Here they are: the best games of the last ten years, as decided by Snackbar staff.  Each day this week, we’ll be revealing the next ten games in the list. 

#50-41 – #40-31 – #30-21 – #20-11 – #10-1

Chris Ingersoll: This game quite possibly set a record for number of useless playable characters, especially considering that you could only have three in your party at any given time. It could never hope to live up to the long, deep shadow cast by its predecessor, but on its own merits Chrono Cross a very solid RPG. 

Shawn Vermette: Chrono Cross is the sequel to one of my favorite games of all time, Chrono Trigger. However, Square didn’t have any trouble creating a unique battle system and making sure Chrono Cross could stand on its own. With a storyline as unique and odd as the original, and a great and strategic battle system- Chrono Cross made its mark as a gem of an RPG.

Chris Ingersoll: I don’t think I have ever waited so long for a game. It was nearly two years after my wife first pre-ordered this as a Christmas present before I would actually be able to play the game — including one excruciating week where I owned the disc but not a Wii on which to play it! While not as revolutionary as Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess was every bit as epic and well worth the wait. 

Eric Schabel: The most epic Zelda game yet, clocking in at around fifty hours of gameplay. Twilight Princess features the most well thought out storyline yet for the franchise, with numerous cutscenes and great music to back it up. The graphics, while not too impressive for the period, did a respectable job of updating the “realistic” style first used in the classic Ocarina of Time. While it isn’t my favorite Zelda game, I still absolutely loved it; I especially appreciated the length of the game and the size of the world. Also, you could transform into a wolf, which is always cool.

Graham Russell: This one took a few turns that I didn’t like, but it was still the charming, saccharine timesink that I knew and loved.  I liked Super Paper Mario and the Mario & Luigi games, but it’s a shame that this series seems to have been thrown aside.

Shawn Vermette: Mario’s adventure and platforming games have always been great, so it’s no wonder that Mario would make a great RPG protagonist also. The story is memorable and classic Mario, the gameplay is great, and the characters are characters, as usual.

Shawn Vermette: Star Wars has almost as sad a history with games as Star Trek does. I say almost because Knights of the Old Republic single-handedly saves Star Wars from the doldrums of game license tie-ins. With a great, original story set in Star Wars’ past, and a combat system that can be as real-time or turn-based as you want, Knights of the Old Republic is easily the best Star Wars game ever, and probably the best RPG the Xbox ever had.

Chris Rasco: KOTOR was my introduction into turn-based role playing games, even though it didn’t utilize a true turn-based system. The story was epic and showed that games were more just as good as movies at storytelling.

Chris Ingersoll: The number of innovations added by the second iteration of Pokemon over the originals was staggering. A day/night cycle, friendship evolutions, breeding, held items, two additional elemental types (one of which punishes the previously-overpowered Psychic type), and two whole regions to explore (more or less); it all combined to make Gold/Silver possibly the best version of the franchise yet. Since Diamond/Pearl is the other top contender in my eyes, I’m looking forward to seeing what changes the HeartGold/SoulSilver DS remakes will receive. 

Graham Russell: Ah, I remember the days when catching ’em all was actually a reasonably attainable goal.  Gold and Silver added just enough to make things interesting.  It edges out the Zelda titles as the best the GBC had to offer.

Chris Ingersoll: I can never recommend this game enough. Even though it’s little more than a Zelda clone, the heart that went into creating it was apparent from the opening scene. BG&E has become the poster child for inept marketing and why not every title needs to be released at the end of Q4, which is a sad legacy to bear. 

Eric Schabel: BG&E is a criminally overlooked game. Any fan of the Zelda franchise should do themselves a favor and play it; the characters, the setting, and the story are all of the highest quality. There is no doubt in my mind that BG&E is one of the best action adventure games to be released in the last ten years.

Shawn Vermette: Final Fantasy XII is a departure from the standard Final Fantasy formula, as Square Enix went with a real-time combat system rather than the standard turn-based battles. It’s a testament to the series that not only did Final Fantasy XII succeed, but it was arguably the best JRPG of its generation.

