Have spent the last few days reading top 10 games of the decade.  A majority are personal lists and usually contain a few obscure items and seem to neglect some of the more obvious games.  Well this is my list of top 10 games I actually played and owned.  At the end you can see a full list of the games I purchased with a little blurb on my opinion of it.

The gaming industry saw an interesting turn with the release of Wii fit, rated number one 2009 in sales (around 2.5 million) which highlighted that the mid thirty to mid forty year olds where the biggest purchaser of games, myself being in the middle of that demographic.  I have neither a Wii or Wii fit, so it will not make my list, along with many other popular games, such as Halo (Xbox), so do not expect a list that reflects market sales or popularity, in fact some games may be a surprise for some as there are no sales figures due to them being free, so enjoy and read on.

If you would like to make a comment, it will take some time, as I manually authorise registrations and comments .... and yes, if the comment is rude, raciest or plain stupid, it does not get posted.  If it is highly critical ... but funny, it might make it.  But pleas remember, this is my personal list of games played.  Some games where released before 2000 but I bought/discovered them post 2000 and played this decade, so don't get to wound up about that either.

Number 10

Freeciv

Genre:       Turn base strategy

Platform:    Linux (Multi PC Platform)

Popularity: GPL license, not available

Awards:

Release Date:   1996 - Still active

Although released in 1996, it is still under active development and version 2 was released this decade, around 2004 to memory, when I started to play.  Over time it has been tweaked and more rules added making for good turned based play and one of the appealing things is that it is multiplayer which was part of the original design by some uni students back in 1996.  I mainly play as it runs on Linux, and allows big worlds, one of my main criticisms of the Civ games, and even Civilisation 4, although good, does not make it onto this list as the worlds are just too small for my gaming tastes, and so Freeciv does.

Graphically, it is still early century as opposed to modern games today, but this is more about the game than graphics.  It is available for Free, and if you have not checked it out, do so.  It might be a nice little occasional time waster for you.

Number 9

Unreal Tournament 2004

Genre:  First Person Shooter

Platform:  Linux (Windows)

Release date:

I originally got this because there was a Linux client of the game.  I am not much into FPS much due to a dull game play and my suffering motion sickness while playing, but I did like the tournament and online play.  Not many servers left,  and the game has been played to death, but I did have to get UT3 for the PS3 for the next decade of FPS fun.

Number 8

The Sims 3

Genre:   People Simulator

Platform: Windows

Popularity: 5.9 Million copies sold so far.

Release Date:

This is a very cool game, and following my other favourite, Sims 2, this will most likely be my number one game for 2010 to 2019.  At this point we have only one expansion released, and it still lacks the depth of Sims 2 with its last EP (Apartment Life), but as long as I get weather, businesses and some more witch craft, I will be a happy man.

Not withstanding, I love the dynamic neighbourhood and being able to visit friends.

Number 7

Hitman 2: Silent Assasin

Genre:  Third person shooter

Platform: PS2 (Xbox, Game Cube, Windows)

Popularity: 3.7 million copies sold (wiki)

Release Date:

Once again, not much into shooters, but this game allowed more malevolence than most shooters, which had appeal for me ...

I would rate the game R as it is quite specific about killing people in very cold blood, but here in Australia no such rating so it gets an M.  My boys will definitely be over 18 before I let them play this game or anything like it.  Other game similar I played was James Bond, but because I did not buy it (borrowed it from my sister in law) it does not qualify for this list.

Number 6

Medieval II

Genre:   Real time strategy/Turn based strategy

Platform: Linux (Windows)

Popularity:

Release Date:

I played Medieval a fair bit but discovered it late and Medieval 2 came out shortly afterward.  I got Medieval 2 because it could play well on Linux with Wine and Cedega.  I had it running very well and even submitted some screen shots to Cedega for their web site.

I enjoyed the strategy of this game and although challenging, it did let me win enough to keep playing (I am not a very good loser).  It has a great turned based side to it as well.  When you start, you do want to be German or English as the others are very hard to expand with.  If you want to play the Moors though, straight off the top, you need to cheat, and they are hard to keep alive.

Anyway, I have wasted, and still waste time with this game.  It is still loaded on the system and if I don't want to muck around with Wine, I still have it on my Windows partition.

Number 5

Tomb Raider:Underworld

Genre:    Puzzle

Platform: PS3 (Windows)

Popularity: 2.6 Million copies (wiki)

Release Date: November 2008

I had Tomb Raider 1 and 2 for PC when they came out in the nineties and thoroughly enjoyed the shooter and puzzles in the same game.  I did not however return to it until I got the PS3 and checked the latest in the franchise (there are 9 in the series so far), Underworld.  The game trailer is pretty awesome, and I liked that they used Mozarts "Requiem" as the music.  It is very well done.

