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Nukid101's Top 30 7th Generation Games: 25 - 21

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Hey everyone. Well, the XboxOne has finally been released, and the 8th Generation of gaming is officially underway, but we’ve still got 25 more entries from the previous generation to go over. With that said, this is part 2 of my countdown!




Nukid101’s Top 30 7th Generation Games: 25 – 21



Number 25...

Journey (2012)


If there was any game in this generation that legitimately argued video gaming as an Art form, this game is it.

Now let me just get this out here: Journey is often regarded as being that ‘perfect’ video game, and I’m gonna come out and say that I don’t quite agree. My reasoning being that Journey suffers severely in one crucial element to any game: challenge.
As in, there is no challenge at all.

Journey is piss easy, no can deny that. Sure there are puzzles, sure there are one or two things that attack you, but solving the puzzles and evading the enemies is hardly rocket science. That, added with the short length makes its incredibly easy to complete the game in one sitting.

And yet...as contradictory as this might sound...Journey can almost completely get away with it.

Yes, it lacks any real challenge, but Journey simply doesn’t want to take you too much out of the experience, out of the incredible world it has created. Yes it is short, but like a much higher entry on my list, rather than just drag things out Journey perfectly uses the time it is given to give a perfectly paced game and tell us a truly beautiful story.

A story, I might add, where not a single bit of dialogue is uttered.

Journey is a game that sucks you into its jaw-droppingly beautiful story which is as minimalist as you can probably get in a game. You are alone in an endless desert, journeying to a mountain where a light shines up into the sky, and you walk through the desert passing the remnants of a once thriving civilisation, along with dream-like images shown to you at checkpoints. That’s all you’re given, that’s all you need.

Naturally, for this game to have worked it would’ve needed top notch designs and music, and I can wholeheartedly say that Journey has some of the best design and music I’ve ever played in a video game, bar none. It is absolutely breathtaking to behold and living proof at just what the indie development is capable of, considering they made a game more beautiful that just about everything coming out from triple AAA studios today.

There’s not much else to say really, since Journey is a game that can’t really be explained. You have to experience it first hand.

Number 24...

Telltale’s The Walking Dead (2012)/The Wolf Among Us (2013)


This is to be the first of five entries that will be shared by more than one game on each. To be honest I wish I could give both games their own individual spots, but sadly since The Wolf Among Us has only one episode out, it would feel wrong at this point to give it its own spot. I daresay though-considering how good episode one was-that by the end of its five episodes it will have earned a spot on this list.

But back on track, Telltale, you magnificent bastards. You have single handedly revitalised the Point and Click Gaming genre. How did you do it?!

Well, I’ll tell you all one thing they DIDN’T do: They didn’t follow the idea David Cage’s has had for gaming since Heavy Rain.

Really, hold up these two games to Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, and you’ve got a pretty clear image on how to do point and click adventure games RIGHT and WRONG. The weird thing though is that David Cage DID do this kind of the game the right way when he made his Magnum Opus, Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy (a game I will CONSTANTLY stress is not from the same cloth as his future games).

The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us are both games based around successful comics, the former also having its own even more popular TV series, but one of the great things however is that you don’t have anything about either series to enjoy these gems. No, you can come in knowing bugger all (like me!) and you will have no problem becoming engrossed by their stories, and what great stories they both have.

The Walking Dead is-in typical zombie apocalypse fashion- a bleak and often depressing affair, but it’s absolutely impossible to not get immersed in the games atmosphere. It’s true that the story offers nothing new in the genre, but The Walking Dead decides to simply tell it better than most. Even during its quiet moments the game keeps this tense, discomforting atmosphere that I really just ate up,  and the interactions with the various characters you meet, especially Clementine, made it impossible for me to not be invested.

The Wolf Among Us is a bit harder to talk about since only one episode has come out so far, but to be honest, I’ve got a feeling that The Wolf Among Us might actually surpass The Walking Dead, and I say this for two reasons:

1. The design the game chooses is absolutely brilliant. Despite its fantasy story, the game employs a noir-like style that fits the games story perfectly. Personal preference here, but I like it more than The Walking Dead’s design.

2. Compared to the first episode of The Walking Dead, I came out more invested in the story of A Wolf Among Us. Not surprising as it is a murder-mystery, but it was also due to the truly fascinating setting and brilliant combination of fairytale fantasy and detective noire.

