Ten great stories from classic Doctor Who

Following the 50th anniversary special a few weeks ago, a friend who's into modern Doctor Who but has no experience with the classic series asked me if I'd any recommendations for the older shows. Because I have to go over the top with everything (and because lists are fun), here's a list of ten excellent stories to get started with the classic series, one for each Doctor. Except for Tom Baker, who gets three because, let's face it, there were a lot of really good episodes then.

The Aztecs 
Season 1 (First Doctor), written by John Lucarotti, directed by John Crockett

One of the finest examples of the 'pure historical' stories that fell out of favour after the Hartnell era, The Aztecs is a beautifully produced drama, closer to a traditional period piece than a science fiction adventure. Dealing with the inability of the TARDIS crew to alter a primitive, barbaric culture, the Doctor has never been further from the all-powerful figure he often appeared in later years. Hartnell is delightful, alternately spiky and charming, and Jacqueline Hill delivers a character defining performance as Barbara, trapped in an impossible dilemma.

Also try: The Romans is another fantastic adventure in history, while The Time Meddler adds a more futuristic spin and a great foil for the Doctor.

The Invasion
Season 6 (Second Doctor), written by Derek Sherwin, directed by Douglas Camfield

A masterfully constructed modern day thriller, Patrick Troughton's impish Second Doctor finds a worthy match in Kevin Stoney's magnetic Tobias Vaughn, who brilliant scheming takes centre stage. Ably backed up by the first appearance of UNIT and the always engaging Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, this is a tautly constructed contemporary story that works as equal parts thriller and sci-fi adventure. With Who auteur Camfield at the helm and one of the most iconic scenes in the shows history, you've got an instant classic.

Also try: With so many of Troughton's stories missing or incomplete it can be tough to really get into them. But try the Bond-esque techno thriller of The Enemy of the World or the creeping atmosphere of The Web of Fear, both recently re-discovered.

Spearhead from Space
Season 7 (Third Doctor), written by Robert Holmes, directed by Derek Martinus

Jon Pertwee's first story was arguably his best, a great alien invasion yarn with a razor sharp script by series titan Robert Holmes. It does the brilliant job of not only completely re-establishing the status-quo but introducing a largely new cast, and still making time for a fantastically creepy set of bad guys. Shot entirely on film in beautiful colour, it's a bold new beginning.

Also try: Holmes also contributed the highly entertaining The Time Warrior which has the bonus of introducing iconic companion Sarah-Jane Smith, while the topical and impressively gross The Green Death is a dramatic highlight of the Pertwee era. 

Genesis of the Daleks
Season 12 (Fourth Doctor), written by Terry Nation, directed by David Maloney

Terry Nation tore down everything that he'd previously established about Dalek history for this effective reboot and it's all for the better, as we're introduced to one of the most famous of all Doctor Who villains in the form of the megalomaniacal, ranting Davros, as superbly played by Michael Wisher. With huge stakes, an engaging moral dilemma, great pacing and top-notch performances from all involved, it's an all time great.

Also try: Season 12 is a treasure in its own right - try The Ark in Space for the first real taste of the Tom Baker era, or Terror of the Zygons for an enjoyably schlocky monster tale with added Scottishness.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang
Season 14 (Fourth Doctor), written by Robert Holmes, directed by David Maloney

The apotheosis of the show's 'Hammer Horror' phase, this is a terrifically moody and dark spin on the Jack the Ripper legend, crossed over with Sherlock Holmes and eastern mysticism. Boasts one of Doctor Who's finest comic pairings in Lightfoot and Jago, the typically witty Robert Homes banter and a suffocating atmosphere that beautifully captures gaslit London. Some dubious elements of racism (most notably the use of yellowface makeup) can make it an uncomfortable experience but the acting, design, directing and writing are all some of the best ever.

Also try: Too many to name, but you'll never regret checking out Pyramids of Mars and The Seeds of Doom for more seventies scares.

City of Death
Season 17 (Fourth Doctor), written by 'David Agnew' (Douglas Adams/Graham Williams/David Fisher), directed by Micheal Hayes

A stylish, silly romp that's just wonderful free-flowing fun, City of Death is the perfect meeting of sci-fi icons as Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams turns his with on Tom Baker and Lalla Ward romping through seventies Paris. With Julian Glover excelling as the snide Count Scarlioni and one of the greatest cameos ever, plus the thrill of an on-location shoot, it's family entertainment at its best. No wonder it's the most watched Doctor Who story ever.

The Caves of Androzani
Season 21 (Fifth Doctor), written by Robert Holmes, directed by Graeme Harper

Peter Davison saved his best until last in this unbearably tense adventure. For once The Doctor's got no objective but to escape, but he's trapped in one of the toughest spots he's ever been in, caught between vile business magnate Morgus and the elegant but evil Sharaz Jek. Run through with corruption, self-interest and backstabbing, Davison is brilliant as The Doctor at his most vulnerable, yet also at his most heroic, with his basic goodness shining through. Complete with tragic ending, this was voted the best Doctor Who story of all time in 2009.

Also try: Davison was dogged by poor scripts throughout his time with the program, but the mystical voodoo themes of Kinda are an obvious standout, while 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors is a fun mess.

Vengeance on Varos
Season 22 (Sixth Doctor), written by Philip Martin, directed by Ron Jones

Colin Baker's time on the show is generally recognised as a creative nadir, but Vengenace On Varos is the best of a bad bunch, a bitter commentary on the commercial appeal of violence and sadism that displays unusual smarts for what was ostensibly still a kids show. In the modern age, as a commentary on the toxic nature of reality TV, it arguably works even better, and Nabil Shaban is great as the repulsive Sil.

Also try: Don't, there's not much worth watching here. Well, if you must, the Robert Holmes penned The Two Doctors can be fun, though that's mostly due to the elegant presence of Patrick Troughton.

