This Generation of Gaming

[Master of San Andreas]

 

 

Thanks to Yossariante for the banner

 

Also there were other This Generation topics but they were regarding developers only, this topic is related to everything that happened this gen

 

 

With the PS4 set to release Holiday 2014 and the Xbox preview set to release tomorrow, the current-gen gaming is surely coming to an end. Although they indeed do have a life span lasting upto 2015, the next-gen consoles will definitely dominate the market when they release.

 

So I thought that I and you all should put our views forward on what we liked and didn't like this generation. Sure, this generation the eight generation was a step-up in many ways. especially in terms of graphics.

 

Grand Theft Auto

 

The 7th generation of gaming saw the release of four Grand Theft Auto games. GTA IV arguably the best of them, it was indeed a step-up in many ways. The graphics and gameplay were vastly improved and it was a huge success. The episodes The lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony explained the unexplained mystery's of GTA IV. The latest release GTA: Chinatown Wars released on the PSP, DS and iOs platforms.

 

The biggest step-up was definitely the graphics, it was definitely far more superior than San Andreas graphically.

 

 

 

The gameplay also deserves a special mention, the ability to use cellphones was definitely one of the features that stood out in the game. The others include the cover system and the realism which included pedestrians pulling out umbrella's during the rainy season etc.

 

My Rating: 9.5/10Grand Theft Auto was definitely one of the games that stood out this-gen, However I was a bit disappointed with Chinatown Wars and I expected much more, hence the 9.5 rating, but overall a good gen for GTA!.

 

Grand Theft Auto - The Quote Place

 

 

Grand Theft Auto IV - Obvious pick. There was a lot of features missing, but the amazing story, characters, refined gameplay and the greatest sandbox city ever made more than made up for it.

 

 

Agreed. I don't understand on the hate of no planes either, definitely the best GTA game after VC IMO.

 

 

I'd also like to add a bit more about IV what I liked and what I didn't. I should have done it in my previous post, but ehh...

 

I did enjoy the story, it was well executed, I give it a 9.5/10. The driving imo seemed a bit bad, but maybe if I had mastered it it would've been better. I give it a 7/10. Then comes the graphics, huge leap from San Andreas, I hated how it was so dark, but R* deserves some credit for the leap. 8/10. Gameplay, alright, the gameplay is divided into more than a "section" so to say. Shooting: The shooting system seemed really cool, I liked it and enjoyed it, a bit sloppy at times so to say, it gets an 8.5/10 from me.

 

Missions executing and gameplay after story is over, bad, really bad, it seemed so linear for me, no other ways to approach, felt more of a Max Payne 3 in an open-world. (Missions) as for the game itself after the story is over, boring, really, really, boring. Overall. 5/10.

 

Overall score for GTA from me gets an.. 8.75/10

 

I'm guessing you are a console gamer? because driving on PC is quite good. But I don't understand your point about missions, I liked the fact that R* gave the gamer more freedom in progressing through the game, For example Deal or Revenge or Dwayne or Playboy. But I agree with you other than that.

 

PS3, Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii

 

As a PC gamer, I cannot say much on this subject. However I can give a good view on it. The PS3 and the 360 were far more superior than the PS2 and the Xbox respectively. The Wii is also a good fun casual console which sold quite well. Multiplayer on consoles has definitely improved so has the quality of the exclusives.

 

Like I said, I can't give a much better view on this as a PC gamer. however I rate the current-gen of consoles a 8/10. For me if I had to choose between the PS3 and 360 I'd choose the PS3 because of the free MP service and the quality of the exclusives, but that's just me.

 

Current-Gen consoles - The Quote Place

 

Your views will be posted here. As always only the best replies in regards to this subject will be posted here.

 

Rockstar's games

 

We did see a good list of Rockstar games this gen, the 3 games that stood out for me are Max Payne 3, Bully and of course Red Dead Redemption.

 

 

 

Max Payne 3 was a big improvement in many ways, the shooting, the graphics, the storyline, the multiplayer etc was just awesome IMO. It definitely stood out as arguably the best 3rd person shooter this gen.

 

Bully was again different, it was a GTA-School like game, you basically live the school life in a GTA environment, this is why I like Rockstar because they ALWAYS do something different.

 

RDR? Well as a PC gamer I never played the game, but I know that if I played it I would have definitely enjoyed it. It was once again different, a western-GTA like video game. The storyline was good and emotional and the map was huge. The multiplayer was great too. The only drawback for me was that there wasn't a PC version which is a bad thing for PC gamers like me to miss out on such an epic game.

 

I'd give a rating to the Rockstar games a 10/10 because they were just awesome and different.

