What Was Your Game of The Decade (2010-2019)? and Why?

I understand nostalgia may (and likely will) play a big part in this, but that's fine.

For me it's Breath of the Wild. I know this may not be a surprising or unique answer, but as someone who has always been a big Nintendo fan, I never really got into the Zelda series. I'd always get 5-10 hours into a game, get lost in one way or another, tell myself I'm coming back to it and never do.

Considering my expectations were somewhat lowered as a result, first playing Breath of the Wild was an absolute treat. The fact I could do whatever I wanted at my own pace without feeling a sense of pressure or anxiety artificially induced by the game along with knowing I could literally go anywhere without the hindrance of invisible walls, weird geometry or advanced mechanics made me feel like being a kid again in the same way I'd always explore every nook and cranny of a level in Banjo Kazooie to avoid the harder boss fights or explore every inch of a Pokemon overworld looking for hidden secrets, only now as an adult and years of gaming experience behind me to see me through the harder bits I would have avoided as a kid.

Comments

    • Hate on me all you like but Fortnite would be in my top 10.

      It isn't without it's down sides but it's clear some people criticizing haven't played it recently. For example ranting about low quality graphics is ridiculous since this season the graphics are much more demanding. Though the core of the game is the same, the game play is quite varied when they get into the themed events and limited time modes. I already miss the light sabers from the recent Starwars LTM. And the Marvel LTM was pretty good too. The challenges can get repetitive and grindy.

      Still, it's immaginative, multi-player, multi-platform and you can play for free. I haven't given Epic a cent and I have reached level 100 since season 7 and am at 330 on S2Ch1. (Disclaimer: My kids both bought Save the World, and one spent $15 on a starter pack at the end of Season 6.).

    • The best thing about Fortnight is it took all the squeaking kids out of voice chat from all the other games i play

  • Some really good picks from others in this post.
    In terms of time spent playing, I'm gonna have to divide it between the Street Fighter IV updates (Super-Arcade-Ultra) and Overwatch.

  • +9

    Haven't played it yet but The Last of Us is listed as game of the decade and all time by some people.

    For me it would be GTA V

    • +3

      I've seen a lot of people list Witcher 3 as game of the decade. Surprisingly haven't seen anyone mention Last of Us as of yet

      • +3

        Last of Us is fantastic but Witcher 3 comes first followed by Horizon Zero Dawn. GTAV and RDR2 take 4th and 5th spots.

        • -4

          I'm guessing you just have a PS4?

          Not having a jab, but based on those games, seems to me you'd enjoy botw. Possibly more than HZD based off other people's general views.

          • @Faro: PS4, Switch and gaming PC too. BOTW is a great game but isn't really worthy for game of decade status. Not even close compared to Witcher/HZD's immersivity, graphics, story and gameplay.

            • -2

              @Hybroid: https://youtu.be/aVPXKdSEGNQ

              This might be of interest.

              • @Faro: How about the video where they show that HZD actually has a story and has some dungeons you don't finish in 5 minutes and has weapons aren't constantly breaking?

                • @Agret: Did you actually play Breath of the Wild? That response just sounds like you're reiterating complaints you've heard online.

                  Also another comment here discusses the weapon break mechanic and how it benefits the gameplay

    • -1

      "by some people."

      Yeah Sony the people who made the copnsole the game is exclusive to, the game is good but definitely not game of the decade material.

      • What consists of game of the decade material in your eyes if this is definitely not in your list.

        Merely curious…

        • -1

          What TLOU has got going for it IMO
          Decent visuals (for console)this can also be seen as a con since it's limited to terrible console hardware.
          Decent story but too short

          Plenty of better titles that are better the last decade.
          The Witcher 3 (yet to finish but without a doubt a far more enjoyable game despite my lack of interest in the game but that's purely my personal taste
          Red dead redemption 2 (first game was awesome too but limited to console hardware sadly)
          Horizon Zero Dawn - Complete edition (limited by console hardware sadly but a longer game and great story, visuals are fantastic too)

          Ive not played every game i wanted to this decade,so who knows other games like breath of the wild (ill use an emulator on my PC to get the best possible experience with it) may be amazing as some people say.

