When it comes to video games, many gamers prefer the 90s, as this is when many classics were born. Downfall, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario Worldand the list goes on. What about the games that came after the golden period, which was the 80s and 90s of the 20th century?
The most replayable video game every year of the 2010s
These games from the 2010s offered the best value for money every year, as they could be replayed often without losing any of their appeal.
January 1, 2001 was the official start of the 21st century, and it will continue until December 31, 2100, which is a difficult time frame to imagine. The century is a quarter of the way through, so let's move on and see which games have been the best so far that undeniably helped shape video games across a wide range of genres. These games will be ranked based on their overall quality, how well they hold up, and their cultural significance in how they pushed gaming forward.
A sneaky playground
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is peak stealth perfection on PS2, giving players two playgrounds to test their limits. In the first chapter, players can explore a ship with Solid Snake, and while it's short, there's plenty to experiment with, from holding up guards to get their dog tags to shooting watermelons to test the physics engine.
In the second chapter, players got to control Raiden, and his research facility was much larger. As a Hideo Kojima game, it's still surprising to see what he was able to do so early in the PS2's life cycle.
Halo: Combat Evolved
Consoles are doomed
Halo: Combat Evolved did for console shooters what Downfall made for PC shooters. Bungie managed to make a first-person shooter feel comfortable on a console, the original Xbox, while giving players a badass hero to root for: Master Chief.
Some levels were limited, but many of them were also open and gave players plenty of weapons and vehicles to check out. Decades later, Halo: Combat Evolved is still fun alone or in co-op to get through in a weekend.
Minecraft
To build a life
Minecraft is undoubtedly the game that everyone has played or is the easiest to check out and play without much hindrance. There is no story that will take hours to set up, and the game can be picked up relatively easily.
Simply hit the dirt and dig, or hit a tree and start building things. With a family-friendly atmosphere, a simple interface, and its availability almost everywhere, this might be the most video-playing video game of all time, and it's hard to put down.
Half-Life 2
Elevated narrative
Half-Life 2 isn't the most fun shooter of all time, because killing enemies isn't really the point, unlike Halo: Combat Evolved. Instead, this is a world that Valve has expertly created to tell a story about a dystopian society and a resistance trying to fight back.
8 Best Games That Shaped the 2000s
In many ways, the 2000s was the era when video games went mainstream, and it couldn't have happened without these iconic titles.
There are no epic cutscenes either, as everything is told in-game, and it still reaches all those heights today, even though video games have evolved since then. The open spaces and loose structure of the puzzles were also a highlight, and anyone looking for a cool atmospheric shooter this game is near the top.
Fire Ring
FromSoftware does it again
If beginners want to check out an action-based Soulslike to challenge themselves, Fire Ring is it. While still difficult like most FromSoftware games, the open world is large enough to let players tackle it at their own pace. If an area is too tight between normal enemies or bosses, they can go elsewhere.
Also, if the concept is just too much to grasp, players can always invite two of their friends to join who may be more familiar with the genre, who can show them the ropes and get them hooked on why the game is so addictive.
Persona 5
Protect your mind palace
Persona 5 is a game to play for a long period of time to not burn out as the pace can be a challenge. The daily structure is also why fans dig it, along with the dungeon crawling, dating mechanics, and turn-based battle system.
Since the game takes place over a few months, it allows players to get to know each character up close, so much so that it can be hard to let go after a hundred hours. It's not for everyone, but JRPG fans know it's a crown jewel that will easily stand the test of time.
Super Mario Galaxy
To infinity and beyond
Super Mario Galaxy
- Released
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November 1, 2007
- ESRB
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E for all due to mild cartoon violence
Super Mario Galaxy was like the second coming Super Mario 64 to Mario fans didn't get into the GameCube. It proved that Nintendo was still full of inventive ideas that no one else seemed to ever think to try in a platformer.
The first time players literally had to run around tiny planets or asteroids was something that was noticeable on the Wii, and now it's even better with the remaster on Switch 2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is just as good, Yoshi added, but this original is still 3D platforming at its best.
Resident Evil 4
Leon returns
In 2005, almost a decade after Resident Evil started, the brand started to feel like too much of the same thing over and over again. That's why Resident Evil 4 hit harder than most sequels because it offered fans something new for the franchise, and it pushed not only the horror genre forward, but third-person action games as a whole.
Best Video Games of the 2010s
These video games defined the 2010s, and if you haven't played them, there's never been a better time.
The game saw the return of Leon S. Kennedy; the controls weren't tank-based, there was an inventory system that didn't require a storage box, and the setting was different and involved parasitic villages somewhere in Europe. While not a classic zombie story, it is arguably the best game in the series, from gameplay hooks to story.
Baldur's Gate 3
Tactical choices
Baldur's Gate 3 is that tactical RPG fans who Persona 5 is for turn-based JRPG fans. They are both tops in the genre, but the added bonus of Baldur's Gate 3 is the dizzying amount of choices that make all other RPGs seem hollow in comparison.
There's a compelling character creator, challenging tactical gameplay, and a dialogue system that branches for days. This should be all Dungeons & Dragons games should be, or what a good table campaign should aspire to be.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
A brand new lease
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has it all, and it will be a rare day when Nintendo manages to reach this height again with one Zelda title. The openness of Hyrule was incredible, along with how little the game held the players' hands compared to most 3D Zelda game.
Beyond the franchise, it was also an evolution for open-world games as a whole with its stamina-based climbing feature, physics-based puzzles, and paragliding. Alongside the launch of the Switch console, which also revolutionized video games, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the perfect poster child for the first quarter of this century.
