December 2007, I remember well, was the month I bought my PlayStation 3 and by extension I entered the next generation by challenging my friends who had jumped on Xbox 360; I guess I didn’t know how important online would be. She had finally saved enough money to buy the ominous black box along with a copy of the original Assassin’s Creed and she was ready to be impressed and she was. Now the world is gearing up for the launch of the next generation of systems, the first in seven incredible years, with all the excitement you would be forgiven for forgetting about our staunch current generation peers. The loyal Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have been good to us during their long tenure in the limelight, reliably bringing us unforgettable experiences like Bioshock, Fallout 3, The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto IV and V, the entire trilogy. Mass Effect and Uncharted.

Now, we’re on the brink of an abyss, ready to ditch our old friends to upgrade to their hottest and brightest younger siblings – PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. But don’t be too quick to throw our old comrades into the loft to live in the darkness. Even with their super-loaded spec younger siblings, there are still some titles they can’t deliver; his older brothers still have a bit of a fight left. These old machines still have something to show us, both before and after the new systems are hooked up to our televisions; our time with them is not over yet. So here are five games to show that there is still life in this generation.

Grand Theft Auto: Online (October 1, PS3, Xbox360)

Sadly, Grand Theft Auto V is out now, so I decided to cheat a bit and pick its component online as an upcoming version that proves the current generation has some juice. And honestly, how can you disagree with me? Grand Theft Auto V is the perfect swan song for a generation that has focused so intensely on creating amazing open worlds; after all, technically speaking, it’s one of the best sandboxes I’ve ever played in. With an impressive array of customization options, things to do, intense heists to engage in, and some slick shooting mechanics, GTA: V is an incredibly refined single-player journey; GTA online goes one step further, takes all that good stuff and moves it into multiplayer. Heated battles with friends, groups of crafty players coming together to pull off big heists, and all the customization you could hope for, how can you not be excited for one of the most ambitious multiplayer experiences ever?

Beyond Two Souls (October 8 – Europe 11 PS3)

The thrilling PlayStation-exclusive Heavy Rain murder mystery was heavily publicized ahead of its 2010 release; When it was released to the world, it did well commercially, although it generated mixed reviews. Telling the story of Ethan Mars, a man haunted by the loss of his son and subsequent divorce, as he desperately tries to save his remaining son from kidnapping, the title told a wonderful story that clumsily held together with a game that did not constitute nothing but QTE. By trying to be cinematic, the game became sterile to play. Still, David Cage’s team on Quantic Dream seems poised to launch another deep and interesting adventure, this time centered around Jodie (Ellen Paige), a young woman guarded by a mysterious spirit named Aiden. Advances have shown multiple different scenarios that make it difficult to decide what exactly is going on, yet the pedigree of the study dictates that this should be interesting.

Batman Arkham Origins (October 25 PS3, Xbox360)

As gamers, we are trained to be wary of licenses, they usually end up being terrible income; the best middle scenario? They are fine. So there have been few surprises in this generation that were happier than Rocksteady’s wonderful 2009 superhero adventure, Batman Arkham Asylum, defying the curse of the license title. Instead, players enjoyed one of the best games of the year, a thrilling comic book adventure that utilized core members of the animated series’ voice talent, including Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and Joker, respectively. Then Asylum was followed by Arkham City from 2011, which took all of the great combat, exploration, and discovery of the original to the next level, resulting in an all-round better game. After initial concerns about Warner Bros. Montreal taking the wheel died down, it’s fair to say that Batman Arkham Origins seems ready to do it all again.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasty XIII (February 11 – Europe 14 PS3, Xbox360)

This will undoubtedly be the most controversial game on the list, still listen to me. This generation has not been the best of the JRPG; in fact, it was unanimously the worst. Instead of receiving a selection of Final Fantasy games, we were pigeonholed into playing FFXIII, twice. For all the frustration of Square Enix releasing three games for a title that we never liked, it’s hard to deny that there must be a fanbase somewhere after the entire series sells millions of units each time. For that audience Lighting Returns: FFXIII is an event that marks the end of the narrative trilogies. Rather than using conventional Final Fantasy combat for the first time, it’s real-time, which should entice the curious to watch the game one more time. Even with all the skepticism, maybe this is the time Square Enix gets it right.

Dark Souls 2 (March 2014 PS3, Xbox360)

Dark Souls and its predecessor Demon Souls were cult hits thanks to their uncompromising difficulty, slow tactical combat, and impressive boss demos. Sure enough, Dark Souls 2, an incredibly tough dungeon crawler, seems ready to carry the torch on an ancestor lit up with the motto “prepare to die.” Complete with wacky online features, Dark Souls 2 appears to be the “last boss” of the generation. The Hardest Game of All is destined to be the last great original title to reach our faithful companions before the barrage of annual franchise releases is all that’s left to keep the drives running.

There you have it, the top five reasons to keep your next-generation systems firmly connected to your TV. But don’t just take my word for it, surely you have your own opinions. Why not leave them in the comments below. If you enjoyed this post or any other, please follow Gamerree here on WordPress, bookmark this article, tweet about us, or follow us on Twitter @Danjcol.