Have Any Current Gen Games Broken Into Your Top Five Or In Contention Of It?

Some things to think about:

Systems we'll count as current gen: PS4, XB1, Wii U, 3DS, PSV, PC, mobile, and your shiny Switch.

PC & mobile: Any games that came out on or after Nov 15, 2013 (PS4 launch)

Enhanced, remasters, remakes, and straight ports: These won't count as current gen games unless it was the 1st time that title was available in your region for any system (e.g. FF Type-0.) Of course these games could be in your list, they just won't count as current gen games.

Cross gen games: These count (e.g. Persona 5, MGSV, Yakuza 0, etc, etc.)

Expansions & DLCs: They can be included in the total package of a game (e.g. Witcher 3: Heart of Stone, Blood & Wine) but the base game needs be released on or after Nov 15, 2013.

Episodic games: If the final episode is released on or after PS4 launch, it counts.

Early access: Same as PC and mobile, need to have gone early access on or after Nov 15, 2013.

My opinion on putting "trilogy" in your top five as one game: It's a lame move and that's taking up 3 spaces buddy.

Games in contention for me:

MGSV: I had so much fun with this game and I spent so much time with it. It was such a pleasurable gaming experience and one of the best playing games of all time. However, it probably won't ever take a spot in my top five 'cause MGS2 is in my list and it's still my favorite in the series. Of course the story is a big knock against it but I'm not as harsh on it because having spent a great deal of time with Peace Walker on the PSP, I had a strong gut feeling going in the story was going to be bad. All that said, I still definitely consider MGSV pretty highly and think it's worth having the conversation.

The Witcher 3: Okay, this game is a fucking achievement. I can't comprehend how they made this game in 3 years. I love being in the world they created and absorbing the people and stories in it. The reason it'll probably not break into my list is mainly 'cause of the combat. I played it on blood and broken bones difficultly and I just can't defend it. It's not engaging and it's not hard, it's boring. It's probably enough for a 20 hour game but I put 160 hours into this game and a big chunk of that was me tolerating the combat. Still, there is no denying the amount and depth of the characters I met along the adventure so I definitely think super highly of W3. I just recently finished Blood & Wine so I have to wait and see how I feel about the game overall with it further back in my rear view.

The Last Guardian: I'm not a pet person but I'm actually pretty into digital pets and this is the best time I've ever had with a virtual pet. The game just worked for me and I bought the illusion, I bought the magic. I was surprised by how much actual storytelling there were and start to finish, I was fulfilled by the promise of the game. I'm super hot on this game still, having played it a little over a month ago but I guess I have to see how I feel about it perhaps at the end of the year.

Anyway, out of the 3 I'm considering, TLG is the closest to breaking through 'cause there has never been a game like it and probably will never be. It's such a special game and depending on what day you catch me at, I might utter the words "instant classic".

My ever rotating top five:

• Pokemon R/G/B
• Metal Gear Solid 2
• Final Fantasy X
• StarCraft + Brood War
• Killer 7

Destiny

My list of top games is always nebulous and potentially ever changing, since it's such an awkward and subjective thing to try to rank definitively, but The Witcher 3, Persona 5, and Nier: Automata all have the potential to be on that list.

Yeah, my number 1 game is from this gen - Overwatch (Well number 2 really but it's not really fair cos EverQuest will never be toppled)

The Witcher 3 defiantly makes top 10.... top 5? Hard to say, possibly.

@zeik: Right. I basically assembled my top five based on how long and how unwavering my feeling on those games have been. Most games I'm hot on inevitably cool a bit.

No.

I don't really keep a top 5, but these are the games that are in my pantheon of games I absolutely love:

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. That game gave me a feeling of wonder and joy I didn't think was possible for me from a video game anymore. I love it without reservation, though it has flaws.

Gravity Rush Remastered: This technically came out for the Vita first, which is not on your list, but the PS4 version was just a revelation for me. It has one of my favorite game worlds ever and I loved Kat and just had a great time with that title. Again, I see the limitations and flaws but they don't really matter. I truly adored that game.

Sunset Overdrive: Yes it can be try-hard with the humor, but the traversal was so good and the city had a unique and amazing aesthetic. The bosses were also really well thought out, and the weapons had that creative Insomniac flair. Had a ton of fun with it.

