Top games from the Windows XP generation

When we have a game that we put a lot of time in and enjoy with a passion we sometimes want that game to be considered at the top of its class. Thus we have numerous articles over the net that try to rank titles of all genres and complete a list of the Top games for a certain time period. With the approach of Vista and DX10 games, Voodoo Extreme has published its own article here that tries to rank the Top 20 games of the Windows XP era.

Its hard to judge whether these comparisons mean anything as someone who enjoys FPS games might not care at all for a game like WoW. However its an interesting read nonetheless, yet in my personal opinion I don't think the ranking of these games against each other is an effective way of comparison. There are some titles out there that truly revolutionized the way we go about thinking about games, and they attract such a wide range of gamers that they enter a Hall of Fame for Games.

Since I have been into gaming for some time now and have tried hundreds of titles, I am fairly confident that I can make a list of the 5 most influential games in the Windows XP period that I believe helped to get us where we are now. They are not ranked in any particular order, but are in my opinion the games that really shook the industry.

1. World of Warcraft: It would be hard to dismiss a game that attracted millions of gamers and created such a powerful community with a wide range of gamers. Its touted as being one of the most addicting games out there now, and it would be hard to disagree with this fact.

2. Battlefield 1942: A game that brought a truly multiplayer environment to thousands of people. It was the first game that really got the concept of "all out war" right, and bravo to that. It also sparked an impressive mod community due to the flexible Refractor 2 engine, bringing us such titles as Desert Combat and Forgotten Hope.

3. Half Life 2: Arguably one of the most anticipated titles of this decade; this is a game that had an amazing story with an impressive action-packed gameplay. The original HL gave birth to the infamous Counter-Strike and this sequel didn't disappoint. CS:S is a truly addicting and mind-blowing online shooter with a basic premise that truly had gamers hooked.

4. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory: Although this didn't reach the success that the above games had, it did expand on gameplay that was truly unique in its co-op mode. This game had an excellent story which never seemed to repeat; it required the player to think outside the box. This is a game that deserves more credit than it received, and is still a great title to enjoy.

5. Call of Duty: How can anyone not include this game? Despite such an abundance of WWII FPS titles that are out there, this is truly one of the most rewarding games on the shelf. The developers just seemed to get everything right, a great story, intelligent AI, and combat sequences that kept the player on his feet.

Honorable Mention:
MS Flight Simulator '04
Battlefield 2
F.E.A.R.
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings