I've already talked about my favorite games in another thread, so I'll just mention which ones seemed the most culturally significant:
Mass Effect: In terms of singleplayer, I'm pretty sure Mass Effect has effectively taken the top spot in terms of sci-fi space adventures. Even with the controversy surrounding ME3's ending, it's hard to argue that it hasn't been the most significant trilogy of this generation so far.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: Do I even need to explain this one? Yeah, Battlefield 2 did everything it did first, but this game easily had a greater impact than BF2.
Demons' Souls and/or Super Meat Boy: In many ways, I think these games sort of helped everyone see just how much of a demand there still is for games with a significant challenge. Yeah, Dark Souls is the most popular, but it's really just a sequel to Demons' Souls.
Braid: How many 2D platformers have released since this game came out? It seems to have had some influence in reviving people's interest in the genre.
Portal and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Simply because the two most popular memes of this generation came from those two games.
Fallout 3: Though S.T.A.L.K.E.R. came out a year earlier, it really was the game that sort of jumpstarted the massive craze for post-apocalyptic FPSRPGs. The fact that Metro 2033 is compared to this when it has more in common with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. shows just how much more influence this game had.
Also, you do have to recognize GTAIV, BioShock, The Orange Box, and Super Mario Galaxy 1&2 for being the most well-reviewed games of this generation.
Mass Effect: In terms of singleplayer, I'm pretty sure Mass Effect has effectively taken the top spot in terms of sci-fi space adventures. Even with the controversy surrounding ME3's ending, it's hard to argue that it hasn't been the most significant trilogy of this generation so far.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: Do I even need to explain this one? Yeah, Battlefield 2 did everything it did first, but this game easily had a greater impact than BF2.
Demons' Souls and/or Super Meat Boy: In many ways, I think these games sort of helped everyone see just how much of a demand there still is for games with a significant challenge. Yeah, Dark Souls is the most popular, but it's really just a sequel to Demons' Souls.
Braid: How many 2D platformers have released since this game came out? It seems to have had some influence in reviving people's interest in the genre.
Portal and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Simply because the two most popular memes of this generation came from those two games.
Fallout 3: Though S.T.A.L.K.E.R. came out a year earlier, it really was the game that sort of jumpstarted the massive craze for post-apocalyptic FPSRPGs. The fact that Metro 2033 is compared to this when it has more in common with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. shows just how much more influence this game had.
Also, you do have to recognize GTAIV, BioShock, The Orange Box, and Super Mario Galaxy 1&2 for being the most well-reviewed games of this generation.