 

Rockstar's games - The Quote Place

 

 

L. A. Noire - I wish more games were as unique as LAN. It was one of the most fresh and entertaining experiences I had this generation. It really succeed in making me feel like a detective, I loved interrogations and searching crime scenes. Even if the ending wasn't so great, the story overall was pretty good and individual cases were like a great detective TV show.

 

 

This. I know I did not mention LA Noire but it was once again different, which proves my point that Rockstar ALWAYS do something different. I also love to read and watch detective books and TV shows but it's quite amazing that you can actually play a video game like that. Plus the introduction of new technology made it look very realistic.

 

Other games that stood out

 

The other games that stood out for me were, Far Cry 3, Crysis, Call of Duty, Battlefield 3, Assassins Creed etc.

 

 

 

Far Cry 3 was IMO GOTY of 2012 by far. The game is just an awesome First Person open world game. The storyline is fantastic and is a must for anyone who hasn't played it yet. The graphics were excellent and it was a much more improved game than Far Cry 2.

 

Crysis is the perfect game for graphic whores, but it's not just graphics that make the game a good one, it's the storyline and gameplay too.

 

Call of Duty definitely dominated the market this year on-paper of course, for me however the best CoD was CoD 4 and MW3 was a big disappointment despite having a good plot.

 

The others like AC, BF3, Fallout etc were all good, there are just too many notable games to fit in here.

 

I'd give the other games an overall rating of 8/10 because there were some disappointments like MW3 and RE 6. Overall a pretty good gen for other games too!

 

Other games that stood out - The Quote Place

 

 

For me, it was "The Saboteur", the game's story is just perfect in my opinion, it is also the first game I tended to 100%, I did a 97% because I was lazy to continue the last three mini-games. (Racing), the story was purely AWESOME, at least for me. The gameplay was really cool too. The driving was... Eh, good. I however was disappointed when I found out that the studio closed. I wanted more out of The Saboteur, I just wish there were more games like this one.

 

I suggest everyone to get that game. I hate to say it like this: It has a bit of Hitman, a bit of AC, a bit of GTA, a bit of all. However it is "unique" in its own way.

 

I also enjoyed Red Dead Redemption, a perfect game IMO. 10/10.

 

Then comes out Fallout: New Vegas. A perfect RPG for me. I want Fallout 4, NOW.

 

So overall my top 5 games for this generation:

 

1. Red Dead Redemption

2. The Saboteur

3. Assassin's Creed II (Although it is on par with The Saboteur - Consider it no. 2 along with The Saboteur)

4. Fallout: New Vegas.

5. GTA IV (And the Episodes)

 

A good list of games and yes The Saboteur was one of the other unique games of the current-generation, A WW2 Open-World game is something unique rather than a WW2 FPS.

 

 

This gen had both good things and bad things about it. I guess one of my favorite things about it was the branching out of sandbox games. It really became a genre on its own in this generation. The basis for this evolution already started in past generation (Mercenaries, Just Cause), but it really showed this gen. I can't think of any game I would call a "GTA clone" in this generation. Even games like Saints Row or Sleeping Dogs found their specific niche, that differentiated them from GTAs.

 

What I didn't like is the way some publishers started to abuse their customers with DRM, cutting content for DLCs, both pre-order and post-release, overpriced DLCs and online passes. Online functionality offered some incredibly good things (multiplayer on consoles, community), but publishers' use of it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

 

My favorite games this gen? The list may still change (GTA V or AC IV are still yet to be released and this gen has still at very least one or two good years left), but right now it's:

 

Grand Theft Auto IV - Obvious pick. There was a lot of features missing, but the amazing story, characters, refined gameplay and the greatest sandbox city ever made more than made up for it.

 

L. A. Noire - I wish more games were as unique as LAN. It was one of the most fresh and entertaining experiences I had this generation. It really succeed in making me feel like a detective, I loved interrogations and searching crime scenes. Even if the ending wasn't so great, the story overall was pretty good and individual cases were like a great detective TV show.

 

Assassin's Creed II - This game propelled AC series among my favorite video game series. Great gameplay, that balances stealth and action incredibly well, one of the best stories I've ever seen in a video game, with one of the best protagonists I've ever seen in any fiction and unique and really well done setting.

 

Team Fortress 2 - For quite a while, I played pretty much nothing but TF2. The way Valve supports the game five years after release, with free updates including maps, game modes and weapons is outstanding. It's a shame Valve deprived it of some of it's charm with hats and microtransactions, but still, no other game does class-based multiplayer as good as TF2. And it's cartoony style and lighthearted tone is something special in this world of grey, modern warfare shooters.

