Welcome! Today we have decided to give you the top 3 Games of the Decade.
Having just done our top games of 2019, all that is left is celebrating the best of best from the last decade. You know those games which have kept us coming back and will stand the test of time within future generations.
So with the help of Patrick, Alyxx, Ule, and ArCadeBot we’ve brought you BagoGames’ top games of the decade. This being a selection of highly successful and groundbreaking titles released between the years of 2010 and 2019. We came around and handpicked the three best games of each year, concluding with the decade’s ultimate games.
We will have our honorable mentions along with the winners, so anything you miss could be there. These are the titles that are indeed great but didn’t make the final cut.
So here we go!
Winners: Fallout New Vegas, Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2
Honorable mentions: Xenoblade Chronicles, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Darksiders, Halo: Reach, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, Bayonetta.
2010 had quite a few game changers including Red Dead Redemption and Dragon Age. But this year belonged to the FPS genre and saw the amazing sequel to a beloved Sci-Fi classic!
Fallout: New Vegas is legendary even to this day, with die-hard fans claiming to this being one of the best Fallout games. We say they’re not wrong with a great story, enjoyable action, and RPG elements. The game was made by Obsidian, who would later go on to make the excellent The Outer Worlds. A fitting development team, seeing as some of them worked on the first two games in the Fallout franchise.
Bioshock 2 proved to be actually better than the first, fixing many of the issues that have actually aged the Bioshock in some ways. Don’t get us wrong, we love Bioshock, but its sequel managed to do so much more and remains a great FPS adventure.
Then Mass Effect 2, arguably the best in the series with interesting characters, a great story, advancements on the previous game’s mechanics and so much more! It was one of the few games that allowed players to import saves from the previous game. This affected the outcome of certain events in the second game. Although it’s more action-oriented gameplay and downplayed RPG elements alienated some fans.
Winners: Portal 2, Dead Space 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Honorable mentions: Batman: Arkham City, Sonic Generations, Bulletstorm, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Duke Nukem Forever, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
2011 saw some great sequels and rivals that were long overdue.
But the cream of the crop was Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a clever and engaging FPS RPG. This prequel to the original game brought back a lot of the hallmark elements of the beloved stealth shooter.
It put you in the shoes of security chief Adam Jensen as he investigates a conspiracy surrounding his own death and the assumed death of his girlfriend. It was well-received for its strong storytelling and great gameplay. A director’s cut version was later released, which fixed the game’s yellow filter and incorporated the DLC into the main game.
Portal 2, a compelling puzzle game from beloved developers Valve also came out this year. This sequel to the groundbreaking first-person puzzler puts you back in the spring shoes of Chell. Waking up a long time after the first game, you return to the same labs from the first game. Although this time there is a lot more to explore than meets the eye.
And finally, there was the smash hit horror sequel, Dead Space 2. Although the sequel to the sci-fi horror classic felt distinctly more action-oriented, it was still a well-received game in its own right. Most notably it received praise for giving the series’ protagonist Isaac Clarke a voice, as he was silent for the entirety of the first game.
Winners: Borderlands 2, Lone Survivor, Dishonored
Honorable mentions: Mass Effect 3, Journey, Darksiders II, Spec Ops: The Line, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lone Survivor, Call Of Duty: Black Ops II, Syndicate.
The FPS genre continued to shine with two very different games. The immense looter shooter returned in glory for arguably the best in the series.
Borderland 2 stands as the granddaddy of the looter shooter genre and after 7 years and two sequels, it’s still an immense and enthralling action experience. The sequel was the first appearance of the popular villain Handsome Jack, who later also appeared in The Pre-Sequel and Tales From The Borderlands.
It was also later ported to the PS Vita, making it the only game in the franchise to appear on a handheld console. It was both loved and criticized for its writing, which focused heavily on humor and references.
Then we had the brilliantly thoughtful and sleek spiritual sequel to Thief, Dishonored. The game set itself apart with its unique “whalepunk” aesthetic, set in a world fueled by whale oil. And with its stealth-action gameplay, it became popular among fans of Deus Ex and Thief.
Plus the awesome pixel art indie horror game Lone Survivor has definitely earned its place here. When people clamored for a Psychological Horror experience. Jasper Byrne provided the Silent Hill in 2D experience that so many people were desperate for.
