Top 3 best games this gen

[Launcelot111]

1. Because Persona 4 is technically last gen and because this game improved leaps and bounds over Persona 3 regular,

2. Because Bethesda open worldedness can mesh well with strong writing and characters

3. Because sometimes I don't need strong character growth or a gritty dystopian future as much as a shining star telling me the funnest way to get from A to B

Honorable mentions to Skyrim, Disgaea 4, Monster Hunter Tri, Final Fantasy Tactics A2, SMT Devil Survivor, Castlevania Order of Ecclesia, and Batman Arkham Asylum

 

[Freaky Lou]

1.Fallout 3
2. Call of Duty 4
3. Dark Souls.

Skyrim is not even close. The combat sucks, the story is boring and the characters suck.
Bioshock and Halo 3 come in as contenders.

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH @ bashing those things about Skyrim while putting FO3 as best game this gen.

I haven't played them all, but

1. Team Fortress 2---As far as I'm concerned, best multiplayer FPS ever. I will never need another one.
2. Fallout: New Vegas---Was my favourite game ever for quite some time. Vastly improved gunplay, and so many well-written side quests with actual characters with real personalities.
3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution---Fantastic gameplay and atmosphere. Fairly meh story, but it tried, and there's so much freedom that it still holds up.

 

[Rack]

Captcha: I'm sorry. Okay I am, the Bayonetta box art is deeply stupid, but it's an amazing game nonetheless. I'm also sorry to Super Mario Galaxy 2, Demon's Souls, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Portal 2, Skyrim and Fallout: New Vegas who couldn't make it.

 

[Baron_Rouge]

1. Dark Souls. One of the hardest, most balanced, addictive experiences I've ever had in gaming, not to mention the fact that it's gorgeous and the world really draws me in.

2. Red Dead Redemption. The characters were very human, the story was excellent, and the huge open world was a joy to explore.

3. Civilization V. Simply put, that "just one more turn" quality is executed so well in Civ 5 that I've probably sunk more time into it than any other (non-Pokemon) game this generation.

 

[Sooint]

Looking over my top 3, I can't help but think "Oh god, I'm such a casual." T_T

1. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
2. Team Fortress 2
3. Minecraft

Honorable mentions go to Halo 3, Dragon Age: Origins, and Quake Live. Though as someone else in this thread already mentioned, the generation isn't finished yet. I'm hoping Guild Wars 2 will find a spot in my top 3 by the end of this gen.

 

[CityofTreez]

1.Fallout 3

Skyrim is not even close. The combat sucks, the story is boring and the characters suck.

Uhhh, what?

I don't like either games, but I'm not sure how you can say those things about Skyrim but have FO3 as #1.

 

[Astoria]

1) Fallout 3
2) Assassin's Creed II
3) Portal 2

With honourable mentions to Batman Arkham Asylum and Skyrim

 

[Thaluikhain]

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodline

SWAT 4, Mind you, this might not count, it's a bit old nowdays.

And, um...

Blade Kitten?

 

[Garyn Dakari]

Um thanks, you're like the 3rd person to tell me that

Can I be the fourth then?

OT:

3. Arkham City and Asylum. Those games turned me into a Batman fan. The voice work was all superb, the gameplay was loads of fun, and the atmosphere and music just all come together and make for an amazing gameplay experience.

2. Half-Life series. Especially Ep2. It's just...Okay, HL is just one of those things you need to experience yourself rather than have someone explain it to you. Just go play the whole series(Opposing Force and Blue Shift are optional though).

1. Mass Effect series. Loved 'em all. Loved the third one slightly less than the first two, but not because of the ending...Truth be told, I'm not even sure why. Probably just a lot of small problems adding up...The second game became my favorite game of all time, just barely dethroning the first KotOR(Which I didn't add because it's not from this generation). And the first one...Just awesome. Instantly fell in love with the universe and characters.

Honorable mentions go to the Portal games, which I pretty much count with the HL series anyway.

 

[snave]

3. Portal

I hope this just counts as this generation. Things get hazy on the PC. Far superior to Portal 2, I loved the way it played akin to a DVD. Short, to the point, never outstayed its welcome but with a host of "extras" to play around with should you desire it. In other words, perfect pacing. This same logic also applies to both of the Half-Life 2 epilogue episodes, but Portal wins in terms of innovation and a perfect balance of story and gameplay.

2. Torchlight

Managed what Blizzard couldn't do in a timeframe 10x as long and it works on a netbook. As far as technical excellence goes, Runic are the only ones that seem to be able to outdo Valve in terms of making a game truly lightweight. Lightweight also applies to DRM, which is why Torchlight 2 has me excited whereas Diablo 3 flew by without much of a care.

