20 Video Games of the Past 10 Years that Deserve Classic Status

The past decade has been a particularly strong era in the history of video games. In 2004, the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox were reaching their primes with titles like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Halo 2 finally taking full advantage of the systems in ways that had never been done before. As we progressed through this period of time, we also saw the release of the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, and the PlayStation 3, introducing graphics systems and gameplay that could finally compete with the hardware that a PC offered.

With the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One fast-approaching, though, we thought it'd be a good idea to take a look at the last ten years and remember the good times we had with all the games that spanned this cross-console rift. A lot of great games came out during this time, but only 20 truly transcended greatness. Amid all the contenders and pretenders, this is our list of the 20 Video Games of the Past 10 Years that Deserve Classic Status.

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God of War III

Platform(s): PS3
Year Released: 2010

Closing out the God of War trilogy, the series' third installment also may have been its high point, giving its story arc an appropriately, action-packed ending, rife with dramatic tension and conflict. Kratos was back and better than ever, armed with his trusty set of blades, and ready to knock some divine skulls together. When does a game get more grandiose than you facing off against Zeus, the king of Olympus himself? Or how about plunging down to the Underworld to do battle with Hades? God of War takes the high bar of its subject matter even higher, by putting you on a journey that's completely over-the-top but also totally epic.

Mass Effect 3

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U
Year Released: 2012

Sporting a revamped combat system and improved AI, Mass Effect 3 served as the final chapter in Commander Shepard's story, and was hailed by many as the role-playing game of the year. Yes, the ending was notoriously ill-conceived, but the expanded leveling up systems, as well as the option to carry over your character from the previous Mass Effect games made up for this less-than-stellar conclusion. The experience of fighting through a detailed and expansive adventure like Mass Effect 3 was gratifying in and of itself.

Resident Evil 4

Platform(s): Gamecube, PS2, Windows, Xbox 360, PS3, iOS
Year Released: 2005

When you try and trace back the origins of many of today's FPS-style titles, you'll inevitably come upon Resident Evil 4 at some point in your search. The gameplay perspective was completely original to the title, and the ease of which it ported from one platform to another was a rare feat for many video games at the time, as it seamlessley jumped from sixth-gen to seventh-gen consoles, as well as handheld options and the PC. Beyond the hordes of demonic villagers looking to cut your throat, Resident Evil 4 kept you on your toes with a number of quick time events and bosses that required you to react with your finest instincts. This level of immersiveness has made the title playable and enjoyable even against the visually smoother and shinier options of today.

Assassin's Creed II

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox 360, PS3
Year Released: 2009

Interweaving Renaissance-era espionage with a strangely creative, 21st century, corporate thriller, Assassin's Creed II revisited many of the beloved aspects of the original Assassin's Creed but improved upon its combat system and Eagle Vision, along with adding small, but essential, features like allowing Ezio to swim. Rarely has old-world Italy been this cool, and among all Assassin's Creed titles, the second installment stood above the rest. The franchise has always been one of the best stealth gameplay experiences for seventh-generation consoles, delivering the closest thing to real-life cloak-and-dagger action that you can get.

Red Dead Redemption

Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3
Year Released: 2010

Set during the time when the old cowboys and outlaws were starting to fade, and the modern world was intersecting with the American West, Red Dead Redemption is Grand Theft Auto meets Billy The Kid, bringing all the sandbox-style exploration of Rockstar's flagship franchise to your nearest rough and tumble saloon. Red Dead is easily the finest Western game to ever be conceived, and hits all the right spots for fans of the genre, offering you a whole world to discover filled with stick ups, gun duels, and bounties to be hunted down. And bears too! Who hasn't wanted to take on a bear when you're armed with nothing but a buck knife? Definitely not this guy.

Fallout 3

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox 360, PS3
Year Released: 2008

Not without its share of controversy, Fallout 3's darkly realistic take on the futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting dropped its players into a battle-scarred Earth in the year 2277, where they tore through barren wastelands in search of their character's father and the means to revive a lost planet. Bethesda Studios has always been an ambitious development team and, in the wake of releasing Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, they showed no signs of slowing down on their successes with Fallout 3.The character-building elements that gamers loved in Oblivion were equally present in Fallout with its S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes system and karma-tracking aspect, helping to fill out the role-playing end of the title. Certain glitches and fumbles in execution were annoying to some, but overall, Fallout 3 easily asserted itself as one of Bethesda's stronger works, refusing to stay in the massive shadow that Oblivion cast over it.

