Games of the decade
0
I wrote this as a blog post this evening, just thought I'd share; also, couldn't be fucked to go through and add italics etc, so context may suffer a tad. Don't rape me too much.
Ahem. Ladies and gents, I’m not really an avid gamer, but I get around and I have opinions; strong and well voiced opinions they are too, which is why a feature such as this, which essentially compiles lazy reviews, is my favourite thing ever as of today. The only incredibly annoying part is the amount of †˜best games ever’ which, I have realised in doing this, were released in 1999.
Don’t take it too seriously, but seriously enough that you should consider playing these games; the ranking is opinion based on what I’ve played, but the general placement within a top 20 or 30, say, is absolute fact. ;)
10. Mario Kart DS (2005)
I’m aware that 90% of people just left this page, but the other 10% are truly awesome, because they realise that this is the absolute epitome of handheld gaming. You can do a lot of rambling about the amazing games that result from the handheld features (Scribblenauts) or the lanky strides towards technological perfection in your pocket (many PSP titles, and heck, even the OpenPandora). However, said person forgets that handheld consoles were never intended to compete with their bigger brothers and sisters, they were built to give people something to do on the go. There is surely no greater pleasure, especially with something less †˜ported’ and more †˜custom-built’ for the DS, than to engage in truly competitive multiplayer or whittle away the hours on time trials, missions and other CPU fare. I adore this game for championing the dying CPU bot to perfection, but mainly for its complete accessibility, perfect multiplayer experience and for just being hugely fun. There have been some really brilliant games in this handheld generation, and some despicably gimmicky and cheap ones; to me, though, this is what the DS was made for.
9. The Sims (2000)
Ho ho ho. Funny joke you say. You may even be writing a crude comment of some sort, and I would forgive you, because I don’t really like the series either. That said, who can deny the inroads that Mr Will Wright made with this franchise? A fun, rewarding, dynamic and hugely customisable world of virtual people, realistic enough but still a parody of itself; you might say he’s gone the way of Lionhead in terms of gaming visionaries, but he and Maxis/EA pulled off something incredible in the year 2000 with this game, and the title of †˜best-selling PC game in history’, on top of the amount of expansion packs, stand testament to its incredible popularity. The sequels have continued the trend and are almost as popular as ever, but ultimately, the sheer feat of getting a little gem of a game out to the masses and running on the computers of the day is still incredible, some ten years on.
While I’m on technological achievements and older games, honourable mentions go to Empire Earth and Shogun: Total War; both games were released in 2000, and both are in my top 5 RTS games of all time. Give me the highlights of 1999 and 2000 and I’d be set for life. ;)
8. Portal (2007)
Yes, it’s incredibly short, but don’t pretend that this isn’t one of your favourite games and one of the best ever puzzlers, because it is. This is a puzzler for the common man - hugely funny, satisfying, superbly written, pretty as a picture and host to surely the greatest music and a greatest villain contender; it shapes a clever concept into a cleverer game through that sci-fi favourite, the evil AI, and even manages to tug at your heartstrings with the CC (and his subsequent merchandise range :P). It may not be the most challenging game in the genre, but it is surely both the most unique and the deepest in involvement.
There is one thing I will make clear now, though: this is the only game from the Orange Box that I’ve played. No, not even Half Life 2. Pity or flame me if you wish, because I know how amazing Half Life 2 is meant to be; I have watched it being played though, and while I really do need to buy it, I don’t think of it as a definitive, genre-changing or hugely innovative title. A great game no doubt, but ultimately just a fantastic reboot of the original.
7. Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
Halo 3 had a disappointing campaign and muchos 12 year-olds on Live; Halo 2 had a stupid ending and some horrible rendering issues. Halo: CE, however, is a classic. Tarnished only by its lack of online multiplayer, this is still the most multiplayer joy I can remember from a console, and like Doom and Wolfenstein before it, it set a precedent for first person shooter’s in the 21st century. A great story, solid voice acting, great characters, good graphics, jazzy weapons with a seamless HUD, a beautiful universe and cool-as-fuck ALIENS(!), this became more of a cult than a game. Deep breath.
