With the release of both Xbox and PlayStation’s next gen consoles arriving this week it’s time for us to look back on the very best of the generation that was. This generation saw new franchises such as Titanfall, returning favorites such as Uncharted 4, and brand new classics such as Bloodborne.
We didn’t want to argue and litigate each game. Doing so with the personalities on this staff would have probably ended with very little staff so how we came up with the list is simple. We used math. Everyone was asked to provide their top ten games of the generation, in order. The number one game on each respective list was assigned 10 points, the number two game assigned nine points and so on down to the tenth game on the lists receiving one point. Any game that appeared on multiple lists had their points added to a final total and the game with the most points was number one, second most points number two, and so on.
It should be noted that the staff here at MP1st (and our sister site, SP1st) are very AAA focused so if you’re looking for your favorite pixelart indie made by two people you’re going to be disappointed. Actually, based on the results of this list, I expect to see a lot of disappointment but hopefully you’ll also be pleasantly surprised. So without further preamble, lets’ DO this!
The point total is how much the game scored to place on the list and shows where it landed.
10. Hitman and Persona 5 (tie)
(10 points)
While it might seem like cheating each game had the same amount of votes.
Regarding Hitman, Tim says “The fact that each level has nearly an entire games worth of content in it (I easily put between 10 and 25 hours into each of them) makes it perhaps the most appropriate episodically released game ever. IO manages to set such a perfect tone for what is at its essence a murder simulator.There’s something to discover in every room and around every corner. New angles to approach the target from. New costumes to try. New methods to execute.”
Avery had this to say about Persona 5, “Up until I played Persona 5, Final Fantasy VII was my all-time favorite game. After pouring over 120 hours in my first playthrough (another 110 in Persona 5 Royal), Persona 5 knocked off Final Fantasy VII as my new all-time favorite. Compelling story, memorable characters, amazing soundtrack, and a cool, sleek art design.”
9. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
(11 points)
“One part Assassin’s Creed, one part Zelda, and one part Uncharted mixed together in the Lord of the Rings universe and you get Shadow of Mordor. The Nemesis System is still one of the most underrated pieces of game tech that has yet to be fully utilized.” – Kyle
“As somebody who doesn’t have a particular affinity for The Lord of the Rings, the fact that the lore behind the universe has to be stretched some to accommodate the game play for this title was alright with me. And what we ended up with was one of the best open world stealth action games of all time. Killing, interrogating, and capturing orcs would have been a blast on its own, but the introduction of the Nemesis system is what puts this game out ahead of the rest. The fact that that system has not been truly replicated as a whole, only mimicked in part, anywhere is a testament to how unique it was. While the sequel didn’t gel with me nearly as well, Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor was an incredible introduction to this generation of consoles.” – Tim
8. DOOM
(14 points)
“I played Doom 64 back in the day and enjoyed it but DOOM (2016) was the perfect example of the devs taking a classic franchise and rocketing it into the 21st century while still respecting its roots. As far as reboots of old franchises go, this is the bar.” – Kyle
“I got DOOM thinking that it looked cool and like a fast, rip roaring good time. And it was absolutely that. What I didn’t expect was just how profound an effect it would have on me. From the moment the campaign starts and you wake up in an ancient sarcophagus and immediately are smashing and killing demons and punching the computer screen giving you your mission orders with the droned out voice of Samuel Hayden, DOOM nails a very particular type of aggression. DOOM’s combination of white knuckled fast arena shooting and confident understated lore made it one of the best shooter campaigns in gaming history.” – Tim
7. Horizon Zero Dawn
(16 points)
“I loved Aloy as a character and one of Sony’s flagship mascots moving forward. The mystery and intrigue of the story
throughout was so compelling, and of course fighting robot dinosaurs helps the enjoyment factor. One of my favorite moments of Horizon Zero Dawn was climbing all the way up the longneck to synthesize the map. Breathtaking.” – Avery
“Fighting robot dinosaurs and other beast sold me on Horizon Zero Dawn from the jump. It having such a well written science fiction story and offering a different spin on the trope of machines taking over and wiping out man is what put this over the top for me as one of the very best games I’ve experienced this generation.” – Sean
6. Overwatch
(17 points)
“Overwatch provided some of the most fun times I’ve had with a game, but also some of the most toxic.
