December 2007, I remember well, was the month I bought my PlayStation 3 and, by extension, entered the next generation by challenging my friends who had jumped over to Xbox 360; I guess I didn’t know how important the internet would be. I finally saved up enough money to buy the ominous black box along with a copy of the original Assassin’s Creed and was ready to blow my mind and it was. Now the world is gearing up for the launch of the new next generation of systems, the first in an incredible seven years, with all the excitement you’d be forgiven for forgetting about our stalwart current-gen mates. The loyal Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have been good to us during their long tenure in the spotlight, bringing us unforgettable experiences like Bioshock, Fallout 3, The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto IV and V, the entire trilogy of Mass Effect and Uncharted.
Now, we stand on the brink of an abyss, ready to jettison our old friends to upgrade to their flashier, more handsome younger brothers: PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. But don’t be too quick to throw our old comrades into the attic to live in the darkness. Even with the supercharged specs of its smaller siblings, there are still some titles they can’t deliver; his older brothers still have a bit of a fight left. These old machines still have a thing or two to show us, both before and after the new systems hook up to our televisions; our time with them is not over yet. So here are five games that prove there is still life in this generation.
Grand Theft Auto: Online (October 1 PS3, Xbox360)
Sadly Grand Theft Auto V is out now so I decided to cheat a bit and pick its online component as an upcoming release which proves that the current generation has some juice left. And honestly, how can you disagree with me? Grand Theft Auto V is the perfect swan song for a generation that has focused so intently on creating amazing open worlds; after all, technically speaking, it’s one of the best sandboxes I’ve ever played. With an impressive array of customization options, things to do, intense heists to partake in, and some nifty shooting mechanics, GTA: V is an incredibly polished single-player ride; GTA Online goes one step further, taking all that good stuff and bringing it into multiplayer. Heated battles with friends, cunning groups of players banding together to pull off big heists, and all the customization you could want, how could you not be excited for one of the most ambitious multiplayer experiences ever?
Beyond Two Souls (October 8 – Europe PS3 11)
The thrilling PlayStation-exclusive murder mystery Heavy Rain was heavily hyped prior to its 2010 release; when it was unleashed on the world it did well commercially, though it attracted critically mixed reviews. Telling the story of Ethan Mars, a man haunted by the loss of his son and subsequent divorce, while desperately trying to save his remaining son from kidnapping, the title told a wonderful story crudely tied together with a game that constituted nothing. more than QTE. By trying to be cinematic, the game regularly became sterile to play. Still, David Cage’s team at Quantic Dream seems ready to launch another deep and engaging adventure, this time centering on Jodie (Ellen Paige), a young woman who is protected by a mysterious spirit named Aiden. Trailers have shown multiple different scenarios that make it hard to decide what exactly is going on, but the pedigree of the studio dictates that this should be interesting.
Batman Arkham Origins (October 25 PS3, Xbox360)
As gamers, we’re trained to be wary of licenses, they usually end up being terrible in cash; average best case scenario? they are fine. So there have been few surprises this generation that have been happier than Rocksteady’s marvelous 2009 superhero adventure Batman Arkham Asylum, which defies the curse of the franchise title. Instead, players were treated to one of the best games of the year, a thrilling comic book adventure that utilized core members of the animated series’ voice talent, including Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and Joker, respectively. Asylum was then followed by 2011’s Arkham City, which took all of the great combat, exploration, and discovery of the original to a higher level, resulting in an all-around better game. After initial concerns about Warner Bros Montreal taking the wheel were put to rest, it’s fair to say that Batman Arkham Origins looks set to do it all over again.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasty XIII (February 11 – Europe 14 PS3, Xbox360)
Without a doubt, this will be the most controversial game on the list, still hear me out. This generation has not been the best of the JRPG; in fact it has been unanimously the worst. Instead of being given a selection of Final Fantasy games, we’ve been pigeonholed into playing FFXIII, twice. Despite the frustration that Square Enix released three games for a title we never liked, it’s hard to deny that there must be a fan base somewhere after the series reliably sells millions of units every time. For that audience, Lighting Returns: FFXIII is an event that marks the end of the narrative trilogies. Instead of using conventional Final Fantasy combat for the first time, it’s real-time that should entice the curious to check out the game one more time. Even with all the skepticism, maybe this is the time Square Enix gets it right.
Dark Souls 2 (March 2014 PS3, Xbox360)
Dark Souls and its predecessor Demon Souls were cult hits thanks to their uncompromising difficulty, slow tactical combat, and impressive boss fights. Sure enough, an incredibly tough dungeon crawler, Dark Souls 2 seems ready to carry the torch on the enlightened ancestor with the motto “prepare to die”. Complete with wacky online features, Dark Souls 2 appears to be the “last boss” of the generation. The hardest game of all will be the last great original title to reach our faithful peers before the barrage of annual franchise releases is all that’s left to keep the drives spinning.
There you have it, the top five reasons to keep your state-of-the-art systems firmly connected to your TV. But don’t just take my word for it, I’m sure you have some opinions of your own. Why not leave them in the comments below? If you enjoyed this or any other post, please follow Gamerree here on WordPress, bookmark this article, tweet about us, or follow us on Twitter @Danjcol.