Top 100 Games of the Noughties: 20-11

What a decade it’s been for gaming. The Noughties saw the release of no less than six new consoles, the rise of Microsoft as a serious industry player and the re-emergence of Nintendo as the dominant force. Yeah, it’s been an incredible ten years of gaming goodness. But what lights have shined the brightest? What video games are destined to join the pantheon of the immortals? Here, in the ninth part of VideoGamer.com’s mammoth Top 100 Games of the Noughties list, we tell you, counting down from 20 to 11. Like the best rollercoasters, there are peaks and troughs, nerve-shredding twists and turns, and a bit where you’re really high up and wish you’d never got on the bloody thing in the first place. But hold on tight, weary video gamer, because by the time this ride ends, you’ll know just how good the Noughties have been.

Games 30-21

Games 40-31

Games 50-41

Games 60-51

Games 70-61

Games 80-71

Games 90-81

Games 100-91

20. God of War 2 – PS2, 2007

At a time when the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation was upon us, God of War 2 reminded gamers that there was still life in the PS2. In the run up to its release there was some discontent over the fact the game hadn’t been pushed onto the new, exciting PS3, but we needn’t have worried. God of War 2 was one of the best games of 2007, blowing away much of the next-gen competition, not just in terms of gameplay, but with its stunning presentation and relentless action. There’s an argument that God of War as a series is simplistic compared to the likes of Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden, but that largely misses the point. You don’t have to be a master of every combo to enjoy God of War. You just need to enjoy pulling a cyclops’ eye out.

19. Left 4 Dead 2 – Xbox 360, PC, 2009

The original Left 4 Dead was something of a pioneer, giving the whole survival horror genre a badly-needed shot in the arm with its frantic, four-player onslaughts. However, this year’s sequel takes the formula further, with Valve confidently building upon the established kill-or-die structure to create a fuller, more rounded experience. The aim of the game remains the same – escape the zombie masses while helping or hindering your three chums – but this time there are melee weapons, a more diverse selection of guns, and three new Special Infected to keep you on your toes. More significantly, the level design is sharper and more inventive – forcing survivors into a Witch-infested sugar mill, through a blinding storm, and even up the curves of a rickety rollercoaster. This is a sequel that totally outshines its forebear, offering one of the best co-op experiences that money can buy.

18. Street Fighter 4 – Xbox 360, PS3, 2009

Fighting games are judged by those in the know on two things: balance and depth. If the characters are balanced, and the fighting system is nuanced, it’s got a good chance of popping up and staying on the tournament scene. Street Fighter 4 was both balanced and nuanced, and quickly became the number one fighting game on the planet. For those not in the know, it’s still a wonderfully fun fighter – Capcom was delighted with the game being called Street Fighter 2.5 in the run up to its release. It retains the core Street Fighter 2 move set and 2D gameplay while bringing it up to date with gorgeous animations and colourful graphics. Its greatest achievement, however, is that it single-handedly rekindled interest in the fighting game genre, a genre the Noughties haven’t been kind to. Now, as fans look to the release of Super Street Fighter 4, we can say that Street Fighter 4 was a seminal release; a hugely important moment in video game history.

17. Forza 3 – Xbox 360, 2009

If you’re after the very best racing simulation ever made for consoles, Forza 3 is it. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 racer has it all: an impeccable handling model, hundreds of wonderfully modelled licensed cars, brilliant tracks, unrivalled customisation features and top class community modes. It is the complete package. Most important is how the cars feel to drive. Something about Forza 3’s handling just hits the right spot, making it a joy to get behind the wheel of every car in the game. Gran Turismo might go down as the most popular racing sim of the decade, but Forza 3 is definitely the best.

