Your highlights of this generation (so far)

Vyse

Just finished playing Sleeping Dogs recently and was thoroughly impressed with the game as a whole; great pace, fluid gameplay and a gripping story. It offered so much more than its contemporaries (GTAIV I’m looking at you). It got me to thinking, seeing as we are coming to the end of the current generation, what games have really stood out for me. The following spring to mind:

Oblivion – the only game this generation that I literally could not stop playing. A game hadn’t gripped me like that since KOTOR.

Valkyria Chronicles – from its beautiful aesthetics to its wonderful story this has been the highlight of Sega’s release schedule since the demise of the dreamcast

Splinter Cell Double Agent – the first game I was left waiting for the opening cutscene to end before realizing the game had actually started (only this game and Bioshock have done that to me). Great story and the mercs vs spies was ace (hope they bring it back for blacklist)

Rainbow Six Vegas Series – while many other shooters have enjoyed far more success I think this series had by far and above the best single player element. Terrorist hunt was great as well.

Portal 2 – not only one of my favourite games of this generation but probably ranks up there with my favourite of all time. Completion of each chamber lead to a feeling of great satisfaction and Steve Merchant was priceless.

Dishonored – a recent release and easily the best game I played over the Christmas period. The setting and story were great.

Crackdown –Big explosions, gravity defying jumps, steroid pumped strength all stringed together by a semi-decent plot led to some of the most mindless fun I’ve had this generation. Its sequel however was possibly the most pointless game ever made.

Mirrors Edge – disappointed that commercially this did so poor. Great game with a great soundtrack.

None of the above games ever felt like a chore to complete. They were all a joy. What games have made you feel the same this generation?

gimli2112

Dead Space
Far Cry 3
Modern Warfare 2
Everybody's Golf World Tour
Resistance

Mr E

Some great suggestions there (especially Mirror's Edge).

I'll add:

Darksiders - really long game that took bits from lots of other games and made a fantastic game that stood on its own two feet. Better than its sequel too.

Borderlands 1 & 2 - over 100 hours spent in each. Humour, looting, RPG elements, a gajillion weapons. Enough said.

CrabieCrawford

Fallout 3
Dead space 1
Dark souls
Mass effect 2
Mirrors edge

ConFurioso

Vyse wrote: »

Mirrors Edge – disappointed that commercially this did so poor. Great game with a great soundtrack.

+100 for me! I love this game, and frequently come back to it. Despite its flaws (the 'combat' for example), the game play kept me coming back. Also, as you rightly said, the soundtrack set a high standard for this generation that only Deus Ex has matched (imo).


I'll add Assassin's Creed 2 to that as well. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and is a great example of a game improving on it's predecessor's flaws. Pity about the recent 'every year' releases idea.

There are so many going through my head.....Uncharted 2 is the reason I bought a playstation 3, Red Dead Redemption had me hooked for weeks, Tomb Raider or Far Cry 3more recently.

But I can't stop thinking about Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World!!

gimli2112

Dammit knew I had forgotten one. As mentioned above Uncharted.

Couldn't get into Mirror's Edge myself.

Not The Real Scarecrow

Both Witcher Games-Best modern rpg series

Penn

Assassin's Creed 2 - Better than the first one, and still better than its three sequels. Just a near perfect game

Borderlands 2 - Haven't played the first one (with the amount of time I've spent on the second one, the prospect of playing the first one terrifies me). Just an insanely fun game, very simple at it's core yet so many different ways to play. Incredibly addictive in terms of hunting/farming for the rarest loot. Just fun, funny, and really enjoyable.

Portal 2 - Quite possibly a perfect game. Everything about the game just works, and even the story is actually quite brilliant.

Batman: Arkham City - Arkham Asylum was terrific, but Arkham City just went all out. It added in so much, and I never tire of just gliding round the city as Batman. Possibly too many collectibles and difficult to trigger the next part of some of the side missions, but if they're the only complaints, it's still a fantastic game.

ConFurioso

Damn! Batman! Knew I forgot something! ^_^

Penn

ConFurioso wrote: »

Damn! Batman! Knew I forgot something! ^_^

Well I forgot Red Dead Redemption so we're even

Retr0gamer

Demon's/Dark Souls: The first game was a massive surprise. It was great to play something with actual challenge and the forward thinking multiplayer was inspired. For me the best thing this generation.

Valkyria Chronicles: This one finally made my PS3 purchase worthwhile. An superb evolution of the SRPG genre and some great writing to boot. The PSP sequel was excellent as well despite some awful writing.

