Top 20 Games of the 7th Generation

So as the 7th Generation is slowly coming to a close with news of the next PlayStation and Xbox fast approaching (or in the case of the PlayStation, all the news of the next one, happened yesterday), It's time for me to have a look at what I consider the best games of the generation. Now I haven't played every game of this generation and it's unlikely that I ever will play all of them. Also, in regards to my hatred of most shooting, online, sports and licensed games, there will be a lot of those that I will choose to miss out altogether. And to make it fair, I'll only be adding one game from each franchise I choose to put on the list, or a franchise as a whole (the majority of which, I have played and enjoyed) and the list only has games that are currently released. That said, let's do the list:

20: Super Mario Galaxy

Starting off this list, we get a very old franchise who has been around since the early console days back in the 80s. In Mario Galaxy, Mario once again, goes out to rescue the princess from Bowser, but this time, he goes into the depths of space. Its very clear that this game and it's sequel were made on an epic scale. It plays out in a similar gameplay style to it's predecessor and pays tribute to Mario games, old and new, by adding things from them such as it's music (which by the way, sounds spectacular) and other things too. Many would say that the Wii doesn't have that many good games compare to the PS3 and 360. As someone who has played on a Wii, I say otherwise. A great game for a great franchise that anyone will enjoy with it's music and artistic style. Well done Nintendo.

19: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Now when Nintendo bring out new consoles, everyone expects them to bring out the best crossover fighting game, ever made (as well as the one below and some others as well), Super Smash Bros. This one in particular has been worked on the most, especially with the big story mode, online connectivity and socialism that it has. It's also the first in the series to have characters outside of Nintendo that come in the form of Solid Snake (Konami's Metal Gear) and Sonic (SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog). Any fan of most Nintendo franchises will want to buy this because it's the best you're going to get in a crossover fighting game from Nintendo (or at least until the next one comes out).

18: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

Now I'm guessing that you're all wondering why this game is at a slightly higher rank than SSBB. That's because, I feel this game has more structure in regards to it's gameplay and unlike SSBB, it has a better arcade mode for each fighter. However, unlike SSBB, it only has the main protagonists of each of Sony's franchises with Dante from Capcom's Devil May Cry, Henhachi from Namco's Tekken, Big Daddy from 2K Games's BioShock and Raiden from Konami's Metal Gear all being characters outside of the Sony Universe. Despite that, it's still a good game and a great way to promote some of Sony and the third party's upcoming and currently released games.

17: ModNation Racing

Step aside Mario Kart, there's a new kart racing game out. ModNation Racing is a racing game that for the most part, is an online game. In addition to all the usual things that you'd expect in a racing game, you can also get the chance to create your own karts, racers and even tracks, using some of the most simplest methods to do so. It's a fun game that does what it says and more.

16: LittleBigPlanet

LittleBigPlanet, from the start, you'd think it would be a children's game just from looking at it. However, it may be a simple platforming game from what you see in the trailer, but it's more than that. You can create your own levels using what you get while playing the campaign and in future games in the series, you can create your own games as well. Of course, creating a level can be quite complicated in a game like this, but it does have tutorials and with Stephen Fry narrating the whole thing, what more can you want from a game like this. It's graphics make the game look great and is one of the few creation games that does it right (even if it is complicated).

15: DmC: Devil May Cry

Now while this is a more recent game and it has had some controversy with the teaser trailer (hence the reason why there is no video for it here) and Dante's new look, the most important thing in any DmC game, is the repetitive gameplay and I can safely say that this game, has that. Even though it's a reboot to the franchise, it's a great game that has some of the most creative levels in any platforming game to date and also introduces some new things like the Angel and Devil modes which use some of Dante's new weapons and the devil trigger which makes Dante all powerful against his enemies for a limited time. It would've been a great game if there wasn't any controversy, but it will always be a great game for me.

14: Portal

Originally starting out as one of the five games available in The Orange Box, before going into it's own franchise, Portal is a great puzzle game that is challenging over time, keeps you occupied for a while and the humour from the game's main antagonist GLaDOS, is brilliant and makes the game more enjoyable to play. Now as for it's sequel, it's bigger, has co-op and is by far better than the first in length and what you can do with it. Great fun to be had here.