As sci-fi games go, it’s up there with Half Life, Asteroids, and Space Invaders. :P
6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
Oh what it is to be Tommy Vercetti. You knew there would have to be a GTA game in the list, because GTA is sandbox gaming, and no GTA game does it with quite the story, backdrop and general panache of Vice City. This game is where Rockstar nailed it: great dialogue, a hugely vibrant story and setting, the best gun combinations, the improvements on GTA III and none of San Andreas/GTA IV gimmicks (plus the 90’s gangsta thing didn’t do it for me in the slightest). Seriously though - bagging the estate on Starfish Island ranks as one of my favourite moments in gaming, and that wasn’t even that far into it, such was the strength of the story and the joy I took in this game; a joy shared rather uniquely by anyone watching, too, as the GTA games (and this one in particular) are among a select few single players’ (I’m thinking Mercenaries 1) where friends can happily watch and then swap in. And of course, the ability to do an absorbing mission, step onto the street/bridge/edge of a building and go Rambo was priceless…and no muscle-wastage in sight.
This is probably also the game I have revisited the most, right up there with Mass Effect under the single-player tree. :)
5. Bioshock (2007)
If I could have put System Shock 2 on this list then I would, and it would have been right up there; alas, it was three months before the millennium, and thus I present the next best thing. It has divided opinions, but I for one adore this game; gorgeously macabre, with effects and scenery eerily beautiful, and that is only the visuals. The story and characters are fantastic, and while it is essentially SS2 in a different setting, the changes made from that game, and the way in which it has been made, make what was a fantastic game into one of legend; examples of this are weapon degradation, vita chambers, †˜mind powers’, character improvements, the HUD and the inventory, although the difficulty of SS2 was an admirable trait, and these factors still made it incredibly interesting (and ultimately quite different :P).
For a horror game I did find the second hardest difficulty a little too easy to play through, and some people have found fault with the way morality and choices were implemented (in that they have little bearing in the end) but it remained genuinely scary, pacey, entertaining and pleasingly challenging, all of which develop an originally flawed gem into the definitive sci-fi and horror package. :]
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
This game is what happens when you take the Halo formula and give it the Infinity Ward treatment. It’s a completely different kind of game, but ultimately where Halo: CE was a brilliant pioneer, CoD4 is the settler who strikes oil. A perfectly scripted campaign, chock full full of twists and turns, and exhibiting both gorgeous and gritty backdrops and characters you can empathise with; throw in possibly the best FPS multiplayer mode ever created, add a little gloss and you have Game of the Year and then some. CoD2 came close, MW2 stepped a little further away in running around like a lunatic. This is the definitive FPS of the decade by a country mile; I hate myself for putting it up here because it is so hyped, so well documented…but it is good. You haven’t really played it if you disagree.
3. Civilisation 4 (2005)
Hark, another †˜Game of the Year’ (and another 2k release) cometh. I’ve chosen the BtS cover because it is how you get the best out of this game, in my opinion, but it makes little difference in the scheme of things. You try and find a more absorbing, time-consuming and challenging game, and then keep it to yourself, because I won’t believe you. This is Empire Earth x 100, and then slowed down by the same amount - an RTS of probably-literally biblical proportions, where you play through human existence with an eye on every facet of it. If this were better marketed in Asia it would probably kill more people through fatigue than Starcraft, because the matches are such that multiplayer goes through nights and single player, which seriously holds its own, requires multiple saves and loads lest you lose your sanity. And that may well be a side effect anyway. This game can be incredibly frustrating, but it is also incredibly engrossing, a joy to play and a technological achievement…not to mention those poor developers. Kudos to them.
