MOST INFLUENTIAL GAMES OF THE 2010’s

Mass Effect Trilogy/Dragon Age Inquisition

BioWare’s iconic RPG franchises revolutionized RPG storytelling and world building. Beloved companion characters such as Garrus and Leliana helped give these series emotional depth, making the bonds between protagonists truly powerful. The sheer impact of player decision making and fallout from those carrying over throughout the entire trilogy were unmatched. These two franchises remain at the pinnacle of RPG nirvana.  

Witcher Series

The Witcher series games are among the very best games ever made, regardless of genre. The depth of world building, deeply woven mature storylines, memorable characters, impactful decisions, wide ranging quests, and formulaic combat, all combine to create true masterpieces. With the Witcher series in full swing on Netflix, there has never been a better time to revisit these classics. Also, check out the Witcher book series that inspired these.

Portal 2

When the first Portal came out, it was a fun, change of pace title included in The Orange Box. It was meant to be a fun little game as an extra to go along with the Half Life games and Team Fortress 2. After its overwhelmingly positive reception, a full-fledged sequel was created, and completely blew away expectations. Portal 2 is a brilliant blend of puzzle solving, witty humor, and a memorable storyline. Portal may have introduced this interesting new hybrid genre, but Portal 2 mastered it.

Last of Us

Naughty Dog’s masterpiece, The Last of Us, is a true masterclass of stellar narrative, character building, and post-apocalyptic setting. There’s a reason the sequel has been so eagerly anticipated. Ellie and Joel’s journey is phenomenal.   

Gone Home

Gone Home helped spawn an entirely new genre of games: the walking sim. In this game, you play as a young woman returning home from college, and exploring your family home while they are absent. Set in the 90’s, this title is both a nostalgic walk and a fascinating experience of learning that players don’t always know what truly motivates those closest to them. An emotional narrative, and brilliantly simple setup along with exploration mechanics, made this a massive hit, and inspired many others to work in this genre.

Hellblade

I previously wrote an article on this game’s importance, but to summarize, Hellblade is a brilliant work of art and represents something far more than just a game. It is the culmination of deep study into history and medical treatments, as well as a true example of phenomenal technological expertise and narrative crafting. The fact that a small studio made this game is simply amazing.

Skyrim

I previously wrote an article on this game’s importance, but to summarize, Skyrim is responsible for revolutionizing the modern open world RPG. Being able to go anywhere and be whomever you want in a massive world, filled with hundreds of hours of content was groundbreaking. The game has been ported so many times because people just can’t get enough of Skyrim. Hopefully, Elder Scrolls VI will live up to its predecessor.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Super Smash Brothers Ultimate is the fever dream fighting game of classic video game characters from Nintendo’s storied history, mixed with many guest characters from other noteworthy creators. The fighting gameplay is fluid and flawless, and the sheer amount of characters available, plus the multitudes of playing modes is staggering. Simply put, if you want to recommend a fighting game to someone, this is the one.

No Man’s Sky

To say No Man’s Sky launched poorly, would be a vast understatement. The game failed to meet enormous expectations, and left many disappointed with the hollowness of the universe. But Hello Games dug in, went to work, and did something truly incredible. They not only redeemed themselves by making the game truly alive and filled with splendor, but exceeded the very high expectations of its launch. This game is now the pinnacle of exploration sims, and shows the beauty and vastness of space.

BOTW/God of War

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BOTW), and God of War were both hugely successful, and brilliantly crafted games of this generation. That being said, what makes them even more impactful, is that they were in effect, huge stylist reboots of their previously established tropes. BOTW turned Zelda into an open world RPG, with voice acting, and a deeper narrative, which was a big change from previous titles in the storied series. God of War also took a big step up in terms of narrative, and also had a dramatic change from third person action/hack-n-slash to third person action/RPG. These two games will be the blueprint going forward for modernizing and revitalizing classic series.