Winners: Tomb Raider, Project X Zone, The Last of Us
Honorable mentions: Battlefield 4, Rayman Legends, Super Mario 3D World, Fire Emblem Awakening, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Saints Row IV.
Third-person adventure games reigned supreme in 2013 with the successful reboot of Tomb Raider, a gritty and insanely good re-imagining of the iconic series.
This reboot brought a lot of humanity and vulnerability to the character, which had largely been unseen to this point in the series. It served as an origin story, providing players with a new and different Lara who would be shaped by her adventure.
The game was extremely well received and critics agreed that it helped revive a pretty stagnant series. Lara at last changed into a far more relatable figure, rather than the larger-than-life fantasy she had formerly been. Two sequels would follow, both great games as well.
The Last of Us proved gaming could tell immersive, emotional and personal stories that stay with us. The PS3 game was made by Naughty Dog who already had impressed gamers with the Uncharted series.
The Last Of Us was praised for its gripping and emotional story set in a zombie-infested apocalypse. It later received a remaster for the PS4, and a sequel entitled “Part II” is coming this year. So this is definitely a story that has not ended.
Then we have the ridiculously awesome Project X Zone, an immense gathering of iconic fighters in a wonderfully fun crossover RPG that played like a fighting game. Of course, such a fantastic RPG could only be made by the likes of Monolith Soft.
Winners: Wolfenstein: The New Order, Alien: Isolation, South Park: The Stick of Truth
Honorable mentions: The Evil Within, Titanfall, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, Lightning Returns – Final Fantasy XIII, Dark Souls II, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
2014 was a slow year, with the new generation of consoles starting off …. rather short of titles. While short on games, we got some much-needed entries that made the waiting worth it.
Like the fantastic reboot of Wolfenstein with The New Order. This game brought the series into a fictional ’60s where the Nazis won the 2nd world war. The alternate reality theme became a focus of the series from this point onwards.
It received a sequel in 2017, and two spinoff games were released in 2019, though neither managed to leave the same impact as The New Order.
We also got a much needed Alien game that made up for the terrible Colonial Marines, with such a high level of intensity, dripping with atmosphere and of course, aliens! Despite the series’ horror roots, a horror game set in the original film’s universe hadn’t really been attempted up until this point.
Alien: Isolation was critically praised for its atmosphere, which felt extremely close to its source material. And with its story continuing the events of the first movie, it felt more like a true sequel than the disappointing Colonial Marines.
South Park: The Stick of Truth was the South Park game that fans had been longingly waiting for. While the game might be easy to break thanks to its mechanics; it also brought a new era for licensed games with its engaging design, funny moments, and great mechanics.
Winners: Ori and the Blind Forest, Bloodborne, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Honorable mentions: Undertale, Until Dawn, Call Of Duty: Black Ops III, Fallout 4, Skullgirls 2nd Encore.
Action/adventure titles owned 2015 as other genres just couldn’t keep up.
We had The Witcher 3, an immensely epic fantasy RPG that has gotten better with age and evolved the series beyond expectation from the first game we got in 2007. To this day it remains one of the most well-received RPGs of all time. And with a Netflix series based on the books recently released, the game has more fans than ever.
Bloodborne is one of the best, if not the best Souls game on the market, bringing old fans and newbies together in the most refined and brilliant game by From Software.
Then came along Ori and the Blind Forest, a beautiful and visually striking Metroidvania which showed Microsoft could bring us wonderful titles that aren’t Gears of War or Halo. To this day it remains one of the most critically praised indie games of the 2010s. And with the sequel coming out soon, it seems it remains a popular game.
Winners: DOOM, Titanfall 2, Stardew Valley
Honorable mentions: Inside, Overwatch, Dark Souls III, Digimon Story – Cyber Sleuth
The FPS struck back with the excellent sequel to Titanfall, which showed us EA can release great games that are fun and not littered with controversy.
Developed by Respawn Entertainment, who helped create the original Call of Duty franchise, Titanfall 2 improved on its predecessor in every way. Most notably it had a single-player campaign, which was notably lacking from the first game.
Then we had DOOM! Which is just so awesome!!! Play it now! Being both a reboot and a sequel, it puts you in the shoes of the Doomslayer, whose only purpose is to kill demons. It was a very refreshing take on the franchise, bringing back the focus on non-stop action, exploration and all-around kicking ass. With a fair amount of self-awareness the game was not afraid to get meta and has a dedicated fan community to this day.