Remembrance of the Daleks
Season 25 (Seventh Doctor), written by Ben Aaronovitch, directed by Andrew Morgan

The beginning of the show's creative renaissance in its last two years, Remembrance is witty, clever and engaging, aided by tremendous character writing and a renewed focus on brains over action. Sylvester McCoy finally feels at home playing The Doctor as half whimsical eccentric and half cunning schemer, while Sophie Aldred immediately proves why Ace is the prototype for the modern companion - tough, smart and more than capable of handling herself.

Also try: The show's dying days prompted some clever scripts - check out the alternative dsytopia of The Happiness Patrol or the bonkers surrealism of Ghost Light to see some underappreciated latter day Who.

Doctor Who
Television Movie (Eight Doctor), written by Matthew Jacobs, directed by Geoffrey Sax

The TV movie is a weird, mixed bag. A lot of it doesn't work - it's way too continuity heavy, the plot relies a lot on magic time bullshit and Eric Roberts is totally wrong as The Master (though I'd be lying if I didn't admit he's incredibly fun to watch). But there's still some magic here, chiefly in the performance of Paul McGann, who nails an elegant, refined portrayal of The Doctor while still imbuing him with  the sense of energy and 'alien-ness' that the character has in his best moment. Great special effects too - the TARDIS has never looked better than its Edwardian outfit here.

Games of the Generation #6 - Journey

Don't Stop Believing

They say the journey is always more fulfilling than the destination, but that's especially true in videogaming because ultimately the destination is just a 'game over' screen. Every game is a journey from beginning to end, be it through a story, a mechanic or a level. The secret of Journey was that it embraced the adventure part and realised that ultimately the ending doesn't matter that much.

The joy of playing Journey then is in its minimalism. This is a game without distractions like scores, weapons, or even any sort of interface. There's no barriers between you and the gorgeous, vivid world that thatgamecompany created, a wonderfully drawn environment that manages to feel alternately vast and intimate. The game possess a sense of wonder and discovery that very few pieces of entertainment period have managed to achieve. Though you're channelled towards a point, there's still a sense off freedom to take it slow, and drink in the sublime sights and sounds that surround you.

The desire for minimalism even extended to the game's 'multiplayer' which was less of a gameplay mechanic and more of a way to build stronger emotional connection to the adventure that you're on. Faceless, voiceless and nameless, these companions drifted through your experience, sometimes walking alongside you, sometimes striding away. Their presence was both broke and reinforced the illusion of loneliness, reminding you that while you appeared solitary, this was a goal many were striving for.

In the end, Journey does what all true art does, which is transcend its medium. You don't think of it as a game, and you don't critique it in those terms. Instead it's an experience, one given additional richness by its interactivity. An experience which spans the highs and lows of joy and sadness, fear and bravery. Through its heady wash of images, music, gameplay and (dare we say it) a touch of philosophy, Journey realised that ultimately, less is always more.

Games of the Generation #7 - Assassin's Creed II

Fly like an eagle

If there's one thing that Assassin's Creed II can teach us, it's that games need character to become great. The first game in the series was a fascinating tech demo that was hollow at its core. It underused its compelling setting and what ultimately resulted was a fascinating advanced world that was drab, dry and possessed little real reason to become invested.

Given that, the opening of Assassin's Creed II feel like a defiant statement. After spending the entirety of the first game trapped in a sterile white laboratory, you're broken out in rapid order and introduced to a crew of actual, genuine characters who are funny, arrogant and, most importantly, recognisably human. And that's just in the real world. Once you plunge back into the digital reality of the Animus, you're reincarnated (via a fantastically daft 'birthing' sequence) as the Italian nobleman Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and now it's time for the party to start.

What Assassin's Creed II remembers that it's predecessor (and some of its successors) forgot was that even if you've got the biggest, most technologically advanced world ever, it's nothing without some semblance of life. So instead of the bleached greens and greys of medieval Acre, we're dropped instead into the vivid blast of the Italian Renaissance, perhaps the most fascinating period in all of history, and weaved into a tale of revenge, discovery, comedy, family and, most importantly, effortless adventure. Assassin's Creed II dances between the raindrops of history while only occasionally getting wet, twisting its mad premise into actual events with barely surpassed glee. It's an unabashedly Hollywood version of history and all the better for it, sweeping da Vinci, Machiavelli, Borgia and Medici alike into the same stew as ancient aliens and Adam and Eve, and climaxing in one of the most memorably jaw-dropping endings in all of gaming. Seriously, it was great.

But it's also a world that's alive in other ways, one filled with glorious scenery and fun, diverting missions. Whether you're scaling Il Duomo and watching the birds soar, or jumping post to post down the torchlit canals of Venice hunting feathers, it's a world which feels at once both a place in time and history, and a playground of near limitless potential This is a game which is equally at home as a breezy history tour or a rollicking chase scene, as a complex platformer or a sneaky stealth sim. It tries to be all things to all people, and gets a damn sight closer than you'd think. Above all it's a game supremely confident in its ability to dazzle and entertain. A game which gives you not only your sandbox, not only all the toys you'll need, but does so with a winning smile and an elegant flourish. Just like Ezio, it's got style and substance.

Games of the Generation #8 - Prince of Persia

Change can be scary. Change, in the videogame world at least, can also be extremely bad for business. Gaming thrives on slow evolution rather than radical re-invention, a gradual honing of mechanics and styles towards a final goal. Sometimes this works very well, as other games in this list will demonstrate. Sometimes it can lead to ennui and creative stanancy. but it'll sell, at least.

That's why Ubisoft's re-positioning of Prince of Persia, one of their flagship franchises, coming into this generation was such a shock. Newly re-emergent as a force in action adventure gaming after the exceptional Sands of Time trilogy, the franchise was poised for a nice graphical brush up and a straight porting of gameplay mechanics. Instead, the Montreal development team blew it all up and started again.

