With next-gen consoles released and ushering in a new era in gaming, Boar Games discusses some of the best titles of the generation past, and the reasons why they are defining experiences of their time. 

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The Last Of Us 

Crouching in the shadows, you can hear your own heartbeat melodically beating against the haunting, echoing clicks of the Clickers hunting for you. The Last of Us is an exhilarating experience, combining a brutal survival horror with intermittent frenetic combat. Its quality of storytelling and character building is perhaps a new benchmark for the medium, with a range of grey and believable characters interacting in a vicious, amoral, Hobbesian world, complemented by stellar voice acting direction and performance. The game demonstrates the remarkable evolution of the videogame medium, and cements not just the ability of games to be an interactive storytelling experience, but its potential to mount a sustained, concerted challenge to the film industry. Aaron Lee

Tales of Vesperia 

Tales of Vesperia, released in Europe in 2009, is a defining game of the Xbox 360. It encapsulated everything that was great about this generation of gaming. It had a massive world to explore, a cast of exciting characters, and a storyline that compelled you to play on. Replay value is something that more and more games have developed during this generation, as games have become more expensive and consumers want more for their money. With a myriad of mini games, side quests and achievements to be obtained, Vesperia is a perfect example of a game that you keep picking up after the main quest is over. The fun and adventure of Vesperia cannot be faulted, and it is the game that has defined my Xbox 360 experience. Helena Moretti

Portal 

Seemingly released by Valve as a mere distraction on 2007’s The Orange Box , nobody would’ve predicted that Portal’s  mind-bending puzzles and darkly funny narrative would, for many critics, become the main event. Few games manage to nail pacing this well, particularly considering the potential bag of worms being opened in giving players their own portal gun to mess around with. In the end, Portal’s only shortcoming was its brevity, but despite only taking four hours to play through, it manages to define the power of innovation in games. In a generation often criticised for a sore lack thereof, it was, and still is, a standout. Joe Baker

Wii Sports 

Wii Sports, an unconventional choice given the other titles on this list. It lacks the maturity of Bioshock, the depth of The Last of Us and the visuals of Skyrim. So, putting aside the glee (and occasional bruising) this game gave me, why would I choose a simplistic, cut down series of glorified minigames? Two words: casual gamers. Wii Sports and games like it ushered millions of new players into our world, wide-eyed and awestruck by a new horizon of motion controls and downright fun. Hell, it even outsold Tetris and  GTA V combined. Chances are, without the exposure that Wii Sports drew to video gaming, many of the titles we love, both console and computer wouldn’t exist. Scott Evans

Super Mario Galaxy 

There are games that redefine a genre; then, there are games that roll it up and lock it away. Never has this point seemed more appropriate than in regards to Super Mario Galaxy. This 2007 smash hit was responsible for reinvigorating the flagging Mario brand – and confirming Mario as the final mainstream bastion of 3D platformers following a generation of fading genre dominance. However, in an age defined by the shooter, the cinematic experience and the immersive world, Super Mario Galaxy  did not just harken back to a bygone era, some fabled ‘simpler time’ when ‘games’ were synonymous with ‘fun’. No – its giddy introduction of new gaming mechanics and endless, playful creativity forged a path for the future that the imminent release of Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U looks to follow. In short, it left behind a dazzlingly high watermark in game design that developers will strive to match for years to come. Adam Lloyd

Mass Effect 

Frequently voted in to the top ten best RPGs of all time, the Mass Effect trilogy brazenly flaunts what Bioware does better than anyone else – vibrant galactic environments, fantastic characters and a damn good soundtrack that keeps you always on the edge of your seat, shaking with excitement. The experienced gamer will find nothing too challenging in ME  1’s shooting mechanics;they are worlds apart from the upgrades Bioware refined in ME  2 and 3, but a rich storyline satisfies enough for you to forgive it and enjoy ME  1 for everything else it does brilliantly. Otherwise, the ME  trilogy supports the weight of green gamers’ inexperience, nurturing them up until the last mission, whereby at this point they will have become, at the very least, a competent shooter. Throw romanceable characters into the mix, like sexier-than-thou Miranda and badass Garrus, and you’ve got yourself a timelessly engaging, nearly infallible game.

Skyrim 

This is the game that reminded me why I love games. Bethesda’s labyrinthine offering packed over 500 hours of gameplay, a multitude of well-crafted characters and infinitely astounding plotlines. Whether you became embroiled in a bloody civil war, decided to become Tamriel’s best errand boy, (Need a mammoth tusk? Lost a wedding ring? Not a problem.) or just added to your collection of cheese-wheels, there was something for everyone. Skyrim was a winning formula from every angle – from the polished UI that even beginners could master, to the wealth of content enough to satisfy even the seriously battle-hardened RPG player. From glimpses of Witcher 3 and Metal Gear Solid 5  at E3 this year, it’s clear that the way Bethesda mastered the genre is going to have an effect on the way RPGS are designed well into the next generation. And if you’re dying for more, Elder Scrolls Online will let you return next Spring. Luisa Ostacchini

Bioshock 

Before Columbia, Skyhooks and Songbird, there was Rapture. The original Bioshock saw protagonist Jack scouring through the once extravagant utopia that has crumbled in to ruins, with a gun in one hand and host of superhuman powers on the other. In 2007, Irrational Games created this unbelievably unique underwater city drenched withdrug-infused maniacs, murderous debauchery, and the overt philosophies of Ayn Rand and George Orwell. But Bioshock’s primary strength comes from being one of the very few first person shooters that harmonises its gorgeous artwork, brilliant storytelling and spine-chilling atmosphere to ultimately form a quintessential single player experience for the console. And of course there’s nothing quite like the horror of pissing off a Big Daddy enough that it shoves a drill through your gut. Raghav Bali

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