Deadly Premonition: Looked liked it came from the Dreamcast but despite some awful control and combat issues managed to remain totally compelling. It was fascinating watching how something so bat**** insane actually managed to make sense by the end. Not the best game but one of the best experiences this generation. Where Heavy Rain was a disappointment due to awful writing, DP was the real deal.

Xenoblade Chronicles: If it wasn't for the Persona series this would be the best RPG in years. It's a wonderful blend of eastern and western RPG sensibilities with a superb plot, great battle system and gorgeou visuals.

Journey: Just like Deamon's Souls this one took multiplayer functions and actually made something moving with them. It's hard to describe but if you've not played this wonderful awe inspiring game you need to experience it.

Megaman 9: I'm a big fan of Megaman and when I saw that the awesome Inti Creates were making a NES style megaman I was in heaven. They didn't disappoint and this is up with MM2 and 3 as the best in the series. MM10 wasn't as good but still a blast.

Monster World IV: Yes it might be a Megadrive game but this is the first time we got it in English. One of the megadrives best kept secrets, if you like Super Metroid you need to play this.

Tokyo Jungle: Who knew that a rogue-like featuring domestic animals could be such a blast. It's one of the best pick up and play games on the PS3.

Hardcore Uprising: It might not feel like Contra but it's still a superb action game with great boss battles. Don't bother with crap like Alien Hominid, this is the real deal.

Scott Pilgrim: I really hated Castle Crashers, I found it so dull. Scott Pilgrim however is a much better brawler. The River City Ransom style RPG elements give it the depth that CC just doesn't have.

Catherine: Mix a dating game with block pushing puzzles and you should get a disaster. Catherine on the other hand rises far above that thanks to some great writing from Atlus as usual and some really addictive puzzle action.

Shin Megami Tensei series: With Final Fantasy struggling it was left to Atlus with SMT to provide some amazing JRPG fun. Persona 3 and 4 (released very late on PS2 so they count) mixed dating sim with dungeon crawler and were far and away the best RPGs released in the last 5 years. Strange Journey and Devil Survivor 1 and 2 brought SMT's brand of demon summoning to the first person dungeon crawler and SRPG respectively and were superb.

Rayman Origins: This was a bit of a surprise, a fantastic Gallic flavoured platformer to give nintendo a run for their money.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed: While the first game was great it took the sequel to really improve on it. A great Kart racer.

Uncharted 2: The first game surprised me but it was the second where it al came together. I don't think there's a better third person action game this gen.

Bayonetta: With everything seeming to follow God of Wars dull combat mechanics it was great to have Kamiya come back and show us how it's really done. The benchmark for all brawlers.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare: Yeah it's the series we all love to hate but the first Modern Warfare was superb. Wonderful level design, a decent script and some very interesting and effective set pieces. It's a pity it lost it's impact going to a yearly franchise.

Child of Eden: The ultimate chill out game. It might not have been long but it's a game I throw on now and again when I want to experience something beautiful.

Fallout 3: While Oblivion was dull and generic Fallout 3 had a far more interesting environment and setting. It wasn't perfect but it was good enough to sink 120 hours into.

Gears of War 3: It's big loud and dumb but there's no denying that Gears of Wars combat is finely honed and exciting. 3 was the best for me.

Street Fighter 4: Gave a huge boost to the fighting game community and was a great fighter to boot.

King of Fighters XIII: SF4 might be the one that got people playing but it's KOFXIII for me which is the better fighter.

Nier: Another big surprise for me. It was obvious made on a budget but Cavia did some crazy things in this game. The gameplay changes dynamically between genres, from brawler to manic shmup and even to text based adventure at one point. It's also got probably the best story of any game in a long time and far and away the best soundtrack since Shadow of the Colossus

Red Dead Redemption: And the trend continues of me enjoying Rockstar games that aren't from Rockstar North more. RDR had the setting down to a tee, the missions weren't boring like in GTAIV and the combat while not perfect was much improved.

Sine Mora: And shmup with a story shouldn't work. It's not the best shmup but the story is excellent and left me depressed for a week.

Jeanne D'Arc: A great SRPG that was sadly overlooked on the PSP.

Kenka Bancho: Running around town as a bad boy schoolkid getting in scraps and insult matches with other bad asses to prove you are the baddest ass in town. It's as mad and enjoyable as it sounds.

