My short list for what remains of this generation

On 06/27/2013 at 02:42 PM by daftman

Now that E3 is behind us and Microsoft is pretending that it wasn't being a total jerkwad with the Xbox One, my attention returns to the current generation. What games do I not have that I really want? What, you might say, is my short list for this gen? I settled on five games because that's a nice round number and it forces me to be choosy. So here we go!

(Note: I'm only dealing with Wii, 360, and PS3 here because handhelds would make it too hard to stick with five games, and this list is only for games I don't own yet, not games I simply haven't played.)

Bayonetta (360)

Bayonetta

This super stylish action game was directed by Hideki Kamiya, the man behind Devil May Cry and thus the father of the modern 3D action game. By all accounts this spectacle-filled romp is a blast to play. And it's relevant again since Nintendo is footing the bill for Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U. At less than $10, it's the cheapest and easy game on this list to find.

Red Dead Redemption -- Game of the Year Edition (PS3)

Red Dead Redemption GotY

I mainly want to play this Wild West epic for the story but I want the GotY version because it includes the Undead Nightmare DLC, which costs as much as the normal game at retail. I've seen this go on sale for $20 before (you know, when I didn't have the money to get it), so I'm just waiting for that to happen again. C'mon...

Pandora's Tower (Wii)

Pandora's Tower

I know this game has some issues but it's unique, in story and setting if not necessarily in mechanics, and it's a game we nearly didn't get here in the West. I was afraid at first that it would disappear quickly like Xenoblade did, driving the price way up, but so far it's still readily available and I'm hoping it stays that way for a while.

Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection (PS3)

MGS Legacy

Up until last week this would have been the MGS HD Collection but The Legacy Collection blows that one out of the water. Check out my earlier blog if you're not familiar with what's in it.

The Last of Us (PS3)

The Last of Us

Another recent addition, to be sure, but with all the positive buzz this game is getting, I definitely want to play it sometime. It may be yet another zombie apocalypse game but unless everyone is lying to me, this is an experience not to be missed. Check out Julian's review if you're curious.

And there you have it, folks! Five great games I don't want my collection to be without. There are others, certainly, but if I could get only five more games from this gen, it'd probably be these ones.

So what do you think? What would be on your short list? Just try to keep it to five games

Matt Snee Staff Writer

06/27/2013 at 02:54 PM

I would have to include the Mass Effect trilogy, which I think was the best saga of this generation. I think it was really the pinnacle of modern video games.

06/27/2013 at 02:56 PM

oh wait these are for games we haven't played? Hmmm. Defintely last of us, Bioshock Infinitie, and Far Cry 3. And Dishonored. I haven't played any of those yet. And I'm really hyped to play the new GTA

daftman

06/27/2013 at 07:55 PM

Well it was supposed to be games you don't own yet but want in your collection. You know, so you can play them eventually lol.

Super Step Contributing Writer

06/27/2013 at 03:26 PM

Your list would mostly mirror mine, honestly.

06/27/2013 at 07:57 PM

Yeah, Joe, this one is a little difficult for you to really participate in

06/27/2013 at 08:56 PM

Nah, not really, I might not have first hand experience with all of them, but I know what I like. lol

transmet2033

06/27/2013 at 03:32 PM

I would probably have to say...

Metro: Last Light, Pandora's Tower, Xenoblade Chronicles, and The Bureau: XCOM declassified.

I cannot think of the last one. There are a slew of PS3 games that I would want to get around to playing. The only problem with Xenoblade Chronicles is the price.

06/27/2013 at 08:00 PM

I bought Xenoblade for $40 and the next week it tripled in price. Glad I picked it up when I did!

I do want to play Metro 2033 but it has held its resale value surprisingly well.

06/27/2013 at 09:10 PM

I had stopped playing wii for a little while, and xenoblade was released during that time. I picked up last story yesterday, and nearly picked up pandoras tower. I hate that some of the games that I really want to play are scarce enough to be very expensive.

06/28/2013 at 07:42 PM

I know what you mean. Metroid Prime is my favorite game but the trilogy for Wii came out while I was in college and broke. Now it's hard to find and very expensive

06/28/2013 at 07:55 PM

I did get that one day one, so I guess that I shouldnt complain. Did just order pandoras tower, and metro because metro is/was 25% off.

