Top Three Games of the Current Generation

[Mitchified]

The title of the thread pretty much says it all. What are your top three games of the current generation of consoles? After all, we've all got fond memories of gaming during the days of yore, but what recent games have blown you away? To add a counterpoint, what are the three most overrated games of the current generation?

Here's mine, in no particular order:


Best Games

1. Bioshock. For me, this is the best FPS of not only the current generation, but possibly of all time. The plot was fantastic, the characters were complex, and the level of customization and variety was incredible. While the sequel didn't measure up (that's what happens when another studio steps in), the original was an instant classic and a must play for anyone who enjoys the genre. Bioshock Infinite is my most anticipated game currently.

2. Uncharted 2. This is the game that showcases what the action/adventure genre in gaming should be all about. It's like being an active participant in an Indiana Jones movie. Just mind-blowing.

3. Portal 2. This game is simply a masterpiece. I bought this game with extremely high expectations, and it surpassed every single one of them. It might just have the best script in the history of gaming, and the puzzles are complicated and yet never frustrating and always rewarding.


Overrated Games

1. Mass Effect 2. Yes, it was a good game. I'm not debating that. I do, however, believe that it's massively (pun unintended, unless it was funny; if it was, it was totally intended) overrated. The story isn't this huge masterpiece that some people make it out to be, and the action sequences were a bit slow-paced for my taste. Again, it's worth owning, but it's still overrated.

2. Little Big Planet. I'll be honest, I really don't get the hype over this game. The only reason that I still own it at this point is because it's a safe game to play around the kids.

3. Halo 3. I'm singling out Halo 3 from the rest of the franchise because it's the most overrated of the bunch. Halo Reach was much better than I thought it would be, and Halo 2 was hugely influential and enjoyable. Halo 3, on the other hand, just felt like more of the same.

[Danny]

1: Valkyria Chornicles. Totally underrated water colour shaded strategy rpg that juxtaposed teen anime bullshit with harsh world war 1 era storys about loss and border clashes, excellent ps3 exclusive and my game of 2008.
2: Heavy Rain. story kind of has a few gaping chasm like plot holes but as an experience? truly stand alone and i loved every minute of it.
3: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. haters gonna hate, i know it wasnt the ideal ending kojima wanted but it brought 25 years of gaming full circle and ties everything up. Sure it was bloated and overly long but it was a swansong to an old heros final battle and every little touch to it made me love it even more.

-not intentionally aiming for ps3 exclusives, but i aint much of a wii or pc gamer- thought mario galaxy deserves a mention at this gens best platformer and a superb soundtrack, but the xbox hasn't really had any truly stellar exclusive experiences and most multiplatform ones seem kinda...janky, like they dont have some dedicated process that focussed its creation. Plenty of excellent 360 games, more than the ps3 in quantity, but just not my favourites.

overrated games?

call o duty modern warfare: more brown/ foreign people to shoot prestige edition can suck it. The series should have ended at cod2, not this bloated multiplayer bro-down monster its become.
little big planet, touted as a be all end all mascot title for the ps3 and in the end its a impressive design kit for people who enjoy that sort of thing but as a videogame? a pretty shitty physics platformer.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R as an experience walking through the radioactive/ paranormal zone is a site to behold. As a videogame its an average shooter that survival nuts cheese their panties over. it looks great but the controls are kind of ass and the story is bland and uninteresting. I like the IDEA of stalker, the execution left me ...not underwhelmed, just wondering why so many folks went so crazy over the first game.

[Mitchified]

Plenty of excellent 360 games, more than the ps3 in quantity, but just not my favourites.

I agree completely. X-Box 360 seems to have a higher quantity of top notch games, but the top notch games that are on the Playstation 3 are better than what's on the 360. It's a quality over quantity thing for me, which is why I tend to focus on the PS3.

Good call on Heavy Rain. It's criminal how unappreciated it is.

On an interesting note, I almost put Fallout 3 on my overrated list. Is it a good game? Absolutely. It has some pacing issues, though (the first quarter to half of the game is pretty damn slow-paced), and I personally think that Borderlands did a lot of the same things better. Actually, Borderlands didn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves.

