Well, Playstation 4 has finally released which means the 8th generation of gaming is in full swing. It feels like just yesterday that I got my Xbox 360. I was so excited to finally play some next Gen RPGs like Eternal Sonata, Blue Dragon, and of course the epic Lost Odyssey. After 5 years with that and 3 years with my PS3, I've accumulated many gaming memories and epic moments. I'd like to talk about 10 games from this generation that either made me proud to be a gamer, were fantastic games, or a bit of both. It was very hard for me to confine this to 10, let alone put in order so I do have some honorable mentions.
Uncharted - Usually when I play games that are hugely anticipated, I feel they fall flat on their faces or don't meet the huge expectations that publications claim they set. Uncharted wasn't like that at all. It set the bar for all actions games to come this generation. It had great action, fun gameplay and something little AAA releases have, humor. I found myself laughing with Nate in all 3 console games. Uncharted will be remembered by me for being the archetype action adventure game of the generation. I mean just look at Tomb Raider from 2013.
The Last of Us - Lightning struck twice for Naughty Dog as they released this amazing gem earlier this year. It's very rarely developers release two different triple A series on consoles but that's what we got from them. As what could be described as PS3's swan song, TLOU did NOT disappoint. The game itself was fantastic, but what hit home was the realistic narrative. Now, I'm not a gamer who gets emotionally attached to characters and I don't care about who dies in the course of a story but I did in Last of Us. When Joel's daughter dies in the beginning I instantly felt for him and started to care for him as a character. I don't do that. Ever. Naughty Dog made me feel emotions like that. It's that reason alone that makes the ending so powerful. After all that Joel has done to get Ellie to the climax of the story only to not let her sacrifice herself for the world. You can relate to Joel. You might feel bad for the world but you understand why Joel would do what he did. Naughty Dog succeeded with Uncharted. They reached new ground with The Last of Us.
Oh and I won't be doing certain games from a series. Like if I out Final Fantasy on the list it includes ALL the FFs released in the generation. Also, this is an opinion based list. While I think all of these games are amazing in their own right, many will probably think I'm crazy for not having Halo or Gears on this list. Hey, I don't care. It's my blog and my opinion.
10. No More Heroes - The Wii was the weakest 7th generation console only because there weren't many games for the hardcore gamer. Sure there were some usual suspects here and there but that was it. Not a lot of third party support. There was this one game though that captured my eye as soon as it was announced and that was No More Heroes. The graphics were sick and the amount of violence for the Wii was alarming, but I loved it. So you know I had to play it. Once I got a taste, I couldn't stop. It used the Wii motion controls right. There wasn't much waggling and when there was, it was to finish off an enemy. The game had a simple structure as well. Fight, get money from side jobs fight some more. Simple. It won't win anything for narrative but it was flipping amazing. The bosses were crazy! I still remember some of the names, Holly Summers, Harvey, and Darkstar (who you never face) to name a few. And then, the ending! The reveal of Jeane being your sister, the way Travis kills her, and the crazy back story that broke the 4th wall. But if you got all the beam katanas you know there's the real ending you have to fight hard for by fighting Henry, who turns out to be the husband of the hot girl you're lusting for and your twin brother. Just the whole cut scene after the fight gives me goose bumps, about how they have to wrap up the game and then the ending picture. So amazing. Unfortunately after completely knocking it out of the park with One, NMH2 felt like it was lacking. It was way more serious than the 1st and it misled me as well. You start at rank 51 but don't fight nowhere near that many bosses. You jump so many times it's insane. And there was no epic boss fight at the end either. Obviously there's a last boss but he sucked compared to Jeane and Henry. NMH will stand out for being the 1st game I'm glad I had a Wii for. It was edgy, awesome and abstract and the Wii didn't have that before NMH was released. Most memorable moment - Henry battle in 1. Stupid hard long and cheap but the payoff was worth it.