What emerges is a radically different game. Gone is any trace of Persia, replaced instead by one of the most beautiful fairy-tale worlds ever put on screen, a shining collection of towers, spires, canyons and windmills painted in a gorgeous sketchy graphical style. Gone was the tried and true platforming of the previous generation, replaced by a fluid, natural system that kept the Prince jumping, swinging and running without pause. And perhaps most controversially, gone was any trace of time-rewind, replaced instead by your new companion Elika, an infaillable safety net for when your high flying goes wrong. Gone even was the Prince himself, the refined aristocrat usurped by the brash, punkish Nolan North voiced upstart in the red and blue headscarf.

The thing is though, while much changed on the surface, at heart the game stayed true to the series philosophy. It's all about movement through a captivating world, solving the puzzle of 'how do you go from here to there'. It's still about the elegance and fluidity of executing the platforming, a blend of style, grace and verve that has never quite been matched. Even the much debated 'no death' mechanic was simply a means to an end. One less loading screen, one quicker way back to the action. Never stand still.

The critics hated it. The public hated it. Sales were poor and the franchise retreated, first back to the safe haven of past glories, and then to a (seemingly) permanent vacation. Truth be told, not all of Ubisoft's new targets were hit - the Prince and Elika are definitely a work in progress, and some of the combat is tiresome. But so much of what the game achieved was overlooked, the simple pleasure of running from point to point through some of the most beautiful and well designed obstacle courses we've seen in a game, looking out from the observatory tower, watching the torches come alive in the City of Light. Perhaps in time something else will change, and others will look back on Prince of Persia with as much love as I do.

Games of the Generation #9 - Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations

The Wright stuff

It's sometimes difficult to draw the line between a great game and a great story. Games are an interactive medium sure, but like all media we need a reason to partake and inhabit them. Increasingly as the generation has gone on, there's been an obsession with 'defining' a game, and questioning whether certain pieces of entertainment count at all.

None of which matters in the case of Trials and Tribulations, because this is a game. Sure, it's a game more intimately tied to its narrative than almost any other, but at the end of the day, it has mechanics, progression and reward just like any other game. It's just that that progression comes from careful thought and puzzling rather than shooting people. It's that the reward is nothing as trivial as a new powerup or a new plaything, but is instead a chance to move closer to the mystery that beats at the heart of each of the game's five cases, every one a superb example of how to write a compelling story.

Trials and Tribulations cheats in its storytelling of course, because we've already had two games and thousands of lines of dialogue to learn to love these characters. But that shouldn't take away from the incredible job the writers at Capcom (and their truly stellar localisation team) did in bringing such an endearingly goofy cast of characters to life. Each of these people is someone you'll root for, with likes and dislikes, tics and habits, hopes and dreams and salary cuts. It's incredible how a half dozen sprite animations and some canny writing results in more personality than a million grim stories of war-torn futures.

That's not to say that there's no darkness in Trials and Tribulations of course. In fact, the game is positively infested with it - it is a game about murder after all. This time though, we're going places we've never been before, into a tragedy that runs in a murky undercurrent throughout the hours you'll spend here. For a game which features cross-dressing French chefs, cartoon master thieves, spirit mediums and cyborg lawyers, this is an astonishingly grim, mature tale. It's often unflinching in the wickedness of its criminals, and the complexity of the conspiracies they weave. The ending of Case 4 remains one of the most shocking moments in all of gaming, an impossibly tragic conclusion that will stay with everyone who's played it forever, for reasons both good and horrible. Despite, the cartoonish excesses of the art and dialogue, this is a tale with a vicious, ugly streak.

If all that's a little too much, it's worth also remembering this is one of the funniest games ever made too. Words are Phoenix's weapons and they're the game's also, one liners zipping and crackling like fireworks as our spiky haired lawyer struggles to tie down his friends and foes alike. Whether it's Pearl  lambasting him for straying his affections from 'Mystic Maya', Edgeworth imposing yet another salary cut on the long suffering Detective Gumshoe, or a certain doppelganger promising that "I atta beat you so hard, it'll feel like youse were smoochin' the express train!", there's humour and pathos behind every line.

What we're left with then is (surprise!) a contradiction. How can a game be so free and fun, and yet so sad and meaningful? How can what's basically a point and click adventure be one of the best games of the new millennium? The thing is though, this one's easy to solve. It's because we want to be a part of this tale, to face evil head on, confront it, expose it and ultimately triumph over it. It's because we want to battle for the truth and fight alongside our friends in a world where there truly can be justice for all. To craft one of the very best games ever, all Capcom had to do was remember the power of stories.

Games of the Generation #10 - Rock Band 3

You got the touch

At the end of the day, videogames are power fantasies. That's not meant as a slur, but rather as an endorsement of what so many people find so compelling about them. While a lot of media is escapist, only in games do you get to truly feel a part of the experience, because even to the smallest extent you're the one guiding the narrative and interfering in the flow of the story. What Harmonix Music Systems set out to do with Rock Band  then was not so much create the perfect rhythm game, but rather to craft the perfect rock star fantasy simulator.

It's all about those instruments. They've been criticised for being overblown toys that are a waste of space, but people who say that are missing the point. The reason they're so essential is precisely because they're overblown toys, props to act out your own school-play level musical debauchery. If Rock Band were just about pressing buttons, then it might be the same mechanically, but all the fun, all the investment, all the marvelous let's-pretend charm of the experience is gone. 

This alone is why it's the greatest five-slightly-drunk-people co-op game ever. The essential silliness of the whole exercise requires you to complete abandon your dignity, but there's infinite consolation in doing it together as a group, watching your mates stumble over the chorus or hammer the drums so hard the kit begins to move away from them. That you can do it to the soundtrack of some of your favourite songs only sweetens the deal.

