Red Dead Redemption

Developed by Rockstar San Diego

2010

Playstation 3, Xbox 360

Red Dead Redemption is an Old Western adventure/action game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. It’s a sequel to their game Red Dead Revolver, that came out in 2004 but doesn’t build off its storyline. The game is set in 1911. It follows John Marston, a former outlaw, who is forced by the government to bring three of his former gang members to justice. It’s a third-person perspective game in an open world, meaning the player can interact with anyone and play the game at their leisure.

Red Dead Redemption was a massive critic and commercial hit. It got top reviews from most gaming critics. It received 95/100 by Metacritic, a 9.75/10 from Game Informer and a 9.7/10 from IGN. Red Dead Redemption took 5 years to make and was one of the most expensive games ever made. It took so long because the world and storylines were so large. Another reason the game was so popular was because an online multiplayer mode was included. Several downloadable additional content for the game was released. Including Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, where the main character searches for the cure of a zombie outbreak.

Honorable Mentions: Mass Effect 2

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda Softworks

2011

PS3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the 5th main installment of The Elder Scrolls video game series. It is an action role-playing game, playable in either a first or third-person perspective, about the main character’s journey to kill a dragon called Alduin the World Eater, who is prophesied to destroy the world. Skyrim takes place over 200 years after the previous game’s events. The player developed his character by doing quests and improving their skills. The game continues the series’ open-world format, allowing the player to do any quest for however long outside of the main storyline. Skyrim was critically acclaimed and is considered by some to be one of the best video games ever made. However, there was some trouble with its launch with many technical issues. But that didn’t stop it form becoming one of the best selling games of all time. Within a month the publisher had shipped over 10 million copies of the game to retail stores worldwide at the estimated earnings of over $600 million. In November 2016, Skyrim had sold more than 30 million copies.

Halo 4

343 Industries

2012

Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows

Halo 4 is the sixth installment of the mainline Halo franchise. It was released on November 6, 2012 by 343 Industries. It follows the story of the super soldier, Master Chief and his AI called Cortana as they battle a new faction of enemies from the Covenant known as the Prometheans. It was 343 Industries first original title within the Halo series. They wanted to make a game about the Forerunners part of the Halo story and explore the human relationship more with Master Chief and Cortana. Halo 4 featured many new settings, enemies and weapons.

Halo 4 was commercially and critically successful. The game received very high scores. It was highly anticipated because this was 343 Industries debut Halo game and everyone seemed to think it was worthy of the iconic video game franchise. 1UP.com gave it an A-, Game Informer gave it a 9.25 out of 10 and Polygon gave it a 9.5. Within the first 24 hours, over 1 million people played Halo 4 online on Xbox live. Its first day of sales was a whooping $220 million and its first weeks’ was $300 million.

The Last of Us

Naughty Dog

2013

Playstation 3, Playstation 4

The Last of Us is a horror-survival/action-adventure video game set in a post-apocalyptic world. The plot follows a smuggler named Joel, who is tasked with bringing a girl named Ellie across the United States after a virus outbreak of a parasitic fungus that turns humans into cannibalistic creatures. The players of the game control Joel and must survive and protect Ellie. They can use guns and improvised objects as weapons. It also has an online multi-player mode that allows up to 8 people in competitive or cooperative play.

The Last of Us was created and developed by the company Naughty Dog. Naughty Dog is known for their Uncharted series and had just finished Uncharted 2 in 2009 then split into two teams to start The Last of Us. The video game’s goal was to mainly focus on the relationship between Joel and Ellie and then develop everything else around them. The actors who played Joel and Ellie got to work with the creative director on their story and charter arc. Gustavo Santaolalla produced the musical score. He scored the film Brokeback Mountain which won him an Oscar in 2005.

In June 2013, The Last of Us was released on Playstation 3. It received high praise for just about everything; the story, the characters, the sound and the gameplay. It became one of the best selling games of all time, selling 1.3 million units within its first week. By April 2018, the game had sold more than 18 million units. The Last of Us Part II was announced December 2016, and is scheduled to come out March 2020.

Titanfall

Respawn Entertainment

2014

Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Titanfall is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game where players control “Pilots” in their large mechanical battle robot exoskeletons called “Titans.” The game revolves around 6-on-6 matches in the outer reach, war torn, space colonies called The Frontier. It’s creators, who were the minds behind the Call of Duty franchise, wanted to evolve the multi-player first-person shooter genre. They wanted to “bring ‘scale,’ ‘verticality,’ and ‘story’ to their multiplayer genre through elements traditionally reserved for single-player campaigns.”

The reviews on whether or not they changed the genre forever was mixed but the game won over 60 awards at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2013. Titanfall was received well by reviewers and most importantly it’s gamers. It was well regarded in that it had fast continual action and cool features like wall-running abilities. Up to 50 characters could be active in a single game. Titanfall 2 was released in October 2016.

