Your favorite games, this entire gen?

[louisg]

Wait, can I count Under Defeat? It came out 2006 and it has sparks!

[Obiwanshinobi]

HL2 (PC) <-- counts as this gen?

Came out in the year 2004 and wasn't particulary high-tech even back then (after Painkiller and Max Payne 2).
One thing above competition it had was the faces modelling and animation, but that I saw well done in Onimusha 2 before.

[Ed Oscuro]

HL2 has way more technology in it than Painkiller and MP2 combined, dawg. A stake gun ain't no thang.

[Cuilan]

Senko no Ronde DUO

But if that's too close to a shmup, then...

Halo 3

[Casey120]

I lingered a long time in Red Dead Redemption on the 360 and Skyrim was a close second .


Killzone 3 on my Sony HMZ in 3D was an unreal experience !

[Zaarock]

Don't see the point in just picking one, so.. :p

co-op: Left 4 Dead
pvp: Senko no Ronde (would say VOOT but it's not this gen, haven't played VF5FS enough yet)
hack & slash: Bayonetta
FP/3P shooting: Vanquish (if only you didnt have to rely on random drops..)
music game: Child of Eden

[MX7]

The DS pretty much shits over everything that came out on home consoles this gen. With the Etrian Oddessys, The Ace Attorneys, Ouendan, a KORG synth program, 999, fuckin' Ketsui, Dragon Quest 9, The Dark Spire... Also ports of the best game ever made (Umihara Kawase) and the 7th best game ever made (Flower, Sun and Rain. )

Consoles pale in comparison unless you consider arcade ports. Vanquish felt like the sequel to Gunstar Heroes ive wanted for years. No More Heroes was pure joy. Skyward Sword was really cool as well. Dark Souls is marvellous in the sense that it has made dungeon crawling mainstream. Compared to the vast library of the PS2 alone there's comparatively nothing to write home about though.

[hzt]

Super Princess Peach

Apart from shmups and DJ Max that and Tales of Hearts are honestly the only games I can remember playing this generation. I've definitely played other games including console releases but I guess they all sucked.

[professor ganson]

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

[evil_ash_xero]

You know, realizing that this gen is almost over....I look at my game collection, and it's sad.

Well, I'm gonna go ahead and pick more than one now, since I feel like it. I'm not going to count HD remakes as "this gen". I also won't count shmups, because...well, we all know which ones are gonna be in the list.

Best game: Dark Souls- Gives me faith in humanity. Can't wait for the add on material....too bad about the frame rate though.

The rest(in order...kinda...always subject to change):

Valkyria Chronicles- Best SRPG I've played since FFT. Too bad what happened to the series.
Demon's Souls- I didn't like this game as much, prior to playing Dark Souls. But now, I see it's awesomeness.
Bayonetta- One of the best action games I've played. It's designs and music turn me off some...but whatever. I'll deal.
God Of War III- Finishes up the story well.
Sin and Punishment 2- Old school perfected. Kind of orgasmic, if you're into this kind of thing.
Vanquish- This game rocks. I don't care about the dumb story. This game is all killer, no filler. Reminds me of the old days.
Ninja Gaiden II- Not as good as the first, and the camera is ass...but it's just a blast. And it gets points for having a naked girl in blood.


Those would be the games I'm most satisfied with. I certainly like others, but those are the ones that I go back to the most. I hope there's a few good games left, as this gen was crud. Still there were some diamonds.

[trap15]

Tekken 6

I think that's it, if you don't count CAVE ports.

[Raytrace]

Trials HD

Mass Effect

Fallout 3

Ikaruga and RS on XBLA

[evil_ash_xero]

Tekken 6

I think that's it, if you don't count CAVE ports.

I think there's been some really good fighters in the last few years. Too bad I don't like fighters. But still...they had some good ones.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I should have mentioned Excite Truck. Easily as essential a Wii game as S&P2.

[Siren2011]

Flower, Sun and Rain...7th best game ever made

You're kidding, right?...That shouldn't even be ranked within the top 700.

I mean, yeah, I'll be the first to admit that the game oozed style in places (Most particularly the conversation interface and intro video, but The Silver Case has FSR trumped on the latter.), and the music was typical Masafumi Takada fare, though I love Blood+ One Night Kiss' soundtrack a little more.

