ResetEra Game of the Decade 2010-2019 (NO 2020 games) -Voting Thread (READ THE OP)- [Voting Ends October 4th, 12PM EST]

[Neo_MG90]

I still have a lot of games from this last decade to play, but for me the games that stood out were the following:

Not only the best game of the generation but the best game that I have ever played.
The story, the characters, the world, the music, for me it was all perfect. I loved pretty much everything about this game.
A day would fly by as I was playing. So this is my top pick.

This one cought me by surprise. The story and the characters were amazing, but on top of that it had the most diverse collection of mini-games that I have ever seen, alongside side stories filled with humor.

The most singular experience that I have ever had with a game. I never played anything like this. Just pure exploration. The only thing that moves you is your curiosity. And man, it was great to explore this game. And the ending will stay with me forever.

The best PS4 exclusive. The game gave Kratos so much more depth, the story was great and the combat was awesome.

Speaking of combat. This one has the best combat of this last decade. It was an absolute joy to play.

The game resonated deeply with me. An experience that I will not forget anytime soon.

The puzzles, the characters, the story, it was all so well done. It was one of the first games that I played on my first PC and it is still one of the best.

The best JRPG of this decade for me. I loved the world, the characters and the classic combat style. It dragged a little bit in the end but overall it was a delight to play.

The best multiplayer game of the decade and one of the best of all time no doubt. Simple, yet with a super high skill ceileing. My most played game and I still have some matches to this day. It's a game that I recommend everyone to try out.

The best fighting game of this decade. Even though I suck donkey balls at this game, it was great to learn and to play. And boy, you have to learn so much.

The best FPS of the decade for me. Hundreds of ours poured in the multiplayer, and I would never get bored. So many maps, weapons and vehicles, pretty much each match something crazy could happen. I hope the next Battlefield brings some of that back.

--------------
[x] Battlefield 4

[x] Devil May Cry 5

[x] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Gris

[x] Outer Wilds

[x] Portal 2

[x] Rocket League

[x] Tekken 7

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[x] Yakuza 0

 

[Skiptastic]

You may notice a trend in the majority of my choices...

[1] Red Dead Redemption 2 : Probably the greatest video game I've ever played. Maybe not my favorite, but the greatest. The sweeping storyline with incredible acting, the scope of the world, the amount of things that can be done in this game...it's the pinnacle of "going for it all" in video games, to me.

[2] Mass Effect 2 : Let's take a great game, improve on the gameplay in meaningful ways, improve an already great story, and also have one of the most breath taking introductions in games. This came out on my birthday in 2010, and I was just hooked in immediately. Nearly everything about this game is an improvement on the prior entry.

[3] Rock Band 3 : Rhythm music games have been one of my favorite genres since the days of DDR machines in every "fun center". Rock Band 3 is the height of Harmonix's powers, and the best of that genre.

[4] Fallout: New Vegas: I enjoyed Fallout 3 a lot (leaving Vault 77 is one of my favorite moments in gaming) but everything about Fallout New Vegas made me love it more. I enjoyed the characters more, the interactions with NPCs more, the competing factions, the dialogue options. I loved it enough to play it through twice all the way, which is a lot for me!

[5] Red Dead Redemption: GTA with cowboys, but also more soul, and more serenity. I absolutely loved playing in this world in a way I couldn't in GTA. I think that GTA is too close to real life to satisfy the part of me that is drawn to escapism. Going from place to place is so much more satisfying in RDR (and RDR2) than it is in GTA. An incredible game that got an even better sequel.

[6] Dead Space 2: I loved Dead Space. I loved Dead Space 2 even better. I liked having Isaac become a character instead of just a mute protagonist. And the ending got me.

[7] Super Meat Boy: I really wanted to put an indie game on here because I feel like indies definitely need some love. It was between this and FEZ. I chose this because I threw more hours into it than FEZ, plus I think the overall package is greater. Absolutely spot on platforming and (on the 360 version) a killer soundtrack. I haven't gotten all the bandages nor all the secret characters, but it's been fun whittling that down over the years.

[8] Batman: Arkham Knight: Stop me if you've heard this one - it's basically similar to the previous entry in a franchise but improved/adjusted in a way to make Skiptastic happy. I played this game three to four years after it came out (because I was busy raising children) so I didn't catch up on Arkham Knight until this year or last year. Good grief I loved the experience. I enjoyed basically all aspects of the game, other than the Riddler racing segments, but those didn't damper my enjoyment enough to stop me from getting 100% and the "true ending". I was very pleased with this game.

[9] Sonic Mania Plus: Finally, a Sonic game I could love again. Having grown up with a Genesis and not being keen on the Sonic Adventure games, I was totally on board with a new 2D Sonic game. But this one is on my Game of the Decade not simply for the fun it gave me, but just the sheer audacity for Sonic community members to build a new Sonic game that is probably the best since the 1990s. Hats off to all those involved for making a spectacular game that easily stands up to the original Genesis games.

