The Big Gaming in the 2010s Discussion Thread (the 2010s-Defining Game currently being discussed)

I did go back and based on my trophies it might be 12hrs, but then I would have played some before and after unlocks of the two games I've recently been playing. You go look yourself at these, also I don't think I had to charge the pad whilst playing Catherine which was about 13hrs.

Yeah it is lower than the Switch options, Xbox is dependent on what you use to power that cheap AA won't last long in it.

Battery life discussion < genre discussion. New topic please.

JayMoyles wrote:

I think the Switch is still too new to factor into a best of the decade list for me. It's been a great start, but there's been a couple of long spells where I've barely touched the machine - 2018 was a sparse period for a good chunk of the year (the dreaded "drought") and I still think it's yet to fully enter its prime.

For that reason, it's between the 3DS and the PS4 in my eyes.

You can't tear the Switch a hole for 2018 and then praise the 3DS in almost the same breath. The 3DS had a terrible launch. Even if you're a big Street Fighter fan and hadn't played IV already, the big Nintendo offering at launch was Nintendogs and Cats, and Cappa's the only person I know who liked that. The 3DS didn't have a solid indie scene to keep it ticking over either, and needed to rely on Nintendo's Ambassador Programme to claw back some goodwill.

You either have to look over machines over the course of their life, or at their final position. By the time the decade expires the Switch won't only have better Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Smash, and Xenoblade (among others) titles than the 3DS as well as every other console (YMMV re. the Xenoblade), it might also have knocked two of the 3DS' flagship titles/franchises off their perches too in Pokémon/Luigi's Mansion. Obviously you can't predict the future, but I don't think it's unreasonable to think that the Switch will have a better line-up than the 3DS come the decade's close.

But then I'm not a MonHun fan so

I don't think Ridge Racer 3D, PES 2011 3D, Nintendogs & Cats, Pilotwings Resort, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Super Monkey Ball 3D and Rayman 3D made for a terrible 3DS launch. But it was rough for about six months afterward. Planting £35 on Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game without any interest in either Lego or Pirates of the Caribbean was a sad indictment on how grim things were for me with my brand new Nintendo system.

I'd forgotten about Pilotwings Resort. That still says a bit thought doesn't it? The first game since the N64 in the Pilotwings series, and they managed to bottle it somehow, for all that I've heard good things from a few.

Fair play though, it's more a 'not for Balla' launch than necessarily a terrible one; but there's still nothing there that's a BotW, or a Wii Sports, or a Wario Ware Touched, or even a NMSBU. And the period afterwards was, as you say, dire.

Balladeer wrote:

You can't tear the Switch a hole for 2018 and then praise the 3DS in almost the same breath.  The 3DS had a terrible launch.  

I wasn't around for that - my 2011/12 was spent playing Tekken 3, Digimon World, the first Tomb Raider and Persona 4. So, I wasn't exactly up to date with modern gaming at that point!

Still, thinking about it in more detail, the Switch had a pants start to 2019 for me as well. There were no major releases that I bought on Switch until FE:TH. That's two 6 month or more period in a 2 and a half year life span so far with nothing that's grabbed my attention. Whereas from 2014 when I first bought my 3DS to late 2017 when the machine began to wind down in my eyes, I was constantly enjoying new games on the machine. The Switch would be in second for me, but I still prefer the 3DS's total library across the time I spent with the machine.

Ah, the old 'I didn't see it so it didn't happen' excuse. I guess for me personally the Switch's tremendous launch year and the current hot streak have made up for a stodgy 18 months or whatever that still featured Smash Pokémon Let's Go and several nice indie titles, as well as that decent but vast timesink that was Octopath.

Jay just made the list.

Yeah especially a page back he said it was between 3DS and PS4, now it's the Switch this is worse consistency then the WWE.

He is right about the first half of 2019 being barren though and I personally don't think alot of the other games are all that.

I'm on the list anyway.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I don't think Ridge Racer 3D, PES 2011 3D, Nintendogs & Cats, Pilotwings Resort, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Super Monkey Ball 3D and Rayman 3D made for a terrible 3DS launch. But it was rough for about six months afterward. Planting £35 on Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game without any interest in either Lego or Pirates of the Caribbean was a sad indictment on how grim things were for me with my brand new Nintendo system.

Don't forget Ghost Recon! I also recall Ocarina of Time coming out to give that first year a little boost until Super Mario 3D Land arrived.