BioShock

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox 360, PS3, Mac OS X
Year Released: 2007

For the thinking, feeling gamer, BioShock offered you a choice: harvest the genetically-enhancing powers of the Little Sisters, or protect them from those trying to do so. The game was rife with moral and philosophical dilemmas like this, having been based around the Objectivist theories of noted (and oft-criticized) author, Ayn Rand. Luckily, BioShock didn't quite take itself as seriously as its spiritual forebear, Atlas Shrugged, instead destroying the utopian world that Rand envisioned in her landmark novel, and shoving your character into the challenges and evil plots hatched from a super-society gone wrong. Its aesthetics, gameplay, and narrative flexibility were all instantly appealing for players, and the title received a boatload of critical acclaim upon its release, with critics today still calling it one of the seventh-gen's strongest offerings to date.

Portal

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox 360, PS3, Mac OS X, Linux
Year Released: 2007

Though the sequel is arguably better, the first Portal gets the nod here for introducing a puzzle system that, now seemingly intuitive for the physics of a video game universe, was lauded for its original and refreshing edge upon its release. Using your portal gun, your character was able to hop from wormhole to wormhole to navigate various puzzle rooms that didn't have any set solution, a twist praised by many reviewers of the game. The space for creativity was refreshing, and the level of difficulty left you scratching your head without feeling like you wanted to pull out your hair.

Half-Life 2

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox, PS3, Mac OS X, Linux
Year Released: 2004

Valve Corporation is one of the most forward-thinking video game-development companies in the industry, and much of that reputation was initially earned on the strength of Half-Life 2. Released for the PC in 2004, the title earned 39 Game of the Year Awards, and essentially changed the game for both computer and console games with its ground-breaking Source engine. The engine rehauled the audio, visual, and artificial intelligence aspects of past gaming engines to create an FPS experience that far outstripped any other viable competition. Games like Half-Life 2 were a big reason that console games had to take a backseat to PCs for such a long time. Simply put, they just couldn't handle something as beautiful, intricate, and realistic as Half-Life 2. If you had ever needed a reason to upgrade your computer, this game was the excuse you were looking for.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Platform(s): PS3
Year Released: 2009

An amalgamation of numerous genres, Uncharted 2 takes the best of many worlds to deliver an enthralling gameplay experience like few others on the PS3. What starts as a mission to acquire an ancient oil lamp that once belonged to Marco Polo unfolds as an adventure focused on stopping a former Soviet intelligence agent's plot to acquire super-human invincibility from a prehistoric tree of life. This was like Indiana Jones expect better. Enough said.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox 360, PS3
Year Released: 2009

One of the highest selling video games of all time, CoD: MW2 was not only a commercial hit, but a critical one as well. The online play was nearly unparalleled, and the depth of the story and multiplayer modes provided you with hours upon hours of entertainment. CoD is one of those video-game franchises, not unlike Madden NFL, that has rare crossover appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers, and Modern Warfare 2 is arguably the series' brightest gem.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Platform(s): PS2, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, Mac OS X
Year Released: 2004

The adventures of Claude and Tommy Vercetti in GTA III and GTA: Vice City were thrilling and criminally-inventive in their own rights, but controlling the life of San Andreas gangbanger Carl "CJ" Johnson was an experience like no other GTA title. The best-selling PS2 game ever, San Andreas packed the GTA with a boatload of new, RPG-style features, and in the process delievered a level of interactivity that the series had never seen before. There have been many GTA games released before and after San Andreas but it's difficult to argue that any of them stack up to this.

Gears of War

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox 360
Year Released: 2006

A military sci-fi featuring beautifully rendered, and somewhat disturbing, visuals and some of the Xbox 360's most addictive multiplayer and co-op modes, Gears of War is maybe the only so-called Halo-killer that could actually live up to the hype. The game's cover and strategic fire mechanics were particularly well-received, plus, the Lancer is easily one of the most iconic weapons of the past decade. I ask you: what's better than an assault rifle with a mounted chainsaw bayonet when you're fending off futuristic, subterranean goons? Nothing.

