As the 2010's come to a close, it's time to reflect back on the top 50 best-reviewed games of the decade. It's been an incredible ten years for the video game industry, between PC, consoles and mobile devices. Perhaps now more than ever before, it's easier to play some of the very best games of all time.
The decade began during the second half of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/ Nintendo Wii generation. From 2010 to 2013, some excellent games were released for these platforms, including: Mass Effect 2, The Last of Us, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. But as those platform's lifecycles were ending, the Xbox One, PS4 and Wii U were just beginning. One platform clearly rose above the rest, as Xbox chief Phil Spencer says gamers should "get used" to more first-party Xbox announcements.
The top 50 games of the decade list come by way of review aggregate Metacritic. Super Mario Galaxy 2, a game praised for its innovation, takes the top spot with a score of 97. In fact, all of the top five games, (The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild, Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto V, Super Mario Odyssey) have a 97 rating, separated only by a few decimal places. It's worth noting that these reviews are not based on any individual opinion, they are compiled through Metacritic's critic algorithm, often with as many as 70+ reviewers.
The list isn't perfect, as both The Last of Us and its remastered edition both place in the top 10, despite essentially being the same game. Another surprise is that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine secured a spot at 44, one of a few expansions or DLC to make the cut. The list also includes an aggregate for media outlets' individual top 10 games of the decade. For that, Breath of the Wild took the top spot, with Minecraft in second place.
It's incredible how many great games have come out in the last ten years. There truly hasn't been as much innovation in game development since the very inception of the industry itself. From experimental games like Journey to genre-less ones like Undertale, there is simply just so much talent working on games today. The future is bright for what's to come, as both PlayStation and Xbox seem set to release new home consoles in 2020.
Source: Metacritic