Sequels that far surpass the original!

Now I’m not against sequels at all when they’re used as vehicles to propel a property and when past issues are fixed. So here are some best sequels (of this generation) that have either matched or exceeded its original.  Included in this list are only games in which I've played the original title.  So no, I didn't forget to add Portal 2!  But be sure to chime in on the comments section.

Assassin’s Creed 2

I did not like Assassin’s Creed!  There I said it…I thought the original was incredibly slow paced and the mission structure was a redundant mess.  I couldn’t even force myself to complete the game, I actually YouTubed the ending (and yes YouTube is a verb).  So going into AC2, I was a little cautious but that was thrown out the window pretty quickly with the introduction of Ezio Auditore da Firenze.  Ezio was a far more relateable character than Altair and there was some real variety in the mission structure made this a far superior game than the original.  Luckily, the story was engrossing enough in the original to keep me interested in this franchise or I may have missed out big time.  And by the looks of things AC3 will raise the bar again for this franchise.

Splinter Cell: Conviction

Splinter Cell was never really a game I looked forward to playing; however, once I got a chance to see Conviction in action I was sold on the legitimacy of Sam Fisher and the new direction the game was taking.  From the outset, you could see that Sam was not in a good mood and his new set of moves showcased his deadly temperament   Ubisoft made sure to keep some of the stealth pieces intact and rewarding players with Mark and Execute points that would allow Sam to "mark" enemies (or destructive objects) and "execute" them with precise efficiency.  With Splinter Cell: Blacklist set for April 1st, 2013 release date, I'm extremely excited to play out the adventures of Sam Fisher.



Mass Effect 3

ME3, as you already know is one of my favorite games of all of all time, but greatness can't be denied.  The Mass Effect trilogy features a fully customizable Commander Sheppard in which your actions and decisions from the previous games carry over to the next.  So not only do you get to see all of your actions fully realized through an epic sage, you get to see the upgrades of the newest game.  ME3 finally masters the perfect balance between shooter and RPG.  If you haven't given Mass Effect a shot, don't miss out on one of the best game series of our generation.

Gears of War 3

Gears of War has been a figurehead for Xbox 360 (along with Halo) since it's inception and after getting your first kill with your chainsaw infused rifle (better known as a Lancer) you'll know why. The battles within the Gears universe is intense and visceral, but the story was always lacking in the previous entries.  Not the case in GoW3, I don't want to get spoiler-y but there is a moment that may have you a little shocked.  Split screen and online co-op ups the ante as teamwork is integral to survival.  Throw in the always creative online multiplayer and you've a must play game.

Batman: Arkham City

Batman is hands down one of the coolest characters to grace any form of media and fortunately Rocksteady put together on hell of sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum. Arkham Asylum was a fantastic game and is a must play, but surprisingly Arkham City is leaps and bounds better.  Like most sandbox games you can expect side missions, however in Batman the "side" missions actually feel like their apart of the main story.  With a story that could rival any Batman comic and one could even argue that Christopher Nolan could just coop the story and make a fourth movie, you can see why this sequel is vastly greater than it's predecessor.


Agree/disagree?  Think I missed out on any awesome sequels/threequels, sound off in the comments section.

The Year of Top Games featuring the Best of 2011!

2011 was a hell of a year for us gamers.  And since everyone else is bringing you the “Best of…” something, “Top…” whatever, and “The Year in…” whatcamacallits, I figured why not join the fray with “The Year of Top Games featuring the Best of 2011!”*

*These are all games that have been in my disc tray for the calendar year.  There are two notable exceptions, Portal 2 and Dead Space 2.  Now I’m not opposed to either of these games, but I just never got around to playing them.  So if you’ve decided to forgive me for these transgressions and continue to read along, thanks!  If not, let me hold on to your copy of Portal 2 or Dead Space 2 and we can call it even.

Cole Phelps in action

10. L.A. Noire                                                                                  

I have to admit this game was not even on my radar in the months leading up to its release.  Fortunately, I was smart enough to pick this one up.  Although I was not a fan the crime scene investigation, I couldn’t wait to use my newly uncovered clues in the investigations.  This is where the game truly shines as each interviewee shows all the little nuances to detect whether they’re being deceitful (which they usually are) or not.  Rockstar captured the noir style with a deeply flawed protagonist and painstakingly detailed L.A. helped shape this into one of my favorite games of the year.

GET OVER HERE!

9. Mortal Kombat

I couldn’t have been more excited for the “re-imagining” of Mortal Kombat as this was one of the games that took all my quarters/tokens back in the days of arcades.  MK has gone through many iterations, with the most recent being the disappointing MK/DC Universe, but this would be the first time that we get a fresh taste on the game.  MK brought back all the viciousness that we loved from the original and to top it off offered a pretty interesting story to boot.  And if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, I’ve got two words for you…Freddy. Krueger!  Yes the maniacal mass murderer is available as DLC.



Saintz RULEZ

8. Saints Row: The Third

I don’t think I’ve had as much fun playing a game as I did playing as “The Boss.”  Where else can you skydive off a building butt naked, land in front of a group of women and start to “Teach ‘em how to Dougie?”  Well, Steelport would be the answer.  If you’ve played the previous games you know what to expect…sophomoric humor, open world gameplay, and ridiculous quest round out an excellent title.