 

[Dinjooh]

[x] Divinity: Original Sin 2
Some of the best co-op memories I've had with my ex gf.

[x] God of War (2018)
I don't even like action games normally. This rocks.

[x] Minecraft
The game that got me through university.

[x] Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Cat puns - need I say more?

[x] Persona 4 Golden
One of the best things to come out of japan, only beat by..

[x] Persona 5
Nope, still not out - wait for it.

[x] Persona 5 Royal
This is the best fucking thing to come out of japan. Jesus christ this is good. GOTG.

[x] Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
Best R&C game. It just had everything. Also my first PS3 platinum.

[x] Stardew Valley
Love it. More please.

[x] The Last of Us
Definitely top 3 of the gen. This game redefined what a game can do for me.

[x] The Witness
My favourite puzzle game and one I keep returning to

[x] Undertale
Look at the avatar.

[x] Ratchet & Clank (2016)
Ah it feels like yesterday. We're gonna tear some rifts apart real soon lads.

 

[Zurres]

[x] Breath of the wild

 

[Zeron]

No rankings just makes this a popularity contest... It needs an element of quality weighting. If GOTY is unranked that's fucked.

 

[Suswave]

1. Hollow Knight – I just absolutely love everything about this game. The sense of exploration, the beautiful scoring, the tough-but-fair difficulty, the lore, the sheer volume of content... it's such an incredible game. Not for everyone, but definitely my all-time pick.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Also a game-changer. There are plenty of open world games, but nothing else has filled me with the same wonder and sense of possibility.

3. Portal 2 – Great writing, puzzles, physics, and fun. I'm usually very iffy on voice acting in games, but I was completely sold the whole way through on this one. The environmental storytelling, killer score, and fun twists made it great.

I definitely have a lot of almost picks, but I figured I'd keep it simple.

[x] Hollow Knight

[x] Portal 2

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 

[gamstat]

-

 

[Deleted member 59261]

[x] Bloodborne

[x] Deus Ex: Human Revolution

[x] Fallout: New Vegas

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Hollow Knight

[x] Journey

[x] Mass Effect 2

[x] Prey

[x] Red Dead Redemption 2

[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[x] XCOM 2: War of the Chosen

[x] Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

[x] Trials Evolution

 

[gamstat]

[x] A Short Hike

[x] Antichamber

[x] Outer Wilds

[x] Pokemon Go

[x] Slay the Spire

[x] The Binding of Isaac

[x] The Stanley Parable

[x] To The Moon

[x] Jelly no Puzzle

[x] Overcooked

[x] diep.io

[x] generals.io

[x] Cookie Clicker

[x] Miasmata

 

[Bushido]

20 games that didn't make my list, which almost causes me physical pain: Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Batman Arkham City, Bayonetta 2, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Hotline Miami, Just Cause 2, Luigi's Mansion 3, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Mass Effect 2, Nioh, Outer Wilds, Return of the Obra Dinn, Rogue Legacy, Sleeping Dogs, Subnautica, Super Mario Odyssey, The Witcher 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Xenoblade Chronicles.

Ordered list of my top 20:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Probably my favorite game of all time, still thinking about it every day and can't wait for BOTW2
2. The Last of Us - One of the few games I've finished several times and could start another playthrough right now. Still prefer this to (the excellent) Pt.2
3. Bloodborne - My favorite Soulsborne game by a mile and the best game on PS4 imo
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Despite feeling like shit when I played through this it's one of my fav gaming experiences ever (or maybe because of that)
5. Dishonored 2 - Spectacular level and world design, so much freedom and like Deus Ex: HR I played through this without killing a single soul
6. God of War - My Resident Evil 4 moment of this generation
7. Hollow Knight - Characters, world, atmosphere, boss fights...apart from the map an almost flawless gem
8. Stardew Valley - Bought this on basically every platform I own, ConcernedApe deserves every single coin
9. Dead Space 2 - Already loved its predecessor, but DS2 is even better in my opinion
10. Skyrim - Was my GOTG at the time and a mind-blowing experience back then.
11. Red Dead Redemption - Couldn't enjoy RDR2 at all and in general Rockstar's games are not for me, but this one got me good
12. Rayman Legends - One of the best 2D platformers of all time and playing through this with my wife (who's not a gamer at all) is something I'll never forget
13. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Just like the Raymans one of the best 2D platformers ever, fantastic level design and music
14. Life Is Strange - Still Dontnod's best, can't wait to check out Tell Me Why once all episodes are out
15. Uncharted 4 - For me personally it's on par with Uncharted 2, an amazing, thrilling journey from start to end
16. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove - Best value for money you can get anywhere. Fantastic package with Specter Knight being my fav
17. Astro Bot Rescue Mission: Utterly mind-blowing VR experience, insane how it can almost rival the Mario games
18. Mario Galaxy 2 - Was debating whether to pick this or Odyssey, but I think the level of creativity in the Galaxy games "shocked" me more
19. Metal Gear Solid 5 - Despite being a sucker for stealth games this was the first MGS since 2 for me. Divisive game of course, but I really enjoyed my time with it
20. Just Shapes and Beats - Caught me completely off-guard, that combination of music, gameplay, level design and overall presentation somehow connected in a very special way with my brainwaves.