1. The Binding of Isaac

This one wins outright by the numbers, tipping even any given Elder Scrolls game I've ever played (I think I poured the most hours into Morrowind in the end). And it was continually enjoyable. Shame about the Flash.

Honourable mentions to Magicka (great idea, truly new gaming skills get tested, but buggy as heck), Bastion (perfect use of narration, and the voice acting itself), Mirror's Edge (excellence in first person platforming), Super Mario Galaxy (thoroughly innovative and enjoyable, shame about the sequel), Pandora's Tower (successful management of time limits in gaming) and Angry Birds in Space (innovation in puzzle gaming, dotted flight paths removed the trial and error of the original). Yeah, I just managed a list with only really two AAA titles on it and I think that speaks volumes.

 

[Grape_Bullion]

In no particular order

Red Dead Redemption
Metal Gear Solid 4
Fallout New Vegas

 

[the_great_cessation]

1. L.A. Noire

2. Heavy Rain

3. Batman: Arkham Asylum

I have a thing for detectives.

 

[Zoe Castillo]

--

 

[Guffe]

For me it has to be:
Xenoblade Chronicles
Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword
Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3

 

[paislyabmj]

Portal

Minecraft


Civilization 4

fucking ninjad.

But if pushed I might have added the orange box(I know its a cheat but its just so damn good).

 

[Westaway]

1.Fallout 3
2. Call of Duty 4
3. Dark Souls.

Skyrim is not even close. The combat sucks, the story is boring and the characters suck.
Bioshock and Halo 3 come in as contenders.

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH @ bashing those things about Skyrim while putting FO3 as best game this gen.

I haven't played them all, but

1. Team Fortress 2---As far as I'm concerned, best multiplayer FPS ever. I will never need another one.
2. Fallout: New Vegas---Was my favourite game ever for quite some time. Vastly improved gunplay, and so many well-written side quests with actual characters with real personalities.
3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution---Fantastic gameplay and atmosphere. Fairly meh story, but it tried, and there's so much freedom that it still holds up.

1.Fallout 3

Skyrim is not even close. The combat sucks, the story is boring and the characters suck.

Uhhh, what?

I don't like either games, but I'm not sure how you can say those things about Skyrim but have FO3 as #1.

1.Fallout 3

Skyrim is not even close. The combat sucks, the story is boring and the characters suck.

Uhhh, what?

I don't like either games, but I'm not sure how you can say those things about Skyrim but have FO3 as #1.

Fair enough. Fallout 3's stories were much, much better than the Skyrim ones. I actually remember most, if not all the Fallout 3 characters, and the setting and atmosphere is extremely well done. I actually wanted to explore the world in Fallout, unlike Skyrim which I just wanted to get through to reach the next Draugr cave.
Did I mention the Draugr caves? Here, let me show you some examples of quests from each game:
Fallout 3:

Someone has lost contact with their family in a near by town. After to traveling there to find out what happened, you find out they're all dead, except the son. You must then dive into the metro tunnels, and in the process encounter an interesting group of people. You can kill all of them, reason with them, and even rearrange a deal so they protect the village.

You find an unconscious merc in a hospital bed. After she wakes up, she pleads for you to find her fellow team mates, who are stuck on top of a hotel, stranded. You must fight through an abandoned hospital, and hotel, and reach the top to assist the mercs. Upon completion, the mercs will return to their base of operations where they give a minor side quest and a choice between a unique mini gun or combat armor.

Skyrim:

I lost my amulet. Go in that cave to get it with bandits. You get 50 gold.

My son lost my father's sword in the cave with draugr. 100 gold.

 

[Shadowstar38]

1)Assassin's Creed 2-This series is the set of stealth games that got me to finally like stealth games. I picked 2 because while the first one was good, the sequal knocked it out the park by improving every facet of the game. Ezio is probably my most recognizable video game protaganist of this generation.

2)Mass Effect 3-No other game series has gotten me this evisted in the story before. I picked three because, this is the first time, ever, that things I did in the games leading up to a sequal had so much impact. And that is an amazing step in video games.

3)Infamous-I got to tell you, this one is just pure, epic fun. I've put more hours into this game than most of you have put into an RPG.

You're given a fantastic superpower, and given a city to just run around and stop the gangs that took it over. I'd put this on the same level as the resent Batman games.

 

[Andy Shandy]

In no particular order

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Mass Effect 2

Batman: Arkham City

Plenty of other potential picks, mind.