Post by wyldephang on Nov 22, 2012 2:07:53 GMT -5
I originally posted this list at a different forum, but I'm republishing it here for your enjoyment. 
Basically, the premise is to name your top ten favorite games from this generation of gaming. No consoles are excluded from the list, and the only requirement is that the system can be considered to be within the current generation. A write-up is not required, but it'll personalize your list. Here's my list; I'd like to know what you've got on yours!
10. Mortal Kombat: I've got to hand it to Ed Boon and his team at NetherRealm Studios; they've effectively cut out the excess baggage from the previous titles and have turned Mortal Kombat into the streamlined fighting game it always needed to be. The latest installment is packed with an A-list roster of franchise favorites, and most importantly, it's easy to pick up and play.
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: My personal favorite Call of Duty game, COD4 inspired a chain of sequels and started a FPS revolution. The mechanics are simple, but effective, as players run and gun their way through levels, accomplishing objectives and hunting down international terrorists. I would have ranked the game higher if it weren't for a few flaws, such as the unresponsive AI, but the game still impresses five years after its debut.
8. Fallout 3: My greatest complaint about sandbox-style games is that they too often thrust the player into an open world without any sense of direction. And while Fallout 3 offers an open world of exploration across a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the player never loses his or her focus on the mission at hand. The end result is a game that permits free exploration, but is relatively simple to approach if the player wishes to get on with the main story without losing him or herself in the sub-quests and side attractions. The game makes use of an innovative targeting system, but is versatile enough to allow players to approach it as they would a traditional first-person shooter.
7. Assassin's Creed II: The first Assassin's Creed game introduced players to an open world of exploration across the desert cities of the Levant. The second installment is set in the heartlands of pre-unification Italy, and as it turns out, ACII hits a little closer to home as it brings players to more historically familiar locations like Renaissance-era Rome and Venice. The player can expect to correspond with famed inventor Leonardo da Vinci, and track down historical figures like Cesare Borgia. The player has access to a wider selection of weapons and armor, and overall, the game feels like a more complete package than its predecessor.
6. Gears of War 2: The second game in the Gears of War series is a masterpiece of modern gaming. In GOW2, the player makes a bold invasion into enemy territory, accompanied by some of the toughest squad members ever seen since the invention of anabolic steroids. As the player (and his partner) penetrate into the enemy lair, they begin to see first-hand the inhumane atrocities the enemies are capable of committing. And upon seeing the more gruesome scenes, including the heart-wrenching reunion of a husband and his ravaged wife, the player is fueled with a thirst for vengeance, and resolves to eliminate every last Locust scum on the planet. In addition to the epic battles of the campaign, GOW2 introduces the highly successful multiplayer Horde mode to the franchise, which supports up to five players online.
5. Halo: Reach: Depending on which Halo fan you ask, Reach is either a wonderful success or a miserable failure. The die-hards tend to complain that Reach turned away from the classic Halo formula and mechanics that made the original games so great. But I feel the changes were an improvement to the game as they allow the player to interface more closely with the in-game engine. Reach is a prequel to the Halo series as a whole, and as such, the weapons are a bit more crude in design. But what they lack in space-age ingenuity, they make up for with pure functionality. And in case gunning down aliens on the ground isn't satisfying enough, the player will commandeer a spaceship at some point in the campaign to battle foes in the vast emptiness of space. Once the final aliens have been slain, the player is treated to one of the more memorable end-game sequences in recent memory--don't put down that controller!
4. BioShock: One of the most memorable experiences on the current-gen run of consoles, BioShock mixed innovative gameplay with an unforgettably creepy atmosphere. The story is best described as a psychological thriller that involves one man's attempt to create a free society where morals are extinct, Bibles are contraband, and science imposes its wicked constructions upon the land. The player can augment the character with plasmids, which induces magic-like effects. Add to this an impressive arsenal of pistols, shotguns, machine guns, and explosives, and you've got one entertaining romp through a vast underwater city decked out in post-war art decor. Since the player can travel from one segment of the city to the other via a network of bathyspheres, there's a reasonable amount of freedom to explore the corners of Rapture and discover its darkest secrets. It's the perfect blend of exploration, mystery, action, and suspense.