Let's be honest, every console has a quiet year. Except Dreamcast.

Off-topic, but that Ghost Recon game was genuinely one of the most depressing experiences I've had playing a computer game. The opposite of fun. I gave it pelters all the time on the NGamer Forum, cause it was shite.

Thought everyone loved that game but I know you like games to be fun Cappa and why'd I'd never recommend half the games I play to you.

gjones wrote:

Let's be honest, every console has a quiet year. Except Dreamcast.

This is something that everybody seems to forget, every console launch. It's what got me through the Switch's dry patch (which to be fair lasted a bit more than a year, but also wasn't as dry as some): the knowledge that it wouldn't last. At the same time I saw a bunch of people, especially on GRcade, rolling out the whole 'SWITCH HAZ NO GAEMZ' shtick. At the time it didn't, but that ignored a phenomenal last year and the fact that this wouldn't be the state of things forever.

(You could still argue that we haven't seen quite the number of first-party titles that we might hope, with both Nintendo's handheld and home console versions working on one machine. Hopefully that'll come in year 4.)

Yes and No, as I just said in the PS5/Scarlett thread about the possibility of lack of next-gen games on Scarlett but if I had one I would buy the cross-gen games on it and looking back on Wiki at PS4/ONE I never had nothing to play but I could have played most of it on PS3/360 though.

Balladeer wrote:

Ah, the old 'I didn't see it so it didn't happen' excuse.

I mean, it didn't happen for me, so... yeah?

I'm not claiming to have a definitive list - it's a personalised list forged through my own experiences.

masofdas wrote:

Yeah especially a page back he said it was between 3DS and PS4, now it's the Switch this is worse consistency then the WWE.

Genuinely forgot I said that, to be fair.

The Switch and the PS4 are basically neck and neck in my standings, there's not a great deal in it.

Right, any final thoughts or are we ready for a change of question?

Go for it Jay

I'll allow the rest of the gang to get their final thoughts in if they've got any and cycle onwards if nobody's had anything to add tomorrow.

Balladeer wrote:

gjones wrote:

Let's be honest, every console has a quiet year. Except Dreamcast.

(You could still argue that we haven't seen quite the number of first-party titles that we might hope, with both Nintendo's handheld and home console versions working on one machine.  Hopefully that'll come in year 4.)

This is an interesting point and one I think hasn't really been stressed enough. Nintendo has condensed it's "game-making" to just the one console. Unless mobile is being worked on by the ex-3DS teams? I don't know, and can't be arsed to research at the moment. But given the 3DS has a rich, stacked library and the Wii-U had some bangers too, part of me wonders where the second-tier Nintendo games are on Switch. The ARMS, Splatoon, Mario + Rabbids triple threat was there in the first year - bolstered further by Mario Tennis, but it feels like they dried up - the heavy hitters are spaced out like the Wii-U days. Third-party offerings have masked some of that - I should probably look at the figures but that's the impression I get from watching Nintendo Directs and IGN's NVC.

The mobile stuff really shouldn't count by all counts, especially given the hot mess that MKT is from the perspective of anyone who's not primarily a mobile gamer. The second-tier stuff is there, but a lot of it's Wii U ports, and Nintendo seems to be relying on it to pad out the schedule by positioning it as a month's big game. See: NMSBU, Yoshi's Crafted World, TMS#FE. (Daemon x Machina could be considered an exception? So might Ring Fit Adventure actually.)

It might be because Nintendo's studios feel the need to give a bigger budget and higher production values to games that would be handheld experiences but have to look good on an HD TV too, so we get less of them. It is definitely a shame though.

JayMoyles wrote:

I'm not claiming to have a definitive list - it's a personalised list forged through my own experiences.

Just so long as you appreciate that your opinion means less.

Balladeer wrote:

JayMoyles wrote:

I'm not claiming to have a definitive list - it's a personalised list forged through my own experiences.

Just so long as you appreciate that your opinion means less.

Right, another question, shall we troops?

We've spoken about the machines of the 2010s and of course, we ended up talking about the libraries of games on said machines during our discussion. So, let's keep our focus on the reason we buy a console - the games themselves!

The question I pose to you...

Which year in the 2010s had the best line-up of games?

Obviously, we can't 100% assess 2019 as we're not quite done with the year yet, but I will say that looking through some of the other years that I'll be surprised if November and December can push 2019 to rival some of the finer years of the decade.

