Every year, when the ceremonies celebrating video games take place, the nominees are typically the subject of controversy due to the diversity of opinions among passionate gamers.
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Not every game is able to age gracefully, especially these ten from the PS3 era of gaming.
Everyone has their thoughts about which titles should be considered the best of every trip around the sun, but time often takes care of vindicating certain creations.
Some GOTY nominations make sense immediately, and others need the passage of time to place them in their proper spots in gaming history according to their quality. Numerous games have proven over the years why they were chosen for these accolades.
Let’s take some time to remember those video games that have aged magnificently through this list of ten GOTY nominees that have aged like fine wine.
Game of the Year nominees from both The Game Awards and its predecessor, the Spike Video Game Awards, are considered for the list.
10
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
The King of Cards
As a World of Warcraft fan, I remember not being entirely thrilled with the announcement of Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft because I wasn’t keen on card games at the time.
The title’s original state didn’t appeal to me either, so its nomination came as a surprise. However, as it received expansions and more game modes, I realized the raw potential I hadn’t seen before.
To this day, the game has become the absolute and long-standing king of the collectible card genre, offering as much content as humanly possible with great cadence, creativity, and accessibility.
In retrospect, its nomination seemed more like a gamble on the future, and it paid off. Hearthstone is one of the best multiplayer games of recent years and among Blizzard’s finest works, so its recognition is well-deserved.
9
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The Series’ Prime
Years ago, Call of Duty was one of my favorite franchises for the ease with which it offered epic and memorable campaigns, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 truly lived up to that description.
Besides its spectacular story mode, featuring incredible cinematics and gameplay, it also featured one of the era’s most iconic multiplayer modes, offering guaranteed fun from every angle.
As time has passed and the series’ business model has changed, I can’t help but miss the titles with Modern Warfare 2‘s approach, easily among the century’s best first-person shooters.
Perhaps Call of Duty will eventually return to its roots, but until that happens, we’ll have to continue yearning for the days when the IP’s titles had enough quality to be nominated for Game of the Year.
8
Mass Effect 2
The Greatest Sci-Fi RPG
I don’t think I’m taking much of a risk by saying Mass Effect is the best sci-fi RPG franchise in history, and even less so by claiming Mass Effect 2 is the series’ most distinguished entry.
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The timeless titans of a golden era.
Building on the foundation of a rather good predecessor, BioWare’s sequel improved on everything that needed to be improved and added everything that needed to be added to make Commander Shepard’s second adventure an unforgettable title.
Time has passed, and many RPGs have tried to imitate the developer’s formula, but I’d say none have managed to surpass the bar set by a magnificent journey from start to finish.
With its refined gameplay, deep decision-making system, iconic dialogue, countless narrative ramifications, and tremendous characters, Mass Effect 2 has aged phenomenally well, feeling as good today as it did in its time.
7
The Last of Us
PlayStation 3’s Jewel
The Last of Us defined an entire generation by showing a wider audience the interactive medium’s narrative and cinematic possibilities, becoming an almost instant icon.
Although time has moved on, the idea that video games are more than just entertainment has become normalized, and graphics have evolved to the point of being almost hyperrealistic, Joel and Ellie’s adventure remains just as impressive.
Given everything in the game was ahead of its time, it’s a title that has been wonderfully preserved. In fact, it has aged so well that I still find its remake unnecessary—the gameplay feels as visceral as ever, and the graphics and technology don’t have much to envy about modern products.
In any case, The Last of Us is a living example of the potential of video games, which is precisely why it is among the most award-winning games in history.
6
Assassin’s Creed 2
A Flawless Sequel
As the series has changed direction completely and its original identity has been lost with each new installment, Assassin’s Creed 2 seems as distant as it is missed.
We’re talking about a practically perfect sequel that surpasses the original game in every aspect, with one of the century’s most renowned protagonists, a wonderful setting, and one of the most fascinating mythologies in gaming.
