Well, as we're down to the final trickle of games for the PS3 and Xbox 360, it's about that time to start snapping up all of the games we all want while they're at likely their lowest. I thought it might be time to share a top five for each console, so maybe we can see what each other enjoyed and/or missed last gen. As for me...

Xbox 360:

5: DeathSmiles-a horizontal shooter that feels like the spiritual successor to Cotton, but with Cave style.

4: Nier-an action RPG that presented some of the most interesting moral dilemmas I've seen in a game, but never forgot that it's a video game. Blending in top-down hack and slash, 2D platforming, and even text adventures with the more conventional third person open world exploration, it seemed to always have a new, interesting hook ready to keep things fresh.

3: Crackdown-I'm not much of an open world game guy, but Crackdown is by far my favorite. Loaded with secrets, tons of missions... but just becoming crazy powerful and jumping like a super hero across the city while chucking cars about felt great, and it supports LAN co-op for long after the servers go dead.

2: Terraria-I've been done playing this for awhile, but I'll come back to it for hundreds of hours in the future for sure. It's basically 2D, pixelated Minecraft for crotchety old men who want to kill bosses and have more of a point to their virtual Legos. I have created much, killed much, and died much... but killing the Wall of Flesh by myself for the first time really felt like an accomplishment, as it's meant to be done by a group, and the payoff is insanely cool.

1: Culdcept Saga-holy shit, have I put an insane amount of time into this board game/card game/rpg hybrid. It's nigh impossible to properly describe to someone who hasn't played it, but most who do play it dig it hard, so you almost never see it at a store.


PS3:

5: 3D Dot Game Heroes-classic Zelda in voxels. As Zelda homages go, it's one of the best, and I enjoyed it way more than any 3D Zelda.

4: Lost in the Rain-presented like a children's book and full of european early 20th century atmosphere, Lost in the Rain feels like a successor to games like Out of this World and Heart of Darkness with its innocent characters and dark undertones, and also with its trial and error gameplay (but not nearly so frustrating). An english disc came out in Asia, but it's gotten pricey.

3: River City All-Stars Super Sports Challenge-it's a re-imagining of the Kunio-kun Famicom/PC Engine classic, Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyouku: Soreyuke Daiundoukai, but with a very modern front end that allows you to customize and create everything from characters, teams, and move sets to course designs, victory conditions, and whole events. It's River City Ransom beating the shit out of Track & Field, and got an english disc in asia.

2: Dragon's Crown-an excellent synthesis of beat 'em up and RPG, the only thing I really disliked was weapons breaking, which I hate in any game. It has a great look, fun co-op, and a super corny story... it's the one game I actually play online from time to time.

1: Strider-to my mind, this is the best pure Metroid style game since Super Metroid, eschewing the Castlevania RPG elements and massive item/soul lists in favor of maximizing a more limited arsenal and challenging you to best exploit your movement options... and never compromises on the Strider elements in the process. After finishing it, I felt like going right back into its world, which is laden with hidden passages and nifty secrets. Physical disc came out in Japan, and plays in english on your US PS3.

There are other real winners and some fun compilations, but those have been my favorites. How about you?