Best Video Games of the 21st Century

[Mr. Bambu]

I'm in need of lighter conversation and had a pretty good discussion about this last night.

These would be my suggestions for the best video games made from the year 2000 onward. Not necessarily the ones I love the most (can't say I'm a huge fan of Breath of the Wild, and World of Warcraft has long since populated the gutter), but the best ones in general- most important, most boundary-pushing, most contributing.

I suppose the purpose of this thread is to say "discuss" and offer your pointers. So, do that. Or don't, I ain't a cop.

Notable Exclusions

• Red Dead Redemption 2: Possibly some of the best writing in video games, but one feels that there are many games that could be praised for their writing that were also excluded. The game itself is pretty good but not incredible.
• Minecraft: This and Skyrim are, in my eyes, persistent due to their modular nature. Base game Minecraft is decent enough but pales in comparison to Terraria, I feel, and Terraria was already a hazy add.
• LIMBO: Masterclass in terms of setting tone, spawned a genre of games behind it. Hard to ignore.
• Rimworld: The other Dwarf Fortress alumni, notable for pushing colony simulation as a genre to where it is (considering Dwarf Fortress was super inaccessible until recently).
• Left 4 Dead: Notable in pushing multiplayer PvE experiences forward, objectively great.
• Half-Life 2: Another Valve one. Unique in its worldbuilding and creativity in terms of mechanics, especially for the time.

These aren't my favorites, nor are they in order (I can say that Dark Souls is probably the top and Monster Hunter: World is probably the bottom). So. Y'know. Talk, what are you unreasonably upset about not being included.

 

[Quantu]

Rocket League is peak. Give it a try if you haven't.

 

[Ped2018]

There are at least 10 gacha mobile games that i played for less than a day that deserve an spot on this list

 

[Mr. Bambu]

Rocket League is peak. Give it a try if you haven't.

Rocket League is like, the logical end conclusion of people who want sports games but don't want to play Soccer 2028 every year, with each iteration bringing out more issues like some kind of inbred mutant

so I put some respect on its name, but it ain't really my medium, I think.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

There are at least 10 gacha mobile games that i played for less than a day that deserve an spot on this list

I'd rather die in real life.

 

[Deidalius]

Terraria is peak, though the mods tend to kinda be all the same as in, you know, get more weapons, more equipment and slay the boss of the week, which is peak but can get repetitive.

Minecraft on the other hand has mods for everything. My favorites are the mods that let you automate everything and build massive complex machines. Doing one task just to do another task and spend hours automating something I could have done in less time manually is peak.

I haven't played any other game though.

Terraria might be the best game of all time imo. It's so fun to do different playthroughs with different weapons, class types and self imposed challenges. Modding makes this experience more entertaining and also gives you more cool bosses to fight. It also gets a lot of support from the developers years after it's creation, it still gets updates. The next one will double the amount of whip weapons the summoner class has which is just so peak.
Terraria is also good for building and I have built nice structures in Terraria but Minecraft is better because it's 3D and you can use shaders and texture packs to make buildings look better.

Imo, both games cover what I want in any game, both games are all I play and I could play modded Minecraft and modded Terraria forever.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

Terraria is peak, though the mods tend to kinda be all the same as in, you know, get more weapons, more equipment and slay the boss of the week, which is peak but can get repetitive.

Minecraft on the other hand has mods for everything. My favorites are the mods that let you automate everything and build massive complex machines. Doing one task just to do another task and spend hours automating something I could have done in less time manually is peak.

I haven't played any other game though.

Terraria might be the best game of all time imo. It's so fun to do different playthroughs with different weapons, class types and self imposed challenges. Modding makes this experience more entertaining and also gives you more cool bosses to fight. It also gets a lot of support from the developers years after it's creation, it still gets updates. The next one will double the amount of whip weapons the summoner class has which is just so peak.
Terraria is also good for building and I have built nice structures in Terraria but Minecraft is better because it's 3D and you can use shaders and texture packs to make buildings look better.

Imo, both games cover what I want in any game, both games are all I play and I could play modded Minecraft and modded Terraria forever.

Minecraft is more modular. As a base game, Terraria has a lot more to its name.

 

[Drite77]

The list I did yesterday

Composed of games I have played, outside of Transformers Fall of Cybertron, reason why I don't include other games is that I don't watch enough about them '-'

Top 2 is DMC 3 and The Witcher 3, the rest gets kinda murky after that

 

[Mr. Bambu]

The list I did yesterday

Composed of games I have played, outside of Transformers Fall of Cybertron, reason why I don't include other games is that I don't watch enough about them '-'

Top 2 is DMC 3 and The Witcher 3, the rest gets kinda murky after that

so many of these are still so funny man

like I love you but Valorant and Counter Strike are insane

 

[Drite77]

so many of these are still so funny man

like I love you but Valorant and Counter Strike are insane

I don't know man, I guess Valorant but CS def enters there somewhere, beautiful competitive scenario

 

[Deceived3596]

I guess some notable examples missing would be Silent Hill 2 given how many horror games are inspired by the game in specific, much less the entire series. Outlast is another good example for re-popularizing more traditional horror compared to the survival horror genre; which itself has much thanks to give to Resident Evil 4 specifically.