Why then 3 over the genre defining original or the coming of age 2? The addition of the keyboard is a neat one sure, but what really matters here is the culmination of all the work Harmonix did over the previous installments, as well as the revolutionary Guitar Hero games. So you've got a super slick interface that allows easy jumping in and out, profile switching or just freeplay. You've got an addictive tour mode where everything you do and play feeds into your progress. And most importantly, you've got the benefit of the deepest library of music ever put into a videogame, drawn from Harmonix's extensive DLC catalogue, the first two games, track packs and the marvelously silly LEGO Rock Band. With hundreds of tracks, from rock to metal to country to comedy, each play session is as much mixtape assembly and singalong as it is rockout time.

As the generation ends the music game lies dead and buried, smothered by Activision's greed and a general disillusionment with the gimmicky nature of the games. That shouldn't detract however from the skill and spirit which went into crafting this, the pinnacle of the genre and one of the greatest multiplayer games ever made. And hey, any game which lets me live my childhood dream of performing Stan Bush's 'The Touch' is a-ok in my book.

Games of the Generation: Introduction and Honourable Mentions

It seems almost unbelievable, but the next generation is almost upon us, with Xbox One and Playstation 4 mere weeks away as of this writing. With that in mind (and since everyone is doing it) it seems an appropriate time to look back over the huge riches the past generation of games has given to us. So let's compile a list of the best games of the generation! But first, some rules...

• Only game made this generation are eligible. Even though the dates don't precisely overlap, I'm going to take 'this generation' to mean games released on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS and Sony PSP, as well as PC games released since 2006.
• One game per franchise only.
• No remakes, HD remasters, anthologies or enhanced versions. New games only. Exception if the game was never released in English before this generation or was otherwise unplayable.
• This list is very much my *favourite* games of the generation, rather than the supposed 'best' games of the generation. Very often they'll overlap, but do bear that in mind.

With those rules taken care of, let's move on. To get those SWEET HITZ we're going to be counting down a top ten, with (hopefully) a post happening every day, but in this first installment we're going to go through 'the next ten' - honourable mentions who came close, and games I love dearly, but ones didn't quite make the cut. No order here, but every single one is absolutely worth playing.

Burnout Paradise

Criterion Games, Xbox 360/Playstation 3/PC, 2008

Still yet to be surpassed by its bastard Need for Speed offspring, Burnout Paradise took all of the traditional Burnout strengths - superb arcade handling, terrific track design, magnificent crashes and a fierce, aggressive racing style - and dropped them into the middle of a gorgeous, brilliantly designed open world, crammed full of jumps, shortcuts and opportunities for limitless mayhem. Combined with a minimalist interface and ground breaking multiplayer, the result was a chaotic hundred mile an hour playground, one supplemented through an enviable selection of patches, downloadable updates and new vehicles. The best driving game of the generation bar none.

Saints Row: The Third
Volition, Xbox 360/Playstation 3/PC, 2011

With Grand Theft Auto evolving into gritty, grim mush, those of us who loved our open world games a...touch on the silly side were holding out for a hero. A hero that would take everything dumb and awesome about San Andreas and then crank it up beyond 11 and end up somewhere in the mid twenties. A game that let you fight zombies alongside Burt Reynolds, take tigers out in your car for a spin around the block, or battle giant digital demons as blow-up sex dolls. A game whose outlandish excesses could often cover rock solid controls and combat design and a smart, addictive upgrade system. A game that could rise above the tasteless imitation of its predecessors and produce one of the smartest, funniest groups of characters in years. A game that could be the best pro-wrestling sim of the generation. But surely no one game could have all this power?

Elite Beat Agents

iNiS, DS, 2007

How do you make Good Charlotte cool? How do you make 'Sk8ter Boi' even tolerable to listen to? The answer is, you piggyback them onto a game of such immeasurable charm, such sheer, unbridled joy, that you can't help but laugh and sing and tap along to the beat. At the heart of Elite Beat Agents lies the beating heart of Osu Tatakae! Ouendan!, reflected in perhaps the most perfect game ever designed for the DS format, its precise tapping rhythms an ideal marriage between hardware and software. But on the surface are wickedly funny cartoon vignettes that should be totally at odds with their backing tracks, but instead combine to spectacular effect. Whether it's playing as a washed up baseball player battling fire breathing golems to the tunes of 'The Anthem' or hunting for sunken treasure to the strains of 'YMCA', there's never a moment that EBA doesn't feel like it's having the time of its life. And you'll never listen to Chicago in quite the same way again.

Fable II

Lionhead, Xbox 360, 2008

For all his grand vision and ambitious promises, seldom has Peter Molyneux delivered on his aspirations. But this may have been as close as he ever got, a game which married his desire for choice and consequence to his studio's wonderful British eccentricity to produce an action-RPG of exceptional quality. Set in the delightfully cartoony, sun dappled world of Albion, Fable II abandoned its predecessors strict hierarchy for a more freeform approach, letting you roam free in search of people to help or hinder or enemies to conquer with the remarkably clever three button combat system. Perhaps more than any other game it let you walk the line between saint and sinner, and gave many of its choices genuine weight and consequence. Even aside from that it's a fine, memorable action adventure romp that more than earns its place here.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Infinity Ward, Xbox 360/Playstation 3/Wii/PC/Mac(!), 2007

Its reputation has been tarnished as the years have gone by, the franchise name overshadowed by bloated monstrosities that became drunk on their own spectacle, but the original Modern Warfare remains one of the tightest, smartest shooters ever made, and a turning point in the history of gaming as multiplayer spectacle and commercial entity. Weaving two intertwining narratives around a barrage of memorable set pieces, the campaign combined colossal impact moments with smaller, tenser sequences, excelling with outstanding weapon handling, great level design and a surprisingly meaningful story. The multiplayer meanwhile represented a seismic shift in the way games are designed, plundering RPGs and MMOs to create a persistent, ongoing connection between player and game the endured far past one deathmatch session. Perhaps the most important game to come out of this generation.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Capcom, DS/iOS, 2011

Ghost Trick is a study in contradictions. It's a whodunnit where you're the one who has suffered the 'dunnit'. It's a comedy about death and a murder mystery in cartoon format. None of it should hang together in any way. And yet, under the guiding hand of Ace Attorney  producer Shu Takumi, what emerges is an absolutely gripping tale, both dark and funny, sad and uncontrollably hilarious. From a very simple set of rules, the game builds incredibly clever conundrums that live somewhere between classic point-and-click and pure puzzle game, while stellar writing and animation breathes life into an incredible cast of characters, alternately witty, creepy and frightening. From bizarre beginning to emotional ending, you won't be able to put it down.

