Up until Batman: Arkham Asylum, I honestly can't think of a good licensed superhero game. But Asylum broke the streak and gave us one of the best games of 2009, but the sequel perfected the series. Arkham City is an open world action/stealth game taking place in the Batman universe. You play as the Dark Knight who is dropped into a section of Gotham City that has been turned into a giant prison. And their you meet about every bad guy in the Batman series (that weren't in Arkham Asylum anyway). The city is massive and detailed in an astonishing way. The combat system was improved from the original and the story is everything I could have wanted. And recently a third game has been announced and I'm sure it will live up to its name sake.
10. Uncharted 3: Drake's DeceptionUncharted has become the staple series for the PlayStation, and for good reason. Drake's Deception is the latest game in the series released back in 2011 and while it didn't quite reach the level of acclaim its predecessor did, it still won of a dozen game of the year awards from major publications. In this newest game you once again step in as Nathan Drake, and after encountering an old enemy; and you learn that they are looking for the lost city Iram of the Pillars. Iram is commonly called the Atlantis of the sands (coined by T.E. Lawrence), it was a trading city in the Arabian peninsula which became well known for their unimaginable riches. But God saw their arrogance and greed and destroyed the city, and it hasn't been seen in hundreds of years. So you set out to stop whatever evil may come of this.
How do follow up one of the most original IP's in recent years? You improve upon it in every single way. The Portal series is developed by Valve, the creators of the acclaimed Half-Life series upon many others ground breaking video game series. Portal had you play as a mysterious young women who is used as a guinea pig in a series of cruel and unusual experiments involving a portal gun, a device that can fire two portals that are connected to each other. Portal 2 may be the most ingenious puzzle game ever made, its whit, humor, and creativity are almost unmatched by any other game. Its devout fallowing and strong sales also point to a possible sequel, which I would welcome with open arms.
8. Bioshock InfiniteHeading into 2013 Bioshock Infinite was at the top of my must play list, and for good reason. Infinite took the Bioshock series in a new direction, not just by moving to a new location but by giving a voice to its characters. Infinite and the original are both incredible games and are just as good as their counterpart, but what make Infinite stand out in my mind is that is just more fun to play. It has a more upbeat setting (for most of the game) and gives a face to the characters which gives you an attachment that you didn't have with the previous two games. My only complaint would be that you can only carry two weapons at a time unlike the rest of the series. But that's more of a personal preference, all I know is beginning to end this is an experience that I have had with few other games.
7. Grand Theft Auto 5
I expected a lot from this game, more than most. Rockstar has proven track record with the GTA series so I was sure that this was going to be a great games, somehow GTA 5 actually surpassed my expectations. While just about every aspect about the game is incredible, the thing that really sets it apart from almost every other game like it would be the setting. Rockstar didn't just make a map, they truly made their own world. The fact that they could make a game of this size and magnitude run on eight year old hardware and still have it look so good is nothing short of incredible. Years from now this will be looked at as a land mark piece in video game design as well as one of the greatest games ever.
Rockstar is one of the most successful and well respected development companies out there, known for the GTA series they decide to try something new with great success. Red Dead Redemption is the companies first game in the western genre and instantly became the definitive western game. Rockstar's previous games like GTA are known for their action, the companies follow up game L.A. Noir was know for its story and writing, RDR is the perfect combination of the two. The game doesn't just have incredible action sequences but also an immersive story and some of the most unique characters I've seen in games. Plus several DLC packs, challenges, and more side quests than you can shake a stick at, and you got a hell of a value.
5. BioshockThe FPS genre has always been stale to me, with only a few number of games that stand out and really worth a players time. Most of the genre are generic modern military shooters that get old pretty quick. Bioshock did what few of FPS games did before it, it had a story (and a damn good one at that). Up to that point the only FPS games that had a good story were Half Life and Halo, but everything changed when Bioshock was released. With its incredible deep and engaging story in one of the most impressive worlds I have ever seen in a game, Bioshock got praise from just about everyone. Minus a sub par final boss, this is a truly amazing game that lead to an amazing sequel.
Over the past couple of years we have seen more zombie games than we can handle; it takes something real special to make stand out from the crowd, and The Last of Us did the gaming equivalent of shooting off fireworks. What many are calling the best game of this generation, the Last of Us is the story of what makes us human. Zombies aren't the only enemy in the game, you constantly have to fight regular people. While playing you wonder "what is wrong with these people," well the truth is that they're just like you; they are trying to survive. This is a deep emotional story that made my jaw drop multiple times, it's almost like watching a movie. This is the most humanistic game ever made and even now the ending still makes questions the morality of the greater good.
Easily my favorite game of the generation, Mass Effect 2 is the best installment in one of the greatest trilogies gaming has ever seen. Mass Effect 2 is a third person shooter space RPG, with the whole game revolving around choice. The series was not the first to have choice be a factor, but it was a game changer. In Mass Effect 2, the choices you make in the game can end in your whole team making it home or every one (including yourself) can die. You play as Commander Shepard, a human who is the only thing standing in the way of complete annihilation of the universe. In the first game you learn of a sentient race of machines known as the reapers who every 50 thousand years wipe out all intelligent life and it's up to you to stop them. And what ensues is one of the greatest adventures you can ever take part in.
Uncharted 2 did something special, it breached the gap between video games and action movies. From the opening scene to the final stand, i felt like I was in Raiders of the Lost Ark. You play as Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who gets caught up in the biggest find of his life. After following the evidence left behind from Marco Polo's lost ships, you learn the location of the lost Buddhist city Shambhala. Unfortunately for you there is a very angry Russian after the same prize. Uncharted 2 has one of the greatest and most exhilarating single player experiences ever put in a game, and on top of that you have several great multiplayer modes. Uncharted 2 is Naughty Dog's (the developer) crowning achievement and a once in a generation game.
How do you end one of the greatest game series of all time? With one of the greatest games of all time. MGS4 is the concluding chapter in the acclaimed Metal Gear Solid series. MGS was the game that changed everything in the stealth genre, after it hit the shelves every stealth game had to match it (very few did). And in my opinion Guns of the Patriots is the best in the series. Released in 2008 to universal acclaim, the game would go on to win many game of the year awards as well as selling nearly 5 million copies worldwide. The game is perfect, the combat, graphics, story, dialog, and technical prowess are unmatched by many games today. While some criticized the incredibly long cut scenes, they were necessary to answer all the questions that were never answered in the other games. MGS4 is the greatest modern game, it is outstanding in every way and a game any true fan of games need to play.
No comments:
Post a Comment