Can You Believe These Amazing Games Are Turning 15 in November?
There are a bunch of amazing games soon to turn 15 in November. Some unforgettable titles graced us 15 years ago that have now earned the title of “classic” in the eyes of many gamers. However, the titles below aren’t even necessarily classics but have massively influenced the gaming industry to this day. Furthermore, some of these titles could be honourable mentions as some of the best games of all time. November of 2004 truly changed the landscape of gaming. Bearing that in mind, here are five amazing games that will soon turn 15 in November.
Halo 2
Release date – 9th of November
The bestselling game on the original Xbox console was the highly revered and praised Halo 2 from developer Bungie. The sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved follows gaming icon Master Chief, an enhanced super soldier and his battle with the unrelenting aliens known as the Covenant.
Halo is a first-person shooter with an almost tactical element as you don’t go searching for health packs, you merely wait for your shields to recharge. That leads to tactical pacing within your gameplay. Halo 2 introduced new vehicles, weapons, enemies and gave the player better insight into the Covenant society that wasn’t explored in the prior title.
However, the campaign concluded on a cliff-hanger due to time constraints that left players indifferent regarding the campaign. It also featured a multiplayer – where players could play split-screen, Xbox live or play through system link. Does anyone remember the system link feature? Endless nights were consumed by many gamers through the multiplayer alone.
Need for Speed: Underground 2
Release date – 9th of November
Electronic Arts’ title Need for Speed Underground 2 (NFSU2 for short) is what some players would deem a classic when it comes to modern disruption of the arcade racing genre. When this game was first released the graphics were revolutionary for its time. However, it became famous for its open-world map format.
NFSU2 gave the player the option to drive around the urban city of Bayview and enter races through the world map. Driving through this urbanized city throughout the night was a spectacular feeling. The customization was massively expanded from the previous title, and even added a unique feature that allowed you to drive to part shops in order to buy different customizations. However, now looking back to those image cut scenes maybe it’s not such a stretch to think this title did indeed come out a very long time ago.
Half-Life 2
Release date – 16th November 2004
Don’t want to open any old wounds but yes, we have nearly waited 15 years for a sequel after that shocking and enormous cliff-hanger from Valve Corporation. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that we’ll probably never see how Gordon Freeman’s story will end but this doesn’t take anything away from the masterpiece that is Half-Life 2.
Half-Life 2 is a first-person shooter with engaging problem-solving physics tasks and capitalizing on the story throughout. The story follows protagonist Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist now turned vigilante. After the events of Half-Life where G-Man gave the player an ultimatum – die or work for him. Continuing the story from the premise you chose the latter, you awaken several years later from a slumber. The player discovers that Earth has been taken over by the dystopian alien race known as the Combine. Whereas some games from that time could be difficult to pick up again after so much time has passed, the gameplay graphics still hold up to this day, which is a rather impressive achievement.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Release Date – 17th November 2004
The Hideo Kojima classic published by Konami will be reaching the milestone of 15 later this month. The game is a prequel to MGS1 and MGS2, which takes place 30 years before the events of MGS1 in the year 1964. It follows Naked Snake during the height of the Cold War, infiltrating the Soviet Mountains in Tsolienoujarsk. His mission is to rescue scientist Dr Sokolov and bring him to the United States. Dr Sokolov is working on a project named the Shaghod, a nuclear-equipped tank. However, Naked Snake’s mission doesn’t go entirely as planned.
Like the prior titles, the narrative is very political and is fascinating throughout. The game has incredible cut scenes that were almost flawless. The camouflage system truly submerged the player into espionage and added a whole new element of stealth to the game, especially with the terrain.
Metal Gear Solid 3 also introduced hunting food to survive, curing oneself of burns and bullet wounds. Another new feature was close-quarters combat that, if used on the right enemy, might lead to useful information. The majority of fans deem this entry of the franchise to be the best Metal Gear Solid game, and it’s easy to see why.
Word of Warcraft
Release date – 23rd November 2004
Regardless of whether you’re a fan of the MMORPG genre, you cannot dispute that Blizzard truly changed the landscape of gaming forever. The fourth game from the Warcraft franchise, “World of Warcraft” was an MMORPG that deviated from the prior titles. Even though MMORPGs existed before World of Warcraft such as EverQuest and Ultima Online, this was for the majority of players their introduction to the genre. This monumental game has probably been referenced in pop culture more than any other game of its kind.
World of Warcraft has evolved and adapted throughout the years and still to this day has a strong player base. However, with World of Warcraft Classic being released earlier this year – a server that allows players to play the game before the first expansion – it’s still very evident that the majority of the fan base still remembers the glory days of the game back in its original form.
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