10. Ori And The Blind Forest A Microsoft Exclusive might be the right way
to start this list. Moon Studios’ platformer balances emotional storytelling with impressive
visual design. Ori and the Blind Forest puts you into the life of a fledgling forest guardian
and a spirit trying to navigate their way around a magical forest and save it.
There’s an almost therapeutic feel every time you dip into its atmospheric 2D world.
Despite its short game-time, it received generally favorable reviews from various gaming sources,
mainly in its mesmerizing backdrops and rewarding Metroidvania gameplay.
Navigating around highly detailed levels and fending off enemies using a plethora of abilities
isn’t really something new in the genre, but its overarching themes of love and friendship
is something worth remembering in a game like this. Its sequel, Ori and the Will of the
Wisps is sure to bring more flavor and wonder into this fascinating world soon.
It receives a playscore of a 9.19
9. Mass Effect 2 Before Andromeda’s massive letdown, there
was the epic space trilogy that earned its respect to all gamers in the world. The Mass
Effect saga was the space-opera that combines a universal scale story with relatable characters
that, to this day, we will never forget.
The Galaxy needs Commander Shepard in his/her quest to prevent the extinction of the human
race from the impending Reaper invasion. On the surface, it feels like a textbook sci-fi
story, but underneath its layers lies a complex set of themes from politics to the good ol’
existential dread.
Mass Effect 2 is the strongest entry in the trilogy. It was the moment fans knew what
BioWare was capable of. It brought together an ensemble of memorable characters in a literal
‘Suicide Mission’ that made us emotional no matter the outcome.
It’s a true space action RPG and it receives a playscore of 9.22
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim There’s absolutely no forgetting Bethesda’s
crowning jewel. Skyrim’s biggest achievement was it came ahead of its time. If Mass Effect
was the top of Space RPGs, Skyrim is its medieval counterpart. It was the open-world adventure
we never knew we needed and it gave birth to a slew of other epic medieval-themed games
with the same formula.
Basically, you’re the Dragonborn. Their own version of a Jedi. It comes with the ability
to scream and push people away. But being the chosen one isn’t just the best thing
about Skyrim, it’s the open-ended quest you have that makes it special. Do you want
to be an asshole and ruin people’s lives? Or be the hero that everyone needs up until
you accidentally kill a chicken? The possibilities are endless in this massive title, and we’re
not even getting started with the mods.
It has a playscore of 9.23
7. Stardew Valley PC’s surprising indie title took hours of
our time away when it came out. Developed by ConcernedApe, Stardew Valley is an essential
game for those who want to take a break from all the online games we suck at. It’s time
to put down that gun and grab a shovel to cultivate some crops and breed some farm animals.
For a game about time management, it consumed most of our day to day activities with its
insane amount of things to do. It takes inspiration from the notable life simulator titles like
Harvest Moon and integrates their own indie signature with little to no issues at all.
What makes Stardew Valley great is in its mundane moments. Waking up and getting ready
for the day varies among all other players. You’re either spending the rest of your
day fishing or giving gifts to your favorite person. Making relationships is as enjoyable
as exploring its peaceful town full of memorable moments.
It receives a playscore of 9.23
6. Disco Elysium 2019 was a great year for gaming but the PC's
standout title of last year was an open-world RPG set in a bleak future.
Like any other great games out there, ZA/UM's' Disco Elysium was mostly praised for its well-written
story. As a detective with a knack for mystery, you partake in the myriad of activities in
its broken world, which includes puzzle solving and managing your abilities. Talking to people
to fuel your investigation not only gives you solutions but more problems in its impressive
take on the pen and paper format.
As an RPG game, you take matters into your own hands. Especially with its revolutionary
dialogue system. The degree of freedom in each of its well-crafted missions takes you
hours and hours of groundbreaking storytelling.
It has a playscore of 9.26
5. Bioshock Infinite Irrational’s award-winning first-person-shooter
blew our minds when it came out in 2013. Booker and Elizabeth’s story was also a standout
title early in the last decade. It was plot twists after plot twists that we had to resort
to watching YouTube videos for some lingering questions.
Exploring the beautiful city of Colombia wasn’t as magical as our first dip into Rapture,
but it still presents us with some shocking surprises and a bit of politics in between.
Its first-person shooter combat was faster and more fluid compared to the previous entries.
The ability to use special abilities using Vigors was akin to Rapture’s Plasmids, but
it doesn’t really add anything to the table. Elizabeth’s AI, however, was the combat’s
greatest addition. Her helping you out in tight situations is really, really handy.
Infinite receives
a 9.27
4. Undertale The last decade was also a time of experimentation.
Many variations of the RPG have come and go but Tobyfox’s unique take on the genre gave
birth to a massive fanbase and a ton of fan-made titles. Not to mention its snazzy soundtrack
keeps our determination pumping.
Think of Undertale as a ‘weirder’ version of Lewis Carol’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
Play as a young kid trapped in a strange underground world where monsters are either friend or
foe. What makes Undertale different from other RPGs is that doesn’t follow a formula. It’s
unconventional. Each encounter in its turn-based combat grants you choices to either spare
or kill a character.
It’s in these unique moments where Undertale shines. Simply showing mercy or taking them
down is not an easy task. Each character in the game has its own set of dialogue, weaknesses,
and strengths and these choices will greatly affect the game’s world and its ending.
A playscore of 9.30
3. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt No Law of Surprise needed here. CD Projekt
Red’s critically acclaimed third entry of their own take on Sapkowski’s dark fantasy
series is different from Netflix’s recent adaptation. Set years after the books, Geralt
of Rivia’s adventure is up for the player to decide.
The Wild Hunt is a master-crafted fantasy RPG that could even go face to face with Bethesda’s
Elder Scrolls franchise. Its massive open-world is home to many evils and its interesting
amount of side-quests rivals that of the main story.
The game’s huge amount of praise is justified, even after its two massive DLCs that could
pass as a new game on its own. Don’t even get us started with Gwent. It’s easily the
strongest of the trilogy and one of the best PC games of the last decade.
A playscore of 9.35
2. Divinity: Original Sin II Larian Studios follows up the success of their
first game with this prodigious sequel. Already making a name for themselves thanks to their
deep customizations and highly interactive environments, this second installment takes
all that to a whole new level of immersion.
Bringing the spirit of pen and paper RPGs to the videogame world, Divinity Original
Sin II is an outstanding piece of emergent gameplay. Each interaction gives you more
room for experimentation and other ‘crazy’ ideas.
It’s a game played better with friends. Gather your buddies and role-play your way
in Divinity’s fully-realized world with intriguing mysteries and complex characters
stories.
It receives a playscore of 9.37
1. Portal 2 Valve is known to redefine the way we see
videogames. Half-Life 3 is but a century away and the dream of three is still non-existent
in Gaben’s world. Portal was a game-changer in the PC scene as it introduced an innovative
way of combining good storytelling with seamless puzzle-solving using the power of physics.
Sure, the original game was great, but its sequel was ten times better. Especially with
the return of the sociopathic robot GLaDOS and let’s not forget the joy of using the
Portal Gun to mess with science.
Portal 2’s success is what kicked off the start of the previous decade. It received
universal acclaim for its physics-based gameplay, witty humor and solid voice acting. To this
day, Portal 2 is still hailed as one of the greatest games of all time and we see no lie
to that.
It receives a playscore of 9.50