Feature: Non-Nintendo Game of the Decade

James Temperton (Mr. T)

I'm not a great one for completing games, never have been, but there is something about Crackdown that tricks me into thinking I'm not really getting anywhere in the game or storyline, I'm just having fun. In fact, it tricked me so well I went and completed it...twice. Jumping around, completing the odd challenge, shooting wildly, attacking people from the skies with bombardments of grenades and rockets...this game is utterly bonkers fun. And at this point I need to head to the thesaurus to find alternatives for the word 'fun'. Rambunctiously entertaining, perhaps?

It just ticks all the boxes so well. It looks great, plays great, had a great and truly innovative concept and the whole world you inhabit is just frigging huge. The fact that you truly can go anywhere and just about do anything made this game very special. Whilst nowadays most titles seem to be set in a sodding sandbox, few do it with the style and finesse of Crackdown. This is a game that is effortlessly cool and full of (cliche warning) AAA moments. Jumping on enemies heads, climbing to the top of huge buildings and sniping off baddies, flinging vehicles through the air for whole city blocks, kicking people, cars and trucks clean over highways...

I could go on and on about how 'cool' this game is and how much fun I had playing it, but that'd bore you. Surely my effervescent enthusiasm for it is signal enough that this is a very special title.

Honourable Mentions: FIFA 09 (XBOX 360), Halo (XBOX), Black and White (PC), Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2).

Mike Mason (Mason)

I've always loved music games. It's probably because I'm infatuated with the idea of being able to play instruments but don't have the co-ordination to actually do it. Of course, though, that doesn't matter in the world of video games. I remember getting my copy of the original Guitar Hero and unashamedly rocking out. That was enough for me.

Or so I thought. Then Guitar Hero: World Tour, in its multi-instrumental glory, came along and I realised that playing guitar-shaped plastic wasn't the only thing to life - pretend drums and USB microphones also existed! It was Rock Band 2 that I eventually fell for, though; the vast spread of downloadable content and the lure of the original Guitar Hero developers, Harmonix, proved too strong. I've never looked back - only occasionally sideways at what the Guitar Hero franchise was up to.

Rock Band 2 transcends being a game to me. It's karaoke with big bits of plastic for support. It's part of the best party ever, just because it no longer feels like a video game to me. It's the perfect excuse for me to sing my heart out and pretend that I can play the music I love without forcing myself into frustration at my inability to master proper instruments. It brings people together. It's probably improved my confidence. If we are to actually look at its game qualities, it's well-presented, easy to get into, addictive and uses DLC properly, as a way to extend the game. Above all else, it's pure fun. No other game has given me as much enjoyment as Rock Band 2 over the last few years, and with the songs still rolling - even more so soon with Rock Band Network just weeks, months away - no doubt it'll still be near-glued to my 360 deep into the new decade, too.

Honourable Mentions: Gitaroo Man (PS2), Shadow of the Colossus (PS2), Crackdown (Xbox 360), We Love Katamari (PS2), Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)

Stuart Lawrence (Stulaw)

It was up until mid 2007 where I never wanted to play an Xbox 360, I wasn't exactly sure what it had to offer, but when my brother brought the big white machine, and a little game called Gears of War, I started to get really impressed. It wasn’t just the brilliant visuals like I'd never seen before, but the story was enticing, the gameplay was great, and the best thing was the co-op. It forced you to work as a team and made you scared when you had to go at it alone because of split paths. It was also the first 360 game which I actually got good at, something I couldn’t do with Halo 3, especially with the multiplayer, and while I had a free months Xbox live subscription, I got brilliant at the game, I’ll never get why people complain about certain weapons being used though, in particular, the chainsaw bayonet on the Lancer. In my personal opinion, if a weapon’s there to use, and it gives you good results, use it, don’t complain that a person just 1upped you because they just sliced your arm off with a chainsaw!!!

Anyway, back on topic, it the story, I found it to be a great addition to the gameplay, and also spurring you on sometimes, just to see what happens next... And then it ends, and although the main campaign is short (around 6/7 hour mark) it leaves you wanting more, I found myself with my brother, playing it over again on harder modes, not just to get all the tags and achievements, but because it was FUN!!! And that’s what I find missing from quite a few games these days, the fun factor.

Honorable Mentions: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (various), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (various), Uncharted 2 (PS3), Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast), The Orange Box (various).

Joshua Callum Jeffery (Toon Superlink)

You may be wondering why I chose a turn based Japanese RPG for my Non-Nintendo GOTD, when the genre seems so tired. Persona 4, however, is unique. I would even go as far as to call it "The Chrono Trigger of the Noughties". You take the role of a nameless silent protagonist, and you give him whatever name and sirname you like, who is carted off on a train to a tiny backwater town called Inaba for a year. You go to your new school and make friends with various character archetypes: The class clown, the popular girl, the tomboy, and so on. Initially it seems like some kind of Japanese school drama. Right now you're probably thinking it sounds very cliché, but you'd be wrong. You'll find that character and relationship building are taken to new depths in this title.

To get to the real meat of everything however, you're going to need to view some lengthy cutscenes at the introduction of the game. While watching these a lot of people including myself questioned why people praise the game as they do; but it definitely deserves the praise it gets. Those who dislike plot heavy games, no matter how good the plot may be, this game isn't for you. Those who do however will be rewarded with a very unique, thought out, and downright creepy plot that could last you for well over 50 hours, depending on how much side stuff you do. Those who manage get the secret true ending will find that virtually all loose ends are tied up, making for a very satisfactory experience.