 

Halo 3 - This was the first multiplayer game I got hooked on and I already get that rush of nostalgia for the old Halo 3 days, when Halo dominated Xbox Live and one of things I was most looking forward to was a Grifball or Infection playlist weekend.

 

The Godfather II - The forgotten gem of this generation. First crime sandbox game that did the "build your own gang" thing properly, SR's or VCS's gang building systems are a joke compared to The Godfather II's. If some game series deserves to be revived, it's The Godfather.

 

I tend to disagree with The Godfather II, for me Mafia II killed it IMO, Mafia II was definitely the best mafia game I've ever played this-gen. The ending was spectacular and I really do not understand the hate for the game. The only thing that I did not like was the fact that you could not free-roam after the game unless without a modification. Other than that a pretty good list of games and yes there are no GTA clones this gen, last gen we had the True Crime series which IMO was a copy and paste of the 3D GTA series.

 

 

I am probably going to post many times in this thread as more thoughts occur to me, but here's my first take.

 

What did I like this generation? Firstly I am going to have to say; Multiplayer!

I remember as a kid, I played Battlefield online a few times, and I loved it so so much, I remember playing With friends against each other on soccer games and such or played against bots, and i always wanted to play with people and beat them over the internet, it was something I craved I remember the first few times I played online, my aim was terrible, and I was excited if I even got one kill, it was amazing, I just wanted to play all the time and better myself, I loved it.

 

The next great thing about this generation was Uncharted. Now this game was brilliant, the first thing I loved about it was the graphics, They were stunning, and they were Vibrant! Most games that were coming out were really really dark, greys, blacks and browns, pretty much no game had nice colours.

The other thing was how it was kind of a new game, Assassins Creed would probably be the closest thing to it, but that didn't have a loveable Han Solo kinda character, the roguish masculine charming guy, who makes light of really bad situations, it has a brilliant storyline with really believable dialogue, the Uncharted series are my favourite games of this generation, I like them more than GTA IV, I also love the platformer aspect, it's the only "Real life" platformer aside from Assasins creed, that I know of, it also combined shooting, which previous platformers didn't have.

 

Uncharted was one of the first games I played on the new generation, and it was also a game that started my breakthrough into other games. In the PS2 days I almost solely played GTA, nothing else, after Uncharted 1 I found Call Of Duty, and Discovered Battlefield was on PS3 as well, which were my first first person shooters aside from the first Halo.

 

What I didn't like about this generation was the evolution of DLC. In some instances it is great, I think new map packs for Call Of Duty and Battlefield are fairly priced and they are quite fun.

Having to pay for extra storyline and tiny little items of clothing and such, I disagree with it, this is the worst thing to come of this generation in my opinion.

 

Uncharted is definitely one of the reasons why I would choose a PS3 over the 360, but Multiplayer is kinda like meh for me. I could never get into MP sadly, probably I could someday but I don't think I ever will.

 

Dislikes of this Gen

 

Well I had 2 big dislikes this gen:

 

Multiplayer As a SP gamer, I didn't like the fact that games are much more focused on MP. Especially FPS games like CoD and BF, for me I never could get into MP gaming so that's the reason I dislike it.

 

Multiplayer Rating: 2/10

 

The Nostalgia Appeal The Nostalgia was missing from this gen, for example I had much more better memories playing Vice City than playing GTA IV.

 

Nostalgia Rating: 4/10

 

Dislike of this Gen - The Quote Place

 

The best quotes will be posted here.

 

Miscallaneous

 

I don't think I have to say anything else here. It's quite clear that the developers have made use of the new technology and it was definitely a great generation for gaming.

 

The Final Verdict

 

So here is my final verdict for this generation.

 

Graphics 9/10

Games 8.5/10

FPS 8/10

RPG 4/10

Sports 9/10

Open-World 10/10

Racing 7/10

Action 9/10

 

Overall: 8.5/10 a solid gen of gaming for me.

 

Support

 

Slap these signatures to show your support to the topic, credit goes to narcis_speed6 for the signatures:

 

 

 

 

 

[img=http://i.imgur.com/FXvpA0n.jpg][img=http://i.imgur.com/y3H4pnB.jpg]

 

 

 

The End - Cheers! Edited May 20, 2013 by Master of San Andreas

[RedDragonsBOOM]

Very cool post. Looking forward to how it progresses.

[nigelhere9901]

Don't you mean Last Gen?

 

 

Question	Answer
What was your favorite GTA of this gen?	GTA IV.
What was your favorite R* game this gen?	GTA IV.
What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen?	Far Cry 3.
What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen?	Excessive Bloom.
What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen?	COD for overrated and not sure about underrated.
Were you happy with the current gen of consoles?	Yep.
And finally did you like the current generation of gaming?	Hell yes.

