Okay Geek Farm
2000 - 09: a decade in gaming + My Game Of The Year Award
Okay Geek Team
10 years have come and gone, and with them some of the biggest games of our time; The FPS fad dominated, musical rhythm games went mainstream, and Mario jumped to new heights never before reached - everything we thought about video games changed during the past decade, and terms like casual gaming, DLC, and motion controls gave new definitions to old favorites.
Sega quit the console race, Microsoft took its place, and the Sony giant was cut down by the little Nintendo that could; seriously, so much business, politics, and just sheer fun made this past decade one to remember.
Starting out with Nintendo: Does anyone remember the Nintendo On rumor? Or what about talks of Nintendo following Sega and stepping out of the console wars - only to come back with a 6 hour long wait for E3er’s to play the newly renamed Revolution, Nintendo “Wii”? What about their current Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime’s introduction at E3 2004, and how could you forget Shigure Miyamoto’s stunning entrance after the Twilight Princess trailer was shown at E3 2004? And not to mention the Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Advance SP, DS, DS Lite, and DSi printing money like handhelds never before.
It can be said without a doubt that Nintendo started a gaming revolution that disrupted the industry; by taking hold of an untapped market, the big N stole all the thunder away from Sony and the PS3, making an older generation remember the name “Nintendo” from the 80’s, and in turn created the casual gamer. The Wii has become the leader in video games once again, but can they keep their momentum going as their luster begins to wane on the hardcore.
Moving onto Micorosoft: Who knew that a PC software company would come into the hardware market - and the gaming market of all things. Bill Gates was and is still known as the richest guy in the world, whether its true or not, so his company could literally get into anything it wanted and still get away with it, and that’s exactly what Microsoft did - making a behemoth of a system called the Xbox, that just seemed to first be a third wheel at first, but eventually went on its way to introduce players to the next step in gaming: online play. Xbox Live would take the world by storm and also get the attention of both Nintendo and Sony.
The Xbox 360 soon followed in 2005, being the first to welcome the next generation consoles. With a perfect controller, new and improved Xbox live service, and a rising popularity in the FPS genre, Microsoft had everything going their way - that’s of course if you took a blind eye to the system’s 50% failure rate. Nonetheless the 360 has become this generation’s staple console, being the go to system for the hardcore gamer, as opposed to the Wii and its casual friendly players. However, 2009 they showed the world that they were ready to help cater to casuals and introduce a new play style with the upcoming Project Natal camera system - who needs a controller?
And finally Sony: They started this decade being on top of the gaming world with the PS1, and when it was time to release the PS2 their popularity actually killed off a gaming legend in Sega. Games like Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy X and XII, as well as Gran Turismo made the PS2 the gaming staple of its generation, and eventually gave Sony enough edge to step into the handheld market with the PSP. Ridge Racer!!! I kid, I kid. Then the PS3 was released to a bit of skepticism as an awkward controller design, along with a $599 price tag made gamers a bit weary of what Sony was up to.
Early adopters soon found themselves without any quality games for about a good 3 years - 2009 being the only year to truly offer a more than one or two titles that were enjoyable, or must plays. Multiple SKU’s confused consumers, even dedicated gamers and followers of Sony to question what the heck they were doing. But after getting over a couple of betrayers in their exclusive lineup, as well as bringing down their consoles to a fair price point and making the hardware itself smaller, Sony finally found themselves in a favorable light. And during this past year’s E3 even showed their intent to enter the motion control market along with Nintendo and Microsoft.
Events that went down in the 00’s:
The Dreamcast falls but is remembered fondly, Halo becomes a household word, G4 and TechTv merge to bring ACTUAL quality gaming programming in the mid-2000’s - (Cinematech, Icons, Electric Playground, Cheat, X-Play), SpikeTV concocts the VGA’s (first televised Video Game Award Show - to the dismay of real gamers everywhere), DLC (downloadable content) is introduced, DDR is put into school P.E. classes, Crysis sets standard for video game graphics, piracy runs rampant as older games are made into ROM files and newer titles are put up on torrents.
My top 5 games of the decade (in no special order):
Pokemon Gold/ Silver (2000)
It defined a generation, taking the ‘Gotta Catch’em All’ attitude to a whole new level. Caught all 150 of the original Pokemon? Alright, good. Well, that’s not going to cut it this time! Add 100 more creatures just for good measure, oh, and this time it’s 16 gyms and badges spanning over 2 continents. Can you say 100’s of hours of gameplay? It’s a timeless hit and by far the fan’s epitome of what a Pokemon game should be.
Metroid Prime (2002)
It’s quite a leap, not just a hop, skip, and a jump, to take something from 2D and make it work in 3D. Metroid Prime was a prime, no pun intended, example on how to make it happen. Heck, it was a even a unanimous decision by nearly every gaming critic out there, that this game was perfection - making it one of the most critically acclaimed games ever. On a much personal note, Prime was my first real FPS experience. Yes, I missed out on Goldeneye, mostly because it never interested me, but Prime took it on a different playing field - adding a new layer of gameplay, platforming and puzzle solving to a rather boring genre of just pointing and shooting.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
Espionage in its true form; get behind bushes, put on some camo, or eat some snakes. Big Boss (the original enemy of the Metal Gear series) needed an origin story, and boy did he get one - one that even put Solid Snake to shame. With a perfect balance of storytelling, gameplay, and lore, Snake Eater made me skip school so I could finish this epic tale off. Nothing will get you more choked up than the ending, making you question everything you ever knew about the story and the characters involved. Too bad it all went to hell in MGS4. Snake Eater is the definition of manliness.
