It’s not uncommon among my various friend circles these days to find comments decrying the state of modern games. ‘Games were better when x’ the debate inevitably comes down to, whether that means games use to be harder, more complex, prioritising mechanics & system’s  over graphics etc.

It’s a view I’m not completely unsympathetic toward, certainly one could take the best games from any era and make claim to their superior status over what many are currently playing. But to the contrary, I am thoroughly enjoying this generation’s output.

In fact I’ve never been as interested or attached to following the titles & trends coming out of the industry as since this console life-cycle began with the launch of the Xbox360 nearing some 5 years ago now. I believe games are changing, evolving, streamlining & generally learning from past mistakes as they take old formula’s and provide a refreshing departure.

For the record, I own both an Xbox360 and PS3. Not initially interested enough to run out and acquire these home entertainment device’s come launch day; Instead I was somewhat late to the party in picking up the 360 at first, around June 2007, then several month’s later following up with Sony’s flagship product Playstation 3 (PS3).

I’ve had near on 30 months to enjoy the software available on these platforms, as it turns out a whole lot. Why then does my view as to the current state of the industry differ so dramatically from the quarrels’ of my peers?

Well to be perfectly honest it was only a few years ago, in the infancy of the modern console era, that games released on the now mainstream platforms were one of 3 compromises, each equally unsatisfying:

• Ports of games designed for last generation consoles. Look horrible when presented on systems capable of displaying greater detail than previous. Just Cause, King Kong, Battlefield 2 Modern Combat etc.
• Expanded scope games, visuals & game play tropes of existing games on a larger scale than was previously possible. Dead Rising and alike.
• Break-ground games, those amongst the first generation of titles released utilising development tools catered to the new platforms. To overcome time spent in back-end development, often they provided less feature sets, length & game time. Your Lair, Heavenly Sword types.

While this was true of a certain period in the transitional phase of games between generations, as would have occurred before with previous technology leaps, now beyond 4 years in we’re far from that reality.

To prove this point, I have collected a sample of games I personally believe rise above the noise of the games offered this generation to date. Note that dates against them reflect when I played through, not initial release schedules.

Gears of War – 2007

Though widely ridiculed for their selected palette of brown’s & brown’s, Gears of War (GoW) was a stunning visual example of what couldn’t be done with the previous generation of hardware.

One of the first games to be praised as a ‘cinematic experience’, referring to the art & sequence direction more so than its quantity of cut-scene cinemas, a term that would later become common language in the description of games providing detailed triggered event set’s.

Largely influenced by Capcom’s beloved Resident Evil 4, GoW would go on to create a genre definition of its own; with many 3^rd person shooters following in it’s wake including familiar tactics of cover & near instant rejuvenation.

If you haven’t played Gears, it’s still worth the pickup today. Despite being over 3 years old and having a number of copy cat products, it holds up as a benchmark of game design in the HD era.

Halo 3 – 2007

(commence fanboi hissing)

Despite not being the prettiest game on the Xbox360, even for its time, Halo 3 was significant (and still remains so) for it’s inclusion of a full Cooperative Campaign mode with up to 4 players be that online or system-linked.

Finally fulfilling the promise Microsoft had been selling for its latest platform, Halo 3 provides a hallmark for online connectivity & community integration in a software product. Even today, some 30 months after Halo 3’s initial release, are co-op campaign games an exception rather than the rule.

Though few have tried, the majority have failed due to poor saving & progression mechanics, that is to say they didn’t match Halo 3’s ‘drop in-drop out’ capability. The campaign itself was a rollercoaster of striking set-pieces loosely strung together, of worthy note are the scarab fights which make for such entertainment with a full party of co-op combatant’s.

Rainbow Six Vegas – 2007

A re-imaging of the Rainbow Six brand, Rainbow Six Vegas (R6V) is not only noteworthy as a more visually engaging R6 experience with improved stealth mechanics, but employed a ingenious little extra to put that extra hook on the experience.

Still widely under-utilised today, R6V made use of the Xbox Vision Camera by allowing players to have their face photographed and subsequently modelled onto the player’s character model in game!

Were not talking a flat image either, but an imposed 3d texture over the model able to take specific recognisable features into consideration. At the time I was rocking some thick sideburns (-side note : actually still am), which came through clear as day on the digital kick-ass version of myself, along with an unfortunately pasty white complexion. 

Rock Band – 2008

The Guitar Hero fad was so 2005! And while it re-invigorated a taste for plastic peripherals and 70’s rock alike, the formula quickly wore with the persistent exploitation of it’s overlords like a Disney band 3 years into their contract.

Rock Band was the new love child of the US industries rhythm game godfather – Harmonix. While mechanically similar to Guitar Hero, Rock Band upped the anti by providing the software as a ‘platform’ for expansion in the form of continuous weekly DLC that has been going strong ever since the games original launch way back in late 2007.

As touched on previously with Halo 3, Rock Band is a product that proves to potential of this console generation through its potential to distribute DLC, in effect growing the game far beyond the product that initially hit shelves.

It is obvious for that reason that Rock Band has its place among the collective Kudo’s of hallmark games this generation.

Valkyria Chronicles – 2008

While RPG’s general have been in decline of late with significant talent retreating into development for handheld systems, Sega dared do something different and produced a top market exclusive JRPG for the PS3.

Valkyria Chronicles (VC) is a significant title not only as a entry in a diminishing market for Japanese RPG’s, but for its Water Colour aesthetic which defines the experience and remains as striking throughout the lengthy campaign.

VC explores traditional mechanics of tactical RPG’s the likes of Fire Emblem & Final Fantasy Tactics, but adds a twist in the form of Live Action movements inhibited by a stamina-esq. bar.

The player shared turns moving units around the map with opponent AI determined by an accumulated number of Command Points, the combat itself was an imitation of more real-time structures of interceptions & retaliations.

In doing so, VC provides a purely unique tactical RPG experience distinct from other home console offerings in the genre.

Mass Effect 2 – 2010

Heralds the true beginning for games as a ‘cinematic experience’. While titles like Gears of War are praised as such for set-pieces & art direction, Mass Effect 2 really sells the illusion of interactive cinema from start to finish as the player comes to embody the life & actions of their Commander Shepard.

A significant feature in selling this emersion are the fully voice acted dialogue sequences; you never feel a character is insignificant, text-only interactions being a common trope amongst RPG’s.

Even the combat helps sell the illusion through a tight in camera, a vulnerable Shepard and enemy AI able to perform a significant number of tactical manoeuvres mid-combat.

The support cast is also mostly superb. Dialogue delivery again able to express deeper, more thought out characters than your average video game. Supporting cast members create the backbone of the story, as Shepard you must come to understand them & support them if you want a shot at surviving the final mission.

All the games I’ve mentioned above I believe are truly top notch and would be well considered amongst the lexicon of greatest games ever. As such, I cannot abide talk of this generation being disappointing. Perhaps to some, certainly not for me.