Gazing back on the past decade of PC gaming (or, to be more precise, 2000-2009), we've seen a lot of amazing games, and a lot of equally amazing trends. The real-time strategy genre came into its own and evolved several times over, massively multiplayer online games hit critical mass, PopCap made us embrace casual gaming, and games such as BioShock and Portal redefined the way we looked at interactive storytelling.
In discussing this particularly awesome decade, we -- the editors and writers of GameSpy -- put it all to a vote, and managed to reach a consensus on our top 25 PC games of the 2000s. Now, we suspect this list will be just as notable for what isn't on it as it is for what is on it. So remember, Internet debaters: The magic number was 25, and that meant that some very good (and very deserving) games didn'cat make it onto the list.
But without further ado, let's get to it. Enjoy, and let us know your own picks (and what you think of ours) in the comments section below!
EDITOR'S NOTE (1/30/2011): As stated above, this list covers PC gaming from 2000-2009. Again, 2000-2009. For those wondering why games like StarCraft II weren't considered for this list, it's because they were not released within that 10-year window.
25. Tropico 3
24. Europa Universalis III
23. Thief II: The Metal Age
22. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
21. Battlefield 2
20. Sins of a Solar Empire
19. Rise of Nations
18. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
17. IL-2 Sturmovik
16. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
15. Battlefield 1942
14. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
13. Plants vs. Zombies
12. Call of Duty
11. Left 4 Dead
10. Half-Life 2
9. Team Fortress 2
8. Portal
7. Diablo II
6. Counter-Strike
5. Sid Meier's Civilization IV
4. Company of Heroes
3. Deus Ex
2. BioShock
1. World of Warcraft