Really, despite hearing mixed things about both series, these game do actually make me consider checking both comics out, or The Walking Dead TV series, and I daresay that’s what the creators wanted to do. Regardless though, these are must-haves for any gamer today to play. They’re available on the respective online shops, but The Walking Dead has been ported to disc format too, and I daresay A Wolf Among Us will to. Check both out, I promise you all that you’ll love them to death.

Number 23...

Asura’s Wrath (2012)


Before I praise the hell out of this game, I need to get something off my chest: Forcing me to pay extra money just to be able to properly finish the last quarter of the game?! Dick move Capcom. Dick move.

Now then, Asura’s Wrath. When this game first came out, it got mixed reviews and then just got swept under the rug and largely forgotten for a while, and to be honest I’m not surprised. Asura’s Wrath really does not have any brethren, nor can it be properly lumped into one particular genre. For many it was just a weird and interesting experiment that didn’t quite work.

I know some people who still don’t like it, despite the cult classic status it has achieved, and honestly, I get that. Not everyone’s gonna like the over the top nature of it, and some people feel like the game itself doesn’t really know what it wants to be, and just floats between different genres aimlessly.

I can respect that. In fact the first 30 minutes made me feel this too, but honestly, after finishing it...

...My GOD, this game is so fucking fun.

Yes, it is clichéd. Yes, it is over the top, but Asura’s Wrath REVELS in its eccentric nature and its clichés and it really sucked me in with how earnest and passionate it wanted to tell its story. Better yet, after the sketchy first half hour, I began to adore the gameplay and its ability to constantly keep me entertained. Some argue there isn’t enough gameplay, but I most certainly disagree.

The boss fights are probably some of my favourites from this generation. Admittedly they’re not always the most challenging, but I’m sucked in by the epicness and size the boss fights created. My personal favourites are easily the battle between Asura and Augus, and of course, the final boss.

Regarding the story again, it may be clichéd and it’s hardly a masterpiece...but there is so much heart to it, especially with its main protagonist Asura. Asura isn’t just another Kratos or Dante, he is a character who, for all his god-like powers, becomes incredibly human and sympathetic. His story is not amoral like Kratos, or treated comically like Dante’s often is; you feel his pain and you see how good of a man he really is, that I can’t help but call him one of my favourite gaming protagonists.

I recommend to everyone to check out this game...but I admittedly can’t guarantee you’ll love it. This is one of the experience you’ll either get or you won’t get, but as myself,
I get, and I LOVE it!

Number 22...

The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011)


By including this game, some of you are probably thinking “Oh, so I take it you prefer this game to Twilight Princess then?”

Aaaaand that’s not quite the case.

It’s been a while since I played either game, so I honestly don’t know which I’d prefer if I compared the two. The reason I’m not including Twilight Princess is because...well...I don’t personally see it as a 7th Generation game.

Yes, it was indeed on the Wii, and if you were like me it was one of the first games you bought when you first got your Wii....but let’s face it, Twilight Princess was technically a Gamecube game that got ported to the Wii, so I don’t feel the game qualifies for this generation. That said, if Skyward Sword does have anything over Twilight Princess, it is design. Loads better in my opinion.

But yea, Skyward Sword...this is a controversial one. I’ve seen this one be considered one of the best of the franchise...or the absolute worst. Of course, in true internet fashion, people can’t seem to agree whether it sucks because they changed too much, or didn’t change enough.

I’m gonna be honest here guys: I’m not a very big Zelda fan. I know, I know, how dare I, but I do agree to an extent that the franchise overall-while incredibly solid-doesn’t usually stray much from its formula. That said, I did really enjoy Skyward Sword and unsurprisingly I liked a fair few of the changes it made. This made me consider something

Do you know which two Zelda games got flack for being too different? Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker.

And now? They’re usually considered the two best in the series. In fact, I myself regard Wind Waker to be the franchises-nay, Nintendo’s-greatest game of all time, so this does make me ponder. Will Skyward Sword be more accepted overall in ten years time? Quite possibly.

