Warning: All games were chosen by intra -editing voting. If your favorite project is not on the list, this does not mean that we forgot Casiroom sister sites about him – he simply did not have enough voices.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
A dark -skinned man with the voice of Ray Luitt and a chainsaw at the ready is chasing along the street behind a frightened fat man in a Hawaiian shirt. Girls in bikini and rollers are scared of them scaredly, and also a foster dressed up under Elvis. And after a couple of quarters the ocean splashes, and the sky above it floods the life -affirming tropical sunset. And everything that happens is only a tiny piece of the game that reliably conveys the spirit of not only gangster films, but also the era of the 1980s. After the gloomy Grand Theft Auto 3, the sunny Vice City was knocked down by the brightness of paints, a variety of urban regions and the adequacy of (relative) citizens. And only one catastrophically lacked the main character: the ability to swim.
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
The city of the lost paradise showed America and the mafia of the 1920s and 1930s as we saw it in Hollywood cinema: romantic, beautiful and dramatically attractive. Virtual Chicago conquered his details, music and road movement. This was one of the few games where the ride according to the rules was the key to success, and cars had to be refined. But in addition to the driver’s skills, it was necessary to have the ability to survive in the harsh world of mafia intrigues and insidiousness. A world that you want to believe in and where you want to return again and again.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Now it’s hard to believe that once Bethesda was on the verge of bankruptcy. And, in fact, it was Morrrowind that turned out to be the very turning point, after which the series games became cult, and the company was included in the list of “most-sen”. Even in 2017, Morrowind can surprise a magical atmosphere, a world full of unusual creatures and giant plants, as well as some incredible level of freedom. Make a mistake and, having fun, kill the key to the plot of the character? Easily, the game will continue anyway! Make a mistake of the door and stumble on something important before time? You can also. Now these tricks developers rarely allow us. And sorry!
"Space Rangers"
"Space Rangers" do not fit into the usual boundaries of genres. Role -playing game with the open world, arcade shootout, step -by -step strategy – “Rangers” immediately became everyone. The galaxy is changing every year, goods are getting more expensive on the planets, in an asteroid belt, the merchant throws the load under the sight of two pirates, and the neighboring system hardly repels from the Clisans. The Universe of the game did not expect specific actions from a gamer and allowed to choose its own way of passing. A small studio from Vladivostok created a world in which you want to live.
Gothic II
At the end of 2002, the world of fans of role -playing games split into two factions. The reckless German studio Piranha Bytes released the continuation of her successful Gothic game only a year after its release – and just a week after the release of the great and terrible Morrowind.
Oddly enough, such a neighborhood did not prevent the second “Gothic” from finding a huge fanbaze, and the Vyona Night of the Vorona, who came out another year, only consolidated the success. Then no one knew that the second part would be an unattainable ideal for Piranha, to which they are still trying to get close. And at the end of 2002, she was just an excellent game with an incredible number of opportunities and small, but much more saturated than in the same Morrowind, the world. And no one reached such a detail of the game universe for a long time – the appearance of one white -haired hunter for monsters.
Syberia
By and large, Syberia did not need to continue. Kate Walker Jump on the footboard of a clockwork train was a beautiful culmination of the path of a modest employee of a lawyer’s office in a beautiful, fantastic and at the same time real to the last screw to the world of the dying genius Gans Foralberg. Masterly built events, unexpected meetings, accurate restraint regarding objects placed in the inventory and the logic of puzzles, and in the appendage – magnificent backgrounds that make it easy to forget about their two. One and a half years later, Syberia does not look outdated, and even its gameplay can be set as an example as a novice quest game designers.
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
If you need a revolution, follow it to Blizzard. And the RTS genre in those years desperately needed revolution. The third part of Warcraft was simply obliged to become a high -quality breakthrough compared to Starcraft – and it was made in two directions at once.
Firstly, the players got a full 3D. Not to say that it looked breathtaking, but did not require top iron. Secondly, heroes with their skills were brought to the fore-and this not only determined the development of the RTS genre, but also laid the foundation for Moba.
And we also have more aspects of the conflict, and, as expected, each has its own specifics. The pace of the game, in comparison with the second part, also increased significantly, and in terms of filing the history “military craft” for many years, “Star” was ahead. It was in Warcraft III that we first saw Azerot in the splendor of greatness – which made it possible to make the main MMO of all time in the future: World of Warcraft.
But this is a completely different story.
Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast
Unfortunately, the story of Kyle Katarna, the protagonist of the Star Wars: Jedi Knight Games series ceased to be canonical. She was very organically woven into the main narrative, telling about the outcast from the order, at some point he was forced to re-master the old skills and, as one of the few remaining Jedi to help Luke Skywalker with the restoration of balance in the universe.
The first part of the series was a rather ordinary action movie, but the second captured the hearts and minds of not only fans of Star Wars, but also ordinary players. We started it as an ordinary shooter with shootouts, then gradually mastered the techniques of power, returned a light sword for themselves and then already operated mainly at them, only occasionally helping themselves with a blaster. We experienced this gradual development with the hero, and he himself turned out to be a damn charming.
In the next part-Jedi Academy-we immediately played for a trained Jedi, a graduate of the Academy with a ready-made set of skills and even one of three types of swords to choose from (two-handed, two single-handed or staff a la Dart say), and this was certainly cool. But the Jedi Outcast was cooler than the fact that we ourselves went the path of the formation of the Jedi, and did not get everything at once. And this sensation of expensive was worth.
Mention are worthy
Battlefield 1942
The game with which the most popular series of multiplayer military shooters has begun today. Battlefield 1942 for the first time used two simple mechanics – the capture of points and the class separation of the fighters – which changed the genre forever.
No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’S way
The continuation of the magnificent parody action movie about the Supershpion Kate Archer was a little weaker than the original, but this is no wonder – the first part was very good. Nevertheless, in 2002, we called the best action Nolf 2.
Medieval: Total War
The Middle Ages in the version of Total War reminded the best historical blockbusters. The game could only be bought in order to see how the avalanche of horse knights crashes into the enemy’s infantry system, leaving no chance that. Beauty and attention to details, historical accuracy and convenient interface – such were the Middle Ages during the days of total wars.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
After the first game about Sam Fisher went on sale, the world of gamers split into two camps – lovers of Metal Gear Solid and fans of Splinter Cell. The latter argued that the stealth from Ubisoft is banal than his Japanese fellow. And this statement was not far from the truth. Still, the work of Kojima has always been primarily about the plot.
Disciples II: Dark Prophecy
If the “heroes of the sword and magic” are a bright, bright and large-scale step-by-step fantasy strategy, then the Disciples series is gloomy, gloomy and local-tactical (the maximum possible battle is only 6 by 6!). But this is only more ingenious.
The world of “followers” was better worked out by classical mythology, where the battle of various races is only a consequence of the conflict of the gods, with which they worship. But the deities depend on their admirers: skillfully cultivated fanatics and an important artifact will be found, and they will take away the competitor, and they will resurrect you at the right time. Alas, the gloom and a serious approach, although they made a series of cult, but at the same time limited the size of this cult. And could not protect the brilliant concept from complete extermination in the third part.
Red Faction II
Not particularly outstanding, but strong action about the confrontation of factions on Mars, which was remembered mostly impressive (by the standards of 2002) physics. And here, the characters are voiced by Jason Statham and Lance Henriksen – is it not cool?
Metroid Prime
It may seem to the uninitiated person that Metroid Prime is such a first -person shooter, a craft in a famous universe. In fact, the study of levels in this game had to be much more common than shooting. The player did not lead by the handle, they did not load Kitszen with a dozen, but in return they gave the main thing – the atmosphere of adventure.
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
The continuation of the "Simulator of Killer" became not just more friendly in relation to the gamer. Hitman 2 is an ideal project verified to the last. Various levels, many approaches to eliminate the goal, level in St. Petersburg, finally!
History reasoned
In the top of 2002, the editorial office decided to abandon a single rank and broke all the games in the genres. In the nomination "Best 3D Action" (yes, the three -dimensionality was still separately emphasized) defeated No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’S way, which now barely broke into a short list. The third Warcraft was expected to be the best strategy, the best role -playing game is TES III: MorrOWind, the best quest is Siberia. GTA III was noted for “revolutionary”, Mafia – for the plot, and Silent Hill 2 for the atmosphere. But the best tactic was recognized by the Sudden Strike 2 forgotten.
To be continued…
Authors: Svetlana Nelipa, Alexander Milashenko, Alexey Pilipchuk, Pavel Ilyin, Lev Levin, Evgeny Peklo, Dmitry Shepelev, Alexander Pushkar, Sergey Zhigaltsev
The best games in 20 years. Year 2003: Beond Good & Evil, Need for Speed: Underground, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
The best games in 20 years. Year 2001: Grand Theft Auto 3, Max Payne, Gothic
The best games since 1997. Gamery – 20 years!
