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

[chocnut]

[x] Alien: Isolation
[x] Batman: Arkham Knight
[x] DOOM
[x] Final Fantasy VII Remake
[x] Hitman 2
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] Killer Instinct
[x] Luigi's Mansion 3
[x] Mirror's Edge Catalyst
[x] Resident Evil 2 Remake
[x] Resident Evil 3
[x] Super Mario 3D World
[x] Titanfall
[x] Xenon Racer

 

[ManOfWar]

[x] Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x] Fallout: New Vegas
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Heavy Rain
[x] Hitman (2016)
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] Journey
[x] Kerbal Space Program
[x] Kingdom Come: Deliverance
[x] Minecraft
[x] Red Dead Redemption
[x] Red Dead Redemption 2
[x] The Last of Us
[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
[x] Undertale

 

[Mubrik_]

[x] Bloodborne
[x] Death Stranding
[x] Far Cry 3
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Grand Theft Auto V
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] inFamous: Second Son
[x] Just Cause 2
[x] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
[x] NieR: Automata
[x] RESOGUN
[x] The Last of Us
[x] Bloodborne: Still a stellar game, enjoyed every second i put into this, gameplay, music, art. Love it
[x] GOW: I love this series, gow3 being one of my fav games of all times, I am glad SSM delivered, big change of pace but love it all
[x] Nier: Combat and music so good, flows so naturally. loved the story as well!
[x] GTAV: Name speaks for itself, rockstar at the top of their game
[x] TLOU: Still remember playing this on grounded difficulty for my first play through, stuck on a level for a week. Game pushed me hard just as much as the story, hell of a game.

 

[Ajax125]

[x] Battlefield One
[x] Battlefield: Bad Company 2
[x] Fallout: New Vegas
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Monster Hunter World
[x] P.T.
[x] Titanfall 2

 

[NavyPharaoh]

[x] Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
[x] Bayonetta 2
[x] Dead Space 2
[x] Dishonored
[x] DOOM
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] Hyper Light Drifter
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Prey
[x] Red Dead Redemption
[x] Sunset Overdrive
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] XCOM: Enemy Unknown

 

[LatscherGnu]

Bloodborne: my favorite game ever, it just nails atmosphere and lore/story to create a world i love exploring

Dark Souls 2: the multiplayer kept me coming back again and again, a feat the other souls titles didn't manage (even though they are very good and better in many regards)

Disco Elysium: impressive, this set a new high in storytelling for me and i hope it has inspired many to aim to match it

Dishonored: intriguing world, excellent gameplay

Hollow Knight: an amazing metroidvania that just keeps on giving

Mass Effect 3: i love Mass Effect and some of the scenes in 3 have stayed with me since, some of the most impactful moments in gaming i've experienced even if the ending was a trainwreck

Nioh: the best third person action combat i know outside of Nioh 2

Outer Wilds: an explorers dream, all you do i gain knowledge and it makes all the difference

Rocket League: played this one to death, even if i've soured on it a bit, the numbers don't lie, many many hours of fun have been had

Transistor: similar an ME3, an experience that has stayed with me much more than other games because it hit the right notes at the right time

[x] Bloodborne
[x] Dark Souls 2
[x] Disco Elysium
[x] Dishonored
[x] Hollow Knight
[x] Mass Effect 3
[x] Nioh
[x] Outer Wilds
[x] Rocket League
[x] Transistor

 

[Deleted member 543]

[x] Bloodborne
[x] Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Pathologic 2
[x] Resident Evil 2 Remake
[x] Resident Evil VII
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] The Outer Wilds
[x] Undertale

 

[QFNS]

[x] Dark Souls
[x] Dead Cells
[x] Disco Elysium
[x] Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
[x] Shadowrun: Dragonfall
[x] Spelunky
[x] Xenoblade Chronicles
[x] Yakuza 0

 

[sushimonster85]

[x] Bloodbourne
[x] Fallout: New Vegas
[x] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
[x] Red Dead Redemption

 

[Nameless]

[x]Bloodborne
[x]Dark Souls
[x]Devil May Cry V
[x]Divinity Original Sin II
[x]Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
[x]Fallout: New Vegas
[x]Kingdom Come Deliverance
[x]Mass Effect 2
[x]Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
[x]No Man's Sky
[x]Outer Wilds
[x]Pathologic 2
[x]Prey
[x]Red Dead Redemption 2
[x]Resident Evil 2
[x]The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x]The Last Guardian
[x]The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild
[x]The Talos Principle
[x]The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

[bigf00t]

[x] Beat Saber
[x] Dark Souls
[x] Diablo 3
[x] FTL: Faster Than Light
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Path of Exile
[x] Portal 2
[x] Slay the Spire
[x] Spacechem
[x] Super Meat Boy
[x] SuperHOT
[x] Tales of Maj'Eyal
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Swapper
[x] The Witness
[x] What Remains of Edith Finch
[x] Destiny
[x] Warframe
[x] Binding of Isaac
[x] Dungeons of Dredmor
[x] Grim Dawn
[x] Insurgency
[x] Rocket League
[x] Rayman: Origins
[x] Warframe
[x] Uncharted 4
[x] Red Dead Redemption 2
[x] Journey
[x] Outer Wilds
[x] Dishonored
[x] Titanfall
[x] INSIDE
[x] Overwatch

 

[Rudakus]

Some instant Classics, some others like Alpha Protocol that were just great games with unique elements that should be recognized for what they brought to the table real well, and some that are just a goofy good time like South Park.