[x] Astro Bot: Rescue Mission

[x] Bloodborne

[x] Dead Space 2

[x] Deus Ex: Human Revolution

[x] Dishonored 2

[x] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

[x] God of War

[x] Hollow Knight

[x] Just Shapes & Beats

[x] Life is Strange

[x] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

[x] Rayman Legends

[x] Red Dead Redemption

[x] Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

[x] Stardew Valley

[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2

[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

 

[makonero]

No rankings just makes this a popularity contest... It needs an element of quality weighting. If GOTY is unranked that's fucked.

Click to shrink...

it's not game of the year. it's games of the decade. and yes, it is a popularity contest, as in, it's the best games of the decade as decided by the community.

 

[TheBuck]

[x] Battlefield 3

[x] MAG

 

[JimJamJones]

Why do BotW and Super Mario Odyssey have 2 options? Won't that mess up the voting?

[x] Mass Effect 2

[x] Max Payne 3

[x] Persona 4 Golden

[x] Pokemon Go

[x] Red Dead Redemption

[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2

[x] Super Mario Odyssey

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 

[Seanlole]

[x] Celeste

[x] Cities: Skylines

[x] Civilization VI

[x] Fallout: New Vegas

[x] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

[x] Portal 2

[x] Red Dead Redemption

[x] Red Dead Redemption 2

[x] Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2

[x] Super Mario Odyssey

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Wonderful 101

[x] Undertale

[x] Xenoblade Chronicles

[x] Kerbal Space Program

 

[Window]

Let' see I'll have another go at this. So many games I've played I can't recall anymore but felt they were brilliant at the time. Might take a few iterations to get it right.

[x] Alien: Isolation

[x] Batman: Arkham City

[x] Bioshock: Infinite

[x] Dark Souls

[x] Deus Ex Mankind Divided

[x] Deus Ex: Human Revolution

[x] Disco Elysium

[x] Fallout: New Vegas

[x] Gone Home

[x] Mass Effect 2

[x] Portal 2

[x] Prey

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

[x] Wolfenstein: The New Order

[x] XCOM 2: War of the Chosen

 

[Neo_MG90]

No rankings just makes this a popularity contest... It needs an element of quality weighting. If GOTY is unranked that's fucked.

Click to shrink...

I'm afraid that's the case.

What I think they could do, is after the script reads all the posts and, say, a top 20 list of games is compiled, then they could do another voting to determine the ranking of those games.

I don't know if they will do that though.

 

[Magio]

In alphabetical order:

- Death Stranding: A truly unique experience in the AAA space, a masterpiece of art direction, soundtrack and sound design, an impressive technical achievement, some of the best MoCap and voice acting and very much a Hideo Kojima game. Beyond those qualities, which are pretty much undeniable even for the game's harshest critics, I was really impressed by how well the core gameplay loop served the game's themes.

- God of War (2018): When the rumor mill spilled the beans on Santa Monica continuing the God of War franchise, I was as enthused as anyone, that is to say I was kinda looking forward to it. Wreaking havoc on whichever pantheon had wronged good old Kratos this time sounded fun, nothing more nothing less. Boy was I not prepared to actually feel things at all, let alone empathize with Kratos of all characters. Or to be mesmerized by the combat system's depth. Or to witness some of the best writing and voice acting I've ever seen. If not for another, uneligible game (hint: my avatar), this would be my GOTG. And I really didn't expect that.

- Marvel's Spider-Man: At its core it's an impressively well made take on the Arkham formula, with the best traversal system in any open world game to differentiate it from other games and a combat system that feels and looks as amazing and fluid as our beloved neighborhood arachnid, to the point where you'd almost forget how basic it actually is mechanically. But what set it apart for me is how great of a love letter it is to the Spider-Man character and his universe. Yuri Lowenthal is the best Peter Parker and it's not really that close. PS: It made me feel like Spider-Man.

- NieR: Automata: Went into it expecting your standard fare Platinum Games' game (which is was enough to sell me on it), got just that plus one of the most touching stories in gaming this decade, accompanied by one of the best soundtracks of the generation and the best credits ever.

- Papers, Please: Some dude thought "Hey, I'm gonna make a game about working at a border crossing, and the gameplay will be intense, addictive and a great vehicle for storytelling". And somehow, he absolutely nailed everything he set out to do. And then the same dude said "Next time I'll make people play as an insurance inspector and I'll nail that too", and he did but Papers, Please worked better for me.