9. Dead Space - I've never been a big survival horror fan. I played RE4 and it changed my mind. I know it's not really survival horror compared to the others in the series but whatever it scared me at times. I remember just falling in love with DS for just its ambience. I looked at it in Game Informer and was really intrigued by the space horror setting. I still remember playing it for the 1st time and genuinely being scared. And then, after 3 hours of play I got the Red Rings of Death. 1 month later I started again. To get the full experience I played at night. I had to, it just didn't feel right to play it without darkness. Anyway, Dead Space was a reboot of the survival horror franchise. It was the breath of fresh air it needed. It was such an amazing experience. The feeling of fear I felt was intense. You remember the big boss in 1 that you fought in zero gravity? I remember being terrified of getting close to that thing. DS was a thrill ride from beginning to end and the end scares me still till this day. I remember knowing the ending going into the game but it still got to me. Ah, so creepy! As with NMH, the sequels couldn't reach the original. For DS, it was the horror that couldn't be duplicated. 2 had little scary parts and 3 felt like more of an action romp than a horror game. Despite that, DS still stands out as this generation's top console survival horror game. I say console because I heard good things about Amnesia and still haven't played it. Anyway, it's a great game series that lost its way down the line but I'm hoping that in this generation it gets back on track. Can you imagine the scares it can produce with the graphics of PS4 and XBO?
8. Xenoblade Chronicles - For me, this is the swan song of Wii. Not Skyward Sword or Galaxy 2, Xenoblade. What a massive game to release on the Wii. And in the end of its lifespan too. Xenoblade was AMAZING. I'm a huge fan of RPGs and in this day and age, they don't come along that often. And they certainly don't release on the Wii. This game was just an amazing experience. From the non clichéd story to the excellent mix of real time and turn based battle styles, Xenoblade had it all. I was literally addicted to this game when it came out. I once played this for 12 hours straight. I haven't done that for an RPG since Persona 4. It was just something about the gameplay that came be coming back for more. I just liked leveling up, getting stronger, changing my equipment, killing monsters, it all just clicked. Xenoblade is my favorite Wii game, yes, even better than NMH. It beckons back to the days of old RPGs that broke the mold. Xenoblade is a sign that RPGs can still be successful in a generation filled with war shooters. I'll be getting a Wii U once they announce a release window for X.
7. Mirror's Edge - I remember seeing Mirror's Edge at E3 one year and being completely blown away. The free running, the graphics, just the overall feel of the game made me want it. It was one of the reasons why Microsoft sold me on Xbox 360, even though the game was available on PS3. When I played the first level like they did in the E3 demo, I was still memorized by it all but it wasn't an overwhelming feeling, I just wanted to explore the world more and find different ways to get to the end. Eventually, I played through the whole game again just to do that. I also enjoyed the combat quite a bit as well. Sometimes first person combat can make me dizzy and confused, but all the punches and kicks felt realistic and I actually felt like I was apart of the game itself. Mirror's Edge is on this list because it was the first game I played that made me really feel like it was a next gen game. I played this during the summer of 09 and was blown away then. This is another series that I can't wait comes to PS4 and XB0.
6. Dead Rising - This was originally why I wanted an Xbox 360. Capcom doesn't disappoint when it comes to zombie games. Well, at least they didn't at the time. So when it was announced that they were making a game with zombies that didn't have Resident Evil in the title, I was excited. Let me get something straight, Capcom was probably my favorite company growing up. They made some of my favorite games in my youth. Megaman Legends, Tron Bonne, and Dino Crisis just to name a few, so I trust Capcom when it comes to new games. I got this game two months after I bought my 360 and I loved every single bit of this game. It was challenging at first, but once I got the hang of it, I was in love. The time and survival structure of the game was awesome. I played the game the first time not knowing exactly who I could save or how and after beating it, I saw I missed a lot of people since some people only appear at certain times at certain places. That made a 2nd playthrough worth it because there was so much content I skipped on. If a game can make me it through twice, that usually means it's a winner in my books. Another great thing about the game was the psychopaths AKA the boss fights from the game. This fights genuinely felt like boss fights and I died plenty of times fighting these guys. My favorites include Cliff and Stephen. DR2 was also a great entry into the series and even added the ability to make weapons, which made for awesome weapon combinations. Dead Rising is on this list because it was fun and showed that games don't have to take themselves too serious to be good.
DR3 is just a week away and hopefully it can keep up with its predecessors.
