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. 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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#40: Brütal Legend
If you know me, you know exactly why this game has a special place in my heart. There isn't much I'd say I love more than Heavy Metal music, so Tim Shaffer's love letter to it felt like a very special kind of treat. I will admit it is not the best game out there; the stage battles were a big risk to take in contrast with the action based combat and open world. But everything in the game made perfect sense for its source material, from the classes you can use in stage battles to the very landscape itself. Add to that the awesomeness that is having Lemmy Kilmister, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, Lita Ford, Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Brian Posehn and Tim Curry among the cast. And even better than all that, the game manages to have the greatest soundtrack to ever grace a video game without Rock Band or Guitar Hero in the title; it's so huge that Tim Shaffer can solve a rubix cube before you can read the whole list. Basically, if you're a fan of Heavy Metal it's really hard NOT to love this game.
#39: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Say what you want to say about where this franchise went after this game, but you can't deny that COD4 was the biggest thing to happen to multiplayer gaming since Goldeneye 007. Not only did it provide a campaign full of badass-ery and memorable moments (well, at least they were memorable before almost every game in the series henceforth copied them blatantly), but it brought a longevity and purpose to online gaming that we had never previously known. By adding RPG elements to track your progress and unlock perks, COD4 gave you a reason to keep playing online long after the credit rolled. It created the monster that COD is today because this game was just that damn good.
#38: Dead Space 3
DS has seem all phases of the horror franchise by this point. It's first game saw the protagonist helplessly try to survive in a terrible situation. The second saw that character brought back into the fore because they survived it once and gave them the power to choose to fight back. DS3 sees that character now removed from fear, brought back into the action not just to fight back, but to lead the charge and take the fight back to the enemy. There's really not much more to it than that story wise; the backstory about Unitology becomes more focused and is still pretty interesting, but what kept me going was my love for its dismemberment based shooting and the ability to fully customize my weapons. That, and the addition of side missions was a nice way to open up the game a tad.
#37: Killzone 3
I don't care if you love it or hate it; I play enough shooters to appreciate when one truly feels different to play. Killzone had its own unique weight to its gameplay, and it makes you approach the game in a different way from the more popular twitch shooters out there. I won't bore you with the details of all you can do and how it changes the game, suffice to say I appreciate it and enjoy the feel this game has. The story was a step up from previous games, but still not quite reaching the potential the backstory is providing. I also appreciate that it not only has a fun online component, but it also has an offline version with bots so you can still just play an arena match when your internet it out.
#36: Batman: Arkham City
I'm not the world's biggest comic book fan, or even a comic book fan. But I do appreciate Batman from his time on the silver screen. SO having the ability to play as the Batman in what is clearly an homage to Escape From New York is both extremely satisfying and slightly disappointing (only for not letting you dress up Batman like Snake Plisken. I mean come on.). The Arkham trademark of shoveling as many super villains as possible is also a highlight, as are the depth of the side missions. But if there's one thing above all else that makes this game great, it's just how addictive it is to patrol the streets and rooftops as a vigilante predator on the prowl. The only knock against it was that the story itself just didn't hold up to the first Arkham game in my opinion.
#35: Dead Space 2
While the first DS game was all about what goes lurking through the ship's vents, the sequel tried to take a more psychological approach to its horror. It still has the creepy things crawling through the vents, but you're not scared of those anymore. Instead, the game puts you in cahoots with a lunatic and tries to convince you that these terrible creatures might be all in your head. It was a great change of pace compared to the first and perfectly fit with Isaac's development as the protagonist. My favorite moment though was of course revisiting the Ishimura. As PT recently showed us, sometimes the most horrifying things are the ones that aren't even there.
#34: Splinter Cell: Blacklist
This was the SC game I really liked since Chaos Theory. The levels were a blast to play through and the openness of the approaches, as well as the freedom to handle any situation how you choose were all a huge step up from the strictly shadow lurking games of the past. Though I was not as fond of Sam's voice actor compared to Michael Ironside, the whole cast did a decent enough job. And I love that it took a page from Peace Walker's book and allows you to replay main missions and side missions for resources and better scores. I also love how the three-tiered scoring for each level is based on your pay style rather than a checklist of things to do, so you really need to play each level multiple times to earn each title. Lots of reasons to replay, and lots of fun to be had each time through.