Forza Horizon 2 (and 3): I would say these are my favorite driving games ever. I played more 2 than 3 but I rolled credits on both, and I just love everything about this series. Such a positive fun game world, great driving, awesome cars, great vistas, top notch.

Transistor: Great world building, very fun combat, one of the few narrative games I played through back to back.

Overall I have actually really enjoyed this generation. I agree with Vinny that, despite everything, it's the best time to be playing video games.

Breath of the Wild for sure.

I really loved The Witness but that's a maybe. Kentucky Route Zero might be one of my favourite thing ever made, so that, but it started before the PS4 launched.

It's basically the best time to play videogames.

@bigsocrates: I think Gravity Rush counts. I listed PSV.

@fear_the_booboo: Oh, totally didn't think of the episodic scenario. I think if an episodic game finishes after the PS4 launch, it'd count. In the case of KRZ, when it's all said and done, most of it would be after the Nov 15 date.

Bloodborne is already in the top 5. DOOM I would consider maybe, but I don't think it's cutting it. Awesome game though! Witcher 3 is a possible contender also. I wanna get around to playing the DLC parts, but there's so many other long games I'm churning through right now....

In no particular order, I think my top 5 looks something like this:

• Bloodborne
• Journey
• Bayonetta
• Symphony of the Night
• Metal Gear Solid 3

Jak and Daxter 1 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory bounce on and off that list a lot. I'll also sometimes roll FFX in there, much affection for that one.

@tobbrobb: oh please at least play Heart of Stone. It's not too much time investment (5-6 hours I'm guessing) and the mainline stuff is probably my favorite in all of W3.

@liquiddragon: Yeah I've only heard good things about both packs. I already own them too so the barrier to entry is just finding a completely free weekend to drown in some Witcher. I'll do it before I look into options for playing Zelda at least lol. How is one supposed to find time though. I've finished Nier, Persona, Nioh and Horizon this year. That's like 300 hours. T.T

Yeah. I missed that.

I also forgot to include Night in the Woods, which has my favorite character writing in a game ever, and a lot of other great stuff going for it.

I just don't know how to pare a list down to 5. How do I compare Night in the Woods to Forza Horizon 3? Which is "better?" Depends on my mood and what I want to experience. And it gets even worse trying to compare things historically. How do I compare Sunset Overdrive to Super Mario World? Is it how I felt at the time I first played them? How they play now in comparison? Mario was clearly a MUCH better game in the context of its release period, and I understand why 99% of people would still say it's a better game, but Sunset Overdrive has a lot more content, a TON more detail in its world (world building is one of my greatest pleasures from video games) and has much more complex and varied mechanics.

I mean, if you put a gun to my head I will tell you that Mario World is better, but i think that's partially because of my memories of that game and the context when it came out.

I just find all time top whatever lists very difficult. There are so many considerations to balance.

The Witcher 3 definitely became my favorite game of all time once I finished my first playthrough. Nothing else comes close.

The Witcher 3's almost certainly in my top-5 at this point (though I haven't made an extensive list in a while). My experience playing that thing was unlike my time in any other game I've touched.

Witcher 3 aside though, I can't say that much comes to mind.

NieR: Automata made it into my top 5 but eventually settled in my top 3

Persona 4

Xenoblade Chronicles

NieR: Automata

Shadow Hearts: Covenant

NieR

PUBG is probably one of my favorite games of all time at this point. I'm not even sure I could definitively name a top 5, but if PUBG didn't make top 5 it would certainly make top 10.

@bigsocrates: Yeah, a top five is hard and most it is a gut thing. For me, it's how do I feel about this game and how long have I felt that way about it. You felt great about SMW for what? Over 25 years? How are you going to feel about Sunset in 5, 10 years from now, let alone 25. Another difficult question. But you've felt great about Sunset for several years now so it seems like it should definitely be considered. Also, judging by what your saying, it sounds to me like you feel SMW is very important but you prefer to play Sunset. For me, how important is not something I consider for a personal list. Like I think Street Fighter II is probably one of the most important games in my gaming history but there are other games more near and dear to my heart. Also, I try to rate the experience I had with a game. Games I hold in high regard probably gave me the kinda joy I'm looking for in every game.

