Originally posted on 20/12/09
10 years, 3 generations of consoles and christ only knows how many games, this list boils down the top 20 of them. I say 3 generations of consoles, but there's a PC game in there and no PS1 games. Bear in mind i've not played every game this decade nor do I claim to have, but this is merely my opinion, nothing more. It's also rather difficult to pick out the best one, hell the list'll probably change as i'm writing it.
20. Downforce - Playstation 2 (only I think) - 2003
If you've never heard of this, it's a shame. If you still can't recall it after looking it up, it's even more of a shame. Released in 03, even I didn't remember it when I was compiling my shortlist. But when I read the name I was transported back to the envisioned future of Formula 1, which is what the game is. Game modes were fairly similar, but the physics and looks of the game were only bettered by GT3 at the time. Hell the AI was even better, and actually provided a challenge trying to win each race. Sadly forgotten, but it's well worth playing if you can find it.
19. Wipeout Fusion - Playstation 2 - 2002
The only Wipeout game released specifically for the PS2, this was a graphical improvement over everything that had came before in the series. Again, there was a varying amount of game modes and each was a blast, including the new 'Zone' mode which was bloody solid but still challenging. The weapons all added to the atmosphere too testing your ability to the limit, and the soundtrack testing your nerves to the limit with its soft techno.
18. Sly 2: Band of Thieves - Playstation 2 - 2004
A cartoony platformer I discovered on a demo disc, with stealth elements present too. While not particularly ground-breaking or difficult, it was well-written and presented, and it warmed your heart the whole way through. The ability to swap characters in-game also added variety to the gameplay. The story-line was a bit... absurd though while it was a sequel, it worked as a standalone game, which always helps increase the target market, making the game more popular and accessible to people.
17. EyeToy: Play - Playstation 2 - 2003
While you may scoff, this thing spawned the Playstation Eye for the PS3 (which will be used for head-tracking in GT5) and the Nintendo bloody Wii as well. While this was one of the most cheatable at games ever created, played properly and with friends it was a right hoot. Only problem was that to play it properly you had to be in the sort of room you only get on telly, completely plain and featureless, otherwise it seems to think that something moving in the background was you. It still gets on the list for what it done for gaming development, even if it's spawned the Wii.
16. NHL 2003 - PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Windows - 2002
The first NHL game to feature more than one playable consecutive season, as well as having increased player mobility/mapping. The attention to detail in terms of gameplay was simply mind-boggling at the time for a PS2 game, and it provided god knows how many hours of playtime for me. It also featured Don Taylor doing commentary and I can't remember when I laughed so hard at a game with some of the tripe he'd hit out with. This game set the standard for hockey games in years to come, and it took EA 6 years to top it, showing just how well-made it was.
15. FIFA 2003 - Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Xbox, Mobile phone - 2002
See NHL 2003, swap everything for football. This game also permitted me the 2nd greatest goal ever scored in a football game, a James McFadden volley from 35 yards against Dundee United. Beautiful.
14. ESPN NHL 2K5 - Playstation 2, Xbox - 2005
The last decent game made in this series before ESPN lost all credibility with hockey fans and buggared off, 2K5 was lacking in terms of game play even to NHL03, but only just, and in the Franchise Mode, until now unparalled depth which made it all the more real. It's a shame that the 2k series ended up going so downhill, because this game had promise. It's as if they made this then decided that was enough and left it. It's a testament to how good it was that despite it breaking any time I tried to play Buffalo that it's above 03 on the list. It's also brilliant because I recreated "The Goal" with Marek Svatos after he'd skinned the other team single-handedly!
13. Jak 3 - Playstation 2 - 2004
The culmination of the best series for the Playstation 2, the only reason it's behind the other two is because of how goddam good they were. Jak 3 managed to combine about 80 genres into one and still not feel overwhelming. Granted, Jak being able to speak was a bit different, but when he went emo it was a good twist on the norm from the previous two games, and helped keep you into the game. That was if the Oscar-worthy story had somehow bored you which was very unlikely. The increased choices in weaponry also made the new enemies much more of a challenge, trying to find the best ways to despatch them. Some of the vehicle sections felt a bit shoehorned in (and why it managed to spawn a spin-off i'll never know), but ultimately, an engrossing storyline, cutting edge graphics and a superb control system helped make it what it is - brilliant.
