Best games of the 2000 decade

[Cez]

I was wondering what do you consider to be the best games of 2000?

Here's my list:

2000:

The Longest Journey: In a time where Adventure games were on the full decline, this gem appeared among them. This was one of the games that inspire me the most when writing The Silver Lining.

*note* I haven't played Majora's Mask or Deus Ex.

2001:

Final Fantasy X: The best Final Fantasy of this decade in my opinion. It was the first to include voices, and although probably if I see it today, I'd laugh at some of the scenes, at the time it was really well done. The gameplay factor was incredibly fun and it was one of the last games where I did EVERYTHING (I still shiver at jumping the 200 lightnings and winning the race for Tidus ultimate weapon!)

Runner up:
ICO: There's not a single word spoken in this game, but the story is breathtaking. The game mechanics are nothing out of the ordinary, but the world built around it is incredible and extremely inviting to get lost in it.

2002:

Kingdom Hearts: I was in love with this game from the minute I saw the trailer. I grew up from Disney as I got older, but something about seeing all the Disney characters in one game depicted like this gave me all sorts of warming feelings. The sequel was better, but this game was a blast!

2003:

Xenosaga Ep1: To this day, Xenosaga stands as the best JRPG series I've had the chance to play. I picked this game from a bargain bin by chance, and I'm so glad I did. Took me a while to get going into it, but once I did, I could not stop. I still remember the one cutscene that touched me, when Xion talks to Kevin about Kosmos. I knew at that point this game was going to be special, and boy, was it!

Runner up:
Beyond Good and Evil: This game was beautiful, smart, and fun to play, together with an excellent soundtrack that made things even better. I really recommend it to anyone who likes adventure games and is not afraid to play action games --this game is possibly one of the best definitions of action-adventure out there, where it's really balanced between the two.

2nd Runner up:
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon: A lot of people disliked this game based on quotes from the creator and the fact that it was a bit different. Well, I like different games. I thought the game was beautiful and it was the last true Broken Sword that came out in my eyes (as in the last one that retained the beauty of the graphics). Such a shame that the adventure community is such a tough cookie to crack.

Others to consider: Metroid Prime.

2004

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater: MGS games have never been that good in gameplay, but two things always make them stand out: boss fights and story. I played the series too late and I found the stories of the first 2 to be extremely convoluted and unnecessary. However, The story of this game left me astounded. Such a personal and touching story with a twist so incredibly awesome.

Runner up:
Shadow Hearts: Covenant: 2004 definitely lacked in the game territory, but Covenant was one of the best JRPG I've ever played. It had a great story, decent writing, and some very fun and addicting gameplay.

2005:

Tie: Shadow of the Colossus: The "follow up" to Ico was a devastatingly beautiful game set in a lonely world filled with immense beasts. I will never forget the feeling of climbing onto these huge beasts to defeat them. One of the most unique games I have ever played in my life. As a side note, this was the game I was playing when I got my first videogame job in the industry!

Tie: Indigo Prophecy: This game was so different and so incredibly gratifying, I could not stop playing it. The sequence where your room is destroyed bit by bit, or the one with the angels in the church I still remember vividly as some of the best moments in a videogame ever. In a way, they were very similar and threw me back to Phantasmagoria.

Others to consider: God of War, Resident Evil 4.

2006:

Tie: Xenosaga Ep3: 2006 was probably one of the best games in gaming for me, and this year delivered 3 of the games I truly consider classics, and then some. Xenosaga Episode 3 tops the list because in many ways it was my swan song to the JRPG world. After this, I could barely get into these games anymore, sans for a few exceptions. I don't think I've ever cried so much in a game as I did with this one From the beginning, you knew there was no way there could be a true happy ending to this story, and you were playing all the way haunted by this, constantly being punished by it. It was an incredible experience.

Tie: Dreamfall: This year also gave us the phenomenal Dreamfall. For many, this game was a let down because it was too easy, or it wasn't a true adventure. And I agree, I would have probably preferred a bigger challenge, but the game was so strong, that it made me forget all of that, and immerse myself in the well penned story at hand. I'm still craving for the sequel which may never happen!

Tie: Kingdom Hearts 2: Also released this year was the best Kingdom Hearts in the whole saga. I beat this game over a long weekend I think, because I truly could not stop playing it. It was so much fun!!! And there was so much to discover! The story was great at the time, although I've probably grown out of that sort of existentialism japanese story, but there were so many familiar worlds to visit, it was just amazing. How cool is to play Tron, Lion King and Pirates of the Caribbean all minutes from one another??? or head to sing "Under the Sea" with the Little Mermaid or visit the cartoons that were the dawn of Disney. The fresh factor never wore out in these games and that's what made this one so special with the largest amount of worlds ever depicted in a Kingdom Hearts game!

