The Best the Video Game World Has to Offer in the Last Ten Years

To condense the "Best Video Games of the Decade" in to a simple ten entries is to leave out a large number of equally deserving games and unable to entirely represent the growth each genre has gone through over the last ten years. The best I can do is to grant a small "Honorable Mention" section at the end to these games that didn't crack my list. The list is based on the quality of the game of course but also the impact the game had on the industry. Without further delay, I present the Top Ten Video Games of the Decade:

10.Guitar Hero (2005) - Multi-platform
Genre: Music Simulation

Yep. This is the one that started it all. While subsequent installations of the series can easily be looked at as "better" (Guitar Hero 2, Rock Band, etc.), the original gets the nod because to discount the enormous impact this game had on all the boys and girls who dream of rock stardom would be ignoring its largest contribution to the video game world.

9. Final Fantasy X (2001) - PS2

Genre: Role-Playing/Adventure

Long-running series are usually long-running for good reason. With Square coming off major releases of Final Fantasy VII (1997), Final Fantasy VIII (1999), and Final Fantasy IX (2000), as well as Final Fantasy Tactics (1998), they were on a roll to say the least, given the quality of the aforementioned games, all of which are classics. FF X brought voice acting to the series in a big way, and was done quite well. The graphics were gorgeous and still are quite a sight to behold now eight years after its release. Oh yeah, the game was awesome too. One of Square's crowning achievements.

8. Resident Evil 4 (2005) - Gamecube, PS2

Genre: Action/Survival Horror

A kick in the face. Or in this case, a shotgun shell in the face. This game revolutionized the "3^rd person, over the shoulder" style of gameplay. While RE4 drifted away from the series' traditional survival-horror theme, it was an absolutely masterful blend of action driven gameplay with "run for your life mayhem." The game received countless awards and honors. For these reasons and more, it clocks in at number 8.

7. Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008)- PS3

Genre: Action/Stealth

To be honest, I wanted to put Metal Gear Solid 2 (2001), 3 (2004), and 4 (2008) on the list. But focusing on one series would be a fair waste of time in trying to depict the best of the last decade. Just bear in mind that the masterful storytelling, superb graphics, deep characters, and outstanding gameplay were present in all three titles. You could even add Twin Snakes on Gamecube to the list as the re-release of the first MGS. Hideo Kojima we salute you.

6. Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn (2000) - PC

Genre: Role-Playing

Barely makes the cut. Not because it anything close to undeserving, but simply because it's almost too old for the list: debuting it late 2000. Bioware and Black Isle have quite a history of games. Exceptional games at that. Many believe BG2: SoA is the pick of the litter. With deep character customization, an epic storyline, a classic Dungeons and Dragons engine, and unforgettable characters, this easily makes its mark on the last decade as one of, if not the best RPG. Some will argue not just of the decade, but of all time.

5. Grand Theft Auto III (2001) - Multi-Platform

Genre: Action

Honestly, I have a lot of seething hatred towards the Grand Theft Auto series. Not so much for the game, but for all that surrounds it. I also get annoyed with the fact that the boys and Rockstar seem to put mature content in their games just because they can, not so much that it's meaningful to any kind of plot, but to get a rise out of over-protective parents and enthusiasm from just past puberty teens. I guess they act immature about mature content is the quick point (though they most certainly are not alone). All ranting aside, the gameplay world they have been creating at Rockstar is stellar, open-ended, and deep. They gave us new expectations on what an open-ended world should be. The result has been a long running, highly successful, immersive world. GTAIII started this landslide and has spawned many others in the series, as well as many competitors.

4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2008) - Multi-platform

Genre: Action/War

If you played this game and didn't have your socks rocked of your feet, then I am apt to say you're just being difficult. This game ruled. To say the gameplay is intense is to say Mt. Everest is "pretty big." This game was mind- blowingly nuts. The campaign, albeit a bit short, was flawless. And then of course, the video game world was waiting for a game to dethrone Halo as the online behemoth. Here it came in the form of CoD: MW and it hasn't looked back. The successful release of Modern Warfare 2 has seemingly cemented the cornering of the online market for a while.

3. Halo 2 (2004) - XBOX

Genre: Action

Halo 2 was king. That was a fact. After the brilliant Halo: Combat Evolved gave gamers a taste of what Bungie was up to, the chance of a 2^nd installment was simply mouth watering. With so much hype, this game had every showing of being a disappointment. Then it came, and the gaming world (primarily the online part) was changed forever. Not only was it better, it was way better. Take everything that made Halo great, magnify it, duplicate it, and make it compatible with XBOX Live and you have yourself a cultural icon. And so it was. While at the end of the day Call of Duty: Modern Warfare may have passed it, Bungie had the big ideas that online play could be something huge. And it is.

2. World of Warcraft (2004) - PC

Genre: MMO Role-Playing

Speaking of online play, what would a list from the 2000's be without a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (or better known as MMORPG)? It's huge, it's immersive, it's customizable, it's online, it's massively multiplayer, and it's still able to make you into an anti-social, reclusive, 34 year old living in mom's basement: despite being plugged in with thousands upon thousands of peers playing together. Many imposters have arisen, none have recaptured what WoW (you probably seen that abbreviation somewhere before) has been able to do. With such a huge cultural impact, it slides in at number 2.

1. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) - Multi-Platform

Genre: Role-Playing/Action/Adventure

Yes, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind brought this series to everyone's attention with a ridiculous amount of material, and unimaginable amount of depth, and everything else accredited to Bioware's masterpiece. So why isn't it number 1, with a 2002 release? Because ESIV: Oblivion is better. Both of these games should be in this list, if nothing else, just for their sheer size. But they both have countless features that make them so incredible, but I'll stick to Oblvion. Sure you can make your character anything you want him or her to be, but you can also pick up anything, join guilds, make friends, make enemies, kill friends, kill enemies and so forth. The graphics were, and are, simply gorgeous. This gave us all a taste of just what "next-gen" material was going to be looking like. Shop keepers open and close their stores at certain times, people mingle in the streets, guards patrol the roads (along with bandits), and most importantly, Patrick Stewart does a voice-over. The only complaint I can muster is the lack of different voices for NPC's and the large redundancy of dialogue with the NPC's. We can only fathom what the next Elder Scrolls installment from Bethesda will be like....

Honorable Mentions:

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Bethesda, 2002), Shadow of the Colossus (Iko, 2005), Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Konami, 2001), Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Konami, 2006), Medieval Total War II (Sega, 2006), Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix, 2006), Halo: Combat Evolved (Bungie, 2001), God of War (Sony Computer Entertainment, 2005), Kingdom Hearts (Sqaure/Disney, 2002), Final Fantasy IX (Square, 2000)