Unlike what has happened this past decade with music, movies, and television, video games have been on the rise in popularity, success, and overall quality. The well-known Golden Age of Gaming has met its match with this current generation. The Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 has amped the competition so heavily that now we are seeing a heavier influx of amazing games when compared to every other gaming generation since the wars started in the early 90s. Every couple of months we get at least one brilliant game and at least one game that becomes a runaway best-seller. Video games are much more accessible, (potentially) much more affordable, and overall a much more engaging and complete experience. Video games make more money than movies every single year. Video games have officially killed off the arcade business, and also managed to diminish PC gaming sales down to an absolute minimum.
So now, its time to celebrate the 80 games that shaped gaming this decade. Starting with the shadows of the PSX/N64 era, leading through the small Dreamcast era, sliding through the PS2-domination era, and finishing with the WiiPS360 generation, I have compiled a list of the top 80 games in the last 10 years.
Now, they are not solely based on my opinion of the game, they are based on success, impact on gaming, and overall impact on the company that made it, and companies that released it. In other words, some games I don’t take too much liking to (Halo) will be on the list because its impact on gaming is absolutely undeniable. Then there will be small unknown games (like Excitebike 64) that ultimately changed the company releasing the product (Nintendo). In the list will be hot-sellers that hardcore gamers will shun (NintenDogs), underrated gems (F-Zero GX) and also games that I deem absolutely spectacular, even if the sales didn’t represent it.
Bottom Line: this list will have games I didn’t fully enjoy but made too much an impact to be avoided—and at the same time there will be games you most likely have never heard of that I found spectacular enough to be on such a list. Sometimes it’s the smallest games that create a bigger impact on the industry without anyone noticing.
Without further interruption, here are the Top 80 Video Games of the Decade.
#80: The Most Twisted Experience on the GBA
Game: Wario Ware Twisted
System: Game Boy Advance
Year: 2004
Sales: 500,000-900,000
Wario Ware Twisted took the crazy 5-second microgame concept of the original Wario Ware and expanded upon it with motion controls thanks to a gyro sensor. The end result is an incredible display of crazy fun. With dozens of games, hundreds of microgames, and dozens of secrets and prizes earned for progressing in the game, this is one of the deeper and longer experiences in the history of the Nintendo handhelds. This game would be a foreshadowing of Nintendo’s attempts to change gaming with motion-sensor technology, with the Nintendo Wii releasing a mere couple of years later. This is a must-own and a must-keep, as its addicting, clever, innovative, unique, and just downright hilarious.
#79: We Finally See Them Fighting in 3-D
Game: Pokemon Stadium
System: Nintendo 64
Year: 2000
Sales: 5.8 million
While Pokemon Snap back in 1999 was our first time seeing the pocket monsters in a non-handheld system, Pokemon Stadium would be the first time that we can battle with them. Making every Pokedream come true, Pokemon Stadium finally allowed for us to take our teams from the Game Boy and transfer them over to the N64 to send them on tournaments to see how successful they really are. Now add a variety of mini-games, a special Gym Leader mode, a free-lance multiplayer mode, and two showdowns against the powerful Mewtwo, and you have yourself the last very good non-handheld Pokemon video game. It’s a shame the following sequels have been such a bust. With nearly 6 million copies under its belt, this game was proof that Pokemon was rising to become the biggest RPG powerhouse in the industry.
#78: Action Gaming has Matured
Game: God of War I-II
System: Playstation 2
Year: 2005
Sales: 5.7 million total
Before 300’s frenzied mythological action hit the cinema, in 2005 PS2 owners were treated to an action delight with God of War. Blending a deep storyline, ferocious action, epic music, and a complete package of blending myths, God of War was the quintessential action blockbuster on the Playstation 2. Where on earth is the PS3 installment?
#77: There Was a Part 3?
Game: Street Fighter IV
System: PS3/Xbox 360
Year: 2008
Sales: Almost 3 million total
Street Fighter was the dominating fighting franchise in the early 90s, with only Mortal Kombat rivaling it for years upon years. However, in 1999, we had three major franchises that overshadowed the franchise: Smash Brothers, Soul Calibur, and Marvel vs. Capcom. Street Fighter’s claim to top fame was challenged and eventually overthrown, and this long-overdue sequel was Capcom’s attempt at bringing it back to the top. All the classic gameplay was enhanced for a new era with a gritty new anime look, more characters, more combos, and more challenges. While the other Street Fighters were superior, this is still a must-own for the truly diehard fighting game crowd.
