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[Bullet Club]

The 50 best video games of the 21st century

Want to build worlds, become a crime kingpin, get lost in space, or enter the afterlife? Then our countdown of the 50 best games of the era has something for you

www.theguardian.com

The Guardian's List

50. SingStar (2004)
49. Katamari Damacy (2004)
48. Journey (2012)
47. Dead Space (2008)
46. Limbo (2010)
45. Papers, Please (2013)
44. Forza Horizon (2012)
43. Rocket League (2015)
42. Burnout 3: Takedown (2004)
41. Overwatch (2016)
40. Gears of War 2 (2008)
39. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (2000)
38. Super Smash Bros Melee (2001)
37. Silent Hill 2 (2001)
36. Spelunky (2008)
35. Assassin’s Creed 2 (2009)
34. Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)
33. Battlefield 1942 (2002)
32. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
31. God of War (2018)
30. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
29. Deus Ex (2000)
28. Wii Sports (2006)
27. Guitar Hero (2005)
26. Left 4 Dead (2008)
25. Ico (2001)
24. The Last of Us (2013)
23. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000)
22. Mario Kart 8 (2014)
21. Mass Effect 2 (2010)
20. Fortnite (2017)
19. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
18. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
17. The Sims (2000)
16. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
15. Resident Evil 4 (2005)
14. Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
13. World of Warcraft (2004)
12. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)
11. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
10. Bloodborne (2015)
9. BioShock (2007)
8. Portal 2 (2011)
7. Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
6. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
4. Half-Life 2 (2004)
3. Dark Souls (2011)
2. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
1. Minecraft (2009)

Agree?

Disagree?

Don't give a shit?

 

[johncaveman12]

A lot of the games on that list are amazing. Especially GTA 4. I love that. I don't understand Burnout 3 or Singstar though. Wtf?

 

[The Cockatrice]

What the fuck is Singstar?

 

[johncaveman12]

What the fuck is Singstar?

It's gay

 

[base]

Minecraft 1st? I want to die!

 

[Furozen]

So... Fortnite is better than Mass Effect 2 & Mario Kart 8, but worse than Grand Theft Auto IV? Good to know.

 

[Dada55000]

So... Fortnite is better than Mass Effect 2 & Mario Kart 8, but worse than Grand Theft Auto IV? Good to know.

Sounds about right TBH.

 

[Arenimo]

Age of Empires?

 

[ienjoyrawfish]

29. Deus Ex (2000)
28. Wii Sports (2006)

Lol

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Much better list than I expected. I'd happily boot up and play most of these.

 

[Bullet Club]

What the fuck is Singstar?

Games you find at recycle shops going for a $1. Thousands of copies of them.

 

[kunonabi]

Not as bad as I expected considering it's the guardian. Still only agree with like 4 games though.

 

[Helios]

Much better list than I expected. I'd happily boot up and play most of these.

Yeah, I was expecting some zoomer shit so it is better than I expected. Though that's not saying much.


EDIT: Nevermind, I just saw that they put Wii sports above Deus Ex.
Bring the guillotine.

 

[Cravis]

I saw Singstar at number 50 and said nope don’t give a shit about this list.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

worst GTA's are represented. GTA: SA is the GOAT.

 

[synchronicity]

I agree:

Minecraft (2009)
Dark Souls (2011)
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Ico (2001)
Deus Ex (2000)
Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
Silent Hill 2 (2001)
Dead Space (2008)

Great game but not top 50 for me:

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
BioShock (2007)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
Mario Kart 8 (2014)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000)
The Last of Us (2013)
Guitar Hero (2005)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)
Spelunky (2008)
Rocket League (2015)

Disagree:

Half-Life 2 (2004)
Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
God of War (2018)
Super Smash Bros Melee (2001)
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (2000)
Papers, Please (2013) (No, lol.)
Limbo (2010)
Journey (2012)
Katamari Damacy (2004) (enjoyed, but no.)

Haven't played the others.

There, now I have an opinion too.

 

[julio_grr]

On a side note, 2000 does not belong to the 21st century

 

[Husky]

No Prey or Alan Wake? Plebeian taste.

A shame they forgot Dragon's Dogma exists. Managed to pick the worst Metal Gear Solid for the list lmao

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

It's gay

Surprised The Guardian doesn't have it at number one then....

 

[Paltheos]

Is this list weighted for time? Some of this shit hasn't aged well. Half-Life 2 is pretty damn boring, for instance.

No matter the reasoning employed though, I can't believe Metroid Prime isn't anywhere here. GOTY and definitely top 3 Gamecube games.

 

[Boaty McBoatface]

Not a single Sega game?

 

[PuppetMaster]

Do they rank backwards in the EU?

SingStar is their best game right? Because Minecraft is obviously the worst game on that list.

