*Note* I'm not a PC gamer. So you won't find League of Legends (although I do play it on occasion), Minecraft, WoW, or others here. My knowledge of the impact those games make would be biased.
These 10 games are all very special. They, in my opinion, are all on a league of their own compared to other games this past gen. Keep in mind, I've owned all the 7th gen consoles: Ps3, 360, Wii, Ds, Psp, and different skews (Ps3 slim, DsLite). This list is different than my top 10 games or favorite games of this past gen. I bought the 360 at launch, the Ps3 in 07, the Wii in 08, the Ds in 06, and the Psp in 2010. Without futher adew....
10. Gears of War - I'm not the biggest Gears of War fan. I started with Gears 2, and eventually went back to Gears 1. While not perfect, the story is kind of lame and too "macho", you can't deny what the series has done to create a new benchmark for third person shooters. I barely included Gears on this list, as I'm trying to be as strict as possible. The fact that Gears is even on here shows testament to how great of a job Epic did with the third person gameplay elements that it has.
9. Wii Sports - Don't really need an explaination here. While the game did "sell" over 80 million units, it was bundled with the console. The sales aren't why it's in this list. Wii Sports is pretty much the definition of a system seller. A game that launches with a new peice of hardware, and simplistically showcases what that console is capable of. Wii Sports make your grandma get into gaming. That's pretty badass.
8. Grand Theft Auto 5 - Bought the game on launch (PSN), and while I'm having trouble going back and completing the story, I can't deny how great this game is. To include a game that came out in 2013 in this list is hard, but I had to do it. The polish on this game... Simply unbelievable. The effort put into every little detail is absolutely astonishing and to top it all off, with the story and greatly improved multiplayer, the lasting appeal is crazy long. If you could only buy 1 game, I'd recommend GTA5. You could really play it for years.
7. Assassin's Creed 2 - I've played every Assassin's Creed game except AC4 Black Flag, so I can't comment on that one. AC2 is the only one in the series that I'm throughly enjoyed. Although the original AC might have that "next gen" feeling due to being a unique concept, even in 07 I felt it was repetitive and tedious. AC2 is THE example of how to make a successful sequel. Literally everything in this game improved from the original. I 100% it on Ps3 to get the platnium, and then, many months later, 100% it on 360 to get 1000 points. No game has EVER compelled me to come back to it, to this extent.
6. LittleBigPlanet - The concept of this game wasjust weird. I remember the hype for this game back in 07/08. You play as a sack, in a 2D world, but can jump between deminsions... And create your own levels? Either too good to be true, or true but not good. I doubted this game. Until I played it that is. Talk about innovation. Media Molecule literally created their OWN gaming genre this gen with LittleBigPlanet. That alone is crazy. And the game is actually really fun! It's a game that everybody should experience, better late than never. But nothing will make me smile as much as I did playing 4 player co-op when this game launched.
Okay. That's the first 5. The other 5 games on this list take it up another level. need some more thought into them.
5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - I remember back in 07 (I was 14). I had the option to pre-order Assassin's Creed or Cod4. I choose AC, thinking that I've already played Call of Duty before (Cod2 on 360) and while good, I wanted something new. Well, the games came out and AC turned into a unique game that disappointed me. Then I heard what everyone was saying about Call of Duty. I bought it on Ps3. Okay. This took gaming to another level. I could create my own matches, invite my friends to a party, and join a match WITH THEM, from there? I was floored. The next 2 years would be spent with COUNTLESS hours of playing this game online. WIth a new perk system that had RPG like elements in a shooter, and a wonderful campaign with an actually good story to boot... This game is new flawless. I did buy World at War, and Modern Warfare 2, and while they were good, every Call of Duty after MW2 would end up being quite mediocre. I still play COD4 to this day. It has a special place in my gaming heart.
4. Super Smash Bros Brawl - Here we go. Simply put, this is the best local multiplayer game of all time. I don't care if the gameplay is nearly the same as Smash bros or Melee, this is the definition of perfect gameplay. I've spent over 1,000 hours playing this game. Yes, thousand. With friends, by myself, on my Wii, on friends Wii's, in tournaments, at school, at parties, (not online because it sucks and the only flaw), basically the gameplay is perfect. The fun factor to be had here is unrivaled by any other game ever released, in my opinion. The story is pretty lame, and like I mentioned the online sucks. The fact that this game is #4 on my list with those problems is a tesetament. If you haven't played this game since it released all the way back in 08, you have issues and are not a real gamer.
3. The Last of Us - It took storytelling in gaming to another level. The 2nd game I've ever played that ever made me feel so emotionally attached to the characters (#1 game is the other to do the same). Sure, Naughty Dog hit critical acclaim with the Uncharted series, and I love those games as well. But in the end, they didn't define the generation in my opinion. They simply REFINED it. Uncharted took different apsects of previous games, polished the shit out of them, and put them all together. The Last of Us is a much more original concept, and took survial games to create new standards in gaming. This game will stay with me forever, with it's unforgetable characters, storytelling, visuals, and sound design. The first game to make me cry.
2. Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Yes, TLoU took me into it's world. But oh what a linear world it was. I wanted to explore everything, but in the end I was forced into a narrow path for story's sake. Not a knock on TLoU, it had to be done for the story. Skyrim, on the other hand, completely sucked me into it's universe. I was obsessed with this game. I played over 170 hours on Ps3 (did not suffer any notable glitches) and what a time it was. I've never been so invested into a game's world before like this. Only two games have successful done that, the 2nd of which you'll see below. The story in Skyrim isn't the greatest, but what makes it so defining of this gen is it's ability to keep you distracted. You can spend hours just walking around and never get bored. There is almost ALWAYS something to do in the world of skyrim. However, the world itself isn't complete without sound. Skyrim has THE BEST soundtrack ever released for a game. I might get crap for that, but I've listened to the FF, the Kingdom Hearts, the action games, the adventure games, and everything in between. I have a LOT of soundtracks. Skyrim's stuck to me. It's a perfect fit to the game itself. It would be #1 on this list, however....
1. Mass Effect Triology - Finally... The number one game that defined this generation, is indeed the Mass Effect Triology. It did many things that have never been done before, such as the ability to create a character in a 50+ RPG in 2007, and have the same character over 150+ hours later in 2012, in the 3rd entry of that same series. That is next gen my friends. The ability to make a decision in 2007, and be stuck with that same decsion 5 years later. The characters impacted me. Their choices. Their personality. Each and every character was great in their own way. The story was absolutely wonderous. But, the best, and most defining, aspect of Mass Effect? The Codex. Yup. The long walls of text that go into explaining the universe and lore of Mass Effect. Have you ever just sat down and read the entries on the Codex? I did. 20+ hours ALONE on Codex entries for all three games. I was in that universe. I made the decisions. I saved the Galaxy. And I was confused and frustrated at the ending. Only a game that pulled me into it SO much could make me feel so strongly about the ending. Bioware hit a masterpeice with this series, yet could still improve A LOT of things about it. That's crazy. I absolutely can not wait until Bioware's next game. Hopefully it'll the next gen again.
Currently own:
- Ps4
Currently playing: Witcher 3, Walking Dead S1/2, GTA5, Dying Light, Tomb Raider Remaster, MGS Ground Zeros