- Red Dead Redemption 2: It's not perfect. Rockstar's mission design is really in need of modernization. But it's the single best open world in any game whether you're judging it on graphical fidelity, how organic the world feels, how much it invites exploration, how large it is, ... Arthur Morgan's story is also one of the greatest I've seen this generation.

- Rocket League: I'm not much of a multiplayer gamer, but the virtually infinite skill ceiling in this game makes me constantly come back to play it a lot for a few months every now and then. Every time I play I get noticeably better and nailing a shot you couldn't have dreamed off a while ago is extremely satisfying, unfortunately despite it being the game I've played the most probably ever, I'm still absolutely trash so I guess I'll just have to keep playing a while longer.

- The Last of Us: My favorite game this past decade. It might even be my favorite game ever. Featuring my favorite character in any game. A true leap forward for storytelling in games, on par with the best TV Shows and even better in some ways. So many tense gameplay moments, gut wrenching scenes, bittersweet dialogues, ... There is so much I love about this game that it would take me hours to list it all. Hours more to explain why it worked so well for me. Its only flaw is that it doesn't play as well as its sequel.

- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: I absolutely loved it. I also hated how flawed it felt to me, because to this day it just seems like there's so much untapped potential hidden behind its flaws. It could've been the best game I've ever played, but it will have to settle for being one of the best games of this decade. Can't wait for the sequel.

- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: What if the next Indiana Jones movie was a game but also better than any Indy movie could ever be? Welcome to Uncharted 4. Nathan Drake is both more infuriating and more relatable than ever. The gameplay is a step up from earlier installments in the franchise in every way. It looks stunning and it takes you on one of the most breathtaking journeys I've experienced.


[x] Death Stranding

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Marvel's Spider-Man

[x] NieR: Automata

[x] Papers, Please

[x] Red Dead Redemption 2

[x] Rocket League

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

 

[FashionTarkus]

[x] Bloodborne

[x] Breath of the wild

[x] Dark Souls

[x] Dishonored

[x] Fallout: New Vegas

[x] Journey

[x] Monster Hunter World

[x] NieR: Automata

[x] Persona 5

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

[Deleted member 10737]

Why do BotW and Super Mario Odyssey have 2 options? Won't that mess up the voting?

Click to shrink...

there's multiple options for a lot of games, and some people are voting for a game twice in their vote (not to mention all the votes for 2020 games). good luck to people who are gonna be tallying the votes.

 

[Bushido]

Why do BotW and Super Mario Odyssey have 2 options? Won't that mess up the voting?

Click to shrink...

If people vote twice for it (like you did), then certainly, hehe...

 

[jesu]

I'll try....
[x] Borderlands 2

[x] Dying Light

[x] Fallout: New Vegas

[x] Forza Horizon 3

[x] Forza Horizon 4

[x] Mass Effect 2

[x] Mass Effect 3

[x] Rise of the Tomb Raider

[x] Shadow of the Tomb Raider

[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[x] Titanfall

[x] Tomb Raider (2013)

[x] Dead Island

[x] Dead Island: Riptide

[x] Forza Horizon

[x] Forza Horizon 2

[x] Gears Of War 3

[x] Need For Speed: Most Wanted

 

[Hyaku Shiki]

[x] Astro Bot: Rescue Mission

[x] Bloodborne

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Horizon Zero Dawn

[x] Journey

[x] Mass Effect 2

[x] NieR: Automata

[x] The Last Guardian

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Last of Us Part 2

[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

[x] Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

 

[Common Knowledge]

- Breath of the Wild: One of the only games to make me feel like a little kid again and getting absorbed in the game's world. It's the game that most reminded me of why I ever fell in love with gaming in the first place.

-Witcher 3: Possibly the most fleshed out game world I ever experienced. An open world game in which the sidequests often overshadow the main story with their twists and turns. And let's not forget the two greatest expansions ever made for a video game.

-Fire Emblem: Three Houses: Gracefully blended the old style of FE games with the more modern aspects to renew my excitement for the future of the series. An amazing set of characters with motivations that are endlessly discussed and debated about. It's incredible a Nintendo game of all things has caused this much discourse on its plot and characters.


[x] Fire Emblem: Three Houses

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

[King of Cups]

[x] Batman: Arkham Knight

[x] DOOM

[x] FEZ

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Hotline Miami

[x] SteamWorld Dig 2

[x] Super Mario Odyssey

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 

[Mike Armbrust]

Was very hard to bring it down to just 20 games. I focused on games that I had a personal connection with, instead of trying to list the "objectively" best games.

