The 2000s in gaming (2000-2009). The first decade in the 21st century was a revolutionary time to be a gamer. We swapped SEGA for Microsoft, we saw the sixth and seventh generation of games consoles, and we began using high-definition. The decade was ruled by Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, with SEGA pulling out of the console Market.
The world witnessed innovation in control schemes with the Nintendo DS & Nintendo Wii. Home consoles went from strength to strength with Nintendo Gamecube and Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Xbox, and Sony PlayStation 2 - then just got better and better with the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360. Sony also unveiled the PlayStation Portable for the first time to compete with the Nintendo DS.
I grew up playing a few of the games that have made this list. I’ve searched the net to find twenty of the worst games released in the 2000s - and ten of the very best. Some of the worst games on the list, I actually owned. Most of these games have been backed up by Metacritic and an IGN review - plus we will be looking at the things that made them so bad.
Been born in 1996, I was alive at the perfect time to feel the full force of the 2000s. Living my childhood and adolescence in the 2000s means I got the opportunity to experience games for longer than other gamers - who may have had real family or work commitments. Come online and join me on a trip to the last decade!
30 Worst: Why So Blue? (Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Some of you may be surprised to see a Sonic game make the list. The truth is that modern-day Sonic is just lame. The 2006 edition to the franchise is the straw that broke the hedgehog’s back for a lot of people. Released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) promised more than it delivered. Many fans anticipated a next-generation Sonic game to rival the popularity of Sonic Adventure. Instead, developer Sonic Team gave fans an okay story and below-average gameplay. IGN gave Sonic the Hedgehog a generous 4.8 and Metacritic gave it a score of 46 based on 38 critics.
29 Worst: A Darker Tomorrow… (Batman: Dark Tomorrow)
Released in 2003 for the Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube, Batman: Dark Tomorrow is far from the likes of the Arkham series. Developed by HotGen and published by Kemco, this action-adventure superhero game was far from super.
The 2000s saw many of these games ruin our favorite superheroes.
Critics slated Batman: Dark Tomorrow for its poor control schemes, terrible camera positioning and repetitive missions. This Batman game was released alongside other terrible superhero licensed games so it’s not alone. IGN gave the game a 2.2 and Metacritic came to an aggregate score of 25 based on 13 critics for the Xbox version.
28 Best: Birth Of A God… (God Of War)
All you loyal PlayStation gamers out there probably know about Kratos from God of War. The first God of War game was released in 2005 and was developed by SCE Santa Monica Studio for Sony Computer Entertainment. This PlayStation exclusive gained a massive following almost instantly, going head to head with the likes of Prince of Persia. The action-adventure game was praised for its graphics, storyline, gameplay and combat systems. IGN gave the game an amazing 9.8 and Metacritic gave it a 94 based on 75 critics.
27 Worst: Skateboarding In Springfield (The Simpsons: Skateboarding)
Our first The Simpsons game (and first Extreme Sports game) on the list goes to The Simpsons: Skateboarding. Just like the truck full of party games we received in the 2000s we also got a ton of extreme sports games trying to capitalize on the success of Tony Hawk games. Developed by The Code Monkeys and published by EA in 2002 for the PlayStation 2. People slated The Simpsons Skateboarding for its clunky controls, poor graphics and a lack of skateboarding tricks. IGN gave the game a 2.5 and Metacritic gave it 38.
26 Worst: Green Machine! (Shrek Super Party)
In the 2000s, us gamers got delivered party games in the truckload - everyone wanted to match the success of Mario Party. Even Dreamworks had a go at it when they licensed TDK Mediactive to release a Shrek party game. Shrek Super Party was released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox then released in 2003 for the Nintendo Gamecube. Shrek Super Party was slammed for its poor sound, super easy gameplay, and lack of any lasting appeal. IGN gave it a 2.9 and Metacritic gave it an aggregate score of 30 for the PlayStation 2.
25 Best: The Hero Of Winds (The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
One of Nintendo’s biggest achievements of the 2000s is The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Released in 2002, this addition to the Zelda franchise boasted a new graphical style, immense open-world exploration, fluent gameplay and an impressive storyline. Wind Waker goes down as one of the finest Zelda games ever made, almost rivaling the workings of Ocarina of Time. This was the first ever Zelda game I played back on the Nintendo Gamecube and I can vouch for the games scores. IGN gave Wind Waker an impressive 9.6 and Metacritic a 96 out of 80 critics. Personally, I’d give it a solid ten!
24 Worst: Don’t Catch Me, I’m The Ninjabread Man!
The greatest thing about this title is just that, its title: Ninjabread Man. Released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and the in 2007 for the Nintendo Wii. Ninjabread Man was developer Data Design Interactive’s seventh game.
A lucky number seven, this platforming game was not.
Ninjabread Man was hit with criticism for been overly buggy, having frame rate issues in the smallest of levels and been too difficult for the younger audiences it was intended for. IGN gave the game 1.5 and Metacritic scored it 20 based on 6 critics.
23 Worst: Gross (Little Britain)
Little Britain is a sitcom from the BBC that has a crude sense of humor, meant to offend. Little Britain: The Video Game tries to capitalize on the success of the BBC sitcom, but it should have stayed as a sitcom on the BBC looking at the game. This Party game is only a single player experience and was criticized for its length and repetitiveness. It was developed by Revolution Studios in 2007 as a PlayStation exclusive, only appearing on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. Gamespot UK gave Little Brittain: The Video Game a 1.6 based on 112 reviews.