#76: Finally, a Good Tennis Game!
Game: Virtua Tennis
System: Sega Dreamcast
Year: 2000
Sales: About half a million
The Sega Dreamcast was known for two things: ending Sega’s attempts at competing in the console wars and also doing an excellent job porting superb arcade games to consoles. One of the best examples is Virtua Tennis, the first truly legit-grand tennis game for any system. The game was deep, engaging, had a nice learning curve, and never dwelled into unrealistic physics. The franchise remains the best in realistic tennis gameplay, with good sequels out for the Wii and the Xbox.
#75: Addicting. Addicting. Addicting.
Game: Pokemon Puzzle League
System: Nintendo 64
Year: 2000
Sales: 450,000
Pokemon Puzzle League is the spiritual sequel to the SNES classic Tetris Attack, containing the same gameplay, but smacking it with a Pokemon tone. While the Pokemon addition was to appeal to the rabid PokeFanbase, the game itself is a brilliant puzzler that didn’t need the branding in order to be addicting. The addition of the 3-D edition of the puzzle game only added to the mayhem.
#74: Eventually, We Will Get Back on the Main Quest
Game: Elder Scrolls IV
System: Xbox 360/PC/PS3
Year: 2006
Sales: Over 4 million total
There are certain games you just wonder why they don’t imitate often. This is one of them. A massive world full of side-quests and surprises await you in the biggest and best installment in the franchise. You can quite literally spend over 30 hours playing this game without actually going on your main quest. The main quest becomes mere icing on the cake. The overworlds of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and even Fable have met their match at the hands of this massive gem.
#73: The System. Is Down.
Game: DJ Hero
System: PSWii60
Year: 2009
Sales: Not Enough
After years of guitar-playing on consoles everywhere, Activision decided to change the pace a bit by creating a new style of musical gaming entertainment. While the presentation was solid, the execution was challenging fun that ranks up there with the old-school toughness of the NES/SNES days. Then there is the spectacular, incredible, nearly flawless soundtrack that includes at least 15 standout remixes. No wonder the party scene in England is so much better.
#72: The Only Recognizable J-Style RPG in the Gamecube
Game: Tales of Symphonia
System: Nintendo Gamecube (then eventually the PS2)
Year: 2004
Sales: 1 million
One of the gajabillion reasons why the Gamecube failed was the total lack of RPGs. While the PS2 had an excellent grouping of RPGs (as well as its ability to extend to the superior PSX lineup), the Xbox and the Gamecube were a bit short in that genre. Then Namco tosses a curveball into the industry that shook things up for a few months. This game had mature storytelling, an addicting battle system, great soundtrack, and an overall fresh presentation that was something Nintendo desperately needed. Being a surprise hit for a few months, the hype died down when Namco released it for the PS2—ending Gamecube’s quiet little reign as the system with the top-selling RPG. Great overlooked game that was the peak of the Tales franchise.
#71: The Incredible Platform That Everyone Forgot
Game: Wario Land 3
System: Nintendo Game Boy Color
Year: 2000
Sales: ……
Of all the Game Boy generations, the Color generation was the shortest, weakest, most overlooked, and least successful one. With that said, the Game Boy Color had a plethora of incredible overlooked games. This is one of them. Wario Land 3 is platforming heaven, as we see Wario tackle a day/night system, a non-death feature, and non-linear gameplay full of heavy exploration. The puzzles, enemies, and humor were far superior to the other installments in the franchise, as this game delivers hours of frustrating fun and gaming mayhem. It is a total shame that Wario himself has drifted away from this formula of gameplay, as his platform skills have yet to recover from the year 2000.
#70: Basketball Gaming Heaven
Game: NBA 2K1
System: Sega Dreamcast (R.I.P.)
Year: 2000
Sales: About a million
The Dreamcast was a miserable failure like the Gamecube shortly after, but it did succeed heavily in three things: fighting games, ports from classic arcade games, and sports games. The 2K games in the Dreamcast were spectacular, detailed, entertaining, and the most realistic out there. The best one in the Dreamcast days however, was the basketball games. The commentary was colorful, the gameplay was fluid, the controls were superb, and the overall presentation was the best I had seen in any sports games up to that point. While the franchise still exists, it pales in comparison to the Dreamcast days, when they were seemingly ahead of EA by lightyears.
The Next Installment Shall Come Within the next few days. Don't cry, it will come.
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