2. EVE Online (2003)
Let me explain. No, really. I gave this a lot of thought, so it would be an insult not to hear me out and agree with my logic entirely. I was going to make World of Warcraft my number two; I haven’t actually played it, merely watched, but I can see that it’s both a good game, and an incredibly influential/popular one. However, I have played EVE (for two months nearly a year ago), and while I wasn’t a huge fan, this game is a greater achievement than Blizzard could ever dream of. This game IS what would happen if a wormhole opened up, people went to explore the new dimension of New Eden, and then the wormhole closed. I say that because the world CCP have created, or rather that they have laid the seeds of on their Tranquillity server, is one that has come to emulate life to an incredible degree. What other game can boast hundreds of thousands on a single server, in a single world, with a fully functioning economy suffering from real world crime unhindered by developers; there is industrial espionage between corporations running into many real months or years, and subsequent infiltrations in order to steal thousands of real dollars worth of in-game assets; there are huge alliances which controlled swathes of space, but were taken down with one fell swoop, engineered by one player in a position of power. Consider as well the skill upgrades which can literally take months as you improve, and the billions traded, spent, lost and stolen on a day-to-day basis, and you have the most ambitious, dynamic and (with its space vistas) possibly the most beautiful MMORPG ever made. It definitely isn’t for everyone, but it is truly an epic game.
1. Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
I’ve been playing this again recently, and whatever you might think of these Nintendo franchises, there is no worthier champion of the chart than this. This is to gaming what Spirited Away was to animation: not just a breath of fresh air among the 3rd party Wii fare, but a bold, imaginative and conceptually magnificent game. It looks stunning, it is every bit the platformer that Super Mario 64 was, but the space concept around which it is built is so flawlessly executed, the travel and puzzles so perfect, and the movement with use of the Wiimote and Nunchuk so seamless and flowing, that you cannot help but quietly prefer it. Not only is this game a triumph of technology and level design, it is also (unlike some other †˜traditional’ Wii games) hugely accessible. I have seen young children and middle aged men and women play and enjoy this game; it is easy to use, beautiful and clever - in my opinion, the ultimate platform game.
I really have no idea how Miyamoto comes up with this stuff, but thank God for the Japanese life expectancy.
So, that’s it! These are opinions based on what I have played, and there are some opinions where I feel I’ve seen enough to make a judgement. Feel free to add your own suggestions.
My top ten games of the 2000s
Ahem. Ladies and gents, I’m not really an avid gamer, but I get around and I have opinions; strong and well voiced opinions they are too, which is why a feature such as this, which essentially compiles lazy reviews, is my favourite thing ever as of today. The only incredibly annoying part is the amount of †˜best games ever’ which, I have realised in doing this, were released in 1999.
Don’t take it too seriously, but seriously enough that you should consider playing these games; the ranking is opinion based on what I’ve played, but the general placement within a top 20 or 30, say, is absolute fact. ;)
10. Mario Kart DS (2005)
Spoiler:
I’m aware that 90% of people just left this page, but the other 10% are truly awesome, because they realise that this is the absolute epitome of handheld gaming. You can do a lot of rambling about the amazing games that result from the handheld features (Scribblenauts) or the lanky strides towards technological perfection in your pocket (many PSP titles, and heck, even the OpenPandora). However, said person forgets that handheld consoles were never intended to compete with their bigger brothers and sisters, they were built to give people something to do on the go. There is surely no greater pleasure, especially with something less †˜ported’ and more †˜custom-built’ for the DS, than to engage in truly competitive multiplayer or whittle away the hours on time trials, missions and other CPU fare. I adore this game for championing the dying CPU bot to perfection, but mainly for its complete accessibility, perfect multiplayer experience and for just being hugely fun. There have been some really brilliant games in this handheld generation, and some despicably gimmicky and cheap ones; to me, though, this is what the DS was made for.
9. The Sims (2000)
Spoiler:
Ho ho ho. Funny joke you say. You may even be writing a crude comment of some sort, and I would forgive you, because I don’t really like the series either. That said, who can deny the inroads that Mr Will Wright made with this franchise? A fun, rewarding, dynamic and hugely customisable world of virtual people, realistic enough but still a parody of itself; you might say he’s gone the way of Lionhead in terms of gaming visionaries, but he and Maxis/EA pulled off something incredible in the year 2000 with this game, and the title of †˜best-selling PC game in history’, on top of the amount of expansion packs, stand testament to its incredible popularity. The sequels have continued the trend and are almost as popular as ever, but ultimately, the sheer feat of getting a little gem of a game out to the masses and running on the computers of the day is still incredible, some ten years on.