[x] Alpha Protocol
[x] Beat Saber
[x] Bloodbourne
[x] Civilization V
[x] Dark Souls 2
[x] Fallout: New Vegas
[x] Persona 4 Golden
[x] Persona 5
[x] South Park: The Stick of Truth
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

[DinoBlaster]

Extremely curious to see who gets 4th place...

 

[decoyplatypus]

[x] Celeste
[x] Crusader Kings 2
[x] Dark Souls
[x] Disco Elysium
[x] Divinity: Original Sin 2
[x] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
[x] Fallout: New Vegas
[x] FTL: Faster Than Light
[x] Hollow Knight
[x] Invisible Inc.
[x] Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
[x] Portal 2
[x] Return of the Obra Dinn
[x] Shadowrun: Dragonfall
[x] Shovel Knight
[x] Super Mario 3D World
[x] The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Undertale
[x] XCOM 2: War of the Chosen


-----------------------------

Some notes on my selections (in alphabetical order):

Celeste's story is overrated, but the game is not.

Crusader Kings 2 was an all-too addictive story machine. Dynastic politics have never been so grindy. Probably my most-uninstalled game.

Dark Souls was the most fun I had in a single-player game this decade. It was also the single-player game I replayed most often (non-TBS division). And it was certainly the game I thought about most. The geography of Lordran, the descent into Blighttown, and the strange, low-fi voices are all fixed in my memory.

Disco Elysium's choices are so numerous and their consequences so varied that (due in part to the game's central conceit) you almost feel as though you are in dialogue with the writers. I do wish they'd pared back on the background lore -- there's enough dialogue as it is. DE's systems designers deserve a ton of credit too. DE is a master class in integrating character systems with the game's themes.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 has the same systems-driven combat and puzzles as Original Sin 1, but the characters, story, and world design are a massive leap over what was already a modern classic. 4-player co-op made OS2 arguably the best "single-player" RPG value proposition of the decade.

It may say something about DKCTF's reputation that I am slightly less fond of the game than Era (water levels are better than in the SNES games, but they're still not much fun imo, and the game could use another world or two) and still I count it among my very favorite platformers. I keep a completed save so that I can dial up the K levels and final two stages like well-loved songs.

Fallout: New Vegas is an all-time top five RPG for me on the strength of its quest design and factions.

FTL is just what the dog meme says. Managing various ship stations and crew members in a compact, top-down frame via RTwP is an ingenious design. Roguelikes have never been quite my taste, but when the hook is this good, I will restart again and again.

Hollow Knight's iffy design choices (scattering money, compass costing an equipment slot, corpse run) make for a clumsy start. But the game just grows and grows -- literally, it's one of the largest and most open Metroidvanias I've played. It's beautifully balanced between platforming and combat. And the artwork is endlessly charming. I think what impressed me most on my second playthrough was the story. It's a rare game where delving deeper into the world's mysteries can surprise and delight the player.

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire was not the unambiguous BG1->2-style leap that many were hoping. But it's still one of the best isometric, party-based RPG out there. And it does outdo BG2 in some important respects. It has the best combat in the subgenre, the best itemization (by far), the most impressive central city, and fantastic quality-of-life mechanics. It's a real shame we're unlikely to see POE3.

Portal 2 is the comic puzzle-platforming of the first game with (a recurring theme in this list) the enormous value add of co-op.

Return of the Obra Dinn is the most captivating detective game of the decade. Killer premise. Immersive art and sound design. Fun music. I wish it were just a little more intuitive to operate the game's toolkit.

Shadowrun: Dragonfall might be the most well-rounded RPG of the past decade. Great characters and story, solid combat, tons of role-playing choices. And 18-20 hours is a perfect runtime. The drag of it is that format wears thin even in that short run time, with every stop at the hub a circuit to exhaust (extensive) dialogue trees.

Shovel Knight is pure joy.

Super Mario 3D World is a strong, obstacle-course-style Mario made 100x better by the availability of 4P co-op. Horrible having to decide whether to list this or Galaxy 2, but here we are.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is the best Zelda of the past decade. Perfectly paced. I just wish the dungeons were a bit more challenging.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not quite my model Zelda game (though it is infinitely preferable to Skyward Sword), and a hundred frustrating design decisions leave the experience feeling thinner and less rewarding as you go along. BUT it is a genuine pleasure (one of the most memorable of the last decade) to explore the world, which is not something I can say for many other open-world games. And I think disappointment about the Divine Beasts' aesthetics and number has actually left them somewhat underrated as large-scale puzzles.

Undertale arrived well after I'd lost my patience for dialogue-heavy JRPG-type games, but its story and music really were special, and I'm glad ERA talked me into the game.

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is a long campaign that, every time I finish, I want to (and often do) start all over again.

