Yes, 2004, one of the best years in gaming history is nearly legally old enough to drink. That means we’reevenolder, yes, but it’s also cause for celebration.
Let’s use this opportunity not to count our gray hairs, but to celebrate so many games that most players don’t even realize came out in such a short span of time, so long ago.
11. Burnout 3: Takedown
If you miss theBurnoutseries, that’s likely because of its highest point:Burnout 3:Takedown.Gone are the realistic physics ofGran Turismo, in are the most ridiculously fun car crashing mechanics ever put into a game.
No game before or since has made simply driving as fast as you’re able to, and toppling your opponents in the most spectacular ways as fun asTakedown.I cannot, for the life of me, understand how such a seemingly simple yet multifaceted party series has been dormant for so long.
10. Fable
The originalFableremains one of the best answers to the turn-based RPGs that dominated the gaming landscape back then, as well as the best game in the franchise. There’s just no beatingFablewhen it comes to embarking on a journey to become a hero — or a villain.
There’s no denying that, in true Peter Molyneux fashion,Fableunderdelivered regarding its original promise, but what we ended up getting was good enough to birth a classic. Also, Molyneux can totally defend himself by claiming it wouldn’t be much of a fable if all of his promises were based on hard facts.
9. Ninja Gaiden
This was the original “hard game with good graphics” beforeDark Soulsclaimed that distinction.
You could even argueNinja Gaidenwas harder thanDark Soulsbecause it didn’t curse you with limited stamina and was still difficult as all hell. And it was much more than that.Ninja Gaidenremains one of the most thrilling and overall best action games ever made. It’s sad to see the series lose its mojo withNinja Gaiden 3 and seeTeam Ninja pivoting to difficult games that straight-up mirrored theSoulsseries.
I loveNioh,but I missNinja Gaiden’shigh-octane type of challenge.
8. Doom 3
Upon release, many were let down byDOOM 3. It wasn’t as funas classicDoom, and it just didn’t feature anywhere near the variety of fresh gameplay options available in its contemporary shooters. The people who didn’t like it back then now even have the hindsight of saying it paled in comparison with the newerDoomtitles, but I think they’re just looking at it wrong.
If you’re into slow-burn horror,Doom 3is actually one hell of a game, capable of scaring the crap out of modern players even today.
7. Far Cry
I usually accuse theFar Cryseries of being all downhill after the first game, but that’s not me being mean.Far Cry 2, Far Cry 3, andFar Cry Instinctsare all good games, but the original was just better. Remember the awful “Ubisoft tower” mechanic that plagues allFar Crytitles post-3? Remember the incredibly low enemy variety in most of these games? Well, you can forget all of that here.
The originalFar Crymight not feature the open world game design you see in the other entries, but it’s such a finely crafted (albeit more linear) gameplay experience that you likely won’t even notice you’re not as free as in other games. If you have never tried it because it’s “old”, give it a shot. It’s totally worth it.
6. Sid Meier’s Pirates
Do you loveSea Of Thieves,Assassin’s Creed Black Flag’sbest moments, and/or were you hyped by the reveal ofSkull and Bones? They all exist because ofSid Meier’s Pirates, the first — and still best — pirate life simulator.
If you want to have a lot of fun conquering the high seas, this somewhat underplayed masterpiece is something you should try out, because it feels like it hasn’t aged a day.
5. World Of Warcraft
Accuse me of cheating all you want because yeah,World Of Warcrafthas never really stopped coming out, but ’04 was its first year on this land.
It remains the most successful MMO ever since its release and more than earns it this spot on this list. The fact that it will likely remain that way for the foreseeable future more than earns you the right to complain about me not ranking it even higher.
4. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Yes, it’s no surprise that Konami is releasingMetal Gear Solid Deltaby early 2025. They knowMGS3is likely the most beloved entry in the franchise, and that big 20-year-old mark is the perfect time to cash in on a masterpiece.
The originalMGSpretty much turned the entire video game industry on its head when it came out.MGS3could’ve easily surfed on the tsunami it had created and still managed to sell millions and get high critical praise, but that was not enough.MGS3dared to change the setting completely to tell a new story, and it worked beautifully.
While I’d argue theSubsistenceversion that came out a short while later is the definitive version of the game because of the superior camera,Snake Eaterremains one of the most epic and gut-wrenchingly awesome prequels of all time.
3. Halo 2
We knewHalo 2was special as soon as ’03s E3 showed one of thebest gameplay demos of all time.
We knewHalo 2was special as soon as we began playing it, even though we quickly learned the E3 demo wasn’t part of it — because it was never meant to be more than a cool tech demo.
Courtesy of having to follow up on one of the best debuts of all time,Halo 2‘s devs at Bungie had to go through hell to clear the high bar set byHalo: Combat Evolved,in record time. Still, the result was not just one of the most memorable (even if disjointed) campaigns of all time, but also what was by far the console generation’s best online experience.
2. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto San Andreaswas the best-selling game of the best-selling console of all time, and it was no fluke.
It came out afterGTA 3andVice City, two titles that would’ve deserved that spot hadSAnot materialized, butSan Andreaswas the rare sequel to goevenbigger than its already humungous predecessors, and still not feel bloated because of it. Getting to wreak havoc not in one, but three differentGTA-fiedspoofs of real america, the countryside, and finally even getting to swim madeSAfeel less like a game, and more like an entire saga in one box.
1. Half-Life 2
Naturally, picking the best game out of such an eclectic list will always come down to personal taste — but not this time. I kid, but I honestly do thinkHalf-Life 2was and, at least until the arrival ofDark Souls, remained the most serious contender for the game of the century.
Half-Life 2not only amped all the stakes introduced by its stellar predecessor, but it also introduced a wide array of mechanics that feel fresh even so many years later. One of the reasonsHalf-Life 3might never materialize is Valve’s possible inability to come up with anything even better, and that’s ok.
