As gamers, we’ve beenblessed with some phenomenal titlesover the past 10 years. Some have pushed the boundaries of what many of us thought was possible while others have breathed new life into old mechanics and concepts. As the standard continues to rise, the thought ofwhat might come nextis a truly tantalizing one.
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Of the many standout games of the decade, however, one shines just a little brighter than the rest.Grand Theft Auto Vfirst released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2013 and is the largest and best-selling title in the series to date. It could be argued though, that it’s not just the best title in the GTA series, but also the greatest game of its generation. Of course, there’s some stiff competition in that category.
10GTA V Is The Best Because Of Its Longevity
ThatGTA Vcontinues to sell well despite having released more than seven years ago is truly remarkable. It’s now featured on three different console generations and was amongst the best selling games for both the PS3 and PS4. With more than 135 million total sales, it is the best selling console games of all time.
One of the reasons that the game remains so popular isthe constant updates to its online mode.GTA Onlinemight not offer the same experience as the single-player campaign, butits many heistsand frequent events have proven to be incredibly popular with the player base. It also helps that the game still looks fantastic even in spite of its age.
9Minecraft Is Better
135 million sales sure is impressive, but the game still has some work to do if it hopes to catch up withMinecraft. Mojang’s block-buster has soldmore than 200 million unitssince its first release and, likeGTA V, remains incredibly popular today. This feat is perhaps made more impressive when considering thatMinecraftactually released two years earlier.
The world and lore of Minecraftis constantly being updatedand added to and, as such, the game still feels as fresh as ever. Visuals were never its strong point, butthe implementation of VR gameplayhas also helped to prolong the game’s life - as too have the army of streamers and YouTubers who continue to produce regularMinecraftcontent.
8GTA V Is The Best Because Of Its Storytelling
One of the principal complaints about some of the earlier 3DGrand Theft Autogames was that their stories could sometimes feel a little incoherent. That’s certainly not something thatGTA Vcould ever be accused of though. Right from the get-go, the game sinks its claws deep into players and this feeling of enthrallment only intensifies as the narrative unfolds.
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It’s perhaps not theSchindler’s Listof video games, but, considering the game’s core mechanics and its general tone, that was never likely to be the case. The narrative has instead been shaped around these mechanics and, as such, is able to complement them perfectly without ever feeling forced or trite.
7The Last Of Us Is Better
When it comes tonarrative-driven video games, few can compete with Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Us. It features a beautifully crafted story which is able to evoke a wide range of emotions from players without ever feeling heavy-handed or too on the nose. It’s a wild ride from start to finish and doesn’t disappoint when its climax eventually rolls around.
As withGTA V,The Last of Usreceived a PS4 rerelease and will no doubt pop up again on the PlayStation 5 in the not too distant future. The game still looks great too and is unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon.The sequel may have divided the fanbase a little, but there are few among them who didn’t enjoy Ellie and Joel’s debut outing.
6GTA V Is The Best Because Of Its Characters
GTA IVtoyed with the idea of having multiple protagonists although did so through its DLC expansions. Unlike its predecessor, however,GTA 5incorporates all three characters into its main story campaign and allows players to switch between them freely whenever they choose. Well. Almost.
Trevor, Michael and Franklin are all fascinating and memorable characters and compliment each other perfectly. Each brings something different to the table and demonstrates obvious personal growth as events unfold around them. The game also has plenty of great secondary characters,some of whom are just as memorableas the central trio.
5Uncharted 4 Is Better
Nathan Drake is one of the greatest video game protagonists ever created. Over the course of the fourUnchartedgames, he has ascended to a level of badassery thatfar surpasses the majority of his peers. What’s more, players have seen his character develop at a steady pace over the years and that growthcontinues into and throughout his final outing.
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Unless Naughty Dog has a change of heart, it does seem likely thatUncharted 4will indeed be Nathan’s last adventure and to many that’s a real shame. That said,the game provides the perfect conclusion to his arcand leaves the stage free for a new hero to take his place. Chloe really struggled to fill his shoes inThe Lost Legacy, but that’s not to say that she couldn’t grow into them in future Uncharted games.
4GTA V Is The Best Because Of Its World
Heavily inspired by Los Angeles, the fictional city of Los Santos is the perfect playground in which players can cause chaos. Every inch of the city is lovingly crafted witheach area typically having its own unique look and feel to it. It’s also incredibly large and, unlike manyother open world games with huge maps, it generally keeps barren space to a minimum.
It could certainly be argued that the decision to base Los Santos on a real-world city was a bit of a short cut, but it also presents its own set of unique challenges. While creating a world from scratch requires imagination, recreating an area necessitatesa level of detail that few developers have the time or skill to accomplish. What Rockstar achieved with Los Santos is incredible and worthy of all of the praise and success the game has garnered over the years.
3The Witcher 3 Is Better
WhileGTA Vstrives for realism in its world,The Witcher 3instead dives deep into the realms of fantasy. Everything aboutits world is enchantingand feels far more alive as a result of its many whimsical elements. Having numerous books from which to build on certainly helped CDPR in their endeavors, but that should take nothing away from the fantastic work that they did designing Skellige and the game’s other playable areas.
What’s more,the inhabitants of the game’s world are just as magicaland contribute an awful lot to the player’s immersion. It’s a fantastic place to explore and one that never gets old due to how manysecrets are hidden throughout it. Of course, this is just one of many things that makesThe Witcher 3such a wonderful game, but it’s perhaps the standout.
2GTA V Is The Best Because Of Its Influence
TheGrand Theft Autoseries has always been hugely influential, as evidenced bythe countless GTA clones that have been released over the years.GTA Vtakes the series to new heights though, with interchangeable protagonists, a larger world, more vehicles than ever and a plethora of other additions and enhancements. Put simply, it has redefined the open-world sandbox genre.
It certainly helps that the game had a budget of $265 million, but there are plenty of games which had far bigger budgets that have failed to have anywhere near the same impact. Ultimately, the game is something for other developers to aspire to and a good benchmark against which future games' greatness can be measured.
1Skyrim Is Better
The Elder Scrollsis right up there withGrand Theft Autowhen it comes to the influence that they have had on their respective genres andSkyrimisthe series' greatest entry to date. Sure,its storytelling may hold it backa little at times andit has its fair share of bugs and glitches. Aside from that though, it excels in pretty much every department.
Open-world RPGs have become increasingly popular over the last decade and Bethesda’s game is undoubtedly one ofthe driving forces behind the genre’s growth. It has helped to raise the bar when it comes to player expectations and in turn has pushed other developers to new heights.
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