That’s not to say I don’t have gripes with the game. Fi’s desire to over explain everything is grating as fuck, having to return to Skyloft to go to different area does take away from the grandness and size of a typical Zelda game, and I can appreciate that people don’t like backtracking to the same places to explore new areas.

But as mentioned before, I like the many changes it brought too. I love the mix of Wind Wakers colourful palette with Twilight Princess’s character design, making for a design that has the best of both worlds. I personally liked the Wii MotionPlus usage and how it required precision strikes and more careful planning in fights, and I say this as somebody who is left handed! The adding of mechanics like dashing is a grateful bonus and being able to fly through the air was almost as entertaining as sailing the seas in Wind Waker

Believe it or not though, it’s the story and characters I enjoy the most about this game, and when you consider that this is a ZELDA game, that’s saying something.

With Skyward Sword they clearly wanted to tell a more cinematic story than before, but what they also wanted was for a more personal one. This came in the form of a Zelda that is your childhood friend and a clear romantic love interest, and that is something I will delve into later. Besides that though, you’ve got characters like Groose who do go through actual character arcs, and good ones at that.

Back to Zelda, I agree with a lot of people when they say she is the most likeable Zelda incarnation. Absolutely, but now I’m going to have to steal and observation from Moviebob about this game.

Skyward Sword is the first time sexuality has found its way into the franchise.

Not overtly of course. There’s no Mass Effect styled sex scene (there’s not even a kiss scene...), but let’s look at the Link/Zelda relationship in past games. At best, they’re implied love interest, usually done with same depth and understanding that two ten year olds would have of romance and attractions to another person.

Skyward Sword however? There is a very clear thing between Link and Zelda, and speaking as someone who is a bit of a romance buff, I actually appreciate this. It is in its own way like Nintendo showing change. In fact seeing them tackle romance blatantly like this is like watching the company go through puberty!

Overall though, I really enjoy Skyward Sword. I get that some people don’t, and it’s not even my personal favourite, but I do personally enjoy it to bits, and maybe in a few years more people will soften to this one too.

Number 21...

God Of War III (2010)


Oh of course this bloody gem would be on here! God of War III was-as the title suggest-the third instalment of the main series and the conclusion to the series main trilogy. After being betrayed by Zeus, Kratos has awakened the Titans and ascends Mount Olympus with them to destroy the Olympian Gods.

As you can imagine, Kratos is PISSED.

I will say this right now, out of the three main games, God Of War III has the weakest overall story. Particularly evident at the start when Kratos reaches Zeus but he’s instantly send back to the bottom...literally the Underworld, and has to restart again from the bottom up. Besides that, and the story involving Pandora’s Box, it really is just Kratos just going up and up, killing Gods, Titans and anything else that gets in his way.

To be honest though...do we really need anymore.

I wish I could give a long speech about why I like this game like I did with Skyward Sword, but to be frank my reasoning for liking this game is quite simple. It takes everything great about God Of War I & II, and RAMPS it up to 9000!!

God of War III is the God Of War experience refined and on a much better engine. Cutting and disemboweling creatures the size of giants is nothing short of spectacular, and the game revels in its own sadistic, twisted nature that fits wonderfully to the very twisted Greek mythology.

But you know, after mutilating and ravaging countless Gods, Titans and other kinds of demons...it was nice to see the trilogy get a satisfactory and fitting conclusion. It was much like Saints Row IV in that you know what you had just played could not be outdone. They couldn’t make something BIGGER, so don’t even try.

Well...okay, they made God Of War: Ascension, but that was a prequel...and not very good from what I’ve heard.

That’s all I’ve got to say really. God Of War III, a bloody, gory, sadistic ride that you can’t help but love from beginning to end.




And that’s it for Part 2! Stay tuned for Part 3 where we go over choices 20 – 16! Till then!
Enjoy!
© 2013 - 2024 Nukid101
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I enjoyed Skyward Sword but Wind Waker is still my favorite 3D Zelda game.  The combat was passable, the passing was poor (seriously, you visit the same dungeon twice!!), and the boss fights were repetitious  (you fought the Imprisoned 3 times and Dharhim 3 times too with only noticeable changes between the previous fight).  Fi would have been much less annoying if there was a button to speed up her dialog.  But the graphics are beautiful and I found the story magnificent.  I hope all future Zelda games have this level of story telling in them.

Good list.