After ’90s video games laid the foundations for the industry’s focus, techniques, and tone,the 2000s came to emphasize that this medium is more than just mindless fun.
Packed with thought-provoking works that broke the boundaries of what we know as video games, this decade served to drive the sector’s maturity and consolidate many series and developers.
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Along with a growing market where demographics shifted, increasingly featuring older players instead of just younger ones, video games expanded exponentially in every sense.
Through the birth of new IPs and the continuation of classic franchises,these ten video games that defined the 2000s established an industry that had developed significantly in the previous decade, but it truly became massive here.
10The Sims
The Father of Simulation
Among the reasons video game demographics shifted considerably wasThe Sims, the social simulation titles' king.
In addition to significantly influencing the industry by popularizing the concept of contentexpansions, this title provided a space for millions of people who found a fun and safe escape from real-life problems.
Thanks to its extensive customization of characters and environments,the sense of freedom and control was unprecedented,gaining cultural status within video games.
The Simsis a franchise known even by those who aren’t regular users of the medium, whose creative contribution and influence on other development studios is perhaps not sufficiently appreciated.
9Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
The Rise of Modern Multiplayer Shooters
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Call of Dutyhad offered the best style of war game for years, but withCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward completely surpassed themselves.
Involving modern combat and bordering on science fiction,theModern Warfaresubseries began with an FPS masterpiece.
Boasting an equally outstanding multiplayer mode and campaign, the title was robust in every way, with no real faults to be found.
The experience’s quality was such that it managed to influence the next generation’s future byconditioning the vast majority of games to be multiplayer shooters, which didn’t turn out particularly well.
However, as far asCall of Duty: Modern Warfareis concerned, we’re talking abouta title with magnificent gameplay,stunning cinematography,and top-notch graphics, so there’s little to complain about.
8Silent Hill 2
An Irreplaceable Psychological Thriller
Silent Hill 2
Just asResident Evil 2achieved the pinnacle of traditional horror four years earlier,Silent Hill 2established itself as the absolute perfection of psychological thrillers.
With its unparalleled storytelling,magnificent pacing, and outstanding atmosphere, James Sunderland’s journey taught an entire generation the infinite communicative possibilities of video games.
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Walking through the foggy streets of Silent Hill is an experience that will be etched in your memory through all your senses,especially due to its incredible visual and audio design.
The game boasts tremendous creativity that truly overcomes the technical constraints of the time, taking advantage of the limited technology to createconstant feelings of tension and vulnerability.
Considering its creepy monsters and interesting puzzles, you get a well-rounded game thathas earned the title of masterpiece for obvious reasons.
Marking a Whole Generation
As we approached the decade’s end,Irrational GamesreleasedBioShockand changed the industry’s course completely.
Thanks to its fragmented narrative, use of environments to communicate the story, and dynamic gameplay with natural and spontaneous systems,everyone wanted to be likeBioShock.
With Rapture,one of the best settings in history, and Andrew Ryan, one of the best antagonists in history,the ease with which the game captivated the world is worthy of applause.
The complexity of its plot, the philosophical thoughts it evokes, and the wonderful atmosphere built between fascination and fear truly created a game that represented the best ofSystem Shock.
It’s not the game that has aged the best on this list, butBioShockdefinitely shaped an entire generation of gamers and a subsequent generation of video games.
6Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Going Beyond Video Games
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
AfterMetal Gear Solidinjected the cinematic trend into video games,Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libertyhad the burden of going beyond.
As its predecessor had already been a turning point in the industry,Raiden’s adventure dared to transcend the video games' limits, creating a work that speaks more about us than about itself.
Although it neglects its internal issues in the process and offers less solid narratives than the first game in the series, it created an entire conversation about unusual topics for video games to talk about.
Freedom of expression, the use of AI, mass reliance on the internet, and other elements that are incredibly relevant today were portrayed bya title that anticipated everything back in 2001, which is mind-blowing.
