VDGMS of the Decade

(2010) Limbo 

When Limbo was released in 2010, on Xbox Live Arcade, it could have been mistaken for a cute stylish platformer but upon closer look you realize Playdead studios have crafted something much more timeless. The visually striking art style has kept Limbo looking as good today as it did almost 10 years ago. The minimalist, black and white setting of Limbo sets the mood and atmosphere without using any dialogue in the entire game. Instead, Playdead decided to use environmental story telling by incorporating meaningful choices in the game design and art direction to explain the message it’s trying to get across. Gameplay is simple with minimal controls that feel responsive, yet floaty and physics work perfectly as you would expect which helps keep the focus on the story.  With such a minimal design, audio importance rivals the art direction in this game as playing with headphones is a necessity for true immersion. You will find yourself getting truly lost in this dangerous and mysterious world. 

You die in Limbo. A lot. You quickly realize just how dangerous this world is and how everything in the game can kill you, gruesomely. Whether that’s from drowning, being crushed or getting impaled by giant spiders, danger is literally around every corner. These deaths are gruesome for a reason as they teach the player to be more careful and shocks you into not repeating the same mistakes twice.  You are trying to get through this world by completing puzzle and challenging platforming areas. The game provides no help or hints to solve these areas except for the process of trial and error. When you finally solve a puzzle or beat a tough section you feel rewarded because the game didn’t hold your hand.

Playdead delivered an incredible first game with Limbo and it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at around 5 hours, depending on how long it takes you to figure out puzzles or complete challenge platforming areas. While some people might argue that short length could be a detriment to the overall game, I think the shortness of Limbo adds to its impact.

As we have come to learn with games from Playdead, things aren’t always what they seem. From the very first scene of the game you are instantly asking yourself questions such as who is this boy and why did he wake up alone in a dark forest? Upon traveling further into the depths of this world you begin to wonder if Limbo is even set in our world or our timeline. Most questions that arise in Limbo don’t get answered and this is part of the magic of Playdeads games is they leave you thinking about it long after you have finished. What elevates Limbo over the competition in 2010 was its originality and bold choices. 

Honorable Mention: Super Mario Galaxy 2 

(2011) Portal 2

2011 was a year that was packed with sequels including Gears of War 3, Resistance 3, Killzone 3, Little Big Planet 2, Uncharted 3, Batman Arkham City and Elder Scrolls V and it only makes sense that the best game of 2011 would be a great addition to an already existing franchise. There were two games that refined the series formula and captured my attention that year more than others but one stood above the rest for me and that is Portal 2. 

The original Portal from Valve came out back in 2007 and introduced a fresh take on the puzzle genre by showing us the power of the Portal gun. The originality of the game, a simple concept mixed with sharp comedic writing, and near perfect learning curve made Portal a hit and due to the short length of the first game we were left wanting more. Valve delivered a few years later in 2011 by essentially releasing two new Portal campaigns, one single player and one cooperative. 

Portal 2 and it’s single player component introduced us to Wheatley, voiced by Stephen Merchant who was on point with his dry brand of humor in addition to the return of GladOs. As in the first game, you control Chell, the same voiceless protagonist which makes the dialogue and humor from the characters in this game shine even brighter. Portal 2 kept the mechanics that made the first game great but also introduced a few new ways to keep you perplexed including lasers and tractor beams.

Portal 2 is set long after the events of the original portal and long after the events of Half Life 2. Even if you have never played those games, you are filled in through clever dialogue that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to give you a recap but instead comes across very natural. The aperture science facility has long been abandoned and you were placed into suspended animation until Wheatley comes to wake you and help you escape. You quickly awaken GladOS, who you destroyed at the end of the first game and she decides your fate is to put you through testing for the rest of your life. Concurrently, Wheatley is trying to help you escape and take over power of Aperture. Unfortunately, when Wheatley gains control of Aperture he becomes mad with power due to his programming nature and now you and Potato Glados are trying to escape his grasp. 

The campaign doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at around eight hours depending on your proficiency with the puzzles and the cooperative campaign also adds another fun and curated adventure. Unfortunately, Valve doesn’t like things in threes so while we haven’t seen Half Life 3, Left 4 Dead 3 or Team Fortress 3, it seems very unlikely that we will get another adventure through the Aperture Labs. The game ended in such an excellent way that if Portal 2 was the last in the series it would be fine or if they did make a sequel there are story lines that could be further explored, possibly in space. 

