Welcome to CVG's Games of the Decade: The decade they eventually called the noughties kicked off with an exceptionally strong gaming field. Just selecting our original squad of five was difficult enough, but narrowing it down to a winner? Talk about tough decisions. Still, that's what they pay us for, even if it's only in beans and dirt.
The Runners-Up What a galaxy of gaming goodness made the final five for 2000 and there were so many strong contenders we had to leave out too, games like Thief II or The Sims:
Escape From Monkey Island was a true classic, the pinnacle of point n' click adventure gaming, while Shogun: Total War was a superb first entry from a ground-breaking series which would dominate strategy gaming for the rest of the decade. Deus Ex was rightly hailed as a 'new action playing role-playing benchmark' at PC Zone, while Diablo II is one of the all-time seminal RPGs and we still await it's sequel with baited breath over ten years later.
The Winner: Half-Life Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Game of 2000
However there can be only one winner and it's... Half-Life: Counter-Strike. Yup, it may have started out as a simple bedroom Half-Life mod project by Minh 'Gooseman' Le and Jesse 'Cliffe' Cliffe, but Counter-Strike was quickly adopted by Half-Life developers Valve and became quite simply one of the biggest action games ever made, hoovering up more online hours than a server full of free Blu-ray porn.
A simple premise, terrorists versus counter-terrorists set in a variety of mission-based scenarios rapidly evolved into one of the most intense and tactical shooters ever made. Harsh and unforgiving doesn't even cover the half of it, with instant kills abounding and 'dead' players left to spectate on the survivors as each mission played out.
Each round was short but sweet and success bought rewards in the form of more cash, better equipment and bigger guns. Yet there was room for real tactics and strategy and something really compelling about the 'rescue the hostages', 'defuse the nuke' and 'protect the VIP' scenarios, which went way beyond the standard deathmatch experiences of the time.
Hackers and cheaters came close to breaking it, but Valve put in robust protection measures and a thriving community evolved, arguably paving the way for the professional cyber gaming scene. Hugely important and so popular that it demanded a remake in Counter-Strike: Source, CS is still widely played today.
Not just one of the best shooters of the year 2000, but one of the most influential and impressive first-person shooters of all time. Counter-Strike, we salute you and lob an honorary flashbang in your name.
Your Shout Okay we've told your ours, now you tell us yours! Your top five, overall winner and most importantly, why, in the comments field below please.
No wonder CVG doesn't write games magazines any more.
'Escape From Monkey Island was a true classic, the pinnacle of point n' click adventure gaming'.
Many reviews agree that the 3D graphics are clumsy compared to the animation on The Curse of Monkey Island, many of the puzzles have very obscure solutions and the humour is diminished. There are still some good ideas in the game but the game is hampered by these design problems.
Exceptionally strong gaming field? Not necessarily so according to the choices you've made.
Where is Jet Set Radio, published in 2000? Crazy Taxi was also ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. Banjo Tooie (not as good as Banjo Kazooie) was also released in this year. I haven't played Resident Evil: Code Veronica but that was also released then.
above poster(s), read the article title before you start ranting... game of the decades (hint it's a series of articles to be published) and this particular one is on 2000. Stop your fanboy rage and actually take the time to read.
anyways, no mention of Perfect Dark, Majora's Mask, Skies of Arcadia (imo one of the best and underated RPGs ever) or the aforementioned Jet Set Radio seems a bit strange.
also i don't understand how Deus Ex was recently elected as the best PC game ever http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=164289 but failed to be the best (pc) game of 2000.
above poster(s), read the article title before you start ranting... game of the decades (hint it's a series of articles to be published) and this particular one is on 2000. Stop your fanboy rage and actually take the time to read.
anyways, no mention of Perfect Dark, Majora's Mask, Skies of Arcadia (imo one of the best and underated RPGs ever) or the aforementioned Jet Set Radio seems a bit strange.
also i don't understand how Deus Ex was recently elected as the best PC game ever http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=164289 but failed to be the best (pc) game of 2000.