5. Tales of Vesperia - Let me start this off by first saying that Tales of Vesperia is my favorite Tales game ever. I've played Destiny, Symphonia, Phantasia, Abyss, and Legendia but for me, this one just stands high above them. I also recently beat Xillia as well and while it's very good, it just didn't capture the same magic that Vesperia did for me. I got it for a graduation gift in 2009. At this time, I was a fan of the Tales series and the last RPG I played to completion was Persona 4 so expectations for the next RPG were high. I played Abyss, and I'll probably be hated for saying this, and I wasn't that big of a fan of it. I just don't know what didn't click for me but I just couldn't get into. I've always wanted to try it again since I have a 3DS but I'm getting off topic. Vesperia was just epic. The battle system is just so fun and it was actually a little challenging. I also liked the Secret Missions that accompanied boss battles that gave you the extra edge but what really made Vesperia the game for me was the coliseum and the casino. I LOVE gambling in video games. Like, A LOT. Metal Saga had a game where you had to gamble and find out what 3 numbers were up. I spent HOURS playing that. I just like making digital money and I spent many a hours in Vesperia's casino as well. The coliseum was fantastic as well. Fighting many of the bosses over again and even facing characters from past Tales games is always amazing. It was awesome being able to go through 200 enemies with just Yuri. Xillia was great but didn't have either of these two features. Yes, there is a coliseum but it's nowhere on the level of Vesperia's. It doesn't have the best story or best characters, but somehow, it manages to be my favorite JRPG of this generation. Vesperia is on this list because it proved JRPGs AREN'T DEAD! They may be releasing slowly, they are still coming. I'm highly anticipating TOX 2 next year but I'm even more excited to see Tales on PS4 or XBO.
4. Catherine - No game has made me ever think about my life more than Catherine. It made me question my very existence, the decisions I made, and who I really was and it was all due to the fantastic story that Catherine presented. It featured a man who was feeling trapped in his relationship with his girlfriend when this hot vixen comes along and starts making his life difficult. If you haven't played it, please go and try it out. It's really an interesting experience. I'm upset that Persona/SMT missed the 7th generation home consoles (or has it? There are some teasers from Atlus) but Catherine makes up for it a little bit. While the story is the game's strongest point, that doesn't mean the gameplay is lacking. It's definitely not for everyone though. When I first heard about the game, I was turned off but once I got the game in my hands, I felt stupid for even feeling that way. It's a puzzle game, where you back to pull and push blocks and try to climb up the tower before you die. It sounds easy, but there are different kinds of blocks and the game really throws you to the wolves early. It's a tough game no doubt but it's very rewarding. There's even a game within the game, which has its own little story and exact gameplay but to be honest, it feels totally different than Catherine. It even could have been its own game. After you beat this amazing game, there's an extra mode with superbly hard towers. Harder than ANYTHING else in the main game. It was so hard, I couldn't even beat the first one. I would get close, but always fail. Anyway, it's a fantastic game that deserves to be played just because it's DIFFERENT. And that's why it's so high on this list. There's no like Catherine in the 7th generation. With all the war shooters and cover based shooters out there, Catherine took a chance and wanted to be different and exciting and it succeed on both accounts. There's currently a teaser with from Atlus USA that shows an ultrasound. Maybe either Catherine or Katherine is pregnant? Maybe I'm stretching too much? I just would love to see a sequel to one of the most abstract games of this generation. If you like different games, before you make that switch over, please give this game a try. You won't regret it.
3. Heavy Rain - Decisions. That's what Heavy Rain is all about. With many games, if you do something incorrectly, the game will stop and force you to do it again to get it right. It's nothing wrong with that but Heavy Rain doesn't follow that. There is no failure in the game. Whatever you choose to do, you can do and that's what makes HR unique! You can finish the game without bringing the killer to justice and have all the characters have 'unhappy' endings or you can bring the killer to justice and bring the characters closure. It's really a fantastic experience just for that. The story is obviously the hook for this game. There characters are realistic and I felt for each character as they went through the game. Spoiler, but when Ethan is going through one of his trials and has to cut off his finger. I flipping went crazy when they told me I had to make that choice and then they had a nerve to put a timer on it. They make you walk around the room to find an instrument to cut the finger off. It's really a tense experience if you let yourself get lost in the game. Heavy Rain has many moments like this. Ethan's story is easily my favorite because each of his trials challenges a different ideal but they all deal with sacrifice. Would you sacrifice everything to save someone you love. It's stunning. I thought the reveal of the killer was a little out there but it was still shocking nonetheless and I enjoyed the endings I got for each character. I was a huge fan of Indigo Prophecy when it first released so it's only natural that I play this. I was blown away. It's just something you have to play for yourself. Heavy Rain is simply something you must play to get for yourself. It's hard for me to explain but trust me, it's worth the time. Quantic Dream had another successful hit with Beyond but it didn't have nearly as much control as Heavy Rain did. Can't wait to see what they do with PS4. The graphics were amazing for both games for PS3. Beyond pushed the PS3 to its absolute limit. Just imagine what's they'll do with a full game.
