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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Game of the decade: 2000s (2000-2009)

Wow, that's really hard. The 2000s were the time when I gamed the most and some titles that stood out back then didn't hold up as well as I anticipated. Today, I'd argue the best games were also often the ones that changed the industry the most. Let's see...

- GTA III is definitely a contender. This was the game that really started the 3D sandbox trend and it's still a fun title today.

- Wii Sports Resort. I would've gone with the original but Resort was so much better. Wii Sports as a franchise signalled a huge shift in the gaming industry: Away from pure hardcore gaming into the mainstream activity gaming is today. Also, the game is just pure fun and to this day there's still no substitute for it on the Switch or any other recent Nintendo console or handheld.

- Resident Evil 4. What a monumental game and what a shift for the franchise. Resident Evil 4 is still one, if not the, best entry in the franchise. So much fun and it's such an arcade game at heart. As soon as there's a sale I'll buy it again for Switch so I can play it on the go.

- Bioshock. The atmosphere of this game was so amazing. I'm not much into FPS games but Bioshock really engrossed me in its world and mysteries.

- New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Today people think of this series as stale but this was only the second entry in the "New" series, the first home console 2D Mario since Mario World and the first time 4 player multiplayer was included. This game was amazing and we played it way too much in my group of friends. My best memory from the game is when we partied hard one night, woke up the next day and none of us could remember how we made it to World 7. So we just played through World 6 again lol.

- Metroid Prime. The gameplay is just addicting and the atmosphere great. Not sure what I can say about this game, it's just outstanding.

I really couldn't pick any one of these, though. The "console of the 2000's" was the Wii for me, so I'm naturally leaning towards Wii Sports and Mario. But picking one over the others is just too hard. Funny enough, my game of the 90s would be Ocarina of Time (followed by Mario Bros. 3 and Pokémon probably) and my game of the 2010's is Breath of the Wild but there's no Zelda in the list above.

Other contenders would be God of War 3, Pikmin, Oblivion, Mario Galaxy, Uncharted 2 and Twilight Princess but they just didn't quite grab me enough to be part of the list. I'm sure there is a bunch of games I simply failed to think of right now.

Would love to see one of these threads for the 90s and 80s, if these don't exist yet! 



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curl-6 said:
JRPGfan said:

I cant even tell if this is sarcasm... or serious.
But I'm kinda hopeing its the first.

Theres like 50 other games atleast, that are a 100 times more likely to be viewed as a "game of the decade" than that.
Its even a much more weird pick than my own FFXI :)

In terms of quality of enjoyment, and how long you played it.
Do you really think Wii Sports is the defineing game, the best thing of the decade?

I think it's a fair pick even if it wouldn't be my own; Wii Sports was a cultural phenomenon, and while simplistic (or rather because of it) fantastic fun when played in a social context. There was something magic about playing it with my non-gamer parents and them sharing in the hobby I was so passionate about for the first time.

How many hours did you put into it? a game like FFXI Im sure I had like 500+ hours into.
Wii Sports was probably like 4 hours at most, and while it was fun at first it quickly lost its appeal.

It boggles my mind, anyone would pick it for a game of the decate debate.



JRPGfan said:
curl-6 said:

I think it's a fair pick even if it wouldn't be my own; Wii Sports was a cultural phenomenon, and while simplistic (or rather because of it) fantastic fun when played in a social context. There was something magic about playing it with my non-gamer parents and them sharing in the hobby I was so passionate about for the first time.

How many hours did you put into it? a game like FFXI Im sure I had like 500+ hours into.
Wii Sports was probably like 4 hours at most, and while it was fun at first it quickly lost its appeal.

It boggles my mind, anyone would pick it for a game of the decate debate.

Can't say I kept track, but I did spend plenty of time with it at various parties and get-togethers with friends throughout last gen.

Personally I don't measure quality by time spent; I know I played more of Xenoblade Chronicles X than Bayonetta 2, yet Bayo is by far the superior game.



FFXII or FFXI depending how I'm feeling. These can both be top 5 games of all time for me.

As for why, I just think they're really good. I'm not going to pretend either had some major significance, though one of them was kind of a drastic change by being an MMORPG in a traditionally single player franchise, the first on console and maybe the first cross play title between PS, Xbox and PC. But I don't consider that as important to my enjoyment. I just love playing both these games.



Pokémon Emerald, because it was my very first game (aside from educational kids games on PC).