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: Brilliant RPG from the always brilliant Falcom.

Loco Roco: A Great feel good platformer.

Ys: Oath in Felghana: A stupidly fun action RPG with insanely fast combat. It's just so much fun! Ys Seven is just as good.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Hilarious adventure game with lovable characters. Brought so many smiles to my face.

Dragon Quest IX: It's lack of difficulty might have been annoying but this was a great RPG and very progressive. Multiplayer was superb as was the port game content.

Osu Tatake Ouendan: There quite simply is no better rhythm action game.

Etrian Odyssey: Pretty much made first person dungeon crawlers relevant again. There is no better dungeon crawler than this series.

Kirby Canvas Curse: One of the best stylus controlled games, there's nothing else like it.

Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise: The only other rhythm game to come close to Ouendans brilliance.

Fragile Dreams: It wasn't a perfect game but I found this tale of a boy looking to find other survivors in an apocalypse to be very moving.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: After the disappointing DS game I didn't hold much hope for this one. Turned out to be one of the best mario games ever made.

No More Heroes: I liked this more for how bonkers it was than how it actually played. A great experience while it lasted.

Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2: Pretty much the barometer that all pltformers are measured too now. So much imagination and inventiveness.

Crimson Shroud: A great short RPG that has a lot of dice rolling and other tabletop RPG mechanics.

cloud493

Spec ops the line - Just cos I didn't see where it was going.

Pokemon black/white 2 - the most evolved pokemon formula to date, only let down by poor pokemon design(some)

Super mario galaxy 2 - absolutely magnificent. Love it. Love it love it love it.

Resistance 3 - surpasses the original two by a wide margin, and managing to be great anyway/

Legend of zelda twilight princess - just great

Pokemon heartgold - not quite as advanced as the 5th gen pokemon games, but for what it is, brilliant. The fact that kanto was a proper region now, compared to the fairly lifeless kanto in the original gold/silver was the cherry on the cake.

Bioshock infinite - Need I say more?

Retr0gamer

I forgot Spec Ops, that was a big surprise.

tok9

Well four that haven't been mentioned yet for me would be -

Journey - Genuinely a game that will give you a completely different experience to any other game you've ever played. It also looks glorious and the soundtrack is ridiculously good.

Bioshock 1 & Infinite - While I still think 2 is a good game, it is forgettable. Anyway, both these games are absolutely fantastic. The art direction, atmosphere, audio logs and story are amazing. Easily one of the best new franchise of any generation.

The Walking Dead - Like with my other choices, a story and caring for characters is something that has set them apart form the rest. Well you'll find that in abundance in TWD. May be more of an interactive movie than a game but it's a wonderful experience... well, as wonderful as a Zombie apocalypse is.


Anyway these are few recent ones that just came to my mind immediately. I completely agree with others on the likes of Portal 2, Mirror's Edge and so on.

I'll probably have a few more before the end of the day too.

pedatron

Heavy Rain: Really enjoyed this game when it came out and have never replayed a game as much this gen.

richymcdermott

Super Mario Galaxy 1&2: The word perfect gets thrown around alot but make no mistake, the galaxy games are perfection.

Demons souls/dark souls: The game is a drug, it destroys relationships and families. once you start playing he hours will fly by.

Valkyria Chronicles 1&2: Short lifespan of this series left a big impact on me that i will never forget. it has so much value as a game and when you walk away from it you know you played something truly great.

Journey: This game needs no introduction. its a master piece.

Zack and wiki: ive yet to complete it but this is an amazing puzzle game with so much charm.

Pandora Tower: This is the best 7/10 game you will ever play. its flawed but it has one of the best characters bonds you will experience.

The Last Story: Everything about this game is fantastic and i hope the rumours about a sequel are true.

The Legend Of Zelda Twilight Princess: This was my first zelda game or the first one i completed. after 2 years its now become one of my favourite series ever.

Catherine: This is a whole lot of wacky fun and feels so unique to anything i played before. its why Atlus are loved so much.

Last Virtue Reward: The biggest mind **** experience ever. this visual novel/puzzle is why videogames are so perfect because the options are limitless.

Fragile Dreams: This was fresh experience that i wish there was no combat in it at all. the story , music and visuals are all flawless.

Xenoblade: 100 hours of perfection that throws away everything complaint about jrpg from the past and made it feel so fresh but still keeps what makes jrpg games stand out to this very day. MONADO BUSTER!!!!

