Pac to where the decade began
THE past ten years have seen some astonishing advances in gaming, we have seen the first truly 3D releases and consoles, the introduction cloud gaming, and experienced a huge rise in casual gamers thanks to tablets and mobile phones.
You can play virtual reality games in your living room, and powerful next generation consoles mean that graphically, the games we play are becoming increasingly more realistic.
As we enter the 2020s, it feels like the right time to look back over the last 10 years, at just a few of the games which have defined the last decade – in no particular order.
PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION DX
(PEGI 3) PS3, XBOX 360, iOS Released: November 2010
TECHNICALLY a 2007 release, it got a thoroughly addictive new version in 2010 to mark Pac-Man’s 30th birthday. DX builds on the original’s six courses, giving the player greater control over the difficulty, look, sound and feel of the mazes.
Unlike the original, in DX, Pac-Man can fight back. You can even slow the action if things feel like they’re running away with you.
It’s addictive, and competitive gamers –ME – struggled to switch off until their gamertag hit the top 100. MINECRAFT
(PEGI 7) XBOX ONE, PS4, Switch, PC, iOS Released:
November 2011
FROM humble beginnings, Minecraft has become an absolute behemoth – the sandbox game created by Swedish developer Markus Persson in 2009, already had 10 million registered players when it got its official release in 2011.
Minecraft is a Lego-like construction game set in a procedurally- generated 3D world. Survival or Creative modes, allow you to play in very different ways – either crafting to beat zombie hordes or, building ambitious projects for yourself and others to explore.
It is the best-selling video game of all time, with more than 112 million monthly active players and selling more than 180 million copies to date.
DARK SOULS
(PEGI 18) XBOX 360, PS3 Released:
September 2011
DARK SOULS is actually the second in the series, the spiritual successor to 2009’s Demon’s Souls.
It’s tough, and I know gamers who have given up, which is a shame. The spirit of Dark Souls is that you learn from your mistakes, finding other areas to explore and ways to proceed when you meet with failure – and you will, time and again.
This horror-tinged dark fantasy is relentlessly punishing, but all the more rewarding when you succeed.
There is nothing else like this breakthrough game from developer FromSoftware, and visionary director Hidetaka Miyazaki. BIOSHOCK INFINITE (PEGI 18) XBOX 360, PS3, PC
Released:
March 2014
IN 2007 the
Bioshock series took us to the ocean floor, and the underwater dystopia of Rapture. In 2014, Bioshock Infinite took us to the dizzying heights of Columbia.
A sublime shooter, it deals with the topical themes of religion, racism and xenophobia – creating a rich, much more fleshed-out society than even Rapture. It also introduces one of the best partnerships in gaming, Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth: He, a reluctant hero travelling to the cloud city to ‘wipe away a debt’, she a young woman imprisoned in Columbia since she was an infant.
Infinite offers a stunningly realised world, and a game which perfectly balances action, exploration and a plot that is a storytelling masterclass.
LIFE IS STRANGE (PEGI 18) XBOX ONE, PS4, PC Released:
January 2015
AS the concept of episodic gaming gained traction, a few standout titles emerged – Life Is Strange being one of the best.
Max Caulfield is a student who can rewind time. His story takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, as uplifting as it is harrowing.
The gorgeous artwork, combined with a beautiful soundtrack and wonderful script, connects you with the characters – so you feel torn when it comes to making a decision you know will impact them.
Every choice you make has a butterfly effect on the story – and it unfolds slowly and deliberately.
Life is Strange is beautiful, it’s compelling and its essence lingers with you long after Max’s journey.
CUPHEAD (PEGI 3) XBOX ONE, PC, Switch Released:
September 2017
CUPHEAD was a labour of love, that took seven years from announcement to release. The game’s retro look captured the eye, its surreal 1930s Max Fleischer-style cartoon graphics bringing the pottery headed personality to life.
You get some of the toughest run and gun action, with gameplay focused mainly on boss battles, the porcelain platformer is pitted against rough and ready bad guys.
There’s a trio of vicious vegetables which spit dirt balls, rain onion tears and launch heat-seeking carrots.
Each level offers unique ways to die, but the sense of achievement when you finally take down an enemy is immense.
GRAND THEFT AUTO V (PEGI 18) XBOX ONE, XBOX 360, PS4, PS3, PC Released:
September 2013 NO review of the decade would be complete without Grand Theft Auto V, one of the most financially successful entertainment products of all time.
It’s funny, well written, mindlessly violent, looks great and has a soundtrack you’re not afraid to play loud enough for the neighbours to hear.
The game feels like an explosion of ideas which developer Rockstar managed to wrestle into a single game – albeit one that you could play for months without getting bored.
Then there was the genius marketing campaign ahead of its release, which saw it break industry sales records earning $800 million in its first day and $1bn in its first three days. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD (PEGI 12)
Wii U, Switch
Released: March 2017
BREATH of the Wild took the rule book on open-world adventures, and threw it away.
The 19th instalment in the Zelda series, is a voyage of discovery across fields, forests, and mountain peaks to discover what has become of the kingdom of Hyrule.
This was the first open-world adventure for Link, with a map 12 times larger than Twilight Princess, that is completely unstructured and designed to reward experimentation. Heralded as one of the greatest games of all time, its open-world is a landmark in game design.
BAYONETTA 2 (PEGI 18)
Switch, Wii U Released:
September 2014 BAYONETTA 2 is one of the most stylish action games ever released. A sequel to 2009’s Bayonetta, the gun-wielding witch has become a cult classic.
The most wonderful thing about this game is the over-the-top combat, with some of the most outlandish finishing moves you’ve ever seen.
From fighting on top of a jet as it soars through a downtown city, to duking it out against a giant angel, who bears a whip for an arm, on top of a speeding train, it’s an awesome assault on the senses that chews you up and spits you right back out.
It’s short, being able to play through in about 10 hours, but the replayability is endless.
RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2
(PEGI 18)
PS4, XBOX ONE, PC
Released: October 2018
AT ITS most basic, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a cowboy simulator which allows you to live out your wild west fantasies – but it’s so much more besides.
BEGINNING in the frozen wilds, Arthur Morgan, and a rag-tag gang of outlaws are hunkered down in an abandoned mining town, barely alive and out of food.
It’s a slow, but calculated start to an ambitious campaign, teaching you the skills you’re going to need to survive the next 60 or so hours.
The RDR2 world is glorious – bustling towns, breathtaking vistas, lush forests, fast flowing rivers, and windswept plains.
The characters are beyond lifelike, stunning attention to detail making it easy to relate the those you encounter on the streets, and giving you real pangs of guilt when you accidentally kill someone instead of saying hello.
Your horse requires upkeep. Food, water, shoeing – even Arthur needs baths, haircuts and shaves.
The result is almost complete immersion, the feeling of a shared existence with Arthur as he does his best, living a hostile and unforgiving way of life, on the brink of extinction in turn-of-the-century America.