          Yes i value Frame rate and Graphical settings quite a bit so console exclusives just aren't as enjoyable as they could be due to limited hardware.

  • +2

    Gta V or RDR2.

    Both incredible

    • +7

      Personally, I haven't enjoyed RDR2 that much. I'd vote the original one over it, released in May 2010 so still counts.

    • +1

      GTA V may be arguable, but RDR2 definitely isn't. It's a great game, but it had mostly no impact past the first month of release. If it was made by a better developer that would release DLC and such, maybe. GOTY is all it deserves.

      • Depends what you’re looking for. I’m not into the multiplayer, more just admiring the huge land, detail and sounds of the single player world. A huge map that is full of surprises
        But appreciate it’s a game not everyone loves. Very slow paced

        Looking forward to gta6 tbh :)

        • +1

          The crazy thing for me is that there hasn't been a GTA game designed and made exclusively for the current console generation.

      • +1

        I seriously consider RDR2 as a GOAT contender. I’m partial to a game that makes me feel something - and this one sure did. Not sure if it’s my game of decade though.

        • +1

          How can it be Game of all time, but not game of the decade?

  • pubeg

  • +13

    The last of us.

    w

  • +6

    Fallout 3
    I know it was out before 2010, but I only discovered it a couple of years ago and have played it multiple times over. Still play it frequently. You have the freedom to play how you want to play and make choices. Awesome soundtrack.
    I only put it above Skyrim because the frequent dragon attacks piss me off.

    • +1

      FO3 is probably my fav modern PC game of all time.

    • Give fallout 1 and 2 a try and you wont be disappointed

    • I am dying for a Fallout 3 Switch port… that would be sooooooo good.

    • +6

      You could choose Fallout New Vegas, that was released in 2010 so it would count and it was just Fallout 3 but better.

    • You have the freedom to play how you want to play and make choices.

      https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/461/040/fcd…

      Harris Bomber Fellow covers this in detail. 90 minutes of detail.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLJ1gyIzg78 (NSFW, language)

      And it's pretty hard to argue with. I fell into a spiral of watching "can you beat x game by only using x" videos on youtube and yeah, you don't really have much choice.

  • +3

    I haven't played most of the big recent ones yet, waiting to have a new monitor and really get the best experience (I used to run Nvidia Surround, so with one 16:9 screen now I really do know what I'm missing out on). So with that in mind:

    Dishonored

    With a couple runner ups:
    Bioshock Infinite + Burial at Sea
    Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
    Mass Effect 2
    Transistor
    Halo Reach
    The Last of Us
    Skyrim (very heavily modded)
    GRIS
    Borderlands 2

    • Just started GRIS yesterday. Possibly the best looking and sounding game I've ever played.

    • +1

      Dishonoured was bloody fantastic. So much fun to play.

    • Absolutely "Halo: Reach" should be on that list. I sunk so many hours into that and it took Bungie making Destiny to get me to put Reach down.

      Now that the MCC version is out and has been redone, its more amazing now then what it was all those years ago.

    • +1

      +1 for the Dishonored series. Such an amazing universe!

      The rest of my list is similar though:

      Agree with the last of us, bioshock infinite, mass effect 2, transistor, Halo reach & borderlands 2.

      Assassin's Creed brotherhood instead of black flag
      Portal 2 instead if GRIS(grid?)
      Fallout NV instead of Skyrim
      And add The Swapper but mostly just for the story and music score
      Tomb raider 2013 & Rise of the Tomb raider
      Dead space 2

  • +7

    God of War.

    An amazingly profound reboot of what was once a mindless button masher. Unbelievable graphics. Great soundtrack.

    Finally defeating the Valkyrie Queen after getting destroyed by her so many times was also one of my all time most satisfying boss battles.

    Close to a perfect game IMO.

    • +1

      Defeating Valkyrie Queen, was a very satisfying accomplishment.

