CVG's Games of the Generation 20 - 1

By CVG Staff on Wednesday Jan 1st 2014 at 3:01 AM PST

After literally hours of audio debate and voting, CVG's Games of the Generation deliberations have come to a conclusion.

The first three podcasts in the five-part series were devoted to going through a lengthy list of the highest rated games released this generation - plus our personal favourites. Discussing each one, Andy, Rob, Chris and Tamoor kept those they felt were contenders to be voted as the top games of the generation, and eliminated those they didn't.

The fourth podcast started the final countdown of our definitive Games of the Gen list, from number 40 to number 21. The final 20 games will be listed in this fifth and final podcast, where the ultimate CVG Game of the Generation will also be revealed.

The podcasts are available for you to listen to directly on the site via YouTube, and through iTunes (subscribe here).

CVG's Games of the Generation Results: Podcast Pt. 5

LIST: Games 20 - 1

20. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady / 2009)

Dan Dawkins: "Sorry, but Asylum's claustrophobia, focus and Holy-Amazing-Combat-System-Batman surprise - no one expected this game to be so outrageously good - made this a far more memorable game than its sprawling, oft daunting, sequel. Two words: Little Bruce."
19. Left 4 Dead (Valve / 2008)

Mike Jackson: "Easily my favourite co-op multiplayer game of all time. Valve are the masters of game design and this was a game that had me on the edge of my seat like no other."
18. Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics / 2013)

Andy Robinson: "The world is beautiful, there's a sense of danger and place there which is really difficult to nail in a game. The tombs were absolutely amazing; Tomb Raider really recaptured the spirit of the original and it did it brilliantly."
17. Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montreal / 2012)

Andy Robinson: "What a beautiful sandbox! Not only does Far Cry 3 look great, but it's also fun to explore. It captured what the series is about, which even its creators Crytek have struggled to do subsequently."
16. Dead Space (Visceral / 2008)

Tamoor Hussain: "Dead Space is the best survival horror game of this generation. No question. The atmosphere of the USG Ishimura, the tension of feeling like you're constantly being stalked and the sheer horror of being trapped in a room with enemies is unmatched by anything else. It's a game that can genuinely affect you."
15. Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar San Diego / 2010)

Connor Sheridan: "John Marston, the only likable Rockstar protagonist over the age of majority, lived (and died) in one of the most compelling virtual worlds ever created."
14. Halo 3: ODST (Bungie / 2009)

Mike Jackson: "Halo: ODST stands at the pinnacle of what I refer to as Bungie-era Halo. It's debatable which of the three Bungie-era Halo games on Xbox 360 was the best, but for sheer atmosphere, and not being afraid of stepping outside of the box, ODST wins."
13. Spelunky (Derek Yu / 2012)

Connor Sheridan: "Not only is Spelunky an ingenious game I'll return to for years, it's a product of last-gen's greatest paradigm shift: the rise of indie developers."

Shaun Prescott: "Absolutely perfect game design. Baffling genius. Should be an e-sport. I have played this game daily for three years... and have yet to complete it."
12. The Walking Dead (Telltale / 2012)

Dan Dawkins: "Yeah, of course TWD is great, forcing you to make impulsive, morally-grey, decisions in heated flashpoints, allowing you to simmer over the consequences in slow burning contemplation, as you steel yourself for inevitably harsh decisions ahead."
11. Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft Montreal / 2009)

Mike Jackson: "The first game blew my mind - for two hours. Then it repeated those two hours over and over. AC2 fixed the first game's woes, representing the true open-world power that this generation brought to the table."

Connor Sheridan: "Refining Assassin's Creed's solid base and adding a character we learn to love over 40-some years of fascinating life was just what the beak-masked doctor ordered."
10. BioShock (Irrational / 2007)

Dan Dawkins: "There are all sorts of reasons to laud Ken Levine's daring, auteur-style, philosophical tour-de-force, but none more so than descending in the Bathysphere for the first time and glimpsing... Rapture."
9. Mass Effect 2 (BioWare / 2010)

Dan Dawkins: "Its strengths derive from the same threads as Skyrim (exploration, character growth) and Heavy Rain (harsh choices leaving a legacy of regret), but its majesty is the universe and rich characters - culminating in the dramatic resolution of the Suicide Mission; arguably the most powerful final hour of any game this generation. You could argue that the whole game is a 60-hour prep mission. How's that for high-stakes."
8. Journey (Thatgamecompany / 2012)

Tamoor Hussain: "It restored my faith in gamers. You go online these days and chances are you're going to get cussed out, but Journey showed that when you go back to basics gamers can be good people that want to help each other instead of just shoot each other in the face."
7. Wii Sports (Nintendo / 2006)

Andy Robinson: "I'll never forget that Christmas when all of my extended family from aged 5 to 65 played this together. I remember thinking back to all the Christmases where I would have been the weird kid put in the corner with my video games. After all these years we made it. The industry fell over itself to try and imitate Wii Sports, but no one has come anywhere close to matching it; it's accessible and immediately entertaining, a real gaming phenomenon."
6. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward / 2007)

Dan Dawkins: "CoD4's single player broke every rule, putting you in control during scenes where you played the inert victim - genuinely challenging your morality and expectations, like the harrowing Sgt Jackson death scene - and creating *the* multiplayer template, with its irresistible, scientifically-balanced mechanics that defined an online generation.

"Perks, XP, Prestige... I no longer play CoD, but only a fool would dismiss its legacy."
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