Runner Up: Dead Space 2

(2012) Walking Dead 

Notwithstanding of what happened to telltale after this game. Walking dead was catching lightning in a bottle.  The Story was able to grab people and connect with them. The ending also probably caught a lot of people by surprise because not many games at the time delivered an ending that wasn’t happy like rescuing a princess or defeating an evil boss. This is probably a lot of the reason why the rest of the Telltale series was never able to capture quite the magic like it did with Lee and Clem. 

It also immensely helped that the Walking Dead popularity was at a fever pitch with the show being such a smash hit. The Telltale product was released a few years into the shows run when it had already broken into the mainstream and was a must watch show. It was a change of pace from the averages first and third person shooter that someone with the walking dead license easily could’ve attempted and in subsequent years multiple studios did with abysmal results. 

Telltale decided to use the formula that it had been working on with games like Tales of Monkey Island, Back to the Future and Sam and Max. All of these were adventure games which wasn’t the massive market it once was in the early nineties with many Lucas Arts classics. Adventure games had lost their popularity over the years and were now more in the niche market. All the pieces fit when you understand that telltale was formed by former LucasArts employees by continuing to work on what they have known. 

The art style was a smart choice because it covered up a lot of the technical limitations that the engine presented that would later become glaring during the studios later years. However, in 2012, these hiccups were forgiven especially when the story carried the weight it did. By the end of first season you had gained new friends, made many tough decisions and became more hardened. The game accomplished exactly what the Robert Kirkman was trying to convey, which is that the living is the danger and the choices are hard. 

Unfortunately, after season 1, neither the studio or the series were able to capture the magic that was the first season with Lee and Clementine. 

(2013) The Last of Us 

By 2013 Naughty Dog had solidified itself as a top tier development studio. After the massive success from the first three uncharted games, Naughty Dog did something quite unconventional. They turned their attention to a much darker tone and slower gameplay with The Last of Us. It would have been easy to keep producing games in the Uncharted series with mainstream stories or side characters as they had developed great stories that you wanted to learn more about. 

Moving away from Nathan Drake, PlayStation icon was a risky move paid off by showing that the studio was able to create a narrative with gravity. From the opening title scene you realize that this is something much different.  The worn, broken window, tattered shades blowing in the air set amongst the slow somber piano with greenery overgrown in the background set the stage without a single scene of the game. Even during the loading screens things as simple and surface level as dust blowing turn out to be something much deeper upon the game revealing itself. 

Then you are thrown into the intro that sets up the rest of the game and does so much with so little. Single dad, trade worker comes home very late on the phone, sounding like he might have just been fired and then talks to daughter who should be in bed but wanted to see her dad before his birthday was over.  We are very aware of just how close this father and daughter are. Fast forward a few hours and something bad has happened in the world and we don’t know what to do but familiar surroundings are now dangerous. The story and settings that Naughty Dog set up in the intro have created a world that you are instantly invested in. Few games, if any, have affected me the way The Last of Us did in its first 15 minutes. 

Once into the gameplay things become a lot more methodical than previous Naughty Dog games.  You can’t just run in guns blazing expecting to find ammo because the game is set 20 years after the collapse of civilization and resources, including bullets, are now a precious commodity. Stealth plays a very integral role in this game as opposed to Uncharted where you just find as much ammo as you need and take cover to let your health regenerate. 

The score and the design of the game are just as important as Joel and Ellie. The score, which was done by Gustavo Santaolalla, is mostly focused around an acoustic guitar and ethereal sounds which evokes the feeling of the world perfectly as what would be left in the universe would be analog and nature. There is plenty of nature in game design and art direction as we are exploring a world that has been abandoned by humans and technology and nature has reclaimed what it had lost as they city has become overgrown with greenery. 

The story and the relationship between Joel and Ellie are what keep The Last of Us moving.  Based on Joel’s backstory it’s clear that he feels like a father to Ellie. It’s his experience in this world that molds the story of the game and the choices these characters make throughout. Humans are the culmination of our experiences. This game questions how far we would go for the ones that we love. If Uncharted was Naughty Dogs version of Indiana Jones then The Last of Us was their version of Children of Men. 

Honorable Mention: Grand Theft Auto V

(2014) Mario Kart 8 

2014 is widely considered to be in the running for one of the worst years in gaming in the more modern era. There were some great games that came out but when held up to the microscope of other years, 2014 is lacking. Also troubled in 2014 was Nintendo and their home console the WiiU. 