#33: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
For all its obsession with cyborg ninjas, it was always a slight disappointment that MG games never let you control one, until now. MGR lets Platinum games go girl crazy with Raiden's cyber upgrades and really brings a gameplay suited to his character. The story wasn't exactly true to form for Metal Gear, but then again it never hid the fact that it was going to be the video game equivalent of a B movie going in. My biggest gripe is that it was simply too short, though I suspect that any longer would have started to feel like too much hacking and slashing.
#32: Killzone 2
KZ2 had a hell of a lot to live up to since it was touted very early on as the PS3's graphical potential, and the game itself is pretty close to that promise. But the graphics are just a minor part of why this game rocked so hard. It also stepped up its story presentation considerably over the first game, even if the characters themselves weren't as interesting. Taking the franchise to Helghan also gave a new insight into the series' antagonists and overall conflict. What's more is the game's sensible boss fights and love it or hate it controls helped it to stand out in the shooter scene. I also want to note that the game brought some new ideas to the multiplayer front as well by having its online and botzone areas structured to have multiple objectives within the same match. So with only one load, you would play assassination, search and destroy, search and retrieve, and team deathmatch. It was an evolving battlefield that was won not by any one accomplishment, but by winning the most objectives. Brilliant.
#31: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Was it the best game in the series? No. But it certainly wasn't a slouch either. U3 didn't reinvent the wheel, but it was still fun to see the story play out in a different tone from the last one. The platforming and combat were fun as always, and I appreciated the improvements to melee in particular. Multiplayer also brought countless hours of joy as it was refined well over the previous game. And when it eventually went Free To Play as its own download, I really hoped it would have started a trend. The best part of the game I think was that this time it didn't feel like you were chasing some past adventurer so much as you were diving into Nate's own story.
#30: Saints Row The Third
The point of any video game is usually apparent within the first hour. Games are usually trying to be fun, challenging, or insightful. SR3 is all about the fun, but doesn't shy away from the other two at times. It's story and overall ridiculousness tends to give off some satirical commentary about video games in general while just as often going for a cheap laugh. It's a game where you get to beat people with a giant purple dildo bat, run through a game show about mascot slaughter, and fight an army of luchadors. It may not be the classiest, most mature game on the block, but it sure is fun.
#29: inFamous 2
Compared to the first game, inFamous 2 really let you own Cole's electrical powers and provided some interesting additions through Kuo/Nix. Story wise it was a mixed bag because while it was presentation was in some ways better, the overall plot was not as interesting. That's not to say it was inadequate or anything; I was just disappointed that it lacked a certain element which was all over the first game and Second Son (well, at least as far as I've gotten into it). New Marais proved to be a great playground for Cole and the design and architecture came together with Cole's powers well enough to make it feel like a breeze to cross the entire map. The addition of an online mission creator was also an interesting choice. The UGC stuff wasn't the best of quality since most of it had to be pretty straightforward and you couldn't match the presentation of the main game, but it was a nice addition to be sure.
#28: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
DE:HR had an incredible premise by exploring not the idea of superheores, but super powers available to any buyer with the right cash (and the will to let some surgeon/technician work over their body a bit). While the game created a great backstory by mentioning the cost of such a surgery and just how helpless these "augmented" people really became as a result of their desired power, the game missed the big mark by not having their protagonist actually suffer from life on Neuropozyne. Gameplay wise it made up for that by giving you lots of meat in its campaign with plenty of choices of play style and interesting upgrades to choose from. It's a great game to be sure, but it's also easy to see how it could have been better.
#27: Portal
Was there a bigger surprise this entire generation than the fact that a game which packaged in the likes of Half Life 2 and Team Fortress would be highlighted most by an original game that hadn't even been released separately? Probably not, but Portal took the gaming world by storm with it's hilarious wit and disorienting, unique gameplay. There's few games that have secured such a strong place in my heart so quickly.