But as far as it stood as an adventure game? The puzzles are extremely minimalist (meaning dumb and not enjoyable), and the solutions more than 95% of the time having either to do with a pathetically simple addition/subtraction problem (and this is someone who sucks horrible ass at math talking, here), or matching whatever situation you're in with its corresponding page in your in-game guidebook and using the page number for the solution. Either way, simple numbers are almost always a factor, and despite forgetting virtually everything I've learned in high school Japanese class, I had very little difficulty barrier to hold me back from finishing the game. I'll take Grim Fandango's "think outside the box" puzzles -no, its everything over FSR. If there's nothing more to see in your game visually or puzzle-wise, even the story is intangible and hard to swallow, yet the player has to tediously backtrack on the same fucking ugly, barren island over and over again without any of these essential elements, why even develop the game? Easily one of the worst adventure games ever made.

Ok, my this gen gems:

Bayonetta
Mirror's Edge
Ninja Gaiden II
Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram HD for Xbox Live


...

and...

Wow. That's it. I'll try to think of more games, but as of now nothing else is coming to me.

[CMoon]

The DS pretty much shits over everything that came out on home consoles this gen.

I rather agree with this sentiment beyond the obvious Dark/Demon's Souls games. The question however is if 3DS counts as this gen or not, for the obvious reason that much of what made the DS great is apparently continuing on the 3DS late this year or early next year, starting with the obvious Etrian Odyssey 4 and SMT 4.

And while I'm smugly playing games on the PS2 right now, I'd like to point out that some of its best titles came out right at the very end of its life. We may not have seen the best games for this gen yet.

So why do we assume this gen is over with? What is driving the end of this gen? It certainly isn't the game developers who seem barely capable keeping up with the current hardware specs. I don't feel like there's any real certainty that this gen is coming to an end any time soon.

[MadScientist]

First bunch that come to mind - in no particular order;

Wipeout HD/Fury
Mirror's Edge
Various Paradox strategy games (Europa Universalis III, Victoria II, Crusader Kings II etc...)
SpaceChem
Frozen Synapse
The Last Guy
Trash Panic
Alan Wake
Machinarium
Amnesia - The Dark Descent
King's Bounty series
Portal 1/2
Super Meat Boy
Siren: Blood Curse
Zen Pinball
Pac-Man Championship Edition
Demon's Souls
Rayman Origins
PixelJunk Eden
Super Stardust HD

[njiska]

I've actually been thinking about this a lot lately as the generation is coming to an end. Despite the overwhelming sea of crap to come out in the past 7 years (give or take), there's been a number of good releases for the X360, Wii, PS3, DS and PSP that I absolutely adore.

Note: Multiplatform games will be listed under the system I played them on.

NDS

Ace Attorney Trilogy
Sure these may have been originally released on the GBA in Japan, but for my western eyes the first taste of these japanese legal dramas came when Capcom brought the series to the NDS. Great writing, interestingly absurd characters, solid gameplay that adapts the traditional point-and-click style and some of the best music Capcom has produced since the NES era. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorny was a dream game I never saw coming. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it's two sequels were just as good. In fact the 3rd game, Trials and Tribulations would probably be the best written game I played on the system, where it not for the next entry on my list.

Please port Gyakuten Kenji 2 Capcom. We want it bad.

Ghost Trick
Simply put Ghost Trick is one of the most amazing video game stories I have ever experienced. The plot is tight, always keeps you guessing and pulls several big twists that you would never see coming. From beginning to end the game is a deep involving ride that's unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Add to that a cast of over the top characters, a colourful, artistic visual style and a reasonably simple, yet satisfying puzzle system and you get what is hands down the greatest game to grace the platform. It's a one of a kind experience that should never be duplicated.

Another Code (aka Trace memory), Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Last Window: The Secret of Cape West
As you can probably guess, I like adventure Games and the DS is home to a lot of great ones. Each with unique plot hooks, interesting gameplay that tries to take advantage of all of the DS' features and yet again, great characters. While the plots of these games can get a bit drawn out and the pacing is a bit slow, they're still extremely well done and will keep adventure fans hooked. Hotel Dusk and it's sequel Last Window also feature some very nice sketch style sprites. It's a shame that not enough people bought into them and eventually the developer, CiNG, went under.

Feel The Magic XY/XX (aka I Would Die for You) and The Rub Rabbits (aka Where Do Babies Come From?")
These may be very early titles in the DS library, but they are also some of the best examples of how to incorporate the system's unique hardware features into gameplay. Although they are little more than mini game collections, the mini games are fun and the minor plot about love and romance is a well executed method of tying everything together. Excellent art style as well.