[AngryNeighbour]

My top three are
1. Fallout 3-I have a ridiculous amount of timeplayed on this game due to being able to do so many things and I've literatelly spent 15 straight hours just exploring. Such a great game in my opinion, just amazing.
2. BioShock-I still sometimes find myself just thinking about the story and idea to this game. The story of this game is just a masterpiece, and to me the Andrew Ryan character was legendary and same with Fontaine/Atlas. To go along with the amazing story, is awesome and creative gameplay. I also enjoyed BioShock 2 a lot.
3. Call of Duty Modern Warfare-Okay I know I'm going to get some major heat for this one (considering a guy has this on his most overrated games) but I'm a teenager, so when I first got my Xbox live, this was the game I started playing. This is what got me hooked to online gaming, and the online is amazing. The maps are memorable and lasting, I still scrim in this game all the time with buddies. Come on, such an enjoyable game, not to mention to single player was well done too.

Overrated
Modern Warfare 2- In my opinion, this was a game for people who were horrible at Call of Duty 4, not only did they eliminate the importance of gun skill, they made it easy for bad players. Not to mention this game was infested with quick scope loving toddlers. The single player was alright, but went WAY over the top.
Mass Effect 2-I traded in eight games for this, and I've only played it like a total of 10 hours and I've owned it for months now. Even though I played Mass Effect 1 and beat it, to be honest the Mass Effect games are just another Fallout or Elder Scrolls but just harder to access and comprehend (takes longer). Too pretentious in my opinion.
Grand Theft Auto IV- Who doesn't have fun with these games? I know I had fun messing around with buddies, but come on this game won so many awards and was praised so highly, but it's just too realistic to the point where it kind of drags some of the fun out of it. Still a great game, just a bit overrated.

[clanglee]

to be honest the Mass Effect games are just another Fallout or Elder Scrolls but just harder to access and comprehend (takes longer). . Not at all. . . .Fallout and Elder Scrolls are both way more complicated, control and quest wise , than Mass effect. ME was just more user friendly than either of those games.

[bassman]

I feel a bit ashamed to toss my top three into the fold because i'm not a "serious" gamer, but here are mine...

1. Red Dead Redemption - Living out the life of a cowboy. Is there more to say?

2. Batman: Arkham Asylum - I'm biased on this one because I love Batman. Regardless, it's awesome. Can't wait for the sequel, 'Arkham City'.

3. Ghostbusters: The Video Game - Again....biased. I've lived and breathed Ghostbusters for as long as I can remember, so this game is a no brainer. Not perfect by any means, but great for a fan like me. Also, without a doubt one of, if not THE, best movie-based game of all time.

[blind2d]

I'll echo bassman here for my top three. And whoever said Bioshock. That's a great game.

1. Ghostbusters
2. Bioshock
3. (Ohhh... something random...) Super Mario Galaxy.
Those were the three best. Oh, Portal ties with Ghostbusters, as well. Now for three most overestimated... or something... I really can't think straight right now...
1. Halo (any and all)
2. GTA (any and all)
3. Any not mentioned FPS. And Minecraft. Minecraft is lame. Don't play it. Faulk that game.

[Danny]

3. And Minecraft. Minecraft is lame. Don't play it. Faulk that game.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/khazrak/1294935859143.gif

[CoinReturn]

Ask me again when this Fall's amazingly epic crop of games are released. Some of you will probably be changing your lists around!

[AngryNeighbour]

Not at all. . . .Fallout and Elder Scrolls are both way more complicated, control and quest wise , than Mass effect. ME was just more user friendly than either of those games.

Whaaaatt?! Idk, Mass Effect I actually hate the parts where you have to fight, I don't find the action in that game satisfying at all. Apart from that I found the menues took me too long to get used to, like team commands, power ups, getting resources from other planets and so on...I would to love hear your reasons on how Fallout is more complicated though.

[clanglee]

Whaaaatt?! Idk, Mass Effect I actually hate the parts where you have to fight, I don't find the action in that game satisfying at all. Apart from that I found the menues took me too long to get used to, like team commands, power ups, getting resources from other planets and so on...I would to love hear your reasons on how Fallout is more complicated though.
In Oblivion and to a lesser extent, Fallout you have a lot more micromanagement. .. . weight carried issues, etc etc. . . .also they were more opened ended. The ME games are pretty linear. More like watching a movie than playing a game sometimes.

