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

  • +36

    The Witcher

  • +12

    Wii fit
    great set of games and.supposingly lost weight at the same time

    the banter from the game was hilarious

  • +31

    Skyrim. Large freely explorable world with so many side quests that you could ignore the main storyline and still have hundreds of hours of play plus massive community mod support. Released in 2011 and if I had time I'd still be playing it today.

    • +1

      My wife and I each have multiple characters in the game. We're both surprised at the replayability factor. The PC version with all the mods is far superior to the console.

      • Not to mention essential, so many long-standing issues are only fixed by the unofficial community patches.

        • +1

          Standard operating procedure from Bethesda. Why pay to fix your game when the community can do it for free?!

    • Wow, hard to believe Skyrim isn't 10yrs old already. Always spend days (10+hrs) getting my mods downloaded and installed and optimising the load order and tracking down compatibility fixes to get it all working nicely and then play for 2hrs.

    • Skyrim for me as well. A few games come close, but Skyrim is still the best open world to get lost in. Honorable mention to GTAV and Zelda: Botw. While I like RD2 it didn't quite become a favorite and while I enjoy Witcher 3 it is not truly open world so it doesn't make the list. Open world ftw.

  • +31

    GTA V. Opened my door to a new type of gaming. This is coming from someone who played Space Invaders in arcades at release.

    • Yes same for me. And I was around for the original spacies too.

  • +10

    Monopoly for Millennials

    • thanks for reminding me, getting in and out of facebook jail and later ozbargain jail it is time to go back to the board game!

  • +4

    Anthem or No Mans Sky. Hard to choose

    • +6

      Anthem is a strange choice, but No Man's Sky is indeed incredible now.

      • +4

        Never played either but it's amazing how no man's sky pulled itself out from the absolutely horrendous release to what it is now. A developer that copped the criticism and made a crap product great.

        • I wasn't close to the drama but I have to give them props for actually sticking to the game instead of distancing themselves from it.

    • Anthem? Game of the decade? The game that is basically dead about a year after release and has been abandoned by it's developers? Game of the decade?!

      • +16

        I think it was a joke

        • Damn, I hope so

          • +3

            @Nereosis:

            basically dead about a year after release

            A year? Anthem was dead about a month after release. No Man's Sky needs the "comeback of the decade" title though.

            I went back to Anthem about 2 weeks ago to see if they had pulled off a "No Mans Sky" with Anthem… Nope. They have improved on the bugs, but damn, it's an empty, hollow game. Nothing to do, no reason to go on with it. It's one of the few games that I start up and think "WTF am I even going to be doing?"

            Visually stunning, Iron Man suit flying is awesome… shame that once the cover is lifted, it's just a blank piece of paper underneath.

            I think it was a joke

            :)

    • +1

      Hahaha! This has to be a joke post.

      • +3

        You would think it was obvious, but it doesn't stop the butthurt, negging sheep from wasting one of their daily 5 negs on it… :D

  • +1

    Solitaire 3D - the directors cut.
    Amazing graphics when you finished successffully.

  • +23

    rocket league

    • +1

      I honestly think this could be mine too actually. Oops

    • +8

      What a save!
      What a save!
      What a save!
      Chat disabled for 3 seconds

      • +3

        Wow!
        Wow!
        Wow!

        • +1

          Need boost
          Need boost
          Need boost
          Savage

  • +2

    Darkest Dungeon. Made turn-based RPG combat actually fun.

  • +11

    Minecraft. It's the best selling game of all time (thus far), and I don't think any other game has spawned as many poor imitations. Plus, it's a great game.

    • Hm. I had a lot of other games in mind but in terms of hours spent (I bought into MC when it was in alpha…) then… Yeah definitely this.

      • -1

        I also bought it in alpha. Didn't get all future versions for free like Notch promised though :(

        • Really? As far as last year when I stopped playing, I was still getting all updates to the game. Just not the spin offs. Which version didn't we get?

          • @HighAndDry: I can only assume he's referring to the mobile version which makes sense to me why we didn't get that for free

        • +2

          You can redeem a Windows 10 copy for free with your original Mojang account.

    • I ask this of all mine craft players, I don’t understand the game, what does one do, what’s the purpose? Everytime I play it I’m lost. Yet it’s so popular…help me!

      • It's your archetypical sandbox game, but not using blocks, it managed to hit apparently the perfect balance between being complex enough to be interesting, but not so complex or realistic to be burdensome or tiring.

        The rest of it - adventuring, monsters, different worlds - just managed to keep it fresh and add to its longevity.