Super Princess Peach
Call it offensive to hormonal women if you must, but I absolutely loved Super Princess Peach. Yes, it was significantly easier than most platformers, but the art was cute, the story amusing and the gameplay of using peaches emotions was absolutely hysterical. Also sprites! It kind of annoys me that it never got a sequel and probably never will, despite the less impressive New Super Mario Bros. receiving a ton of love.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Although all three Castlevania games to grace the DS were good in their own right, it's Portrait of Ruin that I most enjoyed. Great SOTN style Gameply. Great Story. Great characters. No absurd gimmick like Order of Ecclesia.

999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
I've never been big on true visual novels, but this one was a good one. One of the only games I've bothered to play through multiple times in order to get every single ending. Review: http://njiska.com/2010/12/nintendo-ds-r ... ine-doors/

PSP

Kenka Bancho: Bad Ass Rumble
I had never even heard about Kenka Bancho before I pick this up and yet I still fell absolutely in love it. The combat system is a bit on the weak side, but it more than server it's purpose. The really heard of the game though, is it's story. Unlike most games, Kenka Bancho allows you to make your own decisions about what you want to do and where you want to go. This will in-turn affect what happens with the story. There's enough variance that several play throughs are required in order to see not just every ending, but every story line.

Lumines Series
Q Entertainment + Music Game + Fun. Need I say more?

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
Yes, this is a remake of an SNES game, but it is a damn fine remake. For the most part the game is exactly as you remember, only with a few changes to item placement. The new additions like cutscene conversation for the Mavericks and a complete gameplay mode as Vile make it worth playing. The 2.5D art Style isn't terrible either. It's a more faithful remake than Mega Man: Powered Up (aka Rockman Rockman) and because of that I find it to be the better game.

Loco Roco and Patapon
Colourful, fun puzzle games with unique control methods. What more needs to be said?


Wii

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes
I'm not a huge fan of fighting games or Anime, but I loved TvC Cross Generation of Heroes enough to import it from Japan. The fighting system that Capcom has put in place is both simple to learn and fun to master. It's like a simplified version of MvC2 and I mean that in the best possible way. Add to that a delightful cast of characters and a plethora of extras and you get an all-round great game. Unfortunately while the US release, Ultimate All-Stars, gained more characters, it lost the mini-games and a bunch of extras I actually liked.

Fatal Frame IV
Fuck you Nintendo for refusing to bring this to the english speaking world and thank you Fatal Frame IV Translation Project for doing what Nintendo wouldn't. I love true survival horror and to me the Fatal Frame series has always been the most consistently excellent. Unlike Silent Hill and Resident Evil, which lost their way, Fatal Frame remains all about the horror and FFIV is no exception. In fact FFIV may even be my favourite Fatal Frame game. The introduction of an RE4 over the shoulder camera made exploring the world far more comfortable than in previous games, but did nothing to take away from the sense of terror and dread. Add to that the creative storytelling of Goichi Suda and you get a hit.

Kirby's Epic Yarn
I don't know who came up with the idea of converting Kirby into a ball of yarn, but they deserve a medal. This is easily the best Kirby game to be released in ages and the fabric world gimmick really works. Yes it's an easy game, but that doesn't take away from the fun or the relaxing feeling it creates.

Sin and Punishment 2
Already mentioned this earlier in the thread, but S&P2 is a great game. The addition of flight to the S&P movement formula really opened up the gameplay. Still need to get around to finishing it as the last few stages are ridiculously dodge heavy.

No More Heroes Series
What can I say? I love my Suda 51. No More Heroes and its sequel may not be perfect, but they are both great experiences. The characters, the story, the fuck-up-ed-ness; they are Suda at his finest and still probably the best "Suda" style games produced since Killer7.

Another Code R
I love CiNG and to me this is the best of the games they produced. At it's heart Another Code R is more than an adventure game, but an honest look at a teenage girl's attempt to reconcile with her estranged father. It's a far more human tale than I was expecting and is all the better for it. Like other CiNG games it also takes full advantage of all the hardware has to offer.

PS3

Catherine
I love games that explore the human condition and Catherine is by far the best game to do so in a long time. It's also one fo the few games where the non-gameplay scenes are just as fun as the core. I loved sorting through the difficulties of which Catherine to stay with. I loved the way people in the bar changed depending on who I interacted with them. I love that the puzzles are insanely hard and reflect your inner demons. Most of all I loved the fact that by the time I was done the game I felt like I had learned something about myself. Something I may not necessarily have liked to know.