    • +1

      this was the most surprisingly good game for me. I had very low expectations for it because I'd come to really hate Kratos and the GoW formula. This wasn't even on my radar until it started getting 10s. It was a shockingly good game compared to what I was expecting. It would be in my top 3.

  • +7

    Uncharted series. I was never a big fan of adventure games until I played these, great story, great narrative, great game.

    • +3

      I love Uncharted too

      It's like the comfort food of games for me. I basically played all 6 games consecutively a couple years ago

      Golden Abyss
      Drake's Fortune
      Among Thieves
      Drake's Deception
      A Thief's End
      Lost Legacy

      God damn. Just talking about it is getting me nostalgic

      • It's like the comfort food of games for me

        A very good way to describe it.

      • I may of even shed a tear at the ending of uncharted 4….. sniff

  • +5

    POKEMON GO

  • +4

    Persona 5.

    Sunk 80+ hours into it and loved every minute of it! The accurate Tokyo locations make it so much fun to explore.

  • +9

    Dota 2

    • +1

      its an evil, addictive game. however, what the dota 2 scene has done for esports is unparalleled. gaming is now a sustainable career thanks to the huge prize pools that valve started.

  • +1

    Standalone game: Horizon Zero Dawn.

    Game series: Assassins Creed.

    Honourable mentions: Borderlands series, Battlefield series, Star Wars Battlefront series, God of War, and Shadow of Mordor.

  • My Favorites:
    The Last of Us (remastered) - The Story
    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - The Story, Graphics, Medieval fantasy element
    Grand Theft Auto 5 - Its GTA.
    Assassins Creed Unity - Artwork, Co-op missions
    Assassins Creed Black Flag - The Story
    Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - The Story, Graphics

  • +2

    Witcher 3 Wild Hunt. Amazingly polished. Value for money. Worth a replay.

  • +2

    Dark Souls 2.
    The most engrossing, edge-of-your-seat, moody, incredible story-telling game i've ever played.

    Runners up:
    Witcher 3
    Civ 6
    Skyrim
    Metro Exodus
    Assassin's Creed Black Flag
    Elite Dangerous
    Dark Souls 3

  • Red Dead Redemption 2… so much to do even after the main story is finished.

  • +2

    The game:
    Playdead's INSIDE

    The Why:
    For me, this game came at a perfect time when I was feeling a bit alienated from modern games. I've grown up on video games but as I've gotten older I've become less and less interested in alot of your more typical "game" mechanics. Points systems, Health bars, Character stats, Grinding, Multiplayer, Level ups and Loot boxes etc.

    So here comes INSIDE. Having previously played LIMBO and judging from the screenshots I knew at least there'd be a great atmosphere to the game. But as I ran through the opening forest scene for the first time, lights off, headphones up loud, I knew this was a special game.

    The animation of the boy, the lighting, and the slightly surrealistic nature of the 'drones' you can control all stuck in my memory long after the game was over, but the most striking element for me was the sound design and music. Every sound effect, every footstep, is run through a convolution reverb suited perfectly to the room/environment it appears in in the game making every interaction within the game world feel real and grounded, while the subtle dark synth music adds the perfect amount of weight and emotion.

    It's sad then that on it's release a good proportion of the gaming community could only complain that it's reported 3-4 hour length wasn't enough for them to even bother with. Their loss I suppose.

    Runner up: Firewatch

    • +2

      I thoroughly enjoyed Inside. I probably liked it more than Limbo and didn't have an issue with its run time.

      If you haven't already, I highly recommend GRIS. Very similar gameplay style, but (imo) better visuals and you can't die. It's hit me emotionally probably harder than Inside and Limbo as much as I love those games too.

      • Ahh yeah I have GRIS on Switch but haven't gotten around to finishing it yet!

    • I was scrolling through trying to find a mention of Inside. I'm not sure if it's my game of the decade, but it's probably in my top ten of all time. Absolutely brilliant.