I haven't really sat down and thought about my top 5. If we expand to a more nebulous top 10-15 I would think about including Far Cry 4, Valiant Hearts, Firewatch, or Life is Strange. One or more may be in my top 5.

I very much went from last gen being my shooters only phase to valuing story much more this gen.

Rocket League has nudged its way into my arbitrary top 5 (alongside Dota 2, GTA: SA, Grim Fandango and Dark Souls) by being the best sports game that I've ever played (for nearly 800 hours). Can't really make solid enough of a case, as of now, for other games from the last four years to bump any of the current top 5. This is not to say that there haven't been some, no, a lot of other great games coming out lately because, as some of us internalized, this is the best time to be playing games - of the 'board' variety as well.

MGS V would have been a dead cert if they had nailed the story and the ending; you just can't help but think what if the whole Kojima/Konami thing hadn't happened.

The Witness is pretty close too.

The only game that I think has really impacted my personal top 5 during this generation is A Link Between Worlds.

The one current gen game that I can say breaks into my top 5 without a doubt is The Witcher 3. I'd say the vast majority of my favourite games are open world RPGs and The Witcher 3 is easily one of the best in that genre.

Breath of the Wild comes close as well but I'm a little more hesitant to include it because even though it's an amazing game, there are some design decisions in it that prevent me from calling it an all time favourite.

Hitman probably

Bayonetta 2 & MGS V maybe. The only games in my current top five that I feel have aged well are Ninja Gaiden Black & Resident Evil 4.

The Witcher 3 is probably my favourite game of all time - I've reflected on this and still feel that way about it. Nothing else leaps to mind.

Rhythm Heaven Megamix on 3DS for sure took a spot in my top 10.

Also don't know if it counts but the PC version of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen from last year is also in my top 10. Probably top 5 actually, that game is fantastic.
EDIT: I guess it doesn't count.

Technically it released in 2012 but Crusader Kings II (4th favorite) hit its stride during this generation with all its patches and DLC so I'll count it. Only other game that comes close is Breath of the Wild (7th).

For reference:

1. Oblivion

2. New Vegas

3. Red Dead Redemption

4. Crusader Kings II

5. Arkham Asylum

Well, here's my top five (it changes every now and then, but mainly just the specific rankings):

1. KotOR II

2. Mass Effect 2

3. The Witcher 3

4. Fallout: New Vegas

5. Horizon: Zero Dawn

So, two of the five fit your criteria. The Witcher's just an astounding achievement--the way CDPR manage to maintain such a high level of writing quality, and such high production values, across a world that massive, with that many quests, is still sorta unbelievable when I think about it. I could go on (and on) but The Witcher's a really well-known quantity at this point. I'll just say, finally, that The Witcher franchise is probably my favourite example of a singular story being told across two different forms of media; I was already a fan of the books going into TW3, and I really enjoyed the way it continued on from/meshed with the story that'd already been told with those characters, in that world--even if Andrej Sapkowski would quite firmly disagree. (I'm also really hoping that, after a Cyberpunk - easily my most-anticipated game at the mo - or two, CDPR return to The Witcher-verse for a spin-off with Ciri.)

Horizon, while certainly subject to that 'recently played' bump, was a super enjoyable experience for me, too. I love the setting, the background for the setting, and I found the basic narrative - how it interweaves Aloy's personal story with an exploration of how the game's world came to be* - far more compelling than I was expecting going in. I also really like Aloy as a character - suffice to say, I largely disagree with that forum post that's been floating around, though it was certainly well-argued - and there's a couple of other characters in that game - any specific details about whom would probably constitute spoilers - who I got really invested in, as well.

...

*Horizon's backstory provides one of my very favourite takes on the concept of an 'apocalypse' in video games; I came away from some of the reveals around the third quarter of the game with a profound sense of existential dread, something I'd never experienced in the same way while playing, like, a Fallout, or even The Last of Us.

MGSV very easily became one of my favourite games. It's still my favourite game of this gen.

I wish I felt the strong love for Witcher 3 like everyone else. I've 'only' put about 20 hours into it but it just didn't grab me. I'll give it some more time and see how it goes.

Yes.