Runner up: Okami.

2007
Mass Effect: I bought my Xbox because of this game. Mass Effect was a great welcome home to the western RPG after years of playing the Japanese ones. And it was actually the first western RPG I found with a story as developed as those in the JRPG, only better told. I have still to play the sequel, but I'm saving it until ME3 is closer to a release date.

Runner Up: Super Mario Galaxy. It had been a while since my last experience with Mario and boy, did I miss it. Super Mario Galaxy is one of the best plarform games available, and a joy to play. I don't know how they do it, but all main Mario games never disappoint!

Runner up: God of War 2: This one was another one of those games I could not put the controller down. I was waiting to be relocated from one side of the country to the other because of my job, and I had days off in the transition. So I started playing this game and I could not put it down. Action was so amazing, the boss fights were hella cool, and the environments were breathtaking. This was God of War 10 times better and refined!

Other ones to consider: Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction.

2008
Prince of Persia: The 2008 Prince of Persia was a departure from the style of the regular Prince of Persia, but it easily became my fav game of that year. The gameplay was just simply amazing, allowing you to choose what world to visit when you wanted, making your own path! (one of my fav features in games) Also, I loved collecting coins And, I loved the fact that you never "died", so there was no need for loading screens whatsoever!

Lost Odyssey: This was a great welcome back to JRPGs after all the crap I tried to play between Xenosaga Ep3 and this. The systems was really cool, and the story and graphics were very inspiring. It's too bad not that many people played this game and therefore it will probably never see a sequel. Ever since Final Fantyasy X I had not done EVERYTHING as I did in this game. I only missed one achievement!

Others to consider: Braid.
Haven't Played Fallout 3, Little Big Planet or Mirror's Edge.

2009:
Demon's Souls: This game probably ranks as one of the top games I've ever played. It was so incredibly challenging and frustrating, but when you finally pushed through, it was such an amazing feel of accomplishment. Couldn't stop playing this one for a while!! And there's a sequel in the horizon!!

Runner up:
Arkham Asylum: Another game that was very fun to play. I personally loved the Riddle challenges. it was great to go from screen to screen marking things off as you solved them. The world was very well done in general, and the fun factor never stopped.

Runner up:
Dragon Age: This game would have gotten a better score, but towards a point in the game, it became very long and a little repetitive. The game went on and on and on and on. And at this point, one of the things that I enjoyed most of the game, which was talking to my party teams, was mostly an afterthought. But that's what made Dragon Age so special, to feel you were amongst friends, and to journey with these guys you cared for and really knew.

Runner up:
Uncharted 2: This is the best depiction of "Hollywood in videogames" I have ever seen in my life. There were so many explosions and awe moment spread across the whole game! The section where the whole building crumbles as you are in it will stay on my memory for years and years to come!

Haven't played: Assassins Creed II

2010:

Tie: Gray Matter: I'll admit that there's a lot of personal feelings involved in this choice, but I was so happy to see Jane Jensen fully back into the adventure gaming world with a game she struggle for so long to make. Gray Matter tells a very beautiful story of how two characters find comfort in each other through the loneliness that surrounds them both. I found the puzzles to be fun and never frustrating, the game flowed very well.

Tie: Heavy Rain: The spiritual follow up to Indigo Prophecy gave us a sea of choices. I don't think that two people will ever experience the same game when playing Heavy Rain. This is another one where I wish there was a bit more challenge than just mashing buttons up, but the story really made up for that, all the way to the jawdropping twist at the end.

Runner Up:
Final Fantasy XIII: I have to admit that for the first 15 hours I kept asking myself why the hell was I playing this game. At points I almost gave up on it because of how boring and linear it was. Then the story started to pick up, and that made me push through some sections. And then, something happened, and a full world opened up for me. And this game suddenly became extremely fun! I wish it had been like that since the beginning, but I spent hours wandering aimlessly in cocoon, trying to beat the challenges.

Haven't played: Mass Effect 2.

That's it for my 2000-2010 list. What's yours?

[Sir Perceval of Daventry]

2000:

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Icewind Dale
The Sims

2001:
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Grand Theft Auto III

2002:
Neverwinter Nights
Kingdom Hearts

[Baggins]

Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon: A lot of people disliked this game based on quotes from the creator and the fact that it was a bit different. Well, I like different games. I thought the game was beautiful and it was the last true Broken Sword that came out in my eyes (as in the last one that retained the beauty of the graphics). Such a shame that the adventure community is such a tough cookie to crack.

Agh I enjoyed the story... But it was an adventure game that relied heavily on box puzzles, action sequences, and stealth sequences at the expense to inventory puzzles.

