2: Metroid Prime
Nintendo’s doomed GameCube might have been the underperforming runt of the last console generation, but at the same time it was the platform that had some of the most interesting and fresh games. Metroid Prime is one of them. Transforming the beloved Metroid formula from 2D to 3D without losses. That’s no mean feat, and Retro Studios pulled it off marvelously. Bound to the GameCube’s rather unorthodox controller that lacks a second thumbstick, Metroid Prime’s controls are something people love or hate. Compared to “pure” shooters they appear cumbersome, but the action-adventure style lock-on-to-circle-strafe feature isn’t just a cop-out, it’s very well utilized here.
Metroid Prime might not have been as influential as other games on this list, but none the less it proved to be one of the decades stand out titles for various reasons. It was a huge game. A successful leap into the third dimension of an “ancient” franchise. And a Japanese-American co-production that actually worked. I for one hope Nintendo will go back to making games like this one of these days.
