Before I start, I don’t want to hear anyone whining that their favorite game didn’t make the list. If you’re so smart and have such good taste, where’s your blog, huh? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Go back to your Livejournal, junior. The grown-ups are talking.

Anyway, these are 25 games that I feel encapsulate everything that was great about the 2000s (what the hell ARE we calling those years, anyway?). It’s weird, because some of my favorite games are pretty low on the list, or not on the list at all. I tried to be somewhat objective and choose games that brought something new to the table and advanced the medium in some way, not just games that I thought were rad.

These games are pretty rad, though.

Anyway, on with the list. I’m detailing #25 through #11 tonight, with the top ten coming tomorrow. Let me know what you think!

Rayman Raving Rabbids – Ubisoft, Wii, 2006

Rayman Raving Rabbids is pure, unadulterated fun. It’s fun boiled down to its purest essence, as if you were to take it to a refinery and then inject it directly into your veins. Yeah, it’s a minigame compilation, but it was one of the first for Wii and it just WORKS. The games are diverse and fun, and all use the Wiimote to its fullest potential, which is an impressive feat for a launch game. Plus this game is what introduced as all to the Rabbids, who have already cemented themselves as Gaming Icons™. The game should be on this list due to that alone.

Okami – Clover Studios, PlayStation 2, 2006

Okami does Zelda almost as good as Zelda does. Take a fascinating story based on Shinto mythology, add some very innovative special abilities, and dress it all up in graphics that make the world look like a living, breathing painting. It’s a shame Capcom shut down Clover studios shortly after its release, as that team could have done some amazing things in the future.

Super Smash Bros Brawl – Nintendo, Wii, 2008

While it’s not exactly innovative, Brawl is the ultimate Nintendo fanwank. Gobs and gobs of Nintendo characters new and old (some playable, some as cameos) take the solid gameplay and dip it in liquid gold. Then it fills it with chocolate. I don’t really need to describe Smash Bros. You know it and you love it.

I made sure to put Brawl on this list and not Melee for the SOLE PURPOSE of annoying the “true fans” who whine and moan that Brawl is “too slow” or whatever, when really it just fixed all the glitches they’d exploit to show off in front of their loser friends. Bite me, jerks.

Kingdom Hearts – Squaresoft, PlayStation 2, 2002

Disney is the chocolate and Final Fantasy is the peanut butter in this delicious mashup. So many people cried foul when this game was announced, claiming it was “too kiddy,” but what they finally got was a solid action RPG with a deep, surprisingly dark story that no one would expect from the House of Mouse. Then Kingdom Hearts II came along and effed it all up with its trenchcoat nonsense.

No More Heroes – Grasshopper Manufacture, Wii, 2008

If someone told me to describe No More Heroes in one word, I would punch them in the face because who the hell are they to impose restrictions on me? Then I’d hand them a dictionary, tell them to look up every word that means the same thing as “incredible” (which I guess would be easier if I gave them a thesaurus, but whatever), then add all those words together. Seriously, No More Heroes has so much style I think my Wii overheated. Over-the-top action and one of the best damn casts of characters video games has ever seen make this a game you CANNOT ignore.

BioShock – 2K Games, Xbox 360, 2007

BioShock made me have to pee. It’s because of all the water, not because it’s scary.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – BioWare, Xbox, 2003

BioWare’s name is now synonymous with the western-style RPG, and it’s because KotOR was such a fantastic game. The game is set 4,000 years before the movies so the plot wasn’t restricted by any continuity issues, and oh man did they craft a great story. Every character has a life story to tell you if you’re interested, and the moral choices that have become BioWare’s calling card affect the plot so much the entire story will be different depending on how you talk to people. Plus it has Wookiees! Grraaaaarrrrggghh.

Pokémon Gold/Silver – Nintendo, Game Boy Color, 2000

TECHNICALLY these came out in 1999, but they didn’t come out in North America until 2000 so I’m counting them. Nintendo took a mega successful game, created a vastly improved sequel, and turned it into a franchise. G/S added so many things to the mix – genders, breeding, the day/night cycle, held items – that it blew its predecessor away. While the Pokémon train is still barreling along at top speed, no game has managed to improve on its predecessor the way G/S did. Here’s hoping the upcoming remakes for the DS recapture some of their spirit.

Resident Evil 4 – Capcom, GameCube, 2005

What do you do when your zombie series is starting to die a slow death and rot away like the monsters it features? Do a complete reboot! Resident Evil 4 ditched the problems that plagued the first few games in the series, like the controls, and made a game focused more on action and tension than cheap scares. As a result, Resident Evil 4 was one of the few games to ever be released in the beginning of any given year and still be remembered at the end of the year when all the awards are given out.

Silent Hill 2 – Team Silent, PlayStation 2, 2001

THIS is survival horror. It’s so hard to describe Silent Hill 2… it’s like a beautiful nightmare. It’s genuinely frightening, and as you delve deeper into the twisted town and learn more about the haunting plot, it’s an internal struggle between putting the controller down because you’re scared, or pressing on and solving the mysteries laid before you. The bitter tale of James and Mary Sunderland is STILL praised as one of the best gaming has ever seen, nine years later. Plus, hey, Pyramid Head.

The World Ends With You – Square Enix, Nintendo DS, 2008

Originality? From Square Enix? I know, I was surprised too. But TWEWY, as the cool kids call it, is unlike anything else ever released. It captures the hip, fashion-centric culture of Shibuya and blends it with a supernatural story starring genuinely likable characters. The battles make use of both the DS’ screens, and you control the top screen character with the d-pad and the touch screen character with the stylus. It’s absolutely crazy, but the game is as solid as they come.

Super Mario Galaxy – Nintendo, Wii, 2007

Super Mario Galaxy isn’t as good as Super Mario 64, but it comes pretty damn close. Much better than Super Mario Sunshine, Galaxy recaptures the essence of exploration and freedom that define the Mario series. The music and graphics rival the Wii’s HD competitors as well.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Nintendo, GameCube, 2003

“ZELDA? MORE LIKE CELDA AHAHAHAHA” was all you heard in the year leading up the release of Wind Waker, once again proving that people who don’t like Nintendo are stupid jerks. The cel-shaded graphics of Wind Waker added a fun, playful aesthetic to the game, recalling the feel of the first Zelda and A Link to the Past. Sailing everywhere sucked, but the rest of the game was fun.

Phantasy Star Online – Sonic Team, Dreamcast, 2001

PSO introduced the unwashed console masses to online gaming. So what if it was full of cheaters, hackers, perverts and assholes? It was SO MUCH FUN. I have NEVER had so much fun repeating the same four levels for hundreds of hours like I did with PSO. Sometimes I still wish I could plug my Dreamcast into the phone line and forget about everything else…

Jet Grind Radio – Smilebit, Dreamcast, 2000

Jet Grind Radio had style before video games even HAD style. The first game to ever use cel-shaded graphics, JGR combined gorgeous visuals, unforgettable music, and a wacky story and cast and blessed all Dreamcast owners with the result. It was the first video game soundtrack I ever hunted down online, and that’s saying something now that literally two thirds of my iPod is filled with game music. There was a sequel for Xbox that was supposed to be pretty good, but I never got into it. The original was too special. C’mon, it had “Dragula”!

Whew. That was intense! I’m not even done. The pictures are cool, huh? I made those.

The thrilling conclusion tomorrow! BOOYAH.