I agree with PCG's verdict that "Counter-Strike" was the greatest game of 2000 in light of the sheer amount of followers, mods, and mind numbing amounts of active games and hours gamers from around the world have sunk in to it. It's definitely got staying power, even to this day.
That said, personally - and I do enjoy a good game of "CS: Source" now and then (admittedly that's an update to the classic "CS" - "Deus Ex" is my favourite, yet I have spent more time on "Counter-Strike" than "Deus Ex", thus I agree that it has earned this victory.
So CVG claim that Deus Ex was the 'Best PC Game of All Time', yet now say that Counter Strike - another PC game - is the greatest game of the decade? How can the game of the decade not be the best game of all time? How do CVG explain that one?
DeusEx is a better game than CS. no doubt. DeusEx actually leaves you with an experience after having played it, whilst CS is just a multiplayer game where your experience was basically decided by your internet connection (back then, no one had 20MB broadband), and the same for how well you did.
CS may have paved the way for online game, and for FPSes at large, yet i really think DeusEx rewuired much more from its developers, and took more guts to make.
It seems like some people still haven't realised what this article is about - it's the best game of the year 2000, not of the decade. I presume (as someone else already said) that there will be 9 more articles, one for each year, with an overall result at the end.
I'm one of the biggest Monkey Island fans you can imagine, but this statement: "Escape From Monkey Island was a true classic, the pinnacle of point n' click adventure gaming" is absurd! compared to its predecessors and Grim Fandago it was clunky and the graphics were awkward. It didn't have the immersion that the first 3 games had, and it also changed important plot continuity details. From a technical point of view, it had issues to say the least.
As a big Monkey Island fan, it pains to to say that this game is too flawed to be a runner up for game of 2000
Didn't Perfect Dark come out in 2000? I would rate that higher than EfMI
escape from monkey island was monkey cack. how can anyone think it was any good, it was a disgrace. monkey island is literally one of my favourite franchises, monkey island 1 was pretty much the first pc game (and mouse controlled game) i EVER played, but even i would never try and polish the turd that was the 4th game.
I have a question: Why's CS on the list? CS was released in 1999. Sure, the retail version was released in 2000 but the game already existed so I don't think it really qualifies to be on the list.
Not to mention that going by your list, Deus Ex is the best PC game of all time so making CS the winner of 2000 makes absolutely no sense.
Not only did you ignore the real release date of CS you also go against yourselves.
O Logic, where art thou?
You see, that's why Uncharted 2 couldn't have won the Gamespot GOTY award, cause Demon's Souls won the PS3 Platform GOTY award over Uncharted 2. See? That's logical. Your list is not. CVG, I am disappoint.
I totally agree with that list in exception of course for MI4 but they all deserved their spot's especially Counter-Strike , being a huge fan of Deus Ex I could see why it is debatable but I think even though Deus Ex was the best CS was more influential I mean I can't even begin to tell you all the hours I've spent playing this game and you know what the best thing about it is ?? You didn't have to play CS to be influenced by it coz it made multiplayer what it is today , It made developers make sure that games have a solid Mp no matter how solid the game was .. And I think COD - Modern Warfare is a true example of what I mean.It is the reincarnation of CS.
I wouldn't count CS as it was a mod for Half Life and as it was pointed out above, didn't come out in the year 2000.
Deus EX all the way. My best game EVER created. It's a true masterpiece which was created with blood, sweat and tears. And sweatyBallacks?, you can get Deus EX from Steam. Even now, I reccomend this game to anyone. Pick up a copy, it's a bargain and I guarentee even with it's age, you'll love it. Gaming heaven!
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- "Deus Ex" is my favourite, yet I have spent more time on "Counter-Strike" than "Deus Ex", thus I agree that it has earned this victory.