Graham Russell: Keeping in the spirit of the console, Mario Kart Wii had a host of new tracks, online play, retro throwbacks and just a touch of waggle.  While the SNES original is still the king of 2-player, MK Wii absolutely outclassed its predecessors with larger groups.

Chris Ingersoll: I still prefer the GameCube’s Double Dash!!, but MK Wii deserves credit for its amazing online play as well as its crazy staying power on the sales charts. Playing with the Wii Wheel is a blast, once you get the hang of it. 

Chris Ingersoll: Possibly my favorite of the Advance Wars series, Black Hole Rising upped the stakes from the original in just about every way. Being able to use all of Wars World’s commanders instead of just Orange Star’s was huge, and the Black Hole opposition was fierce. 

Shawn Vermette: Advance Wars 2 took the balanced and strategic gameplay of Advance Wars and made it even better with the addition of even more COs and more units. With such addictive gameplay, multiplayer, and level editing added in, Advance Wars 2 is the best tactical strategy game of the decade.

Graham Russell: It’s a very simple concept: add decision-making into RPG plots.  It didn’t quite reach the potential that idea had, but it was deep, compelling and full of eye candy.  And it changed what I expected out of the genre.

Eric Schabel: Mass Effect is my favorite western RPG. Maybe that’s because playing Mass Effect doesn’t really feel like playing an RPG, thanks to the real time combat and the over-the-shoulder perspective. Couple the game’s great story and dialog with beautiful graphics, and you have a sci-fi treat that leaves you begging for more. The only gripe I have with Mass Effect is the planet exploration; most of the planets you can land on are absolutely barren and devoid of any truly rewarding gameplay experiences. I suppose all of that is forgiven, however, since you can do the nasty with a blue alien babe.

#50-41 – #40-31 – #30-21 – #20-11 – #10-1

Here they are: the best games of the last ten years, as decided by Snackbar staff.  Each day this week, we’ll be revealing the next ten games in the list.

#50-41 – #40-31 – #30-21 – #20-11 – #10-1

Shawn Vermette: Halo revolutionized the shooter on consoles, but Halo 2 took it even farther and turned the Xbox into a viable platform. Its multiplayer and revolutionary online play was so enjoyable that it was the most played game on Xbox Live for nearly 5 years.

Chris Rasco: Halo 2 was the most anticipated sequel to any game I’d ever played and the birthplace of the midnight launch. We played it until our hands hurt and our thumbs were numb and then we played a few more rounds. One of the best multiplayer experiences out there.

Andrew Passafiume: Although some may fault the single player campaign for having an incoherent story, this game improves upon the multiplayer in every way and brings a fantastic new co-op mode to the table.

Graham Russell: This one probably isn’t on a lot of hardcore gamers’ lists, but it absolutely defined the decade.  This was what started the casual revolution that led through Bejeweled and Diner Dash to today’s Facebook offerings like FarmVille. You know what, on second thought, I hate this game.

Shawn Vermette: The Sims was the first simulation game to put you in control of every aspect of a person’s life. From their house to their family, from their personalities to their every day activities. You could play god with your sims’ lives, making them happy or miserable. As the first such game to do so and do it enjoyably and addictively, the Sims deserves its spot among the top games of the decade.

Eric Schabel: Possibly the greatest Resident Evil game to date—which is saying a lot, if you happen to be a fan. After years of clunky “tank” controls and mindless zombie hordes, RE4 finally updated the survival horror formula with a new over-the-shoulder perspective and quick, somewhat less mindless enemies to go along with a host of new nasty creatures. Oh, and don’t forget the gorgeous graphics, which still impress. The Wii edition is perhaps the best example of how to retro-fit an old game with pointer controls.

Andrew Passafiume: Changing almost everything for the better, RE4 takes everything from the series we knew and takes in a new, much better direction.