Finally, an honorable mention to Nintendoland, one of the best local multiplayer games ever. I could only justify bumping it from my ballot by reflecting, again, on how annoying it is that Nintendo never released additional maps for Mario Chase or Animal Crossing: Sweet Day.

 

[TheSix]

[x] A Short Hike
[x] Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
[x] Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Gravity Rush 2
[x] Octopath Traveler
[x] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] The Wolf Among Us
[x] Yakuza Kiwami
[x] Yakuza Kiwami 2

 

[Gift of Fury]

Bloodborne
My introduction to Fromsoft games and my favorite game of the last decade. That feeling when you figure out a defeat a tough boss or open a shortcut is fantastic. The atmosphere and world building are also great.

Portal 2
A sequel that builds on its excellent predecessor. Awesome puzzles, perfect pacing and genuinely funny writing keep you going until the end.

Mass Effect 2
I loved the entire Mass effect Trilogy. This one stands out as the best. The combat gameplay is a vast improvement over the first Mass Effect and the story is more consistent than Mass Effect 3. The characters and missions you go on with each of them are the highlight.

Nier Automata
The combat isn't as good as other platinum games (see Bayonetta below), but It has an affecting story that takes advantage of the video game medium. The soundtrack is amazing.

Rocket League
The best multiplayer game of the decade. Instantly fun with an almost unattainable skill ceiling.

The Witness
This might be my favorite puzzle game of all time. Leveling up your personal knowledge to advance through the game is brilliant.

Dark Souls
I was late to the party on this one as I played it last year. It's a fantastic game that popularized the genre.

Undertale
The game play and graphics are not anything special, but the story and soundtrack are.

Journey
A perfect and moving video game experience.

Street Fighter V
The launch was shaky and the game still lacks some polish, but it is my favorite fighting game of the decade. I have put more hours into into it than any other game in that time.

Celeste
Tight platforming gameplay with excellent music.

Dark Souls 3
I just finished playing this and am not ready to put it above the original, but it is a more refined game in almost every way. The boss fight quality is definitely more consistent than the first one.

Bayonetta
The combat is just a ton of fun in this game.

Hollow Knight
Of the "metroidvania" style games I played in the decade (Guacamelee, Axiom Verge, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night), this is probably the best. Some of the bosses are a little too bullet-hell for my tastes, but the exploration, controls, and atmosphere are top tier.

God of War (2018)
An excellent reboot of the series. The narrative is more mature and the graphic presentation is among the best of the generation.

[x] Bayonetta
[x] Bloodborne
[x] Celeste
[x] Dark Souls
[x] Dark Souls 3
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Hollow Knight
[x] Journey
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] NieR: Automata
[x] Portal 2
[x] Rocket League
[x] Street Fighter V
[x] The Witness
[x] Undertale

 

[Wanderer5]

[x] Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Super Mario Odyssey
[x] Guild Wars 2
[x] Journey
[x] Dishonored 2
[x] Resident Evil 2
[x] Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
[x] Bayonetta 2
[x] Lara Croft GO
[x] DUSK
[x] Prey
[x] Minecraft
[x] Portal 2
[x] Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
[x] Resident Evil 7

 

[Coldbrewblac]

[x] Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

[Pooh]

Doing this list reminded me what a great year 2010 was.

Anyway, Breath of the Wild is the easy choice for Game of the Decade. It's also the correct choice. An absolute masterpiece, and Aonuma's best contribution since Majora's Mask.

I loved a lot of games over the decade, and I tried to limit myself to the ones that really made the biggest impact on me and that I think accomplished most successfully what they were going for. That's why I picked Super Mario Maker over its sequel, and same with Splatoon. The sequels might be better, but for me these "Game of" lists are best when they're about the most impactful or memorable games. I love Splatoon 2, but Splatoon was eye-opening. It was FRESH. Meanwhile, will I ever play Pokemon GO again? Almost certainly not. But I will certainly remember the impact it had for a long, long time.

[x] 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
[x] Celeste
[x] Dishonored
[x] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
[x] DOOM
[x] Firewatch
[x] Into the Breach
[x] Life is Strange
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Papers, Please
[x] Paratopic
[x] Pokémon GO
[x] Rainbow Six: Siege
[x] Red Dead Redemption
[x] Shovel Knight
[x] Spelunky
[x] Splatoon
[x] Super Mario Maker
[x] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] Wolfenstein: The New Order
[x] Xenoblade Chronicles

 

[abrack]

There are a ton of posts without comments, are they required this year? The rules didn't explicitly state it but it seemed implied, then I think a mod said it somewhere on the first page. Morrigan B-Dubs

fake edit:
There are a ton of posts without comments, are they required this year? The rules didn't explicitly state it but it seemed implied, then I think a mod said it somewhere on the first page.

Please remember to put you thoughts on all of the games you vote for when you cast your ballot.

Also you can vote for 20 games.

Click to shrink...

Wait do we have to list a comment for every game we voted for? I voted for 20, left comments for like 8. I just want to be sure my ballot will count.

 

[Morrigan]

There are a ton of posts without comments, are they required this year? The rules didn't explicitly state it but it seemed implied, then I think a mod said it somewhere on the first page. Morrigan B-Dubs

Click to shrink...

