Era can be defined as a console generation, a decade, one specific year, whatever you want. I’d encourage you to give a list of your favourite games from the generation of choice and why it was the best to you. Nostalgia is a totally viable reason too.

I’ll go first. For me, the 360 era is my GOAT. As someone in their 20s, I grew up with the 360 so nostalgia is definitely a big factor. But on top of that, I still feel like the games during that time were some of the best we’ve had. 2011 alone was a fantastic year, with Dark Souls, Skyrim, Portal 2 and many more great games. I was going to list out my favourite games from 2005-2013 but I love so many it would be far too long of a post.

I’d love to hear some of you talk about your favourite time period of games too, whether it’s agreeing with my choice or giving different opinions

  • codOPM
    2•13 days ago

    Do you have any favourite games from those console gens? My first console was an original Xbox but moved on to the 360 very quickly so I don’t know too many games from then, especially not on the PlayStation

    • @Essence_of_Meh
      2•13 days ago

      Couple of disclaimers to start with: I’m primarily a PC player, even most of the console games I played happened via emulation so I’ll drop stuff from both. I’m also really fond of games willing to try something different, even if they end up mediocre or bad - these ain’t GOTY material.

      With that out of the way, here’s a short list of titles I really enjoyed:

      • Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PC, PSX, Sega Saturn) - 3D platformer with relatively slow and clunky gameplay (kind of similar to classic Tomb Raider games). Colorful, cute and simple.
      • Kao the Kangaroo (Dreamcast, PC) - series very similar to Croc though might feel a bit less polished at times. Don’t really care about the sequel even though it’s not a bad game.
      • Parasite Eve (PSX) - JRPG set in 1990’s New York. Interesting combat system focused on guns and positioning, great art and fun story.
      • Gothic I & II (PC) - German RPGs with a unique atmosphere and world. Surprisingly open-ended with some of its quests. Has an unusual keyboard-centric control scheme.
      • Sheep (Mac OS, PC) - game about herding sheep through various wacky levels. Lots of humor.
      • Metal Wolf Chaos (Xbox) - crazy story about an American president fighting FOR DEMOCRACY in a mech suit, created by From Soft. Has modern ports for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
      • Oni (Mac OS, PC, PS2) - the best Ghost in the Shell game without actually being one*. Third person action with a great melee combat, big empty levels and rough difficulty spikes. Has a community made “Anniversary Edition” with fixes and access to mods.

      * I haven’t played all of the GitS games to back that up.

      • codOPM
        2•13 days ago

        Metal Wolf Chaos sounds hilarious in concept. Will definitely have to check it out. I also own Gothic I & II and want to play them sometime. How do they hold up? I’m not too picky on graphics, but overly janky can be unfun sometimes for the modern gamer

        • @Essence_of_Meh
          3•13 days ago

          Yeah, Metal Wolf is a cheesy action movie filtered through Japanese lens. It’s crazy, stupid and unintentionally hilarious.

          As for Gothics, I think they hold up really well as long as you can overcome a few things:

          • get used to the controls - they really aren’t bad but they were created when standards weren’t as established as they are now.
          • treat them as worlds you are a part of rather than games - it helps figure out alternative solutions to quests and avoid some unpleasant surprises (in universe, not bugs).
          • game world does not revolve around you - early on even basic wildlife will be a challenge, treat enemies with respect.
          • there’s no level scaling - some areas will be unavailable to you until you’re strong (or crafty) enough.
          • don’t play Gothic II with Night of the Raven expansion installed from the start - it adds a bunch of difficult enemies available from the get go and will make the game way harder if you don’t know how to avoid them.

          I think some of those points might sound more serious than they really are but should make for a good primer anyway. There’s a lot to like about those games (even compared to another titan of that time, Morrowind) so I hope you have fun!

          • codOPM
            2•13 days ago

            I appreciate the help. When I decide to check them out I’ll be coming back to this comment. Thanks!