Top 25 Games of the Decade (2000-2009) – Day 16

Top 25 Games of the Decade
(2000-2009) #1
0

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.

#10
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003)


 

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Platforms: Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, PC

GameZone Review
– 9.6

 

When gaming needed an evolution of
gameplay for the adventure genre, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was there
to answer the calling. When gamers were in dire need for beautiful animations,
thoughtful artwork and fantastic camerawork, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
was there too.

Any way you phrase it, the end
result is the same. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time helped push the Xbox,
GameCube and PlayStation 2 forward with intelligent game design, clever puzzles
and responsive controls. 

Never one to shy away from great
story telling, Jordan Mechner, the writer and game designer behind the title,
assembled an adventure that, suffice it to say, was extraordinary until the
bitter end. The villain of the story, the Vizier, was more than adequate enough
to keep gamers interested in extracting the Prince’s revenge.

Don’t mistake Prince of Persia: The
Sands of Time as a story-heavy title. Yes, the storyline grabbed hold of the
gamer and the characterizations of the Prince, Vizier, and Farah were memorable,
but the Sands of Time was a simple story that had a sweeping narrative of
vengeance; undoubtedly, though, the main attraction was the superb gameplay. 

Running across walls and performing
acrobatic flips to new heights was the reason why gamers were instantly hooked.
From beginning till the end, The Sands of Time was a gorgeous game to see in
motion. The character art stood out above the rest of the sequels due to the
personality that Mechner and the development team provided for The Sands of
Time.

Add in the wonderful
time-manipulation and breathtaking environments, Prince of Persia: The Sands of
Time was a ‘Tour de France’ of gaming excellence. 

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of
Time is a cornucopia of gameplay goodness,” Louis Bedigian,

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.

*  *  * 

You better be ready to sneak around
the battlefield with our #9 Game of the Decade.