Blake Turner Staff Writer

06/27/2013 at 04:27 PM

This reminded me that I'm not following you. I have now reversed this travesty!

06/27/2013 at 08:03 PM

Good job! I salute you! (You'll just have to take my word for it lol)

Since you identify as one those...PC gamers now, I guess there aren't strong generation divides for you like there are with consoles. Just gotta ask yourself if your graphics card is up to snuff, huh?

06/27/2013 at 08:07 PM

I only really got into pc two years ago, and I got into it because this gen was growing stale. So generations have had a big effect on me. I'd still console game if I didn't lose both of my consoles in a house fire :/

Bayonetta is my favourite spectacle fighter of all time. I mean it's fucking brilliant. MGS 3 is one of my faves from last gen too, and some of my fondest memories are playing Timesplitters 2 on PS2. I'm not an elitist, I just jokingly act that way, because at the moment it's all I have. There are pros and cons to both... I just find for me there are more games I like on PC. There's more variety, and there are games that just wouldn't get made on console.

06/28/2013 at 07:51 PM

I remember you mentioning that fire in other comments. That sucks, man

I have nothing against people that prefer PCs. One of my best friends never plays on anything else if he can help. (He's the sort of fellow that started playing WoW when it launched and still dusts off his characters to try each new expansion.) But I've never been into gaming on computers much. Part of that is because we always had Macs growing up, so there weren't that many option (did get to play StarCraft at least). I like consoles but PCs have really come back in the last couple of years and are relevant again. I remember when we all thought the PC as a gaming platform was dead when Gears of War came out exlusively on the 360. I'm kind of glad we were wrong

Aboboisdaman

06/27/2013 at 05:21 PM

Red Dead is a great game. I've been wanting to play the Undead DLC for forever, but keep forgetting about it. Other than The Last of Us there really isn't much that I want from this gen. Diablo 3 and Rayman Legends are the only ones that I can think of.

06/27/2013 at 08:24 PM

I'm glad you've reached a point of near-contentedness, Aaron. We don't go in GameStop very often anymore (money, you know) but when we do...of COURSE I want Alpha Protocal for $5! And Overlord for $6! And Red Faction: Guerrilla for $5! And...restraint lol

Chunopo

06/27/2013 at 08:58 PM

Red Dead has to be one of my favourite gaming experiences of even the last ten years, I'm sure The last of Us would be too but i have to play it and not sure I can even logically spaned a few hundred dollars on a PS3 this close to the end of the generation..... but it's tempting

06/28/2013 at 11:00 AM

Buying a new PS3, especially for a handful of games, is a little much at this point but see if you can find somewhere that sells them used and includes their own warranty against defects (for peace of mind). You could probably save some good money that way. Don't know if living in Australia would make that more difficult though

Alex-C25

06/27/2013 at 11:38 PM

I myself will try atleast to get as far as I can in the games I have unfinished on the Wii and PSP. I wouldn't have problem with some of the games of this gen, since I can afford them on Steam. I'm just a little sad that I don't have a PS3 or 360 to play the Halos, InFamous, the Jak & Daxter Collection, among some exclusives from those consoles.

06/28/2013 at 07:37 PM

The Wii and PSP both have a lot of great games and between the two of them offer a lot of variety. It's a shame not to have either a PS3 or a 360 though. Which would you pick, given the choice?

Halochief90

06/28/2013 at 06:31 AM

Yeah, this generation still has some life in it yet! Last of Us is the big one I will get to eventually. I also need to get Red Dead Redemption at some point. Other games would be Lords of Shadow, Tomb Raider, Rayman Legends, and a crapload of Wii games (as I am yet to own a Wii).

06/28/2013 at 07:38 PM

Yeah, the industry could take a couple of years off and not release anything new and I'd still be perfectly happy lol

Temperance

06/28/2013 at 08:01 PM

It's a crazy coincidence that you brought up this topic. About a week ago I did a very lengthy and exhausting sweep through the game libraries of all the systems I own. The reason for the sweep was to answer a question similar to yours. I wanted to make sure that I was content with the current state of my game library, so I did one final search to confirm that. What I discovered was that I was pretty much done buying games and that I only needed to pick up a few more.