 

[ienjoyrawfish]

Not a single Sega game?

Par for the course these days unfortunately.

Their contribution to the industry is second only to Nintendo in scope, influence and innovation but seems to be getting slowly erased from the history books. It's a travesty.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Yeah, I was expecting some zoomer shit so it is better than I expected. Though that's not saying much.


EDIT: Nevermind, I just saw that they put Wii sports above Deus Ex.
Bring the guillotine.

Wii Sports (Resort) really is one of the best games every made, though. Don't hate. The rankings on these lists are essentially meaningless. I just look to see which ones made the list in the first place.

I mean, Shadow and Ico? Don't choke so hard on your "games are art" cred amirite The Guardian?

 

[Clear]

Total shit.

Not that there aren't a load of great games on the list, but the ranking order is just.... WTF!

Its also pretty weird which franchise entries are included.

 

[Katsura]

Do they rank backwards in the EU?

SingStar is their best game right? Because Minecraft is obviously the worst game on that list.

No, The Guardian is thrash and full of diversity hires with far left moronic takes. Think of them as the Kotaku of news media

 

[Helios]

Wii Sports (Resort) really is one of the best games every made, though. Don't hate.

 

[Insane Metal]

I knew it was shit before even reading the list. The Guardian sucks.

 

[Caffeine]

I call bullshit on this list if they had mass effect 2 at 21 they would have had kotor 1 and 2 on the list period. also deus ex and half life 2 but no doom. I knew it was shit when I saw singstar at 50.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

Wow....no MGS2?

 

[prinz_valium]

That's surprisingly a decent list.
Misses Path of Exile, tho.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Wow....no MGS2?

Agreed.

MGS2 Sons of liberty is one of The Best games that i play in my life

 

[GHG]

No Knack?

These guys don't have a clue what they're talking about.

 

[DrJohnGalt]

I don't like these lists because they are always so subjective.

Also, didn't bother clicking the link. How do they define "best"? Sales revenue? Units moved? Review scores? Cultural importance? Technological innovation? Or just personal taste? And is that measured in gameplay? Graphics? Fun factor? Story? Or something else?

To be fair, there are some good games on the list. But it seems to me most (or all) the choices are safe bets. Not really putting much on the line or getting too niche.

And the oldest (that I saw at a quick glance) is 2001? So nothing prior was worth mentioning?

So I agree with some, disagree with others, but mostly don't give a shit.

 

[JohnSpartanLee]

Missing these:

Diablo II
Resident Evil (2002)
Super Street Fighter IV

Personally I'd also have Demon's Souls, DiRT Rally and Eternal Darkness in there.

 

[Northeastmonk]

No MGS2 is complete BS. Same with Diablo II. Gears of War 2? No Devil May Cry either. Halo 2 brought matchmaking to Xbox. I'm shocked we only see Halo 1 on the list.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

I get the feeling they only wanna include one game per series, but how tf did MGS V make that list

 

[joe_zazen]

Guardian is a shit paper run by the British establishment. Fuck those guys.

 

[Fake]

Very easy to disagree.

 

[ROMhack]

Right obviously it's dumb so let's not go there but why are these lists always so boring?

This whole list is like a what's what of safe choices. So, so, so boring.

 

[yodine53]

BoTW is too high for such an empty, repetitive world. TW3 doesn't deserve that place either because of its insufferable combat.

Wii sports over SoTC is a joke.

 

[Bonfires Down]

That's like the most boring, cookie cutter list I've seen.

 

[EightBit Man]

Some great choices here and there, but there are some really weird choices and so many games missing that I don't even know where to begin, but I'll try. Gravity Rush, Resident Evil Remake, Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto III, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and 3: Snake Eater, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Ninja Gaiden, Mirror's Edge ...etc etc etc.

Also, Silent Hill 2 at 37th... what a joke.

 

[Vandole]

Limbo can take a dive off a cliff.

SingStar? I get wanting to add an all-inclusive casual party game thats not Wii Sports or Guitar Hero, but maybe go Just Dance?

And Sims should have been Sims 2. Much better than the original and still maybe best in the series.

Overall though, it's not a terrible list.

 

[Dthomp]

At a real quick glance, this list is bad. That is all

 

[rahuljx]

No Final Fantasy or any JRPG? No proper fighting game? The problem with this list is that it doesnt even cover all the genres available.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

What is this horrible zoomer taste?

 

[Naked Lunch]

Overwatch and Fortnite need to get off the list entirely - and any other eligible Metal Gear besides V.

 

[petran79]

No Final Fantasy or any JRPG? No proper fighting game? The problem with this list is that it doesnt even cover all the genres available.

Too sexist for their tastes obviously

 

[FatboyTim]

CTRL+F "Kerbal"

Meh