It's fun to look back through this generation because there is just so many great games. But also makes me a little sad because the industry has changed quite a bit, and don't think we'll ever see as many big budget creative high quality games again.
1.
Mass Effect ; The only easy choice for me. The best world building, the best characters, the best story, great voice acting, beautiful graphical homage to 70's sci-fi, and the best score. Easily the best game of the generation, best RPG of the generation, and it is up there in writing with the all time best RPGs like Planescape Torment. Vigil is so damn evocative...
2.
Spelunky ; I have played this more than any other game in my life, and I still do the daily challenge almost every day. Procedural done right, platforming done right. Hugs to Derek Yu and Andy Hull
3.
Dark Souls ; Respect the player, don't hold their hand. Could have put Demon's Souls here, but I slightly prefer the connected semi-open world of Dark Souls.
4.
Dishonored ; Bringing back the Looking Glass style systems driven FPS. The anecdote to the bombastic CoD style on rails FPS.
5.
Red Faction Guerrilla ; The destructibility was pure video game fun.
6.
Red Dead Redemption ; Rockstar's best game, best ending, one of the first open world games that really flt alive.
7.
Assassin's Creed 2 ; The promise of the first game fulfilled. Nothing better than seeing Renaissance Florence and Venice realized. Great score by Jesper Kyd.
8.
The Last of Us ; The best game that wants to be a movie. The chemistry between Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson is insane, and made it feel real. The transition from Fall to Winter is one of the best moments in gaming history.
9.
Alan Wake ; Sadly overshadowed by Red Dead which released on the same day(!?!), but the best horror game of the generation. Thoughtful, quirky, and scary at times.
10.
Journey ; The only arty/indie game that lived up to the hype for me. The seamless multiplayer was amazing, and I found the final climb up the mountain through the snow truly moving.
x. Portal ; Closest to making top 10 - great blend of story/humor gameplay
x. Prince of Persia ; People hate it, but it was beautiful, fun, great score, and Elika saving you was just a good auto-checkpoint restore system.
x. Demon's Souls ; Coin toss between this and Dark Souls for top 5.
x. Half Life 2 Episode 2 ; Might be higher if Valve hadn't abandoned the series. Great game, but I'm bitter.
x. Saints Row the Third ; Fun, funny, whimsical, gross.
x. Deus Ex: Human Revolution ; Like Dishonored, a throwback to more complicated, open, thoughtful, systems driven games.
x. Just Cause 2 ; A chaos simulator
x. Lumines ; best puzzle game, great music
x. XCOM Enemy Unknown ; Would be higher, but still prefer X-Com
x. Uncharted 2 ; Best game of its style after The Last of Us
x. Uncharted 3 ; Best game of its style after The Last of Us and Uncharted 2
Worst game on anyone's list on page 1-6: SSX - what a disappointment.