The graphics where fantastic and game play is well suited for the console.  It took around 8 months to finish with a lot of help from a walk through as well, but a great story with some great creatures as well.  Down side was the trophies became available, about, around halfway through my game, so I missed a lot of trophies first round.  I might go back to it and start again, but I have plenty of other games, so maybe not.

I always felt that Lara Croft was the girl for nineties geeks, like Kelly LeBrock was for us in the eighties.

Number 4

Simultrans

Genre: Real time strategy

Platform:  Linux, BeOS, OS X, Windows.

Popularity: Free, no sales data.

Release Date: 1997

Although released last century, I did not come across this game until around 2006.  It was pretty basic, but quite playable and spent a few all nighters playing it early on.  It is now part of my standard repository install when I do a Linux install, and I supply it when ever I set up a PC for some one, whether Windows or Linux.  For a free game, it is really good.

Number 3

Vega Strike

Genre: Space Combat/Trade Simulator

Platform:  Linux (multi PC Platform)

Popularity:  GPL, free, no sales data

Awards: Trophees du Libre (Jeux)

Release Date: unknown, estimate early this century.

I played this game quite a bit.  It has pretty good graphics and good game structure.  My enjoyment of it continues on from Frontier Elite (probably my number one game for the 1990's) a space sim with ongoing mission structure, no ending or winning point in the game.  Vega Strike has been modded into an Elite styled game called Elite Strike.  I have not tried this mod as yet, but have installed it a number of times, I will get to it one day.

I have slowed down a bit, as the joystick is getting a bit worn out, so until that is replaced, Vega Strike will have a bit of a break for a while.

Number 2

Oblivion

Genre: Role Playing Game

Platform:   PS3 (Windows, Xbox)

Popularity:

Release Date:   2006

I originally got this for PC and played flat out for a couple of months.  I still like the game play and am dissapointed that nothing else similar has come out yet, but time will tell.  Before Oblivion I played Ultima 9, so this was a natural move.  I was after the expansion pack when I came across Oblivion GOTY edition for PS3 and that is when I started playing the PS3 version.  I finally completed the main quest after playing for three years, in 2009, before Dragon Age came out as I figured my playing will slow down after I got Dragon Age.

Number 1

The Sims 2

Genre: Simulation

Platform: Windows

Popularity: 13 Million copies

Release date: 2004

This game has kept me entertained for 5 years.  I have every expansion pack and I estimate I have spent around $1000 on everything simlish.

I started to play The Sims when I bought a copy of it for Linux.  I got hooked.  Unfortuanately the expansions where not released for Linux so I had to get it for Windows and played quite a bit.  We got all the expansions for the first one and Paige and myself eagerly awaited the release of The Sims 2.

When it came out it was like opening a fresh pack of Oro coffee, and it ended up being the most played game I have.  Each expansion just got better and game play just got better.  I still have it installed and will be archiving it in the current state before I remove it from my hard drive.  I have gone to take it off now twice, and just cant quite do it yet.

Well that is my top ten games for the decade.  Many of the games I still play and probably will for a while.  Undoubtedly The Sims 3 will be the most dominate game for the next few years, andmthe first expansion is really good.  It is difficult to believe they could do better from the old Sims 2.  I still miss a lot, like aliens (Ths Sims 2), weather (Seasons) and the Open for Business EP would be my favorite just squeezing past the last one, Apartment life.  But I suspect great things await us in The Sims 3 universe.

Below is the rest of the game I purchased in the last ten years that did not make it to the list, some only just miss out, but others where complete waste of money.  I hope you enjoyed the read, and feel free to sign up and make a comment.

Ĝis

All the others

In no particular order.

Spore

This game only just missed out.  I still play it a bit, but I dont actually like the civilisation stage, it is pretty basic, and beyond easy level, is really hard.  So I get frustrated and goto another game.  Also at the space level, it gets very crowded very quickly and this also detracts from the game for me, so I have a lot of planets at civilisation stage and My space stage games dont have all the bonuses you get from playing all the way.

Medieval

I got this on special and it was the precursor to Medieval 2.

Flight Gear

My flight sim of choice as it is available on Linux.  It is really good and has great realism for a free game.  I highly recommend it.  I have slowed a bit on playing as the joystick is getting a bit old, but I suspect I'll be palying more in the new decade when I get the new joystick, or maybe even a yoke.

Assassins Creed

This is quite a good game, and I get the apeal.  I bought it second hand for the PS3, but found after my third city, that it is all the same and got bored with it.  I will most likely try Assassins Creed 2, but when I can get it for around $30 I think.

