My list will be based on games that I have beaten. Not with 100 percent, but just the main story. I know it asks for the top 10, but I can't deliver that. This is my top 14 games of the past decade that I have completed. Why 14? Well that's because I had a bunch of ties, and I want to include all of them in this, so that they aren't left out.
Number 14: Pokemon Emerald (2005) What can I say? Pokemon Emerald is a great game that completes the Hoenn Series, and truly I had fun with it. The later bosses can be tough in comparison to the other games in the series, but that's mostly a good thing. (CoughTateandLisacough) The graphics were good, not as good as FR/LG, but good enough, and the plot, while a lot the same as Ruby and Sapphire, which didn't impress me, is also a lot different. This is my 3rd favorite pokemon game, and my 10th favorite game that existed in the past decade.
Number 13: Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury (2004) Yeah, the third in the Dragon Ball Z Action RPG series. The graphics, in my opinion, aren't bad, but they're not anything too amazing, but that's my opinion. However, graphics aren't the most important thing. I love the battle system, and I like the music and plot, so yes, I am a Dragon Ball fan. However, there is a reason it is so low on the list, and if it were fixed, this one would probably be number 8. The problem is the leveling system. It can break the game, if you do it right, and by that I mean put all of the points in ATK or POW, and you'll pwn everyone. But despite that, I had fun with this.
Number 12: Final Fantasy III DS (2006) Come on, there has to be a Final Fantasy title in here somewhere. And while 4 is probably the better choice, I have never played it, so I can't judge it. This is the last game that was never released, and what a wait. I had a lot of fun with it, but the lack of Phoenix Downs made it tedious to run through the dungeons. You can't screw up here, or you're dead. I like the fact that it seems to have a bunch of unrelated plots until nearly the very end, but I would have liked to see more of Xande. I won't spoil the final dungeon, but it is hard. But I found it to be a very rewarding experience. Graphics are blocky, but it's the DS, not the PSP.
Number 11: Pokemon Platinum (2009) This is an incredible game. It is easily one of the best games I have ever played in my life, and I can't believe that it's only number 11 on this list. The graphics are pretty good, as far as Pokemon goes. I like the changes to the plot a lot, and to see my favorite pokemon actually do the first thing in a Pokemon game to surprise me, was incredibly awesome. The difficulty of this game spiked from D/P, and I have trouble against the Elite 4, first time, which is good. However, there's another Pokemon Game that trumphs it entirely.
Number 10: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Explorers of Darkness! (2008) Despite getting low scores, this game, to me comes in at Number 10, and is my favorite Pokemon Game, even though it is a spin-off. The plot is amazing, and the best I have ever seen in a pokemon game, and it's pretty tough near the end of the main story. The graphics are kind of GBA-ish, but that's part of the charm to me. I can't imagine it any other way. And the music is pretty good as well. The Battle System is, in my opinion, better then the main games themselves.
Number 9: Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku II (2003) Arguably the best in the series. The graphics aren't the greatest, but it really does bring me a lot of fun. Most was said when I talked about Buu's Fury, but the fights... aren't ridiculiously easy in this one. They're not hard, but they're not that easy either. That's the difference.
Number 8: Kirby Super Star Ultra (2008): Kirby Super Star Ultra is a remake of the original Kirby Super Star of SNES fame. It is a lot the same, but with extra modes. I have 100 percented this game thrice now, and I'd gladly play it a fourth time. It is just that fun that it never gets old. It's incredible. There is no solid plot, so don't expect something amazing on everything... except Milky Way Dreams, and even that is a bit lacking, but it is a fun game.
Number 7: Kingdom Hearts II (2006): Kingdom Hearts II is also amazing. While not much compliment it's plot, and while it is not that good in comparison to others, I like it. Is it a sin to like KH II's plot? Well to many people, yes. The battle system is awesome, and I like the characters. I can overlook the yaoi undertones to enjoy this game, because let's face it, they are there to attract the yaoi crown to this. But that doesn't make it a bad game. If you hate yaoi, and can spot it through undertones, then you'll probably cringe at this game, unless you can overlook it.