13: Assassin's Creed

If you need a way to get some education in history without the need of school, this would be the game series for it. This series of games are great as it shows history in a more playable fashion, while trying to make it fictional. The main objective of each game, is to have the assassins overthrow their enemies, The Templars, who's only goal is to have power and control over all. The game is mostly story based more than anything else, but there's plenty to do after the story is over, such as finding treasures and collectibles items, doing side-quests and more. The strongest of these games I feel, are AC2, Brotherhood and AC3 (when the game is played right without the glitches and the very weird ending for Desmond) as they all bring something new to the franchise such as online gameplay, tower and fort raiding and calling for help from your fellow assassins. It's great fun that I'm sure anyone will enjoy and I can't wait for more.

12: God of War III

Now as someone who has only ever played one game in the series (this one to be exact), I enjoyed playing it. The boss battles are great and well constructed without predictable methods, the combo and repetitive gameplay is great and overall, it's a great game that has a sufficient length and some replayability. And Kratos has never been so blood thirsty until now.

11: Heavy Rain

This may be a game, but I see it as more of an interactive movie with drama as the genre. The game has you play as 4 characters who each show the story from their own perspective and you can use their thoughts and actions to decide how the story will play out. Its one of a few games that allows you to play the story your way so that you can decide on who gets killed off and what actions to take. Its also one of a few games to have real life actors' faces head scanned into the game (as well as a body scan too) and the game is great. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it's an innovative and fun game that keeps you wanting to change the story, each time you play. I loved it and I can't wait for more from Quantic Dream.

10: Minecraft

Now most games that don't have a story and let your imagination roam free don't appeal to me. However, that doesn't mean that I hate them as a whole. When I cam across Minecraft, I thought it was great. It's one of those games where you can create your own world using the power of mining. But of course, if it was just a creation game, then it would be quite boring so luckily, you're not alone as their are all sorts of things that are around the place, such as farm animals but by any means, do not let yourself be in the presence of a Creeper because when you do, you'll possibly die. It's an innovative and revolutionary game that lets your imagination roam free, and I love it. Just be cautious on which platform you choose to play it on as most platforms will not work.

9: Mortal Kombat

Now for anyone who is lazy like me and just wants to get through the story without the need of wasting money on more and more games, MK9 is the one for the job. While it does take place after Armageddon, it manages to tell the story of MK 1-3 in a single package with a few alterations to make it more of an introduction to the franchise for newcomers. It has similar graphics to MK VS DCU with a couple of changes to the character models and plays out really well. It's one of a few fighting games that's easy to play and doesn't get too complicated (unlike some of Capcom's fighting games). It's everything you'd expect from an MK game with all the blood, gore and violence that you would expect.

8: Hitman: Absolution

Even though there has been some criticism towards the trailers (hence there being no video above) and towards the completely changed gameplay (while trying to retain elements of past games), the game is still pretty good. It's like Assassin's Creed and most other stealth games. The only difference here is that you must remain using stealth without attracting attention as it affects your overall score at the end of the mission. It manages to contain many elements from alot of more recent games like a mode that's similar to Eagle vision in Assassin's Creed as well as allowing the player to do the mission their way using different methods for killing your targets, such as creating a dangerous formula for one of the scientists in a later mission. Either way, it's still a good game and is very enjoyable, experimental and fun to play.

7: L.A. Noire

Just when you thought Heavy Rain was the best when it came to head scan technology, out came this game. LA Noire is a game that's like Heavy Rain in that it plays out like a film, the only difference here is that with it being Rockstar, there is an open world environment that is meant to be a 1940s Los Angelas and also plays out as a detective game where you investigate crime scenes, interrogate people, capture the real mastermind behind the crime and even go as far as going into a gun fight and a car chase. Comparing this to the film L.A. Confidential (great film by the way), the plot of both the film and this game are similar, but do have their differences, like the protagonist here isn't hated for the most part whereas in the film, he is. Either way, this is a great game that should have gone into it's own franchise, but with the way things are going, it's unlikely that we'll ever see a sequel to this game. Either way, it's still great.

