Top 5 Games of the Decade

Here, on this very web site, is a list of only a fraction of  the most holy games to ever hit the shelves of this past decade. You may disagree, you may concur, you may even get up and throw bricks with your family photos tied to them at orphans. Either way, I don’t care. Just sit back, relax, and watch the past ten years of your life bubble back up in a spring of forgotten, and possibly repressed, memories.

#5 – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Release Date: October 26, 2004
Developer: Rockstar North

Some of my most fond gaming memories are of me playing a Grand Theft Auto title. San Andreas has got to be one of my most favorite GTA. Not only were the graphics good (at the time), but it just seemed like the perfect game. It basically took your boring, useless life and turned you into moralistic gangster who had the correct training to operate a Black Hawk helicopter. The thing I liked most about San Andreas was how it treated Carl, the main character, like a real life human. You had to eat to stay alive and if you didn’t do some sort of physical activity you would eventually become obese and your stats would reflect it. The story line was pretty fun and was pretty easy to follow, but sometimes it left me saying “Was that point of action really necessary?”. And the cheats, OOOHHH the cheats. Do you like being invincible with unlimited ammo driving a flying, amphibious car? Well, I do, and that’s why this game has earned the right to be on the top five games of the decade.

#4 -  Resident Evil 4

Release Date: January 11, 2005
Developer: Capcom

I have always been fascinated by the Resident Evil Series. Not because it is SOOOO good, but because it amazes me that the people who made the games didn’t find the camera bothersome. When I say bothersome, I mean a POS. Not only that, but I don’t think that any other game could beat it in “the most annoying enemies of any game ever made including Chess Master” category of gaming. RE4 does not follow this pattern though…to an extent, don’t get me started on those damn zombie dogs. I probably enjoyed RE4 thoroughly for a few months. I even bought a GameCube just so that I could use the game shark and max out the fun factor of the game. There was an exceptional selection of guns and my favorite out of all of them had to be the Tommy gun (not the name of the gun in game). It had infinite ammo without cheats and tore through “zombies” like an earthquake through Haiti. Even though I was not too fond of the bosses, the story line was actually pretty fun, not to mention the confusing, but entertaining, puzzles. RE4 has also spawned one of the most memorable characters of all time, the Merchant, and his famous line, “Watta ya buyin stranga?”. There was also a wide selection of interesting enemies like the townspeople zombie and the potato-sack-mask-chainsaw guy, who was a task to kill by the way. My favorite enemies had to be the monks though, mainly because they chanted a line over and over again that sounded like “Money, SUV”. Long story short…..awesome.

#3 – Battlefield: Bad Company

Release Date: June 23, 2008
Developer: Electronic Arts

I remember Bad Company like it was Summer of ’08. Staying up till 5:00 am, sniping the kidneys out of people, and literally breathing in a 4 pack of monster energy within 3 hours. Even though BC is most remembered for it’s multiplayer, because of it’s giant maps and wide selection of classes and vehicles, I remember it for the campaign. The campaign was probably one of the best story lines I have ever played in my 15 years of gaming and still has yet to be surpassed. Not only was the plot interesting, but each and every character makes you feel connected with them emotionally by the second level. My favorite character was Haggard, or Hagrid as me and my friends called him, mainly because he had the personality of a gold rush’n pioneer, but also because he brought a certain level of comedy to the game. He also gave me a life lesson on the last level. While Sweetwater was complaining about something, Haggard just says “Embrace the suck.” And I have been embracing the suck of life ever since and I have yet to go emo. I also enjoyed the multiplayer. In fact, I enjoyed it enough to reach the highest level in the game. My favorite thing to do was to snipe unsuspecting people out of their buggies. All in all this game got a 10 out of 10 in my book.

#2 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Release Date: March 20, 2006
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

There is a chance that you have probably played Oblivion and if you haven’t then you have no soul. It has all the mixins for a very good game. An outrageously large map, plethora of side quests, useful and fun DLC, and a huge amount of weapons make me wonder how some people don’t like this game. Not only has it won many trophies but it earned the right to earn it’s own Game of the Year title. Not only that, but it’s DLC “Shivering  Isles” has been the most popular DLC for Xbox live for almost three years now. In fact It would have been #1 on this list if it weren’t for another Bethesda title.

#1 – Fallout 3

Release Date: December 4, 2008
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

FALLOUT3, THE NUMBER ONE GAME OF ALL TIME, EVER………so far. I think it would be a severe understatement to say that this game is phenomenal. In fact, I guess I’ll just make up a word for it’s awesomeness, it’s earned it. “This game is Ultimate black-hole Chuck Norris riding a lion on fire holding a sword made of the bones of small children crumble smack awesome, or UBHCNRLOFHSMBSMCSA. ” I would give my right analog stick thumb for my own set of power armor and Pip-Boy 3000. From these words you may have come to the conclusion that I’m a fallout fan boy and that’s the only reason why it holds the number one spot of this list. If you’re one of these people, then you couldn’t be more wrong. I wouldn’t have given this game the #1 spot if it didn’t deserve it. Fallout 3 has won Game of the Year at every competition it has entered and won first place for just about every category including best RPG and best soundtrack and that’s just a very small fraction of its accomplishments. With Fallout: New Vegas coming out later this year I have been playing Fallout 3 more than ever, which isn’t that bad because it has an unlimited replay value. When I go to E3 this year I wouldn’t be surprised if I pay Todd Howard (executive producer of Fallout 3) to tattoo a naked chick wearing a BOS helmet, punching a Super Mutant Behemoth with a power fist on my back. Here’s a list of things that make this game as great as it is. The map is huge, the enemies are awesome and fun to kill, the physics are just great, story line is awesome, weapons are sweet, characters are cool, and the music makes me want to go 1940′s all over the face of society. THIS GAME RULES!!!