Top 4 genre-defining video games of this generation

Every generation of Video Games, we get a few gems of titles that break boundaries with the level of quality they offer. This generation has seen its fair of share of such titles but four of them really stood out for many gamers out there.

These four titles have redefined or stood at the very top of the genres of the games they represent or belong to, and if one hasn't tried them yet, they are seriously missing out on some cool stuff. That being said here are, according to us, the top 4 genre-defining games of this generation.

#1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (RPG)

CD Projekt Red blew us away with the level of depth its characters and side quests had in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Like a true role-playing game, The Witcher 3 offered a multitude of branching dialogues, true choices and consequences, not only in its lengthy main story but also in the various side quests it offered.

Witcher 3 is one such video game where the richness of the story found in the side quests can sometimes surpass even the ones of the main questline. The choices which the player's Geralt of Rivia takes in the game has an actual effect on the game's world. Side quests can have an impact on the main story as well.

You can take a decision in the very beginning of the game, only to stumble upon that NPC midway through the campaign, in an entirely different location, who will reward you for helping him/her out earlier.

Little things like this make the world of The Witcher 3: Wild hunt alive and believable. Sure, a lot of other role-playing games have portrayed such level of freedom in the narrative, but only The Witcher 3 offers such level of quality in this humungous ever-changing game world, which is an astonishing achievement, to say the least.

#2 Resident Evil 7 (Survival Horror)

When I first played the free demo of Resident Evil 7 called "The Beginning hour", I felt like it was a lazy copy of Hideo Kojima's cancelled Silent Hill game. After all, the demo resembled a lot what made the enigmatic P.T. famous.

It felt like Capcom was fully prepared to fill the void which Konami's cancelled Silent Hill game so gracefully carved in our hearts. Turns out, that was true. Resident Evil 7 was everything that a true survival horror game should be.

Boasting picturesque visuals thanks to the powerful RE engine, the game put us into the shoes of a newcomer Ethan, who just like us is confused about everything that goes around in the game's mysterious mansion set in the American Countryside.

Resident Evil 7 is everything that Capcom could have done with this dying series and is a fitting come back for the root of the survival horror genre.

From its three crazy antagonists - the Baker family, to the mysterious zombie-like creatures called "moulded", and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Ethan's wife-Mia, Resident Evil 7 will keep one on their toes all the time. It's terrifying, it's beautiful, it's the most satisfying Resident Evil game since Resident Evil 4.

#3 Red Dead Redemption 2 (Immersive Open World)

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the pinnacle of open-world gaming. Its world feels natural, dynamic, detailed and interactive. It doesn't fill itself with a mindless checklist of stuff to do - rather it lets you blend in the world slowly, take in the sights, and indulge in occasional activities that feel organic and believable.

What Red Dead Redemption 2's open-world does really well is that it lets one build up scenarios for themselves rather than shoving it down their throats. For example, you can interact with every other NPC in the game. The game usually gives a player four options to toy around with, ranging from greeting someone to threatening them, or a simple shootout.

Focusing on being a more realistic open world, RDR 2's world goes to such an extent as to make one gawk at the number of details they are being offered in a particular time. For example, players can brew up coffee in the camps. But for brewing them you'll need ground coffee which you can buy at the shop by not just interacting with the shop owner like in previous Rockstar titles, but also explore the shop to find that specific item you need.

If the player's character gets very dirty, other NPCs will react to it as well. (Not in a good manner, mind you.)

If people leave the carcass of the dead animal they so proudly hunted on their horse for a long time, then it will rot and degrade the reward one will get from selling or delivering them.

Situations like these are common in RDR 2, and one may also stumble upon a spooky mansion at night where two incest couple very exquisitely invite one for dinner.(Be ready for the consequences.)

You can end up exploring a deserted town where everyone died because of a certain plague, or during one of the night strolls, one may find very curious blood clues to a rotten body and discover the mystery of a savage serial killer.

Interesting encounters like these are a common sight in the world of RDR 2 and what makes it more interesting and believable is that most of these cool revelations are not marked on the map as a checklist of task to complete, which is a pretty common affair in the open-world games of this generation. Rather it lets one breathe and let their curiosity take the better of themselves.

#4 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Unprecedent combat experience)

When FromSoftware decided to make their next big entry with the souls' formula, they took a drastic step. They decided to make Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice an action-adventure game rather than a traditional RPG, which the studio is most notably known for.

For some, this came as a disappointment, as even though it was built upon the foundation of the games that everyone so dearly loves, Sekiro forced players to one single playstyle, one that FromSoftware specifically wanted the players to experience.

Such a playstyle revolved around a concept of "clashing of steels", which Director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained as the vision for this game. And for someone who has spent about 95 hours finishing the first playthrough of the game and is going to start his NG+1 playthrough soon, I can honestly say that there is no better game out there which offers such an incredible and satisfying combat, and that is saying a lot, considering the fact that I beat Devil May Cry 5 just two weeks before trying Sekiro.

The entire combat in Sekiro revolves around attacking and deflecting your enemy's attack. This is a cycle that never seems to end and is the most satisfying thing one can experience if they get hold of the combat.

In Sekiro, there is no stamina meter, also every enemy has a posture meter, which one can lower if they are good at deflecting and raining down attacks on the enemy. This is the easiest and the right way to take down enemies, especially the boss battles in Sekiro.

What's more is that FromSoftware has taken all the necessary steps needed to flaunt this incredible playstyle every now and then, as the game offers a multitude of mini-boss along with the traditional main bosses.

If you haven't yet tried Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, you're missing out on something truly magnificent.

These are, according to us, the most genre-defining video games of this generation. What are yours? Tell us in the comments down below. Also for everything Video Games, stick to Sportskeeda.