AC Odyssey and Black Flag get honorable mentions for both being incredible games. I also wish I could fit The Last Guardian because the game was amazing in a lot of ways, but I don't think about it that much nowadays.
[x] Death Stranding

[x] Elite Dangerous

[x] FEZ

[x] God of War 3

[x] Heavy Rain

[x] Horizon Zero Dawn

[x] Kerbal Space Program

[x] Life is Strange

[x] LittleBigPlanet Vita

[x] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

[x] SOMA

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Witness

[x] Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

[x] What Remains of Edith Finch

[x] Detroit

[x] Puppeteer

[x] Uncharted: Golden Abyss

[x] Killzone: Mercenary

[x] The Unfinished Swan

 

[Ashdroid]

I'm huge on good writing and good narratives in games, and Disco Elysium has some of the best. Gone Home is a really great narrative experience and is the only game I've ever really felt a connection to. Firewatch also has great writing that made me feel like I was reading a good novel. Orwell uses its writing to allow you to snoop NSA-style and has very unique gameplay because of that. Dragon Age: Inquisition has some of the best dialogue writing; as with DA:O, talking to my companions was my favorite part of this already very enjoyable game.

After good writing, good exploration is key to a great game for me. It was seeing Dark Souls 3's level design that got me interested in it enough to learn to love the combat. I walked over every square meter of Skyrim, finding unmarked locations, environmental storytelling, and the occasional lost treasure chest at the bottom of a lake. Ubisoft's open worlds really don't do it for me, but Far Cry 3 and its lush green mountains were just really fun for me to walk, climb, and hang glide all over. Horizon: Zero Dawn's open world, however, did definitely do it for me; the large and interesting world combined with fun combat and really interesting lore made this game difficult to put down until I'd finished it. Dishonored gives a different type of exploration, allowing me to view streets and building as puzzles to be solved as a stealthily as possible. Dishonored 2 improved on its predecessor's level design and created some very interesting and dynamic areas. Hitman 2, like the rest of the series, offers a similar type of exploration; it has fun-to-explore locations as well as fun-to-explore "solutions" to its "puzzles" ("puzzles" meaning murder).

The Witness has excellent, and occasionally delightfully frustrating, puzzles; its story didn't really do it for me, but I enjoyed many of the philosophical audiotapes that were scattered around the island. Portal 2 has fun puzzles, a surprisingly good story, and locations that, despite being linear, I really enjoyed exploring.

Journey has an entirely linear world, but being paired up with an anonymous player who may be seeing the world for their first time or their 30th gave each run a freshness and joy that I haven't felt in any other game.

I love spending time carefully planning optimal building designs and locations in my Rimworld colonies, and I enjoy(?) the panic and despair that follows when catastrophe inevitably strikes. I've put more hours into Rimworld than any other game, and it's not even close. The hope-despair cycle is a bit addictive to me, I think.

Rogue Legacy a pure rogue-lite that excels at it; you start out weak and, with time and a lot of dying, can get quite strong. It's simple fun.
[x] Dark Souls 3

[x] Disco Elysium

[x] Dishonored

[x] Dishonored 2

[x] Dragon Age: Inquisition

[x] Firewatch

[x] Gone Home

[x] Hitman 2

[x] Horizon Zero Dawn

[x] Journey

[x] Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You

[x] Portal 2

[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[x] The Witness

[x] Far Cry 3

[x] Rimworld

[x] Rogue Legacy

 

[Lil Peanut Brotha]

[x] Half Life: Alyx

[x] Hollow Knight

[x] Journey

[x] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Last of Us Part 2

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

 

[Quellyford]

1. Rocket League. Arguably the greatest sports game of all time. It's just fun. Cross-play so you can play with friends on any platform, tons of different fun modes, always ways to keep it fresh. But the game at its core is just fun, addictive, and an all-around masterpiece in my opinion

2. Stardew Valley. A game for anyone and everyone. Feel-good, wholesome, enjoyable experience that you can play at your own pace. Fun for hardcore gamers and non-gamers alike. Replay-ability is through the roof, co-op enabled and constant additions being made. Another masterpiece in gaming.

3. Gears of War 3. One of my favorite games of all time. Campaign was legendary, Horde mode was legendary, Beast mode was such a fun gametype. Online multiplayer was at its peak for me. It capped off the original trilogy of one of my two favorite game franchises of all time (other is Halo) in such a perfect way. Couch co-op in Gears has always been a gaming classic for me, too.

4. Forza Horizon 3. I was never even into racing games until I played FH2, and fell in love. Forza Horizon 3 came out and it was somehow a step up. I'm convinced it might remain the greatest racing game ever made. From the soundtrack, to visuals, to atmosphere, story mode, multiplayer, cars, etc. Unbelievable.

5. Halo 5. I know it's controversial, but this is personal opinion. While I agree campaign was a let-down, for me the gameplay more than makes up for it. This is the game I've played the most these last 5 years. Multiplayer is insanely fun, forge mode and custom game browser have changed the game, and the refreshing additions they always cycle through keep it fresh. But for me, there's no better action-packed shooter gameplay than Halo 5. It's been my favorite Halo since Halo 3, which might be my favorite game of all time.
[x] Forza Horizon 3

[x] Gears Of War 3

[x] Halo 5: Guardians

[x] Rocket League

[x] Stardew Valley

 

[Neo_ladeen]

[x] Disco Elysium

[x] Dishonored

[x] Mass Effect 2

[x] Outer Wilds

[x] Red Dead Redemption 2

[x] SOMA

[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

[Stefarno]

Is Persona 4 Golden considered a port? Or are ports where the versions between platforms are identical?

