Seriously, that weird impulse I get at random to make gigantic lists is calling to me, and this is my response. Do with it as you wish.
These 100 games helped to make the 7th generation special to me. This is not all the games I played this generation; in fact this list does not include ANY DD games. Retail only and PS3 only (not exclusive only, just that they're on the console at all) for this list. Before I begin, let me start by saying that at this time there are two games I have yet to play that could make an impact on this list in some capacity: Rayman Legends and Beyond: Two Souls (which I am currently playing). They are the last two PS3 games that I have yet to play that I have an interest in, unless I am forgetting something.
Unlike some other features I have done in the past, this list IS ranked and will be presented in five installments, beginning with the lowest ranked and ending with the best ranked games. Each title will have a brief description and my reasoning. For anyone familiar with my grading scale, numbers 100-63 will all be grade D, 62-39 will be grade C, 38-18 will be grade B, 17-2 will be grade A, and only the very top game is grade S.
On to the games!
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#100: Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning
The game that helped bankrupt a state kicks off this list. While it has its devoted fans, I was less than impressed with this game. It basically like a poor man's hybrid of Skyrim and Fable. Combat itself was fairly fluid, but I found most of the story and missions to be a bit blah, and quickly found it difficult to keep interested. But that's the thing; I can't say it was bad because my issues with it are all opinion. I can't find an objective or mechanical flaw to latch on to beyond the usual minor gripes that you get with any game, which is why it got a D.
#99: Full Auto 2: Battlelines
When the PS3 first launched, there wasn't a plethora of games to sell the system. So for early adopters like myself, exploring some of the more obscure titles helped to fill the void. For me, this title helped to satisfy my car combat craving thanks to its wonderful yet basic Gladiator mode. The campaign itself wasn't very fun and races in the game felt like a betrayal of purpose compared to the car combat deathmatch arena, but having that mode alone helped me tide myself over until the PS3's Twisted Metal title eventually released.
#98: Alice: Madness Returns
While this game definitely found the right style and presentation for its material, mechanically it was a bit wonky to control and levels weren't designed so well as I'd have liked to see. There was a constant disconnect between wanting to explore the environments and then actually trying to do it with a rather linear pathway. Even so, it's a game that isn't quite the same as everything I'd been playing around its time, and I greatly appreciated the difference.
#97: Dante's Inferno
It may have been a God Of War clone that didn't stay faithful to its source material, but my biggest problem with this game is the unsettling feeling it gave me to see demonic toddlers crawling their way out of Cleopatra's nipples. I kept playing after that, but trudging through the plains of Hell really began to drag on. I hope that this isn't the only attempt that the gaming world has to work with this source material though, because I think the developers behind Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons would do a fabulous job of respectfully bringing this tale to life.
#96: Bioshock 2: Sea Of Dreams
While the first Bioshock rocked the gaming world with its original setting, expertly crafted story and rewarding gameplay, its sequel was basically a cookie cutter copy of it in every possible way. You even got your plasmids in the exact same order! But even so, the spear gun alone brought me more joy than several games I played this generation, and even if it was so terribly uninspired it's still a solid game.
#95: Darksiders II
Being that I love the Legend of Zelda franchise but don't see much reason otherwise of buying any recent Nintendo consoles, I needed a decent generic brand. Darksiders II sort of missed the mark in this respect by giving its game the loot whoring of the Diablo series. Weapons and items felt less than significant in this game, and some of the levels weren't as well designed and interesting as you could compare to its predecessor. But despite the downside, Darksiders II does have fun combat and was still worth the playthru.
#94: Crysis 2
Crysis 2 was a mixed bag for me. I heavily appreciated the open level design that allows you to tackle situations in various ways, but at the same time the game felt very linear and constricting. Story wise there wasn't anything of interest going on, and the game began to wear a little thin on reasons to keep playing. But for shooter fans who are tired of the Call Of Duty formula, this is definitely worth checking out.
#93: Blitz The League II
What's this; a sports game with an actual storyline and arcade inspired gameplay? With its story penned by the guys behind Playmakers? That's enough to make it worth checking out all its own, even if the story itself is just a cheesy excuse to show how professional sports teams like to juice up their athletes. I'm still waiting for a sports game with an inspiring type of storyline. In any case, the gameplay here is very arcade, and I love that. Game makers are afraid of Madden just because it has the NFL license to itself, but Blitz made a valiant effort to overcome that with an interesting fictional league and some frustrating yet fun gameplay. Still wasn't as good as the first one though.
#92: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
I am not so quiet about my dislike for the annualization of this franchise, and this is really where that began. The game feels all too similar to ACII and what few things made it stand out weren't so great on their own. I did enjoy the addition of recruiting assassins and being able to run around the Colosseum and all. At the end of the day, it's a solid yet uninspired game that only seems to bad because there's so much of this franchise happening right now that it is just too much.
#91: Resistance 2
The first Resistance won over early PS3 owners by having interesting weapons, good multiplayer, and slim competition at launch. For the sequel, Insomniac brought back a lot of the weapon flair but put it in the background by removing the weapon wheel and forcing you to choose only two weapons to carry. The game tried to balance itself so you'd naturally be swapping out weapons when it would be best time to use them anyways, but that took the player freedom away from the gameplay and really made the experience too linear and generic. Not that it was bad, just a few key decisions kept it from being really good.
