It’s a good time to be a gamer. Ever since I was a kid, and I watched my
brother play the original Legend of Zelda on the NES, this industry has
fascinated me and taken me on adventures otherwise impossible. I love stories of all kinds – movies, books,
songs – but games are unique in that they put you in the character’s shoes and
let you drive the story. Narrative is
the driving force behind my desire to play the games I play. You won’t find me online much. You won’t see me playing match after match of
the latest military shooter. I can count
on two hands the times I’ve actually played a game co-op. The stories are what brought me, and the
stories are what keep me coming back.
And the great thing is, if the story is good, the gameplay can be almost
anything – varied and different and unique – and I will love it.
There were a lot of games that didn’t make it on this list
for one reason or another. In creating
this list, I looked for games that had a specific cocktail of elements – namely
narrative, gameplay, and a third, more elusive attribute – let’s call it
emotional resonance, the games that stick with me for a long time after the
final battle and the credits roll. I
find that the best of the best – the games that earn a permanent place on my
game shelf and that find a special place in my gamer-heart, are the ones that
find that sweet spot and combine those three elements to offer a unique and
unforgettable experience.
So without further ado, here is my list of my favorite games
of the current generation, and you can consider these all highly recommended.
*disclaimer - I have made efforts to avoid overt spoilers. That being said, if you haven't played these games and are planning to, I'm not saying don't read, but I am saying be careful.
X
PORTAL 1&2
“Oh. It’s you.”
Kicking off the list is a pair of games that really typifies
how unique, quirky and downright funny games can be, all while simultaneously
being awesome. Portal hits so many
different notes – there are moments of subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor, moments
of horror, moments of outright hilarity, and moments of jaw-dropping
spectacle. I remember when I first
stepped out of my containment cell as Chell.
I remember the thrill of passing my first test chamber, and the next,
and the next. And I especially remember
the moment where I slipped behind the gleaming white panels and caught a
glimpse of what was going on behind the scenes.
The Portal games have become iconic in my mind – the companion cubes,
the turrets, the silly and sinister Glados (still alive), the portals
themselves.
Oh yeah…and the cake I NEVER got.
Also, remember when I was talking about co-op, earlier? This game is one of the few exceptions, and
one of the only games that I consider to be TRUE co-op. Co-op to me, is not “hey ur shootin dudes,
I’m shootin dudes 2, headshot!” Portal 2
offers one of the best co-op modes I’ve ever seen, where you actually have to
work together, solving puzzles that would otherwise be impossible without the
other player. It’s not combat or
violence based. It is, however,
atmospheric, funny and challenging. It
makes me use my brain. And that is a
great thing.
I’m hoping to hear news of a Portal 3. Oh!
And wouldn’t it be cool if Portal 3 and Half-Life 3 were the same game? Aperture and Black Mesa! Gordon and Chell! That’s a game worth assassinating someone
for. Speaking of which…
IX
DISHONORED
This one snuck up on me (…get it? *nudge nudge). Okay, I promise no more of those. Maybe.
We’ll see.
No, but seriously, this game kind of came out of nowhere and
grabbed me way more than that OTHER assassin game ever did, and that grip
didn’t let up the whole time. The
steampunk city of Dunwall, with sophisticated technology set against an
antiquated background, made for a great backdrop to tell a revenge tale. Playing as Corvo and checking names off my
list one by one was not only challenging, but a heck of a lot of fun. The gameplay felt like a cousin of Bioshock,
only much more stealth-based, and stealth done right for that matter. I loved using Corvo’s blink ability to jump
from one point to another instaneously, staying one step ahead of the people
tracking me. Carving my way through
Dunwall, interacting with a group of seedy and interesting characters, finding
different paths around obstacles, all in a quest to clear my name of the
empress’s murder and protect her daughter was an unusually satisfying
experience.
And depending on how you handle the situations you come up
against, you can raise Dunwall and the empress’s daughter out of the mire, or
you can let them sink by causing mayhem wherever you go. Your actions ultimately decide the fate of
the city, and I’m glad to say I got a satisfying, if a bit melancholy,
ending.
I hope the story isn’t over, though it might be
for Corvo. I feel like this was the
first chapter in a bigger story, and I’m anxious to see what else lies in the
city of Dunwall and in the larger world of the game. I also still have no idea who or what The
Outsider is, and I would love to see more entries in the series that flesh out
the world and the mythology.
