Game of the decade!!!

[Beagle 2]

Grand Theft Auto 5.

It seems I am a basic bitch.

[Thursday]

Apologies if this is a bit of an incoherent stream of conscious mess

Dark Souls & Bloodborne
Overall these games were my biggest obsession for the decade, they made the most compelling worlds and lore, the most compelling gameplay loops, it showed more interesting ways of telling a videogame narrative. It had unique online mechanics and got me more interested in online co-op and competitive gameplay. I'm not one for "hard" gameplay and still very rarely am, but this showed me the value to it. It challenged so many preconceptions and ideas I had about game design. Lots of things I didn't think were for me, it showed could be for me, and it introduced so many other new ideas of its own too.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
This showed the way forward for open world game design. I think around the time it came out, I was starting to become sceptical about open world games, but this really did just kill all others for me afterwards.
It's also a truly beautiful game, people still post videos on twitter sometimes of the mad shit that can happen when you expertly combine the more extreme powers and tools in the game, and that's great, but for me it's about the feeling of tranquillity it gave me. Just the feeling of gazing out upon a horizon, feeling the elements of the world, watching the sky go by, the excitement of wondering what could be down the next path. Unmatched.

Destiny/Destiny 2
My go to game now, and one which excelled once I discovered a community of people to play with. completing the six man raids is a truly unique experience. Unlike your usual MMO's though it's a fucking sharp FPS action game which was a great hook. So even though the pinnacle of the game is doing raids, it means that playing solo is a perfectly fun way to spend your time too. It suffers from some of the cynical nature of modern live service games, but it also turns that into a positive. More and more its story is getting interesting. While previously it had been shit at presenting that, the fact that it now feels like it's world is evolving and changing over time means it's exciting to see where it's going to go next.

Undertale
The peak of all indie games, masquerades at first as a sort of a comedy RPG, with what seemed like a gimmick where you choose whether to spare or kill enemies then becomes the most emotional story of all time. A reflection on games as a medium and the idea of persisting and never giving up on a seemingly impossible cause.

Yakuza Series
The best in cinematic storytelling games. Instead of worrying about the dissonance between game and cut-scene, it just doesn't care.
The fact that you've seen so many iterations of Kamurocho over the course of the series becomes fascinating, watching characters grow over the course series is something not many other series' is not something many other games have been able to do. And also you can smash bicycles over people's heads. 

XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within & XCOM 2
Feel like this is an also ran here, but it deserves a mention in terms of getting me into a genre that's outside of my comfort zone, and also how the anonymity of the soldiers allows you to craft a version of the story your own head. Far more than games where you're a nameless protagonist this had me filling in blanks which makes the fairly simple pulpy B Movie world far interesting than it should have any right to be.

Persona 4
Not actually from this decade, but I played it this decade, and there was a rerelease this decade, so I'll mention it, because it's a much more interesting take on the JRPG where, while there's still the JRPG turn based fighting and dungeons. (The weakest part of the game) What it does well is set a JRPG in a boring modern town in the middle of nowhere. Being a high school student, building relationships with characters, and living a mundane life (while balancing all the shadow world and murder mystery stuff.) Is where the game stood out. It also set me down the path of weebdom which would become helpful in enjoying Yakuza later down the line.

All these games are here because I feel like they changed something in me, or in my approach or attitudes to games. Sure Last of Us was great, but that's all it was, a very good experience, but I wouldn't feel any differently about anything if I hadn't played it. There's other games that came close to being on this list, like To The Moon or Night in the Woods, Life is Strange, or Edith Finch. but while I felt emotions playing them, I don't know if they were quite enough to be significant. The Stanley Parable and Beginners Guide did something unique, but probably not enough to bother going through.

Reading through other lists, Skyrim, Fallout: New Vegas and Mass Effect are one's I'm surprised I forgot about, but I have nothing to add on them.

[Pseudopath]

What the fuck are you all rambling on about?!

Katamari Damacy REROLL

[Custard]

Due to this thread, I've only gone and bought New Vegas off the Xbone store for a fiver, ain't I

It's a bit like shooting heroin into my tits after 9 years of being sober

[wooders1978]

Undoubtably Witcher 3 - I will be replaying over the Christmas break for my 6th or 7th play through
It's a masterpiece it really is

Honourable mentions to Everybody has gone to the rapture for its amazing score and binding of Isaac for its trolly little cuntness that I love it for

[Blue Jam]

Prey (inc. Mooncrash)
MGSV: The Phantom Pain
Rocket League
SOMA
Subnautica
Titanfall 2
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Snooker 19

[MjjW]

Binding of Isaac is the only game I will ever need from now until my death, which I pray comes swiftly.

[The Culture Bunker]

Due to this thread, I've only gone and bought New Vegas off the Xbone store for a fiver, ain't I

It's a bit like shooting heroin into my tits after 9 years of being sober

Similarly, I dusted off the PS3 and decided to have a Mass Effect 2/3 run through. I should probably have finished Death Stranding first, but I'm just bored of it now, even though I'm guessing I must be close to the end.

[Egyptian Feast]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Portal 2 yet, unless I missed it. Trippy, funny and extremely satisfying. I replayed it recently and was pleased to see it still holds up really well nearly a decade after its release.

Another favourite was Deadly Premonition, which probably doesn't even qualify as a 'good' game, but I loved every second of it. Yes, even the truly appalling driving mechanics. Francis York Morgan is one of the most lovable video game protagonists ever. I could listen to him talking about punk rock and 80s B-movies while the car keeps swerving to the side of the road forever. I'm interested in seeing how the sequel turns out, but as I haven't got a Switch and don't really want one I'll probably not play it for years.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

The Dishonored series is certainly high up on my list. I've seen complaints that it makes the stealth too easy, but I prefer to say that it made it fun. I love the world building and (ugh) lore of it all - although I am a bit disappointed that they felt the need to explain the Outsider's origin. Special mention goes to the DLC missions from the first game, which comprise pretty much a whole extra game in their own right.

