As of today, July 13th, I have made a list of IGN's Editor's Choice games for GameCube, Xbox and PS2. I have chosen IGN because it seems to be the most mainstream gaming site out there, and the one most casual gamers would rely on first and foremost.
It seems most old-school video game players think today's games have no originality. I mostly think so too. Therefore, I have only selected games which are neither a sequel, nor part of a franchise, nor licensed, nor a remake, nor a compilation. Basically, something that stands on its own. Of course, even then many of these games are still cookie-cutter rip-offs. Sequels/etc. can also be excellent, original games in their own right. But usually, this is not the case.
Although I am quite a Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, etc. fan, I am more than sick and tired of seeing sequels. I am not interested in the least in the upcoming 15th (if not more) Zelda game. Start with three hearts, get weak sword and weak shield, bow and arrows, bombs, boomerang, grappling hook, better sword, red tunic, go to one of eight dungeons, get compass, get map...yawn. It was fun the first five times.Do something NEW already! On the NES Nintendo created Kid Icarus, Clu Clu Land, Balloon Fight, Urban Champion, and countless other standalone games. On the GCN they created Pikmin, and even that got a sequel.
Anyway, the purpose of this thread is to show how unoriginal current consoles are, but also to praise games that break the current mold and try to do something new for a change. Basically, I want you to convince jaded bastards like myself what we are missing. Thank you.
The percentage represents the number of Editor's Choice which are original games. Note that the "*" means that the game is available on one of the two other consoles. Also, you may not agree with some of my decisions (such as omitting Splinter Cell because of the Tom Clancy license, or including Maximo even though it might easily be argued that it's part of the Ghosts 'n Goblins series), and perhaps I have included licensed games (I'm unaware of that), but this is just an overview. And it's skewered strictly towards IGN, meaning no Alien Hominid and whatnot. I can't stand IGN, by the way, but it's still ubiquitous.
GameCube
10 out of 94 (10.6%)
*Aggressive Inline
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
Beach Spikers
*Beyond Good & Evil
*Dr. Muto
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
*Freedom Fighters
Ikaruga
Pikmin
*Viewtiful Joe
Xbox
36 out of 180 (20%)
*Aggressive Inline
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
*Beyond Good & Evil
Blinx
*Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Crimson Sea
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Dead to Rights
Deathrow
*Dr. Muto
Fable
*Freedom Fighters
Full Spectrum Warrior
GUNVALKYRIE
Halo: Combat Evolved
Hunter: The Reckoning
Jade Empire
Karaoke Revolution
Max Payne
MechAssault
*Mercenaries
Moto GP: Ultimate Racing Technology
*MTX Mototrax
MX Unleashed
Otogi: Myth of Demons
Top Spin
*True Crime: Streets of L.A.
*Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Phantom Dust
Project: Snowblind
Psychonauts
RalliSport Challenge
Steel Battalion
*Suffering, The
Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus
Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions
PS2 (18%)
44 out of 245
ATV Offroad Fury
*Beyond Good & Evil
*Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Burnout
Culdcept
Devil May Cry
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
*Dr. Muto
*Freedom Fighters
Frequency
Gitaroo-Man
God of War
Half-Life
ICO
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Katamari Damacy
*Karaoke Revolution
Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color
Manhunt
Mark of Kri, The
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
*Mercenaries
Midnight Club: Street Racing
*MTX Mototrax
Onimusha: Warlords
*Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
*Psychonauts
Ratchet and Clank
Red Faction
Rez
Ring of Red
Rumble Racing
Samurai Warriors
Shadow of Destiny
Sky Odyssey
Sled Storm
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Splashdown
Stuntman
*Suffering, The
TimeSplitters
*True Crime: Streets of L.A.
*Viewtiful Joe
War of the Monsters
Dji's Choices for truly fun, new games (among the ones previously listed):
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
Gitaroo-Man (PS2)
GUNVALKYRIE (Xbox)
Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (PS2)
War of the Monsters (PS2)