The "side stuff" is very important and the power of your party can depend on how much your characters like each other, and this in turn helps you fuse more powerful Personas. Personas are the key to your characters’ power, and they take care of all the magic and special abilities that an average school kid couldn't usually do. Throw in some super catchy music, and a battle system with great flow that just never seems insultingly easy or unfairly hard, and you have a winner which I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who's ever liked RPGs

Honourable Mentions: Tales of Vesperia (XBOX 360/PS3), Kingdom Hearts (PS2), Shenmue II (Dreamcast/XBOX), LittleBigPlanet (PS3), Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)

Ross Marrs (Marzy)

It wasn't until late 2001 till I got my Dreamcast and I got a copy of Shenmue. It was one of those rare moments in videogames, where it felt special. The opening cut scene was fantastic, it felt like I was watching a film and it was engaging. Immediately, it helped create an emotional bond with the games characters, something no other games did to that affect before Shenmue. The cut-scenes throughout the rest game also had the same affect. Some may laugh at the English voice acting, but if it didn't have it, it would have lost some of its charm, in my opinion and its a little part of what makes it Shenmue.

The detail put into this game was immense and I still don’t think and game has come close. You could look in every nook and cranny, talk to a wide range of people, buy toy capsules from machines, play SEGA classics in the arcade, take a bus to the harbour, use a phone booth, and buy some soda (I could go on). It was all in real-time, with a weather system and it felt like a real world to explore.

It was all beautifully crafted, along with its superb soundtrack, which featured oriental styled music and fitted with the game perfectly. Let's not forgot the gameplay elements that revolutionized, like the QTE sequences, which was popularized by Shenmue and is now used in other games since. Then there’s the standard walking and running and then also the fighting parts. Mash these all together and it created a unique system, with three different styles of gameplay and it all worked like a dream.

I really could go on and on about Shenmue, but to truly experience it, you would need to play it yourself. Whilst Shenmue II was arguably the better game, Shenmue started the series off and I have fonder memories with it. So with that aside, that is why I chose it as my Non-Nintendo Game of the Decade.

Honourable Mentions: Shenmue II (Dreamcast/Xbox), TimeSplitters 2 (Xbox/GC/PS2), Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3), Burnout 2 (Xbox/GC/PS2) and Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast)

Calum Peak (Echoes221)

Not many people would claim this game as Game of The Decade material, however, I strongly disagree. First and foremost, it holds some of my most precious gaming memories, and secondly because of the devilish game play which always strives for attention, no matter how many times it’s been played; lest you end up impaled on spikes.

Initially, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time doesn’t seem to be much, but once introduced to its fiendish puzzles, staggering acrobatics and the spectacular feature of controlling time, the game opens up and doesn’t let you go. The level design seems simple but woven into that is a multitude of traps, puzzles and enemies. None of which are forgiving to the player. They require multiple rewindings every time you plummet to your doom from a jump you misjudged or that enemy just chipping off the last of your life. The Sands of Time just has a certain flow to it, from the camera whipping in for a close up of the dagger absorbing an enemy without disturbing the pace of play, or balancing perilously on one of the many of the maharaja’s towers. Through and through this game feels original.

Ubisoft has made a brilliant game that they just can’t trump. Sure, Assassins Creed and Mirrors Edge may be good games, but many of the ideas originally came from their first stint at parquor in Sands of Time - consequently, they just don’t feel as complete. You never truly feel terrified in the same way that Sands of Time presents enemies that can never be escaped from, leaps of faith with no rewind time left. This game is harder than nails and the systematic approach to playing of 'jump, die, rewind -wallrun, jump, die, rewind -wallrun, jump, survive” (Mark Bozon) will leave you entirely satisfied...until you turn the corner.

Honourable Mentions: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1 & 2 (PC/XBOX 360/PS3), Elderscrolls IV Oblivion (PC/XBOX 360), Timesplitters 3 (GameCube/PS2/XBOX/PC), Viewtiful Joe (GameCube/PS2)

Shane Jury (Phoenixus)

In recent days, it seems that Star Wars has become somewhat of a cashcow for Lucasarts, what with countless books, toys, TV shows, and videogames tempting the wallets of many fans. The Games in particular are rather hit-and-miss, with Lightsabers, Blasters, the Empire, and other franchise staples having been done to death already, so it is of no surprise to hear of skepticism when a new one is revealed.

Knights of the Old Republic offered a whole new take on the Star Wars Universe, combining together elements of the Wizards of the Coast Card game with turn-based RPG rules to create free-flowing combat. Your main character, completely of your own creation, can tread the path to the Dark Side, or walk towards the Light, depending on your dialog and action choices, and it is this that ensures each playthrough as a personalized, completely unique experience.

Seamless Planet exploration, sublime character development, and that plot twist made Knights of the Old Republic more than a simple licensed game, and not only catapulted Bioware into the limelight, but breathed new life into a stale series. Wisely added to the 360 compatibility list, this is one game any fan needs to play.

Honourable mentions: Mirror's Edge (360/PS3), Kingdom Hearts II (PS2), Ikaruga (Dreamcast), Sonic Unleashed (360/PS3), Locoroco (PSP)