Did you know that the new millennium’s first decade was one of the most colorful in terms of the variety of created games? Developers used the experience accumulated by previous generations. At the same time, they were not afraid to experiment with game formats and elements.
The result was quality creations for gourmands with even the most atypical preferences. There were cool apps for every taste. You could enjoy computer masterpieces and, in seconds, pull out your cell phone from your pocket. There on the screen was another exciting game.
Friends, many of you probably remember those beautiful times. In the zeros, almost every day, there were releases of hits about which the whole world knows now. I suggest you take a look at these immortal legends with me.
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20. Bobby Carrot 5
This list of the best 2000s games starts with one of the most popular games for cell phones. It is a logic game where the rabbit looks for a way out of the intricately constructed areas. The difficulty is quite severe. For example, I had to pass many of the levels several times.
I can’t boast that I went through all the stages completely. Some of them were so challenging that I had to look for hints on the Internet. So if you’re ready to test your skills at non-trivial tasks, Bobby Carrot 5 should be enjoyable.
19. Explode Arena
If you are lucky enough to have a Symbian OS smartphone, you probably know this game. In the mid-2000s, it was considered one of the best in this category. Perhaps it has not been heard by fans of the Java platform. However, that does not diminish the value of Explode Arena.
This app is Bomberman from a parallel universe. Almost everything in the game is better than in the original: graphics, music, characters, etc. Plus, the ability to play with friends in multiplayer mode is available. This feature works thanks to Bluetooth technology.
18. FIFA 2002
Let’s move on to the PC games. No single part of the FIFA series passed our computer club in the 2000s. However, it was this one that I continued to play even after newer parts came out. It’s hard to pinpoint what makes FIFA 2002 unique. Probably it’s the memories. We all have our exclusive ones.
Indeed many of my readers can share their stories related to this football simulator. My one is quite trivial. However, it still evokes a sense of nostalgia. It’s connected with my visits to my mom’s office, where I played FIFA 2002 very often. By the way, I did it primarily because of the soundtrack. The music here is excellent.
17. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
There is a whole fountain of great games for Nokia N-Gage. Among them, a special place belongs to our hero. It is a skateboarding simulator, which has captured the hearts of fans of this sport. Many of my acquaintances play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and sincerely catch vivid emotions.
It can be called one of the best among the representatives of this game franchise. The excellent gameplay combines harmoniously with the musical compositions that create a fabulous atmosphere around the skating area.
16. Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles
If you are a big fan of this game universe from Ubisoft, then I recommend playing this part of the series. It is a prequel to computer games. So the story starts here. I used to love playing it on my Nokia 6630. In 2008 this app was like a breath of fresh air.
In the second half of the zeros, the graphics in Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles seemed delightful. Combined with an exciting storyline, this mix engages players with astonishing power. There are no boring scenes — just constant movement around Ancient Egypt, which is sometimes replaced by solving small puzzles.
15. V-Rally 3D
Just a few 2000s games (including V-Rally) can boast the title of the most popular mobile apps, which were beloved by the kids at my school. Is it hard formulated thought? That’s the nature of Slavs. In our native languages, such sentences sound natural.
Let’s suppose you bought a book and started reading it. If you see no dot for several pages, you can be sure of what you probably already guessed. Yes, that’s right. A person from the Slavic countries wrote it. One of those books is my work called “How to Monetize Your Hobby.” There you will see not only long sentences but also ideas for making money.
Now let’s get back to the game. In Ukrainian schools, V-Rally was an absolute bestseller. First of all, it is thanks to the multiplayer mode. Not many Java games of those times could boast such a feature. And here you got this opportunity. In addition, few games could compete with this rally simulator in terms of graphics quality.
14. One
The previous game was visually one of the best for ordinary cell phones. I considered the fourteenth place representative as such among the apps for the N-Gage platform. This moment means that it had the highest quality graphics that were only possible to see on mobile devices.
In the mid-2000s, this fighting game threw me into shock. I played it and couldn’t believe what I saw. It was way too ahead of its time. Designers & artists beautifully drew the arenas with the fighters, and the realistic sound effects added a lot of heat to the virtual battles.
13. Worms World Party
The next app proves that it is not only good graphics that can make gamers fall in love with a game. For example, Worms World Party has very modest graphics. However, the gameplay here is superior. It’s one of the most fun games I’ve ever seen. I remember how we used to get together with other kids to play it.
Even today, Worms World Party looks great. So if you have free time and a few buddies around, you can run the game on your computer and enjoy the amusing battles.
12. Asphalt: Urban GT 2
Meanwhile, we’re moving on. Or rather, we’re driving. It’s a famous franchise from the world of racing games in front of us. Deep pedigree has not prevented the second part of the series from becoming a very distinctive creation. This nuance was possible because Gameloft put all their creativity into Asphalt: Urban GT 2.
The French masterfully combined all the advantages of its predecessor in the game and added many excellent updates. Almost all elements of gameplay look better here. Also, new modes appeared in the app. This solution allowed be born a fantastic game that engages the player from the first seconds.
11. Super Miners
It’s time to remember one of my favorite logic games. But don’t rush to put it in the category of boring ones. After all, there is a lot of action and cool effects. And, of course, a real oasis of challenges for the mind. You will have the opportunity to face tons of levels to train your intellect while watching the main characters’ adventures.
In 2000s games, the soundtrack was not always a priority for developers. Super Miners stands out against similar apps. I listened with gusto to the music that was playing there. Perhaps this is one of the most underrated elements of this game. Players usually accentuated the obvious things. But I’ll say that the 8-bit tunes presented here made me feel goosebumps.
