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It’s hard to even remember what video games were like in the last millennium, but it’s not difficult to think about all the great games we’ve seen in the last 10 years. From the expanse of phenomenal MMO games and sandbox games on the XBox and Playstations, the leaps in video games came not only in graphics but in the attention paid to story, morality and yes, even beauty. This will forever be known as the decade when games became more than just games. And here are 20 titles that pushed the envelope.
20. Final Fantasy XII (2006)
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
For gamers who grew up with Japan’s most famous RPG series but tired of the action-halting nature of strict turn-based combat, Final Fantasy XII was nothing short of a revelation. No more squaring up on opposite sides of the screen and running out to deliver a blow before awkwardly retreating to your position to wait for the next round. Finally you had the taste of a battle playing out in heart-stopping real time. Also, on the world map, no more running around and blindly smashing into previously invisible monsters. If you were going to encounter a Gigantoad, you could finally see its obese, scaly frame lumbering across the landscape, which added a whole new level of depth to the experience. Jason Killingsworth
19. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Publisher: 2K Games, Bethesda Softworks
If you’re going to spend dozens of hours of your life engrossed in an RPG, it might as well be a world as perfectly realized as Bethesda’s fourth installment in the Elder Scrolls series. From the very first scene, you feel caught up in an epic medieval adventure that engages both your brain and adrenal glands in equal measure. Jason Killingsworth
18. God Of War (2005)
Developer: SCE Studios Santa Monica
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
God of War draws its inspiration from ancient Greek mythology, letting characters wreak havoc as the character Kratos, a former Spartan army captain who has a score to settle with Ares, the god of war. It’s a gruesome game and the blood-spattering action is unrelenting, but God of War transcends mere gore and proves how viscerally charged a
mythological framework can be when it’s used as a playground for dramatic reinterpretation. Jason Killingsworth
17. Mass Effect (2007)
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
BioWare has carved out a towering reputation for its ability to use the videogame medium as a vehicle for delivering top-flight stories to its audience. When you play Mass Effect, it’s hard not to marvel at the scope of the universe you’re invited to explore and the compelling ways in which its human inhabitants and alien species interact. Jason Killingsworth
16. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
The massively-hyped Metal Gear Solid 2 doubled down on everything that made the series’ first installment an instant classic: laser-precise gameplay, top-shelf work from a stellar voiceover ensemble, and a mind-bending storyline. Purists decried the dearth of playtime (speedrunners can technically complete the game in under two hours) but those criticisms largely missed the point. With MGS2, director Hideo Kojima executed a dexterous fusion of cinema and gaming that encapsulated our post-9/11 paranoia of surveillance and censorship. And the oft-criticized bait-and-switch of the lead characters served Kojima’s wildly subversive purpose: a massive social experiment that toyed with the audience’s expectations of what a sequel—and indeed, a game—should be. Michael Saba
15. Rock Band (2007)
Developer: Harmonix
Publisher: MTV Games, Electronic Arts
I like to think that the almost self-consciously generic quality of Rock Band’s title is a subtle attempt to further coax players to project themselves into the game’s fantasy. The designers at Harmonix bravely turned their backs on the cartoony animation style of the popular Guitar Hero series they originally developed and created a surrealistic, laser-lightshow visual style that looks like it could easily be an artsy ’80s music video. Also Rock Band deserves props for allowing legions of air drummers to pick up sticks for the first time. Seriously, who hasn’t fantasized about doing that thing where you start a song by hitting the sticks together four times? Jason Killingsworth
14. Burnout 3: Takedown (2004)
Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: EA Games
Widely considered one of the greatest racing titles of all time, themakers of Burnout 3 were savvy enough to realize that the only thingmore fun than driving a car in a racing game is using it as a projectile weapon to annihilate the competition. In videogames, adrenaline seems to be more potent than gasoline. Jason Killingsworth
13. Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher: Nintendo
We should be tired of bailing out the hapless, girly-girl Princess Peach by now. If she hasn’t yet learned how to keep herself out of Bowser’s clutches, she probably doesn’t deserve to be saved. But how can you possibly resist coming to her rescue yet again, especially when the journey offers so many giddy surprises. The designers at Nintendo who work on the Mario franchise have mastered the art of creating fresh, whimsical gameplay twists and Super Mario Galaxy is so well executed, it looks positively effortless. Jason Killingsworth
12. World of Warcraft (2004)
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
This massively multiplayer online game lives up to its name, dropping players into an expansive environment that can take many months to fully explore. The never-ending quests, the multiplayer battles and characters that gradually and continually improve in skill have made World of Warcraft more than just game—it’s all too often an addiction. Josh Jackson
11. Gears of War 2 (2008)
Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
One of the most impressive videogame sequels ever released, Gears of War 2 elevated the already critically acclaimed franchise’s game in virtually every respect. Comic writer Josh Ortega helped Epic beef up the story. Designers worked tirelessly to make the gorgeous environments more varied. And the addition of Horde Mode to the game’s multiplayer experience was an absolute stroke of genius. Jason Killingsworth
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I would just like to say, thank you for putting Ico at the best PS2 game of the decade and actually remembering it. That game came out of nowhere to hit me with a emotional whollop I never saw coming.
No love for Metroid Prime?
I'm going to spend the day photoshopping Psychonauts and Beyond Good and Evil into this list.
I'm glad that BioWare made the list. I enjoy their games because they put the emphasis where it belongs, on the storyline and the characters, and not on the latest whizbang graphics (though their games are certainly solid visually, as well).
A few problems with this list:
1. Some of the pictures don't match the games.
2. 18/20 games are for Playstation 2 or Xbox 360.