Braid

Number None Inc, Xbox 360/Playstation 3/PC/Mac

Braid was always a game which aspired to be more than what other games were. Whether it succeeded is the subject of much debate, but it did at least reach the pinnacle of modern game design. A fantastically tricky puzzle game disguised by the 2D platformer format, it took Prince of Persia's time rewinding mechanic and bent it into new and insane shapes in service of some truly fiendish puzzles. To go with that, its hand painted style and classical music set it indelibly apart from other games, and its musings on the nature of life, relationships and existence may not have been to all tastes, but were to me an essential part of what made the experience so special. Capped by one of the most amazing twists in gaming, Braid acted as a vanguard for the generation of high quality downloadable experiences, and is still one of its finest exports.

Rayman: Origins

Ubisoft Montpellier, Xbox 360/Playstation 3/PC/Playstation Vita, 2011

It may have been New Super Mario Bros. Wii which invented the crazed, chaotic genre of four-player simultaneous platforming, but it was Rayman Origins that polished it into a fine sheen and produced the best platformer of this generation. Not only an absolute riot with more than one person on the sofa, even solo Origins was a beautiful, impeccably designed experience that cycled through incredibly imaginative worlds and levels, restoring a sense of fiendish challenge to a genre that had become blunted by oversimplification. Add to that the delightful 2D art, some of the best ever seen, and you've got a game that radiates joy from every screen.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Rocksteady, Xbox 360/Playstation 3/PC, 2009

Before Arkham Asylum, 'licenced game' was a not-so-secret code for 'complete piece of shit'. But Arkham Asylum proved that a great property could do nothing but enhance an experience, when it was backed up by a great game. And make no mistake, even without the Caped Crusader this would be a fantastic game. It's dense, secret packed island is a memorably creepy world to prowl around, while an excellent re-imagining of Metroid's gear-based gating system means that there's a constant feed of new powers and new areas to explore. The rapid, smooth 'Free-form fighting' system makes every combat encounter make you feel amazing, and Rocksteady nails the Batman feel, letting you stalk from the dark and serving up potent re-imaginings of his legend. The Scarecrow levels make for unforgettable highlights but the entire adventure is a memorable one.

Bioshock Infinite

Irrational, Xbox 360/Playstation 3/PC, 2013

It was a tossup between Infinite and its illustrious forebear here, but I've picked out Infinite because I prefer its story. This isn't really the story of Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth though, despite the fact they're the people you'll be spending time with. Instead, it's an amazing story of an amazing place, a society which built wonders and then used them to commit atrocities, a paradise in which a deep evil has taken seed. Musing on ideas of choice, causality and the nature of reality, it's above all a chance to live in a world almost, but not quite, entirely unlike our own. While it may not be the most ambitious game on the list, it's arguably the most compelling experience.

So there you go, ten fantastic games from this generation. But not the ten best. Pop back over the next few days as we begin counting down from #10 and see which games I enjoyed the most from the past eight years.

Wrestling Wramblings - SummerSlam 2013

Everyone has a guilty pleasure. I have many, but one of them is the hurricane of stupidity that is professional wrestling. In my ongoing attempt to broaden my pool of writing topics and styles, I present a bulletpoint, match-by-match recap of last night's WWE pay-per-view, the year's 'second show', SummerSlam.

This is written assuming you know a bit about wrestling - I don't explain who people are, the stories or the lingo. It's really just a chance for me to get some thoughts out. Also yes I know it's all fake and no I don't care.

Preshow - Singles match for the United States Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs Rob Van Dam

• Relegation to the preshow is not a particularly encouraging sign for either The Shield or the United States Championship.
• Van Dam is still exciting to watch, but he's basically a spot monkey at this point, and his increasingly stiff movements have trouble covering how ridiculously convoluted the setups for his moves are.
• Ambrose can still sell with the best of them. 
• This mostly seemed to be setting up for a future six-man tag team match. The run-ins seemed sort of half hearted.
• Pretty standard DQ finish.

Ring of Fire match: Kane vs. Bray Wyatt

• Bad match to kick off the show with. Slow, lumbering and the fire prevented any major spots or acrobatics. 
• Weird booking here. Bray is clearly meant to be the one going over, but Kane dominates the match and the Wyatt leader only being saved by the intervention of his 'family' makes him look weak.
• The flames shooting up whenever someone took a big bump was a fantastic visual.
• The steps finisher is still completely stupid to anyone who has eyes in their head and half a brain cell.

Singles match: Cody Rhodes vs Damian Sandow

• The feud between these two has been lots of fun but with nothing on the line this match was sort of underwhelming
• Very well worked technically mind you. Solid in-ring stuff.
• Still love Cross Rhodes as a finisher, it just looks great.
• This feud is almost certainly set to continue, the question is in what direction? The persistent rumour is that Sandow's Money in the Bank briefcase may be on the line in their next match, which would certainly add the stakes that this was missing.