Mario Kart 8 didn’t do anything groundbreaking for the series. As usual with well established Nintendo franchises we usually get refinement with an addition of some new content. The kart racer introduced a few new items, tracks, characters but it’s main addition to the series was anti gravity as some parts of the track allowed you to race on walls or the ceiling. As we have come to expect from Nintendo first party titles the game looked amazing on the WiiU at the time with its smooth frame rate and vibrant colors. 

The amount of content, the mechanics, the replay factor and the family nature of this game have made it a must own. The WiiU version became the best selling game on that console and the subsequent port to the Swtich, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, proved just how near perfect the refinement of the Mario Kart formula this game truly was as the Switch port has sold over 19 million copies. 

Honorable Mention: Destiny 

(2015) Ori and the Blind Forest

The common answer for best game of 2015 would be The Witcher 3 or Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain and either of these choices wouldn’t be wrong. However, for me personally the game that connected with me the most that year was the Xbox exclusive (at the time) Ori and the Blind Forest. At the time and still to this day there have been no shortages of metroidvanias but what most are typically missing is style and heart and that is where Ori truly shines.  On top of having excellent controls, a wonderful score, terrific world design and a fantastic upgrade tree but what really set this game apart is that it has heart.

The character design and how we are introduced to Ori make this game hard not to fall in love with right away. In a mythical forest, Ori became lost then was taken in and after hardship befell Ori and new family, he was forced to venture out into the scary forest alone. The prologue has made it clear that Ori has been the one who has needed care up until this point. Now, Ori is forced to grow up fast and take care of the forest before it’s too late.

Ori quickly meets an orb and we learn how he can restore balance to the forest by collecting different elements. This orb will become your defense and your attack throughout the rest of the game. You quickly learn that there are habitats in the forest who are intent on stopping you from restoring the balance for reasons unbeknownst to you at the beginning which you will later learn throughout. The story has depth to it and reasons for why they are trying to stop Ori. As is true in real life you begin to understand that other people are going through some terrible things are the reasons for why we are the way we are aren’t always clear.

The hand drawn art style and the stunning backdrops this game is set upon are truly breathtaking. The use of color is done perfectly throughout with the palette constantly changing from each area. Don’t let the beautiful style of the game and the cuteness of Ori fool you into thinking this game is easy because it is not. As with most metroidvanias, one of the signature elements a game in the genre must have is challenging platforming and Ori and the Blind Forest does not fall short.

The Metroid aspect of this game means that you are constantly learning new abilities and backtracking through areas you have been through. The game tasks you with chaining these abilities together in demanding sections and against tougher enemies. Backtracking is also a joy because of how beautiful the world is but also because each area is distinctly different. This is a cardinal rule for this genre with more often than not areas look very similar forcing you to open the map more than you should need to and breaking the immersion. The game features plenty of hidden areas which can either be shortcuts or can contain valuable resources which will greatly aid you in your quest. As with all art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 2015 was a great year from a gaming standpoint with plenty of notable titles including Bloodborne, MGSV, and The Witcher 3 but none that I connected with like Ori and the Blind Forest.

Honorable Mention: Rocket League.

(2016) Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End 

Putting any of the uncharted games on this list would have been easy. Even Lost Legacy stands on its own as a solid game that expands the universe with some characters that are truly interesting to learn more about. Depending on who you talk to, if they are a fan of the Uncharted series, the best game in the series is widely debated with each game offering its own reasoning for why it is the best of the series.  Uncharted was a fresh take on the tomb raider gameplay that infused Indiana Jones style and introduced us to Nathan Drake. Uncharted 2 improved upon the original in almost every way including visuals, bigger set pieces, combat refinement and great characters Uncharted 3 had some truly amazing set pieces and combat felt great. Even the spinoff, Uncharted: Lost Legacy proved how well written characters were in this universe by making a game without Nathan or Sully and instead telling us about Chloe and Nadine. 

Nathan Drakes first and seemingly last appearance on the PS4 is truly gorgeous. Even 4 years later there are still few games that can rival the visual achievements of this game.  From the water effects in the opening prologue to the Madagascan vistas, Naughty Dog have figured out early in the PS4 lifecycle how to get the most out of the system. In Madagascar, Uncharted 4 also introduced the series to its first open world area, albeit a small one, it was a nice addition to an already excellent formula. 

What truly separates this game from the rest of the field is the story and characters.  Between the Uncharted series and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog had been consistently honing their pen. The consistency of the characters throughout the series and bringing their arcs to an end in a meaningful and pleasing way is no small task, especially for a series that started in 2007.