3. 17/20 games were released, ported or had the next major franchise installment in '07 or '08.
4. 18/20 games are hardcore. Casual blockbusters like The Sims, Wii Sports or Brain Age get no love, but they are probably the most important games of the decade.
I agree with two of these.
Portal and Shadow of the Colossus.
You seriously need to play more games. This list is absolute rubbish.
I'm glad to see Portal at the top of this list.
"I agree with two of these.
Portal and Shadow of the Colossus.
You seriously need to play more games. This list is absolute rubbish."
Really? Fallout 3, Bioshock, Resident Evil 4, Halo, Half Life 2, Call Of Duty 4, Grand Theft Auto, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Gears of War, Mario Galaxy,Mass Effect, shit all of the games on the list, are all amazing games that were not only well received by fans but critics as well. I think you're the one not playing enough games.
Portal was great and all but what about Uncharted or Kindom Hearts. They didn't even make the list?
No GTA IV? How is it not in there? Good choices otherwise. Supprised portal was so high.
Over half of these games on this so called list have no right being here. How could GH 1 not be on here seeing how it spawned GH III and Rock Band. Where is Metroid, GTA 3, Zelda WW or TP, Counter-Strike, and Morrowind.
i still stand by oblivion as the greatest game of all time even though it could hav been so much better. portal i would hav 3rd
I wouldn't put Portal so high. It was a great game, but it wasn't the greatest this decade. I think Fallout 3 should have taken that. And where is Diablo II? That game is still going strong.
So seriously... no GTA 4?
hmmm ok.
PlayNC & Cryptic's "City of Heroes/City of Villains" -- which continues to innovate, and is beyond addictive -- should have a place on this list. WoW shmow, bigger is not always better (in mmorpg's, anyway).
Wait no Counter-Strike! Damn CS is old enough not to be on that list! But still one of the most played of this decade!
Putting games like God of War and Halo on this list is like having Foo Fighters and Nickleback on your top Albums list.
It would great if this magazine's cultural stance on games matched its stance on music.
This list is badly missing Metroid Prime, Zelda:Wind Waker and GTA 4.
Where's Morrowind it should be #1.
Half-Life 2 BEHIND BIOSHOCK!!!!????
*Shakes head...in disgust
Deus Ex is my GOTD.
Deus Ex tells an incredible narrative through a first-person interface years before that started becoming cool. Unique inventory system, great weapons, a thinking mans shooter.
Pretty solid list but a little heavy on the Playstation/Xbox titles.
PORTAL - an absolute perfect title
Half Life 2 - still the pinacle of FPS titles
Overlooked List:
1. The Longest Journey - released right around the turn of the decade, it is still the most detailed adventure games ever made & hold up remarkably well
2. Deus Ex
3. Max Payne
4. Star Wars:Knights of the old Republic
5. Medal of Honor: allied Assault
6. Call of Duty 2
7. Return to Castle Wolfenstein
8. The Operative: No one lives forever
I'm kinda surprised that San Andres and Metal Gear Solid 2 made the list while Grand Theft Auto 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4 did not.
So what exactly happened to the Sega Dreamcast? Do the "hardcore" gamers just not like arcade games anymore? Seriously, what's the deal with that? Phantasy Star Online? Chu Chu Rocket? San Francisco Rush: 2049? Street Fighter 3: Third Strike? Crazy Taxi? Shenmue? Nothing?? Really??
Same question for the handhelds. There has to be at least one Gameboy Advance game you seriously loved. What about the Advance Wars series?
I'm not surprised at all by the lack of Nintendo Wii. I'm much more amused at the weird turf war that's emerged in recent years between Wii and the "hardcore" gamers, who don't really seem to be that hardcore about video games to me. They seem to go for the hi-def movie games. But what would they do if you handed them the classics? M.U.L.E. anybody?
Personally, I think the best thing to happen to video games this past decade was...emulation. Emulators, kids. You can store every console and game ever made on your computer, for free, to play anytime you choose. If that isn't the coolest thing ever, then I don't know what is.
Fuck you and your fucking list, IT SUCKS ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
MGS 2 is on there, and while that game is often underrated, MGS 3 is not? While the gameplay may have been a rehash, I'm going to have to fanboy and say the exceptional plotline (especially for a video game) make it stand out.
I've always played lots of MMOs, not so many RTS or FPS games, but i feel like i should switch over.
Im really interesting in playing mass effect, it looks really fun.
Halo 1 will always be my favorite FPS, though
Well these are really wonderful games to spent more free time in this.If this games are available at all the platforms then that will so cool one.
I'm sick of hearing about Fallout 3. I bought it soon after it came out and still haven't finished it because it's downright depressing. I have little desire to explore a wide-open world when all I'm gonna see is more gray and brown rubble.
Well, GTA 4 is the best game I have ever played. Really fantastic after Warcraft.
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Bankruptcy Tulsa
Well, I enjoy their games because they put the emphasis where it belongs, on the storyline and the characters, and not on the latest whizbang graphics, thanx for sharing.
Okmulgee Lawyer
Thats probably the best list Ive seen. At first I didnt see fallout, then I noticed it was 3rd. To me, it was a lot better than portal but I guess thats just an opinion.
What I find most interested is that San Andreas made it but GTA IV did not. That game was good but a let down.
Fallout 3 and portal is my favorite video games.
Sorry, but I think putting Rock Band in this list is the stupidest mistake in all of the history of lists. God of War shouldn't be there either, but I don't care about that near as much. You should replace Rock Band with Twilight Princess, and replace God of War with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. They were soooooooo much better.
This list is pure bullshit.