1. World Of Warcraft
2. Half-Life 2
3. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
4. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
5. Halo 2
6. Katamari Damacy
7. Burnout 3: Takedown
8. Doom 3
9. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
10. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

That reminds me, I wonder why it is we don’t have FFXIV on the 2013 list?

Thinking Halo 2 belongs ahead of Snake Eater thanks to it's influence win.



Also the top two breakdown, just cause it's currently a deadlock?

A couple thoughts:

-A little confused about Doom 3's inclusion on the list at all. To my memory it was not a very well received game when it was released, and considered to be a disappointment and a bit of a generic shooter. Has it aged well or something? I've never seen it on any best of console or best of decade lists before.

-Halo 2 above Snake Eater is fine with me. Even if it is the weakest in the trilogy, Halo 2 was still a huge pop culture smash when it was released. Also completely revolutionized and popularized the online console scene forever.

-Katamari Damacy above Burnout is a little confusing, would like to hear the breakdown.

If it were up to me, I would remove Doom 3 and replace it with Fable at the #10 slot...but I am probably in the minority.

Not sure, but I kind of remember that FFXIV was a huge letdown when it first was released, and took a couple of years with patches/updates for it to become more playable and accessible.

The original failed release was 2010, the 2013 Realm Reborn redux was a new game, and acclaimed by critics and players, and unquestionably the #2 MMORPG.

All you have to do is look at the sources. I have no opinion on any Doom, but 3 has better reviews, a higher Metacritic, and sold more than Fable. For acclaim though, neither really deserve to be in the top 10, but it seems like we're going that way.

Would be fine with replacing it with Rome: Total War. (Doom 3 that is).

I'm thinking for World Of Warcraft vs Half-Life
Acclaim: Half-Life
Popularity: World Of Warcraft by a small amount
Influence: World Of Warcraft.
maybe

While Half Life 2 certainly wins acclaim, I also agree that WOW wins in both popularity and influence. Whether you love it or hate you, you cannot deny that it was a pop culture phenomenon that is still relevant today. The best selling PC game of 2005 and 2006, at its peak in 2010 had over 12 million subscribers (has there ever been a game in the past where millions of people paid $15 a month just to play it?).

The game has grossed $9.23 billion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, along with Space Invaders, Pac-Man and Street Fighter II.

In terms of influence, you kind of have to say it has influenced every MMORPG since. "World of Warcraft's original talent system, which let players distribute points among upgrades, saw wide adoption, including by Star Wars: The Old Republic. World of Warcraft also gave structure to the "raid" group activity, in which players needed a specific strategy. Emergent behavior from raid strategies were later built into the game."

Also a huge impact in pop culture (South Park episode, Family Guy, commercials, board game, trading cards, merchandise, etc.). I get the draw of making Half Life 2 the #1 slot, but my goodness is WOW a landmark game in so many ways that changed video games forever. If our criteria was different, I think there would be an argument to have it at the #1 slot for the entire decade.

Interestingly, FFXIV currently has over 20 million subscribers.

Is there a subscription? Is it free to play/buy?

It’s a subscription, but there’s some free to play options like what The Old Republic has, as I understand.

Hmmmm.....don't know what to tell you lol.

Thoughts:

1. World Of Warcraft
2. Half-Life 2
3. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
4. Halo 2
5. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
6. Burnout 3: Takedown
7. Katamari Damecy
8. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
9. Rome: Total War
10. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door