[Corndawg93]

Question

Answer

What was your favorite GTA of this gen?

GTA V

What was your favorite R* game this gen?

Red Dead Redemption

What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen?

Uncharted 2

What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen?

Yearly Release

What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen?

Max Payne 3/COD MW3

Were you happy with the current gen of consoles?

Yes, but it's nice where getting a new gen

And finally did you like the current generation of gaming?

Yes

Edited May 20, 2013 by billy james

[Dick Valor]

Question

Answer

What was your favorite GTA of this gen?

IV (V isn't out yet)

What was your favorite R* game this gen?

IV (again... V isn't out yet)

What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen?

Skyrim

What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen?

Too many FPS/TPS games!

What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen?

Twisted Metal/Assassin's Creed

Were you happy with the current gen of consoles?

Absolutely! Yes!

And finally did you like the current generation of gaming?

Yes! Got me back into gaming!

[Technique]

Question

Answer

What was your favorite GTA of this gen?

IV: BoGT

What was your favorite R* game this gen?

IV: BoGT

What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen?

Skyrim

What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen?

DLC tactics/online passes

What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen?

Two Worlds/CoD

Were you happy with the current gen of consoles?

Yep.

And finally did you like the current generation of gaming?

Great games, horrible developers, terrible communities.

[Master of San Andreas]

Thanks guys but I would also like some input on the topics I posted too. So I am taking out the Survey section.

[Sneakerhead.]

Question

Answer

What was your favorite GTA of this gen?

GTA TBOGT, TLAD was pretty underwhelming, and IV isn't exactly fun, it has good multiplayer though.

What was your favorite R* game this gen?

TBOGT or TLAD. Never played MP3, or the full RDR for longer than a day. (Played RDR at a friends house, I had RDR Undead)

What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen?

Battlefield 3/FM4/GT5/NFS MW

What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen?

Too little DLC for certain games. (NFS MW, looking at you!)

What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen?

Overrated: Skyrim, Far Cry 3, COD BO2.

Were you happy with the current gen of consoles?

Yeah, alot!

And finally did you like the current generation of gaming?

Yeah.

[xWH1T30UTx]

Question

Answer

What was your favorite GTA of this gen?

TBOGT.

What was your favorite R* game this gen?

Red Dead Redemption

What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen?

Mirror's Edge.

What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen?

Disliked: Over-saturation of FPS games and DLC.

What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen?

L.A. Noire for underrated, Halo/CoD for overrated.

Were you happy with the current gen of consoles?

Yup!

And finally did you like the current generation of gaming?

Without a doubt.

Edited May 20, 2013 by xWH1T30UTx

[Happyness]

For me, it was "The Saboteur", the game's story is just perfect in my opinion, it is also the first game I tended to 100%, I did a 97% because I was lazy to continue the last three mini-games. (Racing), the story was purely AWESOME, at least for me. The gameplay was really cool too. The driving was... Eh, good. I however was disappointed when I found out that the studio closed. I wanted more out of The Saboteur, I just wish there were more games like this one.

 

I suggest everyone to get that game. I hate to say it like this: It has a bit of Hitman, a bit of AC, a bit of GTA, a bit of all. However it is "unique" in its own way.

 

I also enjoyed Red Dead Redemption, a perfect game IMO. 10/10.

 

Then comes out Fallout: New Vegas. A perfect RPG for me. I want Fallout 4, NOW.

 

So overall my top 5 games for this generation:

 

1. Red Dead Redemption

2. The Saboteur

3. Assassin's Creed II (Although it is on par with The Saboteur - Consider it no. 2 along with The Saboteur)

4. Fallout: New Vegas.

5. GTA IV (And the Episodes)

[LittleBlueTroll]

 

Question Answer What was your favorite GTA of this gen? The Ballad Of Gay Tony What was your favorite R* game this gen? LA Noire. What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen? Modern Warfare 3 What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen? Disliked - Online Achievements. What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen? Overrated - FIFA. Underrated - Fable 2 Were you happy with the current gen of consoles? Yes. And finally did you like the current generation of gaming? Yes.

 

[Master of San Andreas]

For me, it was "The Saboteur", the game's story is just perfect in my opinion, it is also the first game I tended to 100%, I did a 97% because I was lazy to continue the last three mini-games. (Racing), the story was purely AWESOME, at least for me. The gameplay was really cool too. The driving was... Eh, good. I however was disappointed when I found out that the studio closed. I wanted more out of The Saboteur, I just wish there were more games like this one.

 

I suggest everyone to get that game. I hate to say it like this: It has a bit of Hitman, a bit of AC, a bit of GTA, a bit of all. However it is "unique" in its own way.

