Tiny Frog Software

Here is a list of my favorite games that I played during the years 2000-2009.

Note: This is not a best games list, or any other such nonsense – Just a bunch of games that I enjoyed the most. My favorites if you will.

For more than half of the decade I was a student so I didn’t have nearly enough money to purchase all the games that I would have liked to play and even now I don’t own any of the latest consoles – Only just last year did I get a PS2 and only just this year did I get a Nintendo DS, so the selection made here is from games that I’ve played that I had the most fun with.

• 10) Platypus - (PC, Horizontal Shooter). Anthony Flack’s game made entirely of clay reminded me just how much fun arcade shooters could be. This one is exceptionally well polished and has great visuals, it’s also a blast to play with friends. (There is an XBox live version available)

• 9) Shin Megami Tensi : Persona 3 – (PS2,  jRPG) – The Shin Megami series has been long running in Japan, but only recently has it crossed over to western shores. Persona 3 is a very dark game, and is set in a modern day Japanese school. Persona 3 showed me that not all jRPGs are just Final Fantasy knock offs. (It took me 70 hours to finish this game, which is why I haven’t ordered the sequal, even though I’ve heard that it’s better.)

• 5 Days a Stranger and the rest of the John DeFoe quadrilogy – (PC Freeware, Adventure) – A series of free point and click adventure games that pay excellent tribute to the adventure games of old, but also provide a very grown up and rather scary story. The games are all free, if you have a PC this is a must play.

• 7) Arcanium : Of Magick and Steamworks Arcania – (PC, cRPG) At the turn of the decade I was looking for the next Fallout game, hardly any RPGs featured turn based combat any more and jRPGs just weren’t quite what I was into. Enter Arcanium, developed by some members of the original Fallout and set in a steampunk universe. The game is flawed and the graphics rather dull, but it was the closest thing to what I wanted at the time.

• 6) Heroes of Might and Magic III - (PC, Strategy) Technically this game was released in 1999, but I didn’t play it until a few years later so I’m including it on this list, and boy did I play it alot. This is my favoriate in the series. IV sucked, V is pretty good, but doesn’t have the charm that III has.

• 5) Gradius V – (PS2, Horizontal Shooter) This game is freaking awesome, and looks great on the PS2 – Its very challenging and requires alot of practise, memorization and skill to get through the game. (I haven’t managed to yet.)

• 4) Mario and Luigi : Bowsers Inside Story – (Nintendo DS, Action RPG) This is probably the best looking game on the DS ever made, It was only released a couple months ago, but I’m already prepared to put it on my favoriate games of the decade list. I’ve not played any of the other Mario RPGs, but I’m tempted to take a look at them after I finish up with this one.

• 3) Portal (PC, First Person Puzzle Game) – It’s Portal, one of the most quirky games ever, what with its short play time (2-3 hours for a first play through) interesting and original puzzle concept, insane computer and catchy poppy end song. What’s not to like?

• 2) Cave Story (PC Freeware, Adventure Platformer) I originally dismissed this game after only playing it for 10 minutes and then quiting. But, once you get out of the first cave the game takes on a life of it’s own and it probably one of the best games I’ve ever played. Developed by one man over a period of 5 years, this guys got talent. I think an updated version is coming to wii-ware soonish?

• 1) Psychonauts – (PC, PS2, Xbox, 3rd person Adventure Platformer) – Best game ever, great characters, dialog, story and freaking awesome level design. Tim Schafer is a genius. Pity he only makes one game every 5 years or so.

There you have it. My own personal list of my favoriate 10 games of the last decade.

What were yours?