Dishonored 1 has held up the torch for stealth action games since Thief has fallen out of favor; it wouldn't be shocking if you do play through a stealth related game, it has mechanics strikingly similar to what Dishonored has.

Prey (2017) has probably been the most important game for Interactive Sim games since BioShock, in terms of its mechanics, story telling, level design, freedom of choice, lore etc. It's also personally my favorite game of all time, so if you haven't played it before (since it's a pretty obscure game unless you enjoy the genre) I would highly recommend it.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

if we're going horror, my mind immediately goes to Alien: Isolation, best horror game ever made imo

 

[Deceived3596]

I've played through it somewhat in the past and wasn't the biggest fan of it (I'm just not someone who really enjoys that form of horror, I would rather play through survival horror and the likes) Personally, I have Dead Space 2 as my favorite horror game of all time, and Dead Space the series is my favorite horror game series of all time (this might change in the future when I go through The Evil Within series again, as I haven't played it in a while and have forgotten most things about it, but I remember really enjoying it)

 

[Deidalius]

Minecraft is more modular. As a base game, Terraria has a lot more to its name.

Exactly, that's why I overall say Terraria is better.

Minecraft is more for building and making machines, all of that you can do in Terraria and more.
Then there's the multiple 4 balanced classes, subclasses, the Terraria wires and machine building mechanics, custom maps, challenge world seeds and self imposed challenges you can use.

Terraria also offers more mobility than Minecraft, you can no hit every boss and it feels good go be agile. Peak game.

 

[Tomfer]

I'll throw my hat into the ring.

The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante:​

A slavic, resource management with multiple choices visual novel that mainly envolves the "You vs the World" trope, putting you in an unjust position that you have no control over until adulthood. Your own choices will mold not only the protagonist's destiny, but the destiny of his entire city as he changes his destiny as a noble, a priest or a rebel. But no matter what, you'll live Sir Brante's life and suffer just like him. The sequel is also in the works that, unlike the first game that makes you feel powerless, the sequel, you'll have absolute power as the monarch of the entire country.

It's a tough read at first, but if you maintain interest, you'll be rewarded with a great conclusion with a hopeful end.

Disco Elysium:​

I'm going to be honest, I don't think I can ever make justice with my own words. I believe that this game should be experienced by yourself and yourself alone. Just go with the game's flow and you'll see what I mean.

Deep Rock Galactic:​

This is the best coop game I ever played. If you want a casual experience with your friends, you can't go wrong with this. Legitimate better than other 4 players coop I played before.

Mass Effect:​

I'll sound cheesy and corny, but this game and characters have left a mark that I just can't forget. At all. I'll forever remember my first playthrough, exploring the vast galaxy and meeting each character for the first time. Sometimes I wish I could erase it from my memories just to experience it again.

Some honorable mentions will be Dishonored, Starcraft 2, Dragon Age and MGS V.

 

[Suigetsuhyugs]

Most games from DontNod such as life is strange 1, Life is strange true colors and remember me.

Naruto storm 4

Black desert

Mirror edge

Splinter cell games

Payday 2

Goat simulator


They are all completely different

 

[Steve1775]

Len'en BPoHC

 

[Kazuma_kuwabara]

Sly Cooper series

 

[RanHover60]

Hades

 

[Mr. Bambu]

I want it to be known that I am a hater and a judgemental person

these are things I believe to be true and right to be

and I am respectfully not speaking on some of these

but

Most games from DontNod such as life is strange 1, Life is strange true colors and remember me.

Naruto storm 4

Black desert

Mirror edge

Splinter cell games

Payday 2

Goat simulator


They are all completely different

this guy said goat simulator? 24 years of games? and you said goat simulator?

like I could talk about a couple of these, and repeat the old adage of how I don't like anime and thus can't even comprehend black desert or naruto storm

but

...goat simulator? Really?

 

[Deceived3596]

It takes a GOAT to understand the greatness that is Goat Simulator.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

I can appreciate the zoomer mantra potential but like

24 years of games, man, it's insane

 

[SuperStar]

 

[Arceus0x]

Hollow Knight is my personal favorite.
It has perfect atmosphere, a completely unique setting with the bug kingdom, a familiar but optimized combat system and a charming, easy on the eyes art style.
HK is one of the most special games for me as despite being 2D it offers incredible amounts of exploration and content. It's probably the only 2D game where you can spend hundreds of hours to fully complete it. It has something for almost everyone. It has tue exploring part, it has platforming parts, it has a lot of combat and then there's stuff for the completionists. Finally there's the lore which goes deep and is something you yourself have to dig out. It pretty much goes with the Kirby approach of lore being an option.
Overall it is a game that can easily appeal to many audiences and the only demographic that won't find it interesting are the ones who only want streamline gameplay like in Mega Man.