Chris Ingersoll: Say what you will about Suda51 and his studio’s offerings, but they’re always out there. NMH was a blast to play; even the parts that were intentionally boring were amusing (although I’m not sorry to hear that there won’t be an overworld in the fast-approaching sequel). When your hero is a beam-katana-swinging, pro-wrestling-loving otaku assassin, you certainly know your audience! 

Andrew Passafiume: A completely over-the-top action game in every sense of the term, NMH is an incredibly slick and satisfying Wii exclusive. Travis Touchdown is still one of the coolest protagonists I’ve seen in any game. 

Eric Schabel: I think I spent more time playing Melee than I have playing any other game ever, including a slew of MMORPGs. I played Melee with my close friends about three times a week for at least five years, and I always had a blast. At competitive levels of play, there is no doubt that Melee is as good as it gets; people still play it regularly today, and many continue to prefer Melee over its successor, Brawl. 

Chris Ingersoll: I’m a little surprised to see this get the nod over Brawl, but in the end it really doesn’t matter. The Smash Brothers series is just pure awesome no matter which version you’re playing. Melee in particular got me through a good chunk of some epic unemployment (which spanned ALL of 2002, plus a few months on either end) when my funds were technically nonexistent. 

Chris Ingersoll: I don’t think I’ve ever quite forgiven Namco for giving me this awesome game and then not bringing any of its sequels to my consoles of choice. But then again I don’t have them tainting my memories of this one either, so I guess it’s a wash.

Graham Russell: The later games added customization…and I love customization.  They still didn’t stack up to this one, and I guess they never will, since it would take a herculean effort to get me back into a fighting game.

Chris Ingersoll: Stepping back into the ring after 10 years without missing a beat was an amazing accomplishment. The Wii motion controls really work well here, and although there’s only one new character (plus one secret character), the ones who reappear are all brilliant. But for me, the real selling point is Title Defense mode. 

Andrew Passafiume: Don’t let the simple gameplay mechanics fool you, Punch-Out!! is a game that requires precise timing and pattern memorization that makes this a pretty challenging game later on. It’s truly addictive, despite its simplicity. 

Chris Ingersoll: I love everything about this game: the characters, the concept (a world of sky pirates! How awesome is that?!), the story, discoveries, bounties… everything. Well, maybe not the frequency of the random encounters. Other than that, though, there are few RPG experiences that are original enough to be as truly memorable as Skies. 

Andrew Passafiume: With a great cast of characters and a truly inventive world, Skies of Arcadia is one of the best RPGs to come out in the past ten years. Gameplay wise, the game is nothing special, but it manages to combine a lot of elements we were familiar with to make a truly memorable experience in the end.

Chris Ingersoll: For me, the separation of attack type (physical/special) from its element was a revolutionary step in the evolution of Pokemon (and yeah, I used that word intentionally). That completely changed the way many ‘mon played on both offense and defense. Having true WiFi play (unlike the LeafGreen/FireRed’s sad attempt at wireless on the GBA) was also a huge bonus, although the implementation of the touch screen was a little ham-handed. 

Eric Schabel: It’s simple: if you enjoy Pokemon games, you will enjoy Diamond and Pearl. Even after playing the hell out of previous Pokemon titles, I found myself addicted all over again with this iteration. It’s a drug, and I’m ready for my next hit already. 

#50-41 – #40-31 – #30-21 – #20-11 – #10-1

Here they are: the best games of the last ten years, as decided by Snackbar staff.  Each day this week, we’ll be revealing the next ten games in the list. 

#50-41 – #40-31 – #30-21 – #20-11 – #10-1

Graham Russell: The term “epic” never applied to any game as much as it did to Civ IV.  From a small settler to the space race, the game succeeded because of intense playtesting and balancing.  There’s no dominant strategy, and random maps don’t make things unbalanced.  I’m still not even sure how that’s possible.

Shawn Vermette: The Civilization series is the epitome of the turn-based strategy genre, and Civilization IV took the series to new heights of strategy and addicting gameplay.

