Coin Op's top games of the Seventh Generation

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Now that the PS3/360/Wii/DS/PSP generation (a.k.a the seventh) is closing down and the Eighth Generation is kicking on, it's time for the definitive Coin Op list of the best games from it.

You must list at LEAST 10 and at MOST 20 games (PC games released in the same period are of course also allowed).

Scoring will be kind of the same but slightly different to "usual".

Number 1 will get 6 points.

Number 2-3 will get 5 points.

Number 4-5 will get 4 points.

Number 6-10 will get 3 points.

Number 11-15 will get 2 points.

Number 16-20 will get 1 point.

This is mostly because I'm assuming I'm not the only one who doesn't necessarily have a solid 1-20 but rather has a favourite, a few in the "next level down" and so on.

Final scores for games will then be multiplied by the number of people who voted for it.

E.g. A 1st, 5th, 11th and 18th would give 6, 4, 2 and 1 = 13 points x 4 voters. So 52 points in total.

[TroutMaskReplica]

1. Persona 4 Golden

2. Metal Gear Solid 4

3. Sleeping Dogs

4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

5. Hotline Miami

6. Grand Theft Auto V

7. The Last of Us

8. The World Ends with You

9. Red Dead Redemption

10. Dragon Quest IX

11. Super Mario Galaxy

12. 9 Hours 9 People 9 Doors

13. Bayonetta

14. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

15. Pokemon Black

16. Tekken Tag Tournament 2

17. Yakuza 4

18. Kid Icarus: Uprising

19. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

20. Animal Crossing: New Leaf

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I'm also going to allow Vita games that were released in 2013 or earlier. The Vita's been a weird bridge between the two.

[TroutMaskReplica]

Thats good to know seeing as how my top pick is a Vita title!

[Benji]

At least 10 PC games? For what particular reason does PC get half the list?

[Bobfoc]

It just says at least ten games, not ten PC games. PC games that were released in the same time period are allowed, but not mandatory.

Anyway, I'll have to have a good think about this before posting my list. I have a feeling that I'll end up leaving a few things out reluctantly, but that's the way it goes.

[RPS]

1. Left 4 Dead 2

2. Super Mario Galaxy 2

3. Civilization V

4. LittleBigPlanet 2

5. The Walking Dead

6. Borderlands 2

7. Super Smash Bros Brawl

8. Tokyo Jungle

9. Fat Princess

10. Fallout 3

11. Fallout: New Vegas

[Ruki]

1. Persona 4 Golden

2. League of Legends

3. Mass Effect 2

4. Fallout 3

5. Grand Theft Auto 5

6. Skyrim

7. Fallout New Vegas

8. Last of Us

9. The Walking Dead

10. Oblivion

11. Grand theft auto 4

12. Portal 2

13. Crusader Kings 2

14. Red Dead

15. Dragon Age Origins

16. Mass Effect 3

17. Bioshock Infinite

18. Hitman Absolution

19. Bioshock

20. Xcom Enemy Unknown

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

This will probably end up being altered over time.

1. Heavy Rain

2. Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

3. Metal Gear Solid 4

4. Mirror's Edge

5. Mass Effect 2

6. Tomb Raider

7. Grand Theft Auto V

8. X-Com: Enemy Unknown

9. Virtue's Last Reward

10. Dishonored

11. Farcry 3

12. Catherine

13. Uncharted 2

14. Race Driver: Grid

15. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

16. L.A. Noire

17. Don Bradman Cricket 14

18. SSX

19. Hitman: Absolution

20. Beyond: Two Souls

[DavidMarrio]

1: Mass Effect 2

2: GTA IV

3: The Walking Dead

4: Red Dead Redemption

5: Bioshock

6: The Witcher 2

7: The Last of Us

8: The Wolf Among Us

9: Farcry 3

10: Mass Effect 3

11: Deadspace

12: X-Com: Enemy Unknown

13: Mass Effect

14: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

15: Skyrim

16: Max Payne 3

17: Batman Arkham Asylum

18: LA Noire

19: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas

20: Hitman Absolution

[Ace]

1. Skyrim

2. Heavy Rain

3. Mass Effect 2

4. Fallout New Vegas

5. Batman: Arkham City

6. Sleeping Dogs

7. Mirrors Edge

8. The Last Of Us

9. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Tough between this and IV, but I just enjoyed Brotherhood that little bit more)

