It was in the 1980s that video games really started to experience their heyday. ‘Pac-Man’ arrived. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) appeared in households, as did ‘Donkey Kong’ and characters such as the Super Mario Bros. 

Then came the console wars of the 1990s, as Sega decided Nintendo wasn’t going to have it all its own way and Sony, with the PlayStation, also entered the fray. 

The 2000s saw console makers take the battle online and the entry of Microsoft into the market with the Xbox. The 2010s witnessed the battle progress to mobile devices and rage into the 2020s.

Influential video games of the last decade

The war between console companies is fierce as they all try to out-do each other, and also as they compete against other styles of gaming. Various other styles of gaming such as mobile gaming have become increasingly popular due to accessibility and how convenient the games are for players. 

A variety of gaming genres are accessible on mobile too, such as casino games. Players prefer to play casino games via a mobile device as they prefer the convenience and easy accessibility which smartphone gaming brings. Online casino providers offering mobile apps can also send personalised notifications as well as store players data and progress. Other gaming genres popular on mobile also include casual games that are easy to play as well as puzzle and action titles.

With an increase in demand for gaming titles, it’s inevitable that some highly influential titles have entered the market. New characters, new modes, better visuals and other features have stolen the hearts of players and turn the titles into a smash hit. Below are some of the most influential titles of the last decade. 

The Last of Us

“The Last of Us” is a beautiful post-apocalyptic survival game that has learned from other survival games and incorporated the best ingredients from each to produce an outstanding game. Fans of ‘Resident Evil’, ‘Fallout’, and ‘Dead Rising’ will all find something to love in this one, whether it’s blasting away a murderous cannibal, scavenging for materials, making ammo decisions or just enjoying the game’s story. As the main character, Joel, and cocharacter Ellie have to make it across the country to find the cure. The ending, if you get that far, is both haunting and one of the best to a video game. 

Tetris Effect

‘Tetris’ has transformed into a long-running series since the first edition of the hit game and ‘Tetris Effect’ is a further reiteration of why the ‘Tetris’ games are so iconic. This version has different stages and modes, such as Journey mode and Marathon mode, preventing it from sinking into monotony or predictability. Some stages start off fast only to slow down but then ramp up the speed unexpectedly. Others stay traditional and progressively get faster. The original ‘Tetris’ came out in the 1980s and this version like this helps it to still feel as fresh as ever.

DOOM

‘DOOM’, which hit the video games world in the 1990s, was a huge hit and the 2016 version is just as popular. Reviewers have praised this repurposed version for maintaining an old-school feel. It’s just you, a super shotgun and barely enough ammunition to kill all the demons in the game. If you shoot a demon and then stand close to them, you can beat them joyfully to death with their own limbs, which a lot of fans have appreciated. The makers have combined this mode of killing with the ability to pick up health packs, a clever move that enables the game to remain challenging and playable since you can’t recuperate outside of combat. 

The shotgun design and visuals themselves are enough to make players anxious to use other weapons for only as long as they have to and then pick it up at the first opportunity, such is the pleasure of executing enemies with it. It’s a fast, loud and violent game. The makers have been clearly listening to complaints about the previous “DOOM 3” and extracted some of the rawness of the original and incorporated it into this modern version.

Fortnite

‘Fortnite’ is just about the biggest game on the planet. Despite being a free-to-play game, the makers, Epic Games, have made billions of dollars from it. Live events receive record viewing figures on YouTube and Twitch, and the game has crossovers with ‘John Wick’ Star Wars and Marvel, to name but a few big names. 

‘Fortnite’ comes in different modes, one of the most popular being the ‘Battle Royale’ which forces players to battle other players to stay alive. The frequent updates to the game have helped it to stay fresh throughout the years and it’s the kind of game you can enjoy solo or teaming up with friends. 

Player Unknown: Battlegrounds (PUBG)

PUBG can’t take the credit for inventing the battle royal, but it was the driver of its success. The game is more strategic than “Fortnite” and is at its best in the third-person player mode. The movement is fluid and gives you vehicles, grappling hooks, jump pads and other toys to get creative with. PUBG might not have quite the shooting panache of the “Call of Duty” franchise, but the strategy more than compensates for this. There’s also real tension to keep you playing as you scour the terrain for medical supplies, weapons and more between bouts of conflict. 

Competition between console and games makers is extremely fierce, which is a good thing for fans, who benefit from some phenomenal titles. Other amazing titles to have entered the market include ‘Nier: Automata’ and ‘Pokémon Go’.