Use this section on the Wikipedia article and have a browse through each year's release tables. There's a bit at the bottom ordered by Metacritic review score which helps to see the heavy hitters right away.

Discuss away, friends!

Without looking I would have said 2013 but I am going to look at each year and look at what I'd call great games then base it off that and I'll see if my gut of 2013 is right.

2010 Nine Games:

2011 Six Games:

2012 Eleven Games:

2013 Sixteen Games:

2014 Five Games:

2015 Seven Games:

2016 Eight Games:

2017 Twelve Games:

2018 Eight Games:

2019 Six Games so far - Maybe Thirteen :

I was right to think 2013, now looking at 2020 I think that will be very similar as 2013 has a lot of greats games on the PS360 at the end of that gen before the new one starts, same is happening next year it seems. Then it seems to be about 5 years into a gen we start to see some really great games, I can't wait for 2025.

Back to the console talk, the PSP had some bangers at the start of the decade and I've put a decent amount of VITA games into these great games, which doesn't even include Persona 4 Golden because it's an enhanced port.

I need to play more games to really comment on recent years, but I'll rank the first six:

1. 2010

2010 was an incredible year for gaming. It sat in the middle of the generation, at the start of the indie revolution we are still bearing the fruits of today, and also managed to cater for everybody. Super Mario Galaxy 2 remains one of the best videogames of all time. It's purity and constant factory of ideas are timeless and it does everything a sequel should, given the original was pretty darn good itself. Action fans were treated to the Japanese madness that was both Bayonetta AND Vanquish - both hugely playable and immensely satisfying videogames that were a reminder of how far great gameplay can carry batshit storytelling. If you wanted an adventure, Red Dead Redemption or Fallout New Vegas had you covered. That's not forgetting Mass Effect 2! Gran Turismo 5 was excellent and something Gran Turismo Sport misses with its more focused experience. Then there was Split/Second, the cult classic that temporarily kept Burnout's throne warm as the King of Arcade Racers, before that throne was left, chopped up into firewood and the ashes scattered amongst the Forza trophies on gaming driving mantlepiece. Platforming was available in both the moody, dark Limbo, or the colorful yet challenging Donkey Kong Country: Returns. This was the year we saw Super Meat Boy on consoles, Cave Story arrived to the masses and one of the best games ever made - Plants vs. Zombies - showed PopCap's knack for addictive puzzlers.

2. 2015

The first year that the newer consoles really showed what they were capable of, 2015 was exceptional. I'm not the biggest fan of open-world time-sinks so I gave it to 2010, but The Witcher 3, Metal Gear Solid 5 and Fallout 4 are blockbuster moments that had enough game in them so as not to be interactive movies. For that, we had Life is Strange - a truly unique videogame that remains the pinnacle of episodic gaming, for me at least. Her Story and Until Dawn also offered excellent alternatives. If you wanted to cry for different reasons, there was the challenging Bloodborne. The creativity of Super Mario Maker and one of the best games ever, Rocket League, meant 2015 was the turning point these systems needed after a poor 2014.

3. 2011
Xenoblade Chronicles is an incredible, important game and managed to drag the JRPG into the new decade after years in the wilderness (Valkyria Chronicles, acknowledged). Rayman Origins is a genuine classic, whilst platforming perfection was also available in Super Mario 3D Land. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim somehow still remains relevant, receiving VR and Switch releases in recent years. It raised the bar for the western RPG. And let's not forget the incredible Portal 2, one of the few games that managed to combine humour, innovation and fun gameplay into one timeless package. Also there was Virtua Tennis 4, which nobody seems to remember, despite it being completely awesome.

4. 2013
2013 was a strange year. The final year for Xbox 360 and PS3, it saw The Last of Us and Grand Theft Auto 5 released to send the systems off in style. Exceptional games that received re-releases in 2014, much like Tomb Raider, dMc and even the Vita's highlight Tearaway. Great games like Super Mario 3D World and Rayman Legends gave the Wii-U a boost (but IMO inferior to their predecessors), A Link Between Worlds kept Zelda fans ticking over and Saints Row, Assassins Creed and Bioshock all saw some of their better entries. It's a great year, but I felt many were 9/10 games.

