The thirteen most important games since 2000
Although we’ve only recently dipped our feet into the 21st century the gaming industry this century has seen enormous growth and improvement in technology. Here we’ve compiled a list of the twelve most important games to appear since 2000.
The list was sourced from all platforms on Metacritic in terms of average review scores. Due to the fact there are literally hundreds of high scoring games on the site the MyBroadband team had to exercise a measure of both experience and personal opinion in cutting the list down to just thirteen of the most vital games to have been developed since 2000.
Each game features a short description and the the year of its release.
Half Life 2 – 2004
This eponymous follow up to Half Life, developed by Valve, was released in November of 2004 and sees the player doing his or her best as scientist Gordon Freeman to survive against insurmountable odds after an alien race, the Combine, has enslaved civilisation. The game was a serious step forward for AI, sounds, narration, physics and graphics and snatched up the PC game of the year in 2004. It has since been ported to the Xbox, Xbox 360 and the PS3 and as of December 2008 has sold over 6.5 million copies.
Bioshock – 2007
Developed by B2K Boston/B2K Australia and released in 2007, this first person shooter finds the protagonist, Jack, lost in Rapture, an underwater utopia gone wrong in 1960, and having to defend himself against "splicers" who have excessively modified their genetic codes through the use of "plasmids". The game relies heavily on survivalist horror elements as well as role playing and manages to combine several design elements which make it particularly unique. In terms of richness of storyline, originality of characters and design Bioshock still remains virtually unparalleled.
World of Warcraft – 2004
Commonly referred to as WoW by its 11.5 million global players, this MMORPG and its expansion packs hold a consistent position at the top of worldwide PC sales charts every month. World of Warcraft blew the doors open for online MMORPGs in terms of sheer numbers of players, and it has become so popular that it’s not unheard of for more players to sell off items to throngs of buyers for cash. It’s been regularly made fun of in the media and yet in April was reported to hold a massive 62% of the MMOG market.
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas – 2005
This non-linear action adventure title was initially released on PS2 and marked the fifth original console release in the GTA title. Set in the fictional state of San Andreas, the player (gang member CJ Johnson) spends the game trying to piece together details of his mothers death while engaging in a series of side plots and features. The title incorporated elements of driving and third person shooter games while offering "open world" gameplay which gave the player the option to do as they pleased. As of March 2008 GTA San Andreas had sold a whopping 21.5 million units across all platforms.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – 2007
Call of Duty 4 is arguably the best developed and most popular title in the Call of Duty series. This first person shooter, developed by Infinity Ward, was released on all platforms bar the PS2 and was given considerable praise by critics receiving an average score of 94% on Metacritic. It was the top selling title for 2007 and had sold over ten million copies by June 2008. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is also the game of choice for many online players and has a strong presence within gaming competitions worldwide.
Fallout 3 – 2008
This action role playing title, developed by Bethesda Game Studios, was released last year after a much anticipated, much hyped wait from fans of the series. The game takes place in 2277, 200 years after a nuclear war that devastated the world, and the player must venture out of Vault 101 (a safe haven for fallout survivors) into the remains of Washington DC in order to find the protagonist’s father. Fallout 3 sold over 610 000 units in its first month of release alone.
The Sims 2 – 2004
The Sims series, developed by Maxis and released by EA, finally gave the world a game that girls could enjoy. The Sims 2, released in 2004, marked a noticeable improvement in the 3D graphics engine and the gameplay as a whole. After spawning countless expansion packs The Sims 2 celebrated over 100 million copies sold in April 2008.
Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock – 2007
Guitar Hero has become a household name and the third installment in the franchise, Legends of Rock, is arguably the most widely played and accessible release of them all. Developed by Neversoft and published by Red Octane and Activision, Guitar Hero 3 introduced old school rock and roll back into the youthful psyche of kids and adults everywhere.
Little Big Planet – 2008
This PS3 exclusive, developed by Media Molecule, is a puzzle platformer and user-generated content console game. A large amount of praise was given to its scope and future potential based on user generated content and it subsequently won the AIAS Interactive Achievement Award for Overall Game of the Year in 2008. That and Sackboy is just plain cute.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – 2008
Metal Gear Solid 4 was the PS3’s long awaited flagship title and it exceeded expectations when it finally came onto the market in June 2008. The third-person stealth action game, developed by Kojima Productions, was released exactly ten years after Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the US release of Metal Gear. As of 31 December, 2008 the game had shifted over 4.5 million copies.
Gears of War I & II – 2006, 2008
Although this is actually two games it’s hard to separate these titles because they follow each other so closely. Gears of War, developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Games Studio, was a flagship title for the Xbox 360 and did remarkably well, selling over three million copies in only ten weeks. In November 2008, Gears of War 2 was released and boasted a heavily upgraded version of the Unreal Engine 3. Just in its opening weekend the game sold over two million units and both titles have solidified themselves as staple favourites among Xbox Live users.
Halo 3 – 2007
As one of Microsoft’s flagship games for the Xbox 360, Halo 3 proved incredibly popular among gamers. As of 3 January 2008 it had sold over 8.1 million units and was the best selling game of 2007 in the US, and more than a million people had played Halo 3 on Xbox live in just the first twenty hours alone. Halo 3 is also the Xbox 360’s top selling game ever.
Crysis – 2007
Although Crysis hasn’t sold as well as some of the more popular games on this list it’s particularly special for one reason. The science fiction first person shooter is arguably the greatest game ever developed in terms of visuals and graphics and, despite its 2007 release, still requires a high end PC to run. Crysis is also a regular benchmark for testing among reviewers and despite its system sucking graphics has still managed to sell over 1.5 million units worldwide.
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