 

[Deleted member 59126]

[x] Bloodborne

[x] Dark Souls 3

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Hollow Knight

[x] Journey

[x] Portal 2

[x] Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2

[x] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

[x] Tetris Effect

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Witness

[x] What Remains of Edith Finch

 

[Andsello]

[x] Hollow Knight

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

[Rotobit]

Oops I pressed enter too soon to try and go down the vote list, haha. Sorry 'bout that.

 

[Smartina]

My choices are rather mainstream so there's not much to explain. Still, I love these games and they're extremely important to me.
[x] Bioshock: Infinite

[x] Disco Elysium

[x] Dishonored

[x] Gone Home

[x] Life is Strange

[x] Life Is Strange: Before The Storm

[x] Mass Effect 2

[x] Mass Effect 3

[x] Red Dead Redemption

[x] Red Dead Redemption 2

[x] Rise of the Tomb Raider

[x] Sleeping Dogs

[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Last of Us Part 2

[x] The Walking Dead: Season One

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[x] Tomb Raider (2013)

[x] Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

[x] Watch Dogs 2

[x] Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

 

[DOA]

voted mine...

a note - maybe add a counter, because counting 15-20 checked items on a list that long is pretty daunting
[x] Dark Souls

[x] Dead Cells

[x] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

[x] Hollow Knight

[x] Mario Odyssey

[x] Mortal Kombat

[x] Ori and the Blind Forest

[x] Picross S3

[x] Portal 2

[x] Rocket League

[x] Spec Ops: The Line

[x] Super Mario Odyssey

[x] Tetris 99

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

[x] Wolfenstein: The New Order

 

[F-Pina]

[x] Destiny 2

[x] Dreams

[x] FEZ

[x] No Mans Sky

[x] Puppeteer

[x] RESOGUN

[x] The Last of Us

[x] Under Siege

 

[OzBoz]

I messed up this post. My ballot is around 4 posts down.

 

[JimJamJones]

If people vote twice for it (like you did), then certainly, hehe...

Click to shrink...

Oh shoot I didn't realize I clicked both. Thanks for the heads up haha

 

[Bretstradamus]

Life Is Strange: Most immersive, emotional story I've ever played. Those feelings have stayed with me, even years later. A perfect blend of John Hughes coming-of-age films, X-Files, time travel, and small town Twin Peaks-esque mystery. Everyone needs to play this.

Life Is Strange Before The Storm: If you connected with the original, this prequel is a must play.

Life is Strange 2: The first game in this series might be my favorite, but this one comes close with the same kind of engaging characters and story the series is known for.

Final Fantasy XV: When looking at the entire media franchise (game, dlc, movie, anime, platinum demo, side scroller beat em up, novel, prologue novella, multiple soundtracks) the world and journey of FFXV is spectacular.

God of War (2018): Never played the franchise before, was blown away by the combat and world to explore.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Most fun traversal and engaging super-hero experience.

Final Fantasy XIII-2: Took everything good about XIII and made it better, improved in all areas that people criticized.

The Stanley Parable: Love games that challenge my expectations or take me by surprise, one of the few humorous games I enjoyed.

Nier: Underrated gem of the decade, and one of the most unique games in terms of music, gameplay, and characters.

Nier Automata: Doubled down on what made the original stand out, took risks, and is one of the most thought provoking games I've played. 10+ years from now I'm expecting to hear a lot of game developers cite this title as a point of inspiration.

Portal 2: Excellent puzzles and humor, took everything I loved about the original Portal and expanded in every way.

[x] Final Fantasy XV

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Life is Strange

[x] Life is Strange 2

[x] Life Is Strange: Before The Storm

[x] Marvel's Spider-Man

[x] NieR

[x] NieR: Automata

[x] Portal 2

[x] The Stanley Parable

[x] Final Fantasy XIII-2

 

[Mar-Mar]

Some of my games were released in Japan before 2010, but I included these anyway because they weren't available for anyone outside Japan. I also saw a few games like this in the list as well (999 or 428). I am a bit sad that more than half of the games I voted vor were not in the list which means I am the first one voting for these, haha.

Sorted alphabetically, my favourite games from the last decade:

CrossCode
Great puzzles, fun characters and an engaging combat system. These puzzles are something I want to see more from RPGs in general. The only time I saw puzzles on a level like this was in Golden Sun. It's kinda sad that it is so rare.

Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Sadly only released in Japan, but I was able to play a fantranslated version of this. This game has really engaging maps and great balance overall.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows Of Valentia
I fell in love with almost the entire cast. Really charming and well supported by the voice acting. I also don't think the map design is as bad as a lot of people think, but hey, that's just me.