[Mr. Clean]

Best Games

1. Mass Effect
2. Bioshock
3. Red Dead Redemption

Overrated Games

1. Halo(s) (I have played the <poop> out of some Halo games but yeah overrated.)
2. Call of Duty Series (I have played the <poop> out of some COD games. People don't understand the meaning of stop while your ahead.)
3. Medal of Honor (I'll never recover from this <poop> storm :P)

[blind2d]

Yeeeeah... Not sure at all what that video thingy means, Hellsing. I assume it is a great compliment to me as an intelligent human being.

[AngryNeighbour]

In Oblivion and to a lesser extent, Fallout you have a lot more micromanagement. .. . weight carried issues, etc etc. . . .also they were more opened ended. The ME games are pretty linear. More like watching a movie than playing a game sometimes.
Yeah that's true, but I think there's just more to think about in Mass Effect than in Fallout, like the only thing you need to really think about is weight and supplies (which can be found everywhere). Open ended in my opinion just opens up the game to more mindless exploration. Walking around and killing things by hitting left bumper and not even having to aim or shoot isnt too complicated to me.
But I see what you're saying. Just different tastes, although I did enjoy Mass Effect one and ME2 was alright.

[SymphonicX]

1) Fallout 3/New Vegas (equally as good as each other)
2) Battlefield Bad Company 2
3) Portal 2

Over rated:
Crysis 2
CODBLOPS
Red Dead Redemption

[Trin]

What are your top three games of the current generation of consoles?
*Reads the word "consoles" and stomps back to his PC to play Starcraft II*

[Mitchified]

*Reads the word "consoles" and stomps back to his PC to play Starcraft II*

Here's why I didn't include PC titles in this thread. A PC game can be a completely different experience based on the hardware that's being used. Graphics, sound, frame rate, anti-aliasing, etc. Console titles are the same across the board, and thus are on an equal playing field. Hey, if you want to name PC titles feel free, I just had my reasons for not really considering them when I made the thread.

Besides, being realistic, are there really all that many incredible games that were released on the PC during this generation that would make a top three list and that weren't available on a console as well? You've got Starcraft II as a possibility, and... that's kind of it. Undeniable smash hits like World of Warcraft were last generation, after all.

[AngryNeighbour]

1) Fallout 3/New Vegas (equally as good as each other)
2) Battlefield Bad Company 2
3) Portal 2

Over rated:
Crysis 2
CODBLOPS
Red Dead Redemption
I wouldnt say New Vegas and Fallout are equally as good as each other. New Vegas was good, but not as good as Fallout. I personally liked how Fallout 3 had more easter eggs and side missions (that werent actually a legit quest). Also I don't know why they didn't put anything like the MERV or Super Mutant behemoths in New Vegas.

[EvilNed]

I think Fallout 3 is great in one way and Fallout: New Vegas in another. I loved New Vegas for continuing the lore of Fallout 1 and 2. Fallout 3, however, features great urban adventures that has no parallel in New Vegas as well as many other interesting locations.

New Vegas' strength is in it's story. It's detailed, rich and (as I mentioned) has the good fortune of having all the lore from Fallout 1 and 2. Fallout 3 pretty much starts anew in a completely new place. But it's got a very rich world. It's also much darker, it seems.

[Danny]

new vegas had me trapped by invisible walls. for that alone i dislike it more than 3.

[Exatreides]

Wow, so many great games.

1. Fall out 3/fall out New Vegas. I thought about this one a little bit, and couldn't really stack one on top of the other. I really really love Fall out 3, I have spent many hours on it, almost to the point of not having to use the mini map to get around in the wasteland. How sad is that? Fall out 3 in my opinion has a better story, it feels like you're really making a difference in a world that needs help. Fall out new vegas doesn't have that pull but the lore of Fall out 1 and 2 makes up for it. These are great games. While they have their faults (Glitches, bugs) I still think that easily trump most games around in delivery, atmosphere, content, and game play.

2. Dead Space. I really like atmosphere in games, and I'm a sucker for horror and Sci fi. So this really fit right up my ally, playing this game in the dark with a couple friends with the sound blasted up was a very great experience. I have Dead Space 2 on my game q and look forward to it soon. Walking around in the dark with Issac and having a hoard of aliens stream from the darkness at you is terrifying at times. I like that in game. Anything with a strong and deep enough atmosphere to genuinely scare you at times. There were parts in it when I would have to hand the controller off, or take a break, just because I really didn't want to open that next door and unleash whatever horror lay behind it.