Bioshock (2007)
First person shooters weren’t known for their stories back in the day - I mean like most older games it was just a way to move pixels around a screen and call it fun. Not much else was needed to have fun but to see the enemy in front of you and unload on them. But when Bioshock crashed down it reinvented what a shooter could be. An entire world hidden, a narrative stuck in a time lost underwater - Bioshock set you in a realistic, yet unbelievable environment that made you marvel at the rich history behind the architecture and concept of Rapture, and ultimately the ideals of one very intriguing, Andrew Ryan. No gods, or kings. Only man.
Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
If I told you years ago that one of the biggest Mario games, if not THE BEST game of all time, was going to feature Mario in space I’m positive you’d laugh, and don’t deny it. But once you are sent to the cosmos and are given a chance to play with the gravity mechanics, with Mario at the helm, it’s a whole different experience than anything you’ve ever played before. The game’s simplistic yet charming nature makes it a must play for everyone and anyone. Mario Galaxy to me is not just a contender for game of the decade, it is my favorite game I’ve ever played, period.
And my top 3 disappointments of the decade:
Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008)
How could you possibly succeed after following up Snake Eater? The honest truth is you can’t. But the sad thing about it is that MGS4 didn’t even try. It took everything away we knew about the Metal Gear franchise and turned it upside down; for instance in MGS2 and 3 you could go “Rambo” near the completion of the game, in the 4th installment, however, you’re given the chance to mow down everyone since the beginning of the game - ergo removing any sort of strategy needed to progress you through. And when it came to the plot, MGS4 went a bit over the top when it didn’t need to. For every epic and awesome moment (Rex vs. Ray) there was an equally ridiculous moment that took that magic away from you (Mount Snakemore on the side of Outer Haven). MGS4 simply was a joke that no one could’ve predicted. The only good thing from that game was the ending - other than that…puh…..Snake had a hard life.
Killzone 2 (2009)
Everyone and their mom was hyped for Killzone 2. I mean, how could you not be after that first trailer was shown in E3 2006 - showcasing what the almighty PS3 could do. They assured us, “none of this is pre-rendered” and all of it is actual gameplay. Though, the final product was something to drool over visually, the game itself was just another shooter. Nothing really stood out from it, and it seriously hasn’t made a single lasting impact on many gamers in the community. Are they even making Killzone 3?
Resident Evil 5 (2009)
Ending a series, like MGS, can be a difficulty task. But it really shouldn’t be that hard for a series as simple as Resident Evil. Tough puzzles, a mysterious virus, and 1 dimensional characters make for something utterly terrifying, predictable, and fun. The ending to the series should’ve gone through every character and avenue we were ever introduced to - giving us closure to what we first discovered in the Arkalay Mountains and Raccoon City - but no, they couldn’t do that. With the demand for grim dark visuals and shooters from the West, Japan decided to go along with their cries and give in - doing away with what made the series interesting in the first place. I’m sure removing the zombies and beefing up Chris Redfield with steroids sounded cool in the developer meetings.
My game of the year for 2009:
Demon’s Souls
A sleeper hit that not many mainstream players knew, or still even know about, Demon’s Souls makes owning a PS3 all worth the while. With seriously hundreds of hours worth of gameplay, it’s an RPG that makes you forget that other games even exist. As soon as you enter the dark, fog filled kingdom of Boletaria you can’t help but feel like an ant in a world where everyone and everything is trying to stomp you out of existence. Heck, even the environment wants you dead.
Its difficulty is something that is unmatched in games you see in the current market - punishing you severely for a death you may not have even knew was coming. Hours of your life can be wasted if you don’t plan and strategize every step you take, and that’s being 100 percent serious. Bosses are epic monsters that make you feel privileged to even be in their presence, as they usually can kill you with two single swipes if you aren’t prepared. Clawing your way to victory against any of them gives you a sense of accomplishment that is unrivaled with other games.
Demon’s Souls is my game of the year because it’s not just a good game… it is a step beyond what you normally see. Sure, New Super Mario Bros. Wii was a great game, and yes, Modern Warfare 2 was spectacular too, but From Software took a big risk developing something that had never been done before. Demon’s Souls is such a rare gem, something so original that it’s hard to pin point exactly what makes it a head above the rest. Its popularity over the internet garnered it recognition from players the world over, waiting for their chance to prove they could finish this epic adventure just as the Japanese had done before them.
Maybe what intrigued everyone was the hardcore stats, weapon, and job choices, or maybe it was the unique online features, which connect you to other players at all times, regardless if you want to or not (there is an option for an offline game). The ability to see other players previous failings, as well as get tips from those who’ve traversed the world before you adds an extra layer of depth that hasn’t been toyed around with yet in other games.
Demon’s Souls pioneered its way into the hearts of fans despite its ungodly difficulty, making way for a new franchise to flourish and take us away from the every growing stagnant RPG genre. More variety please!
What the future holds:
Digital distribution, OnLive, and motion controls are the immediate future that I foresee in the next year or two, but what about after that? What can we expect to look back in when we reach 2019? Gaming has changed so much in these past 10 short years that it’s nearly impossible to guess what could happen in 5 years, let alone a decade. Before the 2000’s there was no such thing as gamer jocks; just gamers. People weren’t categorized as casuals or hardcores. And there was no motion controls, just traditional gaming controllers.
The only one thing for certain I can say is that I’m excited for 2010’s line up, and that as games continue to progress and further with technology, I hope that the same fun I’ve had for the past 20 years follows along with them.
