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[Zabuza]

Will GAF be having a "GAF Votes" for Top 50 Games This Generation? That would be really fun and I think the results would be interesting. The question is when do we wait to do this til?

We do it as soon as this gen is over. Maybe a month or two later.

 

[Eusis]

I know about opinions, but the games have to have universal praise and acclaim to be an all time great. No offense, but XIII/XIII-2 and Graces don't deserve that title.

I like Fate/Extra but that's one of the least deserving of all on that list.

So...in that case, that would invalidate quite a bit of choices some people have chosen would it not?

Universally praised or not it is still opinions no?

I think this is more about games that A. are widely recognized as very good and B. have left a notable impression or influence on the industry. What you listed is definitely fair for an all time favorites, but some of the stuff on the list has had an undeniably large impact, whether it's something you like or not (I find Uncharted grossly overrated for example, and hate the direction CoD's taken the industry.)

 

[outunderthestars]

I'm a grown man and Journey made me cry so it's one of my favorite games. I love it.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is another great game that I think will only get more and more praise as time goes on.

only after people forget how horrible the controls were.....

 

[Esura]

I'm not talking about your personal faves from this gen, but games that will be treated like royalty by many as time passes.

To be fair, you didn't make that explicitly clear.

Well, that's no fun.

 

[ironcreed]

On a personal level:

Demon's and Dark Souls
Oblivion and Skyrim (say what you will about the gameplay, there is nothing like being in the world of The Elder Scrolls.)
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Dragon's Dogma
Journey

These are just my favorite games of the generation so far. Which ones out of these do I think will be regarded as classics in general? Oblivion, Skyrim, Journey and the Souls series without a doubt. A few others that come to mind are:

Portal
The first Mass Effect
Gears of War (Not very fond the series, but it was huge)
The Uncharted series
Minecraft

 

[Zabuza]

I like Fate/Extra but that's one of the least deserving of all on that list.

I think this is more about games that A. are widely recognized as very good and B. have left a notable impression or influence on the industry. What you listed is definitely fair for an all time favorites, but some of the stuff on the list has had an undeniably large impact, whether it's something you like or not (I find Uncharted grossly overrated for example, and hate the direction CoD's taken the industry.)

This. It isn't personal favorites of the gen, but all time greats of the gen.

 

[goomba]

There is only one generation defining game that future historians will refer to:

 

[Neiteio]

If we're -really- going to do this according to so-called "universal acclaim" (and we really shouldn't, since many classics are controversial by nature), then the only games that really come close to being "untouchable" are the Super Mario Galaxy twins, and I suppose Demon's Souls and Dark Souls (though Demon's, at least, is quite easy to criticize, starting with the rough-shod visuals, for one...). Red Dead Redemption comes close; it's one of the true "epics" this gen, in that by its conclusion you feel like you've finished a novel that could sit comfortably on a book shelf with the literary classics. The Wild West of RDR is just that fully realized, and there are strong enough themes to carry it through a rather middling middle section (Mexico).

 

[famousmortimer]

I think there have been more amazing games this gen than any previous gen, and I've been playing games since the NES. I'm not easily swayed by nostalgia like some people.

I agree completely. I'm 35 and there hasn't been a gen that has had as many games that have truly blown me away as this gen.


This gen has issues... and it looks like it's only gonna get worse going into next gen (DLC, pay to play, paid auctions, DRM getting worse, etc). But one problem it hasn't had is games.

 

[Zabuza]

To be fair, you didn't make that explicitly clear.

Well, that's no fun.

I thought when I said games that will be as praised as Half Life 2 and Ocarina of Time it would make that clear. Sorry about that.

 

[universalmind]

God damn HL2 is overrated.

 

[injurai]

TF2
Portal 1 + 2
Left4Dead
StarCraft 2
WoW
Bastion
Uncharted 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Mass Effect 1
Crysis
The Witcher 2

God damn HL2 is overrated.

Released in 2004, thats last gen as far as I'm concerned. Its also not overrated fuck you, you just don't like an amazing game.

 

[bluedeviltron]

Grand Theft Auto IV + Episodes
Portal 2
Left 4 Dead
Red Dead Redemption
Mass Effect Trilogy

And I have a feeling Assassin's Creed III will reach those heights.

 

[Zabuza]

God damn HL2 is overrated.

Even if it is, it is considered holy and gets heaps and heaps of praise. There's a reason people want HL3 so bad.

I love HL2 by the way, but that's not what this is about.