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This was an odd decade of gaming for me as I was beginning to branch out of my Nintendo bubble (plus the occasional PC game) and explore other consoles/genres/games. Trying a little bit of everything. So there are quite a few contenders without having just a few prominent ones standing out like in the 90s or 2010s.

Off the top of my head:

Gears of War - Was a game changer for me. Was really the first I played of its kind, with its detailed, gritty style, cinematic, gripping campaign, and endlessly fun online gameplay. Just a badass game all around. 

Smash Bros Melee - Smash at its best. Just the right level of complexity and content without being bloated or overwhelming, solid, swift mechanics.

Eternal Darkness - Really cool and innovative sanity meter. Love the narrative and the concept of bouncing around between totally different time periods and settings, unified by a singular bloodline and concepts. 

Resident Evil 4 - Resident Evil at its best. Perfect blend of action, puzzles, and creepy survival horror, unlike some others in the series which tend to lean too heavily in one direction or the other. 

Tales of Symphonia - The most fun I've had playing an RPG since Secret of Mana and Mario RPG. Combat was exciting and the narrative was actually interesting, with a neat twist.

World of Warcraft - Feverishly addictive MMO. Expansive and in-depth, rich with character and atmosphere. I had played Everquest before this for this but Blizzard basically refined and perfected the formula. 

Wii Sports - Really felt fresh, pushed boundaries and made gaming feel fresh again with the intuitive control

Fallout 3 - Massive, robust RPG that I couldn't get enough of. Neat retro post-apocalyptic themes and loved the VATS system of aiming.

Guitar Hero 3 - Super fun, was the series at its peak, and strongest soundtrack of any GH I've played



 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident - all men and women created by the, go-you know.. you know the thing!" - Joe Biden

Easily Oblivion for me...the world, the freedom and the music were big factors.



curl-6 said:
JRPGfan said:

I cant even tell if this is sarcasm... or serious.
But I'm kinda hopeing its the first.

Theres like 50 other games atleast, that are a 100 times more likely to be viewed as a "game of the decade" than that.
Its even a much more weird pick than my own FFXI :)

In terms of quality of enjoyment, and how long you played it.
Do you really think Wii Sports is the defineing game, the best thing of the decade?

I think it's a fair pick even if it wouldn't be my own; Wii Sports was a cultural phenomenon, and while simplistic (or rather because of it) fantastic fun when played in a social context. There was something magic about playing it with my non-gamer parents and them sharing in the hobby I was so passionate about for the first time.

Wii sports also helped me get pussy.  Been with her on and off for a decade now.

On more PG note was able to get Grandma that had severe arthritis to play bowling with me.  Believe only time she ever played video game.  Was decent memory for one of last few times I saw her.



JRPGfan said:
Valdney said:
 Wii sports by a lot

I cant even tell if this is sarcasm... or serious.
But I'm kinda hopeing its the first.

Theres like 50 other games atleast, that are a 100 times more likely to be viewed as a "game of the decade" than that.
Its even a much more weird pick than my own FFXI :)

In terms of quality of enjoyment, and how long you played it.
Do you really think Wii Sports is the defineing game, the best thing of the decade?

No sarcasm here. I genuinely love Wii sports. It is a technical marvel. It has the best use of motion controls in any video game ever. It has a simplicity touch to it that makes the gameplay accessible and fun and yet it brings you closer to what those sports would be like in real life than any video game does, to this day. Wii sports is amazing!!



Valdney said:
JRPGfan said:

I cant even tell if this is sarcasm... or serious.
But I'm kinda hopeing its the first.

Theres like 50 other games atleast, that are a 100 times more likely to be viewed as a "game of the decade" than that.
Its even a much more weird pick than my own FFXI :)

In terms of quality of enjoyment, and how long you played it.
Do you really think Wii Sports is the defineing game, the best thing of the decade?

No sarcasm here. I genuinely love Wii sports. It is a technical marvel. It has the best use of motion controls in any video game ever. It has a simplicity touch to it that makes the gameplay accessible and fun and yet it brings you closer to what those sports would be like in real life than any video game does, to this day. Wii sports is amazing!!

I had a "light gun" + "the Konami Justifier" for the super Nintendo.
Lethal Enforcers was one of my favorite SNES games (even my dad loved playing that with us as well).

The Wii with Resident Evil 4, bought back that feeling again... To me its the best use of Motion controlls the Wii had.
Its a shame more games didnt make use of motion controlls in that way imo.

In terms of "freshness" and new and enjoyable things, Id rate Mario Galaxy alot higher than Wii Sports too.
The motion controlls in Wii spots just never did much for me.