Prey (inc. Mooncrash)

Well who didn't see that coming?

[popcorn]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Portal 2 yet, unless I missed it. Trippy, funny and extremely satisfying. I replayed it recently and was pleased to see it still holds up really well nearly a decade after its release.

I did consider that but it felt lame to nominate a sequel that's so fundamentally similar to its predecessor. But it's great - I replayed the co-op mode with my 10-year-old cousin last week and we both had a blast.

[Inspector Norse]

I really liked it but thought it was older.

[Jim Bob]

I did consider that but it felt lame to nominate a sequel that's so fundamentally similar to its predecessor. But it's great - I replayed the co-op mode with my 10-year-old cousin last week and we both had a blast.

I don't think that Portal 2 was too fundamentally similar to the first game at all.  It had a bunch of new abilities and was much more narratively focused than its predecessor.  A blinding game and one that I look forward to revisiting at some point.

[popcorn]

Portal 2 doesn't put a foot wrong. It is fundamentally similar - the fundamentals are identical. It's much more similar to Portal 1 than Half-Life 2 is to Half-Life 1. That's not a problem - Portal 2 was the right sort of sequel to make.

But it meant, in the end, I was less blown away by it then I was by The Last of Us, which I think was dramatically new. Literally dramatically new. The drama was new.

[Jim Bob]

Portal 2 doesn't put a foot wrong. It is fundamentally similar - the fundamentals are identical. It's much more similar to Portal 1 than Half-Life 2 is to Half-Life 1. That's not a problem - Portal 2 was the right sort of sequel to make.

Well, yes, I agree that it is fundamentally similar, but you said that it was too fundamentally similar, which would imply that it was to the game's detriment, as to how similar it was.  I think it Portal 2 is an exemplary example of a sequel; it expands and embellishes upon the first game, whilst retaining everything which made that game special.  As you yourself said; it didn't put a foot wrong.  I guess that I'm just not quite sure why a sequel should be discounted, simply because it's a sequel.

[popcorn]

Well, yes, I agree that it is fundamentally similar, but you said that it was too fundamentally similar, which would imply that it was to the game's detriment as to how similar it was.

No I didn't.

[Jim Bob]

No I didn't.

So you didn't.  I must have dreamt that you did.  Sorry.

[popcorn]

Apology acknowledged.

But NOT accepted.

[Blue Jam]

Well who didn't see that coming?

Heheheheh... Oh come on Claude, you know Arkane do good games and DLC that is worth buying ;) Are you looking forward to Deathloop?

I played Dishonored 2 a while back, enjoyed it but it didn't blow me away, but I think I need to do another playthrough as Corvo on Low Chaos. Will eventually get round to it.

[Zetetic]

although I am a bit disappointed that they felt the need to explain the Outsider's origin.

I don't love the story of Death of the Outsider, but it's by far the most interesting actual story (and Billie by far the most interesting character in the series). I do wonder exactly how the initial focus and the story came about - I don't get the impression that they felt they had to end with that explanation, but rather that they felt that an interesting story (by the standards of the series...) presented itself.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Prey (inc. Mooncrash)
MGSV: The Phantom Pain
Rocket League
SOMA
Subnautica
Titanfall 2
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Snooker 19

That's loads of games

[Famous Mortimer]

XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within & XCOM 2
Feel like this is an also ran here, but it deserves a mention in terms of getting me into a genre that's outside of my comfort zone, and also how the anonymity of the soldiers allows you to craft a version of the story your own head. Far more than games where you're a nameless protagonist this had me filling in blanks which makes the fairly simple pulpy B Movie world far interesting than it should have any right to be.

I played "Rebelstar Raiders" the other day on Retropie, and after a happy few hours, I discovered that the same bloke(s) had made XCOM too. Tenner on gog.com, nice!

[Ferris]

It was Red Dead Redemption by a country mile.

Skyrim in at number two.

All other games are distant runners up. Here endeth the lesson.

[kittens]

one that meant the most to me was red dead redemption.

the game of decade was skyrim, even though i now dislike it

[Blue Jam]

That's loads of games

Oh yeah? Well what's your Beer of the Decade then, eh? EH?

C'mon Shoulders, I'll kick your arse on Snooker 19. GOTY and you know it.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I played Dishonored 2 a while back, enjoyed it but it didn't blow me away, but I think I need to do another playthrough as Corvo on Low Chaos. Will eventually get round to it.

Perhaps consider giving the first one's DLC a go first (and the first game itself, if you like). It ties into the story of Dishonored 2 in a way that I thought improved the second game.

[Ferris]

one that meant the most to me was red dead redemption.

the game of decade was skyrim, even though i now dislike it

If even kittens has figured out the 100% correct answer, what is everyone else's excuse?

(I'm playing "The Witness" on my iPad on the basis of this thread, it is just an incredibly well-designed game. Really worth your time.

Edit: yeah this is impressive stuff)

[Zetetic]

I guess it's easy to mistake RDR and RDR2 for good games, simply because they're not as fundamentally bad as GTAV while still being expensively big. They're fine in ways that plausibly might not have been, which is an achievement of sorts.

[Ferris]

I guess it's easy to mistake RDR and RDR2 for good games, simply because they're not as fundamentally bad as GTAV while still being expensively big. They're fine in ways that plausibly might not have been, which is an achievement of sorts.

RDR is a genuinely era-definingly good game, in a way GTA could never hope to be.

[popcorn]

RDR is bollocks. I haven't played it but I know it's bollocks and I'm allowed to say it with authority because one of my mates helped make it. Thanks.