3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl: The newest entry in the Super Smash Bros. series proves that Nintendo can keep the fresh ideas flowing. While the general premise remains faithful to the original formula, the developers added an engaging co-op adventure mode to spice up the experience. The adventure mode is the only plot-driven narrative the game offers, but it's best viewed as a tech demo for the characters in the game, and an opportunity to unlock new combatants and levels. Unlocking characters will be an important side attraction because the roster has grown significantly since the last game, featuring more memorable characters from Nintendo canon like Wario and Zero Suit Samus, all of which are playable in versus mode. Multiplayer is where this game shines, but the story is engrossing enough to keep players returning to the single-player adventure mode.
2. Mass Effect 2: My favorite Xbox 360 game nears the top of the list. The story is a fantastic tale of heroism, set on the grandest stage of them all: outer space. Mass Effect 2 gives the player full control over his or her mission priorities, but everything is conveniently organized with the command console of the ship, so the player will never lose sight of the main objectives. This game offers a streamlined equipment system and improved battle mechanics, making it much easier to power your character up to the maximum level and bring down the intergalactic robot threat. The side quests have improved in design and variety since the last game in the series, and the romance options have become more dynamic. ME2 is an improvement over the original in every way.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: In an era where sequels proliferate throughout the market, it's refreshing to know that the Zelda series continues to innovate. The latest Zelda game has ditched the sailboats and horses of previous installments; now, the player navigates Link through a sky world on the back of a giant bird. Every movement, from controlling the bird to swinging Link's sword, is mapped out on the Wii Remote, which responds remarkably well to the corresponding motions. In Skyward Sword, the plot revolves around the relationship between Link and Zelda, exploring the dynamics that make Link and Zelda such a remarkable duo. Now, I loved Twilight Princess, but it was a bit dark for my preferences. Thankfully, Skyward Sword puts the sweetness and innocence back into the franchise, and gives it an element of charm that is sorely lacking from too many games these days. Skyward Sword is enjoyable and cheerful, and is every bit the instant classic we've come to expect from Nintendo's time-honored Zelda franchise.
Runners-up: The Orange Box; Assassin's Creed; and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Basically, the premise is to name your top ten favorite games from this generation of gaming. No consoles are excluded from the list, and the only requirement is that the system can be considered to be within the current generation. A write-up is not required, but it'll personalize your list. Here's my list; I'd like to know what you've got on yours!10. Mortal Kombat: I've got to hand it to Ed Boon and his team at NetherRealm Studios; they've effectively cut out the excess baggage from the previous titles and have turned Mortal Kombat into the streamlined fighting game it always needed to be. The latest installment is packed with an A-list roster of franchise favorites, and most importantly, it's easy to pick up and play.
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: My personal favorite Call of Duty game, COD4 inspired a chain of sequels and started a FPS revolution. The mechanics are simple, but effective, as players run and gun their way through levels, accomplishing objectives and hunting down international terrorists. I would have ranked the game higher if it weren't for a few flaws, such as the unresponsive AI, but the game still impresses five years after its debut.
8. Fallout 3: My greatest complaint about sandbox-style games is that they too often thrust the player into an open world without any sense of direction. And while Fallout 3 offers an open world of exploration across a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the player never loses his or her focus on the mission at hand. The end result is a game that permits free exploration, but is relatively simple to approach if the player wishes to get on with the main story without losing him or herself in the sub-quests and side attractions. The game makes use of an innovative targeting system, but is versatile enough to allow players to approach it as they would a traditional first-person shooter.
7. Assassin's Creed II: The first Assassin's Creed game introduced players to an open world of exploration across the desert cities of the Levant. The second installment is set in the heartlands of pre-unification Italy, and as it turns out, ACII hits a little closer to home as it brings players to more historically familiar locations like Renaissance-era Rome and Venice. The player can expect to correspond with famed inventor Leonardo da Vinci, and track down historical figures like Cesare Borgia. The player has access to a wider selection of weapons and armor, and overall, the game feels like a more complete package than its predecessor.
