Cruise Elroy

Rather than consider my overall favorites, I thought it might be fun to name a favorite game for each year of the 2000s. Following are my choices:

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2000 — Shenmue

Shenmue‘s meticulous attention to detail makes for an evocative experience which, frankly, I’m surprised I haven’t written more about. The whole game exudes a lovable quirkiness; everything from the convenience store music to Ryo’s cheek bandage to the legendary voice work makes me smile. Shenmue III‘s slow, painful death remains the only game cancellation I really regret.

Honorable mention: The Sims

2001 — Halo: Combat Evolved

Halo‘s single-player campaign is one of I’ve finished in an FPS. It’s full of minor thrills: intuiting the physics of the Warthog, popping off Elites with the sniper rifle, reveling in the wide-open vistas. And even an inveterate solo gamer like me couldn’t help but enjoy the spit-polished multiplayer.

Honorable mention: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3

2002 — The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Morrowind is a flawed masterpiece. The world bursts with creativity and inventiveness, but the game design is occasionally misguided. (Broken leveling system, I’m looking at you.) Even so, it remains one of the most engaging RPGs I’ve played, and has been a huge influence on how I think about games.

Honorable mention: Jet Set Radio Future

2003 — Soul Calibur II

Soul Calibur II is one of the few games, and the only fighting game, that I’ve purchased more than once. Despite my general ambivalence towards the genre, I found myself poring over characters’ move lists in the training mode — not because I wanted to beat my friends, but because I wanted to beat them more soundly. It’s a very satisfying game to get better at!

Honorable mention: Beyond Good & Evil

2004 — World of Warcraft

I picked up World of Warcraft on a whim because my roommate was playing it, and after three months or so I uninstalled it and actually threw the disc in the trash. Both of those decisions, it turns out, were quite forward-thinking; not only did I gain a solid appreciation for MMOs and their insidious design, but I escaped before my GPA had a chance to react.

Honorable mention: Half-Life 2

2005 — Civilization IV

The Civilization games are so intricate that I can’t imagine changing anything without destroying the clockwork. Amazingly, this one adds several major gameplay features (civics, religion, Great People, experience points), streamlines the existing ones, and somehow reduces micromanagement at the same time. This is some impressive design.

Honorable mention: Mario Kart DS

2006 — The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Twilight Princess is an iteration on one of the most successful video game formulas ever, and while it wasn’t the revolution I was looking for, that didn’t diminish its quality. Most criticisms of the game, including my own, rely on comparisons to previous titles; taken on its own, though, there is very little to quibble with here. Years of refinement have made for a high-quality title.

Honorable mention: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

2007 — Super Mario Galaxy

While most gamers were debating whether Portal or Bioshock deserved top honors for 2007, I was busy 100%-ing Galaxy — for the second time. With ingenious level design, impressively second-nature controls, and a triumphant, goosebump-inducing score, this is the best platforming game I’ve ever played, period.

Honorable mention: Portal

2008 — Mother 3 fan translation

There’s not much I can see about Mother 3 that I haven’t said already. I encourage you to check out the eight (!) posts in the sidebar, and my appearance on Michael Abbott’s Brainy Gamer podcast from last year, if you want the gory details. Suffice it to say that this is an all-time favorite.

Honorable mention: No More Heroes

2009 — Dragon Age: Origins

This is the best endorsement of Dragon Age I can offer: I finished the game at about 10 PM, read through the epilogue, watched the credits roll, groused about the 30 Seconds to Mars song…and then hit New Game when the main menu came up. Next thing I knew, it was two in the morning.

Honorable mention: The Beatles: Rock Band