The PS2 maintains its position as the best-selling console to this day. It seems like just yesterday that that system launched in 2000 and kicked off a new wave of innovative games in the industry. After that came Microsoft’s first Xbox console along with Nintendo’s next console, the GameCube.
All three of those systems have some memorable titles but how many of them actually changed video games as a whole? That question could be applied to other consoles and portables in the 2000s. What were the games and how has the video game industry evolved since they launched? It's pretty incredible that these games which were released a decade ago or more can still be so influential in the video game industry.
10 Halo
First-person shooters were deemed as only possible on PCs before Halo. While many tried to emulate the feeling on consoles, none were as successful as Halo. It created the template for what a console shooter could be.
Without Halo on Xbox, who knows where the gaming industry would be in terms of shooters on console. It will be interesting to see what Halo Infinite will do for its series and Xbox games in general.
9 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty is one example of a series that needs to thank Halo. Call of Duty picked up the torch where Halo left off. It is a series that all changed when this fourth main entry released.
The RPG elements to the leveling up system really made it shine. The campaign was praised as well, but the multiplayer is really what other games took note of.
8 Portal
Puzzle games prior to Portal were usually relegated to simple mechanics. This all changed with The Orange Box which included Portal. Every puzzle felt cleverer than the last. Not too hard. Not too easy. The balance was key.
Not only that but the game managed to incorporate a funny and compelling story into it. The number of titles it has inspired is beyond numerous. Let's also not forget about that killer finale song.
7 Gears Of War
The idea of a shooter having cover did not originate with Gears of War. Prior to that there was Kill Switch in 2003 which got decent ratings but never really it made it past that first game. Gears of War, for that reason, is often looked at as the popularizer of creating the cover shooter boom.
Strangely the one mechanic not many developers copied was the active reload. That should have become more of thing after the Xbox 360.
6 Diablo 2
Diablo was certainly a popular hack and slash dungeon crawler in the 90s. It had a huge fan base but the console versions would not fully overtake the PC scene until this sequel hit.
To this day, Diablo 2 is still heralded as THE Diablo game to play. That’s why it’s getting the remake and not the original. There are plenty of loot based games now and Diablo II is part of the reason why.
5 World Of Warcraft
MMOs existed before World of Warcraft, but nothing in the history of the genre ever exploded as much. It had so much success that for the next decade everyone seemingly wanted to cash in on that sweet sweet MMO income.
Most failed but some found success. There has never been any game that has topped WoW though and there might never be.
4 Grand Theft Auto 3
Grand Theft Auto was mostly a PC series before getting big on the PS2 with this third entry. This is what really put Rockstar on the map. What WoW did for MMOs, GTA 3 did for the open-world sandbox city.
It spawned countless clones but none of them could touch this game. It’s why GTA 5 still sells tremendously well almost a decade after it launched and it all started here.
3 Guitar Hero
There are a number of series that could be thanked for bringing the music genre into the living room outside of the arcade experience. Some were better than others but Guitar Hero is as good a place to start as any on the PS2.
A lot of people dream about being a rockstar. This game brought that idea to life with a killer soundtrack that kept getting better through sequels and or spinoffs. It was a craze that blossomed big but then eventually fell out of tune.
2 Wii Sports
The Wii was a sensation unto itself. Motion controls existed before the console hit in 2006 but the Wii definitely made them more intuitive. Even grandparents could get down with the Wii. This mass appeal was was what helped the console achieve such success.
Part of that reason is because of Wii Sports. When Sony and Microsoft launched their motion-based clones for their systems, they also tried to make a game that worked the same way but none of those ever matched Wii Sports.
1 Cave Story
Indie games are as commonplace as AAA titles now but it wasn’t that long ago that the idea of an indie developer was virtually nonexistent. Enter Cave Story where one creator, Daisuke Amaya, was able to change everything.
It didn’t so much awaken a genre like some other titles on here. It was bigger than that. Cave Story paved the way for an indie movement and this was all the way back in 2004.