Well I decided it is almost 2011. The end of an era, so to speak. I decided to make my list naming my favorite games of the past decade. Ten years of amazing games to choose from and no easy task to narrow the list to just ten, but I feel satisfied with my list. I hope everyone likes what I picked and if not tell me what should have been one the list. Until then I present to everyone Cody Gilley's to 10 video games of the decade!!!

First thing is first here is what just missed the cut.

Honorable Mentions

Assassin's Creed II, The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess, Mario Galaxy 2,Red Dead Redemption,Grand Theft Auto IV, Gears of War,Batman Arkham Asylum, Left 4 Dead, Heavy Rain, Ratchet and Clank, Resident Evil 4, Starcraft II,and Bioshock

10 Sly 2

One of the franchises that made the Playstation 2 a system to be reckoned with came back in a bang. Gone were the overly linear levels of the first and a more open world hybrid took place. The noir style visuals looks just as good as they did when the game was released six years ago and the gameplay is no different.  Stealth, comedy, drama, and a great narrative, Sly 2 is a less serious Splinter Cell. Te charm of the series has kept me in love from the start and I cannot wait to see what Sly 4 brings to this amazing franchise.

9 Alan Wake

The IP that took I believe six years to release did not disappoint. The player takes the role of Alan Wake a bestselling author suffering from writer's block. Hoping to get passed the break Alan Wake and his wife Alice visit the sleepy town of Bright Falls, where a horrifying thriller awaits.  The game is weak in the combat department, but the narrative more than makes up with twists and turns around every corner. The climax leading up to a satisfying yet open ended conclusion, with my favorite line uttered in a video game. It's not a lake it's an ocean. Let us all hope Alan Wake gets a much deserved sequel in the coming years.

8 Okami

I love this game because of the sheer beauty of the art style. The game is essentially very similar to the Legend of Zelda franchise. Utilizing painting as a way to defeat foes and solve puzzles. This game also has some very interesting and memorable characters. But, I still feel the art style is the starring role of this game. When Amaterasu walks flowers spawn from here feet, she can bring plants to life, change night into day, and that to me just adds a layer of depth that I have yet to see be matched. Any gamer who has not played Okami is missing out on a masterpiece of a game.

7 The Orange Box

This may not be fair, but this is my list so I make the rules. This collection included the masterpiece Half-Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2,the long awaited Team Fortress 2, and the hidden gem Portal. While I could go on about how Half Life perfected first person gaming and blah blah blah. Everyone has heard about Half Life, there is nothing I can add to Half Life's praise. So I will talk why I love Team Fortress 2 and Portal. Team Fortress 2 perfected class based multiplayer with an ageless art style, perfectly balanced classes, and continued PC support. Plus who does not enjoy making rocket turrets to destroy one's enemies? Portal was the game no one really knew what to expect from. This little gem has spawned not only a new was to play FPS games, but has the most memorable lines in video games in the past decade.

6 Demon's Souls

If a person thinks all video games with a good challenge are gone. Give them Demon's Souls, that will shut them up for a bit. The game starts out innocently enough and then the first "Sub-Boss" is introduced killing the player in one hit. From that moment on the game is going to test the abilities of all gamers. Demon's Souls while light in story, makes ups with a blend of western and traditional RPG elements. The combat is very pattern based, either learn how each enemy fights or die. Demon's Souls may be difficult, but never is the challenge unfair. There is always a way to win and with practice comes reward. If anyone is tired of being handed their video game victories, then Demon's Souls with give a genuine feeling of accomplishment. Demon's Souls is truly a game for anyone, not owning a PS3, to get jealous of.

 5 Shadow of The Colossus

If there was a game that can be called art Shadow of The Colossus more than qualifies. There is no reliance on smaller enemies, towns, or even other people. There is only the Wanderer, his horse, his love, and of course the Colossi, which steal the show. Offering the best boss fights, in my opinion , ever in a video game. The story is conveyed through emotion rather than words. The protagonist must defeat the Colossi to bring back his love, but at the cost of himself. With each Colossi killed a dark presence starts to deteriorate his body, tuning him into a monster slowly. The game pulls on emotions especially with the horse scene before the final Colossi. A game that pushed the Playstation 2 to the limits, I cannot wait to play through the game again in HD when Shadow of The Colossus releases later in 2011.

4 The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion

The Elder Scrolls series has always given more stuff to do than many games combined. The first Elder Scrolls on next generation console did not disappoint. With a huge living world, too many quests to count and all the random fun that can be done .Joining guilds, making spells, buying fortresses,  and even becoming an assassin, there is almost no way to run out of things to do. To this day I still have yet to experience everything in Oblivion. With the newly confirmed Elder Scrolls V, looks like I should get to visiting Oblivion real soon.

3 Uncharted 2

Every wanted Indian Jones to have a great adventure game? Well if so Uncharted 2 does what the Tomb Raider series never managed to capture. Fortune hunter Nathon Drake sets out to find Marco Polos treasure and what follows in Naughty Dog's greatest video game ever. This is one long adrenaline ride, getting to fight on a moving trail, exploring ruins, and outrunning cars down a street. Not only does Uncharted 2 have quite possibly one of the greatest singleplayer stories of all time, but the multiplayer is amazing as well. Naughty Dog is going to have a hard time finding a way to top Uncharted 2, so lets all hope Uncharted 3 is even better.

2 Dead Space

Survival horror is one of the most underutilized genres in video games. Sure the occasional System Shock or Silent Hill 2 are released. But, for every great horror game, there seems to be three horrible ones released as well such as Obscure, Vampire Rain, Jericho, and Vampire Rain 2(yes there is a sequel who would have thought). In October of 2008 a new horror star was born as Dead Space. Not only did this game add a new type of exciting combat with the strategic dismemberment. But, we get on of the most memorable settings in a video game the USG Ishimura. There are obvious inspirations from other horror games, the combat of Resident Evil 4, psychological torment similar to Silent Hill, and a horrifying ship like System Shock 2. This game revitalized my love for the horror genre, but I will admit there are a few problems. The protagonist only says Ohhh and Aghh, and all the missions are" go here do that". Even with those problems Dead Space stands as one of my favorite video games not only of this decade, but of all time.

1 Mass Effect 2

Improving on everything I loved in the original. Mass Effect opens with a bang a does not let go until the pulse pounding end. The combat is more polished, resembling Gears of War in a way. The supporting cast of characters is greatly expanded all of them having storylines to go with them. Mass Effect 2 redefines what a sequel can be. The choices made in the first game can have consequences in the second.  No two people will have the same playthrough, every choice is unique and some really tug on one's morality of what is right and wrong. As amazing as Mass Effect 2 is I can only imagine how Mass Effect 3 plans to do better.

Obviously my list will be different than yours. But, I want to know is there a game that you would have put in your list? Is my list good or bad? Give me your feedback and tell me what you liked and would have changed.

Thanks for reading have a great day!