12. Mirror's Edge - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 - 2008
Maybe i'm letting my own opinion shroud this a bit, but Mirror's Edge means a lot to me. This game is one of a kind, in that a first person action adventure game that makes you feel like you are the person you're playing is something of a rarity, if such a game exists. The amazing plot holes don't manage to hold back the story the way you'd expect them to, leaving it engrossing and wide open for the sequel which is coming. Mirror's Edge is important because it symbolises a desire to do new things in gaming, as when it came out it was one of the few games that didn't have a huge number on the end. Graphically the game is one of the best i've ever played, the bold colours being extremely effective at conveying how strict the regime you're fighting against is. The speed-run times are all completely unfeasible however.
11. Star Wars: Battlefront II - PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox - 2005
One of 3 3rd person shooters i've ever played and enjoyed, SWBFII had the rare quality of being completely the same all the way through yet never getting boring. The storyline always felt weird to me, playing as a clone/stormtrooper with the Empire winning, but the Galactic Conquest mode let you take over the Galaxy as whomsoever you chose, as well as letting you fight as Jedi, which is automatically going to make a game awesome. Only problem was that the only good ones were Darth Maul and Luke Skywalker, and none of them had the actual voice of the person who played them. Nevertheless, my playtime of this title is probably about double what i've put into COD4, and the sooner III gets made the better. Also, the space battles were unrivalled.
10. Football Manager 2007 - PC - 2004
It consumed my life. Yay depth, yay everything. Just don't play it unless you're a rich cripple who doesn't have any friends
9. Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec - Playstation 2 - 2001
I seem to remember only buying this because I got a thing from Sony not long after getting my PS2 offering a tenner off it. Oh what a journey that started. This game was a flagship title for Sony, showing what the PS2 was capable of. With depth to rival the Mariana Trench, GT3 featured a stunning array of cars and locations to put them round, and the Arcade Mode was there too if you didn't feel like sinking a lifetime into finishing GT mode. It had something for everyone, and it showed what was possible for 6th generation consoles, setting a bar that was only ever exceeded by one game. Have a guess what it was....
8. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - Playstation 2 - 2001
From the team behind Crash Bandicoot, you always knew this was going to be good. And boy did they not disappoint. This was Crash in 3D, with a fantastic array of worlds to explore, an irreverent sidekick who spouts one-liners like the Hacienda spouting money, and the seeds of a storyline that would go on to be one of the greatest in video gaming history. Difficulty was admittedly a factor for me, because it took a wait of about 3 years before I could finish the last part, but boy was it worth it. This has to be one of the first candidates for whenever Sony takes their finger out their arse and puts it and the other two J&D games on the PSN to download, and i'll be the first to it.
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows - 2009
The most eagerly anticipated game of the decade is not the best, purely because of the short story line, the awful multiplayer and the no replay offering Spec Ops. The actual storyline however is definately film-worthy, and I hope it does become a film. It's well worth its hype, but it's nothing revolutionary, and yet another big "shut your eyes and hope it goes away" response to problems by Infinity Ward hamper what should have been number one.
6. NHL 09 - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 - 2008
Despite having Celine Dion on the cover, '09 is the best hockey game i've ever played. Puck physics are essentially real, and goalies aren't completely terrible anymore. Be a Pro mode however is what puts it so high up, as this is the most important inclusion in sports gaming since they went fully 3D. The ability for any fatty, cripple or waster to be an NHL superstar for their favourite team is just awe-inspiring. Only problem was that you couldn't get photos of your man with the cup. The game had its flaws however, AI for your team was always pee wee level at best, but you could compensate for this by being about 3 men in one and doing all the work, making you feel all the more valuable and therefor, better.