 

[Suigetsuhyugs]

I want it to be known that I am a hater and a judgemental person

these are things I believe to be true and right to be

and I am respectfully not speaking on some of these

but


this guy said goat simulator? 24 years of games? and you said goat simulator?

like I could talk about a couple of these, and repeat the old adage of how I don't like anime and thus can't even comprehend black desert or naruto storm

I love Naruto for sure but the reason I actually like those 2 games is more about the gameplay, Black Desert in particular is really good on the RPG setting and freedom.

but

...goat simulator? Really?

The goat simulater was more of a joke I don't actually have it anywhere near those I listed, I would have put Gary's mod, minecraft and castle miner Z above Goat any day.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

Castle Miner Z

you're absolved and we might build a statue in your honor

 

[Deceived3596]

I remember spending several hours back during the Xbox 360 era playing that game. It was so cool to me back then because it had guns and shit in it.

 

[M3X_2.0]

Resident Evil 4 should be in a list of the best games of all time regardless of the metric.

If it’s about quality, there was no game that came close to their level of combat, graphics and general atmosphere at that time.

If it’s about influence, Resident Evil 4 reshaped how 3rd person games are structured and it also inspired a lot of games like Gears Of War, The Last Of Us, Deadspace, and thanks to their new 3rd person camera at the time, basically every new game.

The remake imo elevated every single element of the original game but they don’t have the innovative perk that the og had.

 

[M3X_2.0]

RE4 was also responsible for saving the IP and dooming it at the same time since it had more action sequences and combat system and it lead to RE5 and 6.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

Resident Evil 4 should be in a list of the best games of all time regardless of the metric.

If it’s about quality, there was no game that came close to their level of combat, graphics and general atmosphere at that time.

If it’s about influence, Resident Evil 4 reshaped how 3rd person games are structured and it also inspired a lot of games like Gears Of War, The Last Of Us, Deadspace, and thanks to their new 3rd person camera at the time, basically every new game.

The remake imo elevated every single element of the original game but they don’t have the innovative perk that the og had.

I'm gonna be honest, Resident Evil 4 wasn't really ahead of its time in terms of graphics, and may even be behind the times in terms of combat. 2005 had Star Wars Battlefront, Shadow of the Colossus, Psychonauts and God of War. I'd rank all of those above RE4 in terms of achievement on a mechanical/technical level just from that year.

It did do something for third person camerawork, personally wouldn't include it on the list but I recognize that it did achieve something significant in that department, for sure.

 

[Pepsimanslover]

How dare you not have Pepsiman the game here? If you ignore everything bad about it, it's the best game in history!
That theme song alone should put it above everything!

But being a bit serious, God of War 1 is my personal favorite game. The moves were unique, stylish and with a weapon unlike any before, and the story of a man given false Hope by the very gods who had asked for his service for a decade, a man that will kill perfect copies of himself to protect his family, even giving them his very life force just so they can survive, is one I like.

Crash Tag Team Racing Nitro Fuled is also one I like. The racing is fun and has easy to learn-hard to master mechanics, the shortcuts are fun to find and the tracks are unique. The online does have problems and is essentially Nonexistent now.

Mortal Kombat 11 has incredible fun characters to fight and use, my favorite being Shoa Khan and Joker.

 

[SuperStar]

The Last of Us is another one I can think of, I don't need to explain why this game is peak fiction.

 

[Kazuma_kuwabara]

The Last of Us is another one I can think of, I don't need to explain why this game is peak fiction.

Mid fiction and I am being generous just to not harm your feelings

Also, Joel 1-A when?

 

[SuperStar]

How is it mid?

 

[Kazuma_kuwabara]

How is it mid?

I am not gonna lie, I only wanted to piss you of

 

[SuperStar]

I am not gonna lie, I only wanted to piss you of

Implode now.

 

[Suigetsuhyugs]

The Last of Us is another one I can think of, I don't need to explain why this game is peak fiction.

I played it, but it didn't quite fit my taste, in my opinion it's great at everything but never excel at anything.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

The Last of Us is another one I can think of, I don't need to explain why this game is peak fiction.

yeah you do

unironically I have no interest in it, I think other games have better writing (already mentioned here are Disco Elysium and RDR2) and mechanically it's nothing special

 

[M3X_2.0]

I think The Last Of Us 2 mixes gameplay with cinematography very well, in the sense that your movements and actions doesn’t look like videogamey, if you know what I’m talking. It feels real and natural. And this gameplay is actually very, very engaging and very good.

I think it’s a very beautiful game for the base PS4, heck it even runs perfectly.

Though I prefer the first one’s story.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

Cinematography is a point I wouldn't contest, but I don't like that this is the focus, really. Loath the movies-as-video-games movement, I'd rather just watch a movie. I like movies. I like games. I don't like games trying to be movies with random and arbitrary waist-high-obligatory-stealth-sections interspersed between them to break the flow.