VIII
CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW
Some of the first stories that really took hold of me when I was young tended to be on the darker side (much to the concern of my parents). But I couldn't help it. There was something primal in these stories that fascinated me, and I can still vividly remember my first readings of Frankenstein, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the tales of Edgar Allen Poe, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Phantom of the Opera, and of course, the Prince of Darkness himself, Dracula. I loved monsters. What little boy doesn't?
I've been a long-time fan of the Castlevania series. I played Symphony of the Night on the original Playstation, and played it again a few years ago on the Wii. Like many fans, I was clamoring for a decent 3D entry in the series, because I always thought it would translate well, but I never dreamed it would be as good as Lords of Shadow. To many, this game is only a mash-up of God of War and Shadow of the Colossus. I'm a big fan of the latter, not a fan of the former. But the developers took the best parts of those games - the combat of GoW and the epic scale of SotC - cloaked it in a haunting Gothic skin, and gave it a narrative depth that the series had never previously reached.
The result is an adventure that feels almost as if it was tailor-made for me. Battling my way through hordes of gargoyles, wargs, werewolves, and a myriad of other beasties, not to mention the titanic boss battles, trekking through vast, sweeping majestic landscapes and towering gothic castles - it was the game I had always wanted to play since reading the original classic stories when I was young. And the kicker is, the whole time what you're playing is an origin story, and you don't really realize it until it's too late for Gabriel and his tragedy is already locked firmly in place. And then it dawns on you that you've just witnessed the events that led to the creation of one of the most notorious figures of evil ever created.
Tag the ending with a flash-forward to modern day where Gabriel has gone full Dracula, and you officially have me clamoring once again for the next entry in the series. Mix towering sky-scrapers with medieval castles, the slick, glowing streets of modern day New York City with the continuation of Gabriel's trials hundreds of years ago, and Lords of Shadow 2 cannot get here fast enough.
Speaking of stalking city streets...
VII
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM & ARKHAM CITY
I said at the beginning of this list that it’s a good time
to be a gamer. I would like to amend
that: MAN, it’s a good time to be a Batman fan.
Between Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and the incredible Arkham games, I
feel like the Batman and all his varied associates, sinister and otherwise, are
being explored to their fullest potential.
One of the most fascinating things about Batman and his universe is the
way the characters interact with one another, both villains and heroes. When you have a rogues gallery and support
cast like Batman has, there are literally countless ways, unlimited pairings
that you can come up with that would lead to new and different scenarios. That’s why whenever a new Batman movie is
announced there are two questions I ask: First, who is the villain? Second, who is the OTHER villain? Because depending on the pair of villains
that are going up against Batman, the scenario can be wildly different, and
seeing the ways Batman and the villains in question play off one another,
matching psychosis to psychosis, is extremely intriguing.
Arkham Asylum, the first entry in the series, laid an
outstanding groundwork, nailing the brooding atmosphere and the stealthy,
sleuthing vibe of what it would feel like to be Batman. It was like one of my favorite Batman graphic
novels brought to life - Arhkam Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth –
where the Dark Knight is trapped inside the asylum with all his enemies at the
same time, struggling to survive. Asylum
is a great game, no question. It spawned
some really memorable moments, especially the Scarecrow and Crime Alley sequences,
that really cut to the heart of the characters.
And it would stand on its own as the best batman game ever made.
And THEN Arkham City came out…holy crapz. This game took the concept of Arkham Asylum
and broke it wide open, creating a huge chunk of a dilapidated Gotham to
explore, densely populated by thugs and mainline villains, all hell-bent on
ending the Bat. Not only did Arkham City
offer up the most in-depth world of Gotham ever created in a video game, it
told one of the best Batman stories I’ve ever encountered. Without giving too much away, the final
showdown (again, how these characters interact with each other, particularly villain
against villain) is shocking and final in a way I was not expecting. And leaves players and fans of Batman with
the question, “What now?”
And it’s all because of one the strengths of the Batman
universe. It lends itself so well to
character study, and at the end, when a vital part of that universe is removed,
it leaves you wondering how does this character move on without this vital
thing that he’s always had, this thing that he’s been struggling against, and
in a lot of ways, has come to depend on.
I’m really looking forward to Arkham Origins. But more than that, I hope they make another
game that takes place after Arkham City.
I would be thrilled to see what happens next.
