Beginning in late November 2005 and stretching all the way through to the present day, the seventh generation of home consoles – which includes the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii – has been one of the longest cycles in gaming history. It’s been an era defined by high definition graphics, internal hard drives and interaction via motion control, which has thus presented developers with enduring tools to create a rich reserve of gameplay experiences. The kind of experiences that will resonate with players for a very, very long time. And yet, as the relentless progression of technology would have it, Nintendo released their follow-up to the Wii with the Wii U in 2012, and while it didn’t blow the doors off upon release, it still ushered in the next generation of home consoles.
Plus, with the Xbox One and Playstation 4 now out in the public sphere coupled with an ever-approaching holiday release date, it won’t be long until we’re making room on our entertainment centers for these new systems. Although, it goes without saying that the leap to the next generation – while offering higher visual fidelity and an improved gaming ecosystem – will still require a substantial investment from a gamer standpoint. $898/£778, in fact, for both consoles, so it’s understandable that some consumers are apprehensive about making the jump. Plus, there have been a slew of recent releases that more than justify holding on to your current systems, and that’s a trend that is set to continue well into the next-gen life cycle.
Looking at recent releases such as The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite and it’s as though the current systems are aging like a fine wine, as studios perfect their developing process on the present consoles and their individual architectures. This is the pinnacle of the seventh generation. A time when game designers have overcome the pernickety cell processors at present in both the Xbox 360 and PS3 and are able to master their pixelated creations.
These consoles aren’t quite ready for the retirement home. So while games such as Need for Speed: Rivals, Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag are set to straddle both console generations upon release, there is a humble category of video games that are slated to release exclusively on the current generation of systems. So don’t go packing up your hardware just yet, because here’s a list of 10 titles that are absolutley worth watching out for.
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