16. Project Gotham Racing 2 – Xbox, 2003

No other racing game in history has walked the fine line between racing sim and arcade racer so delicately. PGR2, Bizarre Creations’ feature-packed sequel to the Xbox launch title, delivers racing thrills like no other. The feel of powersliding simply hasn’t been bettered, and the sound of your Kudos meter ticking over is like a score-obsessed angel whispering in your ear. Once you get the hunger for PGR2’s medal hunting, there’s no going back. Platinums must be obtained, no matter what the cost to your social life. The locations here haven’t been bettered since, either, with Sydney and Edinburgh just two of the memorable places you were able to scream around in high-powered super cars. There have certainly been more technically accomplished racers since, but PGR2 nailed it where it really counts.

15. Mass Effect – Xbox 360, 2007

Mass Effect had flaws: the elevators and the planet exploration weren’t great. But they didn’t matter. Mass Effect looked and felt so perfectly sci-fi that it was impossible to resist. Taking inspiration from late Seventies/early Eighties sci-fi movies, most noticeably Bladerunner, Mass Effect managed to push geek buttons across the world. So much was so cool: the hulking, aggressive Wrex; the alien sniper Garrus; the dour elcor; the pristine Citadel; that sex scene; alien lesbians; moral conundrums; biotic powers and skin-tight space suits – Mass Effect was BioWare’s greatest, most accessible game. It was a third-person shooter one second, a hardcore role-playing game the next. Really the spiritual successor to BioWare’s own Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect was an important release; the RPG/shooter is now an established genre in its own right (Borderlands, Fallout 3). A wonderful, wonderful game.

14. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, 2007

It’s been usurped by the sequel, but CoD4 is still one of the best first-person shooters money can buy. If you played through the campaign and didn’t get caught up in the action and silly plot twists, it’s hard to imagine any game would get your attention. Moments in CoD4 will be remembered forever: your character crawling along as he sees the city around him crumbling, seconds from death after a nuclear blast; taking down enemies from the relative safety of your attack gunship, complete with terrifyingly realistic night vision; taking the shot; running through an aeroplane that’s been taken over by terrorists. CoD4 was relentless, cramming more stunning set pieces into its short campaign than many developers struggle to include in an entire series.

13. Fallout 3 – Xbox 360, PS3, PC – 2008

The collapse of Interplay and the subsequent cancellation of Van Buren – aka Black Isle’s Fallout 3 – left Bethesda with some pretty big boots to fill. The hardcore fans gnashed their teeth and the doom-mongers predicted abject failure, but Fallout 3 proved them wrong and how. As you stalked the Capital Wasteland in the shadow of a ruined skyscraper, a hunting rifle in your hand and a faithful mutt at your heels, you realised that you weren’t just playing one of the games of the year; you were playing one of the gaming experiences of the decade. Fallout’s ruined world, and the sense of danger you feel as you explore it for the first time, is an outright triumph – a place you’ll want to revisit, time and again.

12. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriot – PS3, 2008

Half of the team here didn’t even like the Metal Gear series when MGS4 hit stores. The series had seemed dated and stuck in its ways to the detriment of gameplay. MGS4 changed that, with a brand new control scheme and a campaign that delivered the best action stealth gameplay money can buy. It was helped by lavish presentation, including some obscenely long and self indulgent cutscenes, but that’s part of its charm. By the time the end credits role you know you’ve had one hell of an experience and it takes days to process exactly what happened. Perhaps more importantly, though, MGS4 features a sliver-pant wearing monkey who smokes cigarettes. How can you argue with that?

11. Uncharted 2 – PS3, 2009

We really enjoyed the original Uncharted, but something didn’t click. It had the gorgeous visuals, funny characters and gameplay mechanics seen in many of the most popular franchises, but for whatever reason it just didn’t gel together as we’d have liked. Uncharted 2 rights its predecessor’s wrongs and then some, with developer Naughty Dog delivering the PS3’s best game. On a purely technical level Uncharted 2 blows away the competition, but it’s the storyline, characters, refined gameplay and sheer location variety that wins everyone over. There are moments in Uncharted 2 that you simply can’t help but share with your friends, and that’s the mark of a real classic.

Check back to tomorrow as the Top 100 Games of the Noughties countdown ends with 10 to 1