The initial rules said as much but I don't think it's enforced 🤷‍♀️

 

[Andrew J]

The initial rules said as much but I don't think it's enforced 🤷‍♀️

Click to shrink...

Just you wait until voting closes and B-Dubs goes through the thread to permaban everyone who just posted a list without comments! :p

 

[abrack]

I read the rules post over a few times and I don't see anywhere it straight up says comments are required. It's just implied in the Q&A section where it lists "your post didn't have any comments" as a reason it might not have counted. But it also lists "votes not being numbered properly" as a reason, and these ballots aren't numbered/ranked at all, so that all seems like old info that was probably just copy and pasted before the change.

 

[Kittenz]

How was Fortnite not on this list of a couple hundred games? Y'all crazy. What they've done is next level^nth

[x] Apex Legends the best FPS -BR
[x] Dead Cells one of the GOATs in the genre
[x] Diablo 3 not at launch anyway LOL
[x] Divinity : Original Sin II perfection
[x] Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim launch month was my favorite time playing a game ever. 8-9 hours day for at least 3 weeks straight.
[x] Forza Horizon 3 greatest map but FH4 had better mechanics. Forza Horizon will forever be the most unappreciated gem franchise of the gen
[x] Forza Horizon 4
[x] God of War (2018) Should win
[x] Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer is god-tier
[x] Halo Master Chief Collection is it cheating? probably. but what it is right now is unreal.
[x] Inside perfection in a small package
[x] Mass Effect 2 the best of 3 great games
[x] Puzzle & Dragons addicting and fun
[x] Slay the Spire so good. so very good. I WILL beat Ascension 20 before I die
[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim I didn't know if it was the sone or the one under 'E' /whynotboth?.gif
[x] Titanfall ties with H5 MP for the most fun I had in a shooter...and I played a lot of shooters
[x] What Remains of Edith Finch Finally got around to it after sitting on hard drive forever. WHAT A SPECIAL GAME! Delightful. Wonderful.
[x] Fortnite one of the greatest and most important video games of all time. Just a fascinating evolution into a really interesting platform.

 

[B-Dubs]

How was Fortnite not on this list of a couple hundred games? Y'all crazy. What they've done is next level^nth

[x] Apex Legends the best FPS -BR
[x] Dead Cells one of the GOATs in the genre
[x] Diablo 3 not at launch anyway LOL
[x] Divinity : Original Sin II perfection
[x] Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim launch month was my favorite time playing a game ever. 8-9 hours day for at least 3 weeks straight.
[x] Forza Horizon 3 greatest map but FH4 had better mechanics. Forza Horizon will forever be the most unappreciated gem franchise of the gen
[x] Forza Horizon 4
[x] God of War (2018) Should win
[x] Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer is god-tier
[x] Halo Master Chief Collection is it cheating? probably. but what it is right now is unreal.
[x] Inside perfection in a small package
[x] Mass Effect 2 the best of 3 great games
[x] Puzzle & Dragons addicting and fun
[x] Slay the Spire so good. so very good. I WILL beat Ascension 20 before I die
[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim I didn't know if it was the sone or the one under 'E' /whynotboth?.gif
[x] Titanfall ties with H5 MP for the most fun I had in a shooter...and I played a lot of shooters
[x] What Remains of Edith Finch Finally got around to it after sitting on hard drive forever. WHAT A SPECIAL GAME! Delightful. Wonderful.
[x] Fortnite one of the greatest and most important video games of all time. Just a fascinating evolution into a really interesting platform.

Click to shrink...

You need to follow the format, put your comments separately from your votes

 

[delete]

[x] Bloodborne
[x] Dark Souls
[x] Demon's Souls
[x] Fallout: New Vegas
[x] Furi
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] Kentucky Route Zero
[x] Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
[x] Overcooked
[x] Papers, Please
[x] Red Dead Redemption
[x] Resident Evil 2 Remake
[x] Resident Evil VII
[x] The Last Guardian
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] Transistor
[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
[x] Untitled Goose Game
[x] Valkyria Chronicles

 

[TheXbox]

[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] Tetris Effect
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Halo: Reach
[x] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
[x] Journey
[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
[x] God of War
[x] Pyre
[x] NieR: Automata
[x] Civilization V
[x] DOOM
[x] The Last Guardian
[x] Kid Icarus: Uprising
[x] Final Fantasy XV
[x] Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
[x] Titanfall 2

I'm not sure if comments are mandatory, but I love all of these games. Some of them captivated me, some of them brought me together with my friends, and some of them simply offered an escape from my own personal difficulties, and I cherish my time with many of them where I was otherwise deeply unhappy.

While these games are not as quintessentially formative as those I played in my childhood (mostly in the previous decade), as a totemic source of solace and delight they were even more essential. I will probably play video games for the rest of my play not simply because I played all of the amazing games on this list, but because of when I played them.