3. Battlefield Bad company 2. I played the first game but never played it online. The second one, I have spent a lot more time on. It has things that are greatly lacking in the call of duty series. Real Characters that after awhile you start to care about a little. While they are a little cookie cutter, the banter between them and your character helps. The multiplayer aspect is great. Destructible terrain completely changes the layout of first person shooters. The sqaud based aspect of it removes a lot of the bullshit 13 year old ass holes that infect the Cod series.

Honorable Mention goes to the Mass effect series. Bioware always does a great job of creating stories, and continues to deliver in Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Creating a universe independent of any known sci fi franchise and doing it so craftily with so much back story and depth. Besides, how can you not love Wrex? and I would have made it my number 3 or number 4 game, but it's only a top 3 list...So I cheated. Screw you arbitrary list rules!

Most overrated?
1. Madden Series.
These games are the same every year seemingly and with out the competition of Sega forcing innovation on them, the series has grown very stale. Good to play with the mates sometimes, but I haven't played my copy besides that at all.
2. Fable III. I don't really know if its overrated or just over hyped? Either way I'm playing through this right now and have to force my self to play through it. I'm not really enjoying my time at all. Will I finish it? Probably, will I play it again? I highly doubt it. It just doesn't make me want to play it, I don't know what it is? Am I tired of the setting? Does the game play bother me? I don't know what it is.
3. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. This game made me hate x box live. I didn't know there were that many 13 year old racists in the world until that game came out. I really enjoyed Call of Duty Modern Warfare and was so disappointed with Modern warfare 2. The single player wasn't very fulfilling, and the concept of kill streak stacking ruined multiplayer. You can hardly step outside a building with out a c-130, missle, or harrier slaughtering you. It just wasn't fun. If it wasn't for trying bad company 2 I would have been completely put off of shooters for it.

Dishonorable mention?
Wii Dump games. So many gimmicky games have been pushed out for the Wii that it can have a thread of its own. Most of these are three shades of shiet.

I actually got bored earlier and wrote a version of this for my blog.
http://exatreides.xanga.com/747802899/top-3-games-of-the-current-generation/

Corrected a couple errors, whoops

[AngryNeighbour]

Wow, so many great games.

1. Fall out 3/fall out New Vegas. I thought about this one a little bit, and couldn't really stack one on top of the other. I really really love Fall out 3, I have spent many hours on it, almost to the point of not having to use the mini map to get around in the wasteland. How sad is that? Fall out 3 in my opinion has a better story, it feels like you're really making a difference in a world that needs help. Fall out new vegas doesn't have that pull but the lore of Fall out 1 and 2 makes up for it. These are great games. While they have their faults (Glitches, bugs) I still think that easily trump most games around in delivery, atmosphere, content, and game play.

2. Dead Space. I really like atmosphere in games, and I'm a sucker for horror and Sci fi. So this really fit right up my ally, playing this game in the dark with a couple friends with the sound blasted up was a very great experience. I have Dead Space 2 on my game q and look forward to it soon. Walking around in the dark with Issac and having a hoard of aliens stream from the darkness at you is terrifying at times. I like that in game. Anything with a strong and deep enough atmosphere to genuinely scare you at times. There were parts in it when I would have to hand the controller off, or take a break, just because I really didn't want to open that next door and unleash whatever horror lay behind it.

3. Battlefield Bad company 2. I played the first game but never played it online. The second one, I have spent a lot more time on. It has things that are greatly lacking in the call of duty series. Real Characters that after awhile you start to care about a little. While they are a little cookie cutter, the banter between them and your character helps. The multiplayer aspect is great. Destructible terrain completely changes the layout of first person shooters. The sqaud based aspect of it removes a lot of the bullshit 13 year old ass holes that infect the Cod series.

Honorable Mention goes to the Mass effect series. Bioshock always does a great job of creating stories, and continues to deliver in Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Creating a universe independent of any known sci fi franchise and doing it so craftily with so much back story and depth. Besides, how can you not love Wrex? and I would have made it my number 3 or number 4 game, but it's only a top 3 list...So I cheated. Screw you arbitrary list rules!

