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Top 10 Games of the Decade
Our number two choice won't surprise many of you out there, but it wouldn't have been the same decade without him
Written by Andy Griffiths, 30 December 2009
Well the Master Chief had to factor into somewhere didn't he. If Mario was the mascot of the nineties, then John 117 is definitely the hero of the noughties.
Dual blasters were always our favourite.2. Halo 2 (2004 - Xbox)
360Zine Issue 35
For our latest Halo coverage, click here to download 360Zine Issue 35 for free.Leading the way for Microsoft's infantile Xbox Live service, 2004's Halo 2 went from being one of the most anticipated games of all time to one of the most important almost overnight. Of course, we're not referring to the importance of the game's campaign mode here - that, unfortunately, was more disappointing than it was evolutionary - but Halo 2's sublime multiplayer component, which led the initiative of making online multiplayer gaming easier than ever to get into, made the game more significant than anyone had ever anticipated.
Spam the pink darts of death, before they were neutered in Halo 3.Replacing confusing server lists with a cohesive and easy to use Matchmaking system, Halo 2 allowed players of any skill and any experience to quickly and easily jump into a game type of their choice alongside players with a similar skill level to themselves. Simultaneously, the inability to access particular servers and game rooms reduced the ability of cheaters to unfairly boost their score by throwing them in amongst everyone else.
There were some absolutely classic maps here, most of which were updated via Halo 3 DLC.Halo 2's Matchmaking was a milestone for online console gaming, pioneering a universal system used by almost every online-enabled console game released in the last few years to date and, as displayed by Modern Warfare 2, one slowly making its mark on PC gaming too.
Unfortunately not many people play this little fella online anymore.And even the less talked about details of Halo 2's multiplayer such as the data tracking, which saw match results and detailed information about played games published on Bungie's website, is still yet to be surpassed - something we're quite frankly shocked Activision hasn't yet attempted to capitalise on with its Modern Warfare franchise.
Halo coverage available in 360Zine Issue 35 - click here to download it for free!
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