Rayman Origins: A glorious new perspective of a rayman game that admittedly feels like home to people who love platformers. from the glorious music to the jaw dropping art style, rayman is a game of legends.

Bayonetta: This is the pinnacle of action games, not a dull moment and when you have a game that has fun load times you know you have a masterpiece on your hands.

Fallout 3: My first rpg i beaten . i pumped 100+ hours into this game.

J. Marston

The Bioshock trilogy: Great games. Bioshock 2 gets a bad rap too, it's not on 1 and Infinite's level but it's still very good, in my opinion.

Enslaved: Odyssey To The West: Underrated gem.

Mirrors Edge: Unique. Nearly everyone who played it seemed to love it but it didn't sell well so the sequel didn't look like it was going to get made. But it looks like EA have changed their mind, hooray!

The Walking Dead: I'm not crying, there's just something in my eye.

Red Dead Redemption: Amazing game.

There's loads more that I might add in later.

Napper Hawkins

I have about 20 or so brilliant games, old and new, sitting there unplayed or just barely started, mocking me because I'm too busy with the 3 or 4 games that I'm still playing to give them the time they deserve.

It's a hard old life.

K.O.Kiki

Bayonetta: Peerless brawler, possibly the best of all time (maybe even better than DMC3).

Valkyria Chronicles: Fun but slightly weak mechanics, helped by a mature story, beautiful graphics and great characters.

King of Fighters XIII: A great fighting game only let down by an emphasis on insanely-hard execution requirements and terrible netcode.

Skullgirls: Utterly gorgeous 2D animation, possibly the best we will see this generation. Great characters & netcode too. Can't wait for the DLC updates!

Mirror's Edge: One of those games which really opens your mind to what is possible in the first-person perspective genre, let down by forced combat sections.

Dark Souls: Hardcore. With an emphasis on HARD.

Pokemon Gen V: It's Pokemon, but more of it, and it's still fun. Lots of streamlining removes the frustrations of older generations (e.g. TMs being unlimited).

Journey: Unique.

No More Heroes: Travis Touchdown is my favourite character of any game in the past 10 years.

Cave Story: This game makes me feel like I've been too lazy all these years

Mr.Saturn

pedatron wrote: »

Heavy Rain: Really enjoyed this game when it came out and have never replayed a game as much this gen.

I, on the other hand, hope David Cage never gets to write another thing in his entire life, and am mourning for the fact he inevitably will. He already has, I believe.

Sorry, unsolicited hatemongering.

Vyse

Lots of people showing love for Red Dead Redemption. Must admit that I didn't like it at all. Played it to completion and didn't find the story engaging at all.

Batman games were excellent though.

Must pick up Journey. Haven't played it yet.

SeantheMan

Portal 1/2

Jet Black

Just Cause 2: Just pure fun. One of the best open world games I've ever played.

Steve O

Skyrim - The game had everything, you could be a bloodlusting warrior, a sneaky assassin, A formidable Archer, A powerful Mage (my favourite) or a Thieving scoundrel. With breathtaking scenery, epic quests, epic storylines and very challenging Environments (master difficulty FTW) as well as a beautiful, highly underrated Soundtrack ( I actually have it on my iPhone) this game at the moment is the greatest I have ever played and I say that as a gamer of many years.

Phoenix wright Series: I bought Ace Attorney on a whim and absolutely loved it. The characters and the simple but hilarious cartoonish characters (Gumshoe and Oldbag ), I was at Game every time a new game was launched. I now have the entire collection.

Condemned: A serious disappointment of this generation is the serious lack of Psychological Horrors, condemned satisfied my horror needs with a terrifying game.

Assassins creed 2 and Brotherhood Can't believe I forgot these two. The 2nd Assassins creed were absolutely brilliant, the storyline and the combat were also perfect, but my favourite assassins creed has to be brotherhood. The soundtrack, the perfect combat and the story as well as the side missions made it my favourite assassins creed to date.


Those are the standouts really, honourable mentions for Red Dead and GTA IV.

Kinski

Man, I've missed so much, and don't pretend to offer a list with any pretensions of "greatest," just my faves:

Vanquish - third person shooters how they should be done.

Bioshock - not played Infinite yet, so probably a placeholder.

Deathsmiles - retro 2D shooting with a nice gothic fantasy take, instead of usual spaceships vs aliens.

Batman: Arkham City - f*** yeah, I'm Batman!

Sin & Punishment 2 - the new god of railshooters.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - edges out the first one thanks to more 2D influences and lack of annoying storybook elements.

