My Top 10 Games of the 7th Generation of Gaming (FINAL)

This is perhaps my favourite generation of gaming. Here's my list.

1. Need for Speed: Most Wanted

The earliest 7th generation title on this list but my favourite nonetheless. It's my favourite Need for Speed game of the franchise and just can't stop playing it to this very day. The story is cheesy perfection, a douchebag villain, an asshole police officer and an attractive woman that helps you along the road of becoming the #1 most wanted street racer in Rockport the story is amazing Hollywood trash. The gameplay is very fun (despite the rubber-banding), the police chases can be both ridiculously easy and frustrating but I love it. The progression system is so nicely done that I can play for hours on end. This remains the best-selling Need for Speed game in history and it's a shame that EA's number 1 driving game series has lost its stride and I hope they get it back someday.

2. Burnout Revenge

This released on Xbox 360 in 2006, I'm counting it! "Unbe-fucking-lievablely addicting" is a great way to describe this game. Burnout Revenge might not be the revolution that Burnout 3 was, but in the end, it changes more than enough to make it feel like a very different game. It's a technical marvel, but more importantly than that, it's one of the most exciting racing games ever made. Unless you don't have the reflexes to handle it, Burnout Revenge is a must-own game, especially for fans of online competition.

3. Burnout Paradise

It's a big possibility that some players (especially hardcore fans) might not enjoy Burnout Paradise's big change in direction. Paradise is anything but a negative change, and while it be a disappointing experience for some, most will likely appreciate what a radical overhaul this game really is. The open-world design isn't just a lazy gimmick it's a wonderfully executed concept that doesn't rob the game of the series' most beloved act of driving fast and wrecking hard. The Burnout Paradise demo and formed a rather negative opinion of the game. But if you have any affection for the series, you really owe it to yourself to give the full game a look. The demo did little to truly represent what a superbly fun racer this game can be.

4. Forza Horizon

I was skeptical at first. I didn't know what I was walking into before I played Forza Horizon but now I know. It's one of the best driving experiences I have ever had in a video game. I was angry after playing the massively disappointing Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012). I was just in pure disgust and heartbreak and I needed a good driving game to take the bad taste out of my mouth, so Forza Horizon came to my rescue. In my time of heartbreak Playground Games have crafted a (dare I say) almost perfect game. Everything about Forza Horizon just flowed beautifully together and they formed a wonderful spin-off franchise from the Motorsport series.

5. Sleeping Dogs

This game has been through developmental Hell and delivered. Not many games get to do that. The games make it out of there are either massively disappointing or just downright terrible but Sleeping Dogs was neither. Sleeping Dogs is quite the sleeper hit, it has amazing voice acting with a great blend of english and cantonese with a great story and a badass main character, Wei Shen. The combat system is fluid and works well and the visuals (especially on PC) looks incredible. It sucks that this game was underrated (praised by critics but forgotten by the community due to being a "GTA clone") and not too many people got to experience this thrilling action roller coaster. It's such a shame that Sleeping Dogs won't get a sequel to continue the crazy, dramatic life of Wei Shen and the Hong Kong police department.

6. Bayonetta

As someone who's never been into Devil May Cry or God of War, Bayonetta is as good as it gets when it comes to character action games. The combat system is the work of masters, and the whole production is vivid, bold, imaginative and sexual. It's also a hugely substantial experience that sustains and encourages repeat play throughs. Bayonetta is an unique title that exhales life back into the action hack-n-slash market.

7. Blur

The most underrated game of the 7th generation. Bizarre Creations are no strangers to great racing experiences. Metropolis Racer, Project Gotham, and lastly Blue. The mix of strategy-based power-ups, load-out menus, and largely varied challenges really make this game a must for all car combat fans and arcade racing fans in general. I don't even care if people say it is "unrealistic" or "cartoony", because I love its intensity and pace. It's just a shame that it didn't sell well at all. Of all of the companies that closed their doors in the 2010's. Bizarre Creations hurt the most.

8. Saints Row 2

Much like the aforementioned Sleeping Dogs, it's such a shame the this game (and it's predecessor) are dubbed as "GTA clones" they're much more than that. Saints Row 2 is wickedly fun. pure, unadulterated fun, Saints Row 2 is in a league of its own. There are some serious technical flaws, but once you notice what this game has to offer it won't be hard to look past its technical flaws. The customisation, the lively world, the excellent gameplay, all the things you can unlock and discover. It's such a same this game had to release in the same year as Grand Theft Auto IV.

9. Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider is a mature experience featuring a young, strong woman who - armed with grit, determination, and intelligence. Lara rescues not only her friends but herself as well. Surely there’s a lesson in that for the rest of us. Rebooting Tomb Raider is the best thing that could have happened to the series. The game is full of story-wise emotions and superbly directed action scenes, and it still has a very strong human factor. I'm rarely this positive about a game. Crystal Dynamics took a risk that won't appeal to some orthodox fans, but all in all the developers have succeeded. The most important thing to know is this the new Tomb Raider is one of the best action-adventure games I have ever played and I couldn't put my controller down.

10. Mirror's Edge

Mirror's Edge has quite the learning curve to get over but once I got past it, it was a journey I will never forget. This was something so unlike Electronic Arts, this felt experimental (if that's the right word) and it's something lacking in EA today. When you get used to the controls running from point A to point B is a thrilling experience. Sadly 2015's Mirror's Edge: Catalyst didn't recapture this feeling for me. I'll always have the first Mirror's Edge game for my parkour fix whenever I need it.

Honourable Mentions.

Halo 3

Halo was (and probably still is) my favourite shooting franchise. Great action gameplay with a high cinematic story puts this game in with along with my favourites. In substance it's nothing new, merely a magnificent, beautiful monster of an first-person shooter sequel in concept and execution. It's ODST expansion might be one of the best stories of the Halo universe. It's such a shame that this is the one of the last Halo games that I've enjoyed before 343 took control.

Portal 2

Portal 2 is a funny, charming and unique game, there really isn't too many video games like this. Sporting some great writing and voice work as well as some deviously designed puzzles (I felt smarter after playing this), Portal 2 isn't much different from the first Portal. It's more of the same and that's certainly not a bad thing.

Saints Row The Third

This game was a major turning point for the franchise. It might've soured it's original fanbase by going off the rails, glaring retconning of the lore and streamlined its once in-depth features to appeal to a wider audience. But despite that I still love this fucking game so much. An experience I will never forget.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

The Need for Speed franchise was in a slump in the late 2000's. The golden days of Underground and Most Wanted were over and done with. After that Need for Speed had an identity crisis and EA's long running racing series needed a much needed refresh. Here arrived Criterion Games to the rescue. EA's secondary racing franchise Burnout, always sold less than Need for Speed but was always more critically lauded. The UK developer applied their Burnout formula with the Need for Speed name and voilá. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit in 2010 was awarded with lots of praise from the games media, which hasn't been seen since the early 2000's golden age. A fairly polarising game within the Need for Speed community. It's more 'Burnout' than 'Need for Speed' and I'm perfectly fine with that.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles

I don't think Midnight Club: Los Angeles is as good as its predecessors. But that's not going to stop me from putting it in my honourable mentions. MC:LA is a slightly more realistic instalment of the franchise. Rockstar sacrificed crazy jumps and hectic multiplayer modes, for a bigger more detailed focus on the open world map of Los Angeles. The police are actually a threat now and we have to tip-toe around them which restricts the free roam mayhem of the past. Despite the unpopular changes It still feels like Midnight Club to me. My appreciation for this game increases every passing year, especially with the dire state of modern Arcade Racing games. It only makes me want a sequel from Rockstar even more. One day a new Midnight Club will happen, one day.

Grand Theft Auto V

It doesn't matter if it's your first time visiting Los Santos or if you're thinking of booking a return flight, I give Grand Theft Auto V my highest recommendation. This is simply a marvellous, beautiful and chaotic game. So good that it almost seems deceitful, like a CGI trailer of what the highest level of fun might look like except you're actually playing it instead of watching it. After 17 years, it's incredible that the series still has such power to astound and excite.

inFAMOUS 2

inFAMOUS 2 is as solid as the original game if not more-so. Sucker Punch has nailed the superhero formula and created what could be the perfect superhero simulation for any platform. This game is the perfect way to scratch that desire in your imagination to be more than human. This game is another strong example of a super-hero game done right, and serves as a great example that sequels can expand on the original formula without being derivative.

Castle Crashers

Who knew this little Xbox Live Arcade game can cause so much mayhem? Back when I had friends we had so much fun playing this. The intentional screwing-over-my-friends routine I used to pull in this game gave me so much laughter and happy memories. Now I have no friends...

Driver: San Francisco

This game is the very definition of a 'hidden gem'. Excellent production values and an enormous fun factor. The city, music, cars and story create a 'Starsky and Hutch' style. Humour in various dialogues can be funny. Driving/shifting mechanics are great. The handling, feel, response, and sound of each vehicle feels very right. It sucks that not many people played this. This game also scratches the itch of a Midtown Madness styled racing game that's missing in the video game market for years.

Halo: Reach

Ah yes, the final hoorah from Bungie. Maybe the best divorce gift anyone has ever sent to their former spouse. Not my favourite Halo game of the franchise but I love it enough to put it in the honourable mentions.