Top 25 Games of the Decade (2000-2009) – Day 19

Top 25 Games of the Decade
(2000-2009) #7

GameZone celebrates the end of a
glorious decade of gaming

The end of
the decade is upon us and it’s time to revisit the landscape of gaming that
began in 2000 with the launching of the PlayStation 2 and is now ending in 2009
with three viable console platforms in the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii.

Over the
next 25 days, GameZone will be bringing our readers the “Top 25 Games of the
Decade.” Considering how many games released in the past ten years, it was an
exhausting process to narrow down our initial list of more than 200 games to the
top 25.

Factors that
played a large part for titles that made the cut included: initial impact,
lasting impact, longevity, “standing the test of time”, popularity, advancements
in the genre, and much more.  It wasn’t easy picking and choosing between our
favorite children, but we feel the games that made our list are representative
of the decade that was.

#7
God of War (2005)


 

Publisher: SCEA
Developer: SCEA Santa Monica
Platforms: PlayStation 2


GameZone Review:
9.7

 

“Leaving the rotting carcass of the
hydra behind, Kratos set sail once more. His greatest challenge, and freedom
from his growing madness lay before him, in the ancient city, of Athens.”

The greatest triumph of God of War
was that it gave gamers exactly what they wanted: outstanding action and
glorious violence. Creator David Jaffe was also able to do one of the hardest
things in the video game industry – create a memorable character.

Kratos’ journey is a troubled one
that was worth every moment spent completing the single-player campaign.
Fighting off the many heads of the Hydra, the boss battles are out of this world
in brilliance as they capture the epic nature of Kratos’ mission.

The gameplay is simply to die for –
just ask all the God of War clones who are trying to emulate (or depending on
who you ask, imitate) the formula Jaffe helped start. Every action-adventure
game released since God of War’s debut has, for one reason or another, been
compared to SCEA’s award-winning title.

 

Not only was the gameplay pleasant,
but the graphics and animations leapt off of the television and into the living
room – God of War simply made gamers feel like they were living and breathing in
the world of Kratos.

The combat system, with all its
upgrades, kept gamers busy to the point they never were asking, “Is this all of
what God of War has to offer?” There was something new to discover around every
corner. 

Lastly, the orchestral score put
gamers in the mood for this over-the-top hack and slash title. Without God of
War, action-adventure titles wouldn’t have progressed as far as they have since
its release.

“God of War is a phenomenal bit
of storytelling, immersive and a truly incredible videogame in terms of
graphics, sound and gameplay,” Michael Lafferty,

GameZone
.

Previously announced …

#25 –
Shenmue II.
Find
the story

here
.
#24 –
Counter-Strike.
Find the story
here.
#23 –
Gears of
War.
Find the story
here.

#22 –
Guitar
Hero.
Find the story
here.

#21 –
The Elder
Scrolls III: Morrowind.
Find the story
here.
#20 – Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec. Find the story
here.
#19 – Final Fantasy X. See the story
here.
#18 – Ico. See the story
here.
#17 – Bioshock. See the story
here.
#16 – The Sims. See the story
here.
#15 – Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. See the story
here.
#14 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. See the story
here.
#13 – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. See the story
here.
#12 – Super Mario Galaxy. See the story
here.
#11 – Halo: Combat Evolved. See the story
here.
#10 – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. See the story
here.
#9
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.
See the story
here.
#8
 Metroid Prime (2002). See the story
here.

*  *  * 

Say hello to a unique melee weapon
when we reveal our #6 Game of the Decade