I actually felt BS4 had better mix of puzzles. I wish they'd make BS5 because the ending of the last felt kinda like a cliffhanger...

[Cez]

I couldn't get past BS4 Art. It looked like they just bought a bunch of sets for the internet and used that. After the beautiful art style that the games had up till that point, it was such a let down.

[Big C from Cauney island]

I'm more of a fan of old school games, pre-2000. But I'll try...

I can't remember exactly when these came out, but..

Aliens vs. predator 2
Crysis
Assasins creed 2 and brotherhood
Kings quest 2 remake

Any real good adventure games come out in the 2000s? I only started to get back to games after a break from 1997 to 2007 after discovering TSL by chance.

[Fierce Deity]

The entire decade? Geez Cesar, you're making me think. I don't like it.

I can agree with everything Cesar had said. His list is filled with the prime examples of RPGs and Adventure games (both action and puzzle-solving). I too liked Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy X, Shadow Hearts, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Xenosaga. I also felt like the 2008 Prince of Persia was a great departure from the series, but I am bummed that they chose to go back to the old series with the newer, Forgotten Sands. Speaking of Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed is an amazing series, and I can't go wrong with Splinter Cell (though the newer installment could have been better).

I like the Castlevania series throughout the 2000 decade because they had adapted to their new-found "Metroidvania" style of gameplay. The games I loved the most were Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia (practically all of them). Though, once again, the turn they took for the series was a poor decision. Turning it into a God of War/Shadow of the Colossus hybrid was a good idea for the demographic that they were appealing to, but they retracted all of the RPG elements that I liked from the previous installments.

I will also leave the fact that there were many games that I liked through the 2000 decade, but I'm in no state to recall every single game that held a rewarding experience. I'm just spitballing off of what other people are saying. 

[Baggins]

Eh I felt that Lords of Shadow is the best 3D cadtlevania game much better than the two Ps2 games... It also kinda got back to the series roots as action adventure... The story was excellent, and I actually cared about the story and I can't wait to see what direction it's going to take... In all he main castlevania games the story was secondary... In the reboot the story is more important part of the game.

I love the metroidvania games but as far as total package Lords if Shadow was great! It's really the only one that that got the 3D right...

Mind you most of the 3D castlevania games are not RPG games, except the second PS2/XBox game with the devil forgmaster.

[Fierce Deity]

Lament of Innocence wasn't all bad. As far as the story, it was trying to do what Lords of Shadow did: create an origin. Far be it for me to exclaim that the story in Lament of Innocence really made a foothold for the subsequent titles, but it tried to explain why Dracula was such a jerk. Hmm, I wonder . . .

I treat the Castlevania series much like I would the Final Fantasy series. Aside from the games that are directly linked, each game should be held in its own regard, and shouldn't try to transcend to this arcing storyline that people may want to believe is there (Zelda anyone?). Still, Lords of Shadow didn't really succeed where Lament of Innocence failed, because Lords of Shadow, while a very good game in its own right, did not unify the series under this arcing storyline that isn't really there. I'm thankful for that though.

I do agree that Lords of Shadow did the 3D right, because Lament of Innocence didn't have revolving-camera control, but only 3D rendering. Thus, not a contender for the best 3D Castlevania, in my opinion. Curse of Darkness (the PS2/Xbox title) was an amazing entry into the series and was my favorite 3D Castlevania at the time. And it had the RPG elements that I felt belonged in the series. The story was also original, and did not pertain to the Belmont family (which was also a plus in my book). I like the games that don't center in on the Belmont family, like Aria/Dawn of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia, and Symphony of the Night.

Lords of Shadow was a nice rendition of an old concept. Castlevania, back to it's action/adventure roots. It wasn't bad by any means, but I was a fan of the RPG aspects, and was turned off when it was all blocking/dodging/grappling and then button mashing to my heart's content. Maybe I was just not prepared for the series to take that route, but that would make me pretty naive. The series was made for it. 

[Baggins]

Lords of Shadow is in it's own universe it's part of a planned trilogy. It's not directly tied to the main series timeline. I'd hold judgement on how it handles the story once it's finished... It's a reimagining. Actually many of the characters in the game are named after other characters from the main series, but reimagined into completely different characters. Brahner or Cornell for example.

My biggest beef with lament and curse to a lesser extent was the horrible and boring level design... castlevania 64 and legacy of darkness has more compelling levels in comparison...

[Cez]

Lords of Shadows is on my list of games to play. Yes, the DS games were great for Castlevania.

I didn't like Assassins Creed 1 too much. I've heard the second one is much better. I have it, it's just sitting there unopened looking at me with puppy eyes.

[Big C from Cauney island]

Cez, play assasins creed 2 and brotherhood. WAY WAY WAY better then the first assasins creed, I didn't like that one much either.  2 and brotherhood have the best stories for games I've seen in a while. I cant wait 2 months more for revelations!!!