Then we had the complete opposite with the beautiful, imaginative and engaging Stardew Valley. A more relaxing game that’s heavily inspired by Harvest Moon. With its focus on both farming, exploration, and interaction with the townspeople of the eponymous village, it caught the hearts of a lot of gamers and continues to do so to this day.
Winners: Resident Evil 7, Cuphead, Hollow Knight
Honorable mentions: Prey, Persona 5, What Remains of Edith Finch, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd (English Localization), Super Mario Odyssey, Sonic Mania, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
2017 saw the return of Resident Evil and how it managed to come back with an impressive, dark and highly enjoyable return to its roots. Even with a First-Person view, it’s still Resident Evil and one of the best we have had in a long time.
Then we got the long-awaited Cuphead! A fantastic side-scrolling shooter that focuses on epic bosses, with a great visual style and fun with friends or alone. With a remarkable style that brings back memories of the Fleischer-era, this game became quite popular among hardcore gaming fans thanks to its difficulty.
We also got one of the best games of this generation! Hollow Knight managed to blend so many elements together and got it just right! Beautiful, challenging, highly immersive and outright brilliant.
Winners: Celeste, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Dragon Ball FighterZ
Honorable mentions: Hitman 2, Dead Cells, Monster Hunter World, God of War, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, Far Cry 5, Monster Hunter: World.
2018 was a fantastic year for fighting games and with not one, but two that made the list!
Dragon Ball FighterZ which managed to prove there can be an epic and amazing Dragon Ball Z fighting game! Energetic, colorful and a great service to the fans. Arc System Works definitely proved that fighting games were coming back in full force despite Capcom’s mixed reception on games like Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite.
Then there came Super Smash Bros. Ultimate which is just Nintendo proving they know how to please fans, how to make a fun and compelling fighting game and just be all-around awesome.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate really aimed to be the ultimate game of the franchise, bringing in more fighters than had ever been seen to this point. With continued releases of new iconic characters since its release, the game has arguably the biggest player base of most fighters on the market.
Then one of the most underrated games, Celeste. This is a wonderful platformer that tackles tough subject matters and themes but proves to be fun, challenging and downright amazing.
Winners: Resident Evil 2 Remake, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Ion Fury
Honorable mentions: A Plague Tale: Innocence, Blasphemous, Tetris 99, Outer Wilds, DMC5, Borderlands 3, Amid Evil.
Lastly, we have 2019 which gave us one of the best remakes in gaming history, one of the best ninja/samurai games in a long time and a blast from the past for the Build engine scene with Ion Fury.
Resident Evil 2 Remake showed us Capcom knew what fans wanted. A dark, engaging and tough as nails survival horror game that fans had been waiting for a very, very long time!
The remake breathed new life into the 1998 survival horror classic. With not only new graphics but also the ability to explore the world in true 3D, with modern controls, it became one of the most critically praised games this year.
Sekiro may have been divisive for Souls fans. But it clicked with many who loved its tight, fluent and gripping gameplay, amazing world design and beautiful visuals.
Then Ion Fury proved that games from the original Build engine can still be amazing. With intense action, a fiery and awesome leading hero and plenty of 90’s references to make us oldies shed a tear of joy. This prequel to the 2016 game Bombshell made us forget about the disappointment of that game. It was well-received for its cyberpunk aesthetic and tracker soundtrack.
And with the game having an active mod scene from day one, it seems this game will last for a long time. Given the success of Ion Fury, this is definitely not the last we’ve seen of Shelly.
There we go. Our pick of the best games from the last decade! And now we have our top three picks for the decade’s ultimate games.
Hollow Knight, Resident Evil 2 Remake and Borderlands 2.
That’s it folks, our list of the best games in the last decade. We highly recommend all these titles, both those that made the cut and the honorable mentions.
2010 – 2019 had some amazing moments. With two generations passing by and marking a wonderful transition where games came into the mainstream, truly showing itself as an art form (yeah Hideo, it is). It evolved to become as important or even more so than film.
That’s a bold statement, it’s mine and I truly believe gaming can only get better. So let’s see what 2020 – 2029 brings. With a year that brings FF7 Remake, RE3 Remake, Cyberpunk 2077 and Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2, it’s a great sign of things to come.
What were your top games of the decade? Any you feel we left out? Leave a comment and make sure to stay tuned for more reviews and lists!