10. Red Dead Redemption

11. Far Cry 3

12. Hitman: Absolution

13. Tomb Raider

14. GTA V

15. Don Bradman's Cricket 14

16. Max Payne 3

17. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

18. Dishonored

19. Portal 2

20. Tokyo Jungle

I'll more then likely edit this over the next few days as I remember other games I loved XD

[John Stones' Paint Trophy]

1. Rock Band 3

2. Gears of War

3. Skyrim

4. Super Mario Galaxy

5. Shadow Complex

6. Mass Effect 2

7. Bastion

8. Portal

9. Red Dead Redemption

10. The Walking Dead

11. Rayman Origins

12. Burnout Paradise

13. Metroid Prime 3

14. Geometry Wars 2

15. Uncharted 2

16. Saints Row: The Third

17. Journey

18. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

19. Mortal Kombat

20. Driver San Francisco

Straight off the top of my head and it's staying that way. It was hard to whittle down the list though. Not owning the handhelds from this generation doesn't help me make a complete list though.

Honourable Mentions:

Assassin's Creed 2

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Binary Domain

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Dark Souls

Dead Rising

Forza Horizon

Grand Theft Auto V

Infamous

Just Cause 2

Lost Odyssey

Limbo

N+

Nier

Papers Please

PixelJunk Shooter

Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time

Red Faction: Guerrilla

Shadows of the Damned

Skate 3

Sleeping Dogs

Super Meat Boy

I guess 1-6 are my personal favourites and the things I've sunk the most time in. And in the case of Rock Band 3, money. So much money.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Jordan Stiva

[Chris2K]

1. Grand Theft Auto V

For me this encapsulates everything that the seventh generation of games was aiming for in one package. The game itself is the combination of the best gameplay, the best graphics, the best voice acting and the best scripting that I've ever seen, add into that Online which although not perfectly executed was innovation of the highest order, and the time that us EWBers spent playing it together was probably the most fun I've had in a video game.

2. Rock Band 3

Whilst GTA Online brought fun online this was the same thing but with my friends. I had a band, I was the singer and we had two guitarists, if it got to a point where I didn't know a song I switched to the drums (although I wanted a keyboard but never got round to it). Harmonix did a great job of keeping the songs coming until they inevitably hit a point where it wasn't financially viable. I'd so love for it to come back on the new gen consoles.

3. Batman: Arkham City

It's a great game, probably the best compliment I could pay it is that I watched a full Let's Play of this, then bought the game and played the whole thing even though I'd seen it all.

4. Grand Theft Auto IV

Even though it looks out-dated compared to GTAV this was the game that convinced me to get a PS3. The original game was a lot of fun, the two added games made it even better.

5. Pokémon Black/White

Picked this ahead of its sequel purely because it was a 100% original game as opposed to borrowing the same world and adding a few bits to it. It's Pokémon so that gives it points in my eyes, plus I racked up over 200 hours playing it.

6. Xenoblade Chronicles

I only heard of this, played it and completed it in the last few months and it's good enough to get this high. An absolute epic of a game which did feel like it was never going to end.

7. Assassin's Creed 2

Pushed ahead of both the original (too short), its sequal (protagonist I just wanted to punch plus too much animal slaughter) and the two games that it was tied with (no real advancements), AC2 to me is the best in the series so far and everything is just right. Ezio is awesome, the Desmond sections feel more organic and the various cities made exploring more fun.

8. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Loved it enough to play through twice with the second time being a 100% run which I never bother doing, Arkham City was able to make a great game better but this had a lot of advantages that City didn't have such as the enclosed space making everything that bit more unsettling.

9. Race Driver: Grid

It's not often I get hooked on a game so much that I stay up all night playing it without any idea of what the time was. I felt let down by the sequel which wasn't as good despite a nearly three year gap.

10. Super Smash Bros Brawl

I enjoyed it enough that I sent my Wii away twice to get properly cleaned so it could read the more complex DVD that it was on. The franchise itself was good but the addition of Subspace Emissary added the single player element that made it complete.

11. Sleeping Dogs

Easily the surprise hit in my mind, I only got it because I saw good reviews and comparisons to GTA and I was so glad I did. Probably going to get the re-mastered version.

12. FIFA 14

13. Madden 25

Sports games are my bread and butter so my two favourites were always going to be in this. FIFA gets ahead of Madden purely because of FUT (I'm not good enough at Madden to play online so I can't get into MUT). I've played the two main single player modes of both of them more than anything this year.