Furthermore, it’s an extremely significant graphical, gameplay, and technological improvement, which is a welcome bonus because it feels better, plays better, and is much more enjoyable in comparison, hence why it’s amongthe best PlayStation 2 sequels.
5Resident Evil 4
Unprecedented Influence
Resident Evil 4
There are certain titles whose influence on the interactive medium was such that, to this day, their revolutionary ideas' traces can still be seen.
Resident Evil 4is part of this select group, asit redefined the way we understand third-person shooters, maintaining a perfect balance between fun and cinematography.
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Its intuitive control and camera scheme allowed it tobecome the foundation upon which both TPS and modernhorror gameswould be built, which is merit enough in itself to be here.
However, when you consider the lines of dialogue from the game’s enemies and even the merchant identity are recognized by absolutely everyone, you realizeResident Evil 4’s iconic status ranges from the most trivial to the most important.
4Halo: Combat Evolved
The Cornerstone of FPS
Halo: Combat Evolved
Speaking of influential video games that became their genre’s blueprint, we can’t ignore the importanceHalo: Combat Evolvedhad for FPSs.
As one of its era’s few games that wasn’t aHalf-Lifeclone,the title established basic design elements for modern first-person shooters, such as regenerative health, the limit on the number of weapons you may carry, and even the control scheme.
The game’s playability was almost unimaginable given it ran so smoothly, which was atypical for its time, especially consideringit was among the first successful FPS games on consoles.
Furthermore, it gave life to one of the best and most recognizablefranchisesof all time, including oneMaster Chiefin particular, who would become one of video games' most recognizable faces to this day.
3World of Warcraft
A Multiplayer Cultural Revolution
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraftis a part of 21st-century popular culture, arguably one of the most important, recognizable, and global names in gaming.
If we consider the number of gameplay, design, and conceptual elementsBlizzardestablished as the standard with this MMORPG,it would probably take forever to list them all.
The fact that it’s an online game and continues to thrive after two decades is the ultimate demonstration that it has not only stood the test of time, but also seems unaffected by its aging.
The millions of people who have dedicated years of their lives to this fictional world are a testament toWorld of Warcraft’s scale, which encompasses its mythology, mechanical complexity, and practically unfathomable possibilities.
To be honest, I’m part of the individuals who devoted a large part of their lives to Azeroth, and it has completely shaped my life as a player, and perhaps as a person.
2Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
An Open World for Everyone
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, like its predecessors and successors, perfected the open-world formula to the point of making it accessible to virtually everyone.
Whether you were interested in following CJ’s story and enjoying the critique inherent inRockstar’s work or just wanted to wreak havoc on the city through cheat codes,the possibilities were endless.
Thinking about video games as entertainment mechanisms,San Andreaswas simply the best of the best, as there was no way to challenge it thanks to its map’s size, options, and the events that could unfold.
While it isn’t a deep or dense game like several on the list,numerous demographics were influenced by playing this game, whose name transcended the industry to the point where it was used as a scapegoat in newscasts.
From your dad to your neighbor, from your classmate to your aunt,no one was safe from knowing the name ofGrand Theft Auto: San Andreasand loving or hating it accordingly.
1Half-Life 2
Video Game Perfection
Half-Life 2
Having played it back in the day, and having replayed it last year, I believeHalf-Life 2is the ultimate epitome of video games.
Everything our medium represents,its opportunities and strengths,finds one of its best versions in Gordon Freeman’s latest adventure, to which 20 years later we’re still begging for a sequel.
The way it improves on a classic like the first game in the franchise and makes it feel dated is practically inexplicable, surpassing it in every single element.
The graphics, technology, levels' inventiveness, physics-based puzzle design, shooting sections,horror sections, narrative, characters, message…Everything is superior to its heritage and that of all the others.
Half-Life 2is undeniably a masterpiece, and probably the game that most marked a decade filled with transcendental titles. We will continue to study its ideas and execution because, to date,it has not been replicated and probably never will be.
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