6. Gears of War 2: The second game in the Gears of War series is a masterpiece of modern gaming. In GOW2, the player makes a bold invasion into enemy territory, accompanied by some of the toughest squad members ever seen since the invention of anabolic steroids. As the player (and his partner) penetrate into the enemy lair, they begin to see first-hand the inhumane atrocities the enemies are capable of committing. And upon seeing the more gruesome scenes, including the heart-wrenching reunion of a husband and his ravaged wife, the player is fueled with a thirst for vengeance, and resolves to eliminate every last Locust scum on the planet. In addition to the epic battles of the campaign, GOW2 introduces the highly successful multiplayer Horde mode to the franchise, which supports up to five players online.
5. Halo: Reach: Depending on which Halo fan you ask, Reach is either a wonderful success or a miserable failure. The die-hards tend to complain that Reach turned away from the classic Halo formula and mechanics that made the original games so great. But I feel the changes were an improvement to the game as they allow the player to interface more closely with the in-game engine. Reach is a prequel to the Halo series as a whole, and as such, the weapons are a bit more crude in design. But what they lack in space-age ingenuity, they make up for with pure functionality. And in case gunning down aliens on the ground isn't satisfying enough, the player will commandeer a spaceship at some point in the campaign to battle foes in the vast emptiness of space. Once the final aliens have been slain, the player is treated to one of the more memorable end-game sequences in recent memory--don't put down that controller!
4. BioShock: One of the most memorable experiences on the current-gen run of consoles, BioShock mixed innovative gameplay with an unforgettably creepy atmosphere. The story is best described as a psychological thriller that involves one man's attempt to create a free society where morals are extinct, Bibles are contraband, and science imposes its wicked constructions upon the land. The player can augment the character with plasmids, which induces magic-like effects. Add to this an impressive arsenal of pistols, shotguns, machine guns, and explosives, and you've got one entertaining romp through a vast underwater city decked out in post-war art decor. Since the player can travel from one segment of the city to the other via a network of bathyspheres, there's a reasonable amount of freedom to explore the corners of Rapture and discover its darkest secrets. It's the perfect blend of exploration, mystery, action, and suspense.
3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl: The newest entry in the Super Smash Bros. series proves that Nintendo can keep the fresh ideas flowing. While the general premise remains faithful to the original formula, the developers added an engaging co-op adventure mode to spice up the experience. The adventure mode is the only plot-driven narrative the game offers, but it's best viewed as a tech demo for the characters in the game, and an opportunity to unlock new combatants and levels. Unlocking characters will be an important side attraction because the roster has grown significantly since the last game, featuring more memorable characters from Nintendo canon like Wario and Zero Suit Samus, all of which are playable in versus mode. Multiplayer is where this game shines, but the story is engrossing enough to keep players returning to the single-player adventure mode.
2. Mass Effect 2: My favorite Xbox 360 game nears the top of the list. The story is a fantastic tale of heroism, set on the grandest stage of them all: outer space. Mass Effect 2 gives the player full control over his or her mission priorities, but everything is conveniently organized with the command console of the ship, so the player will never lose sight of the main objectives. This game offers a streamlined equipment system and improved battle mechanics, making it much easier to power your character up to the maximum level and bring down the intergalactic robot threat. The side quests have improved in design and variety since the last game in the series, and the romance options have become more dynamic. ME2 is an improvement over the original in every way.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: In an era where sequels proliferate throughout the market, it's refreshing to know that the Zelda series continues to innovate. The latest Zelda game has ditched the sailboats and horses of previous installments; now, the player navigates Link through a sky world on the back of a giant bird. Every movement, from controlling the bird to swinging Link's sword, is mapped out on the Wii Remote, which responds remarkably well to the corresponding motions. In Skyward Sword, the plot revolves around the relationship between Link and Zelda, exploring the dynamics that make Link and Zelda such a remarkable duo. Now, I loved Twilight Princess, but it was a bit dark for my preferences. Thankfully, Skyward Sword puts the sweetness and innocence back into the franchise, and gives it an element of charm that is sorely lacking from too many games these days. Skyward Sword is enjoyable and cheerful, and is every bit the instant classic we've come to expect from Nintendo's time-honored Zelda franchise.
Runners-up: The Orange Box; Assassin's Creed; and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