 

[Deleted member 5086]

[x] A Short Hike
[x] Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
[x] Celeste
[x] Civilization VI
[x] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Gravity Rush 2
[x] Journey
[x] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
[x] NieR: Automata
[x] Outer Wilds
[x] Overwatch
[x] Persona 5
[x] Pyre
[x] Super Mario Odyssey
[x] Tetris Effect
[x] The Last Guardian
[x] The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Yakuza 0

 

[Alienware]

[x] Death Stranding
[x] Firewatch
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Grand Theft Auto V
[x] Halo: Reach
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] Inside
[x] Limbo
[x] Portal 2
[x] Red Dead Redemption 2
[x] The Last Guardian
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Walking Dead: Season One
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] Titanfall 2
[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

 

[MulderWasTaken]

[x] Alien: Isolation
[x] Control
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Grand Theft Auto V
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] Inside
[x] Portal 2
[x] Red Dead Redemption
[x] Red Dead Redemption 2
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Swapper
[x] Thomas Was Alone
[x] Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
[x] Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
[x] Wolfenstein: The New Order

 

[darksunpr]

[x] Final Fantasy VII Remake
[x] Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
[x] Monster Hunter World
[x] Okami
[x] Persona 5 Royal
[x] Pokémon GO
[x] Pokémon Sun and Moon
[x] Super Mario Galaxy
[x] Super Mario Maker
[x] Super Mario Odyssey
[x] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

 

[hunnies28]

[x] 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
[x] Dead Space 2
[x] Dragon Quest IX
[x] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age S
[x] La-Mulana Remake
[x] Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
[x] Persona 4: The Golden
[x] Pokemon Black/White
[x] Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver
[x] Red Dead Redemption
[x] Red Dead Redemption 2
[x] Shin Megami Tensei IV
[x] Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked
[x] Super Mario Galaxy
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Xenoblade Chronicles
[x] Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward


If anything, this list has given me severe backlog dread while browsing thru the different options and realizing I have still many games that I wish to play.
Anyway, I tried to keep my list on the low end until finally realizing I had already selected 18 of them. Games on this list reflect the ones that had some impact on me, to the point of nagging my friends and family about them either because I enjoyed the mechanics, game play or story.
I'm surprised Super Mario 3D land was not on the list TBH.

 

[HMS_Pinafore]

[x] Kid Icarus: Uprising
[x] Portal 2
[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Super Smash Bros Ultimate
[x] Undertale
[x] Bioshock Infinite
[x] Super Mario 3D World
[x] Stelaris
[x] The legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
[x] Fallout 4
[x] Fire Emblem Three Houses
[x] Pokemon Black and White 2
[x] Hyrule Warriors
Will fix the formatting later

 

[Zeusy]

[x] Amnesia: The Dark Descent
[x] Assassin's Creed Odyssey
[x] Batman: Arkham City
[x] Bloodborne
[x] Diablo 3
[x] Divinity : Original Sin II
[x] DOOM
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Grand Theft Auto V
[x] Marvel's Spider-Man
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] P.T.
[x] Resident Evil 2 Remake
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

[Tetryl]

Animal Crossing New Leaf - This game was my life for 6 months and I can't explain why. When I really think about it the gameplay isn't that interesting and it's very repetitive. Yet I played it to the exclusion of everything else for half a year, so how could I not put it on my list?

Call of Duty: Black Ops - Call of Duty was my multiplayer shooter of choice growing up, and Black Ops was CoD at its peak. I liked every game after less and less until I gave up after Black Ops III.

Celeste - This is the best platformer ever made. Super tight controls, great level design that teaches you how to play with very few words, and an unexpectedly good story considering what kind of game it is. I almost didn't buy it because I'm not into hard and punishing games, but I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. The game can be tough but it's very encouraging regarding its difficulty, and after playing through it and most of the b-sides I feel like I've gotten better at platformers in general. The game encouraged me to git gud.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - For all the open world fantasy RPGs there are these days, none of them are quite like The Elder Scrolls. It's a mix of the beautiful world, the immersive first person perspective, the soundtrack, the insistence on making every tiny object physics enabled, and of course the hilarious glitches. The game has been criticized for lack of meaningful choices, but I've always thought the game's inability to say no to the player made it unique. Yes, Skyrim says, you can be the Dragonborn, the leader of the Companions, Thieves' Guild, Dark Brotherhood, and Mages' Guild, the Jarl of all nine holds of Skyrim, and the General of the Imperial Army (even though you assassinated the emperor in another questline), all at the same time. Go nuts! I love it.

Forza Horizon 4 - The feel of the driving is so good that I still boot the game up on the regular just to cruise around and do the weekly challenges. Really, any of Horizon games could be on here but 4 is the best by a small margin. These games have been my "chill out and relax at the end of the day" titles of choice for nearly the whole decade, and I'm still not bored with them.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Exploration. It's a big part of why I love playing games so much, and few games do it as well as BotW. I love that you organically discover most things instead of just following the waypoint on the map and I wish more games were daring enough to trust the player's curiosity this much.

Mark of the Ninja - The perfect stealth game. The UI gives you all the information you need to stay sneaky in a really intuitive way that other stealth games never really matched. This is one of only two games on this list where I can't think of anything they could change to meaningfully improve it. As I said, the perfect stealth game.

Mass Effect 2 - I never got big into Star Wars, so the Mass Effect trilogy was my version of Star Wars. I even read a few of the books, which I almost never do for games.

