Video game series have come and gone, but a few have managed to stand out in big ways over the past ten years.
We continue our “Best of the Decade” coverage with TheGamer News Team’s Series of the Decade!
Sam Watanuki - Grand Theft Auto
Rockstar has taken the once (probably still) incredibly controversial property of Grand Theft Auto, turning it into a massive online game that continues to receive regular updates. The story mode alone makes the game worth playing, not to mention the fact that the game as seen success on multiple platforms. It’s hard to argue against the grip that GTA has held on its players during the past decade.
Scott Baird - Dark Souls
People might think that Fifty Shades of Grey was the series that proved that people enjoy pain, but it was really Dark Souls all along. The games in the Dark Souls series are beautiful and haunting in their own way, but the reason people love them is because of the satisfaction that comes with conquering each boss. There is no feeling quite like overcoming a Dark Souls boss that initially seemed invincible. Dark Souls gave gamers a taste for blood and challenge that they never knew they had, which is something that has yet to fade away.
Bella Blondeau - Shin Megami Tensei
Shin Megami Tensei went from something talked about in dingy convention halls to a bonafide hit thanks to Persona 5. Not only that, but with Shin Megami Tensei IV, Soul Hackers, and Persona Q, it produced some of its best entries to date. Not only did it turn around in popularity, but it solidified everything that made it work and did it in a way that mainstream audiences finally paid attention.
Helen Ashcroft - The Sims
The Sims has been around for longer than this decade, but in the last ten years, it’s progress has been phenomenal. Gone is the unreliable Sims 3, and in its place, Sims 4, the most diverse and stable incarnation to date. The latest game in the franchise offers some amazing ways to explore life issues, including those regarding gender and sexuality. Ongoing updates help more people than ever before reflecting their truth through it. Playing with life and telling your story through gaming has helped thousands of players over the last decade, and that is priceless.
Eric Switzer - Destiny
Watching Destiny grow into itself over the years has been incredible to see. Bungie had an incredible amount of ambition to pursue a FPSMMO, the first of its kind, and have persisted through the highs and the lows, polishing the franchise into the beautifully weird thing it is today. Destiny is the best it’s ever been, and Bungie has successfully invented a new kind of game.
Jamie Latour - Red Dead Redemption
Few games feel like they have stories that could rival your typical Best Picture Academy Award winner, but Rockstar’s cowboy series produced two of the best narratives in video game history. Both feature two of the most likable protagonists, wide-open worlds teeming with wildlife and scoundrels, and more shootouts than a Sam Peckinpah movie. It’s amazing how Rockstar can pivot between the vulgar, raunchy world of GTA and the somber, reflective plains of Red Dead Redemption.