7. Crysis 2

I had a blind excitement going into this one…I kept hearing how amazing the original PC game was so when I found out Crysis 2 was coming to console I was stoked.  After a quick tutorial, I was hooked.  The amount of freedom given to the player to tackle each mission was refreshing.  I love knowing that I could try to outflank with stealth and if all else failed, I could just activate my nano shield go guns a blazing.  What I enjoyed best about this game was I always felt like a bad ass no matter what I was doing and that’s thanks to the upgradeable Nano suit.  With the suit, you’re given the freedom to upgrade the Nano suit based on your own style.

Six Million $ Man has nothing on me!

6. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

I had my eye on this one from the time it was announced until it was delayed (and delayed and delayed) and finally released.  I had not played any of the previous Deus Ex games, but since this was a prequel I figured why not jump in now.  When this game dropped in August, I was blown away with the amount of customization between weapons, augments, and mission completion…feeling merciful, the game will let you complete each mission without killing a single person (bosses excluded).  I couldn’t stop raving about this game even calling it my “Game of the Year,”  keep in mind it was August so we we’re just coming out of the summer dead period.  Adam Jensen felt like what you would get if you combined Sam Fisher, Jack Baur, James Bond, Ethan Hunt, Jason Borne, and Steve Austin (the Six Million Dollar Man, not Stone Cold) together.  Now that’s one hell of bad ass

"We're playing basketball!'

5. NBA 2K12

Now being that I’m an avid sports gamer (sports nut in general) I wanted to leave this off the list, but it’s my list and I can do whatever I want.  Plus, how can you deny a game that trumped it predecessor in every way possible.  And those who play the sports games regularly know that each yearly installment has only moderate changes made due to the short dev cycle.  But with 2K Sports that didn’t seem to stop them, not only did they keep their partnership with MJ going another year, they brought in some of the greatest players in NBA history with him.  The Legends mode in itself could be flushed out and made into its own game (a la 2K’s All Pro Football), but that’s before mentioning the improvements made to My Player, the inclusion of Be a Legend mode, and the highly anticipated debut of Online Associations.  Gameplay wise, things are tightened up and streamlined to make it easier to pull off the post and iso-moves.  Sports nut or not this game is stupidly good and had to make the list.

Nothing is true, Everything is permitted

4. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Ezio Auditore da Firenze is easily one of my favorite characters of last decade.  I don’t know if its because we get to see his growth from a 17 boy seeking revenge to a Master Assassin or if its that Ezio is just that dude!  Unlike some of the other games on the list, I’ve played every game of the series (I, II, and Brotherhood) so I knew what to expect gameplay wise; however, there were some welcome upgrades to this installment.  I loved the fluidity the hook blade brought to the system, whether it be zipping through the city sky of Constantinople or flipping guards around while sprinting towards your next target.  I could’ve done without the terrible tower defense mode, but it’s by no means a game killer.  Also, knowing this would be the last we get to see of Ezio (with the exception of Soul Calibur V) gave me huge incentive to play this one out to see how it all ends.  I’m not one for spoilers in any way, shape, or form (I’m willing to fight you if you spoil a game, movie, book, meal) but lets just say Ubisoft doesn’t dissappoint with the conclusion of Ezio’s story.

Fenix Rising!

3. Gears of War 3

Marcus Fenix and the rest of the COG’s are reason enough to own an Xbox 360. Since its initial release to this conclusion, Gears has brought a visceral combat that few other games can compete with.  Gears is one of the few shooters that I crave for and that’s due to its online/offline co-op campaign.  Now I do like to get down in Horde with some buddies (I avoid deathmatches because I generally suck and cause my team to lose) as well, but knowing that Gears was designed for co-op play is a delight.  With each release, he story has improved and with Gears 3, Epic has issued its most epic (pun intended) release yet.

Batman! Dun, nun, nun, nun

2. Batman: Arkham City

I. Am. BATMAN!  Sorry, but who doesn’t say that after dropping a thug with a remote controlled batarang? Ok, maybe it’s just me, but playing as Batman is downright effin awesome!  Batman: Arkham City passes all the possible non-gamer tests you could give: recognizable characters, astonishing graphics, and a simple enough combat system that my 6 year old can pick up.  Even my wife got caught up and couldn’t help but stop and marvel (no pun intended) at the World’s Greatest Detective!  Rocksteady caught everyone off guard with Batman: Arkham Asyum, but Arkham City was expected to be huge and did Rocksteady ever deliever.  The Riddler returns to taunt Batman with over 400 Riddler challenges and the side quest are just as engrossing as the main quest.  If you haven’t played this game yet…#smackyoself!



Fus-Ro-Dah

1. Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to Skyrim and that is indeed a very good problem to have.  I’ll admit this…I didn’t LOVE Oblivion, but more so just liked it *Kanye Shrugs *. I felt like it was a grind fest and therefore couldn’t hold my attention.  Skyrim on the other hand is an attention whore and I’m loving every second of it.  Skill grinding has been streamlined and makes it so much easier for specialization…and if you know the iron dagger smithing trick leveling up can be done in a snap.  For those who have never played a game from Bethesda, just know it may start off a little slow but after you’ve finished the “tutorial” section the world of Skyrim is yours!  When I started off, I thought I wanted to be an assassin like thief, but before I knew it was dual wielding axes and decapitating heads left and right.  As I said 2011 was one hell of a year for gamers with a myriad of games, but without a doubt Elder Scrolls: Skyrim dominated the field and therefore gets the Gamedom seal as the Best Game of 2011.