14. Order Up!

I'm not expecting this to be in anyone else's list but I love it, the simple concept of cooking using a Wii Remote put into a restaurant setting and you've got a happy Chris.

15. Pokémon Black/White 2

See my entry for Pokémon Black.

16. Assassin's Creed 3

See my entry for AC2.

17. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Another game I went to the extent of 100% completing which was a lot of time. I love the LEGO humour and I love Star Wars so... there it is.

18. Mario Kart Wii

Another offline multiplayer game of note. The 48 race championships are both fantastic and mind-bendingly painful.

19. Pokémon Soul Silver

Got into the chart purely because I thought the Poké Walker was incredible.

20. Assassin's Creed

Good enough to sneak in.

I orginally thought it was top 25, so here's what would have been there:

21. Don Bradman Cricket (would be in if the career mode was more flexible in difficulty)

22. Infamous 2 (better than the first game, if only just)

23. Pokémon Diamond (feels really dated now to the extent I forgot it was on the DS)

24. WWE '12 (Attitude Era puts it ahead of 2K13's WrestleMania mode)

25. G1 Jockey Wii (Seriously, I've played this more than any console game on this list)

Just missed out:

World of Mixed Martial Arts 3

Hitman Absolution

Uncharted series

Infamous

Gran Turismo 5

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Series

Professor Layton Series

Super Mario Galaxy Series

Wii Sports

F1 2012

Football Manager 14

International Cricket Captain 2013

LA Noire

More I've forgotten

[Gazz]

What are the eligible years for PC?

[Herr Matzat]

What are the eligible years for PC?

round about 2005/2006 till more or less 2013/2014

[Your Mom]

1. Mass Effect 2

2. Dragon Age: Origins

3. The Last of Us

4. The Walking Dead

5. Skyrim

6. Tomb Raider

7. Saints Row IV

8. Sleeping Dogs

9. Mass Effect 3

10. Uncharted 2

11. Red Dead Redemption

12. Fallout 3

13. Bioshock Infinite

14. Grand Theft Auto V

15. LA Noire

16. Batman Arkham Asylum

17. Bioshock

18. Mark of the Ninja

19. Uncharted

20. Dragon Age 2

[Toe]

My list is very personal, and pretty much goes by the amount of time spent with a game. Fallout New Vegas is one of the few games I've played to conclusion twice. I would also list MLB The Show, but I can't think of one to pick out more then the others.

1. Fallout: New Vegas

2. X-Com: Enemy Unknown

3. Skyrim

4. NHL 07

5. Ghostbusters: The Video Game

6. Fallout 3

8. Call of Duty: Black Ops

9. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (Came out so long ago, but I remember sinking so many hours into the game playing split screen and even linking up 2 systems)

10. Left 4 Dead (I enjoyed the level design much better on the first game, and I played it a ton with people on this website)

11. Grand Theft Auto V

12. Civilization V

13. Crusader Kings 2

14. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

15. Gears of War

[Bobfoc]

I'll give this a go, but I might very well end up changing things around. I've decided to include only one game per franchise so as to make things a little more varied than they might otherwise have been, selecting the versions that I got the most enjoyment or stimulation out of.

1. Rock Band 3

This has been the go-to game series almost any time a family member or friend has visited, and it's provided years of enjoyment. I don't care about the high scores, online leaderboards, song completion percentage or any of the other game-centric bells and whistles Rock Band offers. It just isn't that important to me. What is important, however, is the fact that I've been able to experience some of my favourite musical tracks in a completely different way than before when I was just listening to them passively, and I've done it all with people with whom I can share the joy of interactivity in a friendly, stress-free environment. None of us are particularly musically gifted, but that doesn't matter. No-fail mode takes care of that, eliminating the barrier to entry that scuppers that vast majority of console games.

Critics around the Internet will often often snide remarks towards apparent ludicrousness of playing with plastic instruments in front of a virtual crowd, but, quite frankly, they can do one. I'm having fun with people I want to have fun with, and that's far more meaningful to me than learning how to play "Voodoo Child" on a real guitar ever could be.

2. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Though Arkham City still packed a serious punch, its predecessor gets the nod here for being fresher and more focused. I'm not a massive Batman fan, and my knowledge of the franchise extended to little more than the Adam West television series before playing this game, but I'll be damned if this isn't the best use of source material in the history of comic book-based video games. Everything about Arkham Asylum is crafted in a manner that's not only true to the ambiance and eccentricities of the intellectual property, but that's also extremely fun. Oh, and Mark Hamill is just masterful.