#90: Rage
Rage was a beauty of a game with rock solid mechanics. On a technical standpoint, it was marvelous. But its story drew heavy from the likes of Fallout 3 and Borderlands. So much so in fact that at times it felt like a clone with a different art style, particularly of Borderlands. Eventually I gave up on the game because between the two Borderlands is the better game, but in truth the only thing that Rage was lacking by comparison was charm. Who'd have guessed?
#89: Battlefield: Bad Company
The modern era shooter market came into fruition this generation with the likes of Call of Duty 4, but it was Battlefield that really sealed it in as a movement in gaming. Its Bad Company series was introduced by some of the best trailers we had ever seen to that point, highlighting the game's humor and style perfectly. And in story and presentation, this game really shines. In gameplay however, the term lackluster comes to mind. It's not that it's got any mechanical flaws, but objectives and levels feel a bit uninspired and often going through the game feels like a chore due to pacing. Even so, if you're looking for an alternate modern era shooter to the Call Of Duty franchise, you could do a lot worse.
#88: John Woo's Stranglehold
This game takes me back. As a relatively early PS3 title, it benefited from the sparse library at the time and its awesome deal on the PS4 to include its theatrical prequel on the disc. The game wasn't anything more than the standard action shooter on the surface, but it stood out because of its wonderful slow motion gameplay. Basically, it's a Max Payne knockoff starring Chow Yun Fat. Nothing special, but hella fun.
#87: Red Faction: Armageddon
Red Faction II blew my mind on the PS2 with its destructible level design, and since then the series has been on my radar. RF:A takes it a step further by allowing you to reconstruct anything you destroy at the touch of a button, allowing you to recreate cover or just simply let yourself relive the joy of taking a sledgehammer and going to town on a building. The story and enemies in the game are nothing special, but the destruction and a few key weapons like the Magnet Gun and Mr. Toots (pictured) make it all worthwhile.
#86: The Darkness II
My biggest complaint with the first game was that the powers felt too secondary. The sequel took that to heart and make it all about the Darkness powers. Of course this isn't without its price, as we see the story and presentation lose some of its touch from the first game. But there's no denying the fun to be had with demonic tentacles coming out of your back once you're really allowed to play with them. On the story front, I do want to say that while it lacked the moments and impact the first one had, I did like the approach it had with its ending, even if it did feel almost like a cop-out at first.
#85: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2
While the first game rocked the gaming world and ushered in a new era of multiplayer gaming, Modern Warfare 2 realized that there's no reason to fix what ain't broken. And like a Michael Bay film, what it lacks in creativity and artistic merit it makes up for in flashy action and fun. I could deduct points for being so formulaic, but it's not like I didn't expect that going in.
#84: Folklore
Few games are as unique as Folklore. Its story is told in three different presentation styles: text, comic, and cinematic. While that's certainly a something for everyone approach, I was more than a little frustrated by the inconsistency and the amount of time it took to get through a sea of text and comics only to be so hell bent on skipping that I missed the part that says what I'm supposed to be doing. Gameplay wise it was an interesting twist on the Pokemon formula. You fight creatures, but when its time to defeat them you actually use the motion control to rip the soul from its body. I would have loved to see more of the gameplay, but the walls of text got in my way. It's a shame too because I believe this game had a lot of potential.
#83 Guitar Hero III
Ah, Guitar Hero. Whereas Rock Band brought the full band formula into play, Neversoft brought boss battles into the fray. With the likes of Slash and Tom Morello composing guitar duels just for the game, it really felt like a sort of emergence for this genre, even after it's initial one. And that "Devil Went Down To Georgia" cover was a really nice touch to top off the whole thing. Of course, everyone and their mother got tired of the skill based appeal with Dragonforce's "Through The Fire And Flames", clearing the way for the party, which made Guitar Hero III the last time music franchises maintained an arcade focus in lieu of the casual party experience that we now think of them to have.
#82: The Club
Here's a gem you may have missed. Made by the now gone Bizarre, makers of the Project Gotham Racing series, this was a small third person shooter that blended the shooter genre with the racing genre. While the game itself was not very long and depended heavily on its now neutralized online component, The Club featured some really unique gameplay for a shooter and several of these modes need to make a comeback in other franchises. Things like racing around a linear map to see who can get a required number of points the fastest, time survival where you have to keep moving and hitting targets to keep adding time, or the every so simple foot race with swarms of armed henchmen blocking your path to the finish line. The Club had lots of good ideas that are well worth trying out for yourself.
#81: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Initially, I hated Oblivion. I found it so incredibly boring and I got lost in its menus and had no idea what I was doing with it. But I went back after loving Skyrim to death and I found a much better experience. Skyrim still outclasses it in every way possible, but Oblivion has its own charms and appeals. Above all else it was interesting to see Cyrodill and how it differs culturally and environmentally from Skyrim. Just like Skyrim, it's easy to get lost just exploring. I found the main quest to be a letdown since lots of people say it's better than Skyrim's, but I found it to be disappointing. In particular, the Oblivion Gates themselves were too boring and similar; I'll take Skyrim's dragon problem any day.
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Let me know your opinions of any of these game or my opinions of them in the comments below. Sound off with your top 100 at your own leisure.
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"My chivalry only goes so far."
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Today In Music (September 15th)
Absolution by Muse released on September 15th, 2003. Also released on this day:
- Deflorate by The Black Dahlia Murder (2009)
- Halfway To Sanity by Ramones (1987)
- Fool For The City by Foghat (1975)
- New Junk Aesthetic by Every Time I Die (2009)