CNET Top 10 video games 1995 to 2005

CNET picks the top 10 games of the past 10 years. Their choices follow below. We've added the Metacritic scores for the games chosen because some of the results are surprising. If CNET had put together the list based on data (sales, Metacritic scores, number of divorces each caused) the list would look very different:

1. Half-Life (1998) (Metacritic: 96)

2. Starcraft (1998) (Metacritic: 88)

3. The Sims (2000) (Metacritic: 91)

4. Quake (1996) (Metacritic: 94)

5. Madden NFL Football (Metacritic: 80s-90s)

6. Everquest (1999) (Metacritic: 85)

7. Halo (2001) (Metacritic: 97)

8. Metal Gear Solid (1998) (Metacritic: 94)

9. Grand Theft Auto III (2001) (Metacritic: 97)

10. Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time (1998) (Metacritic: 99)

Interestingly, several of these games that are unquestionable standouts didn't receive such rave reviews when they were launched. Are game reviews short-sighted? When Everquest was launched, for instance, what reviewer could have known the impact of that title on the online gaming scene? Just more evidence to support our theory that reviews of MMOGs are fundamentally flawed. More on this in a follow-up post.