Minecraft
© Mojang
It’s been years since I last played Minecraft, but like a massive stellar body, it’s hard to escape the effect its arrival had on the gaming solar system. Though Minecraft was available in early forms in the noughties, it technically released on PC in 2011, and it wasn’t long after launch that its stratospheric rise began.
We’ll be covering Minecraft’s influence in gaming YouTube, streaming and more in another piece, but here we’d like to highlight the worlds Minecraft has spawned beyond itself. Starting from a simple sandbox creation engine, the Minecraft name has gone on to spawn a point-and-click adventure in Minecraft: Story Mode, an augmented reality title in Minecraft Earth, and soon diablo-style antics in Minecraft Dungeons. It’s far from a traditional game series, but you have to appreciate its reach nonetheless.
The Last of Us
© Naughty Dog
The Last of Us 2 has yet to release, but it’s hard to deny the fact that it’s one of the most anticipated titles to kick off the new decade, and that’s all thanks to Naughty Dog’s work with Joel and Ellie’s first adventure. The years spent developing the Uncharted series proved to be fine proving grounds for the Californian developer, which has now established itself as one of the best narrative studios in the business.
Ever up with the times, we only played The Last of Us Remastered for the first time this year, and while the controls are a little odd, it more than holds up on the weight of its story alone. One game may not make a series, but we can’t wait to see what Naughty Dog has in store with The Last of Us 2 when it finally arrives next year.
Divinity: Original Sin
© Larian Studios
Traditional overhead camera, party-based RPGs took a bit of a back seat at the beginning of the decade, giving way to more cinematic adventures inspired by the likes of Mass Effect. Thankfully, developers like Larian Studios were there to not only fill the gap, but cram it full to bursting with some of the best fantasy roleplaying we’ve ever touched. Elemental effects and creativity reign supreme in Divinity, letting you conjure unusual solutions to the games’ many combat encounters and puzzles.
Original Sin’s Enhanced Edition was a solid experience, but Larian really perfected the experience with Divinity: Original Sin 2. A great blend of characterful writing and humor complemented improvements to combat, levelling and exploration, resulting in an unbelievably complete and replayable package. If you’re an RPG lover and haven’t played Divinity: Original Sin 2 yet, you really owe it to yourself to grab a copy and spend a few hundred hours turning your enemies into chickens.
