Best stand-alone game this generation?

[DiabloBub666]

The absolute best two standalone games, in my opinion, without a doubt, are Flower (by thatgamecompany) and a little Half-Life 2 mod (if mods are included) called The Stanley Parable.

Though, Amnesia: The Dark Descent gets an honorable mention, because even though I'm not particularly into horror games, it does it's job SO DAMN WELL. My friends and I played it at 11 PM and we almost soiled ourselves over a guy walking through a door...

Other honorable mentions: Vanquish, Heavy Rain, Mirror's Edge (yes, really... these are just my favorites at this point), and... actually, that's probably about it.

 

[Nudu]

Oblivion for me.

 

[Chaos James]

Probably Minecraft, its the first one that jumps to my mind.

 

[Venats]

Vanquish and/or Minecraft and/or Last Odyssey.

This message needs to be long enough to protect me from the not long enough messages!

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Okami is a port from last generation so I wouldn't count that...

I'd have to say Red Dead Redemption. Now keep in mind it's not a sequel to Red Dead Revolver, but a successor, with no link to the previous game besides by name. Revolver is set Spaghetti Western style whereas Redemption is American Western.

I'd have to say that this is the first Western environment in a video game that actually felt like the Old West. The Natives weren't stereotypically portrayed as savaged, you ACTUALLY HAD DUELS!!! The dialogue felt authentic. I can't name another stand alone game that has done what RD:Redemption has done. It didn't need to be a cover based shooter with RPG stat tracking. It wasn't based in a sci-fi world with gritty marines, or a fantasy world where everyone sounds like they just got finished listening to "Rape Me" by Nirvana for half a day. It was unique. Right to the very end.
Also 1000TH POST!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TheTim]

Its going to be grand theft auto 4 for me

its not exactly a sequel to gta san andreas sooo yea.

 

[AlexiVolkov]

Standalone? .... Most every game that springs to mind is a sequel.. or has one coming...

I think I am going to have to say Bastion. While on the short side, for an indie title it is absolutely amazing.
The story, the narration, the music... all of it ties together to craft this fantastic experience that is not done one shred of justice by its screenshots. The game is just astounding.

The story of the game is so well done, that they even narrate in an explanation for the new game + second play through. The game and the soundtrack are absolutely worth the money to me.

 

[babinro]

Angry Birds - It's genuinely fun in a casual way and almost universally loved by most age groups.

If I had to choose a 'hardcore' game I'd go with Borderlands.

 

[NovaCascade]

Otherwise, Xenoblade Chronicles! Monolith Soft poured so much work into this product. It's littered with sidequests and there's depth to pretty much every aspect of the game. Sidequests eventually lead to rebuilding a city. Talking to people leads to ranking them on an affinity chart then finishing sidequests can link people together. Every skill has upgrades, every character has a variety of skills, every character has a tree of attributes that upgrade over time.
And it's got good load times

This. I am loving this game so freaking much. Especially the music. And the characters. And the story. Its probably my GOTY so far. Although there a lot of good games coming... We'll see how it stacks up come year's end

 

[CaptainKoala]

Im going to go with Skyrim, or one of the Saints Row games

I don't think non-existent games are eligible.

 

[Arkley]

Man, so many to choose from. Bastion, Vanquish, Limbo, Bayonetta, Braid, Alan Wake, Red Dead, so many more.

I think for pure, unadulterated fun with the perfect amount of challenge, I'll have to go with Vanquish. But the way Bastion told a story with its constant narration was really special, and the way Limbo told a story with no narration of any kind whatsoever was just as special.

Who knows? Doesn't matter which is best, we all win.

 

[blizzaradragon]

Hmm...standalone game is hard to think of, since almost every game now has a sequel or a prequel of some sort. I can think of plenty that have a sequel or are sequels that are amazing though.

If we're talking only this generation then I'm going to say Catherine. A really interesting story that keeps you intrigued the entire way through for multiple playthroughs of the game, and gameplay that is both simple and challenging. Plus it's a nice change from all the shooters and RPGs that have been coming out(don't mind the RPGs, but the shooters need to die down some).

However, if we can count the PS2 or at least late PS2 then I have to give that to Rogue Galaxy. It came out after this generation started too, so it could technically be called a part of it. Seriously one of the best RPGs I've played ever, and proof that Level-5 makes amazing RPG games and haven't lost their touch after Dark Cloud 1 and 2. If you haven't played it and are a fan of either Level-5 games, RPGs, or both, I highly recommend picking it up and playing it.

 

[SaikyoKid]

Borderlands. I might get a lot of flak for this one, but I fucking love that game and I've logged way too many hours into it.

