The "7th gen vs 8th gen" thread from last month reminded me just how many standout new IPs arose from the former.

Within the span of a single generation we got Mass Effect, Bioshock, Uncharted, Gears of War, Xenoblade, Bayonetta, Dead Space, Wii Sports, The Last of Us, Assassin's Creed, Souls, Vanquish, The Last Story, Portal, Alan Wake, Metro, Little Big Planet, Motorstorm, Resistance, Crysis, Minecraft, Dishonoured, Mirror's Edge, Dragon's Dogma, Left 4 Dead, Borderlands, Lost Odyssey, Bulletstorm, the list goes on.

What is your personal pick for the best new IP of the 7th gen, and tell us what makes it so great in your opinion?

I would say the Souls games. Dead Space is amazing, but its really only the first game thats good.

I would probably say Telltale (specifically The Walking Dead). While I don't condone the practices at Telltale Games, Walking Dead Season 1, 2, 4 and The Wolf Among Us are strong games. Season 1 is one of the best games ever specifically for the integration of its narrative and characters with dialogue choices and point and click gameplay.
Uncharted and Xenoblade Chronicles deserve some love as well.

Best new franchise? Probably Uncharted.

The first Bioshock is certainly my favorite single game in that list of IPs: The story, the setting, the voice acting... the game is literally interactive art the way it's told and brought to life. But I thought the second game was a cheap cash-in and Infinite just didn't retain that magic from the first game.

The first Uncharted was a decent freshman entry with a solid game engine, nice graphics and fun protagonists. But the charm and polish of Uncharted 2 solidified the IP as something associated with very high-quality going forward and both Uncharted 3 and 4 were great.

So, even though the Bioshock IP has the most potential for an epic, as of right now, I'm going with Indiana Drake for consistency.

There were a lot of great franchises that debuted on the 7th gen. My favorites are Dead Space, Alan Wake, Borderlands, Metro, and Mass Effect. The Walking Dead from Telltale too, if that counts.

I’d say Gears of War

From introducing new household characters in the gaming industry with Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago to an epic story in the fight for the planet Sera with a very memorable foe in the Locust Horde, and even had incredibly sobering storytelling, IYKYK. The first game was primarily meant to be a graphical showcase of the 360, and it absolutely was with some of the best marketing ever for a game. But the 2nd and 3rd games really dove into some truly great storytelling.

Then you go into the gameplay. From the cover based shooting the franchise pioneered that influenced the likes of Uncharted, to a freaking chainsaw gun with the Lancer (satisfying AF) to the reloading minigame that made firefights that much more interesting and interactive.

And all of this was wrapped up in a package that included a Single Player campaign that also allowed for co-op play, addictive Horde mode, and a fleshed out PvP experience. 

Uncharted (but I got bored after two games, and only finished Among Thieves).

The Last of Us (well... just the first game).

Souls (but my first "Souls" was actually Bloodborne).

Valkyria Chronicles (but I never played this series outside the demo lol. A mistake that I hope to correct during this decade).

Weird generation.

Edit: Oh yeah, Bioshock 1 had an incredible atmosphere and is another game I loved, but I didn't get the chance to play the 2nd and 3rd games.

Agreed: "The Last of Us (well... just the first game)."

Don't forget to elaborate on what's so great about your pick; it'd be great to hear your thoughts. :)

It's simple. I liked the story in TLOU P1 more than the story in P2. But Curl, let me ask you: What is your pick? Hey, you started this thread.