Number 6: Super Mario Galaxy (2007): Super Mario Galaxy, voted on in a certain thread here to be the true 'Black Sheep' of the Mario games. This takes number 6 on this list because I don't find it to be lacking in any way. The plot, is standard Mario fare. Bowser kidnaps Peach, Mario must rescue her. But seriously, who goes to a main Mario game and expects some epic, amazing plot? Anyway, the graphics are pretty good, and the game is fun, and fairly easy. However, there are a couple of stages that are pretty tough on here that must have you take caution, but for the most part, it's a fun, albeit easy game.
Number 5: Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door (2004): Finally a Mario RPG in this mess. This is my Number 5 pick due to how much fun it is, and how good, in my opinion, the plot is. The best of the Paper Mario Trilogy by far, this one was pretty easy, actually. All except the last boss, who is pretty tough. 150 HP, 7 ATK which can go up to 17, and 0 DEF which can go up to 3. While that sounds easy, it isn't. The graphics are bad, but not in a bad way. It's a nice 2-D, but nothing like 3-D. It is part of its charm.
Number 4: Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (2009) Come on, you wouldn't expect this? This is my number spot because I do believe that this game has earned it. It is short, as I have clocked it in at 15:00 approximately, but it is fun. Like Super Star Ultra, I haven't gotten bored with it. It isn't so linear, and even has some tough bosses in it. Also some of the most epic final boss music composed by the same artist that composed for Kingdom Hearts, Yoko Shimomura. This game deserves its spot on this chart, but this is only my second favorite Mario RPG. The first goes to...
Number 3: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003): Yeah, the original is best. This is one of my favorite games and was number one for a while, but it got booted down to number three thanks to a couple of games that came out. This game is freaking amazing. The plot is pretty good, it has some good humor, and it has a great Battle System. The graphics are pretty good, in my opinion, for the GBA, and it was an experience to play, and introduced me to games outside of Pokemon.
Number 2: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008): Oh, come on Professionals, suck it up it still exists. This game is great. Sure, tripping sucks, but still. The graphics are pretty good, the fighting is Smash Bros, so it's good, and this is probably the greatest thing I have seen in a while, with the exception of number 1, but we can wait. The stages are fun, but the stage builder kind of sucks. Sorry, but I wish we could get more variation in it. The story mode is awesome as well, and tells a good story with very little, if not any dialogue. It was rushed near the end, and I wish I could have seen more of the plot and a few more Boss battles. And would it have killed them to make even the fights against other characters have health meters? I would have loved that, simply for consistancy, but others would hate it. The game can be really easy, or really hard depending on setting, and the music in this is hit and miss. I wish I could have heard a track like Galacta Knight in place of Forest Sounds. Despite all of the problems I'm listing off, it still comes in at number 2, and it is the reason I'm listing them off. Now here comes Number 1.
Number 1: Tales of Symphonia (2004): Tales of Symphonia. It is, and I do not lie. One of the greatest, if not the greatest RPG I have ever played. The plot is amazing, if you can stick it out for the first few hours, because before the Tower of Salvation, the game is generic. But it does get better. The Battle System is typical of a 'Tales of' game, which is an active battle system where you control the characters. The characters are pretty good for the most part, but a couple don't seem like they belong, and by a couple, I mean Regal. I can't think of a time in which I used him. He could have been an NPC, and fulfilled the same thing, in my opinion, but whatever. The graphics aren't bad, in fact, they're good. They're not amazing, but good. The game can range from easy to very difficult, if you do the right things in the first time through to make the second either tougher or easier. What's another problem? You can level up to ridiculious standards in this. I haven't done the side-quests yet, but I beat the game at Level 50-60. The max is 200, I believe. I don't exactly know. It's kind of unneccessary to make it that high unless you have a ridiculiously tough boss. (Abyssion) Oh, right... him. Well, it's still a tad extreme, in my opinion. This is number one for a reason, and that reason is that it is a fun game. An awesome game as well, and... yeah.
That concludes my list of the Top 10 games of 2000-2009, hope you enjoyed it. Oh, and if you're wondering why Halo, or Call of Duty, or something like that isn't on here, it's because I hate FPS with all of my heart. They really don't appeal to me like Platformers or RPGs. But I don't hate people who like them. It's your preference. Also, I don't like the XBOX 360 too much, but that's something else entirely.