Iconoclasts
The world building in this game is very very interesting. It really feels like a great fantasy world with so many different things than our own world. I rarely have that much fun when exploring a video game world. The plot also has some very interesting themes.

Monster Hunter World
I adore the battle system. Everything feels right about it. I also like how the story focuses more on its world than its characters which don't even have names.

Persona 3 Portable
The new perspective with a female protagonist made this game so much better I swear. I was able to relate a lot more to her answering options or the different scenes that happened because of choosing a female protagonist. I was so heavily immersed into the game that I felt really, really sad when the game found its conclusion. The only other game that was able to achieve this was Final Fantasy IX.

Pokemon X, Y
XY revived my love for the Pokémon Franchise again. There really isn't any particular reason the game brings on its own. It's just that I was able to enjoy with a lot of different people and it was also the first Pkmn game that got me interested into its competitive aspect.

Radiant Historia
I love the tactics-based battle system and the balance is great. The time-travel story is also very interesting and well done (which is kinda rare for time-travel story imo).

Resonance of Fate
Probably the RPG with the most unique battle system out there. It's kinda complicated, but after understanding it I had a ton of fun. The way the story is narrated is also intriguing.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
It's not as great as Melee, but still really fun in its own right. There are so many characters to play as with a lot of variety. It helps of course that I already feel attached to most of its characters because of all the Nintendo games I played.

Tales of Berseria
Probably my favourite Tales game. I really love its cast of characters and I like the custom combo battle system. Had a lot of fun with it even though Velvet is kinda broken, haha.

Tales of Xillia
Not gonna mess with Leia the Slayer, so here it is.

The Last Guardian
I loved the interactions with Trico. Amazing atmosphere as well. Love it.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
I really like the combat system and character customisation kinda remains me of the Djinn system of Golden Sun. But the most important thing: These games put a lot into their worldbuilding. A lot. And I love it. I also like the characters. I am really sad that the game started going down the harem route with Trails of Cold Steel because I would have liked to see more of the Trails world.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Engaging Open World, uuh Open Air, gameplay. Absolutely love the physics engine and the weapon system. Never had more fun with Open World gameplay.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Extremely underrated Zelda game. Which is weird because Zelda games usually get the praise they deserve. Currently I would say it is my favourite among the franchise though this might change to Majora's Mask depending on my mood. Same as with Majora's Mask revisiting places is something the game wants you to do and it makes you feel really attached to the world and its characters even though they are kinda simple, but that doesn't make them less likable. As with almost every Zelda game the dungeon design is magnificent.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
I am not really a fan of the gameplay tbh and it also has other issue (at least on PS4), but oh my is the story engaging. I love the choices you can make and all its characters are intriguing.

Xenoblade Chronicles X
This is probably the most progressive Japanese game I played. It deals a lot with immigration issues in all the right ways and while romance or sexuality isn't really a topic it still casually mentions how one of the playable characters has two dads. I also find the world building really interesting and I love how the story is a lot about how the planet functions. Also: Elma for Smash and no Rex please. :P

__________________

My top choices:

[x] Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows Of Valentia

[x] Monster Hunter World

[x] Pokemon X, Y

[x] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

[x] The Last Guardian

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[x] Xenoblade Chronicles X

[x] Tales of Berseria

[x] Iconoclasts

[x] CrossCode

[x] Persona 3 Portable

[x] The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC

[x] The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC

[x] Radiant Historia

[x] Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem

[x] Tales of Xillia

[x] Resonance of Fate

 

[OzBoz]

I have a lot of platformers and "graphic adventures" on my list, as they're my favorite genres. My top two of the decade are The Witness and Nier:Automata; the rest I don't have any order for.

Some notes on the games that didn't get prior votes:
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The craziest fighting game of the decade. It could have used a few patches -- Vergil is too good, the infinites get boring. Doom's footdives never get old, though.
Obduction: Graphic adventure from the creators of Myst with many similarities to Myst. The initial release had serious framerate issues on every platform; there's been a patch that lessens those issues.
Volgarr the Viking: Kickstarted NES-hard platformer similar to the Ghosts 'n Goblins series.
Dicey Dungeons: roguelite with a silly combat system and a good sense of humor.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom: another Metroidvania, this one with a great cartoon look and a huge map.
La-Mulana Remake: substantially different puzzles and bosses from the 2005 PC original, so I'm saying it counts. This is by far the hardest game on my list. There's a puzzle around 2/3rds of the way through that gives Castlevania II's "kneel with a crystal here" "puzzle" a run for its money.

The reason I don't have much Nintendo on this list is that I don't own their last two systems. I am missing out, I know.

I wanted to vote for Desktop Dungeons (alpha version) but the rules say no pre-release versions are allowed. A shame -- it's much better than the commercially released version.