    • Great answer, I'm going to give my top game to Firewatch.
      Lke you, many of the newer games feel so similar, just reskinned to whatever the theme is.
      Then comes Firewatch. No points, no power ups, just existing in this beautiful world. It changed my perception of what a game should be.
      I've played better walking sims since (what remains of edith finch comes to mind) but Firewatch was the first for me and had a massive impact on revitalising my love of gaming.

      Runner up: Inside.

  • +1

    Minecraft

    • Has sold 176 million copies worldwide (eclipsing Tetris)
    • 90 million active players
    • Available on a heap of platforms
    • Massive effect on pop culture (look at all those blocky games and videos)
    • Has been used for teaching in schools (Minecraft Education Edition)
    • It's a game where I can play with both my kids
  • +1

    GTA V for me

  • +1

    Fallout 76

  • +1

    Rainbow 6 siege.

    Ongoing free updates, characters, maps. Rocky start but great community (if you get away from the salty lvl100s).

    Learning curve, depth, skill ceiling. Never clocked 1000 hours in a game before, now I'm pushing 2000.

    • the progression of this game brings a tear to my eye, even from the beginning I was able to overlook glitches due to the groundbreaking gameplay. One of those games where you wish you could erase memory to go back and expereince it all again.

  • +4

    The Mass Effect Trilogy; I am counting it combined together as one game. Since Mass Effect 2 was released in 2010 and 3 was released in 2012, it should qualify.

  • +1

    Bioshock 1+2
    Witcher 3 + DLC
    Skyrim
    Ac Creed 2
    Dishonored

  • -5

    So much recency bias is why these games of the decade list are garbage. Don't @me.

    • +3

      Witcher 3 came out in 2015, half-way through the decade. It continued to get better from there, seems worthy.

      • -1

        Wow really that long ago? Feels like yesterday…

    • Generally when people say "Don't @me" it's because they know they don't have anything to back up their claim or opinion outside of emotional reasoning (e.g. nostalgia, personal attachment, etc).

      As with most technology, newer things take from older things, use what works, disregard what doesn't work, improves upon good ideas and usually comes out with a better product.

      Therefore, logically it'd almost be safe to assume most games in the last 5 years are better than the games that came out in the 5 years prior. This isn't always the case obviously, but it is just as valid an observation as people who will defend or list reasoning as to why they prefer early decade games to the latter.

      • -5

        10 years is an eternity in the gaming industry to the point it crosses over gaming generations, so already it's silly to compare games. Don't @me.

        • It's silly to compare anything really, but it's fun and shouldn't be taken as seriously as you're making it.

        • +2

          @nomoneynoproblems - lighten up, mate.

        • +3

          Really weird to say dont@me twice. It seems you did, in fact, want us to @ you.

  • +3

    Metro Last Light

    • +2

      Excellent game, the mood and setting were incredible.

      • Have you played Metro Exodus?
        That is not as good in the story,
        but the dynamics are better;
        I played it once when it came out,
        I have to play it again after Sniper Elite 4

        • I haven't yet - I decided I would work through my backlog before buying any new games haha. I did play through 2033 as well, and I love the series so I'm really excited for Exodus.

          • +1

            @ngengerous: It is kind of different,
            but it is still Metro :)
            You will enjoy the game, I did
            I won't tell you the ending thou

  • +6

    Dota 2 by a massive margin. Nothing else comes close to scratching that competitive itch for me.

    • +1

      Just out of curiosity (I've never played DOTA 2 or any primarily PC game(, have you tried Rocket League?

      I know they're very different games, but 700 hours later, I'm still hooked on the grind to get better and rank up.

      • I haven't tried it. I may try it in the future but not sure it's my time of game.

    • agree

    • I just noticed you're using the old Avant Garde logo back from way back in the day that they used to be sponsored by TT Esports. Did you play for one of their teams? I was in the BF3 team and seeing that logo has just been a massive nostalgia trip for me lmao.

      Given that this site pulls the pic from your Gravatar account (which was also used for Battlelog), it wouldn't surprise me if you were in the BF3 team as well but i don't recognise your name :(

      • Hi Glove :)

        It's Cardio.

  • +1

    My games were Dishonored and Overwatch.