Slay the Spire - I like roguelikes in theory, but I'm not very good at most of them. The reflexes and quick thinking required to beat something like Dead Cells means I can never "finish" a run. Slay the Spire, with its turn based combat, is much more my speed. I get all the time I need to plan out my next move, yet the gameplay is simple enough that I don't need to spend more than a few seconds on decision making. The pace and the pick-up-and-play simplicity mean I've played and enjoyed it more than any other roguelike I've tried.

Titanfall - Titanfall is what replaced Call of Duty in my heart. It's got the gunplay and basic movement feel of CoD, but the wallrunning, big-ass mechs, and AI grunts took it to another level. There was no going back to CoD after playing this.

The Witcher 3 - Just fantastic characters all around and an enthralling world to explore. Hearts of Stone is possibly my favorite story in any game, ever. I was one of the few who thought the combat was alright as well, but for sure it's the writing that carries this game.

[x] Animal Crossing: New Leaf
[x] Call of Duty: Black Ops
[x] Celeste
[x] Forza Horizon 4
[x] Mark of the Ninja
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Slay the Spire
[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] Titanfall

 

[Shadoken]

[x] Amnesia: The Dark Descent
[x] Among Us
[x] Bloodborne
[x] Devil May Cry 5
[x] Hotline Miami
[x] Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
[x] Monster Hunter World
[x] PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
[x] Resident Evil 2 Remake
[x] Sonic Mania
[x] Street Fighter V
[x] Streets of Rage 4
[x] Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
[x] Ultra Street Fighter IV

 

[Nisaba]

I hope I did this right, these are the games that made the greatest impact on me. :)

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2
[x] Super Mario Odyssey
[x] Xenoblade Chronicles
[x] Bayonetta 2

 

[Volkama]

[x] Bloodborne
[x] Death Stranding
[x] Divinity : Original Sin II
[x] Dreams
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Guild Wars 2
[x] Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] Journey
[x] Persona 5
[x] Pyre
[x] Red Dead Redemption
[x] Red Dead Redemption 2
[x] Return of the Obra Dinn
[x] Stardew Valley
[x] Tales From the Borderlands
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

 

[Deleted member 45614]

Breath of the Wild is one of my favourite games of all time and instantly made the Switch a great purchase.

Cuphead has a great art style mixed with a very addictive gameplay loop that I loved.

Mario Odyssey and Galaxy 2 and two great 3D platformers.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver as well as Sword/Shield are some of my favourite Pokémon experiences.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is my favourite racing game ever.

Super Mario Party is my favourite games to play with friends and family.

Octopath Traveller is a beautiful and solid JRPG.

Star Wars Battlefront blew me away looking and sounding like Star Wars and the controls in my opinion felt much better than it's sequel.

[x] Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Cuphead
[x] Mario Odyssey
[x] Mario Galaxy 2
[x] Pokémon Sword and Sheild
[x] Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver
[x] MarioKart 8 Deluxe
[x] Super Mario Party
[x] Octopath Traveller
[x] Star Wars: Battlefront

 

[Deleted member 27246]

Batman Arkham City: This game made me feel like the Batman. Asylum was nice, but a way too small world. I really enjoyed the larger world of City and the dark atmosphere

Cuphead: The art is simply gorgeous, the enemies and animations funny as hell. Tough game, but fair

God of War: Great game. Such a HUGE step forward since the last GoW.

Horizon Zero Dawn: Hunting these machines is just awesome. All the different weapons and ways to trap them are great. Story was pretty good too. Also Aloy <3

Little Nightmares: Such a cute (and scary) little game. Great art and even better atmosphere. Can't wait for the sequel

NieR: Automata: A game I slept on for a long time. Once I started playing I absolutely loved it. It was great to see that after you ' finished' the game, you only did like 40% of it. Liked it so much I platinumed it

Super Mario Galaxy: Gave me that 'fresh' Mario feeling I hadn't felt since SM64. Extremly great gameplay

The Witcher 3: I just loved all those sidequests with their great stories. Loved the dark fairytale atmosphere. DLC was also top notch

[x] Batman: Arkham City
[x] Cuphead
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] Little Nightmares
[x] NieR: Automata
[x] Super Mario Galaxy
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

[NekoNeko]

[x] Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (if I had to pick one game it would be this one)

 

[Waluigi's World]

[x] NieR: Automata
Greatest story in a game ever.

[x] Yakuza 0
Made me feel the same way I felt about playing Shenmue for the first time.

[x] Tetris Effect
Perhaps the greatest gaming experience ever.