 

I also enjoyed Red Dead Redemption, a perfect game IMO. 10/10.

 

Then comes out Fallout: New Vegas. A perfect RPG for me. I want Fallout 4, NOW.

 

So overall my top 5 games for this generation:

 

1. Red Dead Redemption

2. The Saboteur

3. Assassin's Creed II (Although it is on par with The Saboteur - Consider it no. 2 along with The Saboteur)

4. Fallout: New Vegas.

5. GTA IV (And the Episodes)

Good post. I've added it to the my original post with my thoughts, Thanks a lot.

[Happyness]

No worries pal! I'd also like to add a bit more about IV what I liked and what I didn't. I should have done it in my previous post, but ehh...

 

I did enjoy the story, it was well executed, I give it a 9.5/10. The driving imo seemed a bit bad, but maybe if I had mastered it it would've been better. I give it a 7/10. Then comes the graphics, huge leap from San Andreas, I hated how it was so dark, but R* deserves some credit for the leap. 8/10. Gameplay, alright, the gameplay is divided into more than a "section" so to say. Shooting: The shooting system seemed really cool, I liked it and enjoyed it, a bit sloppy at times so to say, it gets an 8.5/10 from me.

 

Missions executing and gameplay after story is over, bad, really bad, it seemed so linear for me, no other ways to approach, felt more of a Max Payne 3 in an open-world. (Missions) as for the game itself after the story is over, boring, really, really, boring. Overall. 5/10.

 

Overall score for GTA from me gets an.. 8.75/10

[mr quick]

Question

Answer

What was your favorite GTA of this gen?

IV

What was your favorite R* game this gen?

GTA IV

What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen?

Far Cry 3

What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen?

I hated DLC, and services you needed to sign up for in order to fully enjoy your newly purchased game. I cannot point to one single trend I enjoyed, but it's been a good gen.

What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen?

Max Payne 3 is severely underrated, and any "Elder Scrolls" game is overrated I find.

Were you happy with the current gen of consoles?

To some degree; I owned both an xbox 360 and a ps3, and they're both not without flaw. Generally, I prefer the ps3

And finally did you like the current generation of gaming?

Time upon time I'd find myself disappointed - there were many, many great games though, like Max Payne 3, Far Cry 3, Mafia II, and so on.

[Finn 7 five 11]

I am probably going to post many times in this thread as more thoughts occur to me, but here's my first take.

 

What did I like this generation? Firstly I am going to have to say; Multiplayer!

I remember as a kid, I played Battlefield online a few times, and I loved it so so much, I remember playing With friends against each other on soccer games and such or played against bots, and i always wanted to play with people and beat them over the internet, it was something I craved I remember the first few times I played online, my aim was terrible, and I was excited if I even got one kill, it was amazing, I just wanted to play all the time and better myself, I loved it.

 

The next great thing about this generation was Uncharted. Now this game was brilliant, the first thing I loved about it was the graphics, They were stunning, and they were Vibrant! Most games that were coming out were really really dark, greys, blacks and browns, pretty much no game had nice colours.

The other thing was how it was kind of a new game, Assassins Creed would probably be the closest thing to it, but that didn't have a loveable Han Solo kinda character, the roguish masculine charming guy, who makes light of really bad situations, it has a brilliant storyline with really believable dialogue, the Uncharted series are my favourite games of this generation, I like them more than GTA IV, I also love the platformer aspect, it's the only "Real life" platformer aside from Assasins creed, that I know of, it also combined shooting, which previous platformers didn't have.

 

Uncharted was one of the first games I played on the new generation, and it was also a game that started my breakthrough into other games. In the PS2 days I almost solely played GTA, nothing else, after Uncharted 1 I found Call Of Duty, and Discovered Battlefield was on PS3 as well, which were my first first person shooters aside from the first Halo.

 

What I didn't like about this generation was the evolution of DLC. In some instances it is great, I think new map packs for Call Of Duty and Battlefield are fairly priced and they are quite fun.

Having to pay for extra storyline and tiny little items of clothing and such, I disagree with it, this is the worst thing to come of this generation in my opinion.

[HaythamKenway]

This gen had both good things and bad things about it. I guess one of my favorite things about it was the branching out of sandbox games. It really became a genre on its own in this generation. The basis for this evolution already started in past generation (Mercenaries, Just Cause), but it really showed this gen. I can't think of any game I would call a "GTA clone" in this generation. Even games like Saints Row or Sleeping Dogs found their specific niche, that differentiated them from GTAs.