Over the past two decades we have met some amazing characters that have come and gone but the consistency of Nathan, Elena and Sully are the true heart of the series. In Uncharted 4, we were introduced to Nathan’s brother, who through a series of flashbacks, has played an integral role in shaping Nathan into the man he is today. Sam, who is played by Troy Baker, with the help of great writing, does a fantastic job of making the character relevant immediately. Troy and Nolan have such a fantastic chemistry that you instantly feel the brother bond between them. 

Nathan and Elena are trying to create a normal life together until Sam comes back in the picture desperately needing help. Its not a simple as it sounds and this is a very grounded story and some very grounded conversations happen between Sam and Nathan. There conversations pale in comparison to the ones between Elena and Nathan as it borders on realism by feeling like a heavy talk you have had in your life with a loved one. 

The negative aspect is not with how well it ties up the story or how it leaves the door open for future Uncharted games that would feature the daughter of Elena and Nathan as the protagonist. No, the negative aspect is the potential that this might be the last time we see Nathan as a main character again. We have come a long way from being impressed by Nathan’s pants getting wet as he wades into water in the first game to being sad that this might truly be a thief’s end. 

Honorable Mention: Inside 

(2017) Breath of the Wild 

No game has ever said go wherever you want to go and actually let you go there whichever way you want. Climb, glide, swim, horseback, any way possible, it didnt matter because with enough ingenuity you can get there. Sure, there have been many open worlds before but none that truly allowed the sheer sense of exploration and joy that was found around every corner and at the top of every mountain. This was the blueprint that had made The Legend of Zelda one of the best series of all time by giving players the use of their own imagination and wonder. Although what was experienced in the past from the series wasn’t quite the same level of freedom that Breath of the Wild offered. You start the game in a very small and dark cave, you acquire the slate and the door opens and lights breaks in. You are drawn to the cave entrance and slowly make your way to the opening. Once outside you make your way to the edge of the cliff atop the great plateau. From the precipice you have a view as far as the eye can see from dense forest, active volcanoes, rivers, and castles.

The fact that this game was a launch title for the Switch was an absolutely genius idea. Nintendo has said that the game was delayed on the WiiU due to other reasons but it has to be because they wanted to save it for the launch of the Switch to make it a system seller. It had also been quite a while since The Legend of Zelda had a new experience on the home consoles with the last being Skyward Sword in 2011 for the Wii that required the motion controls to play which was somewhat controversial at the time and to this day make it hard to bring the game forward to new consoles without altering the controller scheme.

There was a lot to be excited for with The Breath of the Wild including the ability to go anywhere at anytime. It had been done before but what we hadn’t seen in the series before was the physics engine and how everything worked as it should. If you are walking in a thunderstorm with metal armour or your sword out you are very likely to be struck by lightning. If you are walking through the blistering heat of the volcano with bomb arrows equipped it is going to blow up in your face and soon as you pull back the bow. Breath of the Wild also introduced item durability for the first time ever in the series and while fans were pretty split on the decision, I thought it added an element of strategy to the game. It also made finding the unbreakable Master Sword and Hylian Shield feel so much more empowering and magical. Finally bringing the series into modern times, Breath of the Wild introduced actual voice acting for the first time in the series and it added a touch that I didn’t know was missing.

As for exploration, you could walk, climb, swim or glide pretty much anywhere but early on Link is limited to his stamina meter which is very small. Do you risk climbing up a mountain to get somewhere new with the chance that your stamina will not make it to the top causing you to fall to your death, Throughout the game you will find upgrades that allow you to increase your stamina permanently or temporarily by eating. Which can be done by either eating something raw and getting basic benefits from it or you can craft a fire and cook items together creating something completely new with much greater benefits. You do run the risk of creating a bad recipe which basically takes multiple great ingredient and ruins them by turning it into dubious food.

Gone are the classic dungeons from the series and introduced are shrines. Shrines are basically micro dungeons that usually take about 15 minutes to explore and successfully finish with the rewards in the realm of the classic formula of weapons, currency and health. On launch there were 120 shrines to be explored all over the map with some of them being in plain sight and some hidden. There are a few shrines in Breath of the Wild that are crucial for success in the game and give you a special ability. Once you finish the stasis, bomb and magnesis trial there is nothing that you can’t accomplish in Breath of the Wild. Its no secret that one of the best elements of the series is the dungeons but each entry in the series usually only has around 10 dungeons. Breath of the Wild figured out a way to steadily release dungeon endorphins by replacing a little with a lot.