#26: Mass Effect 3
The ME series has always hinged on the idea of choices and how it impacts the story, but a lot of the impact was always promised for later. Well, it's later now and a lot of gamers were disappointed with how those choices ultimately meant nothing. But on the way to that infamous moment of disappointment, gamers were treated to a solid set of missions and story showing an entire galaxy engulfed in a war they cannot possibly win. The build up was good enough to make up for the shortcomings of the ending. To me, the biggest issue was the Citadel moments and the emphasis the game had on downtime. That was weird. But the action was very solid, and drunk Tali was a highlight moment for the entire franchise.
#25: Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time
R&C games are all about the crazy weapons and comical humor, and on that front this game delivers in full force. The game separates itself however by splitting up its titular heroic duo and giving them each their own gameplay sections before bringing their abilities together for the final chapters. Planets and even the space combat sections feel plenty varied to keep you interested, and even when they start feeling a bit dragged on you can always just change up your weapons to keep it feeling fresh. Really, you couldn't ask for more from an R&C game.
#24: Far Cry 3
FC3 was a crazy exploration of the mind of a modern twenty-something kid who hasn't figured out his place in life yet. He and his friends find themselves captured by pirates in some tropical warzone and he has to fight to save them. But along the way, young Jason discovers that he enjoys being the hero, and sees it as a possible place for him in life. You the player get to choose if the appeal was purely to be the hero, or if it was the methods you used. It's an interesting ride with equally interesting characters, but the real charm of the game is the freedom you have to explore the island itself. Completing radio towers, liberating outposts, and even hunting for supplies all become more engrossing than the story that never ceases to keep you glued. Co-op was also an interesting addition since it wasn't really a part of the story itself, but I didn't really keep going back to it.
#23: Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch
This game is a cross between Level 5's own Rogue Galaxy and Pokemon, which for the most part is very good. It's combat system is terrible when compared to RG, but tolerable once you actually get into the parts that emphasize your familiars more. I personally wasn't a big fan of the art style (though it worked better for familiars) and I REALLY didn't care for the fact that most of the story is presented to you via text rather than voice work or cutscenes. Or the way that the characters often seem oblivious to the most obvious things in front of them. But even so, this game is about as good as I could expect a console Pokemon-type game to be, and that was basically what I wanted from it. I spent 50+ hours going through the story and most of the side missions, so I definitely found it to be worth the cost of admission.
#22: Batman Arkham Asylum
While City gave you the freedom to strike from the rooftops, Arkham Asylum was a much more interesting look at the Batman bring trapped in an insane asylum that has been taken over by The Joker. The writing and voice work are absolutely stellar and give a real sense to the entire series of events. On the other end of the spectrum, the gameplay showed off the Batman's unique arsenal of toys and his badass hand to hand combat skills, allowing players to truly feel empowered as the Dark Knight. Now, whether you agree with me that the story is better here or if you think that City's openness makes it the better game, you still have to admit that the foundation created here is phenomenal.
#21: inFamous
Just barely edging out what people call the best comic book game ever made is a superhero story without the comic source. inFamous took the freedom it had from that little fact to allow players to play it two ways; you could be a hero, or you could be a villain. Each choice proved to be mostly inconsequential to the general plot, but each served as a wonderful display of the gradual steps a character would take to find their real alignment, especially with the evil path. More than that, the game was layered with lots of suspicion and conspiracy theories about Big Brother. You are quarantined by the government and you get to see full well that they are not interested in helping the people within the quarantine. This undertone gave a much more interesting background than the sequel could give, and made it a more special experience to me. My only complaint is that we never got to confront the voice of survival in person.
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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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"BEHOLD THE PENIS-HARDENING, VAGINA-DAMPENING GLORY!"
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Today In Music (September 19th)
NOLA by Down released on September 19th, 1995. Also released on this day:
- Allied Forces by Triumph (1981)