Neil's Top 3 Games of the Generation

Jumping on the bandwagon of top games of the generation, I decided to spin this idea a little. Instead of looking at three games in general, I’ll be looking at titles from each format; Xbox, PS3 and Wii. You can see our previous articles on this subject from Joe and from Ryan, picking some cracking games from the previous generation of consoles. Personally I want to kick Joe for stealing Dark Souls from me but I can’t bear a grudge as the game is truly epic.

So kicking off this show, let us begin with the humble Nintendo Wii. This quirky little box of joy had many enjoyable titles and a unique method of controlling the games with the Wiimote/Nunchuck combo. While many gamers scoffed at the Wii, calling it an underpowered kids toy and mocked at the lack of high definition gaming, this didn’t stop Nintendo bringing some amazing games to the platform.

Enough rambling, here’s my pick of the generation for the Wii and it is none other than:-

Metroid: Other M

Metroid has been a rock solid franchise for Nintendo, starting out on the NES, Samus Aran has featured on a vast majority of hardware for the company, with her latest outing being an outstanding romp and spiritual sequel to Super Metroid on the SNES. Investigating a distress call from a remote research station, Samus encounters her old military unit from the Galactic Federation before she became the famous bounty hunter. Events quickly transpire to reveal that this research station is home to none other than the baby Metroid that saved Samus from Motherbrain’s monstrous death ray; unfortunately it seems the Federation has been conducting experiments with the Metroid which has also attracted the attention of arch-nemesis Ridley, who has somehow survived the previous encounter with Samus.

The seamless switching from traditional platformer to first person shooter makes this a joy to play, utilising the Wiimote/nunchuck combo to great effect, Metroid: Other M is testament to the idea that you don’t need eye melting graphics to create a killer title. The gameplay alone is strong enough to hold Metroid above many, many other titles that are graphically superior yet lack the substance which this Nintendo gem delivers to you by the truckload.

Moving onto the PS3 and this is an easy choice for me due to Joe stealing Dark Souls, I decide to plump for its predecessor. 

Demon Souls.

Set in the kingdom of Boletaria, King Allant XII and his thirst for power conducted a dark summoning ritual which brought forth the “deep fog” which consumed the lands of his kingdom, severing ties with the outside world. From the fog surged demons that consumed the souls of mankind; many brave warriors set forth through the fog only to be never seen again.

Your character must set forth and vanquish many foes in order to save Boletaria, though such a task is not as easy as you may think. Demon Souls has a brutal difficulty level and will punish your mistakes with gratifying ease, this game quickly earned the reputation as one of the hardest titles of the generation; a reputation that was bolstered by Dark Souls. This game will grab your bollocks, smash them into a brick wall and will gleefully repeat this over and over again until you can’t take anymore pain. Unfortunately, we gamer folk can be masochists at times, even after the relentless onslaught of deaths in Demon Souls we’re compelled to push further just to we can beat the bastard game.

Finally the Xbox 360, Microsoft’s beige-now-black brick of enjoyment that has sat under the TV of many a console peasant across the globe for a number of years. Picking a game of the generation for the 360 is a difficult choice to make due to the huge catalogue of games which have been outstanding to play, but I feel my choice for 360 is a game that everyone should experience.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow  

This was a game that I feared could be a monumental flop; taking our beloved 2D platforming adventure and injecting a dose of 3D was viewed by many as a risky decision. Thankfully, what emerged from those development doors was a title rich in story, atmosphere and gameplay that dismissed my fears with ease, then consequently consumed large amounts of my life as I followed the adventures of Gabriel Belmont.

Lords of Shadow is not linked to any previous Castlevania title in the franchise, the reboot gave players a fresh and gripping storyline. Gabriel was sent by the Brotherhood of Light to the lake of Oblivion where he encounters the spirit of his deceased wife, Marie. This meeting sheds light upon an artifact called the God Mask, a mask that seems to have the power to revive his beloved Marie and defeat all evil from the land.

Lords of Shadow also had a star studded cast voicing the characters in the game. Robert Carlyle voiced the protagonist, Gabriel and Patrick Stewart voicing your fellow Brotherhood companion, Zobek, two of the most recognisable names in their industry. The game was praised for the script, voice overs and orchestral soundtrack which won over the critics, enabling Castlevania to be a huge success for Konami. Giving gamers an experience that will live with them forever, this is truly a game of the generation.