Fallout 4

Bethesda Studios

2015

Microsoft Windows, PS4, Xbox One

Fallout 4 is the 5th major installment of The Fallout series, which is a post-nuclear apocalyptic action role playing game set in an open-world environment. The game encompasses the city of Boston and the surrounding region in Massachusetts known as “The Commonwealth.” Fallout 4 takes place in the year 2287, which is ten years after the events of Fallout 3 and 210 years after what’s known as “The Great War,” which caused the nuclear holocaust across the US. The main character is the “Sole Surviver,” who wakes up from being frozen in a cryogenic state in a fall out shelter. Fallout 4 has a voice for the main character, unlike the previous games in the series. After the sole survivor’s spouse is murdered and their son is taken, The sole surviver sets out to look for their missing child in “The Commonwealth.”

Fallout 4 was released on November 10, 2015 for Windows, Xbox One and Playstation 4. It received very positive reviews from players and critics alike, especially for it’s player freedom and world depth. Within the first 24 hours of the game’s launch it generated over $750 million. It sold 1.2 million copies on Steam in its first day. Fallout 4 got 9/10 stars by Game Informer and 4 and 1/2 stars by Game Revolution. It received the Game of the Year from the 19th ceremony of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.

Honorable Mention: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Overwatch

Blizzard

2016

Microsoft Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Overwatch is a first-person shooter, team based game that is described as a “hero-shooter.” A hero-shooter means that each player, is a different hero with different strengths, abilities and unique style of play, that is divided into three general roles. There are over 30 heroes to choose from. The object of the game is to work together with your teammates, in teams of six, to secure and control points on a map, or to escort a payload across a map in a limited amount of time.

Overwatch was released May of 2016 on PS4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. This past October in 2019, it came out on Nintendo Switch. Before its official release, an open beta drew in 10 million players. After the first year of its release, the game garnered $1 billion in revenue. Within its first 3 years, Overwatch amassed 50 million players world wide. In 2016, Overwatch won many Game of the Year awards and accolades. It was praised highly by many critics and some hail it as one of the best video games of all time. Its so popular there is a whole esport league dedicated to it, called Overwatch League.

Honorable Mention: Titanfall 2

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo

2017

Nintendo Switch, Wii U

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an action-adventure game released on March 3rd, 2017. It is set at the end of the Zelda timeline. Link awakens from a 100 year slumber and must defeat Calamity Ganon, the main antagonist in Zelda, before he destroys the Kingdom of Hyrule. Like other Zelda games, there is not very much instruction given. The player is free to roam the open-world and complete side quests for rewards. With technology progressing so much, Breath of the Wild has very good graphics, an updated physics engine and high definition visuals.

Despite having a few technical issues at launch, Breath of the Wild received very good reviews and accolades. It was praised for the game’s attention to detail and open-ended gameplay. It won a ton of awards like; Best Console Game by the Game Critics Awards, Most Anticipated Game at the Game Awards 2016 and Best Adventure/Role Playing Game at the Titanium Awards. By 2019, Breath of the Wild sold over 16 million copies, making it the best selling Zelda game.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar Games

2018

PS4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the third installment of the Red Dead series and the prequel to Red Dead Redemption (2010). The game chronicles Arthur Morgan, who is in a member of an outlaw gang, dealing with the decline of the Wild West and the rising of government and laws. The game is set in 1899 in a fictionalized version of the United States’ South, Mid West and West. The players control Arthur as he goes around the open world. The player can get into gun fights, pull off heists, horse back ride , hunt and interact with a wide range of non-player characters. The player must decide whether or not to maintain Arthur’s honor by making moral decisions.

Red Dead Redemption 2 was very highly anticipated before it came out. When it did come out it broke several records and had the second biggest launch in entertainment history, selling $750 million in revenue its first weekend. It exceeded the lifetime of sales of the first Red Dead Redemption in just 2 weeks. It was just as successful with the critics as it was commercial. The game was highly praised for its storyline, gameplay, graphics, characters and attention to detail. It got 10/10 from IGN, Game Informer, EGM and Edge. Red Dead Redemption 2 is among the top best selling video games of all time with 26.5 million copies shipped to retailers.

Apex Legends

Respawn Entertainment

2019

Microsoft Windows, PS4, Xbox One

Apex Legends is a free-to-play, first-person shooter battle royale game developed by Respawn Entertainment, released on February 4, 2019. Apex Legends combines characteristics a few different types of video games. One part being Respawn’s own major title called TitanFall. The game also includes elements of class-based shooters, evolving narratives and battle royale. Apex Legends involves 60 players to a game on teams of three, all landing on an island then working together to scavenge for equipment and weapons to take out the other teams. The playing area restricts in size as the game progresses. Last team standing wins.

Leading up until its release, Apex Legends was a complete secret. People just figured Respawn Entertainment was working on TitanFall 2. Since it was a secret there was absolutely no marketing for it. It received high reviews from critics for its fusion of different gaming genres. It was seen as a competitor to Fortnite Battle Royale, a massively popular battle royale game too. By the end of its first week, Apex Legends had amassed 25 million players world wide. Within its first month it had 50 million. Now, it has clocked around 8-10 million players online a week.