Singles match: Natalya vs Brie Bella

• ZzzzzZzzzzzzZzzzz;...
• OK, not actually that bad, but forgive me if I have trouble getting hyped up for aa match based on some dumb reality show.
• Not cool - the crowd doing the 'chant the announcers names' thing. It wasn't the greatest match in the world, but they were trying. Show some respect.
• Natalya is still way more skilled than her position on the card suggests. Persistent rumours have her buried because of her Hart connection (she's the daughter of Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart and niece of Bret Hart)

Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Alberto Del Rio (c) vs Christian

• I could not have cared less about this going in, so it's a testament to the quality of the match that I actually was really into it by the end.
• Alberto Del Rio remains one of the very best pure wrestlers on the roster, and his in-ring work is a total joy to watch. Now if only he could find a persona that could get over with the crowd.
• Christian isn't as good, but he did his part in making this match go, and deserves credit for some great work also.
• Destined to be remembered as the 'match which was really good that everyone forgot about'.
• The buildup really was awful though. They need to find a much stronger program for the WHC next time round.

No Disqualification match - CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman)

• Brilliant, brutal and beautiful. Match of the night by far.
• Has Lesnar fought in anything other than no DQ matches since he returned?
• Also the rare no DQ match that went a considerable length of time before anybody produced a weapon.
• Excellent, in-character booking here. Both men played their parts to perfection - Brock as the unstoppable juggernaut, Punk as the agile, wronged hero. Ultimately Punk's animosity towards Paul Heyman cost him the match, as it should have been.
• Lesnar deserves a lot of credit for his work here. Despite his part timer status and reputation as a bulldozer, his skill and selling ability made this match what it was. Consistently underrated.
• Punk was as excellent as always. Both men made the other look great, which is the key to a successful match.
• With Lesnar now reportedly off until Wrestlemania next year, how does this angle advance? Perhaps Punk feuds with Curtis Axel instead, which is like going from a Ferrari to a pushbike.

Mixed Tag-team match: Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs Big E Langston and AJ Lee

• This match was atrociously booked and nearly everyone involved was made to look like an asshole. Sandwiching it as the cooldown between the double main event seemed to be a tacit acknowledgement of its unimportance.
• Three of the participants here are capable of so much better. Dolph is the modern Mr Perfect. Big E is fantastically athletic and great on the mic, and needs a face turn badly. AJ is an excellent wrestler and an even better actor who is sandbagged by the fact WWE creative seems unable to write stories for women that don't involve them being crazy or sluts.
• As for Kaitlyn...eh.
• Short match, inoffensive finish. I sort of hope this whole angle dies now.

Singles match for the WWE Chapionship: John Cena (c) vs Daniel Bryan (with special guest referee Triple H)

• Incredible crowd reaction for both parties, though in very different ways
• I didn't enjoy this quite as much as Lesnar/Punk - it's less physically brutal, but the stakes and the characters made up for that.
• Once again Cena proved he rises to the big occasion. The 'You can't wrestle' chants should be put to bed for good now.
• On the other hand, Bryan applying the STF looked miles better than Cena doing it.
• Bryan is coming dangerously close to having his own 'Five Moves of Doom'. I wouldn't say his sequences are predictable just yet, but there are certainly little patterns you can spot.

• I hope Bryan adopts that running knee as his full time finisher. It looks terrific and Cena sold it fantastically here.
• Daniel Bryan pinned John Cena 100% clean in the middle of the ring. Think about that for a second.
• Good job from Triple H for staying out of the way and just letting the match flow.
• Nice rub from Cena at the end there. Good that they gave Bryan time to properly celebrate too. The lengthy break and the pyrotechnics made me almost think they were done...

Money in the Bank cash-in match for the WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan (c) vs Randy Orton (with special guest referee Triple H)

• As heartbreaking as this was for Bryan fans, it was absolutely the right move. Bryan gets to chase Orton and play up his perpetual underdog role. Orton turns heel and gets more heat than the surface of the sun to kick off what will hopefully be a run where he finally becomes interesting. Triple H gets to needlessly involve himself in another angle. OK, maybe that's not so good, but it does further the McMahon feud storyline that's been bubbling under.
• I liked the tease before the actual swerve. Suddenly all those times Orton has appeared on Raw to just wave the briefcase at people make much more sense.
• It'll be interesting to hear Triple H's justification for his turn. At least his inevitable interference was simple and didn't occur in the match itself.
• Officially timed at 8 seconds, this has to be the shortest championship match in history right?
• I wonder if Orton and Triple H will at all acknowledge their shared history together - a decade ago they were part of the power-stable Evolution, until Triple H memorably betrayed Orton.
• The big question of course is, in storyline terms, who was 'in' on this betrayal. Is Randy Orton now a new Corporate Champion? Has Triple H joined forces with Mr McMahon or is he pursuing his own agenda? 
• Exciting times!

Man of Steel, feet of clay

Superman is a notoriously difficult character to write for, because he's basically unstoppable. How do you threaten, cow or defeat a man who can't be hurt and who has the power to change countries and worlds at a whim? It's for this reason that in the modern age Superman is often defined by his humanity, his everyday life and his relationships to other, 'normal' people. That's what Zack Snyder's Man of Steel attempts to do, but the result is the opposite. So determined, so ardent is the film to write itself as an epic new chapter in the Superman mythology, it instead leeches away the warmth, the human drama so vital to the character.

Instad, Man of Steel attempts to answer the big issues. It's a very conscious reboot in the vein of Batman Begins, an attempt to study what would happen if Superman were to appear in the 'real world' so to speak. The film concentrates on the alien nature of Superman, his inherent incompatibility with the planet and the worries both side experience at the prospect of Clark Kent revealing himself to the world.