Shawn Vermette: Diablo II laid the groundwork for most action RPGs that have followed. Its deep and satisfying character customization, its memorable cinematics, and its engaging story keep people coming back to the gates of Hell almost ten years later.

Andrew Passafiume: This game had me addicted from day one. And with a good group of friends, this game can become one that you may not stop playing for quite some time. 

Chris Ingersoll: The DS is often a dumping ground for various puzzle collections, but none of them offer the charming story and animation that the Layton series does. I devoured this title in the space of a weekend, and its sequel (including the much-appreciated “memo” ability on all puzzles) was consumed just as quickly. More! 

Graham Russell: I didn’t think I’d enjoy a brainteaser collection.  I was wrong.  I’m still not sure why, but Layton, Luke and the cast of characters were strangely appealing, and it was hard to stop playing.

Chris Ingersoll: Square-Enix isn’t normally a company that takes a lot of chances. TWEWY was such a radical departure from their usual offerings that it represented a huge risk. Fortunately, that risk paid off in a big way. There are few other games that fully utilize all of the DS’s capabilities like this one. 

Mike Walbridge: It was not only a JRPG, but a JRPG by Square Enix on the DS. Yet, it managed to be like juvenile lit, a game you hope your kids play when they are teenagers. Big plus: never a dull moment in a genre filled with the highest ratio of dull-to-exciting moments.

Chris Ingersoll: Using psynergies outside of combat to solve puzzles was a great touch and probably the aspect of Golden Sun I liked the most (even if Pokemon Red/Blue did the same thing with the HMs). Having the story span two carts was gutsy; allowing us to carry over our entire party from one to the other was awesome. I can’t wait to see what the upcoming DS edition will bring. 

Graham Russell: The tactics genre has exploded in the past ten years, and this game’s a big part of the reason.  The Square-Enix name and the ubiquity and perfect fit of the GBA meant it got in a lot more hands, and that meant Disgaea and more Fire Emblem. 

Shawn Vermette: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance surprised with a much different story and style of play outside of battles than most tactical RPGs, but with great, addictive battles and an enjoyable storyline, it became a favorite of many.

Chris Ingersoll: Everything Retro proved with the first Prime title was proved again for its Wii installment. Corruption still stands tall as an example of how the Wii’s simplified control scheme can still produce an epic, challenging adventure. 

Eric Schabel: Corruption improves upon the Prime formula in almost every way, but undoubtedly the most exciting new feature of the game was its new control scheme that took advantage of the Wii remote’s pointer. Thanks to the Wii controls, Corruption felt faster and more exciting than its predecessors.

Shawn Vermette: Final Fantasy IX is a throwback to an older style of graphics and setting by Square Enix. This change to a less advanced era and a style reminiscent of Super Nintendo RPGs set FFIX apart from other JRPGs of its generation.

Andrew Passafiume: Although this usually gets overshadowed by Final Fantasy VII and VIII, this is another very solid entry in the series with a truly memorable story  and a great cast of characters. 

Chris Ingersoll: This is the only game of the trilogy that I have played, mostly because I knew that neither Warrior Within nor Two Thrones would best it. The gameplay in Sands of Time was perfect, and the time manipulation gimmick extraordinary. The fact that this was a multiplatform release says a lot about good games not being dependent on its console’s processing power. 

Andrew Passafiume: Although the series has changed drastically since this release, this still remains as the best of the bunch. 

Chris Ingersoll: I don’t think any game has had as much to prove as Metroid Prime. Taking Metroid into a first-person perspective was a much larger risk than, say, cel-shading Link. But the guys at Retro Studios completely nailed it, issuing one of the best titles ever on the GameCube. 

Eric Schabel: When I first heard that Metroid Prime was going to be a “first person adventure” game, I was a bit skeptical. When the game finally came out, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Prime was much more than a traditional shooter coated in Metroid paint. Prime does a great job of capturing the feel of past Metroid installments, all while presenting a gorgeous new world filled with neat morph ball puzzles and fun boss fights. There’s a bit of tedium to be had if you wish to scan everything for 100% completion, but it was still one of the best games released on the GameCube.