Trying to find which role suits you and which champ’s play style you preferred was a battle in of itself. In addition,
Overwatch’s characters and built-in lore, even though the game didn’t have a single-player mode, would rival many.” – Avery
“Were there hero-based shooters before Overwatch? Yes, but none of them put the genre on the map the way Overwatch did. With fluid mechanics and extremely likable characters, Overwatch set the standard for hero shooters ever since its release.” –Kyle
5. Ghost of Tsushima
(18 points)
“I was hesitant on whether I wanted to pick this up or not, and thank goodness I did. What may very well be my 2020 Game of the Year, Ghost of Tsushima was a moving tale of revenge and redemption, trying to decide which is most important, and
understanding that sometimes the ones you love and the enemies you face are one in the same. Everything about this game is amazing and one of the very best on PS4.” – Avery
4. Marvel’s Spider-Man
(20 points)
“‘What more can I say that hasn’t already been said about this one. It’s a damn near perfect super hero game that gets everything right about Spider-Man.” – Jimmy
“We’ve all experienced our fair share of superhero games, but none come close to Insomniac’s masterpiece. I could hop into
Spider-Man and just swing through New York City for hours and still find enjoyable. It’s one of those games that just feels
good to play, even if you’re not completing missions or progressing a story.” – Avery
3. Bloodborne
(22 points)
“Honestly outside of not having a performance update, Bloodborne is near perfection. The combat, the story, and the amazing visual direction still feel unmatched by any souls borne game.” – Jimmy
“It might seem silly to say a video game changed your life but that is exactly what Bloodborne did. I stayed away from the Souls games because of their reputation but gave this one a shot and fell in love with it. It made be go back and play all of From Software’s games in this genre and made them my favorite developer as well. Now if there is a “Soulslike” announced, even if it’s not From, I will get it. Bloodborne isn’t only my favorite game of the generation, it’s my favorite game of all-time.” – Sean
2. God of War
(27 points)
“I still remember fighting the Hydra on the original God of War on PS2. The remade God of War is somehow more vicious and rips and tears at your anger, but also tries to soothe and protect you. You feel the intensity behind every swing of Kratos’s axe. You understand and empathize with the innocence of Atreus. Expanding the world of God of War to Norse mythology opens many doorways for this franchise that I can’t wait to be explored.” – Avery
“Huge risk on changing the combat of the series, though one that pays off. The journey of God of War on PS4 is truly one that no gamer should miss out on.” – Jimmy
“I wasn’t a fan of the God of War series prior to this but something about the way this game was being presented looked appealing to me so I gave it a shot. I was blown away by just how good everything about this game, from its aesthetic (love the unbroken camera angle), to the combat to the story, anyone that played God of War 2018 should have on their best games of the generation list.” – Sean
1. Titanfall 2
(40 points)
“Effect and Cause. That’s all I’m gonna say. Effect. And. Cause. Oh and it sucks that Apex Legends exists at all and Titanfall 3 doesn’t.” – Sean
“Honestly this has one of the best campaigns in shooter that I have ever played, as with one of the most addictive online. To this day I still play it, though sadden by the fact that the franchise may be dead.” – Jimmy
“My pick for the greatest FPS campaign of the generation (maybe all time?). Titanfall 2 brought everything great about the first game and turned it up to 100. EA crushed its hopes of becoming a franchise by releasing it between Battlefield [1] and [Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare]. With the popularity of Apex Legends, however, a Titanfall 3 is certainly a possibility.” – Kyle
“Every aspect of Titanfall 2 is top of its class. The single player campaign, I would proudly argue, is the best single-player campaign in any first person shooter to date, tied perhaps only with my next entry. Every single mission introduces a concept interesting and inspired enough that any of them could have been core mechanics for an entire game made by most other studios. But Titanfall 2 burns through them all. It leaves nothing on the table. And even with such nearly perfect varied gameplay, you still end up with characters you care about.” – Tim
If your favorite game isn’t on this list, I think we can all agree that this generation was pretty great! Let us know in the comments what your top 10 games of the generation are!