        • But there is no goal or objective right? you just roam around, and explore and build randomly… or has my "5 mins and lost interest" meant I'm missing the key point

          • @cloudy: Hahaha there's a kind of an objective, in that there's a hardest thing to acquire. But no, very much 99% sandbox.

            • @HighAndDry: This is pretty much why I don't get it and find it utterly boring. I want my games to be have objectives, competition, challenge or some end goal. But as with all entertainment no one thing is for everyone.

      • +1

        It helps if you are 8-12 years old

      • You make your own goals, like build a house. Mine some minerals. Essentially it's an exploration and survival game.
        Like you explore to find new materials then see what you can do with them. Then once you have good equipment you can go see different terrains etc.
        It's sort of therapeutic, you mine and you craft and your own leisure.
        I think with any game your personal goal is to see what else the game has to offer, whether that's through linear progression or not.

  • +3

    Zero Time Dilemma, 3rd part of a trilogy I absolutely loved. The combination of great story and plot twists that keep you super engaged as well as good game play makes this game my favourite to date. I'm currently playing Breath Of The Wild as well, I kind of liked the Spirit Tracks/Phantom Hourglass versions more :P

    • Virtue's Last Reward was better I think.

      Zero Time Dilemma quite noticeably janky and the 3d models somehow looked worse.

    • ZTD is the weakest of the trilogy most would agree..

  • I think for me it was Crysis series as I game on a PC it was for many years the graphic benchmark game play was good had some plot Skyrim like others have said takes time but works well

    • +3

      I think you're referring to Crysis 1 and that released in 2007, not last decade.

  • +5

    Crusader Kings II

    It's amazing. 3rd highest hours on my Steam account (770)

  • +16

    For me personally Battlefield 4 Great game better than BF1 and BF5.

    • +8

      BF3>

      • +6

        BF3 was better than BF4 IMO too. The combat just didn't feel right in BF4.

        • I clocked up around 2800 hours on BF4 I loved it. I only played BF3 after already playing BF4 as I didn't game much after BF Vietnam only casually. So I might see BF3 different but I understand I feel the same way about the newer battlefields.

          • @aussieprepper: that's an impressive amount of hours on bf4! I got about 500 on bf3 but when bf4 came out, it just didn't grab me. think I gave up after 30hrs.

      • Noshahr Canals TDM… I think I played that map more than all other games I've ever played combined

        • heh yeh there were a few 24/7 canals.. I played it more than I would have liked.
          seine crossing was my fav I reckon.

          • @bohn: I reckon there still are lol
            and yes Seine Crossing was a wicked map too!

      • +1

        bfbc2 > bf3

        the only game ive clocked in more hours for is civ

    • +5

      For me bad company 2 was my favourite BF with 3 coming in close 2nd. Played a majority of them starting from 1942.

      • Yea 1942 was awesome get the boys together go to the internet cafe and lan that sh*t. At school around that time we played Quake and Carmageddon.

      • This. Only bettered by Desert combat

    • BF4 was just a re-skin of BF3. Same as BF5 was just a reskin of BF1, but at least the time-period and maps all changed. For me BF3 is definitely the best. Never played Bad Company personally but this is regarded as the best of the entire franchise.

    • +1

      Agree, BF4 was truly balanced, challenging and fun. I was let down by BF1 and BF5. Haven't played BF3, loved BF2, ground breaking at the time!

  • Fortnite?

    • -2

      Everyone hates on it but it really was the best objectively. Nothing has ever captured a player base and public knowledge like it (except maybe the first couple days of Pokemon Go) and more importantly maintained it. For over a year its had the most streamer views, active players and earnings. It's hard to argue with the numbers.
      On top of that it was the first game to truly come up with a new mechanic (building) and it managed to end the cross play deadlocks between xbox, Playstation, Switch, Mobile and PC.

      As a competitive player I hated the direction the game ended up going in, but its insane how well they managed to keep the game on top for so long.

      • +4

        I still wouldn't say it's the best game of the decade. These sort of discussions aren't so much about numbers, but about what the game did for an individual experiencing it subjectively or what it did for the gaming landscape.

        I love that Fortnite ended the crossplay barriers effectively. I loved playing it early on with friends and talking shit and having fun.

        Eventually I kinda just grew to despise it though as I started noticing it become quite a serious addiction for myself and friends who would ONLY play Fortnite and never wanted to play anything else. Made some friendships feel toxic as a result.

        Also the peer-pressure based skin and monetisation system was quite predatory.

        Finally it took a lot of time away from me experiencing other great games which sucked as I have a backlog of well over 100 games…

        I haven't played in about 6 or so months and don't feel like jumping back in any time soon.

