The Golden Age of Now Part 1

The golden age of the Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 generation has come and gone. It began with the release of Bioshock in August 2007, and ended in February 2010. During that period we were spoiled with games that define this generation. It seemed as if every new game was trying to outdo the games before it.

2007 was the year of new franchises.

August brought us Bioshock which many critics hailed as the Game of the Year. I remember it got a platinum award from EGM which is very rare. The game was good, but it wasn't that difficult. It literally holds your hand, but what it lacks in difficulty it made up for in it's story and atmosphere. Rapture has a story to tell you, and it won't let go until it's finished.

November started off with the release of Gears of War. I was impressed with the graphics and chainsaw gun. The thing that sticks out the most is that commercial where Fenix jumps into that room only to be met by that huge monster. Made me want to play the game even more when I saw that. The game itself is awesome. I can't really remember the story, but I do remember the gunfights.

A week later we were introduced to Assassin's Creed & Super Mario Galaxy.

Assassin's Creed was the first videogame I played on a HD television. I was blown away. I remember pausing the game and staring at the detail in the pause menu. I spent hours in that game enjoying viewpoints and eagle drops. Critics said the game was repetitive, but I felt that my skills were getting better by repeating each action. By the end of the game I was getting stylish with my assassinations.

Super Mario Galaxy is arguably my game of the year for 2007. It's technically not a new franchise since Mario's 3D adventures have been around since 1996, but at the same time it is. Super Mario 64 set the bar for what a 3D Platforming game could be, Super Mario Galaxy raised it. The smoothness of the game is what got me the most. No matter how crazy things got in the game, it always responded to my controls. 

A week later we were introduced to Uncharted: Drake's Fortune & Mass Effect

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It's a fun game, but critics were quick to point out the elements that were borrowed from other games. Some called it a hybrid between Tomb Raider and Gears of War which is pretty accurate. Borrowed elements aside the game was badass. I enjoyed the action as well as the story. I love how the game plays out like a Hollywood blockbuster.

I slept on Mass Effect. I was playing too many games at that time to give it the time of day. I remember going to Eden Prime and riding a couple elevators, but it never took off for me. With that said I do realize the importance of it now. Many say Mass Effect 2 has a deeper meaning if you've played the first one, and others argue the first Mass Effect is better than the second.

2007 also saw the return of a few franchises.

The release of Halo 3 in September had people wondering how Sony was going to compete this generation. The game sold tons of units and is pretty good. I would play it every now and again, but I've always preferred to watch someone good play. Halo was the game we all played in my friends dorm. That shifted to Modern Warfare almost overnight. We went from plasma guns and needlers to assault rifles and pistols. To this day my friends prefer Call of Duty over Halo.

Last but certainly not least is Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. That game is awesome. Ratchet & Clank games start off slow then next thing you know the game picks up. Tools of Destruction was the first game I beat twice this generation. Helped me understand the hilarious story and upgrade my weapons even further. The graphics were great, and the gameplay is addictive. Long live Ratchet and Clank.