crispy4000 Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 I recently went through and sorted through my unplayed PS4/XBO era games. All the big budget, single player oriented retail stuff before the new consoles launched, plus a couple AA games thrown in the mix. There's no way I get to everything, especially with them being more of a time commitment than indies generally. We're pretty much out of cross-gen now, what games on here would you consider worth prioritizing today? Quote Alien: Isolation Assassin's Creed Odyssey Assassin's Creed Origins Assassin's Creed: Syndicate Batman: Arkham Knight Battlefield 3 BIOMUTANT Black Mesa Bloodborne Borderlands 3 Bright Memory: Infinite Call of Duty: WWII Control Ultimate Edition Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2 & 3) DAEMON X MACHINA The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan Darksiders III Death Stranding: Director's Cut Desperados III Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition Devil May Cry 5 Dishonored 2 Dishonored: Death of the Outsider DOOM DOOM Eternal Dragon Age Inquisition Dying Light Elite Dangerous The Evil Within 2 Far Cry 4 Gears 5 Gears Tactics Ghost of Tsushima Ghostrunner God of War (started) God Of War Ragnarok Halo: The Master Chief Collection (all but 1) HITMAN Horizon Zero Dawn Immortals Fenyx Rising - Gold Edition Journey To The Savage Planet Just Cause 4 Kingdom Come: Deliverance The Last Guardian The Last of Us Part II The Last of Us Remastered (waiting on PS5 remaster price cut) Life is Strange: Before the Storm Life is Strange 2 Mafia: Definitive Edition Maneater Marvel's Avengers - The Definitive Edition Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN Metro 2033 Redux Metro: Last Light Redux Metro Exodus Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Middle-earth: Shadow of War Mirror's Edge Catalyst Monster Hunter: World Mortal Shell Necromunda: Hired Gun Need for Speed Heat Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch™ Remastered Nioh: Complete Edition Ori and the Will of the Wisps The Outer Worlds Persona 5 (... not Royal) A Plague Tale: Innocence Prey Prey: Typhon Hunter RAGE 2 ReCore: Definitive Edition Remnant: From the Ashes Complete Rise of the Tomb Raider Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Shadow Warrior Shadow Warrior 2 Shenmue III Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter Sonic Forces SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2 & 3) Star Wars: Squadrons Starlink: Battle for Atlas Steep Sunset Overdrive The Surge The Surge 2 Tales of Berseria Tearaway Unfolded Crafted Edition Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (started) Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition Vampyr Watch_Dogs Watch_Dogs 2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt XCOM 2 Yakuza 0 Yakuza Kiwami Yakuza Kiwami 2 Yakuza 3 Remastered Yakuza 4 Remastered Bonus, Switch / Wii U: Quote Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze Luigi's Mansion 3 Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle (started) New Super Mario Bros. U Octopath Traveller Paper Mario: The Origami King (started) The Wonderful 101 Yoshi's Wooly World Any last gen games you still mean to get around to yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 I’d definitely play the God of War and Last of Us stuff. Can’t believe you skipped them. For Nintendo, at least play Donkey Kong and Luigi’s Mansion3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted July 7, 2023 Author Share Posted July 7, 2023 13 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said: I’d definitely play the God of War and Last of Us stuff. Can’t believe you skipped them. I did make it about halfway through God of War. I own Ranganok as well, so I definitely plan to finish the first one. Especially with that 60fps patch. Last of Us, I'm not sure why I never got around to it. I guess that's a good thing with the remake out now. Only thing I question is whether to play it or watch the show first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLeon Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 I agree that God of War and The Last of Us are standouts from that list. Dishonored 2 + Death of the Outsider is a personal favorite, as well as DKC: Tropical Freeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best3444 Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 1 hour ago, crispy4000 said: I did make it about halfway through God of War. I own Ranganok as well, so I definitely plan to finish the first one. Especially with that 60fps patch. Last of Us, I'm not sure why I never got around to it. I guess that's a good thing with the remake out now. Only thing I question is whether to play it or watch the show first. It's essential you play TLOU 1 on PS5 before you even bother with the show. You want to go into blind if you have been able to not know what happens etc. Then play TLOU 2 on PS5 in 60fps. It's simply remarkable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinIon Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 The Last of Us Part II, The Last of Us Remastered (waiting on PS5 remaster price cut) - Absolute top of my list. Two of the best games of all time. It's worthwhile to wait for the PS5 version. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (started) - Even as someone who didn't absolutely love the Uncharted games, 4 is still something special. A real essential. God of War / Ragnarok would both be very high up there on my list of essentials. I was never a fan of the old games, but loved the new versions. Horizon Zero Dawn gets too much hate. It's one of my favorite open world games from this era with a unique setting, well told story, and interesting combat mechanics. Ghost of Tsushima does very little that hadn't been done before, but it's still a great open world game with a unique setting that I felt added up to more than the sum of its parts. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - I bounced off this game more than once before finally getting through it. I found that the game systems and combat aren't the best, but the storytelling is what elevates it. Of the AC games, my favorite was Odyssey, so I'd start there. If you like that giant RPG style of game Origins is worth a go as well, where as Syndicate is the more old school AC. Batman: Arkham Knight is absolutely worthwhile if you enjoyed the prior games. Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are my favorite Uncharted games not made by Naughty Dog. They're both a significant step up from the first, and even if they're never quite as good as the best of Uncharted, they hold their own. Skip Shadow if Rise doesn't hold your interest. Black Mesa is a nice remaster of Half-Life, but I wouldn't consider it essential. If you do feel like revisiting HL, this is the way to go. DOOM and DOOM Eternal are probably at the top of some people's lists, but not mine. They're anachronistic compared to other modern shooters and you'll either fall in love with it or remember why it went out of style. METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN - As someone who finds the Metal Gear storytelling interminable, I loved this game for the gameplay alone. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was really great at the time, but I never played Shadow of War and honestly con't know how well they hold up. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best3444 Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 19 minutes ago, TwinIon said: The Last of Us Part II, The Last of Us Remastered (waiting on PS5 remaster price cut) - Absolute top of my list. Two of the best games of all time. It's worthwhile to wait for the PS5 version. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (started) - Even as someone who didn't absolutely love the Uncharted games, 4 is still something special. A real essential. God of War / Ragnarok would both be very high up there on my list of essentials. I was never a fan of the old games, but loved the new versions. Horizon Zero Dawn gets too much hate. It's one of my favorite open world games from this era with a unique setting, well told story, and interesting combat mechanics. Ghost of Tsushima does very little that hadn't been done before, but it's still a great open world game with a unique setting that I felt added up to more than the sum of its parts. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - I bounced off this game more than once before finally getting through it. I found that the game systems and combat aren't the best, but the storytelling is what elevates it. Of the AC games, my favorite was Odyssey, so I'd start there. If you like that giant RPG style of game Origins is worth a go as well, where as Syndicate is the more old school AC. Batman: Arkham Knight is absolutely worthwhile if you enjoyed the prior games. Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are my favorite Uncharted games not made by Naughty Dog. They're both a significant step up from the first, and even if they're never quite as good as the best of Uncharted, they hold their own. Skip Shadow if Rise doesn't hold your interest. Black Mesa is a nice remaster of Half-Life, but I wouldn't consider it essential. If you do feel like revisiting HL, this is the way to go. DOOM and DOOM Eternal are probably at the top of some people's lists, but not mine. They're anachronistic compared to other modern shooters and you'll either fall in love with it or remember why it went out of style. METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN - As someone who finds the Metal Gear storytelling interminable, I loved this game for the gameplay alone. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was really great at the time, but I never played Shadow of War and honestly con't know how well they hold up. Listen to this man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 Besides some mentioned like GOW and TLOU, for your tastes I would suggest Spongebob Bikini Bottom if you’ve never played it. It’s really a fantastic 3D platformer. It’s up there with some of the best ones imo. It’s a good mix of platforming challenge and exploration. I would also highly recommend Control, it’s an incredibly fun game mechanically and has that Remedy atmosphere. Also if you liked Life is Strange 1 I highly recommend Before the Storm as it’s near the quality level and really fleshes out the original. I consider it all one game in my mind these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted July 7, 2023 Author Share Posted July 7, 2023 1 hour ago, stepee said: Besides some mentioned like GOW and TLOU, for your tastes I would suggest Spongebob Bikini Bottom if you’ve never played it. It’s really a fantastic 3D platformer. It’s up there with some of the best ones imo. It’s a good mix of platforming challenge and exploration. I would also highly recommend Control, it’s an incredibly fun game mechanically and has that Remedy atmosphere. Also if you liked Life is Strange 1 I highly recommend Before the Storm as it’s near the quality level and really fleshes out the original. I consider it all one game in my mind these days. All of those interest me. Control will have to wait until (someday) I have a better PC, I want to experience it no holds barred. SpongeBob would be a good family friendly option for me to play in front of the kid on occasion. I was under the impression that Before the Storm wasn't that good? Interesting. Heard there weren't any time travel mechanics, so maybe that was my excuse to never boot it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 14 minutes ago, crispy4000 said: All of those interest me. Control will have to wait until (someday) I have a better PC, I want to experience it no holds barred. SpongeBob would be a good family friendly option for me to play in front of the kid on occasion. I was under the impression that Before the Storm wasn't that good? Interesting. Heard there weren't any time travel mechanics, so maybe that was my excuse to never boot it up. Yeah no time travel mechanic but the rage mechanic is at least better than the empathy mechanic in True Colors (though that was good too, the game, not the mechanic). @johnny can vouch it’s legit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 Based on what I have played. Quote Assassin's Creed Odyssey Assassin's Creed Origins Assassin's Creed: Syndicate AC: Syndicate was the best of the old-style AC games. If you like those, this was probably the best example of that. The AC:Origins/Odyssey/Valhalla are all a trilogy set in different settings (Ancient Greece, Ptolemaic Egypt and the Viking invasion of England), and had increasingly improved mechanics. They ARE very similar in mechanics, so would be hard to play back-to-back. They are also VERY long (in the order of 120-150 hours each). I loved them Quote Control Ultimate Edition A solid game. Yes, the Ray Tracing and HDR are awesome. Worth prioritizing based on this list? I don't think so. Quote Devil May Cry 5 Meh. It was OK. IMHO, the forced changes between characters and fight styles really let it down. Quote DOOM DOOM Eternal Old school shooters revitalized. They are nothing like most modern shooters, in that you need to be aggressive, and keep moving. Shouldn't be missed. Quote Far Cry 4 Best open world shooter I have ever played. FC5 had some interesting mechanics, but stepped back in some ways. FC4 was just a blast to play. Quote God of War (started) Horizon Zero Dawn Both are excellent. Both are very different games, and both are excellent. Quote Just Cause 4 Great game mechanics, not enough of a game. Too repetitive and gets boring. Quote The Last Guardian I stopped playing midway through because of the terrible controls. Quote Mass Effect: Legendary Edition If you've never played this trilogy, stop what you are doing and play this now. Quote Rise of the Tomb Raider Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Both very good games, but no where near as good as much of the best stuff on your list. Quote Star Wars: Squadrons Niche. I enjoyed it, but hard to recommend without the multiplayer. Quote Watch_Dogs Watch_Dogs 2 Good, solid open world games that are marred by "edgy" writing. Some interesting ideas that don't always hit. Quote The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Right after you play the Mass Effect Trilogy, play this. Interesting characters, tremendous writing, tough decisions. One of the best open-world games ever made. I found the combat REALLY easy. I ended up deciding to play the full trilogy back-to-back. The first game is VERY dated, but short. The second game is still playable. The third is a masterpiece. You CAN play the third without touching the first two, and you probably won't feel you missed anything. But... I found my connection with the characters was so much stronger playing all three games in quick succession. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaseknox Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 From your list I would recommend playing the following: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Batman: Arkham Knight Bloodborne Borderlands 3 Call of Duty: WWII Control Darksiders III Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Dishonored 2 Dragon Age Inquisition Dying Light The Evil Within 2 Ghost of Tsushima God of War God of War: Ragnarok Horizon Zero Dawn Immortals Fenyx Rising Journey to the Savage Planet The Last Guardian The Last of Us Remastered The Last of Us Part II Life is Strange: Before the Storm Mass Effect Trilogy Metro 2033 Metro Last Light Metro Exodus Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Ni no Kuni: Revenant Kingdom The Outer Worlds Persona 5 A Plague Tale: Innocence Prey Rage 2 Rise of the Tomb Raider Shadow of the Tomb Raider Tales of Berseria Uncharted 4: A Thieves End Valkyrie Chronicles 4 The Witcher III: Wild Hunt Yakuza 0 Yakuza Kiwami Yakuza Kiwami 2 Yakuza 3 Yakuza 4 I would also recommend playing the following if you haven’t: Fallout 4 Ghost Recon: Wildlands GreedFall Mass Effect Andromeda Nier: Automata Ratchet & Clank Red Dead Redemption II Sakuna of Rice and Ruin South Park: The Fractured But Whole Titanfall 2 Trials of Mana Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Until Dawn Yakuza 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted July 8, 2023 Author Share Posted July 8, 2023 14 minutes ago, Phaseknox said: I would also recommend playing the following if you haven’t: Fallout 4 Ghost Recon: Wildlands GreedFall Mass Effect Andromeda Nier: Automata Ratchet & Clank Red Dead Redemption II Sakuna of Rice and Ruin South Park: The Fractured But Whole Titanfall 2 Trials of Mana Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Until Dawn Yakuza 5 Beat those two, but don’t own the rest other than Lost Legacy. I’m sure Yakuza 5 is coming to a Humble Choice sometime soon. Newish SquareEnix games never go on sale beyond $30, when $20 is more of my limit for anything I would’t rush out for. But <$10 is more of my ideal. I’ll want to get the Nier games eventually, but it’ll probably be from a bargain bin at GameStop knowing the price history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastlevaniaNut18 Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 I’d also second the Arkham Knight, especially if you’ve played the others. It was a good end to a fantastic series. I need to repay it sometime, as I’ve replayed all the others. Im a fan of Assassin’s Creed and I enjoyed all the last gen games, but if you just want one, I’d go with Odyssey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 6 hours ago, stepee said: Yeah no time travel mechanic but the rage mechanic is at least better than the empathy mechanic in True Colors (though that was good too, the game, not the mechanic). @johnny can vouch it’s legit yeah if you liked life is strange 1 i would def play before the storm. it kinda completes the story with chloe/rachel amber. and it’s only 3 chapters i think compared to 5. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted July 8, 2023 Author Share Posted July 8, 2023 @TwinIon Black Mesa would more be my jumping point for the Half Life series in general. Its cool to hear that you think Rise and Shadow are worthwhile. I've seen mixed things, but I really, really enjoyed the reboot. Closest game to RE4 for me in many respects. @CastlevaniaNut18 I'd love to get to Arkham Knight someday. But I've only beaten the first game, which I've heard is the most Metroidvania in its structure (which is one of the best things about it, there's so few examples in 3D) . If I'm playing an open world comic game, I'd move to Miles Morales next before looking back to City. @SoberChef The AC games are really daunting to me. Especially where to jump in, or if want to commit to it instead of beating so many other games in that time. I've dipped my toes in Origins, which was okay at the start. Odyssey felt a bit too aimless for me, it expects you to know the loop from the start. I think I need a better CPU for these games either way. Mass Effect Trilogy is on my radar, but I don't have experience with Bioware games. Good starting point, or would KOTOR be better? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 Bloodborne DOOM MGSV Are probably my favorite games in that list that you haven’t started. God of War is good, not great for me. Last of us was one of my GOATs at time of release but I don’t know if it really holds up gameplay wise. If you have an inquisitive mind and some patience, there’s always a chance that outer wilds will be your favorite game of all time. Edit: oh you said outer worlds… that game is ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaseknox Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 2 hours ago, crispy4000 said: Its cool to hear that you think Rise and Shadow are worthwhile. I've seen mixed things, but I really, really enjoyed the reboot. Closest game to RE4 for me in many respects. I'd love to get to Arkham Knight someday. But I've only beaten the first game, which I've heard is the most Metroidvania in its structure (which is one of the best things about it, there's so few examples in 3D) . The AC games are really daunting to me. Especially where to jump in, or if want to commit to it instead of beating so many other games in that time. I've dipped my toes in Origins, which was okay at the start. Odyssey felt a bit too aimless for me, it expects you to know the loop from the start. Mass Effect Trilogy is on my radar, but I don't have experience with Bioware games. Good starting point, or would KOTOR be better? What games have you been playing over the years, because you haven’t played some of the best games that have come out IMO. Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are just as good if not even a little better than Tomb Raider (2013), Batman: Arkham City is the best Batman Arkham game IMO, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of my favorite games of all-time and the Mass Effect games are easily some of the best RPGs ever. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is one of my favorite RPGs, but it’s kind of dated now. I’m surprised that you haven’t played it, but I’m surprised that you haven’t played a lot of the games that you listed. There’s so many great games that I feel like you’ve been missing out on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzzzle Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 My backlog is probably already more than I could fit in a lifetime that wasn't @stepee's. I don't need to add to it. Though I did just play though the PS4 spidermen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted July 8, 2023 Author Share Posted July 8, 2023 8 hours ago, Phaseknox said: What games have you been playing over the years, because you haven’t played some of the best games that have come out IMO. Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are just as good if not even a little better than Tomb Raider (2013), Batman: Arkham City is the best Batman Arkham game IMO, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of my favorite games of all-time and the Mass Effect games are easily some of the best RPGs ever. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is one of my favorite RPGs, but it’s kind of dated now. I’m surprised that you haven’t played it, but I’m surprised that you haven’t played a lot of the games that you listed. There’s so many great games that I feel like you’ve been missing out on. I beat maybe a dozen games a year. Some years have been lighter due to life circumstances (ie: doctorate thesis and comprehensive exams), which set me behind a little, but being late to the party means I save quite a bit. Or maybe not, since I’m needing to double down on retirement after entering the workforce so late… I can pull a list out later, I’ve kept track of everything I’ve ever seen to completion. I’ll say about my habits that it’s rare that I play multiple games from a single franchise back to back (which means more franchises get added to the backlog). I’m not the biggest fan of open world, FPS or horror games generally. 360/PS3 era was probably my least favorite gen for AAA releases. I like games with novel movement mechanics, puzzles, tight controls, a linear well-crafted story, Metroidvanias, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best3444 Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 Honestly, I'm surprised you missed so many AAA games. Your original list needs to be broken down like @Phaseknox did and just play 75% of the games. There are too many great games there to miss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy4000 Posted July 8, 2023 Author Share Posted July 8, 2023 2 hours ago, best3444 said: Honestly, I'm surprised you missed so many AAA games. Your original list needs to be broken down like @Phaseknox did and just play 75% of the games. There are too many great games there to miss. I’d say the same for people missing certain indies or Nintendo games in favor of keeping up with AAA. Too many great games to miss! The big budget PS4/XBO games I’ve beaten so far were the ones that interested me most. Spider-Man, FF7R, Jedi Fallen Order, Psychonauts 2, Hellblade, Dragon Quest XI, Days Gone (for hordes), etc. God of War would be there if it didn’t drop it for some reason I can’t recall. I’ve also played some remasters/remakes like the Uncharted Trilogy, Shadow of the Colossus, Crash/Spyro 1, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best3444 Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 28 minutes ago, crispy4000 said: I’d say the same for people missing certain indies or Nintendo games in favor of keeping up with AAA. Too many great games to miss! The big budget PS4/XBO games I’ve beaten so far were the ones that interested me most. Spider-Man, FF7R, Jedi Fallen Order, Psychonauts 2, Hellblade, Dragon Quest XI, Days Gone (for hordes), etc. God of War would be there if it didn’t drop it for some reason I can’t recall. I’ve also played some remasters/remakes like the Uncharted Trilogy, Shadow of the Colossus, Crash/Spyro 1, etc. I see. Well you have quite the library ahead of you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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