#50-41 – #40-31 – #30-21 – #20-11 – #10-1

Here they are: the best games of the last ten years, as decided by Snackbar staff.  Each day this week, we’ll be revealing the next ten games in the list.

#50-41 – #40-31 – #30-21 – #20-11 – #10-1

Graham Russell: There are few great PSP titles, and Lumines managed to escape the system’s shackles with a downloadable console edition.  Music and puzzles work well together, and the visual effects showed off what the PSP could do that the DS couldn’t.

Andrew Passafiume: An excellent puzzle game that had me addicted from the first moment I started playing it. From the fantastic music to the amazing visuals, this is a puzzle game that will always remain as one of my favorites.

Andrew Passafiume:  This is one of the first examples of an RPG/Shooter hybrid that managed to take the best of both genres and combine it into one excellent final product. And with a great story to boot, Deus Ex will be remembered as one of the best of the last ten years.

Andrew Passafiume: This sequel takes everything that was great about the original and improves on it. The open world is a lot more interesting, there are plenty of new things to do, and the game’s story manages to clear up a few questions left from the first game. 

Andrew Passafiume: This is the free roaming action game that changed the industry forever. While a lot of people may remember it for the controversy it caused, many will remember it for being the first truly amazing free roaming action game. 

Graham Russell: GTA and GTA 2 were fun games, but they were nothing like the critical and commercial success of the third installment.  It was full of controversy and needless crime, but it was also pretty fun.

Andrew Passafiume: This game is quite the rare beauty. Although some may argue this is simply a Zelda clone with a nicer art style, the game definitely has a lot more depth than any Zelda game ever has. 

Eric Schabel: Okami easily shines as one of the best action-adventure titles ever made. The game as we know it was originally supposed to be three games, and you can really tell when you defeat a certain major eight-headed antagonist and the game continues right along. It is true that some people think Okami drags a bit, but I’m not in that camp. Okami is a great game with brilliant stylized graphics, and if you know anything about Japanese mythology you are sure to get even more out of playing it. I really cannot say enough good things about Okami.

Chris Ingersoll: One of the few RPGs that the GameCube could call its own, ToS was also one of the few multi-disc titles for the system. While the multiplayer aspects may have been a bit rough, the story was excellent and the characters memorable. 

Graham Russell: The other Tales games were great, but Symphonia boiled it down to the essentials.  For a 40+ hour game, it’s great that someone finally paid attention to the battle system. 

Graham Russell: Talk about flying under the radar.  Sega’s 2008 strategy game went largely unnoticed on the PS3, and the 2010 sequel is on the PSP, so it won’t fare any better.  Those who found it, though, loved it, and that’s pretty much the definition of greatness.

Shawn Vermette: The art style of Valkyria Chronicles is beautiful and unique. Combine that with an addictive and challenging battle system, and you’ll get one of the best games on the PS3, and one of the top games of this decade.

Graham Russell: Sonic Team’s last great title was both a frantic party game and a brain-bending puzzler.  Designed to showcase the Dreamcast’s online capabilities, ChuChu Rocket! would be an absolutely wonderful game to port to XBLA, PSN or WiiWare.

Shawn Vermette: Oblivion is almost everything I would want in an action RPG- an large open world, a great story, great combat, and a plethora of quests.

Andrew Passafiume:  Taking everything that was great about the last three Elder Scrolls games and improving on all of the problems the series is known for, Oblivion is a truly excellent and engrossing RPG. Its massive world and huge amount of quests and side quests will keep the average gamer playing for quite some time.

Andrew Passafiume:  Rockstar came to the current generation of consoles with a game that exceeded all expectations, at least my own expectations. Returning to GTA III’s Liberty City, GTA IV improves upon the previous titles tenfold. 

Justin Last: Sometimes you just need to hop in a helicopter, land it on a tall building, and fire rockets at pedestrians. GTA IV let me do that.