The 2010s certainly saw the rise of some of gaming’s best titles. From an award-winning RPG series to indie titles that made it big, the fast-paced to the slower and relaxing, video games arrived in all shapes and sizes during the decade. And with 2020 upon us, several writers from The Edge have looked back at these releases, and picked which ones they feel are the best of the bunch.
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The multi-award-winning 2015 RPG from CD Projekt RED, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best games of the past decade, if not the best. Recognised as Game of the Year by numerous publications and awards ceremonies, The Witcher 3 has been highly praised for its acting, soundtrack, and story. With wonderful graphics and Marcin Przybyłowicz’s soundtrack truly build the world around Geralt and Ciri; the powerful themes and mechanics as part of the world are masterfully blended into forceful battle tracks and the lighter ambient tracks like ‘Kaer Morhen’. A personal favourite of mine has to be “A Story You Won’t Believe” which plays during the mini-games of the card game Gwent.
And when you look at the legacy of the game after its release, there’s so much to explore. From the mini-game Gwent becoming its own title, to its source material receiving a Netflix adaptation that is being released in December 2019, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has proven to mean more than a single video game title. Anyone for a round of Gwent?
– Louise Chase
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Since its release in 2011, I have never found myself growing bored of Skyrim. There’s so much on offer: from wandering the snowy lands of northern Tamriel; striking down dragons with from the sky; walking at a turtle pace as I attempt to carry a boat-load of cheese to the nearest vendor; forcing Shadowmere to climb horizontally up the Throat of The World; emptying that one random chest in Dawnstar of its colossal amount of loot (why did you put it there Bethesda?); crafting hundreds of iron daggers at a time and selling them off to the poor soul closest to me; marrying Lydia so she isn’t thrown off a mountain (again) – and that’s not even scratching the surface! Your time in Skyrim is what you make of it, and with 6 Dragon Priest Masks still to go, I don’t think I’ll be stopping playing anytime soon.
– Charlotte Morris
Little Big Planet 2
Released in 2011, Little Big Planet 2 added more levels, stickers, costumes, creative ability, tools – helmets and the grabinator – and even robots! With co-op play both local and online boosted to four players, new jump pads and 2D levels that see you flying on bees, the excitement never ends. The greatest thing about Little Big Planet 2 was the online levels created by other users, with levels from Little Big Planet carried across so not to lose any of your favourites. Anything you could think of to play, this game pretty much had, from an Angry Birds themed bomb-survival (made even cooler with the new tools) to shark attack survival levels (both personal favourites), it truly brought endless fun to my childhood. So if you’re feeling nostalgic and missing the good old gaming days, why not hook up your PS3 and play the rage-worthy (when you have to re-spawn AGAIN) yet fun Little Big Planet 2.
– Maddie Lock
Minecraft
I could just jump on the fact that Minecraft is the best-selling game of all time (out-selling sold copies of Tetris, in less than a quarter of the time), or the sheer volume of user-generated content, from in-game creations recreating places real and fictional alike, to extensive modifications that can entirely change how, or even why you play, to external works from artwork and memes, up to full-blown parodies of existing music.
But no, why Minecraft is one of the best games of the decade is because it’s a world to make your own. A world you can shape and explore. A world you can build and, if you so wish, destroy. Having that level of freedom to create things you normally couldn’t can both satisfy dreams and inspire futures, building a house in Minecraft can give root to a love of architecture, tinkering with Redstone (in-game electronics) can lead to messing with robotics and computers.
– Menno Kramer
Overwatch
Blizzard, the developers behind the World of Warcraft and Diablo franchises, are known to develop some of the best games on the market, each with their own unique identities steeped in lore and groundbreaking mechanics. Overwatch was no exception to the rule, gaining traction with a massive fan base. However, it is not just the lore that draws people in, it is immersive combat experience which completely rewrote the first-person shooter genre.
The game contains over 30 heroes, each with their own specialist abilities to bring to the battlefield. From the towering German giant Reinhardt, who wields a shield to protect their team; to the combat medic Baptiste, who’s hi-tech devices can protect against death itself. Or if you prefer to deal damage rather than protecting your team, maybe the cybernetic ninja Genji or Ashe, a rebel who runs one of the biggest gangs in the American south-west. There are heroes to suit every playstyle.
The game has not only reached a casual player base but also has given birth to a whole eSports phenomenon; The Overwatch League. The professionals love the game and casual players love the game, which is why, in November 2019, Blizzard announced that Overwatch 2 will be coming to PC, Switch, PS4 and Xbox before the end of 2021.
– Jack Nash
