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Top 10 games of the generation and my jump to next gen

Top 10 games of the generation and my jump to next gen

So it happened. I just preordered a PlayStation 4. On September 9th I'll pick up my Destiny Bundle with that gorgeous white PS4. I guess my prediction of waiting till 2015 was a bit too much. I have used the ability to play at work quite a bit, and that includes platinuming Infamous: Second Son. But playing at the office is not enough anymore. I want to play at home and I want my own PS4. And I already have a backlog of games.

So with the jump to next gen, which for me will finally turn into current gen, here is my list of top 10 games of the previous generation.

10. Far Cry 2 (PS3)
This was of course a tough list to narrow down, which often ends up making the last on the list super difficult. I wanted to put Trials: Evolution on here, and LittleBigPlanet, and multiple other games, but in the end it had to be Far Cry 2. The first game that really sucked me in on this generation. After not really playing games for some years Far Cry 2 gave me a wow-expericence. Is this what games have become? I loved the story, and the world. It felt real. More real than it properly was, but I bought it. I loved the freedom of the open world. Jumping back and forth between the two sides in the civil war. The gunplay and the amount of guns, that game me the opportunity to customize my setup to my liking. I even loved the malaria pills and the jamming weapons. Details that made the world come alive.

9. Gone Home (PC)
I had heard a lot about this game, and I'm so happy I decided playing it. Dori and I played on a stream, and it was a really cool experience. Normally I'd say gameplay is king, but this is a game with almost no gameplay. What it does have is an amazing story and great characters. The devs dare do things and they trust their audience. This game can compete with stories in any medium. And the less you know about the story the better. Just play it. It's only 2 hours. But what 2 hours.

8. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3)
I love Batman. He is my superhero. I have tried convincing kids to call me Batman. I want to be Batman. When I first watched Batman Begins in the cinema I felt like I was 12 again. This game did the same. Plus I was Batman. That is crazy! I liked the story and the characters. But it the best thing about the game is it gives you the feeling of being Batman. The combat is great, and a lot of games has copied it now, and more should! The detective mode is a great way of making you feel powerful in a different way. Gliding through the world. It all makes you feel like Batman. It does not get much better than that.

7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)
I didn't really play COD 4, so this was the big step for me. And I think this where Infinity Ward really refined what is now in pretty much every shooter. The leveling up, the custom classes, the kill streaks. It also had a great single player campaign. The "No Russian" level was so bold and well done. It was the game that introduced the co-op mode Spec-ops. And already back then just the overall feeling and sound of the guns are second to none. This was also my first platinum trophy, and it didn't feel like chore at all.

6 Infamous (PS3)
This is my game. This is me. Why is not higher on the list then? Well I guess 5 other games are slightly better. Just like Batman this is superhero simulator. I love the story, and even though the choice system is very binary, I enjoyed it. It actually worked better for me than other games where they try to make it look complex, but it really isn't. Here it's good or evil. Take stuff for yourself or give to people who need. Save your girlfriend or save a group of doctors. I replayed some choices several times, because I couldn't decide. In the end I have played through all the Infamous games both as good and evil, and not just for the trophies. As good as the story is, and as much as I love the characters, the strongest part is the gameplay. The feeling of traversing the city is amazing. Gliding power lines and scaling buildings. All the cool powers you have to fight the enemies. I also really liked the comic book style in the cut scenes.

5. Journey (PS3)
For a long time I preferred Flower, and maybe I guess I still do in some way. But when I had to choose, I chose to put Journey on here, not Flower. I think this is a game that shows games can be art. The gameplay is so simple anyone can play. Just like Gone Home this is about 2 hours long, but still had a huge emotional impact one me. But where Gone Home has a great story you experience, this more you creating your own story. The special kind of co-op is a central part of that. I think for many people playing through it once, you feel that was your story, won't play it again. Others will play again to see how it will be different.

Usually I don't like spoiling games. But chances are you either have already played, or properly won't, and if that's the case this might convince you to give it a try. I won't spoil the end, but I'll spoil what I think Journey is about and something that happened to me.

So SPOILERS! SPOLILERS! SPOILERS! for Journey. First I'll share with you what the game is about to me. In Journey you get matched up with other people playing. You might play the whole game with one person, or with 5 different people. But you are either single or a couple. So maybe you meet your perfect mate early on and share the whole game. Maybe you meet that someone after having played with 5 other people first. Maybe you never meet that someone. Maybe you did meet up early, and it was great, but something happened. Maybe your PS3 crashed or their internet went down. The connection was lost. Journey is very much like really life. We don't control what happens. But we can make the best of it. The second thing I'll share is something that happened, I think it was my first playthrough. We, my companion and I, were walking up a snowy mountain. We got to the top, which had taken a long time, and I fell down. So I had to play part of that level again. Climb all the way up the mountain again. I was frustrated. I had to play that part again, and I lost my friend who I was enjoying playing with. A couple seconds later I saw my companion fall from the sky. He or she had chosen to jump back down, and follow me back up. It actually choked me up a bit. Such a great moment. And there so many of those in Journey.

4. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
I didn't enjoy Super Mario 64 as much as everyone else. It's good don't get me wrong. Never got around to play Sunshine, which a lot of people also didn't like as much. I was looking forward to Galaxy, but I guess I didn't have super high expectations. And actually the beginning didn't really catch me. Then two things happened. First I tried to trade it, but I felt like I didn't get enough money for it to be worth the trade, so I kept it. And then I got sick. I sort of ran of stuff to do and gave it another shot. And wow! What a great game! I had so much fun! The gameplay and level design is simply genius! It's the classic Mario, but with lots of innovations. I really hope we get a Galaxy game in HD.

3. Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves (PS3)
I had recently bought a PS3. I bought it late. I moved into an apartment with Halldor. Back then we also worked together, but at a film college, now here at GR. And he chose to buy Uncharted 2 to play on my PS3. I had never heard of it. I could not believe how good this game was. The moment to moment action. The funny lines. The set pieces. I could not believe how cinematic this game was. Very fitting we played this in a film school. And weird how I felt like I could learn about filmmaking from a video game. I bought my own copy and has played through it multiple times. And it has a surprisingly deep multiplayer. I think at this point it's pretty clear Naughty Dog has created something special, and they are sort of on another level. This is our modern day Indiana Jones. The characters feel reel and rounded. The dialogue is funny and intelligent.

2. Red Dead Redemption (PS3)
I guess it this point I'm saying the same about a lot of these games. Great story, characters who feel reel, fun game play etc. But oh does it fit Red Dead. I never really enjoyed any of the GTA's. Although GTA V was in many wasys a big step in the right direction. But Red Dead hit me. I do love westerns, but it's not just that. The story is so amazing. John Marston goes on this amazing journey, and you as the player have this big world to explore. Tons of things to do. Maybe the best DLC ever, and the same goes for the ending. I spend almost 50 hours playing through the single player, and I'm playing through it again. Then comes the multiplayer which is amazing too. I clocked in over 50 hours and reached max level. I could easily spend more time here. Please give me another Red Dead. Wether it's Red Dead 2 or just a rerelease on PS4 I'll happily pay full price.

1. The Last of Us (PS3)
I was thinking of doing a list like this for long time. We talked about doing a GRTV show about it. My top 3 was set. 3 games deserved a 10 in my book this gen. And I never thought a new game would beat my favorite couple of games from my childhood. Then The Last of Us happened. Jokingly I have started using #bestgameever. But I think it's true. It's the best and my favorite game of all time. And I plan to play through it again multiple times on my PS4. This game is so good I have a hard time explaining it. Watching the cutscenes is like watching a film. And the way it blends into the gameplay. Naughty Dog really is on another level.This game is a better film than most films.The story is so good. I've played the beginning maybe 10 times, and I've choked up every time the prologue ends. It only takes those 15 min to make me care more about the characters than I do about characters I've spend hours with in other games. I know what's gonna happen when the prologue ends, but it still gets me. Subtle moments like the way Joel looks down, when Ellie tells him "Your watch is broken". The gameplay is great too. Sneaking around the world. Crafting items and having Ellie help you. That sound the Clickers make. The music. If you stop and explore the world there are so many great things to discover. Find the spots where Ellie tells jokes if you haven't already. Naughty Dog didn't really talk about the multiplayer before launch which scared me, but that turned out great too. I love the Facebook integration. Giving your survivors the names of your real life friends made me care way more about them. And the DLC is great too. So yeah #bestgameever

HQ

Who I think is gonna win the Oscars 2013

Written by nickholmberg on the 24th of February 2013 at 20:22

Best Picture: Argo
Actor in a leading role: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Actress in a leading role: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Actor in a supporting role: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Actress in a supporting role: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Animated feature: Brave
Cinematography: Life of Pi
Costume design: Les Misérables
Directing: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Documentary feature: Searching for Sugar Man
Documentary short: Open Heart
Film editing: Argo
Foreign language film: Amour
Makeup & hairstyling: The Hobbit
Score: Life of Pi
Song: Skyfall
Production design: Anna Karenina
Short animated: Paperman
Short live action: Curfew
Sound Editing: Zero Dark Thirty
Sound Mixing: Les Misérables
Visual effects: Life of Pi
Adapted screenplay: Argo
Original screenplay: Zero Dark Thirty