10 Gaming Franchises That Exploded In Popularity This Decade

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has so much to offer in terms of exploration and discovery that it was almost impossible for me to ever feel anything other than childlike wonder when venturing out in its world. I couldn’t put it down, but when I finally had to, I just couldn’t stop thinking about


Hosea helped create the Van der Linde gang alongside Dutch, and he often serves as the voice of reason against Dutch's more dreamy and ambitious ramblings. Despite his reluctance, Hosea continues to go along with Dutch's wild schemes, although it tragically costs him in the


Witcher 3, in particular, was an incredibly impressive game that really helped the franchise catch on with new fans, while continuing to impress older fans. The fact that this game has now been picked up by Netflix for a series to finish the decade only goes to show how big this has become. The games will no doubt now see another resurgence of popularity heading into the next decade because of


Since PC gamers have been waiting for their chance to experience Rockstar Games' latest AAA release, playing at launch will ensure a healthy player base for the online portion of the game. Now, how long this player base will stay attached to the game is a concern that will be talked about later, but at or near launch there's nothing to worry ab


Despite what console diehards would argue, nothing can be more accurate in the gaming space than a mouse and keyboard. The precision that a mouse provides in regards to aiming and rate of fire in comparison to a standard controller is night and


As great as it is that PC versions of games can hit max settings and offer mod support rarely seen on consoles, there are some unfortunate drawbacks. Though hacking and cheating aren't exclusive to the PC versions of games, they often don't happen at the same r

Arthur and Lenny grow close throughout the course of the game, but he is tragically killed during the Saint Denis bank robbery. He was one of the gentler members of the gang, and his death served as a turning point in the tone of the st


The Last of Us was a leap forward for games on the same level as Half-Life 2 and Super Mario 64 . The history books will point to The Last of Us as the game that brought AAA narrative to a cinema-quality standard, and pushed the entire industry forward in terms of performance, motion capture, writing, and AI. The Last of Us defines gaming in the 2010s. It is a functionally flawless game that took monumental risks that we now take for granted after so many have followed in its footst


To make matters worse, the rest of the games are also littered with untimely and sorrowful deaths. Despite their mistakes and stature as criminals and outlaws, fans can't help but feel attached to them and their stories, and when they die, their loss is truly felt. The player hates themselves for feeling it, but the feeling is there neverthel


Escuella served as a major antagonist in the first Red Dead Redemption , but his character was given significant depth in the prequel. He was an active member of the gang and was even quite close to Arthur, as the two bonded over fishing and horse stealing. The player actually starts to like him...until the acceptance of the inevita


The Tomb Raider franchise is very close to my heart and I've followed its ups and downs since the very beginning. The Tomb Raider reboot brought the franchise to a new audience and severely kicked up its production value. Rise of the Tomb Raider felt like a pinnacle of that achievement. The narrative is engaging, the challenges varied, and the game was enjoyable from start to finish. Lara Croft dominates in this game and I'm here for


"More, more, more." That's the increasingly stagnant design philosophy of most AAA publishers, and at this point? It's tiring. But Nintendo made a bold proclamation with its brilliant reboot of its flagship series: "More fun, more fun, more fun." Because f or all its sweeping fantasy, its downtrodden lore, its epic scale, that's what Breath of the Wild is all about: fun. By setting players loose in an elastic, responsive open world Games Reviews and giving them next to no restrictions, Nintendo stumbled upon what most publishers were missing out on - having a heart. That heart reinvigorated a dull genre, restored my faith in Zelda , and put every Ubisoft grind-fest to shame with great aplomb. Also, it gave us Link in Gerudo clothes, and we can all be grateful for t


Dark Souls became one of the most popular games of the decade, mainly because it was one of the best games of the decade. It was heavily praised by critics and gamers, becoming an instant success that's still talked about to this


It's simple design and bright colors make the game massively appealing to people of all ages. Encouraging team play or solo play with creativity and skill being needed, the game has been a mega-hit. Fortnite has just gone from strength to strength since bursting onto the scene, and it has shown no real signs of slowing down eit