 

[Bloodhail]

[x] Baba is You
[x] Bloodborne
[x] Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
[x] Bravely Default
[x] Cuphead
[x] Dark Souls
[x] Death Stranding
[x] Demon's Souls
[x] Detroit: Become Human
[x] Deus Ex: Human Revolution
[x] Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
[x] Fallout: New Vegas
[x] Fire Emblem: Three Houses
[x] FTL: Faster Than Light
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Grand Theft Auto V
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
[x] Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
[x] Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
[x] Monster Hunter World
[x] Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
[x] N++
[x] Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
[x] Octopath Traveler
[x] Persona 4 Golden
[x] Persona 5 Royal
[x] Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver
[x] Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire
[x] Red Dead Redemption
[x] Red Dead Redemption 2
[x] Resident Evil VII
[x] Rock Band 3
[x] Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
[x] Shin Megami Tensei IV
[x] Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
[x] Shovel Knight
[x] Sonic Mania
[x] South Park: The Stick of Truth
[x] Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order
[x] Super Mario Odyssey
[x] Terraria
[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] Tokyo Jungle
[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
[x] VVVVVV
[x] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

 

[Tortahegesztő]

1. Devil May Cry 5
   Getting a sequel after 11 years and my god it delivered!
2. Battlefield 3
   Hundreds of hours of joy, playing this with my friends. Good times.
3. Resident Evil 2 Remake
   Never played the originals, but this is what I expect when I hear survival horror.
4. The Witcher 2: Assasin of Kings
   Has it's blatant flaws, but the story is amazing and was a real looker when it came out. It was a big step for CD Projekt to get where they are now as devs and most importantly the game doesn't overstay it's welcome.
5. Dark Souls
   There has to be a From software game on the list and the OG Darksouls has something special to it. This is where the souls format really exploded.
6. Undertale
   I rarely play indie games, but this one hit me like a train.
7. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
   In one word: massive. My biggest issue with it that the gameplay wasn't nearly deep enough for such an insanely long game.
8. Life is Strange
   Man tears were shed, not gonna lie.
9. Mafia 2
   One of those kinda games that I install every few years and just replay it. It's awesome.
10. Mass Effect 2
    I played through Gears of War for the first time and was looking for more cover shooters to play and this just came out and gave it a shot. What a ride this was, and probably my favourite from the trilogy.
11. Grid Autosport
    Finally a simcade game where you don't have to start from the back and do 20 overtakes in 3 laps. You get proper racing weekends with practice and quali sessions. Thank you.
12. Doom Eternal
    With the 2016 game iD successfully reinvigorated Doom and it makes that game feel sluggish. That's how good Eternal is.
13. Dead Space 2
    Another god tier sequel. It changed up the formula just the right amount.
14. Spec Ops: The Line
    Is this a bit forgotten by now considering how much of a critical darling it was? Well I still remember it.
15. Grand Theft Auto V
    I played GTA games since Vice City but they could never keep me until the credits. This one was the first that managed to do it.
16. The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
    Oblivion was my introduction to rpg games and it blew my mind. I was so excited about Skyrim, bought it day 1 and gave me a lot of good hours.
17. The Wolf Among Us
    The world of Fables is an interesting spin on fairy tales.
18. South Park: The Stick of Truth
    I don't even like turn based rpgs, but this was like playing a special episode of the show.
19. Tomb Raider
    It's a blast of an action game with excellent movement.
20. Real Racing 3
    Like it or not mobile gaming is a thing and I grinded this game for 100+ hours for free. It was something cool and new back in the day playing on a Nexus 7 tablet and racing against times set by my friends.

[x] Battlefield 3
[x] Dark Souls
[x] Dead Space 2
[x] Devil May Cry 5
[x] Doom Eternal
[x] Grand Theft Auto V
[x] Life is Strange
[x] Mafia 2
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Resident Evil 2 Remake
[x] South Park: The Stick of Truth
[x] Spec Ops: The Line
[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x] The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] The Wolf Among Us
[x] Tomb Raider (2013)
[x] Undertale
[x] Grid Autosport
[x] Real Racing 3

 

[Black Duke]

[x] Dark Souls
[x] Death Stranding
[x] Bloodborne
[x] Demon's Souls
[x] Horizon: Zero Dawn
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] God of War III
[x] The Last of Us
[x] Resident Evil VII
[x] Destiny
[x] No Man's Sky
[x] Rocket League
[x] Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
[x] Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
[x] Rainbow Six: Siege
[x] P.T.
[x] Portal 2
[x] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x] Hotline Miami

 

[Mustafa]

[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Life is Strange
[x] NieR: Automata
[x] Persona 5
[x] Tetris Effect
[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Last of Us Part II (INELIGIBLE, 2020)
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
[x] Yakuza Kiwami

 

[givesyoustrength]

I've mostly been gaming on Nintendo platforms so I guess my list is kinda skewed!

I've tried to pick games out that I feel are actually worthy of being discussed in a game of the decade conversation.

