Top 25 Games of the Decade (2000-2009) – Day 23

Top 25 Games of the Decade
(2000-2009) #3

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.

#3
World of Warcraft (2004)


 

Publisher: Blizzard
Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms: PC


GameZone Review:
9.1

 

A no-brainer on any top of the
decade list, World of Warcraft was a star that burned bright and continues to
burn bright for the latter half of the decade.

Blizzard created a MMO for everyone;
it was simple to play and understand to the point that the entire family could
play along and go questing together with no complications. This could be
perceived as a negative from the perspective of a hardcore MMOer, but alas, the
gaming industry needs to take advantage of any chance it can to expand its
audience to new demographics.

 

With a certain level of personality
due to the artwork, World of Warcraft’s look is classic and unique. Having
breathtaking environments to traverse with a different style of detail, World of
Warcraft needn’t realism but a great sense of character to set itself apart.

Having the pleasant addition of incredibly background music to set the mood,
each area felt distinctively different. The world that Blizzard created invited
gamers in and had them losing track of time instantly. World of Warcraft was an
addicting game that required several weeks of rehabilitation to even remove the
mere thought of playing it again.

Before you know it, World of Warcraft will be passing its ten year mark and
continue on proving itself as the most successful MMO ever.

“World of Warcraft is a
wonderful-looking title that is accessible and will definitely appeal to both
casual and hardcore gamers,” 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.
#7
God of War (2005)
. See the story

here.

#6
Half-Life 2 (2004)
. See the story
here.
#5
Diablo II (2000).
 See the story
here.
#4
Deus Ex (2000).
See the story
here.

*  *  * 

Asking someone to get out of their
car will never be viewed the same again in our #2 Game of the Decade