5. Black - Playstation 2, Xbox, Xbox Originals (get this now if you don't have it already) - 2006
Black was to FPS what GT3 was to driving sims, it blew everything else out of the water. Despite a storyline that didn't make sense, and it only having 8 missions with no save points during them, and the 2nd highest difficult being akin to COD Veteran on that stuff that turns your face yellow from Haze, this game was brilliant. Graphically it was superb, and the technical details on the guns were beautiful. It even done what COD still doesn't let you do, altering fire modes from fully-auto to burst to semi-auto. This is another game that should be right on there for PS2 games getting put back out on the PSN, a simply beautiful game which feels so real you duck half the time when there's an explosion or a ping from a bullet.
4. BioShock - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X (lol) - '07-'09
BioShock is one of those rare games that makes you sit gawking at the screen for about half an hour after you've finished it. Hands down the scariest game i've ever played, it has an atmosphere so real you can feel every shock your poor man goes through, and the various weapons/plasmids he uses adds to this effect. The storyline is untouchable in games today, another one that is Oscar-worthy (it actually IS getting made into a film, if stuff's ever agreed), it keeps you gripped right till the last moment, and has you shouting at the screen. I suggest playing it in the dark on your own, preferrably with no dangerous objects nearby you can hurt yourself on when you fall off your chair. Thankfully, the sequel's due out in February, so the adventure continues!
This is where it gets difficult. I have three games left, and am torn on the order of them. You can really take the following three in any order, but I think i'm happy with what I eventually decided.
3. Jak II: Renegade - Playstation 2 - 2003
Jak II is one of the best sandbox games ever created. Jak's all grown up (well, 17), and has been experimented on and it's turned him nuts. Being able to use "Dark" Jak added an interesting dynamic to the game, letting you do stuff differently than the simple spin/jump moves inspired by Crash Bandicoot in the original game. The weapons introduced also helped add variety to the game and keep you playing it. The storyline, while a bit mental was perfectly engrossing, and the enemies, all the different types and boy were there many of them, all are just so.... perfect. Jak II done everything right, it was faultless, and very little in the genre has come close since.
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and for some reason, the Wii and Mac OS X - 2007
Quite simply, the best FPS ever made. Such a departure from the norm in the COD series was a bold move, especially after the crap fest that was COD3, and COD4 delivered in spades. From a story line that is Oscar-worthy (that's the last i'll say that, promise) to a multiplayer that is played by millions of people even now, from top to bottom, COD4 is excellence in gaming form. Graphically it's not groundbreaking, but the atmosphere created by the characters, and the followings they's all subsequently gathered is sublime, and it deserves every plaudit its had thrown at it.
If you've read everything in this list so far, power to you. If you've simply skipped over the titles, then screw you! But you've got what you came for, what now follows is, after much deliberation, the best game of the last ten years.
1. Gran Turismo 4 - Playstation 2 - 2005
If GT3 showed what the PS2 was capable of, GT4 came along and perfected it so much it took 5 years and HD tellys for everyone else to catch up. Maybe it's just something that appeals to the pedantic part of me about these games, but GT4 was so in depth, had so many options, ways of racing and races to do that it kept me engrossed for 3 months solid. It got to a point with my PS2 slim that it wouldn't read GT4 discs anymore. Any game that gives you that level of addictability has to be considered great, and GT4 deservedly takes its place in the pantheon of gaming greatness. New features this time around were extended GT and Arcade modes, Driving Missions which were all bloody solid, new tracks, completable liscence tests and a B-Spec mode. While it seems stupid (because it is) to let the console do the work for you, B-Spec mode added a flavour of strategy to the series for you, and it allowed you a method to actually finish the three 24 hour races that were included. What happens now is all down to Polyphony Digital, to produce the best game of the next decade in GT5 (or 6), and on the basis of this, it's certainly unwise to rule out a double.
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