VI
DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION
Blade Runner the game. Alright, not really. But almost. My love for that movie likely has more than a small part to do with my love for this game, though they share little more than a similar atmosphere. The low minimalist electronic hum of the music goes hand in hand with the black-clad, augmented protagonist Adam Jensen sliding through the low streets and the high rises on his search for the truth. The game is not without its flaws (boss battles), but it is pretty much the only thing Square Enix did right this generation, or at least, the only thing it did great.
This is noir at its finest, a vision of the future as a slick-yet-sullied hi-tech renaissance. Playing detective in the games huge urban environments is addicting, tracking down clues and key figures in the central mystery, and working to uncover a global conspiracy that leads to a difficult and profound choice at the close. The narrative isn't afraid to ask big questions about transhumanism, social paradigms and the nature of what it is that makes us human. Deus Ex: Human Revolution stands as a testament to the fact that games do not have to dumb us down. In fact, they can do quite the opposite.
V
FALLOUT 3
Stepping out of Vault 101 for the first time was one of
those watershed moments for me. It was
the first time I had played a truly open-world game. Up to that point in my gaming life, I had
always expected some kind of clue, some hint, some signpost that would point me
in the right direction. But as that
giant metal door slid away and I stepped into the sunlight of a
post-apocalyptic wasteland, suddenly everything was up to me. I had been given complete freedom to roam a
massive and immersive world, where who I would become and what my next move was
had no other deciding factor but my own free will. And like with a lot of freedoms, it was
exciting and a little scary.
Exploration has always been a big part of why I love
games. I love being dropped in a world
and let loose to see what I can find.
But Fallout 3 took it to a whole new level. Traipsing through the creepy, sun-blasted
overworld was endlessly thrilling, as I never knew what might lay over the next
ridge. And sojourning into abandoned
subway tunnels or creepy hollows in the hills to see what loot could be
discovered, all the while uncovering small stories told through scraps of paper
or abandoned dwellings, it all added up to a singular vibe that I haven’t
gotten anywhere else, even with Fallout: New Vegas.
I still pop it in every now and again, taking my original
character out of his home in Megaton to see what might be over that hill, or
through that door set into the ground.
There’s still things I haven’t done or places I haven’t been. And the prospect that they are still out
there waiting for my next adventure is strangely comforting.
IV
THE LAST OF US
Oh, Last of Us. You're late to the party, but I sure am glad you showed up.
One of the things I like about the current-generation is that many of the games offer the player choices, give them the power to influence the story in one way or another, even if it is in small ways. There are a lot of games that do that really well. But I also don't mind being told a story according to the vision of the person telling it, and that's exactly what The Last of Us does. It is refreshing in its simple, powerful vision, and through that the creators were able to tell a story that still leaves me feeling like I was punched in the gut, and I mean that in the best possible way.
Let's face it. Joel was never really a great guy. Even with his daughter in the beginning he still comes off as rough around the edges. There are glimmers of hope throughout the game, hinted at in his eventual interactions with Ellie, that maybe Joel might turn a corner, that maybe he might recover some part of the self that he lost, might be able to find some semblance of happiness. And you know what the tragic thing is? He does. He finds something worth living for again. But it doesn't make him a better person like it's supposed to. It makes him a worse one. He clings to it so selfishly, so desperately that he is blind to all else. And his final choice (gut-punch) makes the player realize that maybe you've been walking in the bad guy's shoes the whole game.
And the question I keep asking myself is, if it were me, would I do things any differently if it was someone I love?
In a console's exclusive library that, to me, has been lackluster at best, The Last of Us stands as the crowning achievement of the PS3, and without a doubt as one of the best games of this generation.
III
THE ELDER SCROLLS: OBLIVION & SKYRIM
And the Scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold,
That when brothers wage war come unfurled
Alduin, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound,
With a hunger to swallow the world...
I didn't get an Xbox 360 until a couple years after it came out. And when I did, my brother recommended to me a game called Oblivion. I had heard rumblings, quiet whisperings, tellings of myths surrounding this game. It had been in my periphery for awhile, but I didn't really know what it was. But upon my brother's word, I purchased a used copy of the game.
And then it ate my life.
I had played the aforementioned Fallout 3, so I knew what open-world was. But Oblivion was beautiful and majestic and adventurous in a way that Fallout wasn't. They are very similar games in style, but manage to hit their own profoundly different notes in tone and atmosphere, and I owe my brother a hearty thanks for his recommendation. It's Lord of the Rings style world and it's deep character customization put me in an environment I had always dreamed of visiting. I battled daedra and protected the bloodline of the Emperor and saved the kingdom from the encroaching darkness, and I had a blast doing it.