Which quite frankly, is rubbish. The film is pervaded by a sense of cloying paranoia and distrust, quite unlike the sunniness and optimism I expect from a production which bears the big red 'S'. The point of Superman is he's meant to represent the best of humanity - the only part of him that's alien is his unnatural powers. Here there's a misguided attempt to cast Clark Kent as an outsider, a haunted figure who flits from job to job in a search for purpose and meaning to his existence. He's crushed by the knowledge of his alien past, desperately seeking validation by attempting to connect with it, without ever truly embracing the human aspects of his nature. In other words, he's (sigh) Batman. Now hands up who saw that coming? The essential 'grittiness' that characterised Batman Begins just doesn't work here - Superman is the very antithesis of that approach, an optimist who firmly believes in truth, justice and the American way. You'll find precious little of that here.

The film is also hampered by poor writing, poor plotting and an unusual lurching structure which never really gels. Far too much time is spent on the opening on Krypton, in a tornado of sets and costumes that look straight out of the Chronicles of Riddick, and from there the film adopts a weird flashback heavy style that constantly cuts between the past and present. I'm all for some non-linear storytelling but here it's poorly used, not allowing us to see the growth of the character and consistently interrupting dramatic scenes. The film moves at incredible pace and yet still somehow manages to be boring, and the constant jumping between scenes means there are precious few opportunities for genuine character development. There are also huge, gaping plot holes everywhere, and I don't just mean for nit-pickers or comics nerds, but big ones that cause obvious narrative issues - the film can't keep the source of Superman's powers straight for example.

It also suffers from an obvious lack of chemistry between its characters, and at many times poor performances from its actors. Henry Cavill does a decent job as Superman/Clark Kent, even though he's not really given much to work with. He's better as Superman, bringing gentleness and a soft-spoken charm to the role, but as Clark Kent he can border on wooden, and lacks the instant bright charisma that Christopher Reeve used to make the role his own. Amy Adams is a disaster as Lois Lane, a blank, exposition spouting shell of the tough reporter she's meant to be. Her relationship with Cavill is utterly unconvincing and the two have very little meaningful interaction. The big kiss, when it comes, is more bizarre than heartwarming or triumphant. On the antagonists side, Michael Shannon struggles gainfully with the remarkably two-dimensional General Zod, achieving 'tortured' but never quite ratcheting all the way up to 'menacing'.

If there's redemption to be found, it's in the film's elder statesman. Russell Crowe as Jor-El is on screen far, far too much, but he invests his performance with gravity and dignity that helps sell the incredibly obtuse dialogue he's working with. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane excel as more down-to-earth, less idealised versions of Jonathan and Martha Kent, conveying doubt and fear about their son's potential while never losing the homespun warmth and affection that so defines the characters. The scenes with Clark and his father are some of the best in the film and the closest it comes to fulfilling the idea of a more emotionally tortured man of tomorrow. Their final scene (shown in flashback) was one of the few moments I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

Man of Steel is in the end laid low by a disheartening lack of purpose. The uncomfortable mish-mash of imagery, allegory and style is confusing and almost universally unfitting. The blatant Christ allegories are so unsubtle as to be distracting. For some reason there's a big US Military presence throughout the story , occasionally bordering on Michael Bay level gun porn. Superman is one of the few universes pro-US jingoism is absolutely acceptable and even encouraged, but the hard military sheen sits uncomfortably next to Superman's idealistic fantasy, and watching Zod's men murder helpless troops is uncomfortable to say the least. Speaking of Zod & co., Snyder cannot seem to get enough of the thoroughly uninspired Kryptonian hardware, throwing spaceships, machinery and armour onto the screen constantly to show off his designers' work. Superman himself rarely seems, well, super. Oh sure, there's an astonishing blizzard of CG in the fights, but there's very little actual heroism to go round. Many reviews have commented on the appalling amount of collateral damage that the superpowered smackdowns inflict and the film ends on a moment so out of character it feels like a definitive statement of the new direction the franchise is going in.

It's only after the movie ended that I realised this isn't really a Superman movie. Sure, Superman is in it, but he's close to unrecognisable, and so many of the trappings of the character have been stripped away with nothing to replace them that there's very little of the icon present here. Instead, this is a modern blockbuster sci-fi movie, down to the overabundance of CGI, bad magic mcguffin and lack of attention paid to much in the way of character development and interpersonal relationship. That doesn't make it an awful movie - it still functions on a basic level - but it's empty noise, lacking heart, soul or emotion. This is not a Superman to aspire to, not one who represents the best that humanity has to offer, but instead another stone-faced, grim engine of destruction who nobody would want to be. That's just about the worst thing possible when you're trying to articulate what makes Superman special.

Flip floppin' away

I'm not really sure how much needs to be said about Microsoft's unprecedented decision to scrap basically all of their much ballyhooed online connectivity policies suurrounding Xbox One. The decision sort of speaks for itself in many ways. But let's talk a little about it anyway.

Firstly, there's no doubt that is an absolute triumph for consumer bargaining power. Let's be very clear here - it's direct feedback from the end user which has led to this change. Microsoft was seemingly set on imposing these restrictions on Xbone users whether they liked it or not, but the sheer mass of negativity surrounding them has caused the tide to turn. It's a win-win situation - Users don't have to put up with the ridiculous always online bullshit, and Microsoft gets a much needed big PR push by appearing magnanimous and open to change.

The thing is, it's difficult not to be a little cynical about the whole situation when Microsoft turns so fast. More obviously than ever now this was not something where 'customer feedback' mattered from the beginning, and the policies were always in flux. No, this is a very specific knee-jerk reaction to a disastrous PR campaign topped by an E3 where Sony ruthlessly twisted the knife and Nintendo offered a few kicks while they were down.

That's not necessarily a bad thing - sometimes pressing the panic button is the right thing to do. But what does this say about Microsoft's dedication to their cause? We were told repeatedly how the always-online and all-digital aspects of Xbox One were key components of the experience and how Microsoft would utilise them to deliver a 'truly next-gen' experience. That they lied should come as no surprise, but it's still a little bitter to the taste. And the scrapping of these policies does mean the loss of some of the more unique aspects of the planned One experience, like the Family Sharing plan.