6: InFAMOUS

InFAMOUS and it's sequels, are just a few of those games that allow the player to alter the story. The games have you choose to make an evil or good action that will either alter the story or just make future decisions easier or harder. You play as Cole MacGrath who up until recently was just a regular free running guy who's job was to post things. Then in an incident which caused a package he was delivering to explode and take part of his hometown of Empire City, he gains powers which are similar to that of Palpatine from Star Wars. For the majority of the games, you'll be having to go all over the place the free each area from being controlled by the enemies and gain new powers and abilities while doing so. My thoughts on the games are that they are very long (except for Festival of Blood which was very short), there is always a choice to make which affects the character's powers and abilities and also affects future events in the games. However, all things considered, it's a good game which I think shows how free running and having powers, work together in perfect harmony.

5: Red Dead Redemption

Ever wanted to be like Clint Eastwood? Then your time has come. Red Dead Redemption is another open world game that has you explore what many people would call, the wild west. You can explore Mexico and America in a 1911 wild west themed world as the bounty hunter John Marston who has agreed to put an end to his old gang's ways in the hopes of freeing his family from the government. You get all the typical western stuff including bank robberies, mining, riding on horses in a Lord of the Rings and Rawhide styled way and there's plenty of stuff to do. And its sufficient in it's length. The multiplayer aspect of it is great as well. If your a fan of the wild west, then this is the game for you.

4: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim is another open world game that while it has a story to it, can allow you to roam free and do whatever the hell you want. Since its debut back in 2011, it has since gone on to become an Internet phenomenon with all these user created mods that just look great. But if you want a good enough experience of it, get the PC version. There's dragons, creatures that you wouldn't normally find in real life, plenty of medieval stuff and more. Any fantasy geek will love this game.

3: Batman: Arkham

The fully interactive Batman experience is finally here. In a series of games that show the world's greatest detective at his finest, Batman has his hands full when he enters Arkham Asylum to put an end to The Joker's diabolical plan to take over Gotham using the resources in Arkham Asylum and some old friends of his. Then in Arkham City, Batman faces a much bigger task in bringing an end to Hugo Strange's plan to kill everything that has poisoned Gotham for many years, all it's criminals, political people and even Batman. What's even more worst, is the The Joker has poisoned Batman with a disease he has which has fatal consequences if a cure isn't made. So you get to use Batman's many gadgets and fighting skills to battle enemies and sneak around them. Both games are great and make full use of Batman's abilities and gadgets as well as giving fans, the full Batman experience that stays true to the super hero himself (with a great voice performance from Batman veterans, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill)

2: Mass Effect

Yeah, yeah I know this game has had some controversy since the first game, but that aside, what makes this series of games great? It allows players to make decisions to alter the story to make it their own, it has some of the best gun fights out there and the graphics and voice acting is top notch. It even plays out like an epic Sci-Fi series with some elements from the likes of Star Trek, Battlestar Galatica and maybe even Star Wars. But as this is a game that makes you make crucial decisions, it's highly recommended that you have the full experience rather than a comic that limits your decisions. Fortunately, any PS3, PC or Xbox 360 owner can get that experience, whereas Nintendo fans will at the moment only get the 3rd game making it the worst experience for them. Nevertheless, it's a great game that shows how a simple RPG can evolve into something more. I loved it and I'm sure you will too (just make sure you download the Extended Cut for the last game, before playing it).

1: Uncharted

Next Gen gaming doesn't get any better than this. Uncharted and it's sequels are absolutely brilliant in that it has a story with elements from Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones thrown in and makes it epic, fun and enjoyable. It's like watching an action and adventure film that has the best graphics around and the best voice acting ever. It's one of the best games that I have played in this generation ans I can say that it's my favourite of the whole 7th generation that can only get better and better over time and still manages to give you a next gen experience worth remembering and keeping for a while.

So there you have it. The current generation of gaming has been great and I can't wait to see what the 8th generation has to offer.