Disco Elysium. I mean it came out in 2019. But it still counts
Gaming
Sub for any gaming related content!
Rules:
- 1: No spam or advertising. This basically means no linking to your own content on blogs, YouTube, Twitch, etc.
- 2: No bigotry or gatekeeping. This should be obvious, but neither of those things will be tolerated. This goes for linked content too; if the site has some heavy "anti-woke" energy, you probably shouldn't be posting it here.
- 3: No untagged game spoilers. If the game was recently released or not released at all yet, use the Spoiler tag (the little ⚠️ button) in the body text, and avoid typing spoilers in the title. It should also be avoided to openly talk about major story spoilers, even in old games.
I hope disco elysium and tunic are both in the rankings, because they're probably two of the most perfectly crafted experiences in the last 20 or 30 years, never mind just 1 decade.
I'm shocked that BoTW was considered the top game of the 2010s. I felt BoTW was mediocre over all on top of not feeling like a Zelda game at all. As far as open world games, I felt that Horizon: Zero Dawn was more compelling in both gameplay and story and I'm still not sure I'd rank it as a top game of the decade.
BotW completely changed the open world landscape. Yes it was a bad Zelda game, it was by no means a mediocre game. That first experience is fucking magical, and has been recreated to great effect in Elden Ring and Genshin Impact (I shouldn't need to point out how popular both of those games are).
You can dislike that it was a bad Zelda game. Calling it mediocre is just patently false. Granted, yes - I've called the game 'Horizon: Zero Awards' because it definitely should have won at least something. However, it was not more impactful than BotW.
Fine, let's go with BotW was a bad Zelda game and I strongly disliked it. I tried to like it and played all the way through because I was stubborn, but in the end I think it sucked as did my friends (they all quit long before I did). I wish I hadn't bought it or spent time in it.
Also, I disagree that it changed the open world landscape. H:ZD released before BoTW did, did the open world stuff better (IMO), and still doesn't seem like it was radically novel at the time other than the story/setting. The only truly novel thing about BotW was that it was open world in a Zelda game.
All I have to say is that I sincerely doubt that From Software and MiHoYo were looking at H:ZD when they made their very successful open world games. That's my only point, you are allowed to have your opinions about H:ZD - I'm not saying that you're wrong.
Botw was good, but I wouldn't put it anywhere near game of the decade. Divinity 2, Subnautica, Skyrim and its DLC, Hollow Knight, Death Stranding, Doom 2016, HLA, Ori and the Blind Forest, as well as a number of smaller games and ones I'm probably forgetting.
Your list of games would definitely rank higher for me as well (assuming Divinity 2 means Divinity: Original Sin 2). I'm sure there are a ton of games in there I've forgotten that would also quality.
Yeah, Original sin! There have been a ton of solid games throughout the 10s.
Elden Ring
We still have about 6 years to go, but it's obviously going to be Gollum.
The 2020s are not over. Not even half ways.
Immortality is a very special game. It pushes the cinematic narratity further than I've ever seen.
I hope Brok The Investigator becomes more recognized to the point it can make one of those silly lists.
Tears of the Kingdom. I am a huge Zelda fan and I also loved Breath of the Wild
Central Hyrule on horseback in BotW was such an amazing feeling. TotK didn't ever catch that level of action, but everything else was more fun. Plus it has a lot of QoL changes that helped. Opening chests with full inventory comes to mind. I was upset BG3 beat it for game of the year but the competition was really tough.
Alan Wake 2
We're not even through the first half yet, so it's pretty impossible to say, I think. BG3 could be in there, but we could also just be blown away by other things unforeseeable from here/now.
Bg3
does Echoes of the Eye count?
I've never even heard of this title.
It's the 2022 expansion for Outer Wilds, which released in 2019. Just as much a masterpiece as the first entry. if you know nothing, you owe it to yourself to play them.
I like it more than the base game, but I would have never played it if it had been a standalone game.
Both the main game and the dlc are amazing.
I tried OW and couldn't stand feeling dumb. I gave up after not figuring out how to advance in the water world with the vortices. This is the same reason I despise most point-&-click adventures; needing to hunt down and trigger the one event that will advance everything is infuriating and shouldn't be hard.
that's a shame. i'm not going to force it on you if you don't enjoy the experience, but i will say that there are no mechanical progress gates at all in Outer Wilds, no intended order to do things in, and multiple interleaving threads to pull on. if you get stuck in one place, going to another may let you learn how to proceed. if it feels like you're missing something, you probably are, and going somewhere else may help you find it.
it's been my game of the year five years running, if that means anything. the dlc only cemented that position even more.
I could not figure out how to get off the water world. My spaceship was stuck in the trees and I just spun in water spouts. It was really annoying and not fun at all, so, yes, the fact that I couldn't get my spaceship back up in the air was definitely a gate. What was I supposed to do in that situation?
explore the island you got stuck on. look around for details. sit down and watch the spectacle until you can continue. there's no rush, and no such thing as wasted time.
or to be more prosaic, you go back home automatically after a short while anyway. not only that, every island gets thrown around by the storms periodically, launching them clear out of the atmosphere every five minutes or so. it's just a matter of observing your surroundings, and something will happen.
Elder Scrolls 6 will no doubt be polarizing, with some calling it the game of the decade, and others saying that the TES formula just doesn't work anymore. (The game might also just suck.)
I think the problem won't be the formula, it'll be the progressive dumbing down and simplification that Beth is doing since like forever. It will sell well just because it's TES, though. Also, if Emil "lol who cares about lore" Pagliarulo is leading the writing and he treats it like he did with FO4...
Bethesda has little chance to succeed with anything but a routine fumble 😞
Monster Hunter Rise and Ghost of Tsushima for me! Other than that, there are plenty that I enjoy but most of the wants I full on LOVE are pre-2020 like TitanFall 2, Hyrule Warriors, WarFrame etc. I do live GranBlue Fantasy are link as well but I don’t think that’ll make too many people’s lists, which is a shame because it’s an absolute masterpiece in my eyes. It plays like a 360 era game requiring no online connection, sporting a gorgeous art style and so many campaign moments that made me straight up shout “damn that was awesome”
Might have the dates off - subnautica should be up there.
2018
well subnautica 2 was just announced
True but they didn't say 2 in the above comment and with 2 years off, it's easy to not realise the first wasn't released in the 2020s without checking.
I played in 2021. World divided into pre and post covid.
Didn't know it was that early though, damn.
Elden Ring, Stardew Valley.
Stardew Valley came out in 2016.