Top 50 Games Of The Last Decade: 10 to 1

Top 50 Games Of The Last Decade: 10 to 1

Feature

This is it. All voting has closed and our staff have to deal with the choices that have been made. It has been VERY hard deciding the top 10 games of the last decade, but the truth is they are all no. 1.

Well, this is it. There is not much else to say really. Choosing the top 10 was hard, but not as hard as ordering them - we all love them at a very similar level. It's no secret that the team here at Hooked Gamers are huge fans of cRPG's, so let it be no surprise to anyone that we have a quite a few of them populating our top 10. It's been a very long week for the team; the arguments have been constant and are still ongoing actually.

We hope you have enjoyed our week long feature, it will be a while before our next one as we will have to lick our wounds before we start another article that invites such hostility between the team. Needless to say, the following ten games astounded us when they were released, and we are still playing them today, seriously. We cannot put them down. If you have not played any of the following titles then shame on you, grab your pocket money and run to the store right now. Enjoy! Oh and in case you missed yesterday's countdown, click here for entries 20-11.

10. Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 (Wii, 2007 & 2010)


Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Top 50 Games Of The Last Decade: 10 to 1

Yes, it is cheating, but we honestly could not decide which one of these classics to include. You can’t go wrong either way; with a phenomenal soundtrack, amazing platforming and some of the most creative and colourful levels in the past decade. It’s no surprise both took our Wii Game of the Year awards, and both placed high in the overall game of the year. If you own a Wii, consider yourself a criminal for not owning one (or both) of these platformers par excellence.

9. Dragon Age: Origins (PC, 2009)


Developer: Bioware
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Top 50 Games Of The Last Decade: 10 to 1

The "spiritual successor" to the famous Baldur's Gate series. We were laying our trust on the line with Dragon Age: Origins; it had a lot to live up to. It started with what was probably the most intense character creation process of any computer RPG. Then it kindly proceeded to buddy us up with a bunch of memorable companions and embark on a gratuitous fantasy adventure that we still remember fondly. Mix in a myriad of side-quests, plenty of action, and a well rounded RPG story, and Bioware had all of our team hooked once again.

8. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox, 2001)


Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Top 50 Games Of The Last Decade: 10 to 1

It is hard to believe 10 years ago Halo had yet to be unleashed upon the masses. When gamers finally got their hands on it and took their first steps on the ring world that is the series’ name sake, something special was born. With wide-open environments and a colour scheme of purples and greens, Halo immediately set itself apart from the corridor shooters. Combined with fantastic controls, some of the best AI in video games, and fun and varied gameplay, Halo, just like Goldeneye 64 before it, set a gold standard for first person shooters on consoles.

7. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (PC, 2008)


Developer: CD Projekt RED
Publisher: Atari
Top 50 Games Of The Last Decade: 10 to 1

A surprise hit from CD Projekt, The Witcher proved that RPGs can still offer deep, immersive experiences with strong storylines that require the player to make tough decisions. Yet, it's more than just an excellent RPG experience. It has what every good game needs; lots of boobs, lots of blood. We jest of course. The Witcher may have had some teething problems, but it looked and played incredibly well and certainly showed Bioware a thing or two about their Aurora engine. We won't lie, we are incredibly fond of The Witcher and indeed it's sequel; we don't like comparing games to ambrosia, but we will make an exception here.

6. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2, 2005)


Developer: Team Ico
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Top 50 Games Of The Last Decade: 10 to 1

Team Ico had already proven their worth with Ico, but nothing had prepared gamers for Shadow of the Colossus. Just the striking concept of battling with the huge colossi alone was a baffling and unique idea. But it is the subtleties of the game that really surprised us. Inbetween each fight the player was given time to prepare and allow the tension to build as they roamed a desolate land during some quiet time. The game sits by itself as a marvel of design and pacing. The atmosphere and epic purpose of the narrative is indescribable and can only really be felt by experiencing it first-hand. We can only talk about the game as if it were a lost loved one due to its impact on us. Shadow of the Colossus - a gaming beauty.