Molyneux, BioWare and more tell us which games they think are the greatest of the last ten years

Three console generations have overlapped during this past decade. When attempting to construct an overview of this significant period in videogame history, it’s important to note that during this time, the Dreamcast fell, Japanese development shrunk to the point of insignificance and, of course, the Xbox brand was born, among dozens of other landmark events that forever changed the composition of the industry. Still, while we could reflect on these events in depth, we thought it would be more engaging to discover what developers thought were the best games of the Noughties – that never sounded right, did it? We approached a diverse range of console-centric talent to get their picks of 2000-2009.

GTA III: A decade-defining game if there ever was one.

The past ten years have seen game design escalate in ambition, and one of the most influential and large-scale projects came at the beginning of the decade, with Sega’s Shenmue. Team17’s design manager, John Dennis, explains why it’s among his favourites: “I’ve had a few lively debates about this game with some of the other designers at Team17, and it seems to draw either extreme like or extreme dislike reactions from people. I’m in the ‘extreme like’ camp.” Dennis is by no means alone in rating Shenmue – Sega and AM2’s narrative-driven adventure has a sizeable cult following. It’s clear that Dennis counts himself among the Dreamcast faithful. “I loved the Dreamcast, and [Shenmue], Quake III: Arena and Phantasy Star Online were the three reasons why. I still have very fond memories of the late nights I spent beefing up Ryo’s kung fu skills or driving a forklift truck.”

Dennis also has high praise for the divisive The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker, which some consider the weakest in the Zelda franchise. “I haven’t played another game before or since that was so beautifully realised and so considered in all of its mechanics as Wind Waker. I love the look – why do they keep going back to ‘realistic’ Link when the cartoon version’s so appealing? – the narrative, the characters and the environments. It’s splendid in every respect, full of charm, and I loved that I could just sail around finding things at my own pace. I actually felt a sense of loss when I’d finished it.” Interestingly, to contrast these two Japanese-developed titles, Dennis cites Football Manager Handheld as another of his personal classics, but also gives honourable mentions to the original Guitar Hero and Level-5’s excellent PSP RPG Jeanne D’Arc, which Sony sadly decided not to publish in the UK.

Ruffian Games’ producer James Cope, who is currently working on Crackdown 2, concurs with Dennis on Wind Waker. “Without doubt, the greatest Zelda games are this and A Link To The Past. Wind Waker still is amazing and a truly timeless game; a work of art.” Cope cites two more recent examples, too, when highlighting his choices to X360: “There’s far too many to list, really. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – it’s the game of the century. Incredible campaign experience backed up by the greatest online play to date. Portal did something genuinely surprising and innovative; a benchmark in how to do narrative.”

Shenmue: inventive, engrossing, brilliant. Arguably a game ahead of its time.

… continued