The Assassins’ Guild has gradually been forgotten, tainting a story whose course lacks meaning and tarnishing the memory of games like Ezio’s first journey. It’s so fantastic that replaying it remains a delight.
While the graphics and technical aspects could certainly benefit from an improvement, Assassin’s Creed 2 is always remembered as the IP’s most distinguished title, especially for its ability to completely revolutionize it.
5
Tomb Raider
An Unbeatable Reboot
Making a successful reboot after years of ups and downs is an extremely demanding task, but 2013’s Tomb Raider more than delivered.
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We once thought highly of these games, but they haven’t aged well at all.
The return of the legendary Lara Croft was not only extraordinary in its own right, but it also spawned a whole line of video games that have further improved on the new formula.
Sometimes it pains me to remember how underrated it was at the time, especially since the year was plagued with incredible releases and the community didn’t get the chance to value this action-adventure masterpiece.
My admiration for the title is such that I’ve always considered it superior to the entire Uncharted franchise, and the passage of time and the differences in how the two have aged, I believe, prove me right.
4
Death Stranding
It Was Always A Masterpiece
Few releases have been as misunderstood as Death Stranding, a seminal work that didn’t receive as much critical acclaim as other 2019 nominees.
Hideo Kojima’s creation was once again ahead of its time, and it took years to establish itself as the modern cult classic it should have been from the moment it was released.
Its story, worldbuilding, and characters alone make for a unique adventure. However, if you add its immersive and daring concept, thoughtful gameplay, deep message, and majestic soundtrack, it’s a game for the ages.
Fortunately, the years and global events proved Kojima right once again, and today Death Stranding is duly appreciated. The title feels more relevant than ever, and the game will continue to age wonderfully.
3
God of War III
Hack-And-Slash At Its Best
Every time I hear someone saying the original God of War trilogy needs to adapt to the style of the Norse sub-saga, I want to scream because of how much we’ve come to undervalue the hack-and-slash genre.
That’s true for any of the three installments, but it’s especially true of God of War III, a pristine video game whose combat, progression system, bosses, and puzzles don’t need changing one bit.
The epic mission to conquer Olympus has aged remarkably well gameplay-wise, and the audiovisual and narrative departments feel great as always. It’s still so exhilarating and adrenaline-filled that it reminds us of how painful the genre’s decline is.
For every supporter of a God of War III remake that exists, I’ll be there to disagree. There’s nothing in this game that hasn’t aged beautifully. Even its ‘archaic’ gameplay structure has charm.
Art Made Video Game
Although I was too young to play it at launch, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was one of my first experiences on the Xbox 360, and I can’t explain how much it amazed me.
A decade after its release, the game was something completely unparalleled, and even now, twenty years later, it is still among the pioneers that led to the recognition of video games as art.
The complexity of its story and characters, the use of cinematography, the interactions as a means of communicating a message, the iconic bosses, the soundtrack… Think about every detail, and it’s easy to see why it’s a tremendous game from beginning to end.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a video game classic, and classics have the privilege of never growing old. Years will pass, and no matter how much technology advances, this gem’s natural essence will never be replicated.
1
Portal 2
The Perfect Puzzler
From its first game to its last (excluding Artifact), Valve has only been able to produce outstanding works that redefined the genres to which they belonged.
This is true for both entries in Half-Life, it is true for Team Fortress 2, and it is, of course, true for Portal, a series without competition within the puzzle genre that, essentially by definition, cannot age.
Therefore, Portal 2 is among the games that best represents the adjective “timeless” because it is a title whose mechanics, ideas, narrative, and even antagonist feel fresh on the first playthrough and the nineteenth.
No matter how many times you play it, delight in its challenges, are amazed by its level design, or marvel at its physics, Portal 2 never ceases to feel like a title that was made to endure until the end of time.
It could easily have won the award for Best Game of the Year in 2011, but it’s the kind of work that goes beyond the awards, as it directly places itself among the most well-rounded and representative video games in history.
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