2. Dark Souls - Dark Souls is the most frustrating game I have EVER played. When you have trouble with the first couple of bosses, you know you're going to be in for a long ride. The thing that made Dark Souls so great was the I didn't care how much the game destroyed me, I kept coming back for more. The more times the bosses killed me, the more determined I was to come back and kill them. I would try different strategies, see what I could get away with and seeing what I couldn't it. It was a trial and error kind of thing but it felt great. Once you finally fell a boss that beat you 23 times before is a satisfying feeling. I remember feeling SO relieved after beating the Capra Demon. They make you fight this boss with NO REAL SPACE AT ALL! I died so many times but eventually, I got him. How about Chaos Witch Quelaag? That spider chick kept me busy one morning from 6:00AM to 8:30AM but after her defeat, IT FELT AMAZING. And who could ever forget beating Ornstein and Smough? One Dark Souls boss is hard enough but two and then the one gets stronger AFTER defeating the other? It was crap but the feeling afterwards it so great. But Dark Souls doesn't let you hold onto that feeling too long. No, it puts you through a lengthly dungeon that makes you feel weak all over again. And that's why Dark Souls is #2. It literally MAKES you continue on. Even though it beats you down to your lowest point, it just forces you to be better. It made me want to quit so many times, but I wanted to feel what it would be like if I could actually BEAT Dark Souls. That's what kept me going all 50 hours of my journey into the Hell known as Dark Souls. Dark Souls is the defining experience of my gaming life. It's something I kept with, despite having other games at the time and despite all the struggles, I can say I completed Dark Souls. Dark Souls is on this list because this game made me feel like a gamer again. I had to use EVERYTHING I learned from gaming to beat this game and it's the most rewarding feeling in the world. Dark Souls II drops March 11th and you damn right I'll journey into Hell again.
1. Deadly Premonition - Let me explain how I found out about this game. I'm a cheap gamer. When I see a game releasing for $20 on the first day, I run right to get it. If a game is $20 on 360, I'll give it a go. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be playing my favorite game from the 7th generation when I first put that game in my 360 tray. Why though? Why is Deadly Premonition such a good game? Because it's such a mess. The controls, when I first played it at least because the PS3 controls are great, are clunky, the visuals are 6th generations and the sound is horrible. Sometimes the music would be too low or too loud and the character voices would be inaudible. The good thing though, the presentation is the only thing that makes this game 'bad.' The story and characters in the game are fantastic. The story is a murder mystery whodunit and you'll be just like Francis York Morgan trying to figure out who the murderer is. It also has things not a lot of games has. You have to actually take care of your character. York's suit will start to smell if you don't change it regularly. He'll start to grow a beard if you don't shave. He'll get hungry and tired. The characters have their own schedules. There are dozens of side quests. It's open world, it's the triple the length of most games that came out in the 7th generation. It's just a memorizing game. It's like the survival horror of Silent Hill mixed with the sandbox world of GTA mixed with the TV Show Twin Peaks for one crazy amazingly epic game. Deadly Premonition is not for everyone. Many people will be put off by it's looks and dated feel but for those who stick with the game will find an intriguing story with memorable characters and horrifically funny and inappropriate upbeat music played during the game's darkest point. Deadly Premonition is my favorite game of the 7th generation simply because it's insane. There's no game that can quite match what DP puts on the table because it's so unique. And that's why I love it so much. I love gaming and I've played some of the top releases of each year this generation but I just love what DP does, how it does it, and how everything comes together for one glorious beautiful trainwreck as Destructoid once called it. It's so different and that's what matters most.
Well, the 7th generation isn't over JUST yet. There's still Castlevania, Dark Soul II and South Park just to name a few. These 10 games give me hope for the future of gaming. I just hope there's some kind of Deadly Premonition sequel! Thanks for reading!
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