 

[AcceptableGhost]

Of course. It's not even that hard to find them! Cave's games, Platinum's games, Serious Sam 3, Hard Corps Uprising...



...oh.

universal praise is both boring and inaccurate.

Thread ender right here pretty much.

 

[Neiteio]

I can't even begin to understand the uncomfortable control complaint people had for this game. It's comfortable to play.

Yep. Kid Icarus has some of the best controls ever for its type of game: the twitch aiming of Unreal Tournment and Smash Bros.-style zoning in full 3D space. The stylus is fantastically precise and tactile, and dodging through incoming attacks never gets old. Just dial up the aiming sensitivity on the X and Y axis, max out the stopping speed for the reticule, relax your grip and you're good to go. I play it with the stylus, no stand, 3D maxed out. I've seen enough evidence with casuals and the like to conclude the whiners at GAF are just being babies. Amazing they made the leap from mouse to dual-analog (something that actually sucked, btw).

With a three-act 25-chapter campaign (nearly all with flying AND ground sections), 100 levels of difficulty (literally) with a groundbreaking risk/reward dynamic betting hearts, over 100 weapons (and infinite fusions), 300+ achievements with unlockable prizes, 400+ figurines with pokedex-style entries, reams of top-notch voice acting, an inspired self-aware script, hours of orchestral music by five of Japan's best composers, inspired offline/online Light vs. Dark mode, incredible settings and characters and boss encounters, etc, it's just classic Nintendo, through and through.

 

[MrCunningham]

None of those games are going to be considered all time greats....

I think some of those titles are more likely to fall under cult classic status, than become main stream classics.

 

[Zabuza]

Yep. Kid Icarus has some of the best controls ever for its type of game. Twitch aiming of Unreal Tournment and Smash Bros.-style zoning in full 3D space. The stylus is fantastically precise and tactile, and dodging through incoming attacks never gets old. Just dial up the aiming sensitivity on the X and Y axis, max out the stopping speed for the reticule, relax your grip and you're good to go. I play it with the stylus, no stand, 3D maxed out. I've seen enough evidence with casuals and the like to conclude the whiners at GAF are just being babies. Amazing they made the leap from mouse to dual-analog (something that actually sucked, btw).

I couldn't believe so many reviewers battered the game for its controls. They worked great, especially for the kind of game Kid Icarus: Uprising is.

 

[Giran]

Not really all time greats but I can see Xenoblade being a pseudo cult classic in the future like Okami is. And regardless of what I think about 2/3 of the series, I think people will probably remember Mass Effect as the most major early milestone for personalized save-carryover storytelling.

 

[Htown]

Mario Galaxy 1 and 2
Portal 1 and 2
Team Fortress 2
Bioshock?

 

[clutch.as.it.gets.]

If we're -really- going to do this according to so-called "universal acclaim" (and we really shouldn't, since many classics are controversial by nature), then the only games that really come close to being "untouchable" are the Super Mario Galaxy twins, and I suppose Demon's Souls and Dark Souls (though Demon's, at least, is quite easy to criticize, starting with the rough-shod visuals, for one...). Red Dead Redemption comes close; it's one of the true "epics" this gen, in that by its conclusion you feel like you've finished a novel that could sit comfortably on a book shelf with the literary classics. The Wild West of RDR is just that fully realized, and there are strong enough themes to carry it through a rather middling middle section (Mexico).

Hey, i loved Mexico. Don`t get the hate for it.

 

[TDLink]

Kid Icarus Uprising is definitely going to be one of these games. It isn't technically "this gen" though, it's considered next-gen since 3DS is a next-gen handheld. I know that's weird since it is already out but that is how it is going to be looked at in the future in terms of generation and it's why I didn't list it.

 

[Riposte]

I know about opinions, but the games have to have universal praise and acclaim to be an all time great. No offense, but XIII/XIII-2 and Graces don't deserve that title.

"Universal praise" is not an indicator of true greatness, at least not in the present. In fact greatness might be quite esoteric, being appreciated mostly by those with heavily refined taste. Why would you care about the collective opinion of 99% of game journos or message board posters if you were confident you knew better? Any thing after the best few articulated opinions is simply watering down the base.

For example Ocarina of Time is a sacred cow that deserves to be made into a hamburger. It is not great at all. Yet it seems to be the closest thing to a game with universal praise.

And on that note, because greatness will most often be esoteric, that universal praise can either be impossible to obtain or simply a bad sign depending on how broad your perspective is. If a game's quality lies in its depth then players who find that depth inaccessible will like it less, simultaneously making the game liked less and proving its worthiness.