World of Warcraft

I played the RTS Warcraft a lot in the nineties, but it took a bit of time before I tried WoW.  It is a good MMORPG but when you pass level 20, you just do all the same things again, just in a different region.  This I found boring so I stopped playing.

Sim City 4

Another game that almost made it to the list.  I still play this a bit, but I only install it now on Linux and play it under Cedega.  The newer PC with XP 3 seems to really bog this game down for some reason, and not many people play, and it is no longer supported.

Trainz

Good simulator and my version has the paint shed and all.  Runs really well on Linux.

Never Winter Nights

the RPG I went for after Ultima IX and Ultima online.  Good story line, but got stuck in a region and lost interest.  There was a native Linux client, another reason why I got it.  Would still recommend it though, but not many people in the online worlds any more as they have gone to NWN2.

Never Winter Nights 2

Apparently works on Linux in Cedega, but I have never been able to get it to work, so I ahve not played this much.  I loaded onto windows to check it out, but it was bought for my Linux system, I might get it running one day.

Sing Star

A lot of fun this game.  Not a huge favorite, but I do like to paly very now and then with Carmel.  Paige is not much fun, because she always wins except once, I think it was "Blue Monday" and that was because she did not know the song.

Jak and Daxter

Platform game for the PS2.  Good game, but you will probably need a walk through, I did.

Dakar 2

One of the most difficult racing game I have ever owned, hated it so much I gave it away, and the guy I gave it to hated it so much, he gave it away.

The Urbz

A console version of the Sims.  Pretty good, but does look a tad dated now.

Dragon Age

Just new in the last decade.  Really good, but will most likely be a favorite in the next decade.  You will have to wait ten years for the review.

Ultima IX

Although I played this a lot this decade, I still class it from the nineties, and it was greatly over shadowed by Oblivion.

Ultima Online

Stopped playing this around 2002 as I could not get to play regularly.  I would still class this as the best MMORPG ever.  Graphically nothing like Everquest or WoW but for game play, out does them by a long shot, no other game like it unfortunately.  I might go back to it one day.

Guild Wars

Great game, but the disaster ruins the great scenery you experience at the start.  The online play is good and it is well structured.  I might load it onto Linux one day and play again.

Black and White 2

Good game, but I did not like the lack of choice when you start to play.  Again, works well on Linux, and I keep going back to it every now and then.

Civilisation 3

Was a bit of a downer after 2, as it was just all the same with some better graphics, free civ was much better and still is.

Civilisation 4

This was a great improvment over 3, which I felt was a bit of a flop.  The religion system was a good addition and the graphics where fantastic.  Again, another game for Linux with Cedega.  My only criticism is the worlds are still too small.

Medieval Lords

Castles and seiging.  Great game with city building and a military slant.  The only poor thing about it, the worlds are too small. 
Does not give the feeling of epic like medieval does.

X2 The Threat

Commercial spce sim, pretty good and very well doen with good story, but the space is a bit small, the new version looks great and is available for Linux, so I might give that a go in the new decade.

Caesar 3

Good city building game.  Works on Linux with Cedega.

Caesar 4

Fab graphics, but need a good system to be playable.  Have not played it much to make a comment in all honesty.

Pharaoh

Another city builder game.  I still play it in Linux with Cedega.

Freelancer

Another space sim released by Microsoft Games.  It was complete waste of money.  No joystick support at all.  The flight model was crap, and when you let go of the button on the mouse, the ship would orientate itself to your target, and your whole pursuit would be out of wack.  The game model is good, but I do not recommend you waste good money on this game, steer very clear of it, and get Vega Strike instead.

The worst game I have ever played.

Star Trek. Away Team

Great game, but I just had better ones to play.

Settlers 4

I am a settlers fan and 4 was very good, wasted many late nights playing this one, just missed the list as well.

Settlers: Heritage of Kings

This is actually better played as a campaign.  I am eagerly awaiting the release of Settlers 7 later this month I think.

Darwinia

Good little game and cheap.  I got it because it has a native Linux version.  Good value and just a nice little time filler if you need one.

Crimson Skies

Another Microsoft Games game, but this one is quite good.  I played this online with the old Microsoft Force Feedback joystick.  A lot of fun and I think the first game I ever actually finished to the end.

Stronghold Deluxe

Castle siege game, graphically old, but it is a lot of fun, takes a lot of time though.  I love using the tebuchet to launch dead cows into the castle.

Train Simulator

Microsoft.  Runs in Linux on Cedega really well, but I like Trainz better when it comes to making your own layout.

Majesty

Little strategy game based on fantasy characters.  Good little game and there is a Linux version.

Empire Earth 2

Good graphics, but again, the worlds where too small.