Within my shopping list - that is only two games long now - is one Wii game: Rune Factory Frontier. Once I pick that one up next month I'll be shifting my focus over to next generation hardware, namely the 3DS. Rune Factory 4 is coming out soon for the system, so it's a good thing that I'm ready to move on.

As for the games you've chosen, it almost seems like cheating that you put the Legacy Collection on there . How many games are in that again? Seven, eight ? At least it will keep you busy, especially if you really dig into each game. Red Dead Redemption is another long one, too, regardless if you play online or off.

06/29/2013 at 11:10 AM

Yeah, I suppose putting The Legacy Collection in the list is cheating but the number of games in it is exactly why it's so appealing lol. And while I've never played any of the Harvest Moon games (my brother had the Game Boy one back in the day, which I think might have been the first one released in the US...?) but I'd probably like the Rune Factory games. I've heard lots of good things.

I think the only collection I've ever been satisfied with was the N64 but how hard is that? Lol. But there's only one game I really want for the GameCube still, and that's Lost Kingdoms II. The problem is that the GameCube collection is fractured. I have some of it but so do my two brothers, and we all live in separate states. All of us were buying games, which is probably the only reason it got anywhere near "complete"

06/30/2013 at 04:51 PM

The Rune Factory games took me by surprise. Although I wasn't a fan of Harvest Moon, there were portions of the game that I knew I would enjoy in within a game of larger scope. Rune Factory is that game. The one I played, Tides of Destiny, blended the relaxing and quaint farming/crafting/relationship system from Harvest Moon with an action-rpg. One day you're building bonds with the townspeople and the next your working through a dungeon or tending your fields.

Anyway, they're worth looking into, especially the PS3 and Wii games (Tides of Destiny is available on both, whereas Frontier is a Wii exclusive). The DS trilogy was recently republished, too, so you can get the whole set for the price of what one game was going for (Rune Factory 3 was $90 for a good, long time). If you're interested, Rune Factory 1 and 2 are available for about $25 each at Amazon, Rune Factory 3 is available for $20 at CD Universe (it just came back in stock), and Tides of Destiny and Frontier are $20 apiece at Amazon.

Also, Harvest Moon originally came out on the SNES and was followed a year later by the Game Boy version. They were late releases, too, coming out in 1997 and 1998, respectively.

And, no, the N64 wasn't difficult to buy for. There was little more than 160 games to choose from, so it was pretty easy to find what you were looking for. As for Lost Kingdoms II, you might need to save up for that one. I mean, it costs so much that you either by that or a modern release !

Hmmm... I know a thing or two about fractured game collections. For the longest time I was buying games for my brother's systems and vice versa, too. It was great for the time having access to twice as many games . But once those games are gone it sucks !

07/01/2013 at 05:38 PM

I hope to have more money for game collecting before too long, but things are still pretty tight right now. I'd love to get a couple of the Rune Factory games, for instance. I'm expecting (and hoping for) a job change by the end of this month which should leave us in a better financial position and give me more time to actually play some games. But nothing is certain yet

07/02/2013 at 12:55 PM

Wanting games and not having the money to buy them was one of my least favorite situations, too. I do hope everything works out for you, though, and that you don't miss out on anything that will cost you more later on. While buying games is not a top priority, it's quite disheartening to watch good deals (and sometimes a game's availability altogether) pass you by.

BrokenH

06/28/2013 at 08:56 PM

Bayonetta was brilliant for an action game. I still want to eventually get RDR as well though westerns aren't my cup of tea overall.

06/29/2013 at 11:15 AM

I'm not the biggest fan our westerns either but I love a good story, which apparently is RDR's strongest suite. Seriously, who plays Rockstar games for the gameplay?

NSonic79

07/07/2013 at 09:59 PM

Don't wait out on Pandora's tower. Best not take the chance on that one. I can't find that game anymore along with The Last story in my area. Infact I found a copy of Xenoblades at my local game story going for almost 100 right now!

I'm with you on Bayonetta. Me thinks I'll add that to my collection come the fall *sinister laugh*

07/08/2013 at 10:42 AM

Yeah, Pandora's Tower is the one I'm worried about. Hopefully I can drum up the cash sometime soon. I paid $40 for my copy of Xenoblade literally a week before the price skyrocketed like that.

PixlBit