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: I don't know if there's anything to be said that hasn't already been said. Amazing game.
• Xenoblade Chronicles X: I've just recently replayed this game and it still sticks out as the best in the franchise. It has its flaws, but the overall experience just presses all of my buttons. Amazing exploration, great moment to moment gameplay. It's not prefect, (and I can understand why many are put off), but for me it just hits the right spot.
• Pikmin 3: Just love this game. My partner and I have spent countless hours playing through the story and mission modes. I'm curious to see how it plays when it comes to switch, because I just can't imagine playing it without the wii mote.
• Super Mario Galaxy 2: 3D Platforming perfection.
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Super game. Great characters*, engaging story and a really fun battle system. Manages to overcome its flaws to become something great. *Whilst the core cast of characters have some great personalities, some of the character designs are inexcusable. Too many of the designs are overly sexualised.
• Hollow Knight: Potentially the best metroidvania yet. I honestly don't know how it will be topped. Nintendo ask Team Cherry make the next 2D Metroid.
• Xenoblade Chronicles: I couldn't believe how good this game was when it came out. Instant classic.
• Picross 3D: Round 2: I would've put the first one, but it appears to have come out in 2009 in Japan. Perfect pick up and play game.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Greatest version of Smash yet. I don't know if we'll ever see so many different characters in one game again. IT's basically a celebration of gaming.
• Fire Emblem: Awakening: Fantastic entry in the franchise.
• The Witness: Immaculately designed game. One of the few games I've seen that so perfectly seems to distill the essence of game design.
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: Generally I prefer 2D Zeldas, and this is a pretty damn good one.
• Mass Effect 2: Gameplay was tight and I really felt like every decision I made was building a unique story. Never could bring myself to play renegade though.
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: 2D platforming perfection.
• Splatoon: Eclipsed by its sequel, but Splatoon was just so damn fresh when it came out.

Honorable Mentions:

• Animal Crossing New Horizons: What a great game - and one that really seems to have captured the rest of the world.
• Pokemon Go: IMO one of the smartest game designs in history. Fantastic idea, unbelievable how successful it was (and continues to be).
• Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age S: Great game, really evoked the feeling playing an old school JRPG. Lovely art style, (just wish there was more music, and more places to explore). Loved the ability to switch to 2D mode as well!
• Tetris 99: Another genius idea.

[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Xenoblade Chronicles X
[x] Pikmin 3
[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2
[x] Xenoblade Chronicles 2
[x] Hollow Knight
[x] Xenoblade Chronicles
[x] Picross 3D: Round 2
[x] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
[x] Fire Emblem: Awakening
[x] The Witness
[x] The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
[x] Splatoon
[x] Mario Kart 8

 

[Cannon_Fodder]

I'm keeping my list to 10 games because they're the ones that really stood out to me, but there was a ton of great stuff that released this decade, including a lot of my all-time favourites. Hopefully the next ten only get better.

• Bloodborne: I went in with no expectations (I actually only picked it up because I had tried Borderlands 2, didn't like it, and traded it in for Bloodborne). Since then it's become one of my all-time favourites and introduced me to a whole new "genre" I never thought I'd be interested in. I think this also marked the first time I started caring about gameplay more than story, which was a big change for me personally.
• Devil May Cry 5: I love DMC3 and thought for a long time that nothing would top it. But boy did this game ever. I enjoy Nero's new gameplay more than anything in the series, and DMC5 fixed my top complaint with 3, namely that too many enemy types simply weren't fun to fight. DMC5 rocks.
• Divinity: Original Sin 2: For me, this is the first RPG that really delivered on the "do whatever you want" promise that so many games talk about. Once you understood how things worked, you could solve problems basically anyway you wanted. Add in really good co-op and it's almost the perfect game.
• Nioh: Nioh was a slow burn. At first I liked it, but gave up on the endgame grind. Then I came back for the endgame, and stopped short of 100% completion. Now though, Nioh is one of my favourite series in terms of gameplay, and that all started here.
• Horizon: Zero Dawn: I almost gave up on this game several times. I still think the intro is really off-putting, leaning way too heavily into jargon I don't care about. Get past that though, and you have a great action RPG with some fantastic enemies to go up against. Aloy is cool too, and the story actually had some payoff by the time the credits rolled.
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: This was my first Zelda game and it really made an impression. I love the artstyle, and I really love the approach they took to the gameplay. Everything works as you expect it to once you understand the game, giving you the freedom to approach things with whatever toolset you like.
• Mass Effect 2: Looking back on it, I don't think I'd like replaying ME2. I don't care about most stories now, and that is ME2's greatest strong suit. At the time though, ME2 mixed really fun gameplay with a great cast of characters to make a compelling game. This iteration of Shepard remains as the only MC whose dialogue choices generally matched what I actually wanted to say.
• Final Fantasy XV: FFXV is a mess. It's got more issues than National Geographic. But it also has a ton of heart and that won me over in the end. Putting the flawed main story aside, driving around the world with a group of friends, finishing quests and fishing was enough to leave an impression on me.
• Virtue's Last Reward: A great mystery with some fun characters and interesting mind games at play.
• Gravity Rush: The metric ton of creativity used in this game makes up for a lot of its flaws. Kat is one of my favourite MCs, and when you get the gravity powers working they can provide some real exhilaration.

[x] Bloodborne
[x] Devil May Cry 5
[x] Divinity : Original Sin II
[x] Final Fantasy XV
[x] Gravity Rush
[x] Horizon Zero Dawn
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Nioh
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Virtue's Last Reward

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

[x] Batman: Arkham City
[x] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
[x] DOOM
[x] God of War (2018)
[x] Mass Effect 2
[x] Super Mario Galaxy 2
[x] Super Mario Odyssey
[x] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
[x] The Last of Us
[x] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
[x] Uncharted 4

 

[1.21Gigawatts]

[x] WipEout Omega Collection