3. Bioshock

Bioshock's opening still gives me goosebumps seven years later, and the rest of the game isn't too shabby, either. Rapture is possibly my favourite video game world ever created, and it's a blast uncovering more of its lore and secrets as you enter each meticulously crafted region of the underwater city. Memorable enemy encounters, fantastically realised characters and a great story that's told organically and without ever causing a distraction to the gameplay make Bioshock my favourite game of its kind.

4. Mass Effect 2

I've been a fan of Bioware's story-driven tales for years, and the Mass Effect trilogy ranks just behind Knights of the Old Republic as my favourite part of their back catalogue. I actually enjoyed Mass Effect 3 more than most people seemed to, and the original game deserves credit for providing a great first chapter, but it was the middle child that offered the best overall package for me. Decent, but not overbearing shooting gameplay complements the improved exploration options from the original, but it's really the expansive lore and excellently fleshed-out character cast that sets Mass Effect 2 apart from the crowd.

5. Red Dead Redemption

In my mind, this is the best Grand Theft Auto game of the last generation, and it's gaming's version of a Western film. I don't even really like Western films. I like Red Dead Redemption, though, and that's because it's a satisfying romp through a barren landscape that was more fun to explore than the bustling cities of its GTA counterparts. Yes, there were some lulls at the mid-point of the story, but the sheer variety of things to play with and places to go made up for it in spades.

6. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Yeah, Skyrim was more popular, but I spent more time venturing through the rolling plains of Cyrodiil than I ever did in its successor's wintry sandbox. So many things to do, places to discover and tales to tell, all with the freedom to do it in whichever order you see fit. Don't mind if I do.

7. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

I didn't buy a PS3 until the tail end of 2010. This was the exclusive I'd been itching to play. To put things into perspective, I'd been waiting close to a decade for the plot strands Metal Gear Solid 2 had left hanging to be resolved, and getting back to the wacky adventures of Snake, Otacon and the gang was something I'd looked forward to more than any game released for years before then or ever since. I wasn't disappointed. The gameplay isn't stellar, but it's certainly passable, and all the delightful quirks and fourth-wall breaking insanity of Hideo Kojima's heavy-handed development style are present and correct, and that's what it's all about at the end of the day. Not a Metal Gear fan? This'll drive you insane. Metal Gear fan? Like me, you've already played this game multiple times.

8. Condemned: Criminal Origins

In an era in which horror began to merge with the more fast-paced action-shooter genre, Condemned was a breath of fresh air, which may just be carny for "it's sodding scary". With a focus on darkness, mystery and crunching melee combat to make all but the most battle-hardened of players wince, this is a game I'd recommend to anyone looking for a fairly brief dose of atmospheric hell.

9. Rayman Legends

This is the best 2D platformer ever made. There, I said it. Mario's antics are legendary and Sonic's Mega Drive outings were tremendous fun, but nothing matches the tightness and precision that Rayman Legends does. What its predecessor, Origins, laid the foundations for, Legends improves, serving up a lengthy, varied platter of goodies that's as aesthetically beautiful as it is addictive. It's a damn shame the sales figures weren't particularly great because everyone should play this game.

10. The Walking Dead

I really like the idea of interactive narrative, and Telltale really nails it here. The Walking Dead is both well-written and resoundingly absorbing to the point that I'd muse over the snap decisions I made over the course of an episode for days to come, something that could really give video games the hook it needs to bring new players to the table.

11. Portal

Though shorter than its sequel, Portal was short and sweet enough not to outstay its welcome and leave me yearning to play through it again. Even of the the medium's most annoying fanbases hasn't diluted the game's comedic appeal and telling nods to the Half-Life franchise, making Portal a puzzle game that just cries out to be played.

12. South Park: The Stick of Truth

I'd been waiting for a decent, authentic-looking television-to-game adaptation for a long time, and that's exactly what I got with The Stick of Truth. Though a fairly bare-bones RPG at heart, the game's almost like-for-like depiction of the silliness of the show that I've loved since it started is the main selling point, and a fine selling point it is to a South Park fan like me. Poking fun at both the medium of video games and the peculiarities of modern society is nothing new, but Matt Stone and Trey Parker do it with such endearing zaniness that something bearing their name and creative input won't go far wrong with me.

