Subscribers are now receiving their copies of EDGE210, in which we recognise a decade of endeavour in videogames. For the full account of why we've made these picks, it's all in the issue, which hits UK newsstands December 22.
The years 2000 to 2009 lend themselves unusually well to breaking into a discrete and emblematic chunk. It was the decade that finally separated the old firm of Nintendo and Sega, as one took the blows and reinvented itself beyond recognition, while the other withdrew from hardware entirely and became a thirdparty developer. It was the decade that seemed to belong to Sony, with its PS2 smashing all-comers, before hubris caused a face-first fall from grace from which the company is still in the process of recovering. It was the decade that saw Microsoft making its debut with Xbox, a name that encapsulated its gruesome aesthetics and sheer grunt, a console that lost possibly billions of dollars but gave the company a crucial foothold in the market. And it was the decade of the PC, as technologies like Flash and companies like Playfish and PopCap made developers and gamers out of anyone.
The years 2000 to 2009 were when gaming finally became ‘normal’. The stereotype of anti-social nerds is still dragged out every so often, but nowadays it tends to be with more affection. From Diner Dash to Halo to Ico to Peggle to Wii Sports to World Of WarCraft, the common theme here is this: everyone’s playing. Your grandmother having a lash at Wii bowling isn’t just funny, it’s profound. Gaming is now the hobby of countless hundreds of millions the world over, and the revolution feels good.
The following gongs credit the companies, games, people and hardware that made the decade what it was (oh, and feature some of the worst bits about it, too). Let us know what you think of our take on these ten years, and make sure you read exactly why we've made these decisions. The next decade certainly has a hell of a lot to live up to.
Game Of The Decade
World Of WarCraft
Halo
Half-Life 2
Grand Theft Auto III
Resident Evil 4
Hardware Of The Decade
PlayStation 2
Nintendo DS
Nintendo Wii
Developer Of The Decade
Nintendo
Rockstar North
Valve
Publisher Of The Decade
Nintendo
Sony Computer Entertainment
Activision Blizzard
Person Of The Decade
Satoru Iwata
Shinji Mikami
J Allard
Failure Of The Decade
Xbox 360 RROD
PlayStation 3 marketing
Gizmondo