 

What I didn't like is the way some publishers started to abuse their customers with DRM, cutting content for DLCs, both pre-order and post-release, overpriced DLCs and online passes. Online functionality offered some incredibly good things (multiplayer on consoles, community), but publishers' use of it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

 

My favorite games this gen? The list may still change (GTA V or AC IV are still yet to be released and this gen has still at very least one or two good years left), but right now it's:

 

Grand Theft Auto IV - Obvious pick. There was a lot of features missing, but the amazing story, characters, refined gameplay and the greatest sandbox city ever made more than made up for it.

 

L. A. Noire - I wish more games were as unique as LAN. It was one of the most fresh and entertaining experiences I had this generation. It really succeed in making me feel like a detective, I loved interrogations and searching crime scenes. Even if the ending wasn't so great, the story overall was pretty good and individual cases were like a great detective TV show.

 

Assassin's Creed II - This game propelled AC series among my favorite video game series. Great gameplay, that balances stealth and action incredibly well, one of the best stories I've ever seen in a video game, with one of the best protagonists I've ever seen in any fiction and unique and really well done setting.

 

Team Fortress 2 - For quite a while, I played pretty much nothing but TF2. The way Valve supports the game five years after release, with free updates including maps, game modes and weapons is outstanding. It's a shame Valve deprived it of some of it's charm with hats and microtransactions, but still, no other game does class-based multiplayer as good as TF2. And it's cartoony style and lighthearted tone is something special in this world of grey, modern warfare shooters.

 

Halo 3 - This was the first multiplayer game I got hooked on and I already get that rush of nostalgia for the old Halo 3 days, when Halo dominated Xbox Live and one of things I was most looking forward to was a Grifball or Infection playlist weekend.

 

The Godfather II - The forgotten gem of this generation. First crime sandbox game that did the "build your own gang" thing properly, SR's or VCS's gang building systems are a joke compared to The Godfather II's. If some game series deserves to be revived, it's The Godfather.

[Master of San Andreas]

This gen had both good things and bad things about it. I guess one of my favorite things about it was the branching out of sandbox games. It really became a genre on its own in this generation. The basis for this evolution already started in past generation (Mercenaries, Just Cause), but it really showed this gen. I can't think of any game I would call a "GTA clone" in this generation. Even games like Saints Row or Sleeping Dogs found their specific niche, that differentiated them from GTAs.

 

What I didn't like is the way some publishers started to abuse their customers with DRM, cutting content for DLCs, both pre-order and post-release, overpriced DLCs and online passes. Online functionality offered some incredibly good things (multiplayer on consoles, community), but publishers' use of it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

 

My favorite games this gen? The list may still change (GTA V or AC IV are still yet to be released and this gen has still at very least one or two good years left), but right now it's:

 

Grand Theft Auto IV - Obvious pick. There was a lot of features missing, but the amazing story, characters, refined gameplay and the greatest sandbox city ever made more than made up for it.

 

L. A. Noire - I wish more games were as unique as LAN. It was one of the most fresh and entertaining experiences I had this generation. It really succeed in making me feel like a detective, I loved interrogations and searching crime scenes. Even if the ending wasn't so great, the story overall was pretty good and individual cases were like a great detective TV show.

 

Assassin's Creed II - This game propelled AC series among my favorite video game series. Great gameplay, that balances stealth and action incredibly well, one of the best stories I've ever seen in a video game, with one of the best protagonists I've ever seen in any fiction and unique and really well done setting.

 

Team Fortress 2 - For quite a while, I played pretty much nothing but TF2. The way Valve supports the game five years after release, with free updates including maps, game modes and weapons is outstanding. It's a shame Valve deprived it of some of it's charm with hats and microtransactions, but still, no other game does class-based multiplayer as good as TF2. And it's cartoony style and lighthearted tone is something special in this world of grey, modern warfare shooters.

 

Halo 3 - This was the first multiplayer game I got hooked on and I already get that rush of nostalgia for the old Halo 3 days, when Halo dominated Xbox Live and one of things I was most looking forward to was a Grifball or Infection playlist weekend.

 

The Godfather II - The forgotten gem of this generation. First crime sandbox game that did the "build your own gang" thing properly, SR's or VCS's gang building systems are a joke compared to The Godfather II's. If some game series deserves to be revived, it's The Godfather.

I've added this and finn's post to the top but I tend to disagree with The Godfather II, for me Mafia II killed it IMO, Mafia II was definitely the best mafia game I've ever played this-gen. The ending was spectacular and I really do not understand the hate for the game. The only thing that I did not like was the fact that you could not free-roam after the game unless without a modification.