 

[Ridesh]

-Super Mario Galaxy
-Portal
-Red Dead Redemption
-Mass Effect 2
-Uncharted 2
-BioShock
-Skyrim
-Fallout 3
-Call of Duty 4
-Batman: Arkham City

 

[Card Boy]

I know opinions are like arseholes, but i see no way games like Uncharted, Resistance or Killzone will remembered in 25 years plus time like the way Mario, Sonic or Space Invaders are. MGS4 maybe (but not for good reasons).

 

[Zabuza]

"Universal praise" is not an indicator of true greatness, at least not in the present. In fact greatness might be quite esoteric, being appreciated mostly by those with heavily refined taste. Why would you care about the collective opinion of 99% of game journos or message board posters if you were confident you knew better? Any thing after the best few articulated opinions is simply watering down the base.

For example Ocarina of Time is a sacred cow that deserves to be made into a hamburger. It is not great at all. Yet it seems to be the closest thing to a game with universal praise.

And on that note, because greatness will most often be esoteric, that universal praise can either be impossible to obtain or simply a bad sign depending on how broad your perspective is. If a game's quality lies in its depth then players who find that depth inaccessible will like it less, simultaneously making the game liked less and proving its worthiness.

I know I know I know. But I don't care about any of that. That doesn't determine which games get universal praise and are treated like a sacred cow in the way that Ocarina of Time is.

This doesn't truly have to do with a game's quality. But that usually is what gets a game to become universally praised.

 

[nateeasy]

Mass Effect

 

[Zabuza]

I know opinions are like arseholes, but i see no way games like Uncharted, Resistance or Killzone will remembered in 25 years plus time like the way Mario, Sonic or Space Invaders are. MGS4 maybe (but not for good reasons).

Resistance and Killzone definitely won't be. Uncharted won't be either. But I do think it will be remembered quite a bit.

 

[goomba]

"Universal praise" is not an indicator of true greatness, at least not in the present. In fact greatness might be quite esoteric, being appreciated mostly by those with heavily refined taste. Why would you care about the collective opinion of 99% of game journos or message board posters if you were confident you knew better? Any thing after the best few articulated opinions is simply watering down the base.

For example Ocarina of Time is a sacred cow that deserves to be made into a hamburger. It is not great at all. Yet it seems to be the closest thing to a game with universal praise.

And on that note, because greatness will most often be esoteric, that universal praise can either be impossible to obtain or simply a bad sign depending on how broad your perspective is. If a game's quality lies in its depth then players who find that depth inaccessible will like it less, simultaneously making the game liked less and proving its worthiness.

Oot is regarded as sacred because nothing before it came close, it was a landmark in gaming and imo nothing this gen is a landmark except Wii Sports.

 

[The Albatross]

They should. We're so jaded though that we're spoiling an otherwise great generation.

I think that CoD4 deserves to be an all-time greater, and even MW2. Just because it had a million knockoffs.. it shouldn't be discounted. Also, Uncharted 2, Assassins Creed, Red Dead, Fallout 3, Bioshock, and Portal, I mean... these are incredible games that deserve all-time attention. Also, Arkham Asylum proved that super hero games could be good. That's deserving.

 

[Riposte]

I know opinions are like arseholes, but i see no way games like Uncharted, Resistance or Killzone will remembered in 25 years plus time like the way Mario, Sonic or Space Invaders are. MGS4 maybe (but not for good reasons).

A real test is to see whether an individual game is still talked about without additional games cementing that brand in present day conversation and creating a legion of fans who will never stop talking those games despite their quality.

However for the sake of present day conversation, I'm not particularly interested in that test.

 

[Fracas]

Fallout 3
Uncharted 2
Bioshock
Portal 2
Assassin's Creed II
Red Dead Redemption
Halo 3

 

[Zabuza]

They should. We're so jaded though that we're spoiling an otherwise great generation.

I think that CoD4 deserves to be an all-time greater, and even MW2. Just because it had a million knockoffs.. it shouldn't be discounted. Also, Uncharted 2, Assassins Creed, Red Dead, Fallout 3, Bioshock, and Portal, I mean... these are incredible games that deserve all-time attention. Also, Arkham Asylum proved that super hero games could be good. That's deserving.

Yes to COD4, big no to MW2.

 

[Data West]

Sure, plenty. Also, we've had this thread like a hundred times.