• The Wolf Among Us
• Bloodborne
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
• Fallout 4

All contenders, possibly just my new top 5 somewhere in there. Fallout 4 might be cheating a bit since it's mostly with mods that I really started to love that game, but it seems a bit too strict for vanilla to be a requirement. Old top 5 used to have stuff like Deus Ex, Half-Life, Alan Wake, Super Mario World. Can't remember the old fifth.

Senran Kagura Estival Versus comes to mind. But five is a tight number, so even with that, I don't know. Honestly, it would take more time than I'm willing to spend to put together a top five of all time since adding a variable like "on system so-and-so" or "between years X and Y" is easier.

Do I even have a favorite game anymore...?

I'm not ruling out that Breath of the Wild may eventually end up on there, but I still think it's too early to say. There's also the thing about "generation" being a weird concept when it comes to PC games. Either way, I probably want to wait at least 5-10 years before deciding if it's an all time favorite game, though there are a couple of 2007 titles that have made it to that list, including Command & Conquer 3 and Crysis, and Demon's Souls (2009) could also edge in there.

Descent, Wolfenstein 3-D and Command & Conquer are probably locks already, and I have a hard time putting anything more recent above Wing Commander, System Shock and Frontier: Elite II.

I'd maybe put Witcher 3 up there, it's definitely in my top 10 - I don't know about top 5; it does blow its load early since the stuff with the Bloody Baron is the best part then it goes downhill a little bit. The stuff in the cold/viking area was straight up boring to me. MGSV is unfinished due to no final mission, and a lack of story/dialogue, plus it probably has the worst twist I've ever seen in video games. If they didn't completely screw up in those areas the game would've been spectacular.

Some have come close, and I'd argue that there are some really good Top 10 contenders for this year, but I haven't been absolutely blown away so far. Hopefully Mario Odyssey changes that, but we're still a bit removed from that one.

My top 5 games for reference are:

• Red Dead Redemption
• Banjo-Kazooie
• Terraria
• Bioshock
• Super Mario Bros. 3

I'd have to give this gen's games a few more years before I'd consider them for my best ever list, but I'd say the following may make the cut:

1. Wolfenstein: The New Order

2. Forza Horizon 3

3. The Witcher 3

Bloodborne and Persona 5 are in my top 3. I'd probably make room for NieR: Automata and Kentucky Route Zero on a top 10, and a couple more on a top 20 like Horizon and Last Guardian.

MGS V and BOTW

I don't really keep a running tally of my top games of all time. It's tough for me to judge relatively recent games in such a manner. Part of what I would consider what makes a game a GOAT contender is history. Influence on me personally and how it informed my tastes in the years afterwards. Is a game I returned to over and over as the years passed? How did it influence the industry?

Breath of the Wild was pretty rad, but I can't really compare it to earlier Zelda games. Maybe in a few years I can get a better perspective on it.

The Witcher 3, all expansions included, has probably become my favorite game of all time, next to AOEII... maybe DOOM, i'm not certain about it though, i'll have to replay it in a couple years to be sure.

DOOM DOOM DOOM

Probably the best singleplayer shooter I've ever played. Other shooters like the old Dooms, Wolfenstein (new and old) and Half Life have great moments, but DOOM is consistently great throughout.

Witcher 3 is the only one that's in discussion for top 5. Horizon ZD, MGSV, XCOM 2, and Hitman are all in consideration to be top 20, or just outside.

My favourite game of all time (The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth) came out in 2014. So, yes.

The other games in my top 5 are Braid, BioShock, System Shock 2, and Day of the Tentacle.

Nier Automata is the only one I'm considering seriously, Virtue's Last Reward is an older "current gen" 3DS game that I might put on there as well. BOTW is really really good at being what it is, but the more time goes by the more I realize I'm not really in love with what it is.

The Witcher 3 and Doom. Fez doesn't count I guess but it is close.

Uncharted 4 and The Witcher III could MAYBE crack the top 5. They are games that are unbelievable achievements. It's hard to see other studios topping them any time soon.

My nostalgia is too strong of a force. My top 5 typically consists of games I not only enjoy immensley at the moment, but I revere through memelry, which verifies to me my thoughts about the game. Time away from the immediate excitement of a game can help me formulate my thoughts about it a bit better.

Mgsv and grim Dawn might, witcher is up ther but i never actually beat it.