanced and easy after the Dawn Brigade chapters but it's yet another high-quality SRPG you'd expect from Nintendo/Intelligent Systems in an otherwise dead genre, consoles-wise.

Other titles worth mentioning include Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Virtua Fighter 5, Bayonetta, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, Earth Defense Force 2017, the original F.E.A.R., Baroque, DKC Returns, Metal Gear Rising, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Ketsui, Metroid Prime 3, Gothic 3, among a few others...

Honorable mention goes to the DS (mainly the Lite model, due to its backwards compatibility) for having quite possibly the best SRPG library to grace a gaming system - the PS2 is a close second, though. Plus some Shiren the Wanderer goodness.

[Ebbo]

Sin & Punishment 2

I'm not still sure which baffles me more: The fact this game exist at all or that "my Wii has been collecting dust for 100 years" naysayers skipped this gem entirely. The wiimote+nunchuk combo fits Cabal-like gameplay like a glove and despite its simple concept, manages to suprise throughout the game with yet another set piece moment that in any other game would've relegated into cutscene/QTE-fest. One of Treasure's finest.

[cicada88]

Uh.

EXVS/EXVSFB.

want!!

[Jonst]

Its on the Wii, its a JRPG with feels, it isn't 80 hours long, and I haven't really heard people talking about it in a positive way.

I haven't looked up reviews or anything, I just figured it wasn't too highly reguarded. I loved it though.

Said it before and I'll say again,the wii does have some good games!

[shmuppyLove]

Tales of Xillia

[Obiwanshinobi]

I'm afraid the days of being technically impressed by console games are long gone, but for what it's worth, I was more impressed with Excite Truck than Burnout Paradise.

[Acid King]

Ninja Gaiden 2 - while not as refined as the first game, still had an amazing combat system and plenty of challenge. The first game is one of my favorites of all time and NGII came pretty close to the greatness of the first.

Dark Souls - Can't say enough good things about this game, An exquisitely simple combat system that belied a depth I' hadn't experienced in a long time. I don[t think I've playing a game in the past 5-10 years where making progress felt nearly as rewarding as this game.

Crackdown - Not much to do with this one after its beaten, but the open world and the protagonists insane abilities gave the game a unique exploratory aspect that holds up pretty well.

Elder Scrolls Obliviion - Took a lot of what I enjoyed about Morrowind but make combat much more engaging.

Vanquish - Top notch 3rd person shooting with lots of interesting gameplay mechanics.

[replayme]

The Wii is worth owning for House of the Dead: Overkill alone. And this is coming from someone who doesn't even really like "point and gun" shooters.

I thought Mario Kart Wii was a return to form, especially after having been so thoroughly disappointed with the N64 and GC updates. Still, I have Sonic Racing Transformed, and although I haven't played it as much as I'd like to, believe that it even outdoes Mario Kart in some aspects.

Regardless of what some people may think, I really liked Resident Evil 5. Sure, the game wasn't as brilliant when playing the game with an AI, but with someone else at the controls it really came into its own. Resident Evil 5 was just more of the same as Resident Evil 4. And that's no bad thing as far as I am concerned. And I still need to play RE6.

If there is anything that this list makes me realise, is that my backlog of games is ridiculously huge. I have so many games that I haven't even touched yet, and a lot of them are supposed to be system sellers.

[Ruldra]

Spelunker HD impressed me very much. Hands down the best game on PSN for me.

You start off with a (optional) tutorial explaining all the quirks of the Spelunker formula, then it throws you 100 tough levels to beat. You can play this solo, 6 player co-op multiplayer or versus. It has leaderboards for competition and mural piece collection as a side-game. Has modern and 8-bit graphics to choose from. All that for $10. No other game offer that much content for such a price. It's a steal.

After you've beaten all levels, you can check out the DLC which includes a championship mode. 100 more levels made especifically to be a challenge.

[system11]

Just put up the next 5, I might have the third set done tomorrow sometime, and I might not.

http://blog.system11.org/?p=514

[Neathyr]

Said it before and I'll say again,the wii does have some good games!

It does. Mainstream players were brainwashed into thinking that it was just a gimmicky casual-oriented console with some Mario and Zelda here and there, so a huge portion of its library got overlooked.
If you take a deeper look, you'll find some really hidden gems. The console lacks variety, that's for sure, but I wouldn't say it's difficult to come up with a list of at least 10 good games with a tremendous replay value that makes the console worth owning.

[replayme]

Damnit man, why do you have to keep us waiting?

[replayme]

Said it before and I'll say again,the wii does have some good games!

It does. Mainstream players were brainwashed into thinking that it was just a gimmicky casual-oriented console with some Mario and Zelda here and there, so a huge portion of its library got overlooked.
If you take a deeper look, I'll find some really hidden gems. The console lacks variety, that's for sure, but I wouldn't say it's difficult to come up with a list of at least 10 good games with a tremendous replay value that makes the console worth owning.

House of the Dead: Overkill
x 10!!!

That should satisfy anyone.

[guigui]

Also, Dead Space Extraction is pretty good on the wii. Play hardest from the go.

Demon's and Dark Souls really impressed me.
I honestly did not think I could find back those old feelings where you both cant stop playing, and are afraid to do so.

[Herr Schatten]

Bayonetta.

[railslave]

Dead rising alone stands out..

[Jonst]

Said it before and I'll say again,the wii does have some good games!

It does. Mainstream players were brainwashed into thinking that it was just a gimmicky casual-oriented console with some Mario and Zelda here and there, so a huge portion of its library got overlooked.
If you take a deeper look, I'll find some really hidden gems. The console lacks variety, that's for sure, but I wouldn't say it's difficult to come up with a list of at least 10 good games with a tremendous replay value that makes the console worth owning.

House of the Dead: Overkill
x 10!!!

That should satisfy anyone.

And HOD 2+3 return
And gunblade NY/LA machine guns
And muramasa
And tatsunoko vs capcom
And...