Heavy Rain
I know a lot of people are critical of the plot, but I still greatly enjoyed Heavy Rain. if for no reason other than it represents what I see as the future of interactive storytelling. It's less a game and more of an interactive movie, but unlike FMV games of the past, your interaction is substantial.

Journey
Another example fo the future of the medium, Journey explores a great number of emotions without so much as a single line of dialog. It was incredible to feel a bond being built with complete strangers using only a simple system of beeps.

Uncharted Series
This games my be a bit pulp-y, but that's exactly why I like them. Good gameplay, good stories and some of the best character development and voice work in the industry. They represent the peak of Naughty Dog's achievements.

Mega Man 9 & 10
Inti Creates knows how to make a good Mega Man game and 9 & 10 are some of the best in the series. Right up there with 2 and 7.


Xbox 360

BlazBlue Series
Picked up the first game on a whim and fell in love. Great, high energy fighting. Fantastically varied characters (no Ken-Ryu duplication) and a surprisingly good story. Actually, this is probably the only fighting game where I enjoy playing through the ridiculously long visual novel style story mode.

Dead or Alive 4
I've always loved the DOA series for both it's cinematic fighting system and it's story. DOA4 is the best of both. 500 hours logged in online multiplayer alone.

Dead Rising
I know a lot of people like Dead Rising for the inventive weapons and allusions to Dawn of the Dead, but for me there's only one component of the game that made it great and that's the clock. I love that everything is happening in an accelerated version of real-time and if you don't manage your time well, you won't succeed.

EDF 2017
Arcade shooting and bug killing. Need I say more?

Eternal Sonata (aka Trusty Bell)
I'm not a huge fan of JRPGs, but I loved this game. The entire concept of the world being Chopin's mind as he lay on his death bed was highly intriguing. Add in some great characters and a solid combat system and you have a winner. The only downfall is that the last hour or so of the story is shoe-horned in for no reason.

Fight Night Round 3
Best boxing sim on the 360, primarily because of the block and counter system. Round 4 and that other one just couldn't compare.

Hitman: Blood Money
Best gameplay in the series so far. Still need top go back and get prefect ratings on Silent Assassin difficulty.

Operation Darkness
I know this is an odd choice, but I really enjoyed this monsters meet Nazi's Strat RPG. Found the gameplay to be particularly fun, though the story could have used some work.

The Simpsons Game
A simpsons game done right, with lots of parodies.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Epsiode II
I know, i know, but this really is a great old-school Sonic Game. Review: http://gamesugar.net/2012/05/22/review- ... episode-2/


PC

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
It still pales in comparison to the original Deus Ex, but DXHR is nevertheless a fantastic game. Barring the issue of the "must-kill" boss fights, I rather enjoyed this one. Like it's predecessors the openess of gameplay allows for some variety.

The Walking Dead
Telltale flopped hard with Jurassic Park, but this time they seem to be doing things right. The story is an original concept, not a direct adaptation of the plot of the comics, allowing them to take things in their own direction. Only two episodes are out so far, but it's clear that your choices will have quite an impact on the story. Losing characters with valuable knowledge could block paths down the road.

Sam & Max Episodic Series
Like the original, you just have to love them for the humour. All three series have been incredibly strong adventure games. Thanks you Telltale for keeping the genre alive

Minecraft
Need more be said?

I'm sure there are a lot more in the PC realm, but this is a pretty accurate list for the consoles.

[CMoon]

as the generation is coming to an end.

Why are we making this assumption?

[njiska]

as the generation is coming to an end.

Why are we making this assumption?

Because the writing is on the wall? DS and PSP are already on their way out as the 3DS and PS Vita gain share. Wii has been pretty much dead for a while. Even the X360 and PS3 are showing signs of slowdown. The end is coming. It may be a while off, but at this point it is definitely coming.

[CMoon]

as the generation is coming to an end.

Why are we making this assumption?

Because the writing is on the wall?

No, I'm not sure it is.

DS and PSP are already on their way out as the 3DS and PS Vita gain share.

Do 3DS and Vita represent a next gen since they are effective portable versions of current gen?

Wii has been pretty much dead for a while.

Wii is basically a last gen system with a motion controller. Nintendo is definitely out of phase with what everyone else is doing--I mean, what? Their next console is a tablet???

Even the X360 and PS3 are showing signs of slowdown. The end is coming. It may be a while off, but at this point it is definitely coming.

