The last generation of consoles might have been the strongest yet. We not only got amazing games at retail with far grander ambitions than ever before, but we also saw online marketplaces emerge to give us even more variety and instant access to games new and old. As usual, the end of a generation brought about some of the best titles to grace the systems. Many are masterpieces that represent all of the experience and knowledge gained during the generation, while others tried something new and different. Since the generation ended at different times for each console, and is arguably not over yet for the Xbox 360 and PS3, there is a wide spread of years represented. Continue reading to see our picks for the swan songs of the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 generation.
Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag
The Assassin’s Creed series was one of the biggest new franchises born on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and Black Flag was one of its best entries. Assassin’s Creed began with an entry set during the third crusades and focused primarily on taking out your targets, but with each new entry the series dramatically increased in scope and complexity as it guided us through their alternate version of history. Black Flag greatly expanded on the boat mechanics first seen in Assassin’s Creed III to capture the heart of the golden age of piracy. As Edward Kenway, you guide your crew through the Caribbean and engage in naval warfare to board and loot other ships all while your crew belts out sea shanties. The map size was extraordinary and filled with fun activities like hunting and harpooning, deep sea-diving for treasure, and the four legendary ship battles. The formula established in Black Flag was enough to power one more game with Rogue, but Black Flag truly made the final impact before the series moved on to the next generation.
The original BioShock was one of the generation’s earliest definitive games, so fans were eager to see how the follow-up would turn out years later. BioShock Infinite moved away from the underwater city of Rapture and instead introduced us to Columbia, a floating city in the sky that promoted American exceptionalism. The gripping story saw protagonist Booker DeWitt grappling with his own dark past as he tried to get a young woman named Elizabeth out of the city. The scope of their adventure together broadened as time travel and parallel worlds were introduced. Most improved from the first game was the mix of gunplay and the magic powers granted by the vigors. By equipping different accessories, Booker could gain access to different abilities that would allow him unique approaches to combat. Even if it lacked some of the impact of the first game, BioShock Infinite was well-paced throughout and provided an engaging thrill ride from beginning to end.
As the generation progressed, a growing segment of players expressed dissatisfaction with the way modern games stopped trusting players by bombarding them with tutorials and streamlining gameplay to take out the challenge. From Software’s Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls games more than answered these players’ frustrations by forcing them to learn all of their demanding systems, enemies, and traps to stand triumphant. Dark Souls II is in many ways the most refined of the Souls games. It never backs away from the challenge its fans crave, but it also doesn’t mind easing in new players by presenting a more cohesive home base and adding more transparency to how the systems work. In this manner, new players can focus on conquering each level and the challenges it presents rather than having to also struggle with obscured game systems at the same time.
If you remember the early days of Xbox Live Arcade, the most advanced games on the marketplace were limited in size to 50 MB. By the end of the generation though, both XBLA and PSN were host to a wide assortment of indie games and even some mini triple-A titles. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was one of the best examples of how far downloadable games had come on both platforms. Announced merely a month prior— on April Fool’s Day no less – Blood Dragon follows Sergeant Rex Power Colt as he journeys to battle his former commander, Colonel Sloan, who was building a cyborg army and breeding the titular Blood Dragons. While it was smaller than Far Cry 3, Blood Dragon carved out its own identity in channeling the spirit of ‘80s action movies and drenching the world with bright neon colors. The main campaign offered greater thrills and shootouts than Far Cry 3 while the side missions encouraged you to approach objectives from any angle. Most importantly, though, was its sense of humor which shone through in the writing and the 8-bit Ninja Gaiden inspired cutscenes.
The Wii had a legacy of great party games including Wii Sports, Super Smash Bros Brawl, and Mario Kart Wii. Fortune Street was one of the final releases for the system and brought Mario and Dragon Quest characters together to play a board game that functioned like Monopoly with the stock market. Fortune Street is the exact opposite of Mario Party because of the skill and strategy involved in investing and managing your stock portfolio. Even if you don’t own the best properties, by investing in stock you could profit off of others’ investments which mitigated the occasional unlucky dice roll. While that may sound complicated, the game handled all the math and calculations and surfaced the relevant statistics needed to focus on your strategy. If you are a competitive person and have competitive friends, you’d quickly discover why Fortune Street was one of the best final games for the Wii.
Keep reading for GTA V, The Last of Us, Zelda Skyward Sword, and more…