Journey

Platform(s): PS3
Year Released: 2012

Journey deserves recognition for its innovative use of the online system to connect players through honest cooperation as a opposed to pitting them against one another in blood-thirsty combat. Allowing players to assist in each others' respective journey's, the game revolves around your character's quest to the top of a faraway mountain, taking you through an infinite desert and an abandoned city in the process. The visuals are beautiful, the simplicity is endearing, and its execution is brilliant. Plus, isn't it nice that you can go online and actually help someone out inside of trying to blow their head off or something? Why can't we all just get along for once?

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox 360, PS3
Year Released: 2011

The Elder Scrolls series has always been strong for its immersive, character-building features, and hyper-detailed open worlds, but the latest addition to the series has been its zenith.Skyrim is centered around one of the most classic stories in any fantasy world: the hero taking on the mighty dragon. But even with such an oft-used storyline, the game manages to feel new and fresh thanks to its one-of-a-kind, interactive experience. Letting you choose from an enormous variety of characters and classes, Skyrim offers a plethora of ways for you to slay the dragon, keeping the gameplay fresh for every run-through.

Civilization IV

Platform(s): Windows
Year Released: 2005

Sid Meier has long been regarded as one of the most influential minds in the history of PC gaming, and Civilization IV may be the culmination of his brilliance. A tactically-advanced, turn based title focused on empire-building and resource-management, Civ4, wasn't simply directed toward the traditional methods of conquest like warfare; it presented technological superiority, diplomacy, and cultural dissemination as a means of establishing your global kingdom as well. This strategic diversity, along with a smooth 3D engine, and the downloadable customizations made the game one of the PC's signature titles, allowing players to rule a nation from the comfort of their desktop. With Civ4 the world truly felt like it was yours.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Platform(s): PS3
Year Released: 2008

Continuing on from the storyline of Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 4 shed the overly complex narrative of its spiritual predecessor, without losing any theatrical or dramatic punch. Directed by Hideo Kojima, the game follows a noticeably-aged Solid Snake in his final adventure, ending Snake's storyline with what some critics called one of the saddest and most visceral conclusions of any video game. It certainly doesn't take away any from the gameplay or overall experience, though, as the switch to an over-the-shoulder camera, and a realistic fatigue/stress system only added further playability and enjoyment to the franchise's considerable legacy. Best part of the game? The fact that you're actually required at times to cool off from the battlefield by reading an "adult magazine." Never change, Snake.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Platform(s): Wii
Year Released: 2011

Twilight Princess had many Zelda-faithful excited for the possibilities that the Wii would open up to the sword-wielding, bow-shooting world that our favorite Hylian hero inhabited. Unfortunately, the execution wasn't as smooth as we hoped, and while Twilight Princess was a respectable title, it didn't quite live up to the name of the franchise, based on expectations. However, where Twilight failed, Skyward Sword admirably picked up the slack, introducing a fun and intuitive pack of hack-and-slash controls that more fully utilized the motion-sensing aspects of the Wii, and helped to bring one of gaming's richest worlds to life. The Zelda series has long been one of the most revered and respected in the history of gaming, and in Skyward Sword fans of the franchise finally got a seventh-generation title that deserved to be included in its canon.

World of Warcraft

Platform(s): Windows, Mac OS X
Year Released: 2004

What more can we really say about World of Warcraft that you don't already know? As the most-subscribed to MMORPG of all-time, WoW has taken on a life all its own, and earned one of the most-devoted video game followings ever, as well as one, awesome, South Park episode. It's even spawned its own virtual economy! People make real lives in Azeroth and, with a seemingly infinite number of side quests to take on and players to team up with, it's hard to blame them.

Halo 2

Platform(s): Windows, Xbox
Year Released: 2004

Regarded as one of the titles responsible for invigorating Xbox Live, Halo 2 took the critically-lauded futuristic weaponry and strategic combat style of its predecessor, and made them even better. Though some may have liked to see a longer campaign, you sort've miss the forest for the trees when you gripe about the single-player shortcomings of any Halo title. Bungie's premiere franchise is all about grabbing a friend, finding a Warthog, taking turret duties, and running amok. Halo 2 set a template for FPS multiplayer options that is still followed today.