[x] Axiom Verge

[x] Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

[x] Ghost Trick

[x] Gorogoa

[x] Hollow Knight

[x] Journey

[x] NieR: Automata

[x] Super Mario Maker 2

[x] The Witness

[x] Thimbleweed Park

[x] Undertale

[x] Xenoblade Chronicles

[x] Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

[x] Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

[x] Obduction

[x] Volgarr the Viking

[x] Dicey Dungeons

[x] Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

[x] La-Mulana Remake

 

[kenta]

Spelunky and Dark Souls have been hugely influential on the industry at large, I think they belong on this list for sure.

Personally, this decade saw me discover and lean way into Yakuza, Persona and Dragon Quest, so I'm putting those in my list as well.

And then God of War, which was great and I think will stand the test of time. Outer Wilds was unique and affecting in a way I didn't expect. And Astro Bot was remarkably fresh and creative.

[x] Astro Bot: Rescue Mission

[x] Dark Souls

[x] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

[x] God of War

[x] Outer Wilds

[x] Persona 4 Golden

[x] Spelunky

[x] Yakuza 0

 

[Pafnucy]

So many great games to choose from, this is hard! Top 3:
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - game of all time, the ultimate RPG, perfect ending of the witcher trilogy
2. Mass Effect 2 - the amazing space oprera back from the times when Bioware were kings of the RPG
3. Red Dead Redemption 2 - masterpiece in storytelling, rockstar's best work yet


[x] Batman: Arkham City

[x] Beat Saber

[x] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

[x] Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

[x] Dark Souls

[x] Deus Ex: Human Revolution

[x] Grand Theft Auto V

[x] Hearthstone

[x] Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

[x] Hotline Miami

[x] Kingdom Come: Deliverance

[x] Mass Effect 2

[x] Mordhau

[x] Red Dead Redemption 2

[x] Tales From the Borderlands

[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[x] The Walking Dead

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[x] The Wolf Among Us

[x] Total War: Warhammer II

 

[dasu]

I aspire to pick the most "important" games of the decade as simply picking my "favorite" games would introduce a level of subjectivity to the proceedings that would be debilitatingly counterproductive. Furthermore, I have opted to only pick games that I have no personal experience with, which will allow me to maintain unbiased objectivity in this most scientific of efforts.

(although I joke, I do think that "important" is a more useful a metric than "good" for game of the decade)

Edit: Ooh. I wish I had put Dark Souls as that game is obviously super influential. I forgot that it was part of this decade. Anyhow, I'm sure that it will get plenty of representation anyways, so I feel no obligation to re-vote to fix my oversight.

[x] Fortnite

[x] Gone Home

[x] Hearthstone

[x] Pokemon Go

[x] Candy Crush Saga

 

[wbloop]

That should be a pretty comprehensive list overall. From all of those I consider either Mario Galaxy 2 or God of War 2018 to be game of the decade. Both are basically in my top 3 of all time, with Galaxy 2 probably tying for favorite game of all time with Galaxy 1. Best multiplayer game for me probably was Battlefield 4. I sunk over 600 hours into it and I throughly enjoyed my time with it. It was never that good again afterwards.

Oh, and more love for Wolfenstein: The New Order. Game of the Gen for me with God of War.
[x] Battlefield 4

[x] Bloodborne

[x] Borderlands 2

[x] Danganronpa 2

[x] Dark Souls

[x] Deus Ex: Human Revolution

[x] Final Fantasy XIV

[x] Final Fantasy XV

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Grand Theft Auto V

[x] Journey

[x] Mario Kart 8

[x] Ori and the Blind Forest

[x] Red Dead Redemption

[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2

[x] Super Mario Odyssey

[x] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

[x] The Last of Us

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] Titanfall 2

[x] Vanquish

[x] Wolfenstein: The New Order

 

[Zen]

FFXIV for me. Would also vote CT, FFVI, and Xenogears if I could haha.
[x] Final Fantasy XIV

[x] Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward

[x] Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers

 

[elprovider]

[x] Alan Wake

[x] Celeste

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Gorogoa

[x] Guacamelee!

[x] Inside

[x] Last of Us

[x] Pokemon Go

[x] Splatoon

[x] Super Mario Maker 2

[x] Super Mario Odyssey

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

[x] Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

 

[Deleted member 51789]

[x] Alan Wake

[x] Breath of the wild

[x] Celeste

[x] God of War (2018)

[x] Gorogoa

[x] Guacamelee!

[x] Inside

[x] Last of Us

[x] Mario Odyssey

[x] Pokemon Go

[x] Splatoon

[x] Super Mario Maker 2

[x] Super Mario Odyssey

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[x] Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

[x] Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Click to shrink...

You have Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild in your ballot twice :)

 

[elprovider]

You have Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild in your ballot twice :)

Click to shrink...

They were listed twice, I'll delete the ones where it's not the full name.

 

[DinoBlaster]

Apparently TLOU 2 is so good that it transcends decades lol