The Top 10 Video Games of the Past Decade...

[Cro Morgan]

...according to some dude at CNN.

Article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gad ... tml?hpt=C2

"The Sims" (Maxis/EA, PC -- 2000) -- An interactive dollhouse filled with little computer people that's among the first games to recreate reality itself. Not only did the cleverly disguised strategy title open the door for modern classics like evolutionary simulator "Spore," but its familiar settings and relevant topic also showed that electronic amusements could resonate with all ages and genders (a precursor to today's casual/social gaming sensations), making it the best-selling PC game of all time.

"BioShock" (2K Games, PC/PS3/360 -- 2007) -- Dark, brooding and sinister, this hybrid role-playing game and first-person shooter (wherein you wander a mutant-infested, capsizing undersea art deco utopia) wowed as much for its Oscar-level script writing as haunting environs. Equally impressive was one's ability to use guns and customizable genetic superpowers in endless combinations to uncover the secrets of a world as rich as any of its tragically flawed characters.

"Grand Theft Auto III" (Rockstar Games, PC/PS2 -- 2001) -- Never mind critics and their sensationalist propaganda. Among the earliest 3-D "sandbox," or open-ended, tales to let players go anywhere and do anything in a world of outsized personalities and adventures, this underworld saga is notable most for popularizing freedom of choice as a gameplay concept. An engaging plotline and memorable characters didn't hurt the epic's street cred either, as expounded upon in later installments such as the celebrated "GTA: Vice City" and "GTA: San Andreas."

"Halo" (Microsoft, Xbox -- 2001) -- The sci-fi, run 'n' gun juggernaut single-handedly established the Xbox as a force to be reckoned with and, via sequel "Halo 2," paved the way for trigger-happy experiences to provide living rooms worldwide with endless online thrills. With blockbuster production values and comprehensive internet play suites now staples for the genre, it picked up where "Doom" and "Quake" left off in helping bring smack-talking gunplay to mainstream prominence. In retrospect, it's hard to believe we ever doubted that first-person shooters could make the transition from PC to TV.

"Resident Evil 4" (Capcom, GameCube/PS2/PC/Wii -- 2005) -- Prior to this pant-soiling epic's debut, fear was typically an emotion experienced by gamers only upon discovering that a younger sibling had accidentally deleted their most recent saved game. But via spine-chillingly atmospheric scenarios featuring homicidal villagers, mad monks and chainsaw-wielding maniacs, each creepier and more breathless than the last, it illustrated gaming's true potential to induce cardiac arrest.

"God of War" (Sony, PlayStation 2 -- 2005) -- Melding heavy metal sensibilities with Greek mythology, this button-mashing odyssey invited players to gleefully lop off heads and wrench eyeballs from monsters' sockets. Look past the gore-drenched melodramatics though, and you'll also find incredibly polished play mechanics and skillful scriptwriting that demonstrated a simple principle. Specifically, that modern-day epics could (*gasp*) offer a heady mix of brains as well as brawn.

"Guitar Hero" (RedOctane, PlayStation 2 -- 2005) -- From "Rock n' Roll Racing" to "PaRappa the Rapper," music always had its place in the gaming canon. However, by pairing an intuitive plastic guitar controller with the on-screen action, it was here that we first saw the two mediums successfully collide with chart-topping results. The billion-dollar franchise has since spawned multiple spin-offs and imitators; established an entire genre; become America's new happy-hour activity of choice; and legitimized video games as today's hottest new medium for connecting fans and musicians. Encore!

"The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" (Bethesda Game Studios, PC/PS3/360 -- 2006) -- As a freeform fantasy role-playing franchise that players could explore in nonlinear fashion, "The Elder Scrolls" series wasn't the first or even best of its kind when it debuted in 1994. Upon reaching the Xbox 360 though, fans hungry for killer apps were astonished by the game's depth, scope and ambition, which set the bar for later like-minded smashes, e.g. "Fallout 3" and "Mass Effect."

"Shadow of the Colossus" (Sony, PlayStation 2 -- 2005) -- Most games offer an array of slavering, faceless horrors, which players are invited to casually butcher in offhanded fashion. But in this action-packed epic, the high-tech equivalent of an art house film, you instead play a swordsman who must scale and slay brooding titans who both function as living levels and reminders of one's own mortality. Seldom has virtual death seemed so dignified.

"World of Warcraft" (Blizzard, PC -- 2004) -- Call them massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), virtual worlds or glorified 3-D chat rooms. But with more than 11.5 million worldwide subscribers, none makes a stronger case for the value of blending community and socialization with compelling, internet-based play. Based on the popular series of real-time strategy games, it's helped bring fantasy dungeon crawling (and spending hours on your PC romancing sultry night elves) to mainstream acceptance.

What games are missing from your Top 10?

[Cro Morgan]

What games are missing from your Top 10?

Top Spin 1
NHL 2010
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

[ILuvBillVal]

Hmm personally I enjoyed Fallout 3 more than Oblivion. It's weird though I was thinking of sooo many games, then realized it's only since 2000!



I'm gettin old.

[djarvik]

Top Spin 3 - like it or hate it, it was a major step into right direction as far as sports games concerned.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Great game. If Halo makes the list, then a COD game must too. This is the one I would pick.

[ILuvBillVal]

I'm a big Mass Effect fan as well.

[Vieira151]

I would add MGS4 to that list. And Shadow of the Colossus and Resi 4 definately deserve to be there

[SoundfSilence]

Red Alert: Command and Conquer (on PC)

[Yippie-Caiay]

I would add MGS4 to that list. And Shadow of the Colossus and Resi 4 definately deserve to be there

absolutely

[Mack2300]

FFX
Mass Effect
Uncharted 2
Farenheit

[RV_Cobra11]

jak and daxter

crash bandicoot warped

top spin

fifa and pes

[ILuvBillVal]

FFX
Mass Effect
Uncharted 2
Farenheit

I never played the bottom two on the list. I LOVED FFX until the end. I thought it was pretty lame for a game to have an end boss that couldn't attack plus the whole grid system was a little unbalanced I thought. Still the best FF on any post PS1 system by FAR.

[Mike Rotchtickles]

-ICO

-Half Life 2

-Silent Hill 2

-Deus Ex

-Metroid Prime

-Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence

-Uncharted 2

-Shenmue

-Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

-Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

-Mafia


those are the one's that come to mind but I'm sure I'm leaving a bunch out that I would also rate very highly.

[calvkln]

Final Fantasy 7!!!!!! With out a doubt, and the 1st Tomb Raider, that was what got the 3rd person action/adventure style of games going.

[Mike Rotchtickles]

Those were/are great games but not released for this past decade.

[ILuvBillVal]

Final Fantasy 7!!!!!! With out a doubt, and the 1st Tomb Raider, that was what got the 3rd person action/adventure style of games going.

LOL

Secret of Mana!!!!