20 Favorite PC Games from the 2000′s

I’ve been meaning for over a month now to finish up a series I was doing on my personal favorite PC games from the different gaming decades of my life.  So here’s the final one — 20 favorite PC games from the 2000′s (check out my 20 favorites from the 90′s and 10 favorites from the 80′s):

1. The Longest Journey – Simply put, I’ve never experienced a game that has sucked me into its story deeper than The Longest Journey (and to a lesser extent, Dreamfall).  The graphics weren’t the best, but the characters and writing and voicework was top-notch — and even today, I get a twinge of regret for leaving Crow behind (accidentally).  This is right up there with the best novels I’ve ever read.
2. World of Warcraft – No matter my feelings for it now, WoW absolutely dominated four-ish years of my life, more if you consider the leadup to launch.  It wasn’t my first MMO, not by a longshot, but it was my first MMO love, and I guess it’ll always have that place in my heart.
3. Warhammer Online – Obviously, this game’s had a huge impact in my life, mostly because it spurred me into blogging seriously for the first time.  In its ups and downs, RvR and PvE, it held my attention and managed to pull off something less than a miracle and more than a failure — a flawed gem.
4. Majesty - If I’m still booting this game up on my computer nine years after its release, then that says a lot — to me, at least — for its concept and replayability.  The concept of a fantasy RTS game where you couldn’t control the units, just influence them, is still a captivating thought.  And nothing beats the personalities that came through with the unit voices.
5. Star Wars: Knights of the Republic – This knocked everyone flat on their butts when it came out, and for good reason.  It was a Star Wars game that was more true to Star Wars than most of the computer crap that’d come out before — even though it wasn’t set in an era we were familiar with.  Awesome story, and a great legacy in its sequel and the upcoming MMO.
6. Medieval: Total War – This may indeed prove to be the last mind-blowing RTS title I’ll ever play.  While I’ve tried my hand at many since, including the followup games in this series, my interest in the genre is waning.  But I’ll never forget the first time I was able to field thousands of men at a time instead of just a couple dozen.
7. Rollercoaster Tycoon – Make an amusement park, design your own coasters.  Simple, right?  And yet, so utterly addicting.  Many games have tried this formula before and since, but only the first game in the RT series hooked me.  I loved watching those little buggers have fun in my park.
8. Planescape Torment – As you may tell from this list, I have great respect for games that take the time and effort to tell a gripping story — and you’re not going to get much better than this cult classic D&D tale.  One of the very few RPGs where you could go almost the entire length of the game without fighting, if you so chose.
9. City of Heroes – When I first bought this game, I absolutely poured over the manual time and again trying to figure out the exact superhero I wanted to make.  It didn’t become a hugely long-running subscription for me, mostly because of WoW, but I’ve loved almost every minute in this game.
10. Max Payne 1 & 2 – Is it for the bullet-time combat that I fell for this game, or the gritty, over-the-top noir voiceovers?  We’ll never know now, will we.
11. Baldur’s Gate II – This game felt a lot like a MMO to me before I ever knew MMOs, mostly because I’d be calling up my friend every day who was playing through it as well and comparing notes.  Just a top-notch RPG with memorable characters, loads of side-quests and secrets, a terrific storyline and even your own castle to claim.
12. Battlefield 1942 – I really have never been a big online FPS player, mostly because my twitch reflexes can’t compete with teenagers these days.  But this title, for some reason, drew me in, and I spent night after night storming Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima.
13. Magic The Gathering Online – I’m thoroughly ticked at this game and company for mishandling the online version of the CCG as bad as they did.  Ticked because I liked it, a lot, and wished to keep on playing… but was ultimately driven away by the costly nature and the lack of serious software support from Wizards.
14. Diablo II – C’mon, who didn’t like Diablo II?  I wasn’t obsessed with it or anything (never even beat it), but it was one of the better point-and-clicker action titles of this decade.
15. Desktop Tower Defense – Tower defense games are all the rage these past few years, and none better than DTD.  It’s a perfect distraction from whatever project I’m working on, and even though I’ve stopped playing it in particular, my wife hasn’t ceased for the past year.
16. Dungeon Siege – While a lot of people look down on this series, Dungeon Siege had something in a game I look for now and then — the ability to play by leaning back in my chair and giving general directions, instead of micro-managing everything.  Some days you need to feel more like a general than a captain, is my feeling.
17. The Sims – Whoever thought that this quirky little life simulator would grow to be such a behemoth?  I didn’t, for sure.  I never got into the sequel, but I did tinker around with the first quite a bit — it’s hard to resist recreating family and friends, and then drowning them all in your swimming pool during one disasterous dinner party.
18. Psychonauts – Tim Schafer’s bizarre platformer is one of the coolest visions I experienced this decade… and one of the most hilarious, based on the number of times I nearly choked to death on laughter.
19. Fallout 3 -Fallout 3 had a huge weight of expectations on its shoulders, and I was pleased as punch to see it succeed as it did.  I’m really looking forward to returning to it soon and do an ultra-comprehensive sweep of the map and storylines.
20. Lord of the Rings Online – It isn’t the movies’ vision of Tolkein’s epic, but it’s mighty in its own right.  Formerly dismissed as a WoW clone, LOTRO is anything but, with its own style, systems and terrific plot.