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Your Top Five Games of Last Generation [roundtable]
 
With the Wii U kicking off the next generation of gaming I thought it would be fun to do this. The games don’t have to be in a specific order, mine aren’t, but it would be nice if you provide some justification as to why you’re picking the games you’re picking.

THIS IS MEANT TO BE 100% BIASED, YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHOOSE GAMES OBJECTIVELY. At least I won’t. Maybe you wanna include Lair on your list because it reminds you of when you got married, doesn't matter. That will make things more fun. Anyway, here is my non-ordered list:


Super Mario Galaxy

I will never forget the first time I played through this game. The “wow” factor was so big, I still get déjà vu’s of that feeling to this day every time I boot up the game. It gave me exactly what I wanted – an entire game based around Super Mario Sunshine’s non-fludd levels. I’ve wanted this kind of streamlined approach since Mario 64 and it was awesome to finally play it, with such grand gameplay creativity and production values to boot.

L.A. Noire

This is a game that does something very specific for me, it satisfies me at a very basic, primary level. It lets me live out a fantasy that I’ve had ever since I was three years old watching Detective Conan. And isn’t that what interactive entertainment is all about? I’ve always wanted to be a detective, and this game pulls that off flawlessly. I love how my attention to detail (not the game's, but my own) is always rewarded. It’s an enormous experience that I’ve played multiple times and will continue to play throughout the rest of my days.

Bioshock

Bioshock is the most immersive video game I’ve ever played. The city of Rapture captivates me like you wouldn’t believe. I’m a huge sucker of underwater settings, can’t get enough of them. Bioshock is an absolute joy - I love the setting, I love the gunplay and I love the plasmid mechanic. Every moment of this game was beautiful to me, and the sequel, while not as good in my opinion is also awesome. The combination of old-timey jazzy tunes and gruesome violence grabbed me since I saw the first trailers for the game.

Sonic Generations

This is one where I’m definitely alone, but Sonic Generations is a game I’d been waiting to play for over a decade. For a life-long Sonic fan like myself, it’s not just a love letter, it’s a sex letter. Nate, I love you but I don’t wanna hear it, this game perfected the Modern Sonic mechanics and made them super enjoyable. The gameplay rewards players who can blast through the courses without losing momentum and flow. When you get hit, it’s frustrating not because you took damage, but because Sonic came to a hault. It’s similar to Mirror’s Edge somewhat, or keeping a combo alive in Tony Hawk, except way more frantic. The levels (all throwbacks to my entire life) look super slick, and this adrenaline-filled half-platformer/half-racer where twitchy fingers and quick reflexes are the key to victory was a joy from beginning to end. And Classic Sonic, while not as awesome as its Genesis counterpart (not because of the controls mind you, but because of the level design which isn’t as solid and doesn’t feature as many awesome gimmicks in the stages) feels just like I left him. I needed to play Generations before I died, and thankfully I did.

Portal 2

I love this game to death. It’s amazing. Lightyears better than Portal 1, and that’s saying something. I don’t even need to comment much, just play it and you’ll understand how Portal 2 takes an absolutely brilliant gameplay idea and builds an entire game around it, with said idea never getting stale and with new surprises at every turn. And then when I thought I couldn't like the game any more I played Co-Op with my non-gamer ex-girl, which is a memory that I will carry with me to the rest of my days. She doesn’t like video games, not even Wii Sports, but Portal 2 captivated her. In her words, “I wish I could buy a Portal gun in real life”.

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11/27/12, 21:28    Edited: 11/27/12, 21:43
 
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Hmm geez. Are we counting handhelds? I'll just stick to consoles. My list will probably be pretty boring. In no order:

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Yep, that's how I roll. My favorite non-Wii game is probably Valkyria Chronicles, which would probably be #6 or #7 or so.
11/27/12, 21:48   
Edited: 11/27/12, 21:51
I'll take a rain check on that. I haven't played nearly the amount of games I would have liked this gen. Hopefully I get a chance now that I have a PS3.
11/27/12, 22:04   
@Tranquilo If you just bought a PS3 you have some serious catching up to do, son. So many great games you can play. I'm a bit jealous.
11/27/12, 22:06   
Off the top of my head. This may change when I have a good chance to think.

Super Mario Galaxy
No More Heroes
Borderlands
Mass Effect
Metal Gear Solid 4


Smash Bros Brawl and Bayonetta get honourable mentions. This is a hard one.
11/27/12, 22:30   
@warerare Did you play the second Borderlands? I thought it was better than the first in every way
11/27/12, 22:35   
I haven't yet, I am waiting for the GOTY edition, hopefully for Wii U but I am no longer holding my breath for that one.
11/27/12, 22:40   
Wii/PS3 here - Xenoblade, Demon's Souls, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Eternal Sonata but LA Noire, Super Mario Galaxy, and Valkyria Chronicles are up there on my list.