10. Serious Sam
Who doesn’t know the big guy who simultaneously darts bullets out of a machine gun and jokes out of his mouth? Among these people will not be the guys who were teenagers in the zeros. The public so loved the epochal first-person shooter that new parts of it are still releasing.
But now we are talking about the pioneer of this game franchise. Serious Sam was quite sensational in the early 2000s. Almost every second computer saw this app. It left a significant mark in the history of PC games. For instance, the sense of humor of the main character so “hooked” the audience that developers created Will Rock under the influence of it.
9. Rifts: Promise Of Power
There is no place on this planet where you can see the same intensity of battles as in Rifts: Promise Of Power. However, in this RPG, such exciting events can be seen on every corner. And thanks to the variety of types of units, the gameplay flourishes even more.
For me, it is the best representative of its genre in the history of mobile games. It’s doubly encouraging that now it’s possible to run it on PCs and new smartphones. Enthusiasts have finally created an emulator for N-Gage games. So even if you don’t have this gaming console, you can still play masterpieces developed especially for it.
8. Revival
It’s time to bring the strategy games. No, folks. There won’t be Civilization here. You already know all about it. But what if we look at something unusual from the archives of 2000s games? Like a combination of humor, logic, diplomacy, and economic development.
All these elements you can find in Revival. I downloaded this app for Symbian OS to test my skills in building cities. However, as it turned out, the possibilities of the game are much wider. So I spent entire days playing it. Note that its gameplay is no worse than its competitors. At the same time, funny jokes significantly dilute the atmosphere of seriousness. This moment is rare for strategy games.
7. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Here’s my big love. It’s the first mobile game that I played for weeks. And there aren’t a lot of similar ones. I liked the adventures of Sam Fisher so much that I went through Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory several times without boring me for a second.
Here the developers delighted gamers with an extensive list of interesting missions. Each of them has a story attached to it, which explains why we are in this place. I purposely played with the dictionary on my lap. So I didn’t miss any vital storyline details. So this game helped to improve my English level. And now you read what came out of this venture 🙂
6. Need for Speed: Underground
The sixth-place took the regulars of the gentleman’s set of games from Electronic Arts. I don’t think it is necessary to describe it for a long time. Since with 99.9% probability, all my readers have already played it a lot. But for formality, I will say that it is a racing game (how unexpected, right?). Even more surprising would be the following fact. It turns out that the title music theme from Need for Speed: Underground has become a popular meme.
Why am I telling you this if you are aware of it? In my defense, it’s tough to write anything new about this game. It’s a legend that everyone knows about now. It’s deservedly ranked very high in today’s rating. As for me, I install it on my computer almost every two years. The effect of this session of immersion in nostalgic memories is indescribable.
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5. Gravity Defied
Today’s games shoot up to the top lists instantly. And just as quickly disappear from view. But in the 2000s, it worked differently. If any of the developers’ creations received public acclaim, it was on the radar for a long time. In our case, for almost two decades now, the thrill that Gravity Defied gave us has not faded in memory.
It is a real Phoenix from the world of Java games. At first, the original part and its sequel made some noise. And in time, when its popularity began to wane a bit, mods based on them burst into the Internet space. They gave the game a second life.
4. Pathway to Glory
The military topic has always been in demand among gamers. And the lion’s share of those games was dedicated to World War II. Not only Call of Duty is on this list. Many other great creations are worth your attention. Pathway to Glory is just one of them. It gathers all the best things that could be present in strategy games from the mid-zeros.
Players had the opportunity to experience being the commander of an infantry team. We can read a historical overview of each battle, which takes place on the smartphone screen. This option allows us to “taste” the thoughts of the soldiers back then. And excellent graphics & soundtrack spice up this dish.
3. K-Rally
Many cool 2000s games were the electronic children of their Polish parents from Infinite Dreams. This time I have the honor to introduce you to one of the best games created for Symbian OS. This racing game catches the eye by its dissimilarity to other representatives of the genre. As if the developers did not want to play by the rules.
The result of this intellectual protest was that they created something new. It was a work of gaming art. K-Rally says with all its essence: “Let’s think outside the box.” Here creativity is combined with weapons in a spectacular dance. So the result is the racing game, which has impressed smartphone games fans.
2. GTA: Vice City
I like the character of Tommy Vercetti. Once I even wanted to buy a shirt just like his one. But, unfortunately, I couldn’t find it. How cool would it be to walk around the summer city in the look of the famous Tommy! GTA: Vice City is full of beautiful landscapes of 1980s Miami. It is like a time machine that takes us back to that dreamy time.
Separately I want to mention the soundtrack. Rockstar Games created all the radio stations in such painstaking work that they sound incredibly realistic. The music is fantastic. Songs from genres like rock, pop, electronica, and hip-hop are present. Sometimes I listen to it as a background and write articles. Whether it is good or not – you guys are the judge 😉
1. Glimmerati
Before moving to another game dedicated to the 1980s, I want to remind you of an important thing. This material is the quintessence of my four previous articles. There I referred to the best games for PC, Symbian OS, and N-Gage & Java platforms. You can discover a total of 80 awesome apps in these works.
So, the first place took a very precious to my heart game. I played it with sincere rapture. According to the feedbacks of other fans of mobile games, Glimmerati gave them unforgettable emotions too. Here the brilliant gameplay is complemented by a masterful story. That’s how should look like the winner.
Friends, in this final paragraph, I want to thank you for being on this journey with me. It was my pleasure to share with you the memories that bring us back to the 2000s for a moment. I wish you all good health and a great mood. See you soon!
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