While I’m on technological achievements and older games, honourable mentions go to Empire Earth and Shogun: Total War; both games were released in 2000, and both are in my top 5 RTS games of all time. Give me the highlights of 1999 and 2000 and I’d be set for life. ;)
8. Portal (2007)
Spoiler:
Yes, it’s incredibly short, but don’t pretend that this isn’t one of your favourite games and one of the best ever puzzlers, because it is. This is a puzzler for the common man - hugely funny, satisfying, superbly written, pretty as a picture and host to surely the greatest music and a greatest villain contender; it shapes a clever concept into a cleverer game through that sci-fi favourite, the evil AI, and even manages to tug at your heartstrings with the CC (and his subsequent merchandise range :P). It may not be the most challenging game in the genre, but it is surely both the most unique and the deepest in involvement.
There is one thing I will make clear now, though: this is the only game from the Orange Box that I’ve played. No, not even Half Life 2. Pity or flame me if you wish, because I know how amazing Half Life 2 is meant to be; I have watched it being played though, and while I really do need to buy it, I don’t think of it as a definitive, genre-changing or hugely innovative title. A great game no doubt, but ultimately just a fantastic reboot of the original.
7. Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
Spoiler:
Halo 3 had a disappointing campaign and muchos 12 year-olds on Live; Halo 2 had a stupid ending and some horrible rendering issues. Halo: CE, however, is a classic. Tarnished only by its lack of online multiplayer, this is still the most multiplayer joy I can remember from a console, and like Doom and Wolfenstein before it, it set a precedent for first person shooter’s in the 21st century. A great story, solid voice acting, great characters, good graphics, jazzy weapons with a seamless HUD, a beautiful universe and cool-as-fuck ALIENS(!), this became more of a cult than a game. Deep breath.
As sci-fi games go, it’s up there with Half Life, Asteroids, and Space Invaders. :P
6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
Spoiler:
Oh what it is to be Tommy Vercetti. You knew there would have to be a GTA game in the list, because GTA is sandbox gaming, and no GTA game does it with quite the story, backdrop and general panache of Vice City. This game is where Rockstar nailed it: great dialogue, a hugely vibrant story and setting, the best gun combinations, the improvements on GTA III and none of San Andreas/GTA IV gimmicks (plus the 90’s gangsta thing didn’t do it for me in the slightest). Seriously though - bagging the estate on Starfish Island ranks as one of my favourite moments in gaming, and that wasn’t even that far into it, such was the strength of the story and the joy I took in this game; a joy shared rather uniquely by anyone watching, too, as the GTA games (and this one in particular) are among a select few single players’ (I’m thinking Mercenaries 1) where friends can happily watch and then swap in. And of course, the ability to do an absorbing mission, step onto the street/bridge/edge of a building and go Rambo was priceless…and no muscle-wastage in sight.
This is probably also the game I have revisited the most, right up there with Mass Effect under the single-player tree. :)
5. Bioshock (2007)
Spoiler:
If I could have put System Shock 2 on this list then I would, and it would have been right up there; alas, it was three months before the millennium, and thus I present the next best thing. It has divided opinions, but I for one adore this game; gorgeously macabre, with effects and scenery eerily beautiful, and that is only the visuals. The story and characters are fantastic, and while it is essentially SS2 in a different setting, the changes made from that game, and the way in which it has been made, make what was a fantastic game into one of legend; examples of this are weapon degradation, vita chambers, †˜mind powers’, character improvements, the HUD and the inventory, although the difficulty of SS2 was an admirable trait, and these factors still made it incredibly interesting (and ultimately quite different :P).