[Cez]

Tempting! I was trying to make up my mind what to play next. I was debating between Tomb Raider Underworld or Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Of course, I can add Assassins Creed 2 to that list.

How long would you say the game is?

[Fierce Deity]

Lords of Shadows is on my list of games to play. Yes, the DS games were great for Castlevania.

I didn't like Assassins Creed 1 too much. I've heard the second one is much better. I have it, it's just sitting there unopened looking at me with puppy eyes.

Play Assassin's Creed II. You won't regret it, unless you do regret it, then that sucks.  

The game can vary depending on how picky you are with completing everything. But I'd say you can log 40-50 hours easy if you make a stern effort to finish everything. Also, the DLC can add more to that time if you want to go that route.

Lords of Shadow is in it's own universe it's part of a planned trilogy. It's not directly tied to the main series timeline. I'd hold judgement on how it handles the story once it's finished... It's a reimagining. Actually many of the characters in the game are named after other characters from the main series, but reimagined into completely different characters. Brahner or Cornell for example.

My biggest beef with lament was the horrible level design... castlevania 64 and legacy of darkness has more compelling levels in comparison...

Don't forget Carmilla. She was in the original series.  

Also, regarding my confusion of Lords of Shadows relevance to Lament of Innocence was the fact that Dave Cox had revealed that Gabriel was a b****** child of the Cronqvist family. He's not a Belmont by blood, but rather by choice. Also, there's mention of the Combat Cross (or Vampire Killer) being created by Rinaldo Gandolfi. It's almost identical to Lament, except the protagonist is a Cronqvist turned Belmont, rather than being a Belmont originally.

This reboot might end up turning the series into something good, but it's too soon to tell. I think a lot of things are kind of skewed based on my experience with the original series.

Quoted from the official website:

Gabriel took the surname of Belmont, after his love of mountains and the high places of the World.

Uh, . . . sure. I know it's a reboot, but I feel like they are downplaying the name Belmont in more ways than one. Belmonts were cursed with the task to kill Dracula, and I feel due to the plot of the game, that Belmont (the name) is not going to live up to its previous usage.

[Bludshot]

Thats a lot of games. Hrmmmmm.

Deus Ex (fairly sure that was a 2000 release)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Half-Life 2
Fallout 3
Mass Effect series, flaws and all.

[Baggins]

Deus Ex came out before 9/11... I remember that much. It's missing the twin towers even.. they even apparently predicted terrorists would destroy them...

[Fierce Deity]

I have to add the Persona series. I was introduced into the series with Persona 3 and I continued through Persona 4. Now, if they'll just stop making remakes and start working on something original, I could remain an enthused fan of the series. 

What was so appealing about the game was the controversial taboo. Kids releasing demons by shooting themselves with metaphysical guns? Need I say more? Yet, despite this atrocity, parents continue ranting against games like GTA. Silly parents. 

[Cez]

Persona was awesome. If the dungeons hadn't been as repetitive as they were it would have probably ranked as one of my fav of the decade. Speding time with your friends was really awesome, and it made for a very unique RPG. I only played the 4th one, never played the 3rd one.

[Fierce Deity]

Yeah, the fourth one was my favorite, because it built on a successful installment and made it better. Persona 3 was fun, and the story was interesting, but the most notorious aspect was the fact that you couldn't control any other party member except your main character. Every other character was controlled by AI. And there was one character in particular that would always try to charm the enemies into attacking each other, but the charm effect is as rare as can be. So this character would waste turns trying to charm enemies. Very frustrating. I'm glad Persona 4 allowed you to control what your party members do.

I'm also aware that I can go on tangents, so to try and avoid derailing this thread again, I'm going to bring up a new game series. The Hitman series. I was always a fan of stealth games, but I think the Hitman series helped define "social" stealth games. The littlest act of estranged behavior could throw the AI off. Anything from walking in the wrong direction to standing in one spot for too long. I also liked how they allow you to take out your targets indirectly. I remember one mission from Blood Money where you go to a play, and replace the prop gun with a real gun, and have the actor kill your target. Tricky, tricky. 

[Bludshot]

Deus Ex came out before 9/11... I remember that much. It's missing the twin towers even.. they even apparently predicted terrorists would destroy them...

Yeah I read about that.  I also played this game post-Katrina so when one of the villains turns out to be the director of FEMA I burst out laughing.

[Baggins]

Yes, FEMA conspiracies!

FEMA camps, etc...

What's funny is actually some of the stuff in Deus Ex is actually playng out in a similar way in real life :p...

Some of it may be truly crazy conspiracy theories, but its weird how some have come true.