Most overrated?
1. Madden Series.
These games are the same every year seemingly and with out the competition of Sega forcing innovation on them, the series has grown very stale. Good to play with the mates sometimes, but I haven't played my copy besides that at all.
2. Fable III. I don't really know if its overrated or just over hyped? Either way I'm playing through this right now and have to force my self to play through it. I'm not really enjoying my time at all. Will I finish it? Probably, will I play it again? I highly doubt it. It just doesn't make me want to play it, I don't know what it is? Am I tired of the setting? Does the game play bother me? I don't know what it is.
3. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. This game made me hate x box live. I didn't know there were that many 13 year old racists in the world until that game came out. I really enjoyed Call of Duty Modern Warfare and was so disappointed with Modern warfare 2. The single player wasn't very fulfilling, and the concept of kill streak stacking ruined multiplayer. You can hardly step outside a building with out a c-130, missle, or harrier slaughtering you. It just wasn't fun. If it wasn't for trying bad company 2 I would have been completely put off of shooters for it.

Dishonorable mention?
Wii Dump games. So many gimmicky games have been pushed out for the Wii that it can have a thread of its own. Most of these are three shades of shiet.

I actually got bored earlier and wrote a version of this for my blog.
http://exatreides.xanga.com/747802899/top-3-games-of-the-current-generation/

Yeah man, I was thinking about putting Dead Space on my list too...Amazing game, props to that. I found myself legit screaming at times from it, my buddy bought the game because of me ahahaha

and I think you mean Bioware and not Bioshock ;) I was pretty confused reading the post at first lol

[Danny]

my criticism with dead space was that it leans to heavily towards action than horror- with you becoming a walking tank after chapter 3 and the frequent use of cliche' scares rather than a natural escalation.

still bloody brilliant but on reflection from a design point it was flawed.

[AngryNeighbour]

I also thought it lacked some variety, but yeah that's true.

I thought a huge let down was Silent Hill Homecoming. I liked the original Silent Hill games, but this just did not do the job for me.

Also I HATE HATE HATE the Army of Two games...those are pretty overrated in my opinion.

[SymphonicX]

I wouldnt say New Vegas and Fallout are equally as good as each other. New Vegas was good, but not as good as Fallout. I personally liked how Fallout 3 had more easter eggs and side missions (that werent actually a legit quest). Also I don't know why they didn't put anything like the MERV or Super Mutant behemoths in New Vegas.

Yeah but the game takes away 10% of something and gives you back another 10% of something completely different. Fallout 3 had great environments, and missions, and was very very deep - New Vegas maybe lost a little of it's originality but at the same time gave us much better social interaction, political and moral choices, and better dialogue, story and environments overall...so you know, its a toss up between the two. I could happily wipe my memory and start them over again if it was possible, cos I know i'd enjoy them both just as much :)

[Danny]

Also I HATE HATE HATE the Army of Two games...those are pretty overrated in my opinion.

the army of two games are obscene. they take the dickhead brodowns of cal of duty and exponentially tap the mystical bro-source of that shit. the er-bros. i put down the first after they killed 100 foreign people and said "shit yeah now i can get a big screen tv, ladies lift your shirts!" and then they did a fist pound and played there pearl encrusted machine guns like air guitars.

i prefer games where i do not play a pair of fucking monsters, but thats just me.

[Exatreides]

the army of two games are obscene. they take the dickhead brodowns of cal of duty and exponentially tap the mystical bro-source of that shit. the er-bros. i put down the first after they killed 100 foreign people and said "shit yeah now i can get a big screen tv, ladies lift your shirts!" and then they did a fist pound and played there pearl encrusted machine guns like air guitars.

i prefer games where i do not play a pair of fucking monsters, but thats just me.

Honestly, I like the army of two games for the simple fact that I can sit down and play a good co op experience with a friend. Not having to enjoy the games for themselves, they do suck betrinkle juice. Just fun playing with a mate every now and then if we decide to take a break from Cod zombies or whatever co op scraps we can find these days.

[AngryNeighbour]

Honestly, I like the army of two games for the simple fact that I can sit down and play a good co op experience with a friend. Not having to enjoy the games for themselves, they do suck betrinkle juice. Just fun playing with a mate every now and then if we decide to take a break from Cod zombies or whatever co op scraps we can find these days.

I remember me and my buddy were renting three games, and we had one more to choose, and it was between Resident Evil 5 and Army of Two:Dog Days (or whatever the hell the second one is called) We picked Army of Two and then after like 20 minutes, we were like "we should have picked RE5"

I don't like the game mechanics or controls.