Top 10 Games of This Console Generation

We have seen some brilliant games from this console generation, some games that stood out from the crowd and left many happy memories.

Number 10: Dead Space 1
Although I'm a huge fan of the rest of the series, Dead Space 1 created a terrifying new universe that had me jumping from start to finish. It was a game that set out to breath life into a genre which needed some love. Having rich atmosphere, the brilliant Necromorph threat and what I consider one of the greatest uses of sound in a game. The fact you were simply an engineer, Isaac Clarke, not your badass soldier we see too often today. Just a man and his tools fighting a terrifying threat. It's truly a science fiction horror that rivals the Alien films.

 

Number 9: Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect is the Star Trek or Star Wars of the games industry. Mass Effect 2 improved in every single area from it's first game in the trilogy, cleaning up the technical issues of the original and adding one of the strongest narratives I've ever seen. Choices feel like they had impact behind them and left me with regrets when I made a harsh decision, showing just how powerful this game actually is. With no spoilers about the end, the final mission is brilliant, so much emotion and narrative add up to a powerful and well deserved ending to the game, in no way underselling the many hours we had invested.

Number 8: Last of Us  
Last of Us certainly deserves that Naughty Dog name on the box, living up to the high standards set by their past games. A breath-taking story mixed with gritty and super realistic combat mechanics, all this lead to an unforgettable experience and one of the best of this generation. This may be one of the final memorable games that closes this chapter of this generation, ending it on a high note. Naughty Dog has taken past experiences and thrown in a new twist to their storytelling and gameplay, boy does it pay off big time.



Number 7: Grand Theft Auto 4
Grand Theft Auto V is getting close, we can't forget the fantastic game that is Grand Theft Auto 4. In the past Grand Theft Auto had a much less serious tone, with jetpacks and model planes. However this tale following Niko Bellic was much darker than anything we had seen from GTA. It provided an immersive world and loads of fantastic fun to be had. With 2 brilliant DLC expansions:The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned. There is plenty of content to be played.  However there was a bit too much bowling with Roman for us to handle which many gamers still love to laugh about today.

Number 6: The Orange Box

This game kept with Valve's tradition of giving the gamer one hell of an experience and bargain. With Half Life 2 and the brilliant episodes, Team Fortress 2 and Portal, there's a lot to play with here. Combining Valve's best games into one package was a brilliant move on their part and it's a shame we don't see such great packages like this from many other companies. Getting three incredible chapters of one the best single player first person shooter ever created, a unique puzzler, and an incredible multiplayer game has never been so satisfying.



Number 5: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

MGS4 is the perfect ending to Solid Snake's story. It successfully ties in every games plot to create one of the most emotional and beautiful endings to a game ever. It answers the questions that had been set by previous games and provides one of the coolest final boss fights I can think of in this generation of consoles. The game has an attention to detail which is rarely seen by any industry, pulling everything off and producing a work of art in gaming.

Number 4: Uncharted 2
If there's one game that makes me want to own a PlayStation it's Uncharted 2, sadly I was forced to use my friend as a source to play this fantastic game.  At the core of Uncharted 2 is an action-adventure masterpiece. A game that provides a brilliant mix of narrative and action that Naughty Dog are well known for. A game that sends Indiana Jones home with his tale between his legs. What more can we say about this game? It's truly an adventure from start to finish, one that gamers should be ashamed of if they have not played it.

Number 3: Halo 3
The long awaited finale to the original trilogy of the story of Master Chief. The series that is seen as the flagship of Xbox. The series ended and left gamers both sad and happy. Sad because the trilogy was now over and Master Chief's story had been told (For now) and happy because gamers received the game that they wanted. A package so rich on content, with Forge allowing for creativity and creating some unforgettable moments with friends, a campaign which had so much brilliant moments it left us wanting more. But the biggest revolution from this game was the multiplayer experience, providing one of the most competitive shooters for gamers.

Number 2: Fallout 3
Nobody really knew what to expect from this game, it was a fresh take on the Fallout games. It turns out that this would become one of the most addictive and interesting games out there with a huge scale. It's a thrilling, all-consuming experience that will absorb you for weeks, with hours of new experiences. Having multiple playthroughs I can say, every time I play I discover something new and crazy, something that I need to tell my friends about. If you have not had a chance to explore the wasteland yet, you really are missing out on one hell of a fantastic ride. It's a game that gets better every minute and with 4 DLC packs for this game, them hundreds of hours already in the game are made even better.

Number 1: Skyrim
Bethesda successfully bag the top 2 spots. Some may not agree with me that Skyrim deserves this top spot. However never before has a single player game had me gripped and immersed like Skyrim. With over 600 hours played on Skyrim, to this day I still regularly turn on my Xbox 360 in search of new adventures. Bethesda really have a talent when it comes to creating a brilliant single player game. Anyone can pick this game up, both the casual and hardcore gamer, as you're free to play the game how you like. Skyrim is a charming game which never fails to make me smile as I discover ancient ruins or find a crazy talking dog (Yes the game has one). To people who have not played this game, I demand you go out and buy yourself a copy, I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed with what you buy. With 2 DLC packs furthering this experience, most notably the Dragonborn DLC, which in my opinion is one of the greatest pieces of DLC out there. I can not praise this game enough as it beyond epic. Despite minor technical flaws and rather funny voice acting, Skyrim holds up as a masterpiece.