2001

So, the whole "2001: A Space Odyssey " thing didn't actually happen. No problem: we had some great games to keep things interesting.

Survival horror got a triple shot on PS2, as foggy psychodrama Silent Hill 2 got weird, samurai-vs-demons slasher Onimusha: Warlords got medieval, and Dante, the white-haired, gunslinging swordsman of Devil May Cry made it all look cool as hell. Those who preferred their guns mounted onto car hoods thrilled over Twisted Metal Black, and the fledgling Xbox turned the key on a supercar franchise called Project Gotham Racing.

Speaking of beginning franchises, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy touched off a new platform action franchise, and speaking of racing, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec jumpstarted an old one. Skillz-drenched b-balla NBA Street helped us soar through the air, and the irresistibly cute strategy game Pikmin had us watching the ground closely. We were flattened by 2D RPG Paper Mario, chose Pikachu in Pokemon Stadium 2, and jetted clear across the galaxy for mech shooter Zone of the Enders, where we stayed when the team-based sci-fi RPG Phantasy Star Online glued us to our Dreamcasts. 

But those aren't even the big hitters. Final Fantasy X and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty brought the premiere RPG and stealth action series onto PS2, and the Xbox roared out of the gate with mega-shooter Halo and big-chested brawler Dead or Alive 3. Nintendo kept up as well, releasing Super Smash Bros. Melee, which became legendary and went on to inspire countless superplay videos.

Then the gaming landscape changed forever when Grand Theft Auto III exploded onto the PS2.

In arcades, Virtua Fighter 4 quietly established itself as the best 3D fighter ever, and on the portable side, offerings like turn-based strategy masterpiece Advance Wars, kart racer Mario Kart Super Circuit, and the awesome RPG Golden Sun were showing the freshly-launched Game Boy Advance could make you miss your stop on the train. PC gaming had a good year as well, with empire-builder Civilization III, god game Black & White, and adrenalized first-person shooter Return to Castle Wolfenstein.