Nice change in perspective since we're so used to top 10 per system.
11/27/12, 22:44   
Edited: 11/27/12, 22:46
To The Moon
999
Assassin's Creed 2
Arkham City
Super Meat Boy
11/27/12, 22:45   
Portal 2 - Couldn't put it down. A puzzle game at heart that manages to be incredibly immersive.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - Still can't believe they did a Batman game right. I'm putting it above City because of the impact it had on me, and because I think the stealth sections were better. I think I do prefer the open ended nature of City just because it feels so much more like Batman (scaling rooftops, watching enemies from afar, etc). Rocksteady is great at what they do, and I think Nintendo could learn from them in a lot of ways.
Halo 3 - The most time I've spent in a multiplayer game aside from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Simply phenomenal fun with my three friends.
Donkey Kong Country Returns - Retro surprised me here with the game I never knew I wanted. Flawed in a way because I think it's TOO difficult at times, notably with the mine cart levels. I also think they could've pushed things even farther in terms of set pieces, because I think most of the time the game does seem like a standard platformer. There are a lot of moments, however, that feel like the first game of its kind since Yoshi's Island. I wish Nintendo would put this kind of effort into a 2D Mario game.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Not my favorite Metroid Prime game, but come on, it's Metroid Prime. Retro again has amazing attention to detail. It's the most "Halo-esque" of any Metroid game, but for what it is, it's amazing. If I ever want to feel like I'm in a world, and not in my bedroom, I go to a Retro game. Masterful.

Sixth Place:
Pac-Man Championship DX

Honorable Mentions:
L.A. Noire
VVVVVV
Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2
Halo ODST, Reach, and Halo 4
Assassin's Creed 2 - So far it's pretty amazing, but I'm not sure how much I'm liking the villa areas. The game seems to be at its peak when you're parkouring around the rooftops of the various cities in Italy. It feels absurdly better than AC1.
Portal
11/27/12, 22:48   
Xbob42 said:
To The Moon
999
Assassin's Creed 2
Arkham City
Super Meat Boy

Man, I can't go a level deeper to last gen handhelds. My brain hurts. Great pick for it though... along with TWEWY.

11/27/12, 22:48   
Since Zero didn't include handhelds I won't either, or my list would be completely different. In no particular order:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Braid
11/27/12, 22:52   
Handheld list:

999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Mario Kart DS
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
11/27/12, 23:00   
Handhelds don't count?

Pfft.

I'm outta here.

EDIT: Eh, @Zero added his handheld list, so I'll add mine (mix of handheld and console).

5.) TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM
4.) 9 HOURS, 9 PERSONS, 9 DOORS
3.) MARIO KART DS
2.) ELITE BEAT AGENTS
1.) CASTLEVANIA: DAWN OF SORROW

* I'm digging all the 999 love in this thread!
11/27/12, 23:01   
Edited: 11/27/12, 23:04
Alright, I'll do a handheld list too:

Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Picross DS
11/27/12, 23:12   
I'm blending my handheld/console list together! Why the heck not?

Doing six because I want to include Pit.

6. Kid Icarus Uprising
5. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
3. Daigasso! Band Bros.
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
1. Super Mario Galaxy

Man, are my top 2 boring choices. Oh well, tell EAD Tokyo to stop being amazing.
11/27/12, 23:22   
In no particular order:

Super Mario Galaxy / Super Mario Galaxy 2 (technically 2 games, but they're equally good)
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Mario Kart Wii (my most played Wii game for a reason!)
Burnout Paradise
11/28/12, 00:07   
Lets go with:
-Monster Hunter Tri
-Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
-Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
-Muramasa: The Demon Blade
-Rock Band 3

I gotta rework some scores. I've got a wild six-way tie a 9.3. ToS and Muramasa will probably receive boosts to 9.4 soon.
Thank goodness we have this 100 point scale!
11/28/12, 00:53   
Super Mario Galaxy 1/2
Batman: Arkham City
Portal 2
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Xenoblade Chronicles
11/28/12, 01:47   
AHHHHH! SO MANY GAMEZ!!!!

Well this is a tough list so in no particular order.

An Untitled Story
Amazing, brilliant, wonderful. So many words can be used to describe this game. You start off as an egg but pretty soon you get all sorts of upgrades. It has a brilliant world and 4 difficulty levels for replay value.

Fez
This game took me by surprise. Not only is the music exceptional, but the puzzles are amazing. Sitting there trying to solve the mysteries of tetrominos has never been so enticing.

Skyward Sword
For all it's faults (see my Tumblr Post) I love this game. It had some great parts and I love it for that.

Bioshock
Atmosphere in a nutshell. The game just oozed it. If there was one video game place I could go, it's Rapture (before the civil war mind you).

Portal 2
Fun story behind this game. Around when this game came out me and my Dad had just got in contact with each other after 13 years. We played the co-op together and stayed up late trying to finish it and when it came to the single player we took turns. And for that I need to say something to you Portal 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9nPf7w7pDI
(Anyone know how to embed?)
11/28/12, 02:22   
Edited: 11/28/12, 02:23
@TriforceBun

Heyheyhey! I love KIU as well but that's 3DS.

LAST Gen stuff
11/28/12, 02:24   
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