The last original home console release in the Legend of Zelda series was Skyward Sword and time has not been kind to the Wii game. Many fans and critics, nine years removed from the release of that game consider Skyward Sword to be near the bottom of the pile for the Legend of Zelda games if not the worst. Breath of the Wild could have easily continued on the same path as Skyward Sword but it boldly reimagined the series by invigorating it with fresh choices that could have alienated a lot of fans. Instead, Nintendo created a true masterpiece that was widely considered not only the best game of 2017 but the best game in the pantheon that is the Legend of Zelda series.

Honorable Mention: Super Mario Odyssey

(2018) God of War

It would have been easy for the God of War series to go gently into the mythological night. Most of what had become the formula of success for the series when it began back in 2005 with the original God of War and continued up until God of War 3 just wouldn’t be accepted anymore. Up until the release of God of War in 2018, Kratos had been relegated to Greek mythology. The locale wasn’t the only thing that remained stuck in the early 2000’s. While technology and scale continued to grow all the way up until the third mainline game, the formula remained the same. Kill everything. The gaming landscape had drastically changed with the main change being that the medium had matured. Games had strong stories, deep characters and they were now developed by the same people that played games just like us when we were young. These developers had now grown up, moved out, created families of their own and experienced the journey of life. These experiences have without a doubt shaped the rebirth of Kratos and God of War.

The team at Santa Monica could have called their 2018 many things including God of War 4 but they wanted it to be clear that they were starting fresh with this franchise. Kratos would be reborn as a modern character with depth and pain. Kratos and his journey throughout the first three mainline games were set in the Greek mythos and with the movement to the Norse the hope was that he would be able to leave his old life behind. Like all men, immortal or human, we are forced to live with choices we have made and Kratos wants to put it behind him, livee his new life in peace and keep his family out of danger. This new life is clear when you encounter the worlds serpent early on and rather than slice off his head, Atreus convinces Kratos that not everything in the world is evil and talks with him.

The one shot style the game was created in was truly remarkable as it kept you just a few feet behind Kratos and always experiencing the world as he was. The non stop format kept you constantly immersed in the action from without and the close emotional journey from within. It is here that the main story of God of War focuses on and that is the journey between Kratos and his son Atreus. With terrific motion capture done by Christoper Judge playing Kratos and Sunny Suljic playing Atreus who both brought an incredible depth and realism to the characters which formed the bedrock of this game.

Fans of the series needn’t worry that this game wouldn’t have combat. It absolutely did and it was everything you could have wanted and more from an action game and more importantly, God of War. Gone were the Blades of Chaos and introduced was the Leviathan Axe which was truly magical. Just the axe mechanic in the game would have made it worth the purchase alone as it functioned similar to Thors hammer. The sheer force you felt from throwing and recalling the axe was unlike anything else felt before in gaming. The addition of Atreus to your journey might sound like baby-sitting but it becomes obvious that he is more than capable on his own and actually becomes quite useful later in the game as you upgrade his talent tree in addition to your own.

Also a quick PSA, if you haven’t seen the making of documentary from Sony Santa Monica called Raising Kratos, you should give it a watch. It’s an honest and raw look at what it took to make that game.

Honorable Mention: Spider Man 

(2019) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order  

If Respawn had only put out Apex Legends in 2019, it would have been considered a very great year for the studio, but that wasn’t enough. What the studio decided to do was make a Star Wars game, which is a very tough market to crack. On one hand games are becoming more expensive to develop which can lead to predatory in game purchases that preys on fans of the series and the collectors mentality they have On the other hand the fan base is very harsh when it comes to games released, especially if it has anything to do with EA. 

Early messaging from Respawn was that the game would be 100% single player and would feature zero in game purchases. We have all been sold a false bill of goods before when it comes to video games and their announcements but Respawn stuck to to their word. My anticipation for this game began to rise around E3 when the comparisons began between Fallen Order and Metroid Prime. 

Upon playing the game, it became clear that it was a student of the past ten years of gaming. Fallen order has taken elements of the best games of recent memory and rolled them into one package with a Star Wars bow. It featured traversal mechanics from Uncharted and Titanfall, puzzle elements from Tomb Raider, exploration from Metroid and combat from Sekiro. While these mechanics don’t always meet the precedent when taken individually, when combined they are elevated into something much greater. 

The excellent fusing of these elements combined with a great story with great characters, which is canonical add up for one of the best games of the year. The detractors of this game is that there are some technical issues that could have been solved with a little more time and polish but were mostly likely on time frame to launch before Rise of Skywalker. The additional press generated from the movie along with good reviews and word of mouth made Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order the second best selling game in November  but only behind Modern Warfare. Respawn has created a great base that will hopefully be used for more sequels in the same vein. 

Honorable Mention: Resident Evil 2