Top 100 Games of the Noughties: 90-81

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 second part of VideoGamer.com’s mammoth Top 100 Games of the Noughties list, we tell you, counting down from 90 to 81. 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 100-91

90. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars – Nintendo DS, PSP, 2009

Is Chinatown Wars the greatest handheld game of all time? Certainly it’s the most technically impressive. Developer Rockstar Leeds somehow managed to recreate the spirit, scope and satire of the 3D Grand Theft Auto experience on the DS and, later, the PSP, without sacrifice. The top-down, 2.5D art style is a perfect fit for the violent, open world gameplay, and the car handling is surprisingly realistic. For some, Chinatown Wars is an even better GTA than GTA4, and there can be no higher praise, really. You can deal drugs and everything. It’s mature, funny, vast and deserving of its place among the greatest games of the decade – a bloody marvel.

89. Grand Theft Auto 3 – PS2, 2001

It’s no understatement to say that the arrival of GTA III was one of the most important gaming events of the past ten years. Rockstar may not have invented the concept of open world gaming (Elite, anyone?), but it certainly created a template that has influenced every sandbox since – we don’t have the term “GTA clone” for nothing. GTA III tends to be overshadowed by its other PS2-era cousins, so its easy to forget the game’s many fine moments: the sniping and boat destruction of “Bomb Da Base”; the missions where you help a madman to turn his wife into dogfood; the utter chaos that unfolds whenever you try to fly a Dodo – and the feeling of achievement you get when you manage to keep it airborne for longer than 30 seconds. Yes, it was eclipsed by its two successors, but given the quality of both those games, this is nothing to be ashamed of. GTA III still rocks, and how.

88. Hitman: Blood Money – Multiplatform, 2006

Have you ever fancied the idea of murdering a reclusive playboy in his luxury home while dressed as Father Christmas? No? How about preventing a political assassination by hunting down the conspirators amid a bustling Mardi Gras parade? There’s something for everyone in Blood Money – a game which carries the established Hitman formula to new heights. As before, players are given the freedom to conduct hits with as much subtlety or wanton violence as they like – but this time it’s possible to disguise your crimes as accidents. Cue lots of collapsing chandeliers, “prop” guns that fire real bullets, and a barbecue that roasts its owner alive. Blood Money boasts the best level design of the entire Hitman franchise, an achievement that ensures buckets of replay value, even when you know the stages like the back of your hand.

87. Killzone 2 – PS3 – 2009

Visuals aren’t everything, but when the game in question is Killzone 2 they matter an awful lot. It’s almost impossible to separate gameplay from presentation in this case, so core to the experience are the stunning graphics. Killzone 2’s thrilling gameplay, smart enemy AI and intense combat all get lost slightly amongst the stares of disbelief, but the game wouldn’t have gained the following it has were the core gameplay mechanics not top quality. The almost CGI-quality in-game visuals simply add the wow factor to the whole package, making the game feel special, and giving you the impression that you’re playing something ahead of its time. Everyone needs to play Killzone 2, if only to see how close to the floor your jaw ends up.

86. Batman: Arkham Asylum – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – 2009

For so many, Arkham Asylum is too good to be true. Superhero games are, usually, steaming piles of cow dung. With Batman: Arkham Asylum, London’s Rocksteady Studios changed all that. When Batman fans finally got to get their hands dirty with the fluid combat, the cool stealth and the comic book story, they realised it was more than just a good game; it was a fantastic game. With memorable voice-acting performances, (Mark Hamill’s Joker is one of the video game performances of all time), stunning boss fights, wonderful graphics and a cool, dark tone, Arkham Asylum has to go down as the greatest superhero video game of all time. Now, with the eyes of the gaming world fixed firmly on Rocksteady, we can’t wait to see where Batman skulks off to next.

85. Assassin’s Creed 2 – Xbox 360 and PS3 – 2009

Iterative sequels are often criticised, but in the case of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2, building on the original is exactly what needed to be done. The development studio took on board all that was wrong with the original, tweaked ideas that could be improved and dumped those that weren’t any fun. The result is a game that delivers thrilling missions for its entire duration, never becomes banal and is visually stunning to boot. The cities recreated in this violent third-person action adventure game are simply wonderful, a joy to explore and never dull. It’s a game that wouldn’t be possible on pre Xbox 360 and PS3 hardware, showing how advancements in the industry do rely on horsepower just as much as creative talent.

84. Super Smash Bros. Melee – Nintendo Game Cube, 2002

Super Smash Bros. Melee, or simply Melee, as it’s known, deserves its place on this list by virtue of it being one of the most fun, enjoyable and accessible multiplayer games of the decade. But it’s the unapologetic Nintendo fan service that’s most appreciated. All the classic Nintendo characters, and more, make an appearance. The big boys are represented by the usual suspects (Mario, Link et al), there are Pokemon (Mewtwo), and some bizarre obscurities (Mr. Game & Watch). Why does Melee get in ahead of Brawl? We just like it more, that’s why. The GameCube might have failed as a console, but with more than seven-million copies sold, Melee was a stunning success.

83. Dead Space – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, 2008

Like being scared so much you’re afraid to move, let alone get up and walk out the room on your own? Dead Space didn’t bring anything terribly new to the survival horror genre (although it did feature some awesome dismemberment), but it did deliver an experience so tense that living rooms across the world were just as in need of a massage as those who played it. Necromorphs, humans mutated into alien freaks, aren’t a hugely original idea, but the way they move, leap out of vents and generally look horrific make them the stuff of nightmares. You’re only meant to be repairing something, yet you end up shooting off alien limbs with a high-tech blowtorch. Don’t play this alone with the lights off.

82. Professor Layton & The Curious Village – Nintendo DS, 2008

If Brain Training demonstrates how to do a puzzle game for casual gamers, Professor Layton & The Curious Village demonstrates how to do a puzzle game for everyone. Level 5’s beautiful and enchanting beard-scratcher is so much more than a series of memorable puzzles. They’re wrapped in an engaging story and drenched in an art style inspired by the great Studio Ghibli. Layton is a valid alternative to the best television shows; a game that brings together hardcore gamers and their bemused partners without batting an eyelid. If it’s good enough for Girls Aloud, it’s good enough for this list. Mainstream, accessible, affecting, genius.

81. LittleBigPlanet – PS3, 2008

In a decade in which the dour shooter was king, LittleBigPlanet shone like a beacon of hope, innovation and creativity. More a platform for creativity than a video game, Media Molecule’s LBP was hugely ambitious, encouraging gamers to sculpt and share 2.5D levels with the rest of the world, and rate those crafted by other players. Some have questioned its worth as a traditional game, criticising its floaty controls and fiddly platforming, but even the harshest commentators can’t ignore its genre-defining features. And, in any case, it’s narrated by the affable memory sponge that is Stephen Fry. What more could you want?

Check back to tomorrow as VideoGamer.com’s Top 100 Games of the Noughties countdown continues with 80 to 71.