Top 100 Games of the Noughties: 40-31

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 seventh part of VideoGamer.com’s mammoth Top 100 Games of the Noughties list, we tell you, counting down from 40 to 31. 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 50-41

Games 60-51

Games 70-61

Games 80-71

Games 90-81

Games 100-91

40. Crackdown – Xbox 360, 2007

It’s hard to pinpoint why Crackdown is so addictive, but it must have something to do with our general desire to climb. Whether it’s the playground climbing frame, a tree in your back garden or a full-on mountain, humans want to climb things. Crackdown lets you climb skyscrapers and leap about from rooftop to rooftop, and because of that it’s awesome. This alone wouldn’t make for much of a game, but place orbs around the city and you have a reason to invest tens of hours into this Xbox 360 exclusive.

39. Metroid Prime – GameCube, 2003

Metroid’s jump to first-person could have been a colossal failure, but Retro Studios ensured it wasn’t. Not only that, it created one of the most memorable games of the last generation. More of a first-person adventure than a first-person shooter, Metroid fused the series’ traditional gameplay elements – exploration, backtracking, new weapons – with modern mechanics to create a stunning experience. The control scheme was fiddly at times, but the lavish environments, epic boss battles and detailed graphics more than made up for it. Samus Aran never looked so good, and we can’t wait for her return.

38. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – PS2, 2004 – Xbox and PC, 2005

If Vice City pushed the GTA envelope, San Andreas ripped it wide open, set fire to the post office, and the sped away on a BMX; after that it bicycled off a cliff and parachuted into a secret army base. The scope of San Andreas is bewildering, even by usual GTA standards: it starts out as a seemingly simple story about urban gangs, and yet it eventually swells up into a head-spinning cacophony of casino heists, riots and secret assignments from the CIA. It’s got parachutes, jetpacks and Peter Fonda doing the voice of a hippie called The Truth. All of this craziness stretched the technical limits of what the PS2 could handle, and you could argue that the game lacks the focus of its 80s-themed predecessor. All the same, San Andreas is easily the most unhinged of all the GTA titles, a quality that has allowed the game to retain an ardent fanbase.

37. Football Manager 2010 – PC, 2009

It’s like playing a database. We’ve heard that before, yet Football Manager (called Championship Manager in the earlier part of the decade) continues to sell by the truckload. Developer Sports Interactive has managed to take what football fans love and turn it into one of the most addictive experiences of all time. We’ve wasted thousands of hours playing Football Manager in one form or another over the years, staring at coloured circles kicking a ball about a small pitch at breakneck speed. FIFA might be good for a kick around here and there, but Football Manager requires dedication and a real investment. Even if you don’t want to give it, play for a while and there’s no escape.

36. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Xbox 360 and PC, 2006 – PS3, 2007

The success and quality of Bethesda’s Oblivion came as no surprise to PC gamers, but to console gamers, particularly new Xbox 360 owners, it was a revelation. Here was an unashamedly hardcore fantasy RPG that worked with a dual stick controller. Here was a lengthy but never boring epic adventure that could be enjoyed in the living room in front of a high definition television. Here was the game that set Fallout 3 up for the incredible success it was to enjoy as a multiplatform game. Sure, it had problems, notably the jarring dialogue, the stuttering frame rate (on console) and the punishing levelling system, but the positives well and truly cast them aside. Essential gaming for RPG fans.

35. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – PS2, Xbox, Cube, 2003

Jordan Mechner’s reboot of his own classic action platformer was brilliant, and still is brilliant, because it successfully brought the classic Prince of Persia platforming and acrobatic gameplay up to date with modern day 3D brilliance. The Sands of Time, still the best Prince of Persia game, laid the groundwork for much of Ubisoft Montreal’s future work, and indeed the acrobatic subgenre that was to mark the remainder of the decade. Altair, Ezio, Drake – they all owe thanks to the Prince’s acrobatic skills and smooth, fluid combat.

34. Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis – PC, 2001

Czech developer Bohemia Interactive Studios is the godfather of the modern war game, and Operation Flashpoint is without doubt its magnum opus. At the start, it feels like you’re playing a hiding-in-a-bush sim, a terrifying ordeal where death seems to fly at you from all angles – usually from a gunman you can barely see. Slowly, however, you learn the art of war: you hit the ground when you hear shots, keep an eye on the treeline, and use the support of your squadmates. You rise through the ranks, piloting tanks and choppers and running nerve-shredding Spec Ops missions through the green sheen of night vision goggles. And when you’re done with the campaign, the game’s editing tools and modding community provide a near endless source of further amusement. BIS have since moved on to the near-identical ArmA series, but it’s the original game that remains their tightest work.

33. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – GameCube, 2003

The sailing didn’t go down well with some, but now, looking back some six years after the game’s release, Wind Waker’s brilliance is clear to see. Link was so expressive and so emotive, that it was impossible not to feel every attack he suffered and wince every time he cried out in desperation. Yes, it was Ganondorf and Princess Zelda and the Triforce and all that stuff yet again, but it was executed so lovingly that it was impossible not to fall for its charms. Its most enduring achievement is the cel-shaded art style, once so reviled. Wind Waker looks beautiful, and was a perfect fit for Link’s subsequent DS adventures. Now, at the end of the decade, cel-shaded Link may have run his course, but fans won’t forget him.

32. Halo: Combat Evolved – Xbox, 2002

It’s dated, like all games from 2001 have, but Halo still has some of the best levels we’ve ever played in a first-person shooter. Assault on the Control Room, Two Betrayals, The Silent Cartographer, The Maw and Halo are all so fresh in our mind that it’s incredible to think how long ago we first played through them. Halo more or less defined the FPS genre for the decade, popularising recharging health, melee attacks, vehicles and two weapon slots. Never before had a console shooter featured such smart enemies. Despite fairly linear levels, Halo felt open, vehicles could be driven or flown about, and it convinced millions that the Xbox was the real deal.

31. Gears of War – Xbox 360, 2006

It was the chainsaw that did it. The chainsaw, and the incredible “Mad World” TV spot. Gears of War was bleak and grey, but it was a graphical showcase better than all that had preceded it. Xbox 360 owners hungry for a game to show off on their new high definition televisions found Gears of War a mind-blowing main course. It was a game so intense and action packed that it was impossible not to feel as if you were actually there, hugging cover as bullets whizzed past your head: Epic’s Gears of War marked the true beginning of “next-generation gaming”. Playing it now, its graphics, co-op campaign and cover system are still tremendous. Copycatted a hundred times over, Gears of War changed what was expected from third-person shooters forever.

Check back to tomorrow as the Top 100 Games of the Noughties countdown continues with 30 to 21.