5. 2014
The Wii-U pretty much carried the weight this year. Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2 and Smash Bros 4 meant Nintendo's system stood out, as the new consoles plugged their release schedules with remasters.

6. 2012
This was my least favourite year, but mostly because I'm not a fan of Animal Crossing, Diablo or Dishonored. The Walking Dead was fantastic and I love me some X-COM, but I don't think this was enough to call it one of the best years for games. The Wii-U's lacklustre launch only exemplified that further. Saying that, there was Candy Crush...

2010. 

Bayonetta, Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver, Super Street Fighter IV and Super Mario Galaxy 2 made me very, very happy when they first came out nine years ago. I'd still consider them to be amongst the best games of the decade. I'm sure that others would feel the same about that year's highly-regarded games I spent little-to-no-time with, like Red Dead Redemption, God of War III, Monster Hunter Tri and Mass Effect 2.

Other 2010 games I enjoyed included Donkey Kong Country Returns, Sonic Colours, Split/Second, Blur, Limbo, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing and Super Meat Boy. A really strong year!

2017. Literally no contest.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The best game ever made.
Super Mario Odyssey- almost as phenomenal. GOTY in literally any other year. If you're a hipster who says they don't like popular things to mask their lack of personality, pretend this is the best game ever made instead.
Spla2n- The second in the only good online shooter series.
ARMS- best fighting game.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe- best version of the best driving game.

That's 5 games that could very easily be my top ten games of all time right there, on one machine in one year, covering a pretty stellar range of genres.

Also, I guess the Japanese MHXX came out in 2017 and although it was awkward and all that, I still had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.

---

Also, I seem to remember 2011 being a banger but I can't remember why. Looking at gones post, I'm guessing it was Xenoblade, Skyward Sword and Mario 3D Land at the time for Nitendonly Drunka.

Cappa makes a very convincing argument for 2010. Obviously Mario galaxy 2 was an all-timer, and although I didn't personally play it, Monster Hunter Tri brought Monhan to Nintendo. Also, Donkey Kong Country Returns was the last time I remember getting a videogame for Christmas which I didn't ask for and wasn't expecting, and being genuinely delighted.

Jesus, was MGSV 4 years ago? It's flashing by so fast, I can see the grave hurtling towards me like that TV commercial for the original XBox.

gJones you do bring up some cracking games from what people say are such as Super Mario Galaxy 2 but I'm yet to play it but would think it is. I did almost include likes of Skyrim in the great games but that I know I don't like them then you've got others such as Dark Souls which I do like a lot of things about it but just isn't for me.

I could have been more objective is what I'm saying but any of these things are always going to end up being subjective as 2017, for instance, Drunka brings up I'm also saying it is one of the best years but not for the five games's he picked, with only Super Mario Odyssey being in a Top 5 that year for me, sorry it wouldn't be GOTY that ould go to Persona 5.

Seen some remakes/remasters/ports/enhanced versions mentioned by you guys, I know for myself I think 2011 would yeah be a better year with Ocarina of Time 3D but to me, it always really be a 1998 game.

Drunkalilly wrote:

2017. Literally no contest.

This immediately sprang to mind. SMO and BotW on their own would make it hard for any other year to compete: MK8D, Xenoblade 2, and other smaller things like Jackbox 3 ice the cake. (Also Mario & Luigi Ever Oasis and Metroid SR on the 3DS, and Spirit of Justice on iOS I suppose.)

I don't think it would be any of the Wii U years: the only one to consider would be 2013, because of ALBW, but looking at other people's lists I don't think there was enough for me outside that. (I found SM3DW disappointing.) 2012 was the Wii U's strongest year and it still falls miles behind the Switch's.

GJones and Cappa haven't sold 2010 and 2011 to me from a Nintendoly perspective despite their sterling posts, because Tropical Freeze > Returns, XC2 > XC1 these days, and Odyssey > SMG2 >> SM3DL, although HGSS was a stonker. You could make a decent argument for 2010 objectively, but that's not what this is about.

That leaves 2018 (a relative drought for the Switch, although Celeste and Smash) and 2019, which has been strong and isn't over yet but I don't think Luigi's Mansion 3 and Untitled Goose Game are/will be quite SMO and BotW-level.

Nah, it's got to be 2017. The Switch had a belting launch year games-wise, and it's also important not to underestimate how good the Switch being my main console was when I was staying in a room with no telly. Even the 3DS had a pretty good year. A wonderful time.