    I actually bought a second copy of Dishonored (since the first was offline) just to get the complete pack with expansions. The gameplay and kit are well created, the varying stealth or loud gameplay caters for different players and the world, characters and lore are beautifully written. I'm playing through another round now and have been looking into the comics and novels.

  • +4

    For first place, would agree with OP on this one. BotW took an open world game which I have been so burnt out (by games like AC, Arkham, Far Cry, Skyrim, GTA 5, HZD) and made me fall in love with everything. I love the items breaking mechanics (though people are split on this) because it would only make sense otherwise to pick the one with the highest stats. The art style and game engine is unique, the way fire weapons melt ice, fire burns grass and causes an updraft. It no longer felt like a copy and paste game made by ubisoft. The game is not perfect, but for a game series that has always been about puzzles and dungeons and known for its linearity, it really went out of its way to try something new.

    Second place, Persona 5, the interface is so sick! Amazing JRPG and only game I "plat" on PS4.

    Third place, Shovel Knight Treasure Trove. Usually not a fan of 2D platformer, but this was a joy to play. The last update is out (King of Cards) so you can now play as Shovel Knight, Plague Knight, Spectre Knight and King Knight, each with their own mechanics and story.

    Finally, Last of Us. I hate horror/zombies, but I am so glad I had friends that made me push through it.

    • +1

      I'm in the same boat as you regarding the weapon breaks as well.

      I always found the complaints regarding this were fairly short sighted. I also enjoyed it because it pushed you to be creative by using your bows, parries, bombs, physics and everything else to beat enemies without being stuck into one play style the entire time

      • I think that's what stops me from enjoying RDR2. Shooting is the obvious choice with the large amount of ammo you can get. Other combat options is just wasting time.

        Anyway, some crazy botw moves:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_n52JJpwe8

        I wish I could play like this

      • +2

        One majoy point I forgot to add to BotW is the decluttered map which significantly improved open world games.

        It went from "let's check the map to see where to go next, set way point, walk there to activate mission" to "I wonder what's over that hill, stumble upon something unexpected and marking the map with stickers when you discover too many things that caught your attention. This completely shifts the playstyle to a very active approach to exploring and open world.

        And also the climbing mechanics is so fitting for an open world. I cannot go back to predetermined climbing spots. Sometimes you see a ledge and your character can't get over it because it wasn't scripted that way and you needed to go to the pre-scripted climbing spot.

        Finally, the glider. No longer bounded by carriage of haystack or zip line ( I know batman can do that but he is a superhero)

  • Witcher 3 because it's fantastic and Rocket League because it's the game I keep coming back to.

  • +4

    Kerbal Space Program

    • +1

      I've spent 1219hrs on this game and there is still so much to do.

  • +1

    Red Dead Redemption would be my vote. I may be biased being a fan of westerns but playing through some old western inspired storylines, robbing trains on horseback, hunting, trading and getting in bar fights. These are some of the reasons I would put this up there even though it was released at the start of the decade.

    • Not knocking your vote, but did you play the sequel?

      I've not finished either game, but was curious if you had and if you still place 1 over 2.

      • +1

        Yes, I played the sequel, but somehow I still prefer 1 over 2. I played the original a number of times. But have only played through the sequel only once.

  • +2
    1. Horizon Zero Dawn
    2. The Last of Us
    3. Shadow Tactics
    4. Uncharted 4
    • Are you PS4 only?

      • Consoles rather. Ps/ xb / switch.

        Shadow tactics i played on xb, but is available on pc/ps as well. Others are ps exclusive.

    • The why?

      Zero dawn - simply amazing; gameplay to story to originality and composition of the game. I wish I have time to replay the game on hardest difficulty.

      The Last of Us: Storyline and graphics

      Shadow tactics: a huge fan of commandos series, so it was really nice to see a studio re pick up this style of games again. Well executed by mimimi.

      Uncharted 4: storyline and graphics. They really were pushing playstation to the limits. Nicely done

  • Skyrim, Dark Souls, The Last of Us or The Witcher 3 - all of them absolutely amazing, and so very hard to rank!

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