So…since a decade has past, I wanted to write a fun article about the top games of the decade that have left an impression on me…without further adieu, here they are.
10. The Sims (2001)
The Sims should have failed. Paying bills, going to work, cleaning up after kids, cooking, exercising, reading, and all other varieties of menial tasks that we dread doing in real life were a blast in the Sims. Maybe it was the adorable language (Simolean, which basically sounded like a cassette tape on fast forward) or the quirky, and sometimes morbid humor (ever try throwing a party for the neighbor hood, inviting your friends and family into the pool and taking out the ladders, letting them swim to their doom, only to have them come back as zombies to exact their revenge?) but the Sims certainly succeeded where, by all means, it should have failed.
9. Golden Sun (GBA) (2001)
Golden Sun is, to this day, my favorite GBA game. The game came out close after the systems launch and demonstrated what a technical powerhouse the GBA was. It featured an extremely lengthy campaign, engaging characters, an addicting battle system and an easy story to follow. All-in-all, this is my favorite Advance game of all time and one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
8. Soul Calibur 2 (2003) (Gamecube)
Soul Calibur 2 is the game that single-handedly made me a fighting game fan. Insane visuals, excellent controls, nearly perfect balance, this game had everything a fighting game fan could ever want or need. The hours I put into this game are frightening, and some of my fondest memories of video games are nights where I’d stay up for hours playing with friends.
7. Assassin’s Creed 2
I had high hopes for the original Assassin’s Creed. I used my lunch hour in high school one day to go to the store and buy this game, just so I could sneak home and play it before my parents got home (I was always grounded in high school, which meant no video games). As it turns out, in the original game, when you complete a chapter, you’ve essentially experienced the whole game. As you can imagine, I was a little wary to pick up the second one, but after reading extremely positive reviews on it, I went ahead and grabbed it. It didn’t disappoint. The game literally fixes EVERYTHING that was wrong in the first one, adding more mission variety, different types of enemies, and a more interesting landscape to explore (putting the game in Renissance Italy? A stroke of genius). The game had so much mission variety in fact, that after a particularly fun mission that involved a flying machine, I found myself wishing the game would repeat mission types every so often, just so I could use some of it’s better mechanics again. Add all this to a upgradeable safe house, introduction of new weapons and gadgets every few chapters, and a much needed revamp of the stealth mechanic makes Assassin’s Creed 2 one of the few sequels that improved upon it’s original in every single way.
6. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003)
The Sands of Time, to this day, remains one of the most memorable games I’ve ever played. The Sands of Time was one of the first games to get time control right, and use it in a smart way. Miss a jump on a trick platforming section? No sweat, just rewind time and start over again. The aforementioned platforming puzzles were some of the best parts of the game, and with an instant rewind switch, usually hassle free. The combat was also a blast, slowing down time and vaulting over enemies before they could even think to react, smiting them with your scimitar and sucking their oh so delicious sand out with your dagger. Probably one of the first games where I felt like a bona-fide bad ass.
6. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC) (2003)
KOTOR was a realization of many things for me. It was the first Star Wars game that I could say I loved unconditionally, it was also the first RPG game that I could say I truly enjoyed, and it was also the first game I preferred to play on a PC. This was also the first game where my choices had an impact on the game I was playing. I spent hours upon hours talking to the characters I traveled with throughout the game, caring for them and learning all of their stories. KOTOR also has the honor of having one of the most funny, yet simultaneously disturbing characters I’ve ever met in a game, HK-47. Couple all of this with the fact that you’re a fucking jedi, and you have one of the most fun games ever.
5. Resident Evil (2002) (Gamecube) (remake)
Resident Evil is, to this day, the scariest game I have ever played. The atmosphere in the game is palpable, as you explore the mansion, you feel a constant sense of dread hang over you. This game is simply a classic, before zombies were Olympic sprinters, where you had time to be terrified before they reached you with a slow, and unrelenting march. The game also does a fantastic job at letting you unravel the mysteries about the zombies, such as how and why they were created and also manages to introduce one of the most iconic villains in video game history, Wekser.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (2002) (Gamecube)
Wind Waker is hands-down, my favorite Zelda game of all time. The fantastic art style breathed new life into a stale series, and the sailing mechanic, for better or worse, shook up the travel element of the series. Every inch of this game had as much detail as the system could muster and the game featured my favorite boss fights of the series, as well as my favorite dungeon (Light Temple anyone?). Though the game is fairly long, when you finally defeat Gannon (in an AWESOME battle by the way), it just makes it that much sweeter.
3. Resident Evil 4 (2005) (Gamecube)
RE 4 is a masterpiece, an accomplishment in gaming history that has changed the way we play games forever. The 3rd person perspective over-the-shoulder perspective has already found much popularity in the current generation of consoles, and has invented almost an entire new genre from it’s camera angle alone. The story is simple, but great, and the game maintains a near-perfect balance of fear vs. tension during the entire game. The game has some of the most memorable boss battles ever in a video game (lake monster anyone?) and is truly the high point of the series. Almost as perfect as a game as you can get.
2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) (Xbox 360)
Oblivion was the first game to show me what the next generation consoles were capable of. The world the game lets you explore is MASSIVE, and I mean MASSIVE. The environments were breathtaking when the game was first released, and the amount of stuff you can do in the game is staggering. With numerous guilds, each with their own story line, the main quest, and oodles of DLC, Oblivion is one of the finest games of this current generation. I sank more hours into this game than I care to admit and got every single achievement but one. While the game suffered its fair share of glitches, that’s to be expected from a game this massive. Choosing between the top two games were pretty tough, but eventually, I had to choose a number one, which leads us to…
1. BioShock (2007) (Xbox 360)
Bioshock is one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had while playing a video game. The game has one of the most interesting back stories ever, featuring a highly thought out economic system, genetic manipulation, gangs, freedom from religion and morals and corruption. No game has made me think about or made me feel decisions quite so much before. On top of all this, the game was fun. The genetic powers you could acquire were delightfully destructive and the environment would react realistically to your combat techniques. See a bunch of enemies lolling about in a great big puddle of water? Zap the water with your lightning plasmid and watch is spread, killing anyone unfortunate enough to be in contact with the water at the time. Enemies react as you would expect them to, if they see you take out three of their friends, they run away screaming. If you hurt them enough, they run to the nearest medstation to heal (if you want a laugh, hack a medstation before an enemy can reach it to see them poison themselves when they try to heal). The atmosphere in the game is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before in any other medium, whether it be games, movies, tv, comics, ect. This is, by far, my favorite game of the decade.
- January 5
- , 2010
