Top Ten of the Decade: Part 1

5. World of Warcraft (2004)
Even the harshest of critics have to admit that World of Warcraft has achieved a hell of a lot this past decade. I started playing during one of the first betas, alongside my boyfriend of the time. There was nothing quite like the excitement we both felt upon first logging on and seeing the luscious land of Teldrassil. It felt so very huge and wondrous, seemingly never-ending in its beauty. I’ve still yet to see the end game – it never actually hooked me as much as a certain other MMO in this list – but I still have great memories of it and frequently return to start anew. World of Warcraft has truly revolutionised the MMO genre and mainstream perception of it.

4. BioShock (2007)
Ah, BioShock. I paid no attention to your development for some reason, but the moment I set eyes on your wonderful demo, I couldn’t resist. It was the story that captured me the most. I was desperate to figure out the true mystery behind Rapture. The twists and turns along the way kept confounding and amazing me, making it a compelling experience. I actually felt slightly empty and sad when I completed it – what was I going to do now? A sign of a great game when you feel lost when it’s over.

3. Baldur’s Gate 2 (2000)
Go for the eyes, Boo, go for the eyes! Baldur’s Gate 2 was my first experience of a Western RPG. My friend had continuously raved about the first one, but I was too busy with my Playstation 1 to care. Fortunately I paid a bit more attention to the sequel and loved every second of it. I’d never experienced such depth before: Baldur’s Gate 2 felt limitless, with so many side-quests available as well as a complex main storyline. The choices on offer were so new and exciting at a time when I was more used to linear narratives. Did I want to be good or evil? Did I want to seduce my companions? Do I side with thieves or vampires? Absolutely brilliant.

2. Deus Ex (2000)
Deus Ex was very nearly my number one of the decade. So very close, in fact. Again, much of the joy I gained from it was down to the wealth of choices it offered me. Besides the storyline branching out into different narrative paths, there was the vast array of options when it came to getting around a problem. Do I hack the gun turret so it’s on my side or do I just blow it up? It made Deus Ex not just a first-person shooter, not just an RPG, but also a puzzle game, with it always being wise to stop and devise a plan rather than just rushing in all the time. Intelligent gaming at its best.

1. EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark (2000)
It’s the big one, the one that swallowed my soul for too many years, and it was all thanks to the Ruins of Kunark expansion pack. A friend got me into the world of Everquest initially. I knew nothing about it beforehand but he said it was great fun. It was all a bit like an evil drug dealer getting his latest victim, really. It hooked me immediately. The sense of achievement you felt upon hearing that ding sound as you levelled up. It was a hard MMO compared to the likes of World of Warcraft. Levelling up could take hours – days, even, at higher levels – and one death meant that hours of work was undone as you lost significant amounts of experience for dying. It made you very cautious, never daring to take too many risks alone. Ruins of Kunark expanded the world extensively. I spent many hours of the year 2000 trying to level up enough to be able to go to the Overthere, which Kunark had added. I finally got there after taking a long and slow boat ride. Then I realised the game had only just begun, and my soul was going to remain Everquest’s for a long time to come. Pure, unadulterated, addictive fun. World of Warcraft could never eclipse it, for me.

Stay tuned for more Games of the Decade lists.  And remember to vote in the Readers’ Game of the Year list, won’t you?

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