        • +2

          Almost all your reasons listed for not liking it are based on it's crazy and widespread popularity though

          • -2

            @900dollaridoos: No, they're each based on a personal and observable factor that have influenced my life in a positive or negative manner. Not just "because it's popular".

        • These sort of discussions aren't so much about numbers, but about what the game did for an individual experiencing it subjectively or what it did for the gaming landscape.

          The first part "what a game does for an individual" is subjective and is basically another way of saying "whatever game you like is the best. Fair enough, you can have your own preferences.

          The second point (what a game does for "gaming" at large) is objective, and in that category, Fortnite has made a huge impact (regardless of whether you actually like the game).

          Eventually I kinda just grew to despise it though as I started noticing it become quite a serious addiction for myself and friends who would ONLY play Fortnite and never wanted to play anything else. Made some friendships feel toxic as a result.

          I don't understand - isn't this an indication that the game is good? At the end of the day, you can make whatever high flying arguments you want about artistic merit, but games need to sell and the more people play a game, the more it sells.

          Finally it took a lot of time away from me experiencing other great games which sucked as I have a backlog of well over 100 games…

          Again, isn't this an indication that a game is good?

          • +1

            @p1 ama: I never said the game was bad. I just said I wouldn't say it's the best of the decade.

            People becoming addicted to it like a drug isn't a good thing. That social bind to the game made me feel obliged to play due to FOMO rather than to have fun. The whole concept of "if I don't play I won't reach Tier 100 of the battle pass and I'll be worse than my friends!!" was another negative psychological impact the game created. Especially considering we were all on console and therefore had a hardcapped skill ceiling anyway due to using controllers.

            I still don't judge a game's greatness by its player base or financial results regardless.

      • +7

        You cannot claim any game is the best objectively because you will always be wrong.

        • +1

          I said objectively because I was referring purely to the numbers, which it dominates.
          The subjective stuff I agree with you, it's up for debate.

          • @900dollaridoos: I don't think that's even correct. Minecraft is a bigger game numbers wise.

            • @Nereosis: Yeah I already conceded that below in terms of the decade, I hadn't considered the decade as a whole.
              I do stand by the original objective part of my comment though, no game has hit the number heights (revenue, player base, watch time) as fortnite and maintained it for so long.
              While I can't find figures for it, I'm sure you're right about the decade though. I think Minecraft has done more in the 10 years than fornite has done it it's 2.

      • I think if you were looking for the game that had the biggest impact and the most staying power in the last decade it would have to be Minecraft. The game had its official release in 2011 and is still massive even today.

        • +2

          Yeah that is a very good point. I hadn't considered how perfect their release date was, for the decade on the whole I think you are right, it would have to be on top.
          I never really played it but it's also a really unique game too which is cool.

      • By that logic you could argue that One Direction were the best musicians, 50 Shades of Grey the best written work, Paw Patrol the best TV show etc

        • -1

          That's one of the worst straw man arguments I've heard. You deliberately chose controversial items and they aren't even top grossing. If you'd chosen the real equivalents (eg avengers endgame which was the top grosser for the decade), then yes, you've proven my logic: The numbers display what is most popular.

          • @900dollaridoos: I was highlighting the flaw in your “objective” determination. It would be more helpful if you engaged in discussion rather than trying to undermine someone with insults and condescension.

            The comparison is valid based on the criteria that you, not I, introduced as a form of making an objective call. If you are measuring merit by commercial success metrics rather than artistic merit then that is your prerogative but it is disingenuous to not apply that other art forms. Going by this logic you are more likely to reach a lowest common denominator outcome.

            I didn’t even mention a movie, not sure why you bring Avengers Endgame into it. But as you do, it was wildly popular and an enjoyable movie but it is unlikely to figure in many serious discussions about what was the greatest movie of the decade, but if it was it would be absurd to base the selection on its box office returns. Some of the greatest movies of all time barely made an impact in the box office.

            Popularity does not necessarily mean quality (nor does it necessarily mean otherwise) and that is as true in art as it is in politics or indeed anything in life.

            • @[Deactivated]: Also going by the most sales/downloads = best logic then the best game of the decade is Candy Crush Saga

      • -1

        it was the first game to truly come up with a new mechanic (building)

        What? Sorry, but this point makes no sense. Many other games in history invented mechanics/genres.

        For building stuff in FPS specifically, Garry's mod (2004) is the first I can recall but there was probably some obscure Quake mod that did it before that.

      • "Nothing has ever captured a player base and public knowledge like it"

        I would argue world of warcraft to that

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