13. Tearaway

My only handheld entry on the list, Tearaway deserved better than it got with Sony's lackadaisical marketing of the Vita and the pitiful sales figures that came with it. This game is downright beautiful in both aesthetics and execution, but its defining factor is just how nice and refreshing it is. Interacting with and adding to the papercraft world carries a feel-good factor that most games can't match, not to mention lovely soundtrack and inspired graphical style. I wanted to add LittleBigPlanet in here somewhere, but Tearaway just meant that little bit more to me, and I'm sure that it would have made the splash it deserved to if it had come out on a Nintendo console.

14. XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Seriously addictive stuff right here. It's rarely easy to make every move you make seem like an important one, but Firaxas managed just that with its XCOM reboot. Seeing your troops climb the ranks on the frontline before being moved down after an ill-judged charge into enemy territory never ceases to administer a blow in the pit of my stomach, and the semi-randomised nature of the game's mission structure affords the game the kind of replay value that actually makes me want to come back for more, rather than simply trawling through a scripted campaign again just to find all the collectibles.

15. The Last of Us

OK, so this game has plenty of said collectibles, but let's forget that for a second. The Last of Us has garnered a huge amount of respect from critics and fans, along with the ire of Nintendo and Microsoft die-hards that inevitably comes with that. And for good reason too. It's a damn fine game, even if it took me a second playthrough to really appreciate the attention to detail Naughty Dog put into this bleak, cinematic epic. Sneaking around and taking down guards one-by-one is almost always a pleasure, but if things go tits-up, the gunplay serves as an adequate change of pace during the game's tenser moments. It doesn't hurt that Ellie is one of the most believable characters I've ever seen in a video game, either.

16. Super Mario Galaxy

I feel a little sad that this is my only Nintendo entry, but there were one or two others that just missed the cut. I was never a fan of the WiiMote and still feel that this game would have been more enjoyable without it, which is one of the main reasons why it didn't rank higher here. Still, that doesn't change the fact that the level design is truly splendid and the game sports all the Mario traditions we know and love, and that's why this is still worth investing hours of time into.

17. Dragon Age: Origins

As far as RPGs go, this is about as clichéd as they come, but don't let that fool you into thinking that it's not a great game because it sure as balls is. Another enjoyable set of characters that we've come to expect from Bioware is on show here, all backed up with a satisfying combat system and plenty of customisable weapons and armour combinations.

18. Braid

Both clever and beautiful, Braid laid the benchmark for a style of gameplay that's often been imitated in the indie games community, but never equalled. Jonathan Blow managed to combine puzzle-platforming concepts with time manipulation mechanics in a manner that seemed wholly original and hitherto unexploited, concocting an enchanting experience for a good few hours. Replay value is low once you've figured out how all the puzzles work, but the ending alone is worth playing the final level over and over again.

19. Project Gotham Racing 3

I'm not a racing sim aficionado, so my thirst for driving is quenched by the less realistic, more arcade-like racers. PGR 3 was a shining example of everything I want in a driving game, chock full of all the style, poise and adrenaline that separates it from a straight-faced simulator like Gran Turismo. With plenty to challenges to complete and stacks of cars to try out, this game had me hooked for a long time during the first year of the Xbox 360's launch.

20. Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale

Recettear oozes charm, but it's also a really enjoyable game in its own right. Subverting the traditional dungeon-crawler conventions and putting the player in the role of the shopkeeper is an intriguing twist on classic game design that instantly appealed to me, and learning the game's subtler nuances was far more fun than it usually is in most games. Capitalism, ho, indeed.

[Quom]

1.) Little King's Story

2.) Skyrim

3.) Uncharted 2

4.) Batman: Arkham Asylum

5.) Tomb Raider

6.) X-Com Enemy Unknown

7.) NBA 2K11

8.) Civ V

9.) GTA V

10.) The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

[DMN in the House]

1. Mass Effect 3

2. Saint's Row IV

3. Mass Effect 2

4. Fallout: New Vegas

5. Skyrim

6. Final Fantasy XIII

7. Borderlands

8. Dragon Age: Origins

9. Demon's Souls

10. NCAA Football 14

11. White Knight Chronicles

12. Borderlands 2

13. Gran Turismo 5

14. MLB10: The Show

15. Grand Theft Auto IV