ClassicRadar: The ten greatest years in videogame history

2001

So, the whole "2001: A Space Odyssey " thing didn't actually happen. No problem: we had some great games to keep things interesting.

Survival horror got a triple shot on PS2, as foggy psychodrama Silent Hill 2 got weird, samurai-vs-demons slasher Onimusha: Warlordsgot medieval, and Dante, the white-haired, gunslinging swordsman of Devil May Cry made it all look cool as hell. Those who preferred their guns mounted onto car hoods thrilled over Twisted Metal Black, and the fledgling Xbox turned the key on a supercar franchise called Project Gotham Racing.

Speaking of beginning franchises, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy touched off a new platform action franchise, and speaking of racing, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec jumpstarted an old one. Skillz-drenched b-balla NBA Street helped us soar through the air, and the irresistibly cute strategy game Pikmin had us watching the ground closely. We were flattened by 2D RPG Paper Mario, chose Pikachu in Pokemon Stadium 2, and jetted clear across the galaxy for mech shooter Zone of the Enders, where we stayed when the team-based sci-fi RPG Phantasy Star Online glued us to our Dreamcasts.

But those aren't even the big hitters. Final Fantasy X and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty brought the premiere RPG and stealth action series onto PS2, and the Xbox roared out of the gate with mega-shooter Halo and big-chested brawler Dead or Alive 3. Nintendo kept up as well, releasing Super Smash Bros. Melee, which became legendary and went on toinspire countless superplay videos.

Then the gaming landscape changed forever when Grand Theft Auto III exploded onto the PS2.

In arcades, Virtua Fighter 4 quietly established itself as the best 3D fighter ever, and on the portable side, offerings like turn-based strategy masterpiece Advance Wars, kart racer Mario Kart Super Circuit, and the awesome RPG Golden Sun were showing the freshly-launched Game Boy Advance could make you miss your stop on the train. PC gaming had a good year as well, with empire-builder Civilization III, god game Black & White, and adrenalized first-person shooter Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

2005

2005 was a mere eleven days old when the GameCube's Resident Evil 4 reinvented the entire survival horror genre. Two months later, God of War and its brutal, blade-swinging anti-hero Kratos did the same for gory action games on PS2.

Creativity kept coming. Action adventure Psychonauts had us alternating between laughter and wonder, thanks to comical dialogue and brilliant level designs, and the atmospheric, melancholy beauty of Godzilla-slayer Shadow of the Colossus captivated our hearts. Guitar Hero simply rocked us, andLEGO Star Wars made us silly with fan-boy nostalgia.

RPGs, you say? Xbox rocked the mystic kung-fu of Jade Empire, and PS2 countered with the timeless, lushly-animated charm of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King? In the real world, as gas prices soared, gearheads stomped the pedal on Gran Turismo 4 and upstart Forza Motorsport, while Burnout Revenge and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition became the dynamic duo in arcade racing.

What about PC? We hear that Sid Meier's Civilization IV, and Battlefield 2 weren't too bad. And if you had an urge to game on the go, Kirby: Canvas Curse gave you reason to buy a DS, and Trauma Center: Under The Knife, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Meteos and Mario Kart DS kept it off eBay. PSP arrived too, revving up Ridge Racer and Wipeout Pure, as well as puzzler Lumines and crime actioner Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.

Even before 360 touched down, with its Geometry Wars: Evolved and Condemned: Criminal Origins and also-on-PC Call of Duty 2, 2005 was just sick with awesomeness. Its second-tier stuff would have been top-shelf any other year: We Love Katamari, Tekken 5, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Indigo Prophecy, Soul Calibur III, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Age of Empires III, Black & White 2, Brothers in Arms (both Earned in Blood and Road to Hill 30), Champions: Return to Arms, Destroy All Humans!, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, Donkey Kong, Jungle Beat, Project: Snowblind, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, X-Men Legends 2, WarioWare: Touched!, and more.

Is 2005 the best videogame year ever? Even if it isn't - and if researching/fighting over this feature has taught us anything, it's thatevery yearwas acontender- it's a undeniable proof that there will always begreat, new - and sometimes old -stuff out there for us to play. And that's all the business knowledge most of us gamers need.

This was not only one of GamesRadar’s earliest features, but also one of our most controversial... so much so that we felt compelled to write a sequel and pickthe next five greatest years in videogame history.

Did your favorite gaming year miss out on both lists? Do 2007, 2008, 2009 or 2010 deserve consideration? How will 2011 stack up? Let us know, as always, in the comments.

Originally posted: Jul 21, 2006

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