Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
Editor’s Note: The generation was classed as PC, Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. If we included handhelds, these lists would never have been finished…
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
The shooter to change all shooters, Call of Duty 4 remains one of the most influential titles of its time. With a terrific campaign outdone only by its industry-changing multiplayer, Infinity Ward’s intense knowledge of the genre culminated in an experience that dared to do things differently. How many games would dare kill off the player character within the opening moments of their campaign? And how many more would dare do the same hours later amidst a nuclear apocalypse?
Call of Duty has received stick for its campaign in recent years – and perhaps rightly so. But Infinity Ward’s bleak and depressingly poignant campaign managed to prove that a modern day shooter can house an excellent narrative, while its tight online skirmishes and superb line-up of maps offered that fiendishly addictive, one-more-go mentality that hasn’t been matched since.
The Last Of Us
Sending the generation off with a bang (or should that be a click?), The Last of Us’ intense atmosphere and terrific cast made one of the oldest tales in the book – the zombie apocalypse – fresh and freakishly compelling.
Naughty Dog’s character building reached new heights, too, with the excellent performances constant sense of vulnerability leading to a cast of characters whose friendship, isolation and desperation felt real. I cared about what happened to not only Joel and Ellie, but the side-characters as well, with the developer polishing its narrative strength to near perfection. An unmatched tale of courage and survival, and easily one of the generation’s best.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Another game that helped mould the industry into what it is today, Naughty Dog’s backpacking treasure-hunting epic is held aloft as one of the most influential games of the generation by both gamers and developers alike. Its impact was felt far and wide, and in games where you’d least expect it. Did you know, for example, that Need For Speed: The Run’s narrative and cutscenes were inspired in part by Uncharted 2? Crazy, but true.
Matched only by Naughty Dog’s later titles, Uncharted 2’s incredible acting, stunning cinematography and mesmerising backdrops combined to create an unforgettable experience, stunning gamers with sequences that set a new standard for what could be achieved in gaming. Naughty Dog’s blockbuster isn’t only my favourite game of the generation, but one of the best adventure stories ever told.
Honourable mentions:
Super Mario Galaxy, Grand Theft Auto V, Grand Theft Auto IV, Portal 2, Gears of War, BioShock, God of War 3, Flower, Fallout 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Dead Space, Hitman: Blood Money, Burnout Revenge, Halo 4, L.A. Noire, Mass Effect 3, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
Read Editor-In-Chief Simon Miller’s Games of the Generation here.
Read Video Production Editor Matt Lees’ Games of the Generation here.
Read Editorial Director Tom Orry’s Games of the Generation here.
Read News Editor James Orry’s Games of the Generation here.
Read Reviews and Features Editor Steve Burns’ Games of the Generation here.
