With last generation systems being so readily available at great prices this year they made great Christmas gifts and now new owners of these older systems are wondering which games are a solid bet. So this is where I give a totally objective list of 10 great games on each of the 3 major consoles that I think are must plays and crowd source the rest. Read through the list and add any game that you think should be there and tell us why. Let’s make this a fun and useful post! How many of us would have loved for our parents/friends/significant others to have known how horrible Max Payne 3 was before they gifted it to you on your birthday? So let’s get started!
Let’s start with the system that every grandparent seems to purchase, the Nintendo Wii. Let’s go with 10 games in no particular order.
1. Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4 player couch co-op that is great for helping out younger (or older) less experienced players or simply throwing them to their deaths for the hell of it.
2. Super Paper Mario: A remake of the older Paper Mario RPG that requires you to shift from a 2 dimensional to 3 dimensional view in order to solve puzzles. The RPGs have got to be my favorite Mario games.
3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Not my all time favorite (but still super solid) and some folks will have my head if I don’t add this one. Who wouldn’t want a brawler with their favorite Nintendo characters?
4. Wii Sports: Because everyone needs to play some virtual sports from time to time. Best party game ever, just be careful not to give yourself tennis elbow like I did. (pictured above)
5. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: Pure Zelda, pure and simple. Beautiful game, great music and not the brutally hard Zelda games that us old school gamers are used to. Worked wonderfully with the Wii controls.
6. Okami: Sun gods, great story, and beautiful Japanese art style. Need I say more. I never understood why this game didn’t sell more considering the fact that everyone that I know who played it absolutely loved it.
7. Kirby’s Epic Yarn: Kirby and yarn physics…need I say more? Loved this game.
8. Mario Kart Wii: I was trying to keep myself from adding too many Mario games, but it’s a Mario Kart racer. And a ton of fun to play. If you really want to get funky with it you can grab the steering wheel holders for the Wii-motes for a couple of bucks a piece at your local used game store.
9. Rayman Raving Rabbids: Another great co-op/party game that has lots of great mini-games to play starring those demented looking rabbids! Always a good time for shorter durations.
10. Lego Indiana Jones/Star Wars/Harry Potter/Lego Batman 2: Any variation of these games because they were all awesome. And they offer co-op and the bad guys (or the good ones) simply get broken down to their component parts and not actually killed. Of the 4 Lego Batman 2 is a must buy in my book because you can play as all of the DC superheroes as you play through and finish the game.
XBox 360:
1. Mass Effect series: The whole kit and kaboodle. 1, 2, and 3 are all must plays despite all of the hullabaloo that popped up around the finale on the internets. Play as a starship commander who must save the universe from invading alien forces. Can it really get any better than that?
2. Viva Pinata: Time management game on a console at it’s best tend your garden and breed pinata animals. Great way to teach younger kids about the “donut of life”. Just don’t ask Alex about the pinata mating dances…she still hasn’t gotten over those.
3. Skyrim: Not an XBox exclusive, but if you have a Kinect you can yell dragon spells at the damned thing! Be dragonborn and slay some dragons in this awesome game that can easily suck hundreds of hours of your life away.
4. Dishonored: By the same folks who made Skyrim and again not an XBox exclusive, but this time you get to play a steampunk assassin who has to rescue a little girl and avenge the death of the ruler who you were framed for killing.
5. Bioshock series: 1, 2 and Infinite: The first and last of the series were definitely the best in my book, but for the sake of narrative continuity give 2 a shot as well.
6. Batman Arkham Asylum/City/Origins: City was my favorite of the three because…Catwoman, but all 3 are worth the price of admission. And who the hell doesn’t want to be Batman?
7. Gears of War: Kill aliens and learn heart wrenching stories. Ok, really, just kill friggin’ aliens! XBox exclusive.
8. Halo 3: I’m not a huge fan of the pure FPS, but Halo 3 was the best of the Halo series to me and it is an XBox exclusive.
9. Fable 2: There are 3 games in the series and all are good for the true Fable fan, but the second is the one that everyone should play. XBox exclusive.
10: Dragon Age: Origins: A beautiful RPG that does some interesting things with race, sex, and class. Definitely not one to miss. (pictured above)
Honorable Mention: Dungeon Defenders: Co-op tower defense game on XBLA. Awesome game. Choose your character class and your strategy and fight against hordes of monster.
And last, but certainly not least, the Playstation 3. I added a lot of titles to the XBox list that are also available on the PS3 because I wanted to free up as much space as possible on this list for some solid Japanese games that are only available on this platform. So let’s get to it!
1. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch: Beautiful game, awesome story, fabulous orchestral score, animation by Studio Ghibli…I could die and go to RPG heaven after playing this game. Everyone who owns a PS3 should play this one and while it is a single player game it is great for playing with younger children who can explore and do some of the fighting on their own and then turn the controller over when and if they need help. Party members are all younger children and teenagers.
2. Heavy Rain: A ground breaking, genre bending game that some folks argue was more of an interactive narrative than a game, but definitely one not to miss. Find out what you would be willing to do to save your child/a loved one. Buy this one now! Not for children. PS3 exclusive
2. Folklore: One of the earlier games. If I had to describe it in one word I would say…enchanting. A village that exists on the cusp of dreams and reality and serves as a portal of fantasy worlds. unravel the mystery of the village by navigating these alternate worlds. Yes, it is as awesome as it sounds. PS3 exclusive
3. God of War series: A misogynistic bloodbath. Play as the god of war who is hellbent on taking his revenge on all of the other other gods. There is sex and killing galore. Definitely not a game for children. PS3 exclusive
4. Journey: Not because I liked this game, but because it was an experience. Walk around the world (and be randomly joined by others) and solve puzzles without ever speaking and without killing anything. Beautiful graphics, haunting soundtrack, and great concept. PS3 exclusive
5. L.A. Noire: Play a hardboiled detective just returned from the war (and some hidden atrocities) and set out to find and stop a serial killer. Awesome game, cutting edge facial expression technology, good times! Again, definitely not for children.
6. Tomb Raider (2013)/Uncharted series: I am listing these two together and under PS3 for a reason. First because Uncharted is a PS3 exclusive and second because Nathan Drake is just a male copycat version of Lara Croft. If you have to choose one to play make it Tomb Raider.
7. ModNation Racers: Solid kart racer exclusive to the PS3. Great for co-op play.
8. Fallout series: Post-apocalyptic open world RPG. See what some of your favorite cities (and humanity) will look like after the apocalypse and see what people (and you) are willing to do to survive. My favorite of the series was Fallout 3.
9. Persona 3: Kind of like Ni No Kuni in that you play a high school student and do turn based battle with familiars…except they live in your head and not your heart, and they are not cute and cuddly…and you have to shoot yourself in the head to get them out. Dark and gruesome, but awesome. Originally released for the PS2.
10. Eternal Sonata: A JRPG that was also released on the XBox, but I tend to play all JRPGs on the Playstation if I can because the two just go together in my mind. Play as Chopin on his deathbed and play through eight segments of the game that are based on eight different compositions by Chopin himself. Pretty game with beautiful music. There is PS3 exclusive content. (pictured above)
Honorable Mention: Guacamelee: Definitely not without it’s issues in terms of racist and sexist stereotypes, but it is mechanically a solid platformer with beautiful art style. Good on the PS3 and the Vita.