22 Best: Rise Of Modern Warfare (Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare)
In 2007, Infinity Ward and Activision unveiled their latest Call Of Duty game. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was critically acclaimed, winning award after award. Released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, critics praised Modern Warfare for its story and gameplay working in tandem - not sacrificing one for the other. This Call of Duty is still recognized as one of the best in the franchise and as one of the greatest first-person shooters to ever be created. IGN gave Modern Warfare a 9.4 and Metacritic gave it an aggregate of 92 out of 40 critics.
21 Worst: Bursting The Bubble (Bubble Bobble Revolution)
One of the worst DS games to be released in the 2000s was Bubble Bobble Revolution. Released in 2005 for the Nintendo DS by developer Dream and published by Codemasters, this handheld platformer could have done a lot better. Bubble Bobble Revolution was hit hard by reviews for out of date visuals and level design - critics also complain about the game been a bug ridden mess. IGN gave the game a 3.5 and Metacritic gave it an aggregate score of 38.
20 Worst: Act Zero (Bomberman: Act Zero)
Created by Hudson Soft in 2006 it was published by Konami for the Xbox 360 as a highly missable exclusive.
Bomberman: Act Zero is basically traditional Bomberman, with a more realistic coat.
Act Zero was highly criticised for long loading times, a lack of a save feature and terrible collision detection. IGN gave Bomberman a 3 and Metacritic scored it 34 out of 41 critics.
19 Best: Xbox Chainsaw Party (Gears Of War)
Rev up your lancers, Gears of War makes its way onto the list as one of the best games of the 2000s. Redefining the third-person shooting genre, Gears of War was developed by Epic Games in 2006 for the Xbox 360 as an exclusive title.
Gears of War is one of the key games that helped the Xbox sell so many units.
It was praised for being one of the best looking games on the Xbox at the time, its presentation, its sound and its overall feel. IGN gave it a well deserved 9.4 and Metacritic gave it 94 out of 88 critics.
18 Worst: The Spirit Of Speed
Spirit of Speed 1937 was a vintage-themed racer for the SEGA Dreamcast that aimed to capture the earliest years of motorsport. Made in 2002 by the developer Broadsword, this single-player racing game only scrapped a 2.2 from IGN. People lambasted the game for its long loading times, poor course design, graphics, and controls. The game featured fifteen classic cars including the Alfa Romeo P3 and Scuderia Ferrari, despite these great cars, the game was less than great.
17 Worst: M.K.S.F, Freeze! (Mortal Kombat: Special Forces)
You may have heard of the Mortal Kombat tournament but have you heard of the Special Forces? Probably not. This mortal flop for Midway Games was released in 2000 for the Sony PlayStation. Critics slammed the title for being tedious, with poor level design and some said it was lacking the traditional Mortal Kombat intensity. This action-adventure beat em’ up goes down as been one of Mortal Kombat’s secrets. Not surprising as IGN gave it a generous 3 and Metacritic concluded an aggregate of 28.
16 Best: Massive Effect
Commander Shepard will probably go down in the gaming heroes hall of legends for eternity. This is the game that started that legend. Released in 2007 by BioWare as an exclusive for the Xbox 360, the game was later released on the PlayStation 3 before the series continued. Mass Effect received over 70 perfect game scores from various sources and numerous game of the year awards. IGN gave Mass Effect a 9.4 and Metacritic gave it an aggregate score of 91 out of 74 critics.
15 Worst: Rogue Result (Rogue Warrior)
It’s not very often that Bethesda Softworks disappoint, sadly this was one of those few times. Rogue Warrior was messed around with during the development stages of its life and this impacted the product greatly - Bethesda decided to drop Zombie Studios as the developer. The second developer to take a swing at Rogue Warrior was Rebellion Developments who managed to get the game out in 2009, yet still failed to make it shine. The game was criticised for being too short with a rubbish story and a protagonist that couldn’t get the audience’s approval. IGN gave Rogue Warrior a shocking 1.5 and Metacritic gave it 27.
14 Worst: Vehicular Armageddon! (Carmageddon N64)
Carmageddon N64 is a direct port of the PC version for the Nintendo 64. Developed by Aqua Pacific and released in 2000, the game is a direct port of Carmageddon II. It was slated for been a poor port and having terrible graphics and controls. The game did feature multi-player, however, that feature barely worked.
Carmageddon is a testimony to why games shouldn’t be rushed, even if they are a direct port.
This vehicular combat game only scored a measly 1.3 from IGN. Carmageddon had some pretty nice features that sound good on paper, but its failure to implement these features on the console have damaged the game’s reputation.
13 Best: Under The Sea… (BioShock)
BioShock was released in 2007 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K Games this first-person shooter was widely praised by critics across the globe. Its story and gameplay have been most celebrated with critics saying it is engaging, entertaining and different. The single-player experience is set under the sea and based off of the 1957 novel by Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged. IGN gave the game an amazing 9.7 and Metacritic gave it a 96 out of 88 critics.
12 Worst: Santa’s Little Bowling Pins (Elf Bowling: Collector’s Edition)
This festively themed bowling game actually did quite well on the PC. However, Elf Bowling: Collector’s Edition for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS was hit with negative reviews.
IGN’s Craig Harris described the first two games as “Ho-Ho Horrible”.
The game featured five Elf Bowling titles on one game and was released by Detn8 Games to the Nintendo community in December 2009. People criticised its repetitive gameplay and a terrible sense of humor. IGN gave the first two games a 1.0 and judging by the online reports it’s easy to see why.
11 Worst: Gone Fishing… (Aquaman: Battle For Atlantis)
Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis was released in 2003 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo Gamecube. Developed by Lucky Chicken Games and published by TDK Mediactive, this single-player, action-adventure title was hit with a negative reception right from the get-go. Critics slated its bad sound and repetitive gameplay, its game design is also made fun of and has been renowned as a case study in bad games design. IGN gave the game a 3 and Metacritic gave it a 27 based on 9 critics.
