Best of the Decade: Bioshock

Bioshock

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Release Date: August 21, 2007

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: Irrational Games

Bioshock is a masterpiece of interactive storytelling. From the moment your plane mysteriously plummets into the ocean and you're forced to swim through its flaming wreckage to take refuge inside an ominous lighthouse, you know you're in for a special experience. The descent into Rapture in the bathysphere, with Andrew Ryan's captivating speech welcoming you to his dilapidated wonderland, is perhaps my favorite opening in gaming history. 

Luckily, the game doesn't let up after its introduction. Through a mix of subtle environmental clues, creepy audio diaries, and infrequent dialog with the few other humans left alive, Bioshock delivers an engrossing narrative that actually uses the interactive nature of the game to its advantage in one of the best story twists ever seen in a game. 

While you're exploring this fallen paradise, you'll be kept interested by the many ways you can creatively off your enemies. From traditional weapons, which can each be upgraded for added kick, to the bizarre plasmids, which give you powers that would seem nearly magical if it weren't for their dangerous origin, you'll never lack get bored between story revelations. 

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Best of the Decade - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Platforms: Windows, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Release Date: March 20, 2006 (Windows and 360 versions)

Publisher: 2K Games; Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Most of the games on this list were carefully chosen as modern experiences that still hold up as such. I have previously discussed my modernist mindset when it comes to gaming, a mindset that makes it difficult to enjoy certain older titles. In the fast-moving gaming industry, a game doesn’t actually have to be that old to feel aged. A glance at many PS2-era titles is proof enough of this. Even in just 10 years, games have come a long way indeed.

Oblivion is a good example of this. It wasn’t the first of its kind, as one need only look at its predecessor, Morrowind, to see where it came from. But Oblivion did represent a huge leap forward from anything that had come before. When it was released, it was definitively a “next-gen” open-world RPG. It was gorgeous, stunningly large, and complex. Perhaps it feels dated in some respects now, but Oblivion raised the bar when it was released and it’s telling that, even after all this time, few games attempt the sheer scale and depth it delivered. 

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