 

[Neiteio]

Even though Majora's Mask is superior in most respects and it came out the same gen, OoT is probably still the high watermark for pitch-perfect pacing in a game. It's so incredibly organic, even if you tackle the optional sidequests and in a different order from playthrough to playthrough.

 

[KevinCow]

"Universal praise" is not an indicator of true greatness, at least not in the present. In fact greatness might be quite esoteric, being appreciated mostly by those with heavily refined taste. Why would you care about the collective opinion of 99% of game journos or message board posters if you were confident you knew better? Any thing after the best few articulated opinions is simply watering down the base.

For example Ocarina of Time is a sacred cow that deserves to be made into a hamburger. It is not great at all. Yet it seems to be the closest thing to a game with universal praise.

what if your tastes just aren't refined enough to appreciate ocarina of time

 

[PrinceOfApathy]

Can someone please tell me how a meandering cover based shooter slash RPG series, with borked exploration, laughable story and dialogue could ever considered to be in the Pantheon of anything. Look I like the Mass Effect series. I'd rate each game about 6,7,6 respectively. They are good games, they make you feel cool sometimes, but seriously greatest this generation has to offer? These are honestly. Three of the laziest games anyone could possibly make. That is making a mockery of this gen.

Also don't even get me started on Skyrim.

 

[Dion Blaster]

Damn I forgot about Team Fortress 2. Don't even like FPS but man is that game fun and lasting.

 

[outunderthestars]

Sure, plenty. Also, we've had this thread like a hundred times.

We've had almost every thread about 100 times.

 

[universalmind]

Released in 2004, thats last gen as far as I'm concerned. Its also not overrated fuck you, you just don't like an amazing game.

Valve make boring games. There, I said it. We were all thinking it.

 

[Zabuza]

Sure, plenty. Also, we've had this thread like a hundred times.

That isn't contributing.

And I think Ocarina of Time is pretty much perfect. I can't really find any flaws, especially if you consider when it was made.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

Uncharted 2.

The way it told its story was absolutely breathtaking. The setpieces were phenomenal. And it was an enormous improvement over its predecessor. It's a living classic.

 

[Anth0ny]

Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2

.

 

[Riposte]

Even though Majora's Mask is superior in most respects and it came out the same gen, OoT is probably still the high watermark for pitch-perfect pacing in a game. It's so incredibly organic, even if you tackle the optional sidequests and in a different order from playthrough to playthrough.

OoT has better pacing than games without an obnoxious open world and easy areas? I guess those predecessor (and successor) games are paced too fast?

what if your tastes just aren't refined enough to appreciate ocarina of time

That's your call. I'm firmly convinced otherwise. And it being universally praise only really works in my favor.

 

[mackmoney]

Demon's Souls
Dark Souls
Yakuza 4
Gran Turismo 5

Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
NSMB Wii
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Sin and Punishment 2
Xenoblade Chronicles

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
King of Fighters XIII
Portal 2
Vanquish
Bayonetta
Rayman Origins

Super Mario 3D Land
Resident Evil Revelations
Kid Icarus Uprising

Super Meat Boy
Hard Corps Uprising

Skyrim
The Witcher 2

 

[Neiteio]

Can someone please tell me how a meandering cover based shooter slash RPG series, with borked exploration, laughable story and dialogue could ever considered to be in the Pantheon of anything. Look I like the Mass Effect series. I'd rate each game about 6,7,6 respectively. They are good games, they make you feel cool sometimes, but seriously greatest this generation has to offer? That is making a mockery of this gen.

From a pure gameplay perspective, you're right Mass Effect is hardly untouchable, but I'd hazard to guess the sheer scope of its imagination, in terms of how it realized its world and sucked you in, will stay with most gamers well beyond this generation.

 

[PrinceOfApathy]

Uncharted 2.

The way it told its story was absolutely breathtaking. The setpieces were phenomenal. And it was an enormous improvement over its predecessor. It's a living classic.

I still prefer Unchartered 1 to the 2nd or 3rd. Go figure.

 

[Darryl]

SMG 1&2
Portal 2
CoD 4

 

[Zabuza]

From a pure gameplay perspective, you're right Mass Effect is hardly untouchable, but I'd hazard to guess the sheer scope of its imagination, in terms of how it realized its world and sucked you in, will stay with most gamers well beyond this generation.

I hated Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3. But I agree.

 

[Dion Blaster]

I still prefer Unchartered 1 to the 2nd or 3rd. Go figure.

Same here. Mainly because I think halfway through UC2 I realized I've had my fill of this type of game and the sequel didn't really add enough for me to justify playing.