[HaythamKenway]

I've added this and finn's post to the top but I tend to disagree with The Godfather II, for me Mafia II killed it IMO, Mafia II was definitely the best mafia game I've ever played this-gen. The ending was spectacular and I really do not understand the hate for the game. The only thing that I did not like was the fact that you could not free-roam after the game unless without a modification.

Thanks!

 

I really like Mafia II too, but it had loads of unfulfilled potential and it was a sequel to (IMO) one of the best games of all time, so my expectations were a little bit too high, I guess.

[Gtaghost22]

 

Question	Answer
What was your favorite GTA of this gen?	GTA IV. (V isn't out yet)
What was your favorite R* game this gen?	GTA IV/Red Dead Redemption. (Tie)
What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen?	Uncharted 2.
What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen?	Multiplayer/On-disc DLC.
What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen?	Call of Duty (overrated) Max Payne 3/Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (underrated)
Were you happy with the current gen of consoles?	Yes, but not that much.
And finally did you like the current generation of gaming?	Yes, but Last gen was better in my opinion.

Edited May 20, 2013 by Gtaghost22

[Master of San Andreas]

Don't you mean Last-Gen?

The Next-Gen consoles have not released yet.

[Gtaghost22]

Don't you mean Last-Gen?

The Next-Gen consoles have not released yet.

I know; I just copied the Q&A table code from nigelhere9901's post and forgot to delete this line. Ignore it.

[nigelhere9901]

Don't you mean Last-Gen?

The Next-Gen consoles have not released yet.

No, Next Gen officially started with the Wii U, just FYI.

[Mr. Reaper.]

No, Next Gen officially started with the Wii U, just FYI.

If your a true gamer you'd understand Nintendo hasn't made a decent console in over a decade.

 

To call the Wii U Next-Gen although 'correct' is just laughable.

[Happyness]

Don't you mean Last-Gen?

The Next-Gen consoles have not released yet.

No, Next Gen officially started with the Wii U, just FYI.

Wii U is pathetic, shouldn't even be considered a next-gen console.

[nigelhere9901]

No, Next Gen officially started with the Wii U, just FYI.

If your a true gamer you'd understand Nintendo hasn't made a decent console in over a decade.

 

To call the Wii U Next-Gen although 'correct' is just laughable.

There is no definite definition of "true gamer", nor does it exist, it depends on what you consider "true gamer".

 

I have NEVER in my whole life bought a single Nintendo console. NEVER. (I'm not even a fan, I've got better things to do than play some mariozelda rehashes).

 

Hardware Specifications do NOT represent a console generation leap.

 

Nintendo Wii U is Nintendo's 8th Generation Home Console that means it's IS next gen, regardless how inferior it is to the other consoles. You simply can NOT judge something using your own logic.

[I<3GTAV]

Another great topic idea Master of San Andreas

 

This gen is my favorite gen so far, mainly because this is the gen where I really got into gaming. It became a hobby of mine, and I even got my own Xbox Live account when I was 9. Some of my favorite games from this gen are GTA IV and episodes, Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim and Fallout New Vegas.

[MrcTOtheJ]

Kudos I love the topic idea. Anyhow I have some things I'd love to say about this Generation.

 

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion-Where do I start, well this was my full intro to what is now my second favorite gaming series (behind GTA) and was one of the best experiences I've had this generation so much so it made me go back and play Morrowind, Daggerfall and Arena. The setting, the quests, just allot of fun, I still play the game semi regularly as well.

 

Fallout 3: Another intro into another amazing series for me. This just hit so many chords I like, from the Retro Futuristic setting that stuck my love for Cold War (especially 50's) vibes with the Propaganda, the 50's like music and atmosphere mixed with robots designed like they were out of Sci-Fi of the era, obviously so, as well as Power Armor and Lasers with some Mad Max just made for a great atmosphere. The freedom of it all. It's taken the fourth rank on my top five favorite Series of all time because of all of this.

 

Fallout New Vegas: Now take everything I've said about Fallout 3, and add in better game play (sans bugs) better charictar, that old school yet futuristic Vegas vibe and some of the best DLC seen ever, and you get one of my most played games of all time (so was 3 though) was just amazing. Great Charictar, good setting (three had a better map though) great story lines and full of great options, one issue was the bugs and I was able to look past that.

 

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Well like Oblivion this knocked it out of the park, not to say I didn't have some complaints, but just about everything was a step up, the World was amazing, one of the best I've played in, it was the most looked forward game to me ever, untill GTAV was announced, and I've dumped a good chunk of my life into it, great memories, even though I had to wait for so damn long for DLC.