And here's my big issue. There's no plans for a Ps4 or Xbox720 or whatever. There's nothing even to drive the creation of these new consoles. If someone here actually has news about the plan for next gen consoles, etc. I'd love to hear it, but right now this claim that this gen is coming to an end--well, I'm sure eventually yes, but how many years away?

[njiska]

Cmoon, the 3DS and Vita are the next generation of handhelds by sheer logic of them replacing the previous generation. This has nothing to do with power or abilty, only existance. The Wii is put because it's successor is already on the way.

As for the Xbox 360 and PS3, well, new consoles or not, the production of new releases for them is slowing; especially first party. Slowdown is always the sign of decline. Whether or not they're replaced soon, they are heading to their finale.

[CMoon]

Cmoon, the 3DS and Vita are the next generation of handhelds by sheer logic of them replacing the previous generation. This has nothing to do with power or abilty, only existance. The Wii is put because it's successor is already on the way.

This is all fair, but completely blurs the whole 'this gen' concept. In fact, we really ought to talk about each console separately:

1) DS and PSP: Dead
2) Wii: End of life
3) PS3 XBox 360: ???

As for the Xbox 360 and PS3, well, new consoles or not, the production of new releases for them is slowing; especially first party. Slowdown is always the sign of decline. Whether or not they're replaced soon, they are heading to their finale.

I'm not convinced on this one at all. Honestly both consoles have been sluggish from the opening gate because the high cost involved with developing games for the consoles. That many third parties moved to handhelds because they couldn't afford to develop for this gen (yes, I'm thinking Atlus here) underlines part of the reason that releases are only trickling out for this system, while they may seem to flood out at other times.

Also, the scenario you suggest that they are heading toward a finale but potentially with no replacements is a fascinating one. I would assume with no replacements, developers would continue to make games for a particular console indefinitely, but having been trained by a market of constant upgrades, perhaps coming toward what they assume might be the end of a cycle, they begin abandoning development???

[CMoon]

I don't want to just continue to vamp on this topic, however:

This article supports your view njiska and suggests that Sony and Microsoft will be revealing new consoles next year.

I wonder however if new consoles will, like the WiiU, only offer a new interface, perhaps following Nintendo's lead, or if they will just turn into standardized PCs.

[Hagane]

KOF XIII, Arcana Heart 3, Civilization IV, Mass Effect 2, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.

I'd include Risen too but it gets boring near the end (hordes of lizardmen who can't touch you because you can block everything for no penalty), which is a shame because it's excellent up to that point. I'll give Sin and Punishment 2 a try now that I can emulate Wii games. And definitely will play Dark Souls once it comes out on PC.

And finally, the worst thing about this generation for me was seeing how Capcom can't make good fighters anymore.

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm not so sure about Dark Souls now, unfortunately:
Eurogamer's Dark Souls preview and word from the producer. There is also a reasonable analysis (or apologetics, take your pick) here (he also had an update, look through the comments for his link).

Actually, I wonder if any of these "problems" get noticed by PC players if I hadn't posted anything...but since I have, caveat emptor.

I think I will still go out and support it, especially if that support means more From Software awesomeness on PC, at the expense of Epic Software being a bonus.
It's only $39.99 on Steam to preorder, after all. And the screenshots look fine!

[Hagane]

Yeah, I'm aware it will be a stright port with some extra content. It's a shame they didn't optimize it for PC, but as long as it plays faithfully to the original I'll be happy, since I won't be buying a console.

[Mordecai Walfish]

..as long as it plays faithfully to the original I'll be happy, since I won't be buying a console.

Thats all we can really expect from console ports nowadays. I'm excited just to be able to get a chance to play this one, after hearing so many good reviews from friends. Last console I bought lasted 1 year and 2 months, and I decided it was high time to put the children's toys away for good and build my own platform(s).

[powersoul]

I'm surprised someone mentioned mirror's edge. I can't even beat the demo, much less the game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwDuPgCLmhM

Either ways, I think Sonic Generations would be one of my favorites around. Halo Reach is the game I still play up till today, even if its local multiplayer.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Come to think of it, Wii is the last (for times to come, presumably) console corresponding with my idea of what console is, i.e. precisely a toy. PS3 ended up as something of a wannabe-Xbox 360 that ended up as something of a wannabe-PC.
That image of a console I have seems to be in decline, however, as is the idea of hardware generations. The possibilities have seemingly outgrown the industry. Doesn't the five year old Crysis remain the benchmark computer game? I doubt any party out there have the energy to leap over the development cost, power consumption and hardware unreliability obstacles. Another PSX is unlikely to be seen any time soon.