Ultimately though, as I said before this is a win for both parties. Yes, we as (potential) purchasers are giving up some cool features, but the rights we're regaining are far more important. We shouldn't overlook the fact that the console will now work in perpituity, not merely until one day the servers are turned off. Microsoft still has questions to answer - Kinect, price - and this fiasco has badly damaged their reputation among the gaming community. But the next-gen battle suddenly seems a less clear-cut race, and that's a good thing. Game on.

WWE Payback 2013 Thoughts

Everyone has a guilty pleasure. I have many, but one of them is the hurricane of stupidity that is professional wrestling. In my ongoing attempt to broaden my pool of writing topics and styles, I present a bulletpoint, match-by-match recap of last night's WWE pay-per-view Payback.

This is written assuming you know a bit about wrestling - I don't explain who people are, the stories or the lingo. It's really just a chance for me to get some thoughts out. Also yes I know it's all fake and no I don't care.

Triple Threat Match for the Intercontinental Championship: The Miz vs. Wade Barrett vs. Curtis Axel

• I still really, really hate Face Miz. He's such a dick and a crappy wrestler too. He also can't make the figure four look good in any way.
• Hopefully Wade Barrett can be buried somewhere for a while now. The horrifying booking wasn't his fault but he's rubbish on the mic and not brilliant in the ring.
• I sort of hope Axel's entire character gimmick becomes 'guy who manages to win matches in incredibly lame ways'. Having said that, this was actually a pretty smart finish and certainly way better than his terrible count out wins.
• Axel winning was kind of unexpected because he was a last minute sub for the injured Fandango. Was this push originally meant to go Fandango? Regardless, it works and  Axel winning his fathers trademark title on Father's Day was a nice touch.
• Overall, a solid match to open. Nothing spectacular but well worked with the right finish.

Divas Championship Match: Kaitlyn vs AJ Lee

• Wait, what? A Divas match actually worth watching?
• Not sure why Ziggler didn't come out with them. Maybe so he didn't overshadow the match?
• As ever, my enjoyment of any Divas match is severely reduced by Jerry Lawler being a fucking creep on commentary.
• Decent work on display here. High point was probably Kaitlyn throwing AJ over the announce table.
• I really like this result, especially the fact Kaitlyn had to tap out, thus furthering her anguish. Hopefully this leads to either a goes-crazy heel turn or a decent road to redemption story.

United States Championship Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Kane

• Eeeeeeeeh.
• Oh alright. Totally bog-standard match that really belongs on a filler episode of Smackdown. Ambrose is a great seller and Kane is much better than he has any right to be at this age, but nothing too showy here.
• Perhaps the most predictable match of the night.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio

• Ziggler has been both extremely unlucky with his concussion and badly booked. He's never looked dominant.
• I HATED this match at first, but as it became clear they were trying for a double turn it made much more sense.
• Ziggler was as good as ever and sold 'plucky underdog' very well. Del Rio was solid as always.
• Del Rio's promo after the match was not fantastic but it got the crowd booing again and that's all that was needed really.
• With all that said, and acknowledging the cleverness of the story, I'm really uneasy about this blurring between work concussions and shoot concussions. The uncertain line between kayfabe and real life is part of my interest in wrestling but this runs the risk of devaluing the actual seriousness of head injuries. Watching Del Rio kick in Ziggler's skull in was uncomfortable even though I knew it was faked.

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

• I honestly thought Punk would no show this given how rushed and unfulfilling the buildup has been.
• I do like that they delayed his entrance and had him keep the hood up a little too long to cast doubt into our minds.
• Nice chops Wolverine.
• Otherwise, good, strong match. Not a masterpiece, but great work from both guys.
• I was sort of hoping for Jericho to win and send Punk into a spiral of 'I've lost it' despair after his losses to The Rock and The Undertaker. But given how incredibly partisan the crowd was this was the right result.

Tag Team Championship Match: Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan & Randy Orton

• Haven't we already seen this match like a billion times? OK not really but this feud is aging fast. 
• Daniel Bryan was amazing as always. He's one of the few wrestlers who looks like he's totally into it and actually out to maim people. Incredibly over with the crowd too.
• Randy Orton was boring as always. Have never understood the appeal. Further intriguing hints of a heel turn here though.
• The Shield were as efficient as always. Rollins and Reigns are a good partnership.

Three Stages of Hell Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs. Ryback (Lumberjack/Table/Ambulance)

• Surprisingly not terrible!
• I think the key here was each stage was kept relatively short and didn't outstay its welcome. The entire match was over in about half an hour. 
• Despite the thunderous 'GOLDBERG' chants, Ryback was not bad here. He'll never be Daniel Bryan but he worked efficiently.
• Cena was also not bad, and he has a history of rising to the occasion for big gimmick matches. He got the best spot when he jumped off of the turnbuckle and flattened the lumberjacks.
• The stages got progressively worse, as is the fashion. Ripping bits off of the ambulance was a fun way to keep it going but it couldn't save that last segment.
• The finish was totally stupid but in a sort of cool way. Decent bump to end with.
• While I don't think anyone really expected Ryback to win, the question is what now? His push is essentially over and nobody is going to buy him as an indestructible monster anymore. He'll completely disappear unless creative can find a decent new groove for him.

As you might be able to tell from all the comments, this was a solid, unspectacular PPV that nevertheless did the job and maybe slightly exceeded expectations. It was great to see Punk back, a decent Divas match was a rare treat and for better or worse this should be the definitive end of the Cena/Ryback feud. Still, this wasn't exactly an action masterpiece. We'll have to hope for better from next month's Money in the Bank, traditionally one of the year's best constests.

(All photos courtesy of WWE.com)