Zelda: Skyward Sword - best Zelda since the peerless LttP, and only justification for the existence of motion controls.

Rayman Origins - gorgeous and challenging platformer.

Just Cause 2 - stupid sandbox fun, more so than the ponderous GTA IV. Worst script and voice-acting ever, though.

Popular choices which underwhelmed me - Oblivion, Fallout 3, Xenoblade Chronicles, Twilight Ocarina-of-Time-Tribute/Twilight Princess.

High hopes for (as yet unplayed) - Bioshock: Infinite, Far Cry 3, Dark Souls.

calex71

Jet Black wrote: »

Just Cause 2: Just pure fun. One of the best open world games I've ever played.

Not to derail the thread or pick on ur pist as others have mentioned it too but for me this was a total waste of a game, they had a massive environment to play with and instead decided to fill it it with repetition, it was the same few set pieces and quests over and over again, sandbox by numbers

Kiith

DayZ - who would have thought that a mod could become so successful...oh wait, we all knew it could :pac: But this kind of came out of nowhere, and blew me away. No other game in the last few years made me as tense, or as fearful of other players as this. The feeling of running into a player, and having a proper standoff, while slowly backing away and screaming "Friendly!!" was absolutely brilliant.

Kickstarter (slightly cheating with this) - while we've yet to see most of the main titles that have been funded with Kickstarter, it's fantastic to see some old school rpg's and space exploration games come back through crowd funding. Star Citizen, Torment and Project Eternity etc...

Other than that, mostly what others have said. Mass Effect trilogy, Biochock, FarCry 3, Valkyria Chronicles, The Walking Dead, The Elder Scrolls games, Fallout 3/NV and many many others.

Mal-Adjusted

Alan Wake. The gameplay, story and weather/lighting effects were incredible. the fact that all the enemies are just guys with chainsaws/axes probably makes it scarier than the usual mutants and such.

Mass Effect Trilogy. Not so much the third one but the first two were amazing games with really memorable characters. one of those games that really fits the definition of epic.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution. We all thought the franchise was dead and buried but along came HR and blew me away with it's gameplay (minus the stupid boss fights) setting and philosophy.

Space Marine. The story was alright but this game really let you feel how powerful it was to be one of these guys. Very little can match that feeling of storming into a horde of enemies with your chainsword revving up Though i can see why it's sometimes called "Gears of Warhammer"

krudler

Journey- sublime is the only word.

Mario Galaxy 2- The first one is fun, the 2nd took everything and upped it to perfection, it sits just after Mario World as my favourite of the franchise.

Portal 2- Constantly hilarious and inventive, and the co-op is brilliant.

Gears of War- Its as dumb as a post sure, but blockbuster action gaming done well, the production values of the series are astounding.

Bayonetta- Silly but massively entertaining, great combat system too instead of a button masher. Some brilliant nods to other franchises and a great sense of its own sillyness.

Dead Space- or How To Steal Resi's Thunder. New IP that comes along and shows Capcom how survival horror should be done, watered down sequels more based on action setpieces took away from it. Still has imo the best sound design of any game this gen.

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare- I have a huge soft spot for MW2's absurdness and blockbuster production values (good voice cast, Hans Zimmer score) but COD4 successfully took the tired WW2 era FPS game and sent it flying into the modern era. Some of the missions are franchise standouts like the AC-130 escort mission and All Ghillied Up, which shows how well paced and tense a war shooter can be when its not all setpieces and explosions.

Bioshock- That intro, the setting, the twist, the overall feel of the game was something special the minute you started it.

Uncharted 2- The PS3's crowning glory as far as I'm concerned, blockbuster gaming at its best. Well written dialogue, genuinely witty characters and people you actually care about, fantastic setpieces and graphics that still look better than stuff released in the last 12 months.

Arkham Asylum/City- The only Batman games where you actually feel like Batman.

B.A._Baracus

A lot of good games mentioned so far.

But have to mention Dead Rising. Being able to see dozens and dozens of zombies on screen at once, able to pick up near enough anything and use it as a weapon. Great graphics and awesome cinematics and it released just under a year of the 360's life.


Awesome game.

Jericho.

Most of what I would have said has been mentioned already. For me the standout series of games for this gen were the mass effects.

Also xcom which I'm shocked nobody has mentioned yet.

Edit - Special mention also for Sonic Generations which was the best Sonic game for quite some time.