I think "fever-pitch" would be a good term to describe my state as the release of Skyrim approached. At over two-hundred hours, Skyrim holds the record for most time I've ever spent playing a single game, and that was just one character. When Skyrim came out, I played it like it was my job. The prospect of another experience like Oblivion was too much to resist, only it turned out to be bigger, better, and more beautiful in many ways. Stepping into the role of Dovakiin, Dragonborn, slaying dragons and embarking on a quest that ended in Sovengarde, the game's version of heaven, is not an experience that can be duplicated. The game offered some of the best DLC of this generation as well, pitting me against a clan of vampires and a rogue myth - a Dragonborn of old.
Whenever you're told a story, you get to step into another life, if only for a little while. You get to go on adventures in your mind and your soul that would otherwise be impossible. And while these should never replace the real life that is waiting for you, I am thankful for experiences like Oblivion and Skyrim, that offer me the chance to live a life straight out of a fairy tale, filled with dragons and swords and adventure.
II
BIOSHOCK (1&2) & BIOSHOCK INFINITE
A man chooses. A slave obeys.
I was in my dorm room in college when I first watched the trailer for a game called Bioshock. I knew immediately is was something I was going to play.
What I couldn't know at that time was that the game would turn out to be a work of brilliance, maybe genius. It combined a haunting and nostalgic early 20th century atmosphere with deep philosophical and social underpinnings that came together to tell a cautionary tale about the limitless potential of mankind, and his equally endless capacity for pride and folly. The underwater city of Rapture was a glorious failure, and exploring it has given me some of the most vivid memories I've ever garnered from a game.
In Bioshock 2, we return to Rapture for a more personal and intimate story, and one of my favorite relationships in all of gaming: the Big Daddy and the Little Sisters. There was a lot of criticism of this second installment, which is something I never really understood. I believe the gameplay to be at least equal to the first, and the ending actually more poignant than the first. And as I watched Eleanor drop her Big-Daddy doll into the ocean, sinking deeper and deeper until out of sight, I felt simultaneous relief that she made it out of the city so far below, and a tugging at my heartstrings as I wondering if I would ever visit Rapture again.
My next trip turned out to be quite different. The DNA of the original Bioshock is all over Columbia and its story, but it offers a unique and awesome tale all its own. But perhaps what I love most about Bioshock:Infinite, other than the relationship between Elizabeth and Songbird, is how it ties everything together so perfectly.
There's always a man. There's always a girl. There's always a city.
I didn't understand the Infinite title at first. But now I do. The game threw the door wide open on the universe, quite literally, and now there are endless possibilites. I'm anxious to see what door we go through next. I hope we get the opportunity.
If you haven't gotten a chance to play these games, give them a shot...would you kindly?
I
MASS EFFECT TRILOGY
What can I say about this story?
Star Wars. The Matrix. Mass Effect.
I have absolutely no qualms listing it among the sci-fi giants. This is space opera at its finest. Featuring a stellar and unforgettable cast of characters, a story that spans the universe, and the highest stakes imaginable, this series ranks among not only the greatest games of all time, but among the greatest stories as well.
From the very start, the threat feels so very real. And by the end of game three, I felt like I was Commander Shepherd, fighting every battle, feeling every loss, clinging desperately to every hope that maybe, just maybe, we might make it.
Over the one hundred or so hours it takes to play through all three games, the characters and their relationships take on a life of their own. And no story is complete without a cast of beloved characters. If your main dude was anyone other than Garrus, you're doing it wrong. The unique romantic subplots of the game made it feel like something truly special. And the sequence at the end where you're basically saying goodbye to your friends is gut-wrenching.
It's always hard saying goodbye to characters you love. And my feelings for these games hearken back to my feelings as I watched Lost come to a close. I had been through the ringer with these characters. Watching them say goodbye to each other, and saying farewell to them myself was tough, as it should be. That's the mark of a great story. And stellar gameplay aside, Mass Effect is a truly great story. I cannot praise it highly enough.
In Closing...
The awesome thing is that this generation isn't even over. We still have a lot to look forward to. There are still games coming out for these consoles, and some of them are entries in the franchises on this list. But some of them aren't. But to be sure, as long as they keep offering new, unique, and brilliant experiences, I will keep coming back to them. So who knows? Maybe they'll find their way to this list. I hope they do.