For a horror game I did find the second hardest difficulty a little too easy to play through, and some people have found fault with the way morality and choices were implemented (in that they have little bearing in the end) but it remained genuinely scary, pacey, entertaining and pleasingly challenging, all of which develop an originally flawed gem into the definitive sci-fi and horror package. :]
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Spoiler:
This game is what happens when you take the Halo formula and give it the Infinity Ward treatment. It’s a completely different kind of game, but ultimately where Halo: CE was a brilliant pioneer, CoD4 is the settler who strikes oil. A perfectly scripted campaign, chock full full of twists and turns, and exhibiting both gorgeous and gritty backdrops and characters you can empathise with; throw in possibly the best FPS multiplayer mode ever created, add a little gloss and you have Game of the Year and then some. CoD2 came close, MW2 stepped a little further away in running around like a lunatic. This is the definitive FPS of the decade by a country mile; I hate myself for putting it up here because it is so hyped, so well documented…but it is good. You haven’t really played it if you disagree.
3. Civilisation 4 (2005)
Spoiler:
Hark, another †˜Game of the Year’ (and another 2k release) cometh. I’ve chosen the BtS cover because it is how you get the best out of this game, in my opinion, but it makes little difference in the scheme of things. You try and find a more absorbing, time-consuming and challenging game, and then keep it to yourself, because I won’t believe you. This is Empire Earth x 100, and then slowed down by the same amount - an RTS of probably-literally biblical proportions, where you play through human existence with an eye on every facet of it. If this were better marketed in Asia it would probably kill more people through fatigue than Starcraft, because the matches are such that multiplayer goes through nights and single player, which seriously holds its own, requires multiple saves and loads lest you lose your sanity. And that may well be a side effect anyway. This game can be incredibly frustrating, but it is also incredibly engrossing, a joy to play and a technological achievement…not to mention those poor developers. Kudos to them.
2. EVE Online (2003)
Spoiler:
Let me explain. No, really. I gave this a lot of thought, so it would be an insult not to hear me out and agree with my logic entirely. I was going to make World of Warcraft my number two; I haven’t actually played it, merely watched, but I can see that it’s both a good game, and an incredibly influential/popular one. However, I have played EVE (for two months nearly a year ago), and while I wasn’t a huge fan, this game is a greater achievement than Blizzard could ever dream of. This game IS what would happen if a wormhole opened up, people went to explore the new dimension of New Eden, and then the wormhole closed. I say that because the world CCP have created, or rather that they have laid the seeds of on their Tranquillity server, is one that has come to emulate life to an incredible degree. What other game can boast hundreds of thousands on a single server, in a single world, with a fully functioning economy suffering from real world crime unhindered by developers; there is industrial espionage between corporations running into many real months or years, and subsequent infiltrations in order to steal thousands of real dollars worth of in-game assets; there are huge alliances which controlled swathes of space, but were taken down with one fell swoop, engineered by one player in a position of power. Consider as well the skill upgrades which can literally take months as you improve, and the billions traded, spent, lost and stolen on a day-to-day basis, and you have the most ambitious, dynamic and (with its space vistas) possibly the most beautiful MMORPG ever made. It definitely isn’t for everyone, but it is truly an epic game.
1. Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
Spoiler:
I’ve been playing this again recently, and whatever you might think of these Nintendo franchises, there is no worthier champion of the chart than this. This is to gaming what Spirited Away was to animation: not just a breath of fresh air among the 3rd party Wii fare, but a bold, imaginative and conceptually magnificent game. It looks stunning, it is every bit the platformer that Super Mario 64 was, but the space concept around which it is built is so flawlessly executed, the travel and puzzles so perfect, and the movement with use of the Wiimote and Nunchuk so seamless and flowing, that you cannot help but quietly prefer it. Not only is this game a triumph of technology and level design, it is also (unlike some other †˜traditional’ Wii games) hugely accessible. I have seen young children and middle aged men and women play and enjoy this game; it is easy to use, beautiful and clever - in my opinion, the ultimate platform game.
I really have no idea how Miyamoto comes up with this stuff, but thank God for the Japanese life expectancy.
So, that’s it! These are opinions based on what I have played, and there are some opinions where I feel I’ve seen enough to make a judgement. Feel free to add your own suggestions.