It's OK, I would actually agree that Boarderlands should be one of the best stand alone games to come along in a good while. Or, at the very least, should be the best new FPS to pop up. If not that, could I throw up League of Legends for good measure? It may take the basic mechanics from DOTA, but I feel that there's enough going for it to separate it as it's own game. (Specially if Dominion comes out fairly soon)

Also, as much as I would love to nominate Okami, wasn't there an adorable little sequel for it called Okamiden, thereby disqualifying it for said nomination?

 

[drmigit2]

Red Dead Redemption. How has nobody thought of this? Yes it is technically a sequal, but it has so little to do with its prequel that it may as well be stand alone.

 

[Thumper17]

Well we cant make this decision until the end of this generation. Some big hitters coming out later this year like Skyrim.

So far, Oblivion or Fallout: New Vegas are fantastic games.

Heavy Rain deserves mention, a very cool experience.

Civ V was good.

Starcraft II was apparently good.

Minecraft as well, amazing game.

 

[jamie56]

maybe knight of the old republic and I it wasnt exactly a standalone but the second one was made by a diferent publisher (and they ruined it)

 

[Magicmad5511]

Vanquish.
Speedy, shooty, bullet timey robot fun. Also Giant robot tanks, nicely powerful weapons and a Russian in 2 flying mech suits.

It's a bit over the top and definitely has a Japanese feel to it but it still makes me feel cooler than many other shooters.
and not many other games can rival being able to speed across the floor, picking off the limbs of a giant megatron-esque tank before smashing a smaller robot with you melee causing you to flip into the air and then pick of the rest of the guys in slow motion in mid air with a shotgun.
It just feels supremely awesome.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Well, since we have a topic on the best series of this generation, I might as well put up a similar thread for people to talk about what they think was the best game of the generation, even stuff that was ported onto it (such as Okami), that has no sequels or prequels anywhere.

For starters, since I brought up Okami, that's probably a very major contender (well, the Wii version would be, since that's what's in this generation). Also, The World Ends With You, for its incredible story and unique gameplay that actually works, and from the independent side, VVVVVV (just play it already; it's only like five dollars.)

What do you guys think of this generation's best, and/or everyone else's taste in games?

Captcha: 1710, naphow
Better hit the history books. For Lord Inglip!

Okami has a sequel on the DS called Okamiden, just sayin'.


OT: I'm actually not sure. VVVVVV was mentioned above, and forget indie games, that's my personal game of the year for 2010, period. I second the notion to go play it. I paid $15 to get it in the Humble Indie Bundle, and even though it's the only game in the bundle I really wanted, I absolutely feel like I got my money's worth. At $5, it's a total steal. For the best game of the generation, though, I can't decide.

Even if I were to narrow it down to just multiplayer first person shooters (which is the main genre of games I play), I couldn't decide; this is the generation that brought us TF2 and Battlefield 2, either one of which could be held up as shooter of the decade. Heck, Battlefront II technically came out after the start of this gen, and the PC version is graphically comparable to an early 360 game, so you could throw that into the mix, too. This is without looking at the various entries in the CoD series, or at games like Mag and Crysis, both of which did some pretty cool things. Basically, there are a lot of gems in this generation, even if there seems to be a bit more dross than usual, too.

Edit: Derp, best standalone game of the generation. I'm going to honestly answer that question with VVVVVV. It's everything I loved about platformers as a kid, with none of what I hated. Just play it, guys.

 

[blizzaradragon]

Well we cant make this decision until the end of this generation. Some big hitters coming out later this year like Skyrim.

So far, Oblivion or Fallout: New Vegas are fantastic games.

Heavy Rain deserves mention, a very cool experience.

Civ V was good.

Starcraft II was apparently good.

Minecraft as well, amazing game.

Well out of all the games you mentioned, only Heavy Rain and Minecraft would work for what OP was going for. When he says standalone, he meant has no prequels or sequels. Since all the rest are part of a series, sadly they don't work

 

[HazelrahFiver]

Deadly Premonition. It gets my vote for one of the best games ever.

I agree it's awesome, but not the best. /cheers though!
As for best standalone game, I would also want to say Demon's Souls... but I don't want to cheat. Not only is it a successor of the King's Field series, but it has it's own successor coming out in twelve days. I also want to put down Red Dead Redemption, but wait, that has Red Dead Revolver as a first. Frankly, all the best games are in a series, because they can work out the formula and improve the game.

Ah ha! Mirror's Edge or Heavenly Sword. I'm not going to pick one because as much as I adored both, and consider them some of the best games ever made, they both have faults that could definitely be improved with sequels (irony?).

For everyone above: Okami is last generation. Batman: AA is not a standalone game so very soon. Oblivion and Skyrim are both not standalone titles. Saint's Row is a series. Borderlands is no longer standalone. Half-Life 2.. oh come on. GTA4... seriously?