 

Mass Effect: Hands down, the best new series to gaming this generation in my opinion. The best Sci-Fi game series I have ever played, the Lore, the settings, the charictar just...amazing, my favorite charictar in games became Garrus Vakarian after these games, but it‘s full of great charictar, the 3rd game was the only game that made me full on Cry with some of the death scenes that happened. If there was any doubt that Games where an art form in scope and in story, it went out the window with Mass Effect, even with the ending in 3.

 

Far Cry 3: Besots best game this Generation even compared to the good AC series. The world...was done really well, the story while not the best was compelling, had a good stealth system, great Combat, fun weapons, and plenty of havoc to cause. Best FPS I've played in a long time and a great open world game.

 

Dragon's Dogma/Dark Arisen: Aside from the Elder Scrolls, and Fallout, this had to be one of the better RPG's of this generation. Capcom did great with this game, the combat is fun, the world is well designed and fun to explore, the design choices were great the enemies are varied and fun to fight it's also hard as well not overly hard but it dosen't hold your hand like 99% of games now which is what I loved about it, not the prettiest graphics (Good lighting though) or the best story but a great game, that I sunk nearly 50 hours into in one week alone.

 

Red Dead Redemption: Simply put one of the best stories out there, one of the best western games, and the, best, god damn lighting effects...of all time, I haven't seen better really, besides maybe Max Payne 3. The Atmosphere was top notch I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere when I played this game, it felt like I was in my neck of the woods just about. Everything about this game raised the bar in open world from the Random Encounters, and Stranger Missions to just hunting, to the land scope.

 

Max Payne 3: My intro to Max Payne. My GOTY of 2012. And hands down the best shooter I've ever played. The story, as typical of R* games, especially this generations was amazing, I didn't really know much about the first two games but I didn't feel lost at all. Max Payne 3 had all the making of a good story, Protagonist I can sympathies with which is a big one when you're going with the loss angle, great settings, motivation to why he did what he did. He was a good guy, bad things happened to him and he was in a bad place. One of the better happy endings of this generation.

 

Grand Theft Auto IV: Well this is the game that pushed me to get a current generation Console. The Graphics and game play are obvious steps up from the past, but what made it outshine the previous generation of GTA, was the Story. I connected with Niko allot more than I did CJ, or Tommy. He sympathetic, he had a bad life, and at the time I played GTAIV was around the time my dad died, so it was...I felt like it was a good story for the time I played it's almost like the game reflected the point I was just slightly more depressing, and more violent. The Atmosphere was also top notch now I've never been to New York or New Jersey but Liberty City was exactly how I think it would be over there if I am to ever go. EFLC has to be the best Expansions this generation besides maybe Shivering Isles for Oblivion as well.

 

All in all this has been a great generation for gaming and it seems to be going out with a bang between GTAV and a few other titles.

[Nopheros]

Question

Answer

What was your favorite GTA of this gen?

GTA IV was perfect, but GTA TBOGT was better gameplay wise.

What was your favorite R* game this gen?

Red Dead Redemption.

What was your favorite game (other than GTA and R* games) this gen?

One of the Halo games, I haven't really played that many games this gen..

What was a trend you liked/disliked this gen?

The wireless connection errors.

What were the most underrated/overrated games of this gen?

Call of Duty overrated and I don't know about underrated.

Were you happy with the current gen of consoles?

They were okay.

And finally did you like the current generation of gaming?

Yes, amazing games.

[Wolf of Badenoch]

My top 5 games of this generation. Keeping each entry short:

 

1. Grand Theft Auto IV - One of the best games I've ever played. Awesome graphics, characters with real depth and backstory, some really epic setpieces and the most detailed map I've ever seen in a sandbox game.

 

2. Mafia II - An amazing game with one of the best endings I've ever seen (second only to GTA IV's Revenge ending). The best character of this game had to be Joe. A badass if there ever was one.

 

3. Burnout Paradise - The best racing game ever. Criterion really hit their stride with this and haven't stopped since. It's also the only game I've ever gotten 100% on. Even then, I still love to drive around at the dead of night with the hammer dropped.

 

4. Just Cause 2 - The most explosive game I've ever played. Also the most fun. That map is to die for...

 

5. Blur - Woefully underrated, I've had hours of fun with this game. It's a Mario Kart type game, but with licensed cars.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Valenta

[Master of San Andreas]

Sorry for the bump, didn't see that I had replies will update the OP later today.

 

I can't consider the Wii U a next-gen console because it does not really that rank IMO. It was just.... a big disappointment overall for me and for nearly everyone else too.

 

With the Xbox One giving a rather disappointing preview, it looks like the PS4 seems to be the only quality next-gen console at this point.

 

We have to wait and see what